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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024395

Department will never ask for personal info, says DBD chief

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

People are warned against providing personal information to anybody pretending to be a Department of Business Development (DBD) official.

DBD director-general Thosapone Dansuputra said on Friday that people have filed complaints saying DBD officials have called and asked them to update their information on an application, including their ID card details, email, birthdate, address and credit card information.

He said foreigners were also being targeted by these criminals who spoke English.

“Once all this info is provided, the criminals empty the victims’ bank accounts,” he said.

Thosapone added that DBD is publicising this issue to ensure people can protect themselves. He said the department has no policy of contacting people for personal information, adding that acts like this affect Thailand’s image and investors’ confidence.

Thosapone Dansuputra

The director-general added that DBD has set up a working team to fight against fake news and gather complaints and evidence. This information will be used to build a case for the police to take legal action.

He said people should check every URL, avoid clicking or downloading any anonymous links or applications and think twice before presenting any personal information.

For more information, call DBD 1570 hotline or visit www.dbd.go.th or the DBD Public Relations Facebook page.

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Cabinet okays draft Royal Decree on tackling cybercrime

How to avoid falling prey to fake internet banking websites

Community police networks successful in fighting crime, say Thai police

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024393

Covid-19 vaccination units for tourists are fully open to Thais, official says

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

Vaccination units must provide Covid-19 jabs to Thais and foreigners impartially, said Department of Disease Control chief Dr Thares Krainairawiwong on Friday, while insisting that Thailand has an adequate supply of vaccines for both local residents and foreign tourists.

The Public Health Ministry has opened vaccination units to provide Covid-19 vaccines to foreign nationals in several areas.

Units in Bangkok include the Bang Rak Medical Centre, the Institute for Urban Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Dermatology, and three hospitals: Rajavithi, Lerdsin and Nopparat Rajathanee.

Outside the capital, foreign nationals can get a vaccine at provincial hospitals.

Thares said that hospitals in tourist provinces such as Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Phuket, and Sonkhla had reported that several foreign nationals received vaccinations.

While Thai citizens receive Covid-19 vaccines for free, foreign tourists must pay a medical service fee of 380 baht as well as the cost of the vaccine: 800 baht for AstraZeneca and 1,000 baht for Pfizer.

The ministry has ordered vaccination units that provide jabs to foreign nationals to also give free jabs to Thais, Thares said.

Thais do not need to worry that these vaccination units will only vaccinate foreign nationals, he said. Thailand has enough Covid-19 vaccines in reserve to provide them to both Thais and foreign nationals, he added.

The Department of Disease Control is compiling a list of health facilities that want to provide vaccines to foreign nationals. More than 100 facilities have already expressed interest.

Vaccination units must keep records of fees collected from each foreign recipient and submit the records to their parent agency and the Ministry of Finance for verification, Thares said.

Related Stories

Covid jab campaign for foreign tourists expanding nationwide

No vax needed for Thai travel but China arrivals must have Covid insurance

Tourism committee to decide next week on entry fee for foreign tourists

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024392

Nothing happened to back Taiwanese actress’s extortion claim, says cabbie

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

The Grab taxi driver who picked up a group of Taiwanese tourists and delivered them to their hotel in Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek area provided testimony to police on Friday.

“I can remember the woman [Charlene An] on the news,” he said, adding that the woman appeared drunk as argued with her friends in the taxi.

He said all the passengers were talking to each other in Chinese, except the man in the front seat next to him, who was able to speak a little Thai.

Taiwanese actress Charlene An (An Yu-Qing) said she and her friends were victims of a police shakedown early this month while holidaying in Bangkok.

She said police stopped their taxi at a checkpoint near the Chinese Embassy on Ratchadaphisek Road on the night of January 4 and detained them for two hours before eventually releasing them for a payment of 27,000 baht.

The cabbie, meanwhile, said police usually stop him near the Chinese Embassy for inspection.

“The police asked the Taiwanese tourists to get off the taxi before conducting an inspection,” he said. “However, the tourists became frustrated, especially this woman.”

Police, meanwhile, said they are checking CCTV recordings near the Chinese Embassy and have found footage of the Taiwanese group arguing with police officers. However, police said, there is no evidence showing that the group had been led to a blind spot as claimed by the actress.

Huai Khwang Police Station is waiting to gain access to the Chinese Embassy’s CCTV footage.

Separately, tourism operators have said that repeated scandals involving the Thai police have damaged the country’s reputation abroad.

Related stories:

Thai police hit back over ‘drunk’ Taiwanese actress’s extortion claim

Taiwanese actress alleges Thai police extorted cash from her and friends

Taiwanese knifeman arrested after rampage at Ayutthaya petrol station

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024391

Eastern Aviation City expected to generate THB300 bn in revenue

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

The upgradation of U-Tapao Airport and construction of the Eastern Aviation City in Rayong province will start early this year.

The projects are expected to deliver returns of over 300 billion baht in the first five years of operation, a senior government official said on Friday.

Deputy government spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana said on Friday that during the first five years, about 62 billion baht was expected in tax revenue, in addition to creating about 15,600 new jobs per year.

The project covers an area of 6,500 rai (1,040 hectares) in the eastern seaboard province’s Ban Chang district and requires an investment of 290 billion baht in the form of a public-private partnership, she said.

Tipanan said that the project contractors and the Royal Thai Navy, which oversees the airport area, had signed a joint use agreement late last month after the project’s environmental health impact assessment report was endorsed by the Cabinet.

The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office would now give the project contractors the green light to start construction early this year, she said.

The upgrade of the existing U-Tapao Rayong Pattaya International Airport is a key development project of the EEC, which covers three eastern seaboard provinces of Chonburi, Rayong, and Chachoengsao.

When completed, the upgraded airport can serve as Bangkok’s third international airport, connected with the capital’s two existing commercial airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, by high-speed trains.

Together, the three airports are capable of accommodating as many as 200 million passengers per year, helping Thailand to become a hub for tourism, logistics and aviation in the East, the spokeswoman said.

After its upgrade, the U-Tapao Airport alone is expected to accommodate at least 60 million passengers per year.

The Eastern Aviation City will include a free-trade zone for cargo, an aviation training centre and aircraft maintenance, and repair and overhaul facilities.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024386

Thai experts probing mystery of 9 Buddhist relics returned from Australia

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

The Fine Arts Department is examining nine Buddhist antiquities that were returned to Thailand on Wednesday after spending over a century in Australia.

Murray Upton, an Australian national, told the Thai Embassy in Canberra that he had inherited the wooden Buddha statues from his father who had possessed them since 1911 after working in Siam as a railway engineer.

Standing 10 to 15 centimetres tall, the nine carvings were handed over to the Fine Arts Dept at a ceremony held by the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok.

The statues are believed to have been carved in the southern province of Trang but experts at the department will compare them with similar relics to confirm their origins and date. The nine statues will be conserved and placed in the National Museum’s storage facility in Pathum Thani before going on display.

The statues are the latest in a long line of artifacts to be returned to Thailand after centuries of looting and black-market trade in Thai Buddhist relics.

In 2018, a treasure trove comprising two stone lintels and 13 Buddha statues dating back to the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods was returned from the US. They had been on display at New York museums after being smuggled out of Thailand in the 1960s.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024385

Air quality in Greater Bangkok drops to dangerous levels on Friday

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

The quality of air in 43 areas in Greater Bangkok hit unsafe levels on Friday morning, reports from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) show.

The readings of PM2.5 (particles of dust less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) were in the range of 36-74 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3). Thailand’s standard for safe levels of PM2.5 is 50μg/m3 or lower, while the World Health Organisation puts it at 12μg/m3 or lower.

Exposure to fine dust particles can be dangerous for people with chronic respiratory problems and can cause eye, nose, throat and lung irritation as well as shortness of breath among others.

As of 7am, the top 10 most polluted districts in Bangkok were:

• Lat Krabang: 74μg/m3

• Nong Khaem: 71μg/m3

• Nong Chok: 69μg/m3

• Yannawa: 66μg/m3

• Khlong Sam Wa: 64μg/m3

• Bang Khen: 62μg/m3

• Pathumwan and Minburi: 60μg/m3

• Prawet: 59μg/m3

• Bang Bon, Bang Na and Don Muang: 58μg/m3

Citing the Thai Meteorological Department reports, BMA said Greater Bangkok will have little circulation of air until the end of January, resulting in the accumulation of PM2.5.

It also warned people to be prepared for air pollution readings to surge on Saturday and again on February 1 and 2.

“The BMA’s Environment Department is cooperating with related agencies to strictly adhere to the plan to tackle air pollution in a bid to mitigate the impact on people’s health,” it said.

Residents in areas with bad air quality have been advised to avoid outdoor activities and check the quality of air before stepping out.

Air pollution in Greater Bangkok can be monitored via bangkokairquality.com, the Bangkok Environment Department, Air Quality and Noise Management Division, the BMA Facebook page or the AirBKK smartphone application.

Related stories:

Air quality plummets in Bangkok, will worsen on Friday, Saturday

Bangkok beware! Heavy PM2.5 pollution expected next week

Air pollution has risen to unsafe levels in Bangkok, officials warn

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024384

Thai telecom watchdog cracks down on lottery TV ads

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

Television adverts of online lottery platforms is prohibited because it is considered a form of gambling, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) told TV stations on Thursday.

Phoomsisth Mahavessiri, NBTC’s acting secretary-general, said the watchdog had been alerted by the Government Lottery Office (GLO) that a private company was advertising on television encouraging people to buy government lottery tickets via its platform.

The order stipulated that adverts marketing lottery are prohibited under Section 39/2 of the 1974 Government Lottery Act.

The act bans inviting people to buy lotteries via any advertising or public relations methods to protect young people from being lured into gambling. It also bars the sale of lottery tickets to people below the age of 20.

The order adds that advertisements that persuade, promote or allow minors to gamble are also in violation of the 2003 Child Protection Act and could be violating the Operation of the Sound Broadcasting Service and the 2008 Television Broadcasting Service Act, specifically Section 37, which bars content that may affect society’s morality and public order.

The NBTC has ordered television stations to correct, improve or remove advertisements that do not comply with relevant laws, otherwise, they will face legal punishment.

Related Stories

Govt tells MCOT to reconsider ads of controversial online lottery ticket platform

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024383

Thai police hit back over ‘drunk’ Taiwanese actress’s extortion claim

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

Thai police on Thursday denied a Taiwanese actress’s claims of extortion, retorting that she was detained because she could not produce a passport.

Taiwanese actress Charlene An (An Yu-Qing) said she and her friends were victims of a police shakedown early this month while on holiday in Bangkok. Her claim has made national headlines in Taiwan, to the dismay of Thai tourism operators.

The actress said police stopped their taxi at a checkpoint close to the Chinese Embassy on Ratchadaphisek Road on the night of January 4 and detained the group for two hours. She said the police eventually released her and her friends in return for a payment of 27,000 baht.

Metropolitan Police Bureau’s deputy commissioner Maj-Gen Samroeng Suanthong said he had discussed the incident with the six policemen involved at Huai Khwang Police Station.

He said the officers admitted they had challenged the Taiwanese actress’s group over their passports but insisted they had not taken cash from them. The checkpoint was part of routine traffic safety operations over New Year, he added.

Samroeng said the six policemen had difficulty communicating with the Taiwanese tourists and were forced to use English and hand gestures as the group spoke only Chinese.

“The actress appeared drunk and did not have a passport,” he said, adding that the police officers eventually decided to release the group as they were not considered dangerous.

Samroeng said the officers also warned the actress that her electronic cigarette was illegal in Thailand, but did not fine her.

He said it would now be difficult to summon the Taiwanese actress to give her side of the story, but said police are still seeking clues from CCTV camera footage.

He also confirmed that the incident had damaged the reputation of the police but declined to say whether it had eroded confidence in Thai tourism.

Tourism operators say repeated scandals involving the Thai police have damaged the country’s reputation abroad.

Royal Thai Police spokesperson Archayon Kraithong doubled down by inssting that officers had taken no money from the Taiwanese actress’s group.

He added that the policemen had released the tourists after they became agitated.

He also denied that the officers had taken the Taiwanese group to a spot where there were no CCTV cameras.

“The police will check CCTV camera footage around the checkpoint to obtain clear evidence,” he said.

Related stories:

Taiwanese actress alleges Thai police extorted cash from her and friends

Taiwanese knifeman arrested after rampage at Ayutthaya petrol station

Taiwan shooting down drone near China was ‘appropriate’, premier says

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024381

Nasa agrees to share space expertise and data with Thailand

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

US space agency Nasa is ready to assist Thailand’s space programme to help tackle climate change and natural disasters, a House committee said on Thursday.

The House panel on communications, telecommunications, and digital economy and society on Wednesday met with Nasa officials led by Karen St Germain, director of the Earth Science Division.

Parliament president Chuan Leekpai was also present to welcome US delegates, said committee vice chairman Col Settapong Malisuwan.

Nasa officials and Thai lawmakers discussed the SERVIR-Southeast Asia programme, a collaboration between USAID and Nasa to help Asean countries deal with climate change issues at the national and regional levels.

Settapong said the committee also proposed more collaboration with Nasa to boost Thailand’s space technology laboratory in the North; to establish a space port; utilise non-geostationary satellites for communication, climate operations, and natural disaster alerts; develop human resources in space-related fields; and to promote the local space industry.

Nasa agreed to help Thailand with space research and study, provide academic assistance and to allow Thailand to use its space-related data, Settapong said.

“We have set clear goals for Thailand’s space industry, but we need support from government and private sectors, as well as from an international agency like Nasa,” he added. “Space is no longer a distant issue for Thais.”

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024375

Bangkok to move forward with reorganising hawkers and vending stands

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Wednesday hosted a meeting among officials of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) regarding the reorganisation of hawkers and vending stands in the city areas.

The move aims to tidy up the city by providing suitable while prioritising the safety and ease of travel for pedestrians, said the governor.

He added that BMA will discuss with street vendors to allocate suitable areas that do not block public footpaths. One of the possible solutions is to open vending zones on private properties, he said.

BMA’s City Law Enforcement Department has so far reorganised 96 vending locations for 6,048 vendors throughout the city. 86 of these locations, covering 5,419 vendors, have been approved by the traffic police.

Of the 86 approved locations, 55 of them have been officially announced as vending areas for 3,817 vendors, while the remaining 31 locations, covering 1,602 vendors, are in the inspection process.

The department has also asked the traffic police to revise the nine locations that have yet to be approved. These locations cover 629 vendors. 15,320 vendors are still opening their shops in 697 locations outside the permitted areas. 

The meeting on Wednesday also discussed regulations for vendors in permitted areas, including mandating that sellers must perform the business themselves, setting the size of umbrellas allowed in vending areas, and prohibiting leaving products, pushcarts, or other equipment on public roads.

Vendors are also required to keep the permitted areas clean and refrain from throwing garbage and wastewater into the sewers.

Chadchart added that the BMA’s effort in organising hawkers and vending stands will focus on limiting the number of sellers and permitted areas, providing vending zones on private properties, and working with the government in establishing functioning Hawker Centers.

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