(PR News) Dr. Apisit Anantanatarat, Chief Executive Officer and President of Bangkok Insurance Pcl (BKI) on April 20 welcomed Suttipol Taweechaikarn, secretary-general of the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) on his official visit to the company’s head office at Bangkok Insurance Building on South Sathorn Road in Bangkok.
The OIC’s secretary-general was accompanied by graduates of OIC’s Thailand Insurance Leadership Program in 10th batch, who visited BKI’s head office to learn about the direction and strategy in information technology of BKI, which aims to increase its digital competency and become a data-driven organization via the use of customer data platform and Big Data to design insurance products that suit customers’ lifestyle.
The visitors also took a tour to Bangkok Insurance Museum which houses several prehistoric artifacts and valuable antiques.
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(PR News) To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Thai-Swiss relationship, the BJC Big C Foundation collaborates with the Embassy of Switzerland in Thailand in supporting the education of Lahu hill tribe children at the Ban Na Ma-un Border Patrol Police Learning Centre in Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai district.
The centre which has been opened since 2021 has been teaching the reading, speaking, listening and writing of Lahu language using Roman letters to hill tribe children.
BJC Big C Foundation by Aswin Techajareonvikul, CEO and president of BJC and Big C Group, on April 4 contributed financial support to the collaboration, which was received by the Swiss ambassador Helene Budliger Artieda at the Embassy in Bangkok.
Establish “Medicana Lab” and adopt state-of-the-art smart farming technology to rock the cannabis industry and make Thailand the cannabis hub of Asean
The heirs of Phornprapha and PraneenijFamily are investing 120 million baht in launching “Medicana Lab” with the aim of driving the upstream supply chain through CBD hemp flower cultivation and covering the midstream and downstream supply chain with medical products for export and tourism. This is to make Thailand the cannabis hub of Asean.
CEO Vorapattr Phornpraphaof Medicana Lab Co., Ltd., the producer of medical-grade cannabis, announced that Medicana Lab Co., Ltd is the first entity to be authorized by the Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a CBD hemp producer in Bangkok in 2022.
The main objective is to produce medical-grade CBD flowers. To achieve the finest medical standards, instruments that facilitate the optimalenvironment factors for cannabis growth havebeen introduced along with IOT-based smart farming practices. To minimize any unprecedented errors and perpetually sustain optimal growing conditions, the IOT-based system requires meticulous attention to detail, namely temperature and humidity control, light intensity, CO2 in the air, Vapour-pressure deficit (VPD) and etc.
Employing an automated fertigation systemthat precisely manages predetermined nutrient dosing and feeding programs help to improve data collection, which is significant in the R&D process. Thanks to the automated system, personnels are abstained from laborious tasks, which allows for more focus on the plants.Monitoring and data comparison can be made through CCTV and sensors to facilitate the quality of the crop and yields.
Endorsed as South East Asia’s largest Fluence Bioengineering lighting solution cultivation facility, Medicana’s lab has adopted the artificial lighting solution, an innovation imported from the USA, that will enhance photosynthesis and energy management as well as maintaining ideal temperature for hemp , combined with our professional team, will maximize yields. The nature optimization concept enhances production of contaminant-free CBD flowers, with less than 1% of THC, thus cultivating consistent CBD flowers in strict compliance with the FDA’s high standards and regulations.
Medicana’s lab is home to a Cloning Room, Vegetative Growth Room, Mother Plants Room, Flowering Rooms and Biomass Vault. Nursery shelves have been installed to grow indoor-grade clones that have been carefully chosen and developed for more than two years. Our collaboration with the Cannabis Health Science Department of the College of Allied Health Science, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in genetics selection has given us a variety containing 22% of cannabidiol (CBD) and a unique terpene profile, which will be available for local cannabis business operators and growers.
We are also collaborating with TarateraCorporation Co., Ltd., a company specialized in cannabis whose experienced team has extensive knowledge of cannabis grown in Thailand and abroad. Their extractors can provide a range of CBD products, meant for medical use, that could help ease stiffness and muscle pain in patients with Multiple Sclerosis, help those suffering from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, reduce anxiety and inflammation, improve insomnia, and benefit people with psoriasis. The CBD extracts can also be used in other wellnessproducts and cosmetics.
“Our goal is to be the leader in the cannabis industry and produce the finest-quality CBD hemp flowers to meet international standards. We started by selecting the finest genetics, which are imported strains that contain high Cannabidiol content. A perpetual harvesting technique has been applied to improve harvest management for the supply chain and improve the quality of CBD hemp flowers. Our lab is also home to a nursery for clone production, to produce only the finest quality hemp flowers.”
Medicana’s COO Sirasit Praneenij added that the company has planned to invest THB120 million to achieve the company’s mission, to create a cannabis network and drive Thailand as the cannabis hub of Asean. To achieve its goal, the company will work with partners to build a sustainable market for the cannabis industry, in terms of medical products, tourism and exports. The plan will be divided into two phases:
First phase, THB20 million will be spent on the facility and R&D. An indoor facility, equipped with smart farming technology and an IOT system, will be able to produce around 500kg of floral biomass per year. The R&D and laboratory space comprises a Flower Room, Genetics Selection Room, Nursery and Clone Production facility. The first batch of cannabis will be available in July 2022, targeting B2G and B2B models. Preliminary discussions are already being held with a number of potential customers.
Second phase , THB100 million will be invested in the expansion of cultivation and production to be able to provide the industry with an upstream to downstream supply chain. To achieve the goal, a collaboration with partners to build a turn-key business will be necessary. The use of cannabis in consumer products and cosmetics will be supported by state-of-the-art technology and efficient utility consumption to meet both the growing local demand and the export market.
The company is expecting exponential growth for this year. After cannabis products has been made widely available for the local market and export, together with the finest quality floral biomass and clones, will encourage growth by over 100%.
“What makes Medicana proud is we are not alone on this cannabis path. We have specialists, with wide-ranging experience in the industry both in and outside of the country, as our partners. Jesse C. Stalknecht, founder and management of leading cannabis-related companies in the USA for over 20 years, together with Taratera Corporation, a turn-key organization that combines experts in breeding ,R&D, and extraction . has made it possible for us to move forward with cannabis cultivationthat meets the international standard.”
Cannabis is a high value crop that brings many opportunities, be it medical and wellness products, food and beverages, or cosmetics. There is room to grow locally and abroad ,especially for the indoor-grade cultivars that are currently in high demand. If every grower helps to build a fine standard for the industry, the market for high-priced indoor-grade clones will certainly grow, Sirasit concluded.
(PR news) CARS24 Group (Thailand) Co, Ltd or CARS24, Asia’s fastest growing and leading e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles, announced the appointment of Mr. Scott Minteer as a new Assistant Vice President Marketing of CARS24 Thailand’s marketing team.
Mr. Scott Minteer will be responsible for driving online and offline demand creation, helping Cars24 achieve its ambition as the no.1 used car buying platform in Thailand.
CARS24 Thailand has an ambitious goal to level up the used car buying experience and ecosystem in Thailand through a comprehensive marketing, demand creation and demand harvesting solutions to maximise brand awareness and engagement with target customers. The company focuses on delivering a great car buying experience every time and for all while building trust in CARS24 best quality and best value offer.
Mr. Scott Minteer has solid and extensive experiences in e-commerce and digitization across various business segments. He worked for several leading corporations like Central Group, Agoda, Bumrungrad International Hospital and Mindshare media agency. His well-established experience both in Thailand and abroad has been leveraged to elevate e-commerce business performances in multiple segments such as retail, tourism, and digital media agencies. The company is confident that Scott Minteer will play an integral part in how CARS24 will revolutionise the way pre-owned cars are bought and sold in Thailand.
CARS24 is an e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles and the most advocated online used car marketplace among users and motorists. All car models listed on the platform are certified, 100% owned by the company and passed a rigorous quality inspection process by car experts with car quality warranty provided. Interested customers can download the CARS24 application today at the App Store and Google Play Store by clicking https://apple.co/36P0qWb
The chairman of PM Group, Prayudh Mahagitsiri, who is known as Thailand’s “coffee king”, plans to build a THB5-billion sports complex in Bangkok as a new landmark for social services, his PR officer said.
Sorakrit Wannalak, an adviser and CSR public relations officer of PM 80 Co Ltd, said the sports complex will meet international standards. He said PM Group does not aim to to make money from the complex but is undertaking it as a social service project.
PM 80 is a subsidiary of PM Group, which also owns Quality Coffee Products Co Ltd, a joint venture with Nestlé.
Sorakrit said the new sports complex will be built near the Bhoman Khunaram Temple in Bangkok’s Yannawa district.
The complex will have facilities for holding international competitions in tennis, badminton, snooker, table tennis and golf. There will also be a library, a Buddhist meditation room and an exhibition room, Sorakrit added.
“The goal of the complex is to attract youths to be interested in sports and to learn more about the society,” Sorakrit said.
“Since the project will be located near Bhoman Temple, Gen Y and Gen Alpha children will get a chance to be closer to dhamma.”
He said the project is in being designed after which approval will be sought from concerned authorities.
“We hope that a good CSR project, which is useful for Thai youths and foreigners and the society and the country, will happen in the near future. We hope to get it done within 2024,” Sorakrit said.
Prayudh, a busines mogul, has carried out several types of businesses, including property, oil rigging, and marine line operations. Now, he is focusing on making nutrition supplementary products under the P80 brand, which are mostly Thai herbal drinks.
Prayudh’s joint venture with Nestlé is credited with bringing Nescafe instant coffee to Thailand, giving him the name “Coffee king of Thailand”.
The five new members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) announced three measures to consider the planned merger of two leading telecom operators at a first meeting on Wednesday.
NBTC Office acting secretary-general Trairat Wiriyasirikul said the meeting was the ninth one held by the commission this year.
The five new members were royally endorsed on April 13 and their names were published in the Royal Gazette a day later.
The meeting, which was chaired by NBTC chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, resolved to approve a road map for consideration of the planned amalgamation of True Corporation and Total Access Communication (DTAC).
True and DTAC’s shareholders okayed the plan, which was then submitted to the NBTC for approval on January 25.
Academics and consumer protection groups have called on the previous NBTC to wait for the new board to consider the deal.
As a first measure, the meeting resolved to set up four panels to consider the issue, Trairat said. The four panels are the subcommittee on legal affairs, the subcommittee on consumer protection and people’s rights, the subcommittee on technologies and the subcommittee on the economic impact from the merger.
Under a second measure, the NBTC agreed to organise a focus group to hear opinions from businesses and industries which are related to the planned merger, academics and the general public.
A third measure will see the NBTC assign its working panels and advisory committees both in the country and abroad to study possible impacts of the merger, Trairat said.
He did not detail the time frame of the three measures but said the commission would get the studies done as soon as possible.
“The NBTC will carefully and comprehensively study the merger plan and it will allow public participation in the study,” Trairat vowed.
“It will also study legal technicalities and both negative and positive impacts by taking into account the interest of the public and the telecom industry. So, all sides should have confidence [in the NBTC’s decision],” Trairat added.
A special House committee has asked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to put the brakes on the planned merger of telecom operators True Corporation and Total Access Communication (DTAC).
Anudit Nakhonthap, chairman of the ad hoc House panel considering the possible impacts from the True-DTAC merger, sent a letter dated April 20 to Prayut, asking him to indefinitely suspend the planned merger.
Anudit said in the letter that Prayut, as the chief executive of the country, should ask the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to indefinitely postpone approval for the merger until the NBTC comes up with clear-cut measures on how to protect the country and people’s interests that may be affected by the merger.
True and DTAC’s shareholders have approved the merger plan and the plan has been submitted to the NBTC for approval since January 25.
The House panel and several consumers protection organisations have voiced opposition to the merger, fearing the deal would lead to a duopoly in the telecom industry at the cost of consumers. They expressed fear that the new firm after the merger, and Advanced Info Service (AIS), the largest mobile phone operator by subscriber base, would somehow collude to increase service fees and hurt customers.
Anudit’s letter pointed out that the NBTC has the authority to block the merger in line with the Constitution of Thailand BE 2560 (2017).
The letter cited Section 60 of the charter that requires the government to protect telecom bandwidth for use for the sake of national and public interest.
“The State shall maintain the frequencies and the right to access a satellite orbit, which are national treasures, in order to utilise them for the benefit of the country and the people.
“The arrangement for utilisation of the frequencies under paragraph one, regardless of whether it is for radio broadcasting, television broadcasting and telecommunications or for any other purposes, shall be for the greatest benefit of the people, security of the State, and public interest as well as the participation of the people in the utilisation of frequency, as provided by law.
“The State shall establish a State organisation which is independent in performing duties to be responsible and supervise the undertakings in relation to frequencies under paragraph two. In this regard, such organisation shall ensure that there are measures to prevent unfair consumer exploitation or imposition of unnecessary burden on consumers, to prevent the interference of frequencies, as well as to prevent an act which results in obstructing the liberty of the people to know or preventing the people from knowing true and accurate data or information, and to prevent any person or any group of person from utilising the frequencies without considering the rights of general public,” the letter quoted Section 60 as saying.
The letter also quoted the first paragraph of Section 75 of the charter as saying that the government has to prevent monopoly in business practices.
“The State should organise an economic system which provides opportunities for the people to all together benefit from the economic growth in a comprehensive, fair and sustainable manner and to be self-reliant in accordance with the philosophy of sufficiency economy, should eliminate unfair economic monopoly, and should develop economic competitiveness of the people and the country.”
Earlier, an executive at True reportedly said that the NBTC would have no reasons to block the merger because the two companies have done everything right according to the telecom law.
The executive argued that several telecom mergers have taken place, so the NBTC could not pick on True and DTAC to block the merger.
Hilton is renewing its commitment to reducing the environmental and social impact of its hotels and operations worldwide, the hotel announced in its latest Environmental, Social and Governance report.
“Across its global network, Hilton continues to considerably close the gap toward meeting key sustainability targets under its Travel with Purpose 2030 goals,” the company said in a press release.
According to Hilton, in 2021 the hotel recorded:
• 70 per cent reduction in landfill waste per square metre from its 2008 baseline (2030 goal: 50%)
• 49 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions per square metre from 2008 (2030 goal: 61%)
• 39 per cent reduction in water consumption per square metre from 2008 (2030 goal: 50%)
• More than US$1 billion of cumulative savings in energy costs since 2009, monitored through LightStay.
“In the Asia-Pacific region, Hilton focuses on driving responsible and sustainable tourism through a wide range of initiatives aimed at making a positive environmental and social impact,” it said.
Driving holistic water stewardship
Hilton roped in leading river clean-up organisation Sungai Watch to install more trash barriers in Bali, Indonesia, to lessen the impact of plastics on communities there.
In China, Hilton Ningbo Dongqian Lake’s rainwater recovery system uses ultraviolet disinfection and automatic replenishment to improve water quality.
The system recycles approximately 1,400 tonnes of rainwater each year, which is equivalent to the amount of water consumed by a family of three in one year, the hotel said.
Sustainable dining and green kitchens
In Southeast Asia, Conrad Koh Samui’s Iris Farm provides a multitude of organic herbs and vegetables for the hotel’s bars and restaurants.
The farm produces 1,300kg of food and processes 2,400kg of compostable waste per month, recycling organic resources while conserving landfill space, the press release said.
Hilton has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Seafood Legacy and Umito to procure more sustainable seafood for its hotels in Japan and South Korea.
Using smart kitchen waste treatment equipment, Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai turns kitchen waste into carbon dioxide, water and organic fertilisers.
The hotel has recycled 390 tonnes of kitchen waste and produced about 20 tonnes of organic fertiliser since last year, it said.
Reducing environmental footprint
With the return of business travel and in-person events, almost 300 of Hilton’s hotels across the Asia Pacific have rolled out the Plan It Forward offer to help businesses and event planners further reduce their environmental impact when hosting events.
For event planners who opt for a carbon neutral meeting, Hilton will offset their event’s carbon emissions as identified by its meeting impact calculator report on its LightStay platform and invest in a portfolio of high-quality carbon reduction projects with global partner South Pole, the hotel said.
Alternatively, event planners can earn double Hilton honours event planner points per US$1 spent on guest rooms, meeting rooms, etc, for qualifying events at participating hotels.
Hilton Honours Points can be donated to charity through PointWorthy, or redeemed for future events or hotel stays, among other benefits.
For its various environmental and social initiatives, Hilton was named a global sustainability leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the fifth consecutive year, and was the only hotel company to earn Gold Class distinction in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook, the press release added.
Thailand is expected to see 5.5 million tourists this year despite the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration scrapping the Test & Go scheme from May, Krungsri Research said on Wednesday.
It said the Russia-Ukraine war will affect tourists’ plans to visit Thailand, especially tourists from Russia and other European countries. The energy crisis due to the conflict would affect global economic recovery, it added.
“China is likely to maintain its international travel restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19,” Krungsri Research said.
“Meanwhile, intensifying competition from other countries to grab a share of the foreign tourist market would limit the number of tourists visiting the Kingdom to 5.5 million, compared to 39.79 million before the Covid-19 pandemic,” it added.
Separately, the Public Debt Management Office said the government is still able to borrow around 1.3 trillion baht before public debt hits a ceiling of 70 per cent to gross domestic product.
The office said the government would conduct a public hearing from every sector in May to draw up a plan to achieve economic recovery amid the Covid-19 situation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Currently, as much as 74 billion baht is available under a 500 billion baht loan act, while the government can use 60 billion from the central budget, of which up to 40 billion has been reserved for tackling crises.
“We hope that a good CSR project, which is useful for Thai youths and foreigners and the society and the country, will happen in the near future. We hope to get it done within 2024,” Sorakrit said.
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