Bangkok pawnshops to cut interest rates to help people survive
With people struggling to make ends meet in the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Bangkok authorities are getting all state-run pawnshops to reduce interest charges for three months from July 1.
The new monthly interest rates will be as follows:
• 0.1% for a pledge of up to 5,000 baht
• 0.8% for 5,001 to 15,000 baht
• 1% for pledges above 15,000
• Each pawn ticket can be worth no more than 100,000 baht
• A person can hold no more than five pawn tickets worth a total of 500,000 baht
• Gold can be pawned at 87.5% for its original purchase value.
Visit www.pawnshop.bangkok.go.th for more details.
Corruption complaint filed over lavish Samut Prakan streetlights
Local politicians in Samut Prakan have asked the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to investigate a project to install ornate streetlamps, as corruption fears mount.
Topped with a kinnaree (half bird-half woman) design, the streetlamps in Racha Thewa subdistrict have drawn public criticism and suspicion over their lavish design and high cost.
The Racha Thewa subdistrict administrative organisation (SAO) has reportedly spent 900 million baht on the ornate lampposts since 2013. Critics say only one company was involved in the projects.
On June 22, the SAO approved a budget of 68.4 million baht to install another 720 kinnaree-topped lampposts in Racha Thewa.
On Tuesday, members of the SAO lodged a complaint with the DSI, asking the department to check for corruption in the procurement of the lampposts. The petition says the SAO ignored complaints from locals who voiced opposition to the plan to buy more lampposts.
SAO chairman Songchai Nokkhamin insists the purchase and installation of the lampposts was above board.
Requirements for foreign tourists arriving on Samui from Thursday
Surat Thani on Tuesday issued Covid-19 rules for foreign travellers visiting three resort islands – Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao – under the Samui+ Model.
From Thursday (July 15), foreigners will be allowed into Thailand via Samui International Airport provided:
• They avoid areas at risk of Covid-19 infection for at least 14 days.
• They come from a low- or medium-risk country based on criteria set by the Public Health Ministry. The traveller will have to prove they have stayed in the said country for at least 21 days before entering Surat Thani.
• They hold a certificate of entry (COE).
• They hold proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken at least 72 hours before departure.
• They hold an insurance policy with at least US$100,000 of cover for medical expenses for Covid-19 and other conditions during their entire stay in Thailand.
• They install the Mor Chana tracing application or other apps specified by district disease control centres.
• They stay in an Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALQ) hotel in Koh Samui for seven days, after which they can stay in ALQ or SHA+ hotels in Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan or Koh Tao.
• They must undergo an RT-PCR Covid-19 test at least three times: On arrival at Samui Airport, on day six or seven, and on day 12 or 13. Children under six years old only have to undergo one RT-PCR test between the first and the seventh day of their stay.
8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok
Eight people were arrested for breaching the first night of curfew in Bangkok and surrounding provinces on Monday.
Acurfew from 9pm-4am was ordered in Bangkok and nine other provinces by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration last Friday as part of a partial lockdown. The other provinces are Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, plus Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla in the deep South.
People are banned from leaving their homes from 9pm-4am except for emergencies, while interprovincial travel is discouraged.
8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok
“On the first night of curfew, 1,500 vehicles were stopped and checked and 2,183 individuals were searched or questioned at 110 checkpoints throughout Bangkok and surrounding areas,” reported the Metropolitan Police Bureau. “Officials made a total of eight arrests, four involving possession or use of narcotics.”
On the first night of curfew, police focused on giving information and warnings rather than making arrests, Bangkok police chief Phukphong Phongpetra explained earlier.
“We will consider curfew violators’ intention. They will get off with a warning if they are out at night unintentionally,” he said.
8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok
The bureau said the most common reasons for being outside during curfew on Monday were to deliver products (637 people or 29 per cent) and travelling to/from work for the night shift (573 people or 26 per cent). Another 195 people (9 per cent) stopped by police were Bangkok Metropolitan Administration cleaning staff who work at dawn to avoid traffic.
Thais warned not to fall for scammers offering Covid jabs
The Department of Medical Services is warning people to look out for scammers who claim they can get them a Covid-19 jab at the Bang Sue Grand Station for a fee.
“Vaccinations are being provided at the Bang Sue Grand Station for people aged 60 and above, and it’s completely free of charge,” the department said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“The department accepts online registration via four mobile operators and will set appointments from July 16 to 31 between 9am and 5pm.”
The department also accepts walk-ins, provided they are over 75 and cannot register online. They can show up for a jab between July 12 and 18.
The National Vaccine Institute also said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that a gang of fraudsters has been sending emails inviting people to pay for alternative vaccines. The scammers claim they have booked 500,000 doses.
“This gang calls itself the ‘Thai Vaccine Institute’, which does not exist. They also use a fake logo that looks like that of the National Vaccine Institute,” the post said. “Do not put your personal data in the form attached to these emails, as you could become the victim of a scam.”
The institute is urging those who received these emails to forward their information to its Facebook page so it can take legal action against the fraudsters.
KMITL produces special ventilator bags for emergency services
The King Mongkuts Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) recently produced 100 special emergency transport ventilators or Ambu bags to supply to 50 hospitals across the nation.
KMITL’s special KNIN II Ambu bags are smaller with an inbuilt battery, which makes them easy to use in emergencies.
The production of the devices was financed by the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry.
56 deaths, 8,685 new cases as Thailand’s third wave rages on
Thailand logged 56 deaths and 8,685 new infections over a 24-hour period on Tuesday.
Of the total, 6,026 had tested positive in hospitals, 2,501 were found via proactive testing, 146 infections were found in prisons and 12 were arrivals from overseas.
Bangkok led the list of most cases with 2,631, followed by Samut Sakhon (561), Nonthaburi (537), Samut Prakan (529), Chonburi (459) and Pathum Thani (189.
Meanwhile, 3,797 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
Of the total 353,172 cases so far, 255,455 have recovered and been discharged, 95,410 patients are still in hospitals, and 2,847 have died.
Meanwhile, another 297,542 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 41,438 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 12,908,193.
According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 188.06 million, 172 million of whom have recovered, 12.01 million are active cases (78,536 in severe condition) and 4.05 million have died (up by 6,387).
Thailand ranks 60th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.76 million, followed by India with 30.9 million, Brazil with 19.1 million, France 5.81 million and Russia 5.8 million.
Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told
Bangkok’s homeless people are being urged to stop moving about and set up camp in one place during the 9pm to 4am curfew.
This curfew is part of the partial lockdown imposed in Greater Bangkok and southern border provinces since Monday in a bid to curb Covid-19 infections.
On Tuesday, Thailand was hit with 8,685 new cases and 56 deaths. The number of cases in the country has been soaring since the third wave was sparked in April, with deaths hitting a record high of 91 last Saturday and infections a record high of 9,539 cases on Sunday.
Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless toldChoose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless toldChoose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told
BMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across Bangkok
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is accelerating the setting up of isolation centres across the capital to ensure Covid-19 patients get immediate treatment and curb transmission of the virus.
Bangkok governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang said on Monday that BMA aims to set up 20 such centres, adding that eight have been set up so far.
The centres set up are Chatuchak Youth Centre, Wat Intharawihan, Wat Saphan, Wat Pak Bo, Nong Chok Youth Centre, Wat Srisudaram, Bang Khae Youth Centre and Bang Khun Thian Youth Centre.
“As of Monday noon, more than 500 Covid-19 patients were being treated at these centres,” he said.
“Isolation centres at Ramintra Sports Centre, Prachaniwet Sports Centre and Don Mueang Youth Centre will be opened on Tuesday.”
He added that the BMA has also improved facilities at these centres and enhanced hygiene, security and communication standards to ensure maximum safety for Covid-19 patients.
“The BMA has also started handing out queue cards to Covid-19 patients in a bid to reduce congestion in the centres,” he added.
BMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across BangkokBMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across BangkokBMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across BangkokBMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across Bangkok
TDRI report blames government blunders for worsening Covid situation
The government’s errors in evaluating the situation and flawed decision-making is responsible for the latest Covid-19 wave and the worsening of the pandemic situation, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) said in a recently published report.
The TDRI was critiquing the performance of the Prayut Chan-o-cha government in the middle of its second term with focus on containing the outbreak and vaccine management.
The TDRI said that though Thailand was doing great in controlling the outbreak in the first wave (before December 2020), it had made some glaring blunders subsequently, which was responsible for the current situation.
From around 150th in the world for most number of cases a few months ago, Thailand has fallen to 60th.
“One of the government’s major erroneous decisions was to allow the Songkran holidays in 2021 without proper disease control measures for travellers, despite the third wave having already started in early April. This has led to the infections spreading to all regions of Thailand,” it said in the report.
“The government’s crisis management is also confusing,” it added. “It announced a lockdown in Bangkok on the night of June 26 while a day earlier the government had insisted that there would be no lockdown of the metropolitan areas.”
The TDRI pointed out that the Prayut government lacked proper situation evaluation, preparedness and rehabilitation plans for affected people. This was reflected in abrupt measures in locking down construction sites and shutting down restaurants with no clear assistance measures.
The report also faulted the administration’s vaccine policy.
“The government’s vaccine management plan is also a mistake, as it relies heavily on the domestically produced AstraZeneca vaccine,” said TDRI. “Also, the government should have branched out to several manufacturers from the start to procure a variety of vaccines instead of focusing on obtaining only Sinovac, which later proved to be significantly less effective than others in preventing infections.”
The institute suggested that a special independent committee be formed to investigate and analyse the mistakes in handling the Covid-19 situation to learn from them and avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.
“The committee should work in the similar fashion as Bank of Thailand’s financial and economic study committee that had been established after the Tom Yum Kung financial crisis in 1997 to learn from the mistakes and improve the country’s economic stability,” it added.
8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok
8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok
Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told
Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told
Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told
BMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across Bangkok
BMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across Bangkok
BMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across Bangkok
BMA opens 8 of 20 planned isolation centres across Bangkok
