NationalDec 19. 2020Photos by Tanachai Pramarnpanich
By The NationMany groups of royalists painted over messages pro-democracy protesters had sprayed on the road in front of Bangkok’s Yannawa Police Station on Friday.
On Thursday, the protesters had gathered at the police station to encourage Jatuporn Sae-Aueng, who came to hear a lese-majeste charge against her.
Jatuporn is a member of the pro-democracy group, Free for Buriram. Attired in a Thai traditional costume, she took part in a demonstration in Bangkok’s Silom area on October 28.
She was charged, along with another protester aged 16, under Section 112 for violating the lese-majeste law.
A lone gunman came in the guise of a patient to Dr Chumphol Clinic on Saturday and shot dead the clinic’s owner, Dr Chumphol Decha-Umphai.
The alleged crime took place at 11am. Dr Chumphol is also the director of King Mongkut Memorial Hospital in the province.
The clinic is located on Mattayawong Road in Phetchaburi’s Muang district.
“Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect, who is male, aged around 30 years, shot Dr Chumphol multiple times after receiving a checkup from him before driving away in a car,” said Phetchaburi police chief Pol Maj-General Uthai Kawindechathorn.
Matichon newspaper reported that officials have identified the suspect and are securing an arrest warrant.
Krungthai Bank will send confirmation SMS to 5 million new registrants for the second phase of the “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) subsidised shopping scheme on December 25.
The bank added that once registrants receive the confirmation SMS, they can authenticate themselves via “Paotang” smartphone application from January 1 to March 31 next year.
The Finance Ministry has allowed people to register for privileges under the scheme on Wednesday amid criticism that Total Access Communication (DTAC) customers, who requested a one-time password (OTP) to register for the government’s co-payment scheme, missed their chance because the OTP did not arrive on time.
Later, DTAC offered compensation with either free data, airtime bonuses or discounts worth Bt3,500 on devices.
Under the scheme, the government will pay 50 per cent of a participant’s bill for food, drink and general goods up to Bt150 per day. The cap on total subsidy per person over the whole period has been raised from Bt3,000 to Bt3,500.
Investigation officers at Thonglor Police Station on Friday arrested Phitsanu Rodudom, 30, who allegedly disguised himself as a motorcycle taxi driver and stole foreigners’ bags at Sukhumvit Soi 55 in Bangkok’s Wattana district.
The officers also seized a motorcycle, a motorcycle taxi driver’s uniform and a black helmet as evidence.
The crackdown followed a complaint by a South Korean victim who told police on Monday that his bag was snatched by a motorcycle taxi driver while he was walking along Sukhumvit Road.
The victim added that his bag contained a smartphone, wallet, driver’s licence, credit cards, car key and Bt800 cash.
Investigation officers checked Phitsanu’s escape routes via closed-circuit television cameras on Sukhumvit Soi 27 where the incident had occurred until they were able to arrest him.
During interrogation, Phitsanu reportedly pleaded guilty that he had stolen foreigners’ bags on Sukhumvit Road and at tourist attractions to buy drugs, adding he mainly targeted Koreans and Japanese who walked along the road at night.
He also admitted that he had committed the crime three times in the Thonglor Police Station area and once in the Bang Rak Police Station area.
According to Phitsanu’s background, he had been arrested in the case of stealing properties in Makkasan Police Station area in 2014 and then released in July 2015.
“He has been charged with stealing properties by using a vehicle to facilitate escape,” the investigation officer said.
A pickup truck overturned accidentally on a road in Nakhon Ratchasima province, scattering over two tonnes of fish it was carrying on the road.
On Saturday, police officers from Non Sung Police Station were informed about the case on highway No. 2. Police found a Toyota pickup lying on the highway, blocking traffic. Rescue staff and locals helped remove the fish scattered on the road.
The driver of the pickup told police that that he heard a loud noise from his tyre before the car overturned.
The driver suffered injuries. He told police that he was on the way from Nakhon Ratchasima to Kalasin, transporting the fish.
A truck was hired to transport the fish after the accident.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported on Saturday 34 new cases in the past 24 hours, including 12 domestic ones and 22 in quarantine facilities.
The 12 new cases were related to a 67-year-old woman in Samut Sakhon province, who tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18 after showing symptoms on December 13. The woman ran a seafood shop in a prawn market.
Of the new cases, three of them were family members of the woman, one was her employee and one was his wife. Other patients were those who had worked at or visited the market earlier or were those who lived in the nearby area.
The 12 patients included six Thai women aged 20, 24, 49, 57, 73 and 95; three Thai men aged 23, 41 and 42; and three Myanmar nationals — a woman, 43, and two men aged 32 and 40.
The CCSA added that the information on them was not clear this time, since the cases were new, and officials needed time to investigate them.
On Friday evening, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul visited the prawn market. He added that His Majesty the King had granted three biosafety vehicles to test local residents around the market, while the ministry had provided 2,500 viral transport medium tubes, 2,500 nasopharyngeal swabs, Rapid Ab test kits, 100 personal protective equipment suits, 200 waterproof gowns, 500 surgical masks, 100 face shields as well as other equipment to officers carrying out the testing.
The 22 cases in quarantine facilities comprised nine Thais and 13 foreigners. Of the Thai returnees, five were females aged 48, 35, 16, 45 and 15, from Kenya, Bahrain, the UK, Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. Four male returnees aged 42,53, 31 and 7 returned from Germany, the UAE, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
The foreigners consisted of a German, 36, two Americans aged 22 and 50, two Britons aged 38 and 57, a Russian, 37, two Bangladeshis, aged 58 and 59, an Indian, 44, and an Italian, 64, from their respective countries. The others were a US national, 36, from the UK, an Argentinian, 44, and a Canadian, 39, from Namibia.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand since the outbreak increased to 4,331 (1,324 in state quarantine), 247 are in hospital, 4,024 have recovered and been discharged and 60 have died.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Saturday, the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak increased to 76 million (up 716,606), 53.27 million have recovered, 22.73 million are active cases (106,854 in severe condition) and 1.68 million have died (up 12,341).
Thailand ranks 152nd for most cases in the world, while the US has the most with 17.88 million, followed by India 10 million, Brazil 7.16 million, Russia 2.79 million and France 2.44 million.
Air quality in Bangkok has returned to healthy levels, the Air Quality and Noise Management Division of Bangkok said.
Particles less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in the air at 9am on Saturday was in the range of 11 and 32 micrograms per cubic metre. Particulate matter range lower 50 micrograms per cubic metre signified very good to good air quality for Bangkok.
According to the AirVisual application at 9am, the air quality index of Bangkok was 57, or at moderate levels. The average PM2.5 was 14 micrograms per cubic metre.
Military and police chiefs decline awards from Armed Forces school
NationalDec 19. 2020Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School
By THE NATION
The country’s security chiefs have made a bold statement by turning down awards from the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS).
Military commander-in-chief General Chalermpol Srisawat, Army chief General Narongphan Jitkaewtae, Navy chief Admiral Chatchai Sriworakhan, Air Force chief Marshal Airbull Suttiwan, and National Police chief Pol General Suwat Jangyodsuk have all refused to receive the “Jak Dao Honorary Award 2021” in the category of governing and promoting security.
The AFAPS awards are given every year to holders of high ranking military and police positions as well as selected alumni with outstanding career record.
The ceremony is scheduled for January 27, which is the school’s 63rd anniversary, and will be presided over by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The military and police chiefs announced their decision on December 15, during the AFAPS alumni meeting at the school located in Nakhon Nayok province.
Besides military and police chiefs, next year’s awards will also be offered to National Security Council secretary-general General Nattapon Nakpanich and Deputy Agriculture Minister Captain Thammanat Prompao, who are qualified to receive the awards by their positions.
Seven others will be selected by the alumni committee based on their work.
The five security honchos, who were chosen by their positions, declined the awards, saying, “we wish to be recognised by our work and would rather wait until our accomplishment become more apparent”.
It is speculated that their decision will lead to the awards being offered to other nominees by position, and the names of Nattapon and Thammanat may eventually be scratched.
If this is true, it will not be the first time that Thammanat’s name is scratched from the awards recipients list.
Thammanat
Last year, 36 alumni of AFAPS had agreed to remove Thammanat’s name from the list for Jak Dao awards that he was automatically qualified to receive due to his position. They cited his alleged involvement in a drug case 20 years ago and the alleged use of a fake doctorate degree, which had led to a no-confidence debate in Parliament.
Although Thammanat was cleared of all the allegations and resumed his position as Deputy Agriculture Minister, it is believed that he could be the reason the military and police chiefs decided not to receive the award, in order to prompt the alumni committee to stop giving awards to those who are qualified only by their position. Their move was supposedly to ensure that the recipients of Jak Dao Honorary Award have a truly clean record and are a good role model for current students of AFAPS.
There is no reason for people to avoid consuming seafood after a woman who ran a seafood shop in the Samut Sakhon prawn market tested positive for Covid-19, a senior official at the Department of Fisheries has said.
Subsequent to the case in the province, the Department of Disease Control reported on Friday that 13 people of 2,000 who were tested were positive.
“So far there has been no report of the Covid-19 virus being found in seafood products,” Wichan Ingsrisawang, deputy director-general of the department, said.
“Viruses of the same family, such as SAR, CoV2 and MERS, have never been found in aquatic animals that are cold-blooded.”
Wichan added that the department has employed strict measures of international standard to inspect and control the quality of seafood from all sources. “Seafoods from farms have to pass the good aquaculture practices standard, while those caught by fishing boats must also pass sanitary evaluation before reaching the market,” he said.
“Also, the department has performed random testing of seafood at markets periodically to ensure consumers’ safety.
“During the Covid-19 outbreak, the department has mandated that fishing boat crews must undergo Covid-19 screening procedures before leaving or entering the piers, and has told seafood processing factories to enforce strict sanitary measures to make sure that their products are contamination free and safe for consumption.
“However, consumers should always pick seafood that are fresh and clean, as well as properly cook them before eating, for sanitary reasons,” he added.
More than 2,000 people in Samut Sakhon province who might have been at risk of infection have been tested for Covid-19 and so far 13 people have been found positive, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday evening.
The minister visited a prawn market in Samut Sakhon’s Mahachai subdistrict to follow up on investigations after a 67-year-old woman, who ran a seafood shop in the market, tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18 after showing symptoms on December 13.
“The Disease Control Department has tested most of the people who work in the market,” Anutin said.
“The department will continue testing more people to determine the scope of the virus spreading.”
Anutin added that His Majesty the King has granted three biosafety vehicles to test local residents around the market, while the ministry has provided 2,500 viral transport medium tubes, 2,500 nasopharyngeal swabs, Rapid Ab test kits, 100 personal protective equipment suits, 200 waterproof gowns, 500 surgical masks, 100 face shields as well as other equipment to officers carrying out the testing.
“It is estimated that there are around 4,000 people living around the market, most of whom are foreign labourers, while around 10 per cent of residents are Thai nationals,” said Anutin.
“The situation in the province is not yet worrisome, but people should wear face masks, wash their hands regularly and avoid going to crowded areas. If you reside near the market or are concerned, you can receive free testing at the mobile testing units.
“None of the patients who tested positive have shown serious symptoms and they are now being treated at Samut Sakhon and Krathum Baen hospitals in separated negative pressure rooms,” added Anutin.
“People can safely travel to Samut Sakhon or pass through it to other provinces.”
Photos by Tanachai Pramarnpanich 
Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School 
