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Three foreigners test positive for Covid-19

NationalNov 09. 2020

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported three new cases in state quarantine over 24 hours on Monday.

Two Ethiopians – a 28-year-old medical tourist and her 38-year-old male companion – who arrived on October 23 tested positive in a Bangkok hospital on Friday.

The third case was a 36-year-old government officer from Oman, who had arrived on Friday to look after a medical tourist, tested positive on that very day in a hospital quarantine facility in Bangkok. He had the sniffles.

Meanwhile, seven patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,840 (884 in state quarantine), 119 of whom are in hospital and 3,661 have recovered. The death toll remains unchanged at 60.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Monday, the total number of confirmed cases globally has risen to 50.74 million (up by 472,468). Of them, 35.8 million have recovered, while 13.68 million are active cases ( 92,624 in severe condition) and 1.26 million have died (up by 5,839).

Thailand ranks 149th the global list for most Covid-19 cases, which is topped by the US with 10.2 million cases, followed by India at 8.55 million, Brazil 5.66 million, France 1.78 million and Russia 1.74 million.

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Prayut congratulates Biden on winning US presidential election

NationalNov 09. 2020File Photo 

By The Nation

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has sent a message congratulating former vice president Joe Biden on his election as the 46th president of the United States.

The PM said he was ready to work closely to further enhance Thai-US relations.

In his message, Prayut said:

“I wish to extend to you and Senator Kamala Harris my warm congratulations on your election victory and the trust that you have earned from American voters.

“With the long-standing ties of friendship between our countries dating back more than 200 years, Thailand as the first treaty partner of the United States in Asia takes pride in our strategic partnership which contributes to our mutual benefit and the region’s peace, stability and prosperity.

“On behalf of the government and the people of the Kingdom of Thailand, I wish you every success and look forward to working closely with you and your administration to further enhance our cooperation at all levels.”

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Baht expected to strengthen against dollar in line with Asian currencies

NationalNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.62 to the US dollar on Monday, weakening from 30.56 at close on Friday.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.55 and 30.70 on Monday and between 30.25 and 30.75 this week, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

At the same time, the baht has strengthened in line with other Asian currencies, due to support from foreign investment in bonds after the US election. Jitipol advised investors to monitor the capital and financial markets.

On Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will hold its monetary policy committee meeting. The market predicted that New Zealand would freeze the interest rate at 0.25 per cent or cut the rate by 0.10 percentage point.

Also, the US will announce its initial jobless claims this week on Thursday.

The senior director said that the US economy has continually recovered but the dollar has not. Jitipol added that the yen and euro this week were worth monitoring.

The dollar index this week would tend to move between 92 and 93 points, from the present 92.2 points.

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290 people who had close contact with Indian who tested positive for Covid-19 to undergo testing

NationalNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

Some 290 people who had close contact with an Indian man, who tested positive for Covid-19 in the first domestic case in over a month, have been told to contact public health officials, the Ministry of Public Health said on Sunday.

The Indian national aged 37 years, who resides in Krabi, tested positive for Covid-19 on November 5.

The timeline and travel history of the patient is as follows:

February 1: The man departed from Singapore to Thailand.

October 19-27: Stayed at home with his wife at a house on Phi Phi Island in Krabi. He later drove in a personal car to Phuket and stayed at a hotel near Patong Beach.

October 28: Returned to Krabi and stayed at his brother’s house in Muang district.

October 30: Took flight FD3167 to Chiang Mai and stayed in a hotel in Muang district.

October 31: Drove from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai in a rented car and stayed at a hotel in Sukhothai.

November 1: Returned to Chiang Mai and visited some temples.

November 2: Returned to Phuket by flight FD1968, but showed symptoms of coughing.

November 3: Visited a shopping mall in Phuket, then returned to Krabi and stayed at his brother’s house.

November 4: Received Covid-19 testing at Krabi Hospital in order to apply for work permit, then returned to his house on Phi Phi Island.

November 5: Stayed at home and was informed about his positive test result.

November 6: Admitted to Krabi Hospital.

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Foreigner injured in clash with protester during pro-democracy rally at Jomtien Beach

NationalNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

A Russian man was injured in an altercation with a pro-democracy protest leader in Chonburi province on Sunday evening, local police said.

Some 30 pro-democracy protesters who call themselves “Ratsadon Pattaya” had gathered at 6pm on Sunday at Jomtien Beach in Banglamung district.

The protest leaders took turns in giving anti-government speeches, both in Thai and in English, urging Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign. Among them were political activists Sirawith “Ja New” Seritiwat and Narathiwat “Ken” Khamma.

Witnesses said that while Sirawith was giving a speech on the stage, a commotion occurred at the protest venue when a foreign tourist got into a heated argument with Narathiwat. The protest leader allegedly headbutted and pushed the foreigner to the ground. Police officers monitoring the situation intervened immediately while the protesters dispersed shortly after the incident.

The injured 52-year-old Russian, who was visiting the scene with his 10-year-old daughter, had blood all over his face. After the man was treated for his injury, he and Narathiwat were brought to Muang Pattaya Police Station for questioning.

When a foreigner shows up at a protest being held in Jomtien with his 10-year-old daughter in toe… he gets headbutted for his troubles but hold on, “An individual in our team had a little argument with a foreigner. Mai Pen Rai. It’s just a misunderstanding.” pic.twitter.com/sthlHgkirA— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) November 8, 2020

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Cool and windy in upper Thailand, isolated heavy rain in the South

NationalNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

The Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Monday that the rather strong high pressure system from China covers upper Thailand. Cool and windy weather with a 1-3 degrees Celsius drop in temperature is likely over upper Thailand.

Meanwhile, the strong northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South, bringing continuous rain and isolated heavy rain. Waves about two metres high are likely in the Gulf and above two metres high during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, the department said.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool weather with strong winds and isolated light rain; minimum temperature 17-22°C, maximum 30-32°C; temperature on hilltops likely to drop to 9-14°C.

Northeast: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 17-21°C, maximum 28-30°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 11-15°C.

Central: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 21-22°C, highs of 30-31°C.

East: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 19-22°C, maximum 29-32°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres offshore.

South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 28-32°C; waves two metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 22-25°C, maximum 31-33°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 22-23°C, maximum 29-31°C.

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Protesters blocked from reaching Palace, drop petitions for monarchy reform in post box

NationalNov 08. 2020

By The Nation

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters in Bangkok were prevented by police on Sunday evening from reaching the Palace Office to petition for reform of the monarchy.

The protesters from various pro-democratic groups, including the Ratsadon and the red shirts, started gathering at Democracy Monument on Sunday afternoon. They occupied the streets and later decided to march to nearby Sanam Luang to deliver speeches criticising the government and show some performances.The Sanam Luang ground was taken over by the protesters who also enjoyed some rest as well as “CIA” street vendor’s food, while having conversations about Thai politics. Some volunteered to collect trash to make sure the ground remained clean.The protesters raised a three-finger salute at 7.50pm when they saw the authorities approaching, and called them “servants of the dictator”. They asked for gloves and helmets for those who were in the front row to protect themselves in case more violent methods were used against the demonstrators.Earlier, at around 6.45pm, police had used high pressure guns to spray water on the protesters.

The protest leaders later said that the authorities had apologised for “accidentally” spraying the high-pressure water on the crowd. They said they accepted the apology with a grain of salt, and asked them to explain their past behaviour.

At around 8.30pm, the protesters were blocked by police from marching towards the Palace Office in the Grand Palace, so they dropped their petitions seeking reforms to the monarchy in four post boxes, reportedly made of plastic that they had brought with them.

After the protesters dispersed at 9pm, police from Chana Songkhram brought the post boxes to the police station.

The pro-democracy protesters have been rallying for months, seeking the resignation of the prime minister and the government, dissolution of Parliament, rewriting of the Constitution and reform of the monarchy.

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Royalists set to rally this evening with eye on pro-democracy protesters

NationalNov 08. 2020Photos by Tanachai Pramarnpanich 

By The Nation

Royalists plan a rally on Sunday evening to keep an eye on the Ratsadon’s anti-government protest at Democracy Monument.

They plan to gather on Dinso Road at 4pm, with only the aim of observing their ideological rivals.

The clash between the two rival groups in the past has led to some conflicts, including physical assaults.

On October 21, the yellow-clad royalists broke through metal barriers to get to pro-democracy protesters rallying at Ramkhamhaeng University.

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Pro-democracy protest makes the case for LGBTQ-plus community, better gender equality

NationalNov 08. 2020

By The Nation

A pro-democratic protest with an LGBTQ+ theme was held at the Samyan intersection before heading to Silom Road on Saturday to raise awareness on diversity among people along with democracy.

The protest was named “Phri Parade”. The word “Phri”, which sounds similar as the word for “pride” also means slave or serf, reflecting the movement of people who were under the power of the Thai monarchy.The parade drew the attention of bystanders as the atmosphere was colourful and light, differentiating itself from previous protests which had a more serious tone.

Demonstrators also made their demands for true democracy and better gender equality for Thai female MPs and MPs from the LGBTQ+ community who have not received the respect that they deserve.The demands partly stem from the suspension of Move Forward Party MP and LGBTQ+ advocate Tanwarin Sukkhapisit due to involvement with the media.

The topic of gay marriage also was raised during the protest as the Thai civil partnership bill does not truly protect the rights of same-sex couples.The protesters also invited people to visit Silom streets to stimulate the economy after the earlier protesters had generated incomes for street vendors.

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What Biden’s victory means for Thailand and rest of the world

NationalNov 08. 2020President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris celebrate at the Chase Center on Saturday night in Wilmington, Del. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys 

By The Nation

A leading Thai academic predicted a less-aggressive approach from the United States in a Joe Biden presidency compared to the outgoing Donald Trump administration.

Dr Piti Srisangnam, an economist at Chulalongkorn University, shared his thoughts on his personal Facebook page on Sunday after Democrat Biden beat Republican Trump in the US presidential election.

He said US economic policy, and international relations between Thailand and the US as well as between the US, China and India, would change in form but not in principle. The US will continue to block China’s territorial expansion but will not be as aggressive as in Trump’s regime.

Piti said the ongoing trade war will continue in the short term for 1-2 years.

He expected the Democrat administration to adopt neo-liberal institutionalism by opening up new trading platforms.

The new trading platforms must have qualifications and the US has to create the rules as a regulator and a player, he said.

Piti predicted that the US was unlikely to return to the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), but it could open a new stage in the Indo-Pacific.

Piti said the person to be watched the most was Vice President Kamala Harris, who would probably be the real policymaker. She is very efficient and talented with high enough potential to be the next presidential candidate and the first female president of the United States, he said.

Piti said what a lot of people wanted to see today was not as much a Biden-Harris victory as the defeat of Trump.

“After the president leaves office in the US, a Hall of Honour and a library will be built. We have to keep an eye on the merits and honours of the Trump Memorial Hall and Library, and in the next 10, 15, 20 and 30 years when the secret documents are de-classified, there would be many scholars wanting to know what happened in the past four years and Trump’s secrets,” he said.