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PM defends police over violence at protest on Saturday

NationalFeb 15. 2021Prayut Chan-o-cha

By THE NATION

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended police over violence at Saturday’s pro-democracy protest in Bangkok, saying they were only doing their duty.

The protest calling for the release of four leaders of the anti-establishment movement began at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument before activists marched to the City Pillar Shrine near Sanam Luang. Bottles and smoke bombs were thrown as protesters and police clashed on Saturday night, leaving 25 people injured including several police officers.

Reports that passers-by and medical volunteers had been attacked by security officials drew harsh criticism from social media users.

Responding to press questions on Monday, the PM insisted that police had acted strictly in line with their duty under the law. He said people should understand that police work with care and are human beings just like everyone else.

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Police nab so-called supplier of illegal migrant workers

NationalFeb 15. 2021

By THE NATION

Police on Monday announced that Ratree “Je Pet” Vechsuwan has been arrested for allegedly running an illegal migrant labour network.

Ratree, who was detained on Friday, is said to run the country’s largest network bringing illegal migrant workers from Myanmar to Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province.

She has allegedly been running this business for more than five years, even when border checkpoints were closed for the Covid-19 outbreak.

Her network is believed to have brought illegal migrants across the Thai-Myanmar border in Chanthaburi before taking them to Samut Sakhon.

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PM wants RaoChana registration period extended after banks swamped

NationalFeb 15. 2021Photo by Wanchai Kraisornkhajit

By The Nation

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged the Finance Ministry to extend the registration period of the “RaoChana” (WeWin) cash-handout campaign for people who do not have a smartphone.

Photo by Wanchai Kraisornkhajit

The PM intervened after learning that Krungthai Bank branches nationwide were crowded with people waiting to register for benefits under the campaign, especially the elderly.

“I have ordered the Finance Ministry to extend the registration period if it cannot meet demand,” Prayut said.

Photo by Supakit Khumkun

He also asked people to wear face masks and maintain their distance from others while waiting.

Photo by Supakit Khumkun

Krungthai Bank says it has set up special service counters for people registering for RaoChana from February 15 to 25.

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National Single Window project to facilitate sharing of citizens’ info among state agencies

NationalFeb 15. 2021Buddhipongse Punnakanta

By THE NATION

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) plans to push the “national single window” (NSW) project, with an aim to share citizens’ information among government agencies, in a bid to improve operational efficiency and decrease people’s expenses in preparing documents.

DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta explained that the NSW is a central system, linking the database of each agency. He explained that people in the future need not prepare different sets of copied documents when they contact government agencies, as their information can be shared among the agencies.

This will ensure easier and more reliable operation, he added.

The minister said that all ministry services would be improved and linked. In the past two months, the ministry has changed over 70 forms of government transactions.

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Thai space agency snaps heart-shaped island for Valentine’s Day

NationalFeb 15. 2021(Photo: Facebook @gistda)

By THE NATION

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Thailand’s space agency revealed satellite images of the heart-shaped Jittakut Island in Amnat Charoen province on Sunday (February 14).

Also known as the “Love Promise Island”, Jittakut is located in Muang district of the northeastern province.

Equivalent in size to six football pitches, the 32-rai island sits in the middle of Phuttha Utthayan Reservoir (formerly Huai Pla Daek Reservoir), which provides tap water and irrigates fields in Amnat Charoen.

(Photo: Facebook @gistda)

“After completion of the 22-million-cubic-metre reservoir in 1965, the province developed the heart-shaped island into a tourist attraction by building public park and walkways connecting it to the mainland,” said the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).

Also on the island is Tiyakkhafah Pond, which was one of the sources of sacred water used in the coronation ceremony of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in May 2019, said the agency

“The satellite images of Jittakut Island have been processed with the false-colour imagery technique to enhance the details,” said GISTDA.

“We turned the land and the island pinkish red to celebrate Valentine’s Day so you can send the pictures to your loved ones. Meanwhile, tourists are welcome to visit the island in person to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the reservoir.”

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Thaksin urges govt to buy weapons to fight poverty, not wars

NationalFeb 15. 2021

By THE NATION

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra told a Bangkok audience on Sunday that the government should be buying weapons to fight poverty – such as modern technology for agriculture – not weapons for non-existent wars.

Thaksin was speaking in a video played during the seminar “No poverty among Thais: A pipe dream or a reality”, hosted by CARE (Creative Action for Revival & People Empowerment) at Lido Connect theatre in Bangkok’s Pathumwan district.

“I want to ask the government three questions: What is your view on declaring war against poverty? Can what you have done so far really solve problems of poverty? And do you have the knowledge to solve poverty problems amid the changing situation,” said Thaksin.

“As someone with experience in tackling poverty, I am happy to give you some advice. The proven formula in fighting poverty is to increase people’s income, reduce their expenses, and know how capitalism works,” he added.

“Currently, people have no money to invest, so we need to increase channels where they can access funds.”

“In the past, we used to tackle poverty by providing the four requisites – medical care, food, clothing and accommodation. However, this method will need adjustment to suit the current situation, where people’s consumption is changing due to the lockdown and rise of online channels,” he said. “The government must figure out how to use new technology to help poor people and not add to their burden.”

Broadcast live via CARE Movement’s Facebook page, @careorth, the seminar was also joined by key speakers such as former Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, economist Supawut Saichua and Duangrit Bunnag.

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Food trucks becoming more popular in Covid era

NationalFeb 15. 2021

By THE NATION

The Commerce Ministry is planning to promote the food-truck business, especially since it has grown amid the Covid-19 crisis and was close to Bt3 billion in value last year.

Deputy Commerce Minister Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol said he had told the Department of Business Development to come up with promotions to draw more small operators into the food-truck business.

He added that operators have more flexibility as they can use their trucks as a guarantee for loans.

Meanwhile, the Food Truck Club (Thailand) said that though orders for new food trucks in the beginning of 2020 had come to a stop after the arrival of Covid-19, sales rose in the third and fourth quarters.

The food-truck business is flexible and has low risk, compared to normal restaurants. The value of the business in 2019 was Bt2.64 billion, which rose by 11.97 per cent to Bt2.95 billion in 2020.

Statistics show that 60 per cent of food-truck operators are in the Central region, followed by 14 per cent in the North, 9 per cent in Northeast, 6 per cent each in East and South and 5 per cent in the West of the country.

Products sold via food trucks in Thailand are international food (27 per cent), drink (26 per cent) and Thai food (22 per cent).

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Dusit signs deal for 11th resort in China

NationalFeb 15. 2021Hot Springs Centre at Dusit Princess Resort Fengshun, Guangdong

By The Nation

Dusit International has bet on China’s early recovery from Covid-19 by opening a new hotel in the south of the country.

Dusit Princess Hot Springs Resort Fengshun, Guangdong is slated to open in April 2021 in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province.

The deal to manage its 11th hotel in China was signed with Fengshun Jindebao Kaiyue International Hot Springs Hotel Co, Ltd.

Dusit Princess Hot Springs Resort Fengshun, Guangdong

The upper midscale resort is set within a new development zone of Meizhou City, about 40 minutes by car from Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport. It is also a short drive from popular attractions such as Longgui Waterfall, Jigong Temple, numerous Hakka cultural sights, and the upcoming Jieling Feiquan Scenic Area.

Designed to meet the needs of business and leisure travellers alike, the resort, which first opened in 2014, comprises 190 guest rooms and suites, plus restaurant, a grand ballroom, and a hot springs centre with spa.

Dusit’s portfolio now features 340 properties operating under six brands across 15 countries. In China, the company currently operates 10 hotels and has over 20 properties confirmed in the pipeline. Three of these are slated to open this year – Dusit Devarana Hot Springs Resort Wanfo Lake, Anhui; Dusit Princess Fuzhou, Fujian; and Dusit Princess Residences Ganzhou, Jiangxi.

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Cabinet gives go-ahead to latest cash handout scheme

NationalFeb 15. 2021

By The Nation

The Cabinet on Monday approved the “Mor33 Rao Rak Kan” (Section33 We Love Each Other) cash-handout scheme for 9.27 million people covered by Section 33 of the Social Security Act.

The scheme, in which Bt4,000 will be provided via the Pao Tang application, will cost the government Bt37.1 billion and will be overseen by the Labour Ministry.

The subsidy applies to Thai nationals who do not hold a state welfare card, have not joined the Rao Chana (We Win) scheme and have less than Bt500,000 in financial deposits.

Applicants have between February 21 and March 7 to register. Those eligible will be given Bt1,000 per week for four weeks from March 22, and can use the funds from April 12 to May 31.

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Bright short-term outlook for PTT Oil and Retail shares

NationalFeb 15. 2021

By The Nation

The price of PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR) shares is expected to rise further in the short term after its market capitalisation exceeded Bt330 billion, an expert said.

UOB Kay Hian Securities strategist Kitpon Pripisankit added that OR would be listed on the SET50 and SET100 Indices on February 17 and the MSCI Global Standard Index on February 26.

“Therefore, we expect OR’s share price to rise higher than brokerage firms’ expectations of between Bt19 and Bt24 per share,” he said.

He added that OR’s fair price is between Bt25.3 and Bt31.3 per share based on the company’s oil and retail business value.

The price of OR shares at 10.54am on Monday hit the highest level at Bt36.50 per share, up Bt6 or 20.51 per cent, due to mass buy-ups of its shares.