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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022915

Recovery in Thailand’s travel, business sectors up energy consumption by 3%

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022

Economic recovery has pushed Thailand’s energy consumption up by 3% in the first nine months of the year, the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) said on Friday.

EPPO director Wattanapong Kurowat said the consumption of all types of energy has risen during the period, especially fuel.

“The consumption of jet fuel has risen by 80.1% thanks to the recovery of the tourism and service sectors,” he said.

He added that the consumption of electricity has risen by 4.4%, especially in the business sector now that workers are returning to office.

He said he expects Thailand’s energy consumption to rise by 3.2%, now that all sectors are recovering.

“The consumption of fuel, coal and hydroelectricity this year is expected to rise by 14.9%, 7.1% and 14.7%, respectively,” he said.

He also expects the country’s energy consumption to surge by 2.7% next year with more people travelling and an expansion in investment.

“Consumption of fuel, coal and hydroelectricity can be expected to rise by 4.2%, 1.1% and 4.4%, respectively,” he added.

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• Eternal Energy to grow cannabis and hemp using greenhouse technology

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022914

Prawit meets Malaysia’s new PM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan visited Malaysia on Thursday to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and reducing unrest in the south with the country’s newly elected premier, Anwar Ibrahim.

Prawit was accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Gen Chaichan Changmongkol and senior officials.

Prawit congratulated Anwar on his election win last month. Malaysian officials, meanwhile, recommitted to facilitating peace talks between the Thai government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, a group pushing for independence for Thailand’s Malay Muslim-majority southern provinces.

The peace talks were halted during Malaysia’s election, which was announced on October 10 by former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and held on November 19.

Prawit’s visit followed a second bomb blast in one week on the railway connecting Thailand and Malaysia. Three State Railway of Thailand engineers were killed in a bomb blast on Tuesday in Songkhla’s Sadao district. They were killed while investigating the wreckage of a train that had been derailed by a bomb blast last Saturday.

Insurgents are believed to be responsible for the two bomb blasts.

Related stories:

• After second blast, bomb disposal officers scour area near derailed train
• 3 killed in Songkhla blast while salvaging train derailed by earlier bombing
• Freight train to Malaysia derails in Songkhla, investigation underway

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022911

2 get away, 2 nabbed as police, gold shop owner foil robbery in Tak

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022

Two men were nabbed in an attempted robbery in broad daylight on Thursday, though two others managed to escape.

The two detainees reportedly admitted to another successful burglary in February.

On Thursday afternoon, four masked men on two motorbikes rode up and shot at the window of a gold shop to try and break in.

However, their attempts were foiled by the owner, who shot back at them, severely injuring one.

Police immediately swooped in arresting the injured and another, though the other two escaped.

The two men arrested were identified as Der Saetao and Winai Saewang. They reportedly confessed to successfully robbing a gold shop in Tak’s Phop Phra district on February 12 and making off with 108-baht in weight gold and 100,000 baht in cash. They reportedly managed to get away because they fled to Myanmar.

Police, meanwhile, have launched a manhunt for the other two suspects, a Hmong and a Myanmar national, and are setting up checkpoints in Phop Phra and Mae Sot districts.

Related stories

• 5 South Koreans arrested for telephone fraud in Chiang Mai
• 15 ‘drug smugglers’ killed in gunfight with soldiers in Chiang Mai
• Seven people face charges over illegal dumping in Bangkok

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022907

Sales already up 20% at Bangkok’s Motor Expo 2022, with SUVs and EVs in demand

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022

Sales of cars and motorcycles at the 39th Motor Expo 2022 in Bangkok are already up 20% on last year, the organiser said on Thursday.

Sales in the first half of the expo (November 30 to December 6) totalled 13,521 four-wheel vehicles and 2,650 motorcycles, said Kwanchai Paphatphong. The annual motor show in Impact Muang Thong Thani’s Challenger Hall ends on Monday (December 12).

Kwanchai said 748,021 people had visited the event since last Wednesday, with another 98,347 attending online.

The improving Covid-19 situation has boosted the number of people visiting the expo in person to witness the latest automotive technology, organisers added.

Also attracting crowds is the lucky draw for people who purchase a vehicle at the fair, with a new MG ZS e-vehicle worth 1.26 million baht as first prize.

The big hits of this year’s expo are sports utility vehicles and e-vehicles, Kwanchai said.

“SUV booths are attracting the most visitors this year, while electric vehicle booths are also popular with environmentally conscious consumers.”

He also expected motoring enthusiasts to pour in at Impact during this long weekend (December 10-12).

For more info, visit motorexpo.co.th

Related Stories

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Triumph Motorcycles introduces ten Chrome Collection models

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022902

Thai Tourists can now make DuitNow QR payments in Malaysia via Boost

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022

Boost, the leading regional fintech arm of Axiata, and Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet), the national retail payments network infrastructure announced on Wednesday that Boost merchants in Malaysia can now accept cross-border payments from Thailand tourists via its DuitNow QR.

This new feature makes it easier for tourists to make cashless payments in the country with their own eWallets.

Tourists will just need to scan the Boost DuitNow QR code, and then receive a request to put in their purchase amount in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). An automatic conversion will then be deducted from their country’s eWallet.

In the first phase, this feature is currently available for Thai tourists via participating financial institutions’ mobile payments applications from CIMB Thai, Siam Commercial Bank, Bangkok Bank, Krungthai Bank and Bank of Ayudhya.

Sheyantha Abeykoon, Group CEO of Boost, said: “At Boost, we have always been at the forefront of innovating our digital payments solutions to benefit our merchants and provide simplified payment options for local shoppers. Today, we are excited to offer this to regional tourists through our collaboration with PayNet‘s extensive cross-border payment network. This novel offering in the market will provide our merchants with an edge to widen their network of customers, while tourists can enjoy simplified transactions in their own currency. We aim to include cross-border QR payments acceptance to Indonesia and Singapore tourists alongside other regions within PayNet’s coverage in the coming months.”

According to Group CEO of PayNet, Farhan Ahmad, “Our role is to enable seamless, accessible and convenient digital payments in a safe, secure and efficient manner. This includes cross-border inter-operability of retail payments, particularly among Asean countries. We are delighted that our ecosystem participant, Boost, has paved the way for tourists from Thailand to make cross-border payments via DuitNow QR. This convenience not only benefits the Malaysian tourism industry but also our micro-SMEs and other retailers, which in turn boosts economic activities and growth. The multiplier effects and impacts of such enablement are immense. This is a very good start.”

Close to 200,000 Boost DuitNow QR merchants can be easily found at popular tourist hangouts around Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, to name a few.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022897

Police arrest 3 for ‘luring Thai man to Dubai to sell sex’

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022

Three Thai nationals, two women and a man, have been arrested following a complaint from a Thai man that they tricked him into working in the sex trade in Dubai, Lt-Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said on Thursday.

The Thai man – identified only by the initial “B” – said he was told he would be working as a massage therapist in Dubai, but once he arrived in the city his passport was seized and he was forced into prostitution to pay off his costs.
He was promised free food and accommodation, a free flight, and a salary of 80,000 baht a month, according to the complaint against the three suspects filed with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division of Royal Thai Police.
After he arrived at a massage shop in Dubai on November 18 last year, a Chinese manager seized his passport, “B” told police.
He was forced into sex work to pay off a more than 70,000 baht debt he was told he owed for his travel costs.

Clients were charged 900 baht per session and half of this fee was deducted to pay off the debt, he said. After being traded to a second massage shop, “B” was able to get help from authorities in Dubai to escape and return home. After he returned to Thailand, he filed a complaint with police.

Police identified the suspects as Janya Phuwong, 32, Nanthaporn Kullangka, 45, and Panuwat Sapsomboon, 37. They were arrested on warrants issued by the Criminal Court on Tuesday.
The trio have been charged with “colluding to commit human smuggling for prostitution, regardless of the victim’s willingness”.
Janya was arrested in Samut Prakan’s Muang district, Nanthaporn in Bangkok’s Bueng Kum district, and Panuwat in Phuket’s Kathu district.
Janya confessed to all the charges, police said. Nanthaporn told police she was paid 3,000 baht to teach Thai massage to “B”, while Panuwat said he received 10,000 baht for persuading “B” to work in Dubai.
A police investigation found more than 4 million baht circulating in Janya’s bank accounts between May and November. It also found travel information about many other people that may be her victims, Lt-Gen Jirabhop said.