The price of gold dropped by Bt50 per baht weight in morning trade on Tuesday, the Gold Traders Association reported.
As of 9.26am, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt26,300 per baht weight and selling price Bt26,400, while gold ornaments were priced at Bt25,832.64 and Bt26,900, respectively.
Hong Kong gold price decreased by HK$80 to $17,170 (Bt66,358) per tael, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.
Three members of a pro-democracy group were arrested following clashes with riot police in front of the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok on Monday, which resulted in 14 officers being injured.
Protesters led by We Volunteer (WeVo) pro-democracy activists had gathered at 3.30pm to condemn the military takeover in Myanmar and call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other Myanmar government leaders.
Police armed with shields and batons attempted to clear the rally on North Sathorn Road at 5pm, claiming the protesters had stayed beyond the agreed timeframe of 30 minutes. The protest site was cleared at 5.40pm, after which police closed off the route from the embassy to the Sathorn-Narathiwat intersection.
Three WeVo members — Wichaphas Srikasiphan (21), Pannaphat Chanthanangkul (20) and Kiattisak Phanrenu (20) — were reportedly arrested. Police also confiscated a pickup truck equipped with loudspeakers that the protesters had used.
The arrested protesters were brought to Yannawa Police Station and were initially charged with holding a public gathering in violation of the emergency decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations, which has been in effect since December 23, 2020 to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
Fourteen police officers suffered injuries from the scuffles. One policeman suffered a perforated eardrum and the other had a wound on the knee, while 12 officers had only minor injuries. They are being treated at Police General Hospital.
The Thailand Meteorological Department on Tuesday said the high-pressure system over upper Thailand was becoming weaker, resulting in a rise in temperatures by 1-3 degrees Celsius and morning fog.
Meanwhile, the moderate northeast monsoon across the Gulf and the South will bring isolated thundershowers in the lower Gulf and the South. Moderate winds will raise waves up to more than two metres high during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, the department said.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Cool to cold weatherwith fog in the morning; temperature lows of 14-20 degrees Celsius and highs of 31-35°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-10°C.
Northeast: Cool weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 16-19°C and highs of 31-34°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-13°C.
Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 20-21°C, highs of 34-36°C.
East: Cool weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 20-24°C, highs of 32-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-25°C, highs of 29-32°C; waves two metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-25°C, highs of 32-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Fog in the morning; temperature lows of 23-24°C, highs of 33-35°C.
Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) on Monday handed an ultimatum to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA): pay its Bt30 billion-plus debt within 60 days or face suspension of Green Line services.
The debt includes over Bt9.6 billion in wages for operating the Green Line extension since 2018 and purchase of a train operating system worth over Bt20 billion.
The government is yet to respond to the BMA’s earlier request for Green Line funding.
The extension of the BTSC’s Green Line concession for another 30 years until 2059 was delayed for more than one year because government legal advisers said the extension may violate public-private partnership rules, while the Transport Ministry said the fare ceiling was too high.
The main border checkpoint between Chiang Rai and Myanmar reopened this afternoon after closing for four hours following a coup d’état in the neighbouring country.
Myanmar authorities shut the Mae Sai-Tachileik border checkpoint at the 2nd Friendship Bridge at 9am this morning, an hour after the military seized power and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with senior members of her ruling National League for Democracy.
A queue of around 30 trucks carrying fuel and other cargo tailed back from the border gate before it was reopened at 1.30pm.
Mae Sai District Sheriff Prasong La-On held a meeting with relevant agencies to summarise the situation. Four Thai returnees were also able to pass through the reopened checkpoint from Myanmar before being processed for quarantine by Tachileik health officials.
A concrete plan for nationwide Covid-19 inoculation should be ready by mid this month, Dr Sophon Mekthon, chair of the government’s sub-committee on Covid-19 vaccine management, said on Monday.
“We have already prepared a national inoculation plan, which will officially kick off in June once Siam Bioscience starts producing the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Dr Sophon said.
Meanwhile, Johnson and Johnson has reportedly put in for vaccine registration, but the option will only be seriously considered 30 days after all documents are received.
Johnson and Johnson is currently studying the effectiveness of single-dose vaccines.
“If any vaccine company contacts us, it will go through the system immediately. AstraZeneca was expected to send its first batch of vaccines early this month, but due to restrictions placed by the European Union, we will need to extend the delivery period,” Sophon said.
National Vaccine Institute director Dr Nakorn Premsri said Thailand has not blocked opportunities for other companies, such as Johnson and Johnson or Novavax.
Separately, Sinovac has yet to send all the documentation required for approval, as it is still waiting for full approval from Chinese authorities. Thailand has put in for 2 million doses from the Chinese firm and the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently studying the effectiveness and side effects of the Sinovac vaccine before it is given the go-ahead for emergency use in the country.
The 66th Bangkok Gems & Jewellery Fair has been moved online and postponed from February 23-27 to May.
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), which organises the fair, said the changes were due to the new outbreak of Covid-19 in Thailand.
DITP head Somdet Susomboon said the BGJF Virtual Trade Fair will open up export opportunities for gem and jewellery dealers while also aiding domestic and international exhibitors hit by travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, the 67th Bangkok Gems & Jewellery Fair is on schedule to run from September 11-15 in a hybrid online-offline form at Challenger Hall, Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre.
In a bid to reduce the cost of living, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) is launching special cards and top-up options.
The promotion includes:
Purple Line Adult Pass (applicable only to MRT Purple Line)
Bt450 for 15 trips (Bt30/trip)
Bt700 for 25 trips (Bt28/trip)
Bt1,040 for 40 trips (Bt26/trip)
Bt1,150 for 50 trips (Bt22/trip)
Bt1,200 for 60 trips (Bt20/trip)
This promotion brings the average fare down from Bt40 and will run from February 1 to July 31. The 23-kilometre Purple Line runs from Tao Poon to Khlong Bang Phai.
Blue Line Adult Pass (applicable only to MRT Blue Line)
Bt450 for 15 trips (Bt30/trip)
Bt700 for 25 trips (Bt28/trip)
Bt1,040 for 40 trips (Bt26/trip)
Bt1,250 for 50 trips (Bt25/trip)
This promotion brings the average fare down from Bt42 and will run from March 1 to August 31. The 48km MRT Blue Line runs from Hua Lamphong to Tao Poon.
Multi-line Adult Pass (Applicable to both Purple and Blue Lines)
Bt810 for 15 trips (Bt54/trip)
Bt1,300 for 25 trips (Bt52/trip)
Bt2,000 for 40 trips (Bt50/trip)
Bt2,250 for 50 trips (Bt45/trip)
This promotion brings the average maximum fare down from Bt70 and will run from March 1 to August 31.
These promotions can be applied to other MRT passes, including MRT Plus, and must be used within 45 days from top-up. Trips are valid for 30 days, except for Purple Line Adult Passes, which are valid for 60 days. All cards and top-ups are non-refundable. Students are still eligible for a 10 per cent discount, while seniors and children will continue getting a 50 per cent discount.
The scheme is launched in collaboration with the Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company (BEM).
Call BEM information centre at (02) 624 5200 or visit MRT Bangkok Metro on Facebook and Twitter, or mrt_Bangkok on Instagram or download the smartphone application Bangkok MRT.
Registration of new businesses in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) fell by 15.85 per cent in 2020 from a year earlier, the Department of Business Development reports.
A total of 6,104 businesses were registered last year in the EEC, which covers the three eastern provinces of Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong.
“New EEC businesses in 2020 registered combined capital of Bt17.53 billion, a fall of 34.99 per cent from the previous year,” said department director-general Thossapol Thangsubutr. “Chonburi saw the highest number of new businesses registered with 4,294, or 70.34 per cent of total new businesses in the EEC.”
As of December 31, 2020, the EEC was home to 72,629 businesses with combined registered capital of Bt1.97 trillion. Of these, 52,798 (72.7 per cent) are located in Chonburi, 13,939 (19.19 per cent) are in Rayong and 5,892 (8.11 per cent) are in Chachoengsao.
Most of the new businesses in 2020 are in the service sector (60.65 per cent), followed by retail and wholesale (24.17 per cent) and manufacturing (15.18 per cent).
“Foreign companies account for 40.97 per cent of total capital in the EEC, most coming from Japan (47.36 per cent), followed by China (11.41 per cent) and Singapore (5.39 per cent),” added Thossapol. “Industries with the highest foreign investment are automotive parts (Bt77.54 billion), aluminium products (Bt38.72 billion) and tyres and inner tubes (Bt31.79 billion).”
Tension has been brewing at the Thailand-Myanmar border since the military took over Myanmar’s elected government on Monday morning and put senior leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, under arrest.
Myanmar posted three military units in Tachilek, a border town close to Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district, and also blocked several important checkpoints. Under new regulations, the general public in Myanmar is prohibited from travelling.
Thailand shares a 2,400-kilometre border with the neighbouring country.
All communication systems in the country have been blocked, except for Tachilek, where people normally use signals from Bangkok.
As of 9.30am on Monday, trucks were blocked from crossing the bridge over from Tachilek to Mae Sai, while military units in Thailand’s border towns have been instructed to be prepared for any problem that may arise.
Though life in Tachilek reportedly continued as normal, it is feared that the border closure will result in the loss of Bt1 billion per month, affecting businesses on both sides of the border and some 200 truck drivers.
Meanwhile, Pakaimas Vierra, vice-chairperson of the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce, believes border trade will not be affected in the long term, because both countries rely on it. However, she said, the authorities need to wait for the Myanmar military’s next step.
Separately, border trade via Tak’s Mae Sot district has been valued at Bt80 billion per year.
