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People warned not to let their guard down with Covid

NationalNov 04. 2020Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai 

By The Nation

The Department of Health on Wednesday called on the public to strictly adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures after a recent poll indicated that only 49 per cent of people wear a face mask at entertainment venues or while using public transport.

A poll conducted by the department found that 92 per cent of the respondents wore a face mask in shopping malls and retail shops, 90 per cent at exhibition centres and flea markets, 83 per cent at hospitals and sports stadiums, 78 per cent at workplaces, 62.44 per cent at educational institutions and 49 per cent at entertainment venues and transports.

Department of Disease Control director-general Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, who also oversees the Department of Health, said that though the Covid-19 situation in Thailand has improved, people should adhere to preventive measures such as wearing a mask, washing hands frequently and maintaining social distancing.

“We also want people to check-in and out using the ThaiChana platform,” he said, referring to the tracking app.

He also urged restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, shopping malls, sports stadiums, retail shops, transports, health and beauty centres, exhibition centres, theatres and travel agencies to implement preventive measures, such as setting up Covid-19 screening and hand sanitising checkpoints.

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Six-year-old’s dangerous game prompts doctor to warn parents

NationalNov 04. 2020

By THE NATION

A medical expert is warning parents to keep a close eye on their children after a six-year-old got violently ill when a Bt5 coin got stuck in his throat.

Dr Arak Wongworachat, the director of Sichon Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat, said in a Facebook post that the child had hidden the coin in his mouth, but ended up accidentally swallowing it. 

When the child started vomiting, foaming at the mouth and was unable to speak, his parents took him to a hospital nearby, where doctors said the coin was stuck deep in his throat. 

The child was then transferred to Sichon Hospital and the coin removed via a surgical procedure. 

Arak explained that in the worst case scenario, the coin could have blocked the child’s windpipe and killed him, or ended up getting stuck somewhere else in the body which would require serious surgery. 

Hence, he said, it is imperative that parents keep a close eye on what their young children are up to for the sake of their safety.

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Father-in-law bludgeoned to death in feud over family property

NationalNov 04. 2020

By The Nation

A fight over family property ended with the son-in-law murdering his wife’s father with a shovel on Tuesday.

Police called to the scene in Phrae province found Prayoon Bamrungjit, 62, dead in a shack with a severe wound to his head.

Theerawut Chanmuen, 39, was also at the scene, waiting to confess his crime to police.

He told them his father-in-law was an addict who was desperate for money to buy drugs. He had tried and failed to sell a family plot of land and was attempting to sell a cow instead, Theerawut told police.

The pair started arguing over the matter and Prayoon became enraged with his son-in-law for disagreeing with him. His father-in-law grabbed a knife and charged at him, said Theerawut, who confessed to then hitting Prayoon five times with a shovel, killing him.

He was initially charged with intentional murder, though his family say he might act in self-defence.

Theerawut’s wife said she did not want to speak about her father, but added that her husband was not a hot-headed man.

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European minister’s official visit cut short as he tests positive for Covid-19

NationalNov 04. 2020

By THE NATION

A European minister, who arrived in Thailand on an official two-day visit on Tuesday, tested positive for Covid-19 and will return to his country in a private plane.

His 12-strong entourage, however, tested negative and will return in a separate plane. 

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the announcement on Wednesday at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, where the patient has been put up. Anutin also said the European minister has been treated with Favipiravir and will return home later in the day. 

The minister was reportedly scheduled to meet Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and other ministers on Wednesday, but the mission was cancelled after he was found to be infected.

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Royalist calls for democracy at Pornhub protest

NationalNov 04. 2020Photo Credit to Noppakow Kongsuwan 

By The Nation

A yellow-clad royalist, holding an image of King Rama IX, was heard yelling “Get out, Prayut” during a protest against the government’s decision to block access to Pornhub on Tuesday.

On a Facebook page, a reporter named Noppakow Kongsuwan posted a clip of the man saying this signified a compromise between the monarchy and democracy.

The post went on to say that some royalists, like the man pictured, believe that the monarchy should come under the Constitution, adding that many royalists are joining the pro-democracy protests.

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Former pop idol Pookie’s life sentence for drug trafficking, money laundering halved to 38 years

NationalNov 04. 2020

By THE NATION

Former pop star “Pookie” was slapped with 38 year jail sentence over drug trafficking and money laundering.

The Criminal Court on Wednesday issued a verdict on the case where Prissana or Priscilla “Pookie” Gemelli and her husband were arrested for selling 5.17 kilograms of ketamine to a Taiwanese man in June 2019 at their rented home in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district.

The Thai-Australian former singer Prissana, 41, and her Thai husband, Chonlawit Kitatrakul, 50, also tested positive for substance abuse. The couple together with Taiwanese national Hung Cheng Yi, 29, were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering.

The court found all three defendants guilty and sentenced Hung to 25 years in prison and a Bt2.5 million fine. Prissana and Chonlawit, meanwhile, were slapped with a life sentence and a total fine of Bt3.6 million. However, since the defendants had confessed and cooperated with the investigation, the court decided to halve their sentences.

Hence, Hung will be in prison for 12 years and six months with a Bt1.25 million fine, while Prissana and Chonlawit were each given 38 years and nine months in jail and hit with a fine of Bt1.8 million.

The court has said that if the defendants are unable to pay the fine, they can choose to spend the equivalent time behind bars instead.

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Thai netizens furious after access to popular porn website blocked

NationalNov 04. 2020

By The Nation

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) has come under fire among Thai netizens for blocking all access to the widely popular pornography website Pornhub on Tuesday.

Related stories:

Protest swells at ministry after Pornhub, adult sites blocked in Thailand

Blocking Pornhub has nothing to do with ‘certain clip’, insists minister

Pornhub has proved to be the most visited porn site in the world.

Based on statistics collected last year, Pornhub had garnered more than 42 billion visits worldwide, averaging at 115 million daily, while users searched for the website more than 39 billion times. The country with the highest daily traffic is the US, while Thailand comes in at 17.

Thai users have been found to spend 11.21 minutes on average at the site, longer than the 10.28 minutes global average, followed by the Philippines at 11.09 minutes, the Netherlands 10.38 minutes, the US 10.36 minutes and Canada 10.23 minutes.

Statistics also indicate that 65 per cent of Pornhub visitors in Thailand are men and 35 per cent women. However, this data does not categorise LGBTQ visitors.

Of the Thai users, 45 per cent are in the 25-34 age group, 20 per cent aged 18-24, 18 per cent aged 35-44, 8 per cent between 45 and 54, 6 per cent between 55 and 64 years, and only 3 per cent above the age of 65.

Moreover, 81 per cent of Thai users have accessed Pornhub via their smartphone, 14 per cent via computers or notebooks, and 5 per cent via tablets, while Japanese pornography has proved to be the most popular in Thailand and other countries in the region.

Apart from Thailand, Pornhub is also blocked in the Philippines, Pakistan and India.

MDES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said the decision to block the website in Thailand was done after the court’s okay, adding that most pornography websites are from foreign countries.

“Pornography may be legal in many countries but it is still illegal in Thailand, so it is necessary to block access to the website,” he said.

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Stimulus packages a boon to small businesses

NationalNov 04. 2020

By The Nation

Many small business owners in Phitsanulok have said they are satisfied with the government’s “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) stimulus package as it has brought in more customers and boosted their income.

Panida Meemak, the owner of Nakao Café, said the countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 had an adverse impact on her business.

“But after the lockdown measures were eased and the government launched projects to stimulate local tourism and economy, business started picking up,” she said.

Panida added that her café has participated in several campaigns, including “Chim Shop Chai” (Eat, Shop, Spend), “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together), and “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves).

“These campaigns have helped bring more customers to my café, while the revenue is enough to make up for the losses incurred during the lockdown,” she said.

The three-month “Khon La Khrueng” was kicked off on October 16 in a bid to boost domestic consumption. This scheme targets up to 10 million people, offering them daily discounts of up to Bt150 capped at Bt3,000 per person.

Registration has been open for merchants via the website from October 1.

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Phichit farmers seek govt intervention over rice price

NationalNov 04. 2020

By The Nation

Farmers in Phichit province complained they will not survive if the government fails to do anything about the rice price, with mills offering only between Bt8,500 and Bt9,000 for a tonne of moist rice and Bt10,500-Bt11,000 for a tonne of dry jasmine rice.

They said this is below their expectations and they hoped the government would step in with price guarantee measures.

Phichit’s Office of Commercial Affairs has already been tasked with following up on the situation in Muang Phichit, Wang Sai Phun, Taphan Hin and Tap Khlo districts.

The farmers said the price dropped due to humidity in the rice and the office has asked buyers to give them a fairer price.

However, further solutions are awaited until the situation becomes clearer.

Some 290,000 tonnes of rice are expected to be harvested in 600,000 rai in other agriculture zones and the amount will possibly rise in mid-November.

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Rubber, latex prices fall suddenly in blow to farmers, factories

NationalNov 04. 2020

By THE NATION

The prices of latex and rubber products have plummeted following the announcement of a lockdown in Europe to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, Thai Latex Association president Chaiphot Reungwarunwattana said.

“The lockdown has resulted in car manufacturers postponing their import of latex as they fear they will not be able sell vehicles in the coming months,” he said. “The situation has taken an unusual turn, as just last month there had been concerns that there would be a shortage of rubber, which had driven up the price.”

The Rubber Authority of Thailand (RTA) reported on October 27 that the price of third-grade smoked rubber sheet was Bt77.72 per kg, about 30 per cent higher than the guaranteed price of Bt60, while the price of latex was Bt68.5 per kg, about 20 per cent higher than the guaranteed Bt57.

The RTA then estimated that rubber prices could soon reach Bt100 per kg, as many rubber producing nations were reeling under floods, which had disrupted supplies.

Thailand also reported around 10 per cent lower-than-normal rubber output due to frequent rains in the South, which have prevented farmers from harvesting latex.

Now, on Wednesday, Songkhla’s Central Rubber Market reported that latex was priced at Bt58 per kg, falling Bt6.30 from yesterday’s prices, while crude rubber sheets were priced at Bt67.25 per kg and third-grade smoked rubber sheets Bt68.35.

“The plummeting prices have put not only farmers but also processing factories in a difficult situation. These factories stocked up latex when the price was high and now face the risk of loss due to decreased demand,” Chaiphot added.