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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002562

PM shrugs at public fury over humorous tone in announcing new Covid restrictions

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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday attempted to shrug off criticism of the humorous tone he used on Friday to announce new Covid-19 restrictions.

The PM signed off on Friday by using the word “naja” and smiling. “Naja” is normally used by women and children as a humorous suffix meant to soften their conversation.

Prayut’s use of the word to announce new disease controls triggered a wave of criticism from netizens, who accused him of making light of the virus crisis. The restrictions, which include a ban on restaurant dining in Bangkok and four surrounding provinces from Monday, are another blow to small businesses and public life.

Prayut’s humour and his government’s decision were hit by furious criticism across the social media world. On Monday, the hashtag #นะจ๊ะ (naja) was top-trending on Twitter, accompanied by enraged comments about the prime minister’s performance and the worsening Covid-19 situation in Thailand.

Responding to reporters’ questions on Monday, Prayut attempted to shrug off the criticism by repeating the offending word.

“I am not angry,” he said. “I work wholeheartedly, naja.”

His words triggered more comments and shares on social media.

Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002558

Thailand opens door to Phuket Sandbox for 66 countries

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Thailand’s Certificate of Entry (COE) was made available as of noon on Monday. Now, travellers from the countries listed below can register for entering Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox scheme.

The list will be updated every two months, based on each country’s Covid-19 status.

At present, travellers from the following countries can apply to enter Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox scheme:

1. Albania

2. Andora

3. Antigua and Barbuda

4. Australia

5. Austria

6. Azerbaijan

7. Bahrain

8. Barbados

9. Belgium

10. Bhutan

11. Brunei

12. Bulgaria

13. Cambodia

14. Canada

15. Chile

16. China

17. Croatia

18. Cyprus

19. Czech Republic

20. Denmark

21. Dominica

22. Estonia

23. Finland

24. France

25. Germany

26. Greece

27. Hungary

28. Iceland

29. Ireland

30. Israel

31. Italy

32. Kuwait

33. Laos

34. Latvia

35. Lithuania

36. Luxembourg

37. Malta

38. Mauritius

39. Monaco

40. Morocco

41. Myanmar

42. The Netherlands

43. New Zealand

44. Norway

45. Poland

46. Portugal

47. Qatar

48. Romania

49. Russia

50. San Marino

51. Serbia

52. Singapore

53. Slovakia

54. Slovenia

55. South Korea

56. Spain

57. Sweden

58. Switzerland

59. Turkey

60. United Arab Emirates

61. United Kingdom

62. United States

63. Vietnam

64. Hong Kong

65. Macau

66. Taiwan

Thailand opens door to Phuket Sandbox for 66 countries

Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002556

Ex-school principal who fled schoolgirl-sex charges finally arrested

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A former school principal who escaped after being charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl three years ago has finally been arrested in Songkhla province.

Nathapob Boonthongtho, 53, was nabbed by Crime Suppression Division officers at Chalatat Beach in the southern province, after fleeing sexual harassment and rape charges in 2018.

He was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Bua Yai district. At the time, he was school principal and she was a student at his school. The relationship was discovered when the girl’s parents discovered chatbox messages in which Nathapob called their daughter “darling” and “my wife”.

He was also accused of trying to have sex with another schoolgirl, 13. The victim said Nathapob drove her to a secluded area, groped her, and asked her for sex in exchange for THB2,000. She rejected his advances and later told her parents about the assault.

Released after posting bail of THB200,000, Nathapob fled the province.

Interrogated after his arrest, Nathapob denied the charges against him and claimed he could not remember the details. The suspect has been returned to Bua Yai district for further investigation.

Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002555

Nonthaburi workers strike after Covid-hit factory stays open

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Workers at a Covid-hit factory in Nonthaburi on Monday demanded that the owner close the factory until it has been cleaned and all workers’ test results have come back.

The protest at the sewing factory in Nonthaburi’s Pakkred district came after 60 of its 1,700 workers were sent to Kasemrad International Hospital and Two Three Hotel after testing positive during proactive screening on Friday and Saturday.

The results of tests on the other workers will be announced today.

Nonthaburi workers strike after Covid-hit factory stays open

Local government officials on Monday intervened in a bid to solve the conflict.

Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002551

China releases new videos, images from Mars probe Tianwen-1

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The China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Sunday released new videos and images of the countrys Mars probe Tianwen-1 landing on and exploring the red planet. The images include the Martian landscape and the ruts left behind by the rover.

The videos show the landing rover deploying its parachute and descending to the Martian surface, and its Mars rover Zhurong driving away from its landing platform and moving over the land.

The images include the Martian landscape and the ruts left behind by the rover.

As of the morning of June 27, the orbiter of the Tianwen-1 mission has been operating around Mars for 338 days, and its Earth-Mars distance is approximately 360 million km.

The Mars rover Zhurong has been working on Mars for 42 Martian days and has driven a total of 236 meters.

Zhurong will continue its movement, detection, and scientific exploration missions as planned.

The orbiter will continue to operate in a relay orbit, providing relay communication for the rover’s scientific exploration while conducting its own scientific detection operations.

Published : June 28, 2021

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002550

Thailand records 22 deaths, 5,406 new infections

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Thailand recorded 5,406 new infections and 22 deaths over a 24-hour period on Monday, bringing the country’s total infections to 249,853 and 1,934 deaths.

Of the new infections, 3,757 were tested in hospitals, 1,622 were found through proactive testing, nine tested positive in prisons and 18 came from overseas.

Bangkok again led the list with 1,678 cases, followed by Tak (453), Samut Prakan (395), Chonburi (390), Samut Sakhon (295), Songkhla (275), Nonthaburi (222), Nakhon Pathom (197), Pattani (178) and Saraburi (157).

Meanwhile, 3,343 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.

As of Monday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 249,853.

So far, 202,271 have recovered and been discharged, 45,648 are still in hospitals, and 1,934 have died.

Meanwhile, another 63,230 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 30,347 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 9,147,512.

According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Monday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 181.86 million (up by 309,179), 166.37 million of whom have recovered, 11.56 million are active cases (80,454 in severe condition) and 3.93 million have died (up by 5,960).

Thailand ranks 76th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.49 million, followed by India 30.27 million, Brazil 18.42 million, France 5.77 million, and Russia 5.45 million.

Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002549

Office warns against getting infected deliberately to claim Covid insurance

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The Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) has warned people against trying to get infected with the Covid-19 virus on purpose to claim insurance money.

“People who have purchased an insurance against Covid-19 must not try to get infected on purpose to claim the insurance, as the disease could be fatal and such an act would be considered an insurance fraud with maximum punishment of 3 years in prison,” the office secretary-general, Suthipol Taweechaikarn, said on Sunday.

His warning came after reports that many people were trying to get infected to claim insurance money, as the latest outbreak in Thailand has resulted in increasing daily infections. Some people believe that the overwhelming number of patients could result in less thorough inspection.

“Although there is no case of attempted Covid-19 insurance fraud filed at the OIC yet, the office will monitor the situation closely,” he said.

“The office may consider limiting the number of Covid-19 insurance policies that a person can buy to discourage insurance fraud.”

The OIC has also instructed insurance companies to maintain their thorough claim inspection process and advised against providing a Covid-19 insurance that pays instantly on getting infected.

For further information or to report insurance claims, contact OIC hotline at 1186, he added.

A news source reported that some companies have announced that they would no longer sell Covid-19 insurance, leading to speculation that the move was aimed at preventing fraud.

“Viriyah Insurance will no longer sell Covid-19 insurance after June 30 from 10pm, while Bangkok Insurance has stopped selling its Covid Complete and Covid Total insurance policies since June 27,” said the source. “Meanwhile, Asia Insurance said that their ‘Jer Jai Job’ [immediate pay upon testing positive] programme will accept new customers only until July 1.”

Published : June 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002548

Call for charter change backed by over 100,000 citizens

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The Re-Solution Group announced on its Facebook page on Monday that more than 100,000 people had signed its campaign to have the current Constitution amended.

The Re-Solution Group, comprising the Progressive Movement, Move Forward Party and iLaw, aims to cut the powers of the current government by amending some laws.

The campaign was launched on April 6 and wrapped up on Sunday (June 27).

Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002547

Troops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ camps

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Bangkok authorities are cooperating with soldiers and police to ensure workers in construction camps comply with measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 and do not venture out.

Since Saturday (June 26), large construction camps across the city have been closed for 30 days and transportation of workers from one site to another has also been banned. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is also conducting tests, inoculating workers and delivering infected workers to hospitals for treatment.

As of Sunday, 77 of 575 construction sites across Bangkok were shut down.

Troops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ camps

In a bid to stop workers from being transported, the BMA, soldiers and police officers will set up checkpoints on six roads, namely:

• Vibhavadi-Rangsit

• Suwinthawong

• Bangna-Trat

• Borommaratchachonnani

• Phetchkasem

• Rama II

These checkpoints will start operating from Monday 4pm onwards.

Troops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ camps

Troops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ campsTroops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ campsTroops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ campsTroops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ campsTroops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ campsTroops, police, city officials keep close eye on closed workers’ camps

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Published : June 28, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002546

AstraZeneca to complete initial order of 6m doses this week

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AstraZeneca confirmed on Monday that it will complete the Public Health Ministry’s order of 6 million doses this week.

So far, 4.7 million doses of the 6-million batch have been delivered and the remainder will be provided this week as part of an overall commitment to deliver 61 million doses of the vaccine to Thailand.

James Teague, country president at AstraZeneca Thailand, said: “It is hugely encouraging to see the pace of vaccinations picking up across the country, a real sign that if we work together, we can get closer to ending the pandemic. We continue to work collaboratively with the Thai government, to achieve effective vaccination coverage across the country and region as quickly as possible.”

Apart from local deliveries, AstraZeneca will also start exporting the vaccine in early July. One-third of the approximately 180 million doses produced by Siam Bioscience has been reserved for Thailand. The remainder will be distributed among contracting countries in the wider Southeast Asian region.

In October 2020, AstraZeneca, the Public Health Ministry, Siam Cement Group and Siam Bioscience signed a letter of intent to mark their shared commitment to ensure broad and equitable access to the vaccine in Thailand and across the region.

Leon Wang, executive vice president of AstraZeneca International, said: “A regional and global response to the pandemic is a must to truly alter its course decisively. Thailand plays an important manufacturing role in contributing to the pandemic’s end across the region.”

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has had a major global impact, helping to save tens of thousands of lives since the start of this year and prevent hospitalisations. The vaccine is well-tolerated and highly effective against all disease severities in clinical trials, and emerging real-world evidence from tens of millions of people shows that the vaccine reduces severe disease and hospital admissions by more than 80 per cent after the first dose.

AstraZeneca is supplying its Covid-19 vaccine globally at no profit during the pandemic. Over 600 million doses of the vaccine have been released for supply to 168 countries, so far.

Published : June 28, 2021

By : THE NATION