#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019011

The Election Commission (EC) has barred an interim cabinet from using the state budget or resources in any manner that could influence or tip the scales of the election.

The Royal Gazette website on Tuesday published an EC regulation stating that the interim cabinet, which is in charge after the government term expires or after parliament dissolution, is prohibited from undertaking the following action:

– Organising a cabinet meeting outside Government House.

– Organising training courses for personnel of public or private agencies using the state budget.

– Approving the disbursement of state budget.

– Approving the distribution of state resources without proper cause.

– Disbursing travel and public relations expenses from state agencies.

– Using state resources such as frequencies, radio and television broadcasting or telecommunication equipment for public relations.

The EC stated that the regulation, which is effective immediately, aims to limit the conditions and actions of the interim cabinet to ensure equal opportunities in the upcoming election.

The commission could, however, exempt or relax any of the prohibitions if necessary.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will tentatively complete eight years in office this month after taking the reins as PM on August 24, 2014, following a military coup staged by him that led to the installation of a National Council for Peace and Order-backed government.

The latest Constitution, which came into force in April 2017, prohibits anyone from serving as prime minister for longer than eight years. However, it remains unclear when exactly Prayut’s eight-year term ends as he took office before the current Constitution came into effect.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019004

The Fourth Army Area chief ordered stepped-up security after Muslim insurgents launched 17 coordinated attacks late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday, mostly targeting convenient stores and petrol stations and slightly injuring seven civilians.

The Fourth Army chief dispatched security forces to control the situation and fight fires after the attacks commenced at 11.50pm at a 7-Eleven store in a PTT petrol station in Yala’s Yaha district.

Staff and customers of the convenient store told police a man with a Muslim woman’s hijab and a flu mask walked into the shop and placed a black bag on the cashier’s counter, bluntly saying:

“If you don’t want to die, leave.”

The staff and customers scurried out of the shop through the backdoor and about ten minutes later an explosion occurred, resulting in a huge fire that engulfed the shop.

Of the 17 attacks, police said 11 spots were either mildly or severely damaged by explosions and fire.

There were three other badly damaged spots in Yala:

– A Mini Big C store in tambon Kayu Bohkoh in Raman district.

– A 7-Eleven store in Bannang Sata village. Firefighters managed to quickly put out the blaze so the shop was not severely damaged.

– A 7-Eleven in Ban Niang village in tambon Pohseng, Muang Yala district. The shop was badly damaged by an explosion and subsequent fire.

Police gave details of five other attacks in Narathiwat:

– An explosion and a fire at a 7-Eleven store in a PTT petrol station in Moo 1 village in tambon Sakor, Si Sa Khon district, at 12.30am on Wednesday. A 14-year-old boy and 23-year-old women were slightly injured.

– A 7-Eleven in Moo 1 village in tambon Si Sa Khon, Si Sa Khon district, was hit by a blast and fire.

– A 7-Eleven in a PTT petrol station in Moo 4 village in Bacho district was completely burned down. A Myanmar national, delivering goods for the shop, was hurt.

– A PTT petrol station was set on fire in Moo 7 village in tambon Pasemus, Sungai Kolok district.

Police also gave details of two attacks in Pattani:

– An attacker detonated a homemade bomb at a petrol dispenser in a Bangchak petrol station in Moo 8 village, tambon Bor Thong, Nong Chik district. The station was engulfed in a blaze that spread to a Big C store inside the station.

– Assailants set fire to a mini Big C store in Moo 5 village in tambon Nam Dam, Thung Yang Daeng district, causing severe damage.

Police said the 17 attacks in the three provinces were mostly carried out by motorcyclists, who either hurled Molotov cocktails at the back and front of convenient stores or placed homemade bombs and detonated them by remote control.

Bomb disposal teams and scientific crime detection officers were dispatched to the scenes to gather evidence on Wednesday morning.

A Fourth Army Area source said that after the latest round of peace talks with insurgent leaders on August 1 and 2 failed to reach any breakthrough, the insurgents have stepped up attacks.

According to the source, the insurgents focused more on symbolic targets, public utilities and economic targets.

The latest attacks were apparently aimed at destroying the atmosphere of peace talks and discrediting the authority of the government, the source added.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019002

Anyone who sells Rohypnol will face imprisonment or a fine or both for allegedly selling drugs without permission, the Royal Thai Police warned on Wednesday.

The dangers of Rohypnol were recently highlighted by authorities after a Bangkok used-car dealer was killed in a drug-fuelled shooting rampage.

Thanapon Anusornchaicharoen, 28, was caught in a hail of bullets at his rented home in Petchthaweesuk Village in the western suburbs on the night of August 11. Police found dozens of bullet casings at the scene of the crime, attesting to a frenzied attack.

On Monday, they arrested the main suspect, Meen Parasingh, or “Mos Klong Kwang”, 25. Police said investigations indicated Meen was a regular user of Rohypnol, known locally as “ya lin fah”, or blue-tongue drug for its effect when chewed.

Deputy National Police chief Pol General Roy Ingkapairote said Rohypnol is consumed by teenagers for entertainment to show off their blue tongue.

Roy warned that the drug was very dangerous as it could cause death, especially when consumed in a large quantity or sipped with alcoholic drinks.

“National Police chief Pol General Suwat Jangyodsuk also advised parents to take care of their children as Rohypnol is known as date-rape drug,” Roy said.

The drug is often slipped into alcoholic drinks to boost the effect, he added.

Roy went on to say that the Narcotics Suppression Bureau has been instructed to cooperate with related agencies to take legal action against pharmacies, hospitals or retailers which sell Rohypnol to youths without a prescription.

Anyone who sells Rohypnol faces imprisonment or a fine or both for allegedly selling drugs without permission under public health laws, he added.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018995

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft royal decree to drastically decelerate the annual tax for taxis, tuk-tuks and motorcycle taxis for a year in a bid to reduce expenses.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the decision came after a jump in global fuel prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said the rising prices have had an impact on Thailand, which imports up to 75 per cent of its fuel, as well as on public transport drivers.

The draft royal decree determined a 90 per cent reduction of annual tax for three types of public transport due for tax payment between October 1 this year and September 30 next year, Thanakorn said.

• Taxis in the 1,300kg category need now to pay only 68.50 baht instead of 685 baht, while those that are 2,000kg should pay only 106 baht instead of 1,060.

• Tuk-tuks weighing 500kg can pay 18.50 baht instead of 185 baht.

• Motorcycle taxis need to pay only 10 baht instead of 100.

Thanakorn said the government would lose 70.25 million baht in revenue and this would have a “slight” impact on revenue collected by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and local administrative organisations.

“However, this measure will alleviate suffering and reduce expenses for public transport drivers,” he said.

The government had given 16,694 public transport drivers in 29 provinces 5,000 baht each per month. This included 12,918 taxi drivers and 3,776 motorcycle taxi drivers, Thanakorn added.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018991

At least 11 incidents of arson and minor bombings were reported in the three deep-South provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat on Tuesday night. There were no reports of injuries or deaths as of press time.

Local officials said on Wednesday they believed the attacks were the work of insurgents. They are investigating other areas in the three provinces for possibly more similar incidents.

These were the 11 attacks:

Pattani

1. Arson at Bangchak gas station in Nong Jik district

2. Arson at Mini Big C store in Thung Yang Daeng district

Yala

1. A minor blast at a 7-Eleven store in a PTT gas station in Yaha district. The blast caused a small fire.

2. Arson at Mini Big C store in Raman district.

3. Minor bombing at 7-Eleven store in Bannang Sata district. The blast resulted in a small fire.

4. Small bombing at 7-Eleven store in Muang district. The blast caused a small fire.

Narathiwat

1. Arson at 7-Eleven store in Cho-Airong district.

2. Arson at Mini Big C store in Cho-airong district.

3. Arson at 7-Eleven store in PTT gas station on Petchkasem Road 42, Bacho district.

4. Arson at 7-Eleven in PTT station in Si Sakhon district

5. Arson at 7-Eleven in PTT station (Pasemat branch) in Su-ngai Kolok district.

Most fires were extinguished quickly before they could spread to other buildings, except for the fire at Bangchak gas station in Pattani, which took firefighters about two hours to control after the blaze engulfed gas pumps, a fuel truck and a trailer truck parked nearby.

Witnesses reportedly said a group people wearing hijabs rode motorcycles into the gas station at night and ordered all workers to leave the site, threatening that they have bombs. The riders then moved a fuel truck close to the gas pumps before spraying the vehicle with gasoline. Shortly after, an explosion was heard and flames spread through the refuelling area.

On Wednesday Yala and Pattani shut down all 7-Eleven convenience stores until further notice.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018986

No injuries were reported as a 3-metre-long metal bracket fell from a truck onto Rama II Road in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Tian district, damaging a passing car on Tuesday afternoon.

The Department of Highways (DOH) said the accident took place at 3.30pm at the construction site of an overpass bridge of the Bang Khun Thian-Ekachai highway on Rama II Road km13+263, heading to Samut Sakhon province.

“As construction workers were loading metal brackets used to cast concrete onto a truck, one of the brackets slid from the vehicle and slipped through the traffic barricade and onto the road,” said Itthiwat Krisanawanich, head of the DOH’s bridge construction division.

“The bracket damaged a passing Honda Civic that was travelling in the rightmost lane of Rama II Road. Luckily no one was injured.”

The damaged car was immediately removed from the area and traffic flow was restored shortly after.

Itthiwat said the construction company agreed to take full responsibility for the car’s repair costs as well as compensate the owner for not being able to use the vehicle during the repairs.

“We apologise for the accident and will employ stricter safety measures at construction sites,” he promised.

Rama II Road, which connects Bangkok to Samut Sakhon, is notorious for road accidents and unexpected objects falling onto traffic.

On the night of July 31, two people were killed and five injured when a five-tonne, 10-metre-long concrete beam fell off the U-turn bridge onto a car, while also damaging a pickup truck. The bridge, which is under maintenance, is located in front of Vibharam Hospital in Samut Sakhon’s Muang district.

On August 3, highway police blocked a section of the Rama II highway from kilometre marker 22+500 in Samut Sakhon’s Muang district to remove four loose, partly damaged slabs of a flyover. The DOH said a vehicle higher than the legal limit had hit four of the flyover’s slabs and caused them to become loose and partly damaged, which has had no effect on the bridge structure. The slabs were removed the next day with no reports of injuries.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018982

The Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday (August 17) that over the past 24 hours, 2,461 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals, one of whom has arrived in Thailand from abroad.

The death toll has risen by 28, while 2,243 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,402,622 with 10,217 deaths.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,626,057 – 4,574,240 of whom have recovered, 19,902 are still in hospitals and 31,915 have died.

Separately, another 3,928 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 6,240 their second shot and 25,619 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 142,253,749.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 597.18 million on Wednesday, 571.28 million of whom have recovered, 19.45 million are active cases (44,234 in severe condition) and 6.46 million have died (up by 1,456).

Thailand ranks 29th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 94.87 million, followed by India with 44.29 million, France with 34.24 million, Brazil with 34.2 million and Germany with 31.67 million.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018981

If you live in the North, the Central region, the East or the South’s west coast, beware of isolated heavy showers, the Thailand Meteorological Department announced on Wednesday.

The department said the rain is the result of a strengthening southwest monsoon prevailing over Thailand, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf.

It warned the rains may cause flash floods and overflows especially along the foothills near waterways and lowlands.

Here’s the weather forecast for August 17:

Bangkok and surrounding areas:

Scattered thundershowers. Temperature lows of 24-26 degrees and highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.

North:

Fairly widespread thundershowers and isolated heavy rains in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit and Sukhothai. Temperature lows of 23-25 degrees and highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius.

Northeast:

Scattered thundershowers mostly in Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Surin, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani. Temperature lows of 23-25 degrees and highs of 31-33 degrees Celsius.

Central:

Scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rains in Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Saraburi and Kanchanaburi. Temperature lows of 23-25 degrees and highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.

East:

Fairly widespread thundershowers and isolated heavy rains in Nakhon Nayok, Prachinburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat. Temperature lows of 23-27 degrees and highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius. Waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (east coast):

Scattered thundershowers mostly in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Temperature lows of 24-25 degrees and highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius. Waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast):

Fairly widespread thundershowers and isolated heavy rains in Ranong and Phang-nga. Temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 28-32 degrees Celsius. Waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018978

Thailand’s first electric locomotive will be tested at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok this year, Energy Absolute (EA) said on Tuesday.

EA deputy chief executive officer Amorn Sapthaweekul said the electric locomotive manufactured by Chinese locomotive manufacturer CRRC Dalian arrived in Thailand on July 17.

He added that the company had cooperated with locomotive maintenance specialist Asia Engineering & Service (Thailand) on installing a battery system for the electric locomotive.

“This electric locomotive is a part of the development of energy-saving and eco-friendly battery-powered trains,” he said.

He added that the company would cooperate with King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang and Rajamangala University of Technology Isan to conduct shunting test at Bang Sue Grand Station this year.

Amorn added that the locomotive can run a distance of 150-200 kilometres, adding that it could save energy cost by more than 40 per cent compared to diesel-powered one.

He said the EA has developed an ultra-fast charge system that can charge electric locomotive within an hour, as well as a battery-swapping station that can change battery in not more than 10 minutes.

“EA is ready to design and develop ultra-fast charge system to meet the government’s strategy to promote Thailand as logistics hub in Asia,” he said.

He said electric locomotive is considered a turning point for Thailand as transition from fossil fuel to electricity is now global trend.

He also hopes that electric locomotive will become an important innovation, which help Thailand to achieve sustainable development goals.

Published : August 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018976

News that Thailand’s Khao Soi (Northern Thai curry noodles) has been named the world’s best soup put a smile on the face of embattled Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday.

“It’s good news that Thai food is becoming so well known among foreigners,” said Prayut, speaking at a food-promotion exhibition organised by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry (DESM) at Government House in Bangkok.

Prayut, who faces a tenure dispute that could see his term as PM end next Tuesday, added that Khao Soi was now part of Thailand’s “soft power” push to boost the economy.

He urged the DESM and Thailand Post to continue promoting Thai food via channels such as YouTube and internet influencers.

Khao Soi topped the list of the “50 Best Soups in the World” published last Thursday by TasteAtlas, a website that gathers recipes and reviews from food critics worldwide.

The Thai soup was followed by Cullen Skink, Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen, Żurek, Mercimek çorbası, Sinigang, Rawon, Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto) and Ciorbă de pește “ca-n Deltă”.

“A signature dish of Northern Thailand, khao soi is a delicious coconut soup in which numerous regional influences are combined to create a truly spectacular dish,” TasteAtlas said.

Published : August 16, 2022

By : THE NATION