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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403495

Rubber demand to rebounding strongly this year: Sri Trang

NationalMar 09. 2021

By The Nation

SET-listed rubber producer Sri Trang Agro-Industry estimates global demand for natural rubber will rebound to 13.4 million tonnes this year, a rise of 7 per cent from last year.

Veerasith Sinchareonkul, Sri Trang executive director, said demand for natural rubber in 2021 is likely to recover strongly as the Covid-19 pandemic recedes.

The price of block rubber in February 2021 rose to more than 160 US cents per kilogram, 22 per cent up on the 2020 average of 131 cents per kilo.

“Factors boosting the price of natural rubber are the overall economy and the automotive industry in China, which has returned to good growth. China is one of the world’s largest rubber consumers,” Veerasith said.

Demand for tyre production and rubber gloves after the Covid-19 outbreak were driving up the price of rubber, he added.

STA expects to sell more than 1.2 million tonnes of natural rubber this year, or an average of 300,000 tonnes per quarter, up about 16 per cent from 1.03 million tons last year.

Meanwhile, the price of natural rubber in the first quarter this year remains strong. Average rubber prices are expected to rise by 5-10 per cent from 148 cents per kilo in the fourth quarter of 2020. STA expects to see demand rise steadily during the second quarter of this year.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403494

All Thai factories ordered to go ‘green’ by 2025

NationalMar 09. 2021Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit

By The Nation

All Thai factories should have Green Industry certification by 2025, according to a deadline set by Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit on Tuesday.

Suriya ordered the Department of Industrial Works (DIW) to push all 71,130 industrial plants across the country to achieve Green Industry standards developed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido).

The UN agency came up with the Green Industry initiatives to help developing countries maintain resource-efficient low-carbon growth while creating new jobs and protecting the environment.

The 2025 deadline is part of the government’s action plan to promote and develop enterprises in green industry (2021-2037).

The DIW said that since 2011, about 20,000 Thai factories have received Green Industry certificates along with 110 Green Industry labels indicating their products are manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403493

Twelfth-grader confesses to strangling girlfriend, burning body

NationalMar 09. 2021

By THE NATION

A Grade 12 student confessed to strangling his girlfriend out of fear she would leave him, and burning her body to conceal his crime, Phitsanulok police said on Tuesday.

Forensic officials are investigating the charred remains of what is thought to be Chularat (surname not revealed), 19, found among three burned tyres.

Police said her 18-year-old boyfriend Maew, a Grade 12 student at a school in Phitsanulok’s Wang Thong district, had surrendered at nearby Kaeng Sopha Police Station on Monday.

Chularat’s mother, Sawee Kunna, said Maew had picked up her daughter from her home on February 26, claiming he was accompanying her to see a doctor.

When Chularat failed to return from the trip, her family contacted the police.

Investigators said Maew strangled Chularat after she revealed her plan to leave and work in Phitsanulok city.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403492

Fighting for his American Dream

NationalMar 09. 2021

By THE NATION

Told his ambition to join the US Army was unrealistic, a Thai boy gets new hope from a Thai veteran of the American military

After his dream of joining the world’s most powerful fighting force was shot down by his teacher, a Thai student has been handed new hope of realising his big ambition.

The student’s written answer to the question of what he wanted to be when he grows up was posted recently on social media, where it spread quickly. The student had answered, “a soldier in the US Army”. Unsurprisingly, his teacher told him his dream was impossible to fulfil.

The post drew plenty of comments and advice from social media users – including Thai soldiers who have served in the US Army. Among them was a Facebook user identified as former US soldier Pattara Niyomchat.

He recounted that, as a boy raised upcountry, he started learning English in Grade 4 class.

After performing well in a language test, he visited the US on an exchange programme at the age of 17. Pattara said it took him four months before he was comfortable speaking in English.

After graduating high school, he followed his dream by returning to the US and joining the army. He, too, had dreamed of joining the US military when he was a child.

When his contract with the US expired, he returned to live in his hometown of Nakhon Si Thammarat, he added.

Pattara encouraged the young student to follow his dream, but also be prepared for hardship if he wanted to achieve it.

Currently, there are over 50 Thais in the US Army.

The criteria for joining the US military are as follows:

1. Must be US citizen or hold a Green Card.

2. Must be aged between 17 and 35.

3. Must have high school degree, whether from the US or other countries.

4. Must have no chronic/congenital disease.

5. Must pass military pre-test and test.

A soldier’s contract with the US Army lasts between 2 and 8 years.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403491

Energy Ministry joins hands with Jetro to develop alternatives to fossil fuel

NationalMar 09. 2021

By THE NATION

The Ministry of Energy is working with Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) to promote the use of renewable energy to over 30 per cent of total consumption within 20 years.

“The ministry and Jetro have been developing a BHD [bio-hydrogenated diesel] as an alternative to fossil fuel as part of Thailand’s power development plan that runs from 2017-2022,” said Kulit Sombatsiri, Ministry of Energy permanent secretary.

“The BHD is a biodiesel with quality at the same level as regular diesel but can significantly reduce the emission of carbon dioxide.

“We also aim to promote the use of electric motorcycles at over 1 million units in big cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, as well as the use of electric vehicles at government agencies nationwide,” he added.

Kulit added that the ultimate goal of working with Jetro was to promote the use of renewable energy at over 30 per cent of total power usage within the next 20 years.

“To achieve this, we will employ AI technology in powering the smart grid to receive renewable energy produced by the private sector into the national power grid,” he said.

“The smart grid will also support the buying of hydroelectricity from Laos and selling it to neighbouring countries in the Asean community.”

Atsushi Taketani, president of Jetro Bangkok, said that Japan has announced a policy to become a low-carbon society in 2050.

“On the road towards that goal, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has set an action plan with focus on establishing cooperation in green initiatives with other countries, and we aim to work with Thailand on several tangible projects in the future,” he added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403490

Thailand bumped down to 4th as global rice exporter

NationalMar 09. 2021

By THE NATION

Thai rice exports for January totalled 421,477 tonnes, dropping 23.2 per cent from the same period last year, the Thai Rice Exporters Association reported on Tuesday.

The total export value for January was Bt7.82 billion, down 16.2 per cent year on year.

“Thai rice exports for the whole of 2020 totalled 5.72 million tonnes, a decrease of 24.5 per cent year on year. The export total value for 2020 was Bt115.9 billion, down 11.2 per cent year on year,” said the association. “This makes Thailand the fourth largest rice exporter after India, Vietnam and Pakistan.”

In 2019, Thailand was the world’s second-largest rice exporter behind India.

Major factors hindering rice exports last year were the shipping container shortage and rising ocean freight charges, said the association. “Furthermore, Thai rice prices are higher than those of competitors, prompting customers to buy cheaper alternatives,” it added.

Meanwhile, white rice exports in January dropped 6.9 per cent from December, while export of steamed rice rose 2.8 per cent, and export of jasmine rice plummeted 32.8 per cent.

“We estimate that Thai rice exports in February will total 400,000 to 500,000 tonnes, mostly from ongoing contracts with clients in Africa, Asia and America,” said the association. “We do not expect to see many new orders in the coming months, as the baht is still showing a tendency to strengthen.”

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403485

800,000 Sinovac doses expected to arrive on March 25

NationalMar 09. 2021

By The Nation

Another 800,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine for Covid-19 will soon arrive in Thailand, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday.

The chargé d’affaires at China’s embassy in Thailand, Yang Xin, had informed him that Chinese authorities have approved and coordinated with the manufacturing company. The vaccine is expected to arrive on March 25.

In addition, China has also proposed to Thailand to consider inoculating Chinese nationals living in Thailand.

Thailand will continue to issue a letter of intent to seek support for the vaccine from China as a friend. If the vaccine is given, it may state the condition to take care of the Chinese nationals in Thailand, said Anutin.

There is also a request to consider the establishment of a China Immunization Centre for Overseas Chinese in Asean and a vaccine passport agreement between the two countries to facilitate bubble travel, Anutin said

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403484

Man awarded for sustaining injuries while putting out Chiang Mai forest fire

NationalMar 09. 2021

By The Nation

Ranont Thanoo-un, a member of the Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment, was awarded a cash prize after he got severely injured while trying to put out a forest fire in Chiang Mai’s Mae Wang district.

He was at the site with the rapid deployment team on Monday afternoon and broke his left wrist and leg when he slipped into a three-metre-deep trench. He was trying to put out flames on a steep slope.

He was initially taken to Mae Wang Hospital, where acting district chief Pongsak Karnduem met him to applaud his efforts and hand him his cash prize, the amount of which has not been revealed.

Ranont, who is also assistant village headman, was later transferred to Nakornping Hospital in Mae Rim district for surgery.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403483

Chiang Mai leads global list of most polluted cities for three days running

NationalMar 09. 2021

By THE NATION

Chiang Mai was ranked as having the worst air quality in the world for three consecutive days on Tuesday morning.

At 11am, Chiang Mai topped the list of most polluted cities in the world on the Air Visual website, with its air quality index coming in at the very unhealthy level of 225 points.

Pollution in the northern city has worsened over the past three days due to smoke from forest fires. The haze is so bad that even the Doi Suthep mountain is not visible, though flights have been able to take off and land at Chiang Mai Airport.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 211 hotspots, 139 of which were in preserved forests.

The pollution-detection station found PM2.5 – particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres – in Chiang Mai city at seriously unsafe levels of between 106 and 113 micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m3).

Thailand puts safe levels of PM2.5 at 50µg/m3, while the World Health Organisation sets it at 25µg/m3.

On Monday night, it took 45 forest officials four hours to put out a fire at Doi Ton Phung mountain in Mae Takhrai National Park. The fire damaged 35 rai of land and had been set by locals for hunting.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30403482

Satellite images reveal hundreds of forest fires in the North

NationalMar 09. 2021Photo: Facebook @gistda

By THE NATION

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) on Tuesday revealed images from Aqua and Suomi NPP satellites taken on Monday showing smog caused by forest fires in the northern region of Thailand.

The smog was seen covering 17 northern provinces, with high concentration over Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.

On the Aqua image, the red spots represent heat spots from forest fires in the North, while the blue spots are heat from forest fires in Myanmar. The GISTDA, which is under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, reported that as of Monday there were over 6,300 spots in Myanmar.

Photo: Facebook @gistda

The Suomi NPP image revealed 1,737 heat spots in Thailand on Monday, 1,494 of them in the northern region. Mae Hong Son has the most heat spots with 465, followed by Chiang Mai at 355 and Lampang at 193.

“The monitoring of heat spots by satellites will help us plan relief measures especially in national parks, reserve forests and agricultural areas,” said the agency.

You can follow the updates on forest fires via satellite imagery at http://fire.gistda.or.th