The drop in temperature has led to fish in a farm in Sakon Nakhon province losing their appetite and making them susceptible to disease, a local fisherman said.
Songsak Tuamsoongnern, 43, a fish farmer, said that he was forced to sell the fish before his business faced negative consequences.
He said farmers should take proper care of fish during the winter, as the weather conditions were new to them. Fish require a hygienic environment to prevent them from contracting disease.
Songsak said that during normal periods, the farm is clean and the fish are very healthy. He said he raised catfish twice a year and was able to sell them at Bt100,000 for each lot.
By The NationThe Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Monday reported seven new cases over a 24-hour period.
A 58-year-old Thai woman returned from Germany on November 7 and tested positive on November 18 in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
A 30-year-old Thai female office employee who returned from Denmark on November 6 tested positive on November 20 in a state quarantine facility in Chonburi.
A 67-year-old Thai woman who returned from the United States on November 14 tested positive on November 18 in a Bangkok state quarantine hotel.
A 43-year-old Thai male chief who returned from the United Kingdom on November 16 tested positive on November 21 in a Bangkok state quarantine hotel.
A 43-year-old Thai female office employee, who had returned from Kosovo on November 16, tested positive on November 21 in a state quarantine facility in Chonburi.
A 45-year-old Thai woman who returned from Qatar on November 17 tested positive on November 20 in a state quarantine facility in Chonburi.
A 17-year-old Syrian boy arrived on November 8 and tested positive on November 20 in an alternative state quarantine facility in Bangkok with fever, sore throat and headache. The boy said his symptoms started from November 13.
Meanwhile, five patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand increased to 3,920 (959 in state quarantine), of whom 94 are in hospital and 3,766 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains at 60.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Monday, the total number of confirmed cases increased to 58.98 million (up by 489,012), 40.76 million have recovered, 16.82 million are active cases (103,057 in severe condition) and 1.39 million have died (up by 7,409).
Thailand ranks 151st for most cases in the world, while the US has the most number with 12.59 million, followed by India 9.14 million, Brazil 6.07 million, France 2.14 million and Russia 2.09 million.
Thai Airways (THAI) intends to continue the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) project at U-Tapao Airport even though it cannot invest in any project during its rehabilitation period, a THAI report said.
The report said collaboration between THAI and Airbus in the MRO project has been delayed due to the Covid-19 situation and its impact on the aviation industry.
In September, the Bankruptcy Court approved rehabilitation plans for the national flag carrier.
THAI stated its intention to continue the join the MRO project, as it could generate a huge amount of revenue for the corporation.
The report said THAI believed the direction of the MRO project would be clarified, after the THAI rehabilitation plan is submitted and agreed upon and the virus crisis improves.
The special adviser for infrastructure development in the East Economic Corridor, Chokchai Panyayong, expected the private sector to state its decision to join the MRO project at the end of this year, or at the beginning of next year.
Moreover, the MRO centre will be opened in 2024 instead of 2021 or 2022 as announced before.
The baht opened at 30.28 to the US dollar on Monday, strengthening from 30.32 at close on Friday.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.15 and 30.35 on Monday and between 30 to 30.50 this week, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.
The baht strengthened in line with other Asian currencies, since investors had decided to buy risk assets.
In the short term, Jitipol predicted that investors would continue their investments in Asian currencies, with hope of US financial policies being issued before Thanksgiving Day on November 26.
In the long term, Jitipol said that the financial assets of Asian countries would be more interesting for investors due to an economic recovery in the region until the next year.
This week, the senior director advised investors to monitor the direction of capital flight in the market.
Moreover, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Singapore would be announced on Monday, as well as Thailand’s customs exports data.
On Wednesday, the minutes of the US Federal Open Market Committee and the US GDP will be revealed.
Jitipol forecast that the financial markets would be more ready for risk. Also, the pound, he added, was the most interesting currency, after strengthening from 1.27 to the US dollar in September to 1.32 pound recently. He said the currency would continue strengthening if the UK can agree with EU countries on Brexit issues within this year.
The dollar index would tend to move between 91 and 93 points this week, from the present 92.4 points.
The moderate high-pressure system from China covers the upper Northeast of Thailand and the South China Sea. The upper Northeast has cool weather and a slight drop in temperature, the Thailand Meteorological Department said on Monday.The easterly wind brings humidity from the South China Sea into the lower Northeast, the East, the Central and the lower North. These areas still have thundershowers and gusty winds in some areas, the department added.
Farmers in the North and the Northeast should beware of crop damage.
In the South and the Gulf, the northeast monsoon becomes stronger with isolated heavy rain. People in the South should beware of the severe condition.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
Bangkok and its vicinity: Cloudy with isolated thundershowers; minimum temperature 24-25°C, maximum 33-35 °C; easterly winds 10-30 km/hr.
North: Cool in the morning; isolated thundershowers; minimum temperature 16-23°C; maximum 31-35°C; Cold to very cold on mountaintops with minimum temperature 7-16°C; northeasterly winds 10-20 km/hr.
Northeast: cool in the morning and slight drop in temperature; minimum temperature 21-24 °C, maximum 34-35°C; cool to cold on the mountain top with minimum temperature 10-17°C; northeasterly winds 10-30 km/hr.
Central: Cloud with isolated thundershowers and gusty winds; minimum temperature 23-26°C, maximum 32-35°C; northeasterly winds 10-30 km/hr.
East: Cloudy with isolated thundershowers; minimum temperature 23-26°C, maximum 32-35°C; easterly winds 15-30 km/hr; waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
South (east coast): Cloudy with scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rains; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 29-32°C; easterly winds 15-35 km/hr; waves 1-2 metres high and above two metres in thundershowers.
South (west coast): Cloudy with scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rains; minimum temperature 22-25°C, maximum 31-32°C; easterly winds 15-30 km/hr; waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres in thundershowers.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is to hand over to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) samples from 11.5 tonnes of illegal substances found in Chachoengsao province on November 12.
Initial examination revealed that they were ketamine, but another test from 66 sacks of the substances showed that they were trisodium phosphate, resulting in further examination of the other 406 sacks.
ONCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkol said that 600 sacks, totalling 16 tonnes, were also found in Taiwan and four substances — ketamine, Bromo-4 Methylpropiophenone, sodium carbonate and trisodium phosphate — were found.
Ketamines were intentionally hidden among 600 sacks labelled as trisodium phosphate before sending them to Thailand. The report from Taiwan made officials suspect that the 406 sacks found at the Chachoengsao warehouse might have hidden substances as well.
Jeremy Douglas, UNODC regional representative, said that the international officer would take part in this examination and bring some examples to test at its lab.
The examination will begin on November 24 to ensure transparency, while the ONCB has found no evidence of politicians’ involvement.
People who have pledged to protect the monarchy institution joined forces to clean up the front of the Royal Thai Police headquarters for the second time to restore it to its original condition.
Groups such as Cheerlung Facebook Page, the Centre for People’s Protection Institute, Thai Pakdee, and the Dharma Army group, gathered to clean the walls in front of the police headquarters after protesters on November 18 splashed paint and graffiti.
On Sunday, more people will join and a team from a paint company will teach them the correct cleaning methods.
The Thai Phakdee team said that by helping to clean up many parts, all the areas in front of the police headquarters have been returned to their original state, except the BTS concrete post and some pedestrian areas. The group will help with the cleaning until 4pm on Sunday.
A social media user has apologised to Thai Phakdee royalists for posting a video that claimed royalist demonstrators on November 17 had been recruited from Chonburi province and there were no vehicles to transport them home.
In the video, he said that the people who were recruited to join the pro-monarchist movement were a group of unemployed and elderly people as well as children from Chonburi province.
He stated that the mob had weapons, but he believed that the people who had recruited them had intended to trigger a conflict. But he did not want to participate in the violence because the group had elderly people and children.
However, Warong Dechgitvigrom later posted another video of him apologising to the royalists for casting aspersions on them, and said his previous video was based on a misunderstanding.
Pro-democracy supporters are divided in their views after a monk targeted for violating the lese majeste law sought a donation to build a temple for political exiles in Europe.
Political activist Nuttaa Mahattana said on Saturday that a sum of Bt151,578.5 was donated and acknowledged that there was disagreement with netizens. She said the donation was made due to moral reasons, as it was a means to save another person for human rights violation.
Meanwhile, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a political exile and anti-establishment academic, said that building a temple could not be a reason for seeking asylum in other countries.
He disagreed with a donation for construction of a temple as it might reduce the chance for other exiles to get refuge in the destination country.
Pro-democracy activist Sombat Boonngamanong has criticised famous songwriter Nitipong Honark for demanding the use of the lese majeste law against protesters.
The songwriter had posted on his Facebook account that it was time to apply Section 112 of the Criminal Code to stop the pro-democracy demonstrators.
Sombat responded that such a law nearly no longer exists in most parts of the world as times have changed, and not all people thought like Nitipong.
He wrote on his Facebook account lese majeste was like an archaic tradition in history to execute families of those who insulted the monarchy.
Flie Photo 
Sombat Boonngamanong 
