Get your jabs, says senator as Covid cases surge in Bangkok
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Bangkokians should continue protecting themselves against infection, especially since the number of recorded daily Covid-19 cases in the city has nearly doubled, a senator said.
The warning came from Dr Chalermchai Boonyaleephan, deputy chair of a Senate committee on public health, in his blog on Blockdit.com on Monday.
In the blog, Chalermchai quoted deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej reporting that the number of registered Covid-19 cases in Bangkok this week had risen from about 900 a day to about 1,500 a day.
He also quoted Tavida as saying that the number of people admitted to hospital for Covid had doubled to 200 daily.
Chalermchai also pointed out that two to four people die of Covid-19 related complications on a daily basis.
However, he admitted that most Covid-19 patients do not develop severe conditions because they are fully vaccinated, adding that most of those who have died are of the 608 group – over 60 years old and/or with one or more of eight comorbidities.
He pointed out that most of those who succumbed to the virus were also not fully vaccinated.
Hence, he advised people to get their booster shots and continue protecting themselves by wearing flu masks.
Adults can ride Bangkok’s MRT train system for free next Monday when Thais celebrate National Father’s Day.
MRT fares will be waived all day on December 5, which marks the birthday anniversary of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great (Rama IX).
The free subway rides are aimed at boosting family ties and lowering energy use by encouraging people to travel by public transport, said the MRT’s operator.
The free tickets will be available at MRT Blue and Purple line ticket booths from 6am to midnight. Children must pay the usual fare, though.
For more info, contact the MRT Information Service Centre at (02) 624 5200 or visit MRT Bangkok Metro Facebook page.
‘Get booster now!’: Cold season triggers Covid surge in Thailand
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Public Health Ministry has urged people to get a Covid-19 vaccine booster after a surge in the infection rate as the cold season starts.
The number of new confirmed cases soared to 4,914 last week, or 702 per day on average, ministry director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said on Monday.
That figure is thought to be a small fraction of the true infection rate.
Patients severely ill with Covid currently number 553. Of these, 319 are on ventilators. Last week also saw an average 10 Covid-related deaths per day or 74 in total.
Infection rates were particularly high in Greater Bangkok and tourist provinces in the East and South.
The rate of infection is expected to rise in December and January, driven by dropping temperatures and gatherings during the festive period.
Opas said recent Covid-19 deaths came from first-time infections in mostly elderly or chronically ill people. Most victims were either unvaccinated, not fully vaccinated, or had not had a shot for more than three months.
Noting that protection after vaccination wanes over time, he urged people to get regular booster shots.
“Those who have not been vaccinated, please get a vaccine shot quickly. Those who got their last dose more than four months ago, please get another booster dose.
“Studies show that a booster or fourth dose reduces the severity and fatality of Covid-19. It will also strengthen your immunity for New Year festivities,” Opas said.
The ministry has ordered public hospitals in every province to open Covid vaccination centres and is coordinating to increase vaccination spots in Bangkok and tourism provinces, he added. Mobile vaccine services were being rolled out for elderly and bedridden people.
Opas said prevention measures – especially wearing face masks in public– were still important even after being vaccinated.
He also advised those aged 60-plus or with eight underlying health conditions to avoid eating with others or going unmasked in public if they have not been vaccinated in the last six months.
Anyone exposed to Covid hotspots in at-risk places or crowds should isolate from family members for five days and visit a hospital immediately if infected, he said.
Opas said Thailand had enough medicine, medical supplies and beds to treat moderate to severely ill Covid-19 patients.
Nature’s gift: Phichit farmer taps resin trees for fuel
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
A farmer in Phichit has come up with a novel way of reducing fuel costs – tapping resin trees.
Monrat Wiwitthanakorn, the owner of a perennial tree plantation in Phichit’s Pho Thale district, said on Tuesday that a 10 to 15-year-old resin tree can produce oil that can be mixed with diesel in a 50:50 ratio and serve as perfectly good fuel.
“I have used this mixed oil in farm machines and found no problem. In fact, some machines also work with 100% oil from resin trees,” he said. “It is truly a gift from nature.”
Monrat said to extract the resin, or Yang Na in Thai, one needs to drill a 10 to 20-centimetre-deep hole at the tree’s base about 30cm from the ground.
Then, a rubber hose is tightly fitted to the hole and attached to a receptor. It takes about two days to collect enough oil, he said, adding that the output varies from tree to tree.
Monrat said he has been urging fellow farmers to plant resin trees on unused land as they are environmentally friendly and produce by-products that can help reduce farming costs.
Airbus ‘interested’ in building maintenance-repair centres at 3 Thai airports
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Nakhon Ratchasima, Surat Thani and Phitsanulok airports will be upgraded with Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) centres for aircraft under a public-private partnership project, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Monday.
Saksayam said he has ordered the Department of Airports (DoA), which operates the three northern airports, to conduct feasibility studies for the MRO centres. The project aims to boost revenue from provincial airports and establish Thailand as a regional aircraft-maintenance hub.
The pilot MRO centres in three provinces will be financed by the ministry’s fiscal 2023 budget plus investment from private partners. European aerospace giant Airbus is among several investors, both foreign and Thai, who have expressed interest Saksayam said.
“In 2024, we will start feasibility studies for more MRO centres at Mukdahan, Bueng Kan and Satun airports,” he said. “The new MRO centres will meet high demand for aircraft repair and maintenance services, providing continuous revenue for the Department of Airports,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department is evaluating the assets of three other provincial airports – Udon Thani, Buri Ram and Krabi – before their transfer from the DoA to Airports of Thailand (AOT). All three have been earmarked for a 9-billion-baht upgrade under the AOT to meet passenger demands.
Saksayam expects to propose this project for Cabinet approval in the first quarter of 2023.
“Transferring the three airports to AOT will improve the efficiency in airport management and maximise revenue, which will result in a bigger profit share for DoA,” he said.
Suvarnabhumi operator Airports of Thailand (AOT) said it is waiving parking fees in Zone C, which has long-term parking for 718 vehicles, to reduce costs for travellers and promote tourism during the holiday.
The airport will also provide a free shuttle bus service from the parking lot to the passenger terminals at Gates 3 and 8 on Level 1. The bus leaves every 15 minutes and is available 24 hours a day over Father’s Day weekend
AOT expects high passenger volume during the long weekend, which coincides with the start of the tourism high season. It urged passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure time for international flights and at least two hours for domestic flights.
For more information, contact the call centre 1722 or (02) 132 9511.
Soft power does not only belong to entertainment. Even though soft power seems to be a technical term, it is the issue that younger nations should be involved in, said Erica Maesincee, who has co-founded Youth In Charge.
The empowerment platform stressed this event’s campaign theme – “Small steps make great success.”
The event staged a forum on “How young generations can drive soft power”, with 5 invited speakers including Chakrit Pichyangkul, executive director of Creative Economy Agency, Somyosk Kiataramkul, Organization Manager of Thai Public (TPBS) Broadcasting Service, Wiparat De-ong, director of National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Narong Prangcharoen, Mahidol University’s dean of a College of Music, and Erica Maesincee.
“Younger generations these days are seen as the soft power of the nation,” said Erica.
She also said that “Children are not just the future, yet they are the present as well. We do not need to wait until they graduate or reach the age of 22 to drive the country forward. No matter what fields they are in, they can bring about a positive impact to the nation.”
Wipada added at present, a lot of Thai young generations have participated in several international competitions. As illustrated, of the almost 200 innovators joining Invention International Fair in Seoul this month, 20 percent were still in their secondary or primary grades.
According to Narong, soft power is neither music nor food, yet it is a citizen in the country.
“Soft power is not just limited to creativity or art. It also recognizes, for example, education and governance. It is apparent that soft power is the people in the country not a musician or whatever” stated Narong.
To support Narong’s statement, Chakrit said that “by definition, soft power is neither limited to creativity nor tradition. Thailand is ranked sixth in Asean and 35 in Asia which is behind Singapore, which does not have any long history of cultural assets, in the Soft Power Index because its criteria encompass other factors namely familiarity, reputation, and influencing power of soft power.
“Cultural heritage plays only a part of soft power, not all. Besides that, “Thainess” is not limited to only cultural assets we do not need to add Thainess in every soft power product we have. For instance, the renowned Thai movie “Bad Genius” did not contain much Thainess, yet it was rewarded at the international level” added Chakrit.
Also, Narong and Chakrit were on the same page that to enhance and empower Thai soft power is to focus on people development especially in youth. It required the supports from organizations both in the hands of government and private sectors notably from schools and educational institutes.
Youth in Charge started “Youth in Charge Academy” last year to create leadership amidst young generations, and “Youth power drives soft power” campaign is its second season.
Around 120-150 participants were attending this event, in which most of them were teenagers.
Youth in charge had joined hands with several partnerships such as Siam Cement Group (SCG), Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and PTT Public Company Limited.
Thai exports in October see first contraction in 20 months
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022
Thailand’s exports last month fell for the first time since January this year by 4.4% compared to the previous month following a decline in export of agricultural, agro-industrial, and industrial goods.
Minister of Commerce and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Jurin Laksanawisitrevealed that Thailand’s exports in October were valued at US$21.7 billion (801.27 billion baht). It marked the first decline in export value in nine months since January 2022 and the first in 20 months since the beginning of 2021.
In October, agricultural, agro-industrial, and industrial products fell by 4.3%, 2.3%, and 3.5% respectively.
Also, the country’s imports registered a decrease of 2.1%, to $22.368 billion, which led to the trade deficit declining to $596.4 million.
Overall, from January to October, Thailand saw a 9.1% rise in export, accounting for $243.13 billion. The nation’s imports also increased year on year by $258.7 billion, up 18.3%, widening the trade deficit to $15.5 billion.
The drop in imports is reportedly caused by unfavourable prices. Imports of luxury goods fell, but the market was still favourable for capital goods.
The depreciation of the baht, the reopening of countries after Covid, and new markets for Thailand such as Saudi Arabia are among factors boosting exports.
Poor-quality durians on Shanghai roadside not from Thailand, ministry clarifies
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Low-quality durians from other countries are being disguised as premium-grade fruit from Thailand to deceive shoppers in Shanghai, the Agriculture Ministry warned on Tuesday.
Alongkorn Ponlaboot, an adviser to Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Sri-on, said the minister on Monday had told agricultural attachés in China to conduct an urgent investigation after a video clip went viral in China on why Thai durians sold on a roadside in Shanghai were not delicious and appeared to be of poor quality.
The clip was posted on YouTube by a Thai woman living in Shanghai on Saturday. The woman was seen in the clip asking the vendors whether the durians came from Thailand and the vendor confirmed it.
The clip caught the attention of Chalermchai on Monday when some Thai media played it up.
“Once he learned of the clip, the minister instructed the agricultural attachés in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to investigate the matter,” Alongkorn said.
Chalermchai was informed immediately that the agricultural officer of the Thai consulate in Shanghai had rushed to the roadside as seen in the clip to check, but did not find durians being sold there.
The officer then investigated and found that the buyer had bought durians from a vendor who sold the fruit from the back of his truck, not from a regular shop that has quality control.
The mobile vendors drive their trucks around to sell durians on the roadside over weekends and they sold poor-grade durians from Thailand’s neighbouring countries, Alongkorn added.
He said such mobile vendors normally sold low-quality durians on the outskirts of Chinese cities to avoid being checked by the officials and they mostly sold durians that failed to meet quality standards.
The Thai officials checked with wholesale markets and found that the mobile vendors normally bought poor-grade durians in high quantities to sell on the roadside at cheaper prices than quality fruits sold in permanent shops, Alongkorn said.
He said the Thai official also checked with five large durian shops in Shanghai and found that Thai durians are sold at higher prices than durians form Vietnam.
The shops told the agriculture attaché that Thai durians are more delicious and more popular and buyers mostly choose to buy the Thai variety.
The adviser said most consumers could not tell from the appearance which durians came from which countries so they must check certified stickers put on the fruits.
Alongkorn added that the Thai agricultural attachés in China have reminded Thai exporters to make sure their durians are of premium quality in line with the policy of the agriculture minister.
Alongkorn said Chalermchai, who heads the committee in charge of development of Thai fruit quality, has also instructed the three agricultural offices in China to work with other Thai officials there to monitor fake news on Chinese social media that might affect Thailand’s image, especially about the quality of Thai fruit.
Chalermchai also instructed the Agriculture Extension Department, the Agriculture Department, and the Cooperative Promotion Department to coordinate with the provincial governors and other government agencies to make sure that no unripe, no Covid-contaminated, and poor-quality durians would be exported to China.
The departments were asked to work with provincial administrations so that durian farmers and exporters in major durian-growing provinces, such as Chanthaburi, Trat, Rayong, Si Sa Ket, Chumphon and Surat Thani, would develop their brands for traceability.
Alongkorn said traceability is crucial for quality control because Thailand has exported over 700,000 tonnes of durians, or about 210 million durians, to China from February 1 to the middle of this month.
Big jump in capital of foreign businesses registering in first 10 months of 2022
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
The Business Development said on Tuesday that 480 foreign firms with registered capital of 106.437 billion baht have been allowed to operate their businesses in Thailand during the first 10 months of this year.
Jittakorn Wongkhetkorn, deputy director-general of the department, said the number of newly registered foreign businesses during the 10-month period rose by 8 per cent compared to the same period of last year but the registered capital of foreign firms during the period rose by 72%.
Jittakorn said Japanese investors top the list of foreign investors registering their businesses in Thailand during the first 10 months of this year.
He said the top three nationals who registered their businesses in Thailand from January to October this year were:
– 15 Japanese with 2.756 billion baht capital
– 5 Hong Kong businesses with 579 million baht capital.
– 4 Singaporeans with 268 million baht capital.
Jittakorn added that the statistics of the department during the past three years indicated that 2022 would end with some 68,000 to 72,000 new businesses – both domestic and foreign – being registered with the department.
He said such mobile vendors normally sold low-quality durians on the outskirts of Chinese cities to avoid being checked by the officials and they mostly sold durians that failed to meet quality standards.
Alongkorn said Chalermchai, who heads the committee in charge of development of Thai fruit quality, has also instructed the three agricultural offices in China to work with other Thai officials there to monitor fake news on Chinese social media that might affect Thailand’s image, especially about the quality of Thai fruit.
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