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Deputy ministers meet Songkhla locals opposed to huge industrial estate

NationalDec 28. 2020Photos by Charoon Thongnual

By The Nation

Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao and Deputy Labour Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat visited Songkhla province on Monday to hear complaints from residents over a controversial industrial estate project.

The two politicians gathered feedback on the Jana Industrial Estate from people living in Baan Suan Kong in Jana district. They also met with the Jana Ruk Thin Network of local activists opposed to the project.

Thammanat said residents’ comments would be collected and sent to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan before being considered by the Cabinet.

On December 10, the Jana Ruk Thin Network camped out near Government House in Bangkok, calling for the planned project to be halted until a thorough environmental assessment is carried out. It also accuses the government of rushing the decision to approve the project to benefit a private company that had donated several million baht to the Palang Pracharath Party, the core member of the ruling coalition.

Managed by TPI Polene and IRPC, Jana Industrial Estate will cover 16,700 rai (2,672 hectares) in three subdistricts of Jana district – Sakom, Taling Chan and Na Thap. It will be the largest industrial estate project in the South and thus have significant impacts on surrounding communities, especially on environmental and marine resources.

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Covid death confirmed from Rayong gambling den

NationalDec 28. 2020

By The Nation

Deputy Health Minister Satit Pituthecha has confirmed the fresh outbreak of Covid-19 has claimed its first life, pushing Thailand’s death toll up to 61.

A 45-year-old man with heart disease had succumbed to the virus at Rayong Hospital, said Satit on Facebook. The victim was a guard at the illegal gambling den thought to be at the centre of the outbreak in the eastern province.

The man was tested on Sunday and developed severe breathing problems on Monday. He was rushed to hospital by a friend but stopped breathing on the way. Doctors performed CPR for 30 minutes but were unable to revive him.

The victim had a record of ischemic heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to Satit.

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Govt House reporters take a dig a ‘loan happy’ administration

NationalDec 28. 2020Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

By The Nation

Reporters on the Government House beat have dubbed this government as “very koo”, with “koo” in Thai meaning loans and rescue. 

The moniker was inspired by the Bt1 trillion loan the government has taken to revive the economy from the fallout of Covid-19.

Government House reporters have a tradition of coming up with nicknames for the government, prime minister and ministers based on their traits and performance. 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, whose actual nickname is “Too”, has been dubbed “Too who will keep fighting”, referring to his strong stance as premier.

Prayut’s remark, “I won’t step down. What have I done wrong?” was also chosen as the quote of the year. 

He had made this remark to the press on October 16, when asked how he would respond to the pro-democracy protesters’ demands for him to step down. The pro-democracy protesters have also been pushing for a new democratic charter and reform of the monarchy.

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Baby elephant found dead in Thap Lan National Park

NationalDec 28. 2020

By The Nation

Nakhon Ratchasima locals stumbled across the decaying carcass of a baby elephant lying in a stream in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Thap Lan National Park on Monday.

The locals alerted park rangers, who mounted an investigation at the scene just south of Ban Taling Chan village in Khonburi district.

The national park is designated a protected area for endangered elephants and tigers but is under pressure from encroachment.

Elephants had been known to raid farmers’ crops in the area, and rangers are monitoring the situation

The one-year-old male elephant had been dead for at least three days. A team of veterinarians are investigating the cause of death.

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Hate speech blames Rayong people for Covid cluster

NationalDec 28. 2020

By THE NATION

A Rayong resident, 25, filed a police complaint on Monday over a social media comment claiming people in the province were the source of a second-wave Covid-19 outbreak.

Muang district police said a man named Kanok (surname withheld) from Nikhom Phatthana district had filed a complaint against a Facebook user. The Facebook user’s message read, “Rayong locals are the origin of Covid-19. I hate them so much. What they did has stopped me from returning home. I want to burn the city down.”

At least 92 cases of Covid-19 have been found in the eastern province over the past few days. Rayong’s police chief has been moved to an inactive post after health authorities traced the origin of the outbreak to an illegal gambling den in Muang district.

As of Monday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 56 new cases in Rayong.

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Mae Sot taxi driver tests positive, may have infected passengers

NationalDec 28. 2020

By THE NATION

Mae Sot Hospital announced recently that passengers of a yellow and green taxi in Tak province must report to local public health officials after the taxi driver tested positive on Sunday.

The 48-year-old taxi driver was among four Covid-19 patients found on the same day. She was driving a taxi with licence number กข 48 ตาก (Gor Kor 48 Tak), and it is believed she may have infected passengers she picked up between December 13 and 21.

The four patients, including the driver, have been linked to three infected Myanmar nationals who worked at a minimart in Mae Sot district, the hospital added.

Meanwhile, the provincial transport office in Mae Sot suspended some of its services from Monday after it was discovered that Covid-19 cases had visited the office between December 23 and 25.

Mae Sot transport office temporarily suspends services, pending Covid-19 test results

The state transport office in Tak’s Mae Sot district has suspended some of its services after learning that a Covid-19 patient had visited the office recently. It has also quarantined six workers until test results are released.

Meanwhile, public health officials are hunting for everybody who may have come in contact with any of the four Covid-19 cases found on Sunday.

Among them is a 48-year-old driver of a green and yellow taxi with licence plate number กข 48 ตาก and the driver of a blue Isuzu songthaew bus licence plate 10-1380 ตาก. Passengers using either service between December 13 and 27 have been urged to undergo tests.

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Health minister’s first test comes back negative

NationalDec 28. 2020

By The Nation

An initial test on Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has come back negative for Covid-19, said the ministry on Monday.

Anutin was tested after coming into close contact with Samut Sakhon governor Verasak Vichitsaengsri during a trip to the province to oversee construction of a field hospital and promote confidence in shrimp consumption.

Verasak tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday and is isolating at home.

Anutin has been quarantined for 14 days and will be tested again in three days. The incubation period of the virus is 3-7 days after contact with an infected person. The ministry said Anutin will continue to work and issue orders via online meetings and the Line app. He will also provide a timeline of his movements over the past few days via his personal Facebook account.

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Strict control over Krabi’s main city in bid to prevent infections

NationalDec 28. 2020

By The Nation

Krabi’s provincial health authorities announced on Monday that Muang district was being marked as surveillance area, with strict measures imposed on activities requiring large gatherings.

Such controls have not been applied to Phi Phi island.

All massage shops, spas, gyms, pubs, karaoke booths and snooker establishments have been closed from Monday to Wednesday, while schools, child care centres, internet cafes and stadiums will be closed until Sunday.

Cinemas, theatres, malls, supermarkets, convenience stores and fresh markets are required to strictly follow measures put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.

People are allowed to enter Krabi, provided they wear masks, clean their hands regularly, maintain social distance, avoid entering crowded areas and check in and out via the MorChana app when entering or leaving malls.

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Chula students hail ‘four heroes’ of pro-democracy protests

NationalDec 28. 2020

By The Nation

The Student Government of Chulalongkorn University (SGCU) on Sunday granted awards to four students who participated in pro-democracy protests. Two of the students have been charged with lese majeste.

The awards were given to support the fight for freedom, said the SGCU, describing the four students as seeds of courage who grew out of darkness.

The awardees had applied knowledge gained from studying at the university to benefit the nation and the people and they deserve to be exalted, it added.

The four students are Siraphop Attohi and Suthinee Jangphiphatnawakit from the Faculty of Art, Sukriya Wannayuwat from the Faculty of Education, and Rawisara Eksakul, Bachelor of Arts.

Sukriya and Siraphop are facing lese majeste charges stemming from their participation in the protests.

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Shrimp get celebrity endorsement

NationalDec 28. 2020Photos by Supakit Khumkun

By The Nation

Actor Bin Bunluerit, a staunch royalist, was spotted selling shrimp at Bt100 per kilogram near Wat Bang Chalong Nok in Samut Prakan on Monday.

He had apparently bought some 1.8 tonnes of shrimp from a breeder in Samut Prakan’s Ban Rakat sub-district to help farmers suffering from the fallout of Covid-19. His aim was also to help people understand that consuming shrimp is safe, even after a new cluster of Covid-19 cases was found in Samut Sakhon’s main shrimp market.

Bin, who worked as a rescue volunteer, was recently caught in a war of words over the pro-democracy movement’s call for reform of the monarchy.