The Culture Ministry aims to ask Unesco to list Thai cannabis as an “intangible cultural heritage” as people from all regions use it like a herb while the Thai breed has become popular abroad, Dr Kwanchai Wisitthanon, deputy director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, said on Thursday.
“If Unesco registers Thai cannabis as sort of a world heritage, known as an ‘intangible cultural heritage’, it will help spread the reputation of using cannabis for health and one that originates from Thailand,” Kwanchai said.
It is similar to cooperation between the Culture Ministry and the Public Health Ministry getting Thai massage registered as an intangible cultural heritage in 2019, he said.
As a first step, 30 species of Thai cannabis will be listed as a “National Wisdom Heritage” of Thailand. It is expected that the Culture Ministry will then proceed with the registration by March 2022 and subsequently apply for a Unesco listing in 2023.
Around 400 public pedestal drinking water fountains have been found to be in a deteriorating condition because of lack of maintenance, not meeting the objectives of a project from the very beginning, causing obstruction on pavements and affecting the scenery of the city and are therefore being demolished, Bangkoks deputy governor Sakolthee Phatthiyakul said on Thursday after inspecting the demolition of a drinking water fountain on Rama VI Road.
The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) had demolished the water platform and all its accessories since November 22 and restored the sidewalk to its original state.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will now take over maintenance and reform the pavement to its best condition – a task expected to be completed in 90 days.
Sakolthee said the drinking water pedestal project had been in operation since 1999 courtesy of the MWA in cooperation with the BMA and the private sector to improve the quality of life for Bangkokians.
Bangkok Governor Pol General Asawin Kwanmuang has ordered agencies to cancel state festival events including the New Year countdown at city square.
Deputy governor Kriengyot Sudlapa said Asawin made the decision according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration guidelines for New Year events slated on December 31 and January 1 after the World Health Organisation called on countries to cancel some holiday plans for the safety of their citizens as the Omicron variant was spreading significantly faster than Delta.
As of December 22, Thailand had more than 100 suspected Omicron cases, with 27 having already been confirmed.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has sought cooperation from the private sector wishing to organise New Year countdowns by asking it to strictly abide by safety measures, including having a Covid-Free Setting, screening and cleaning of premises, implementing social distancing and providing a quarantine facility for infected people, etc.
Participants must be vaccinated or produce a negative ATK test result taken not more than 72 hours before events.
New Year countdown organisers are also being asked to reduce the number of attendees.
More information can be got at the Department of Health or district offices.
“I ask Bangkokians for your cooperation to refrain from entering risky or crowded areas to control and prevent the risk of infection according to government policies,” Kriengyot added.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) temporarily suspended the Test & Go scheme on Tuesday as Covid-19 cases among foreigners visiting Thailand had risen, Public Health Commission vice chairman Dr Chalermchai Boonyaleephan said on Thursday.
In a post on the Blockdit platform, he said Thailand had reopened on November 1 as the number of Covid-19 infections declined after hitting the highest point during the August 13-18 period due to the Delta strain.
He said the Test & Go scheme went well until the World Health Organisation announced on November 26 that the latest Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was a variant of concern.
“After that, Omicron has spread to almost 100 countries and Covid-19 cases in many nations have skyrocketed, so we have had to reconsider our screening methods,” he explained.
Chalermchai said Covid-19 cases among foreigners visiting Thailand in the first half of December was 1.7 times higher than in November.
Of these, virus cases among foreign visitors under the Test & Go scheme have increased by 1.9 times, and by 1.1 per cent among foreigners entering via the Sandbox scheme.
He said the CCSA’s move to temporarily suspend the Test & Go programme was a good decision as patients infected with Omicron developed mild or no symptoms and would test negative the first time.
“Therefore, we must wait for the CCSA to re-evaluate Covid-19 preventive measures to deal with the Omicron variant,” he added.
Data collected worldwide on the Covid-19 Omicron variant until December 23 indicates that it is less severe than Delta, which still makes up the majority of cases in Thailand, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Thursday.
“The Omicron variant can be transmitted more quickly than Delta, but fewer Omicron patients have developed severe symptoms or died,” he said.
“Take England, for example, which has reported more than 10,000 Omicron cases with only 12 mortalities, or just 0.12 per cent.”
The Imperial College London earlier this week published a study which found that those infected by Omicron in England were 15 to 20 per cent less likely to go to an emergency room with severe symptoms and 40 per cent less likely to be hospitalised overnight, when compared with those infected by Delta.
Kiattiphum said the Public Health Ministry is confident that Thailand’s health system will be able to handle the situation if Omicron were to spread widely in the country.
“When the Delta variant hit Thailand [in May 2021] we had only a 20-30 per cent vaccination rate while there were inadequate beds available for suspect patients at field hospitals,” he noted.
“Now, more than 63 per cent of the population have received two doses of vaccination, and we have established an efficient home and community isolation system where suspect patients can safely monitor their symptoms without the risk of spreading the virus to their family members,” Kiattiphum said.
“The ministry continues to closely monitor the Omicron situation both globally and in Thailand. The Department of Disease Control has been tasked with estimating scenarios of Omicron outbreaks in Thailand while adding recent factors such as the vaccination rate,” Kiattiphum revealed.
“We expect the evaluation of scenarios to be completed by December 27, when it will be presented at a ministry press conference,” he added.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) deputy permanent secretary Chawin Sirinak chaired a meeting with the Bangkok Education Office and the Bangkok Health Office on Wednesday to discuss guidelines in preparation for on-site reopening of BMA schools for the second semester of Pathom 4 to 6 (grades 4 to 6).
The meeting ordered all schools to strictly follow Covid-19 prevention measures that include social distancing, regular hand washing and always wearing a mask.
The meeting also came out with seven exclusive guidelines:
1. Schools must evaluate themselves on the Thai Stop Covid Plus and MOECovid websites. 2. Allow activities only in small groups and students must stick to their groups. 3. Ensure food is nutritious and prepared in a hygienic manner. 4. Make sure environmental health is up to standards. 5. Set up an isolation zone in case of an emergency. 6. Arrange a sealed route for travel. 7. Create a school pass for students, teachers and staff.
Supachai Panitchpakdi, former secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and ex-director-general of the World Trade Organisation, urged Thailand to push for a sustainable economy proactively and play a more important role on the world stage.
He also emphasised the development of the industrial sector and underprivileged people.
He was speaking at The Nation’s virtual forum “Thailand Next: Sustainability Goal”.
Supachai made four suggestions for the government in order to drive the country towards the sustainability goal:
1. The state should play a firm role in supporting a sustainable industrial sector with clear direction and immediate solutions.
“I like the 13th Development Plan, which aims to boost electric vehicle production. We are Asean’s biggest automobile manufacturer. Therefore, we need to prepare for electric-vehicle facilitation. Co-investment with China may be a good idea. But this is the government’s responsibility,” Supachai noted.
2. The people’s well-being is as essential as the green economy. The “poor people’s card” system is beneficial, but a number of poverty-stricken citizens are still not able to register for the scheme. Meanwhile, the government should fully support informal workers and promote a full-fledged community economy.
3. The state should act sustainably in all economic, social and environmental aspects. A low-carbon society can only become a reality when people truly understand the importance of the matter.
4. The country needs to step up on the world stage. The government has to make an approach in negotiating international agreements. Asean countries also need to unite and protect the region from China, India and the US, he said.
The police caught a 40-year-old contractor called Weerachai (last name withheld) on Thursday in Bangkoks Phasi Charoen district for allegedly allowing trucks to illegally dump waste and building material in an upmarket housing project for a price.
Citizens reported to the police that there was illegal dumping going on in the area, leading to air pollution.
A police investigation found the area is a housing development project with homes priced at more than 10 million baht. There were piles of solid waste, tree branches and building materials on the site.
The police quietly observed the area and found ten trucks going in and out of the area. Some 30 to 40 trucks were seen to make trips into the project per day.
They also discovered that Weerachai allegedly demanded money from the truck drivers to dump the garbage there.
Weerachai reportedly told police he was the contractor who was responsible for the landfill at the housing project.
He admitted that he allegedly demanded 60 to 300 baht from each truck to dump their garbage in the area, and then rented a backhoe for 6,000 baht per day to cover the garbage.
Weerachai claimed he earned around 100,000 baht per month.
He was charged with violating the Public Health Act and the Land Excavation and Land Filling Act.
He was taken to the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division for legal action.
The Central Investigation Bureau advised residents who are interested in buying or investing in a house to carefully check the project from the construction phase.
Israeli national Ohad Baruch, who was caught on Koh Samui on Wednesday after escaping quarantine in Bangkok, was infected with the Omicron variant during a test in the capital.
Baruch arrived in Thailand on December 17 under the Test & Go scheme and escaped from a hotel in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area while awaiting his RT-PCR test result.
The screening staff revealed that Baruch was infected with the Covid-19.
The court subsequently issued an arrest warrant for Baruch and he was caught later at a restaurant on Samui for violating the communicable disease control act.
Public Health officials took him to Koh Samui Hospital for a late-night Covid-19 test. But the result revealed that it was negative and he was not infected with Covid-19.
However, Suphakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, confirmed on Thursday that Baruch was infected with Covid-19.
A part of Bang Phlat’s Sirindhorn Road has undergone a glamming up to bring good fortune to Bangkokians during the New Year.
The Bang Phlat District Office organised an activity on Wednesday to improve the 0.25-rai landscape at the Japanese carp pond inbound to Sirindhorn Road. The pond was decorated with nine colourful Japanese carp sculptures and carp flags as it is believed to bring fortune and good health.
Deputy permanent secretary for Bangkok Suthathip Son-iam also joined in the activity to prepare the area as a “present” for the people during the upcoming festive season.
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