Triplets win admission to Thailand’s top medical university
In what is thought to be a historic first, triplets have won admission to Thailand’s top medical college, Mahidol University.
The triplets, from Prommanusorn School in Phetchaburi, have qualified to study at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, the school’s guidance teacher Pathompong Euauaypon revealed on Tuesday.
He said the trio of siblings – Thanaphat (Mark), Thanarak (Dollar) and Thanarat (Pond) Khemklat – were good students, adding that he had advised them on their portfolio presentations.
“It is now up to the students to decide their goals,” he said.
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
Feeling the financial sting of Covid-19, fishermen in the South of Thailand have found an unlikely remedy – jellyfish. The southwest monsoon is set to blow in a rich harvest of the sea creatures, bringing much-needed cash to seaside communities like Ban Pak Khong in Trang province.
Here, fisherfolk can generate income of THB5,000-10,000 per day from selling jellyfish, which can inject THB100,000 daily into the community from May to September.
Kasem Bunya, a 52-year-old community headman and jellyfish trader, said the southwest monsoon will bring a huge harvest of jellyfish that can be cooked and eaten or used as medicine.
“This is a great opportunity to generate income after suffering during the Covid-19 outbreak,” he said.
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
The price of a jellyfish in the South is currently THB4-8 after several markets overseas were closed as part of Covid-19 restrictions.
“Chinese people usually generate high demand for jellyfish as they use them to make medicine, while Thais usually cook them in dishes such as Yen Ta Fo [noodles in pink soup],” Kasem said.
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
He added that communities in Satun, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket would also benefit from jellyfish season.
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
Airlines warned to check documents of passengers flying to Thailand
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Tuesday urged airlines to check passengers Certificate of Entry (COE) before boarding aircraft to Thailand.
The move comes after the Foreign Ministry on Monday widened its travel ban to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal in a bid to prevent the Indian variant of Covid-19 from entering the country. A pregnant Thai woman and her child tested positive for the Indian variant in Thai quarantine after returning from Pakistan on April 24. Non-Thai nationals in India are also banned from entering Thailand.
Thai nationals and holders of diplomatic passports are exempt from the ban.
CAAT said if any passengers do not have COE to enter Thailand, airlines must send them back to their country of origin or take care of them until action is taken.
“The authority will punish airlines that allow passengers who do not have a COE to enter the country under measures for permission to fly into the country,” CAAT said.
Rising to racing challenge lands YouTuber in serious trouble
The owner of the “Duk Som” YouTube channel, Piyapong Wongsuwan, was nabbed on Tuesday for holding a motor race down Chachoengsao’s Motorway 7.
He had posted a clip of the race on his YouTube channel in March before going into hiding in Chiang Mai.
Fellow race organiser and truck owner, Chawalit Suwan, turned himself in on May 5 in Chachoengsao and faces charges of racing illegally and putting other motorists in danger.
National Highway Police later tracked down Piyapong, who pleaded guilty and said he had organised the race in response to a challenge posed on social media.
Though he apologised for his misdemeanour profusely, police still confiscated his car.
31 deaths push Thailand’s Covid toll to 452; 1,919 new cases recorded
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 31 deaths and 1,919 new cases, including 17 returnees, over a 24-hour period on Tuesday.
Of the deaths, 17 were in Bangkok, two each in Nonthaburi, Suphan Buri, Chonburi and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and one each in Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Prakan, Lampang, Pichit and Chiang Mai.
The ages of those who succumbed to the virus ranged from 34 to 94, and they all reportedly suffered from chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc.
Meanwhile, the returnees included 15 Thai nationals – 11 from India, three from Cambodia and one from an African country. The other two were a Pakistani national and a Filipino from their own countries.
Meanwhile, 1,829 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 86,924. Of these, 83,517 infections had been contracted locally, including 24,983 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,407 were returnees.
So far, 57,037 have recovered and been discharged, 29,435 patients are still in hospitals, and 452 have died.
Meanwhile, another 69,552 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 19,008 were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 1,898,454.
Separately, according to Worldometer as of 11am on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 159.59 million (up by 611,096), 137.25 million of whom have recovered, 19.03 million are active cases (106,439 in severe condition) and 3.31 million have died (up by 10,586).
Thailand ranks 99th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 33.51 million, followed by India 22.99 million, Brazil 15.21 million, France 5.78 million, and Turkey 5.04 million.
Shopping with crypto coins a reality now, Lamphun vendor says
Cryptocurrency was used to purchase grilled fish in Thailand, a vendor in Lamphun province announced on his Facebook page last week.
The Facebook user “Oz OatZy” said a customer had visited his shop and bought food using “ada” crypto coins.
“Using cryptocurrency is not a dream anymore. We need to catch up with this technology,” he said.
The vendor also claimed that his shop was the first in Lamphun and maybe the only one in Thailand where customers can use cryptocurrency to make purchases.
The Facebook user “Oz OatZy” said a customer had visited his shop and bought food using “ada” crypto coins.
“Using cryptocurrency is not a dream anymore. We need to catch up with this technology,” he said.
The vendor also claimed that his shop was the first in Lamphun and maybe the only one in Thailand where customers can use cryptocurrency to make purchases.
Chiang Mai University announced on Monday that it was closing the field hospital on its campus now that all Covid-19 patients being treated there have recovered and returned home.
The 300-bed field hospital was set up on April 10 to ease the burden on Chiang Mai Hospital.
The last group of patients was admitted to the hospital on May 2.
Patient to sue woman for using her photo to claim allergy after Sinovac jab
The story of an Udon Thani woman suffering from allergy after receiving the second dose of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine was fake news, Drama-addict Facebook page said on Monday.
The woman had posted about her experience on her Facebook page, saying she had developed a red rash and numbness throughout the body after getting the second jab. She also claimed that she suffered intracerebral haemorrhage.
The Drama-addict page pointed out that a bedsheet in the picture showed that it was taken at Nong Muang Hospital in Lopburi province.
“Following inquiries about the case, the hospital said the photo was of another patient with drug allergy,” Drama-addict said.
“The hospital also said that someone had used the patient’s picture to make up a story about allergy after getting a vaccine jab.”
Drama-addict added that the hospital had said the patient whose photo was used for the alleged fake story would soon file a case against the woman.
“The woman, if found guilty, could face up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine not exceeding THB100,000, or both, under the Computer Crime Act,” the Drama-addict page added.
Hot day forecast for Bangkok and upper Thailand with thundershowers in some areas
The Thailand Meteorological Department on Tuesday said that the southeasterly winds would bring moisture from the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand to the lower North, the Northeast, the Central including Bangkok and its vicinity, and the East regions.
Hot weather during the day is forecast for the upper regions of the country with thundershowers and gusty winds in some areas.
Meanwhile, the easterly winds blowing across the Gulf of Thailand, the South and the Andaman Sea are weakening, resulting in less rain in the South.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Hot day with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the region; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees Celsius, highs of 34-38°C.
Northeast: Hot day with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the region; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 35-38°C.
Central: Hot day with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the region; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-27°C, highs of 36-38°C.
East: Hot day with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the region; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 25-27°C, highs of 33-36°C; waves a metre high and over two metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the region; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 33-36°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the region; temperature lows of 21-26°C, highs of 33-36°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Hot day with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-27°C, highs of 34-38°C.
Travel ban widened to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal after Indian variant found in Thailand
Thailand on Monday widened its travel ban to international arrivals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal in a bid to prevent the Indian variant of Covid-19 from entering the country.
However, the Royal Thai Embassy in Pakistan said that holders of Thai visas (except tourist visas) may travel to Thailand before May 15.
The travel ban comes after a pregnant 42-year-old Thai national tested positive for the Indian variant in state quarantine on arrival back from Pakistan on April 24. The woman and her youngest son are the first cases of the variant recorded in Thailand, said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Monday.
The temporary travel ban was thus extended from India to its northern neighbours.
Thai nationals and holders of diplomatic passports are exempt from the ban.
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives
