#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Govt considers reopening Maya Bay to tourists next year

NationalNov 04. 2020

By The Nation

The white sandy beaches of Krabi’s beautiful Maya Bay may be opened to tourists next year, though a panel of experts will first be consulted about the suitability of the plan.

The beach on Phi Phi Leh island, made famous by the 2000 Hollywood blockbuster “The Beach”, has been closed since mid-2018 for rejuvenation.

After the more than two-year closure, the beach is pristine once more, the greenery is flourishing, while long-lost crabs and other marine creatures have returned to hunt in the bay again.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Warawut Silpa-Archa said on Tuesday the island will be opened to tourists in a bid to rebuild the tourism industry, which has been crippled by the Covid-19 outbreak.

However, before that is done, a committee of experts will first be consulted on the feasibility of allowing no more than 350 people to visit the island daily and the plan to ensure no boats are anchored near the shore. If the panel agrees, the island will be opened to tourists next year.

Warawut, meanwhile, is encouraging people to visit Thailand’s 155 national parks, especially Phang Nga Bay were the famous Koh Tapu or James Bond Island is located.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Uni researching EEC development’s impact on local communities

NationalNov 04. 2020

By The Nation

Student volunteers have been tasked with studying the impact that Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) development has on local communities.

EEC acting deputy director Nayot Kurukitkoson said the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO) is collaborating with the Community Development Department and Burapha University on a development plan that corresponds to the demands of the local communities.

Burapha University students will investigate ways of life in the three EEC provinces of Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong in a bid to integrate globalisation with local tradition.

They will also examine the impacts of EEC industrial development on local life.

Twenty-seven students have been selected for the project, which will see their findings on sustainability delivered to the EECO.

They will collect information from 80 households and organise a community panel for discussion and inquiry to better understand EEC issues.

The information will be compiled as a database of the eastern region, which will be used by 93 local undergraduates and post-graduates to understand social traditions in the EEC.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Prayut greeted by hopeful locals in tourism-starved Phuket

NationalNov 04. 2020Photos by Charoon Thongnual 

By The Nation

Residents of Phuket’s Old Town turned out to greet Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday as the premier inspected the area’s businesses.

The inspection was part of the Cabinet’s summit on social and economic development in the tourism-reliant southern provinces of Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.

The Cabinet announced more soft loans to support tourism businesses hit by the absence of international travellers since the Covid-19 travel ban was imposed at the end of March.

The premier stayed at Splash Beach Resort Mai Khao in Thalang district, where locals and government officials turned out to greet him.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

MG unveils world’s largest solar carpark in Thailand

NationalNov 03. 2020

By The Nation

MG has opened the world’s largest solar car park at its plant in Chonburi province.

The SAIC Motor-CP Solar Carpark at the Hemaraj Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate covers 31,000 square metres with power-generation capacity of 4.88 megawatts.

The Bt177-million solar roof was installed by WHA Utilities and Power (WHAUP) at the vehicle distribution centre, which has capacity for more than 2,000 cars

The solar carpark will protect the new vehicles, help reduce the company’s energy costs, and be a model for clean energy use across various organisations in the future, said MG.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

NationalNov 03. 2020

By THE NATION

The student-led protest movement urged supporters to gather at the Chaengwattana Government Complex in Bangkok at 4pm on Tuesday, as tensions rose over yet another act of government censorship.

After the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry blocked the popular adult website Pornhub on Monday night, the hashtag #พลังเงี่_น (Horny Power) began trending on Tuesday morning.

The United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD) protest group said they would rally this afternoon at the Government Complex on Laksi Road, where the ministry is located. Netizens urged them to add unblocking Pornhub to their three core demands – the PM’s resignation, charter change and monarchy reform.

On Tuesday morning, DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said the move to block access to Pornhub and 190 other adult sites in Thailand was taken after the court’s okay. He added that the decision was not related to a clip featuring a prominent Thai personality that was posted on the website.

Social media users angered by the censorship have mocked the DES for a move they say will draw more people to the pornography website, which can still be accessed via various “cheats” being shared online.

Other netizens have applauded the government for blocking a website they say featured videos created via child trafficking or rape.

The government has blocked thousands of websites and social media accounts, many over political content, since the coup in 2014.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Siriraj expects Covid-19 vaccine as early as mid-2021

NationalNov 03. 2020

By The Nation

Thailand’s success in controlling the spread of Covid-19 is being threatened by rising cases in neighbouring countries, warned a leading medical scientist on Tuesday.

Both Malaysia and Myanmar are experiencing a surge in infections, noted Dr Prasit Watthana, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University.

Offering a global snapshot of the Covid-19 situation, he said new cases are increasing at a rapid rate of about one million every two days, especially in Europe due to winter since most people stay indoors and do not wear face masks as protection against the virus.

Increased infection rates in places like the US, with 100,000 new cases daily, are also beginning to affect the ability of healthcare facilities to handle patients, he added. He expects total global infections to pass 10 million this week, with the death rate rising in parallel.

In Asia, well-controlled countries like South Korea, Singapore and Australia have relatively low infection rates, but the crisis in Thailand’s neighbours was getting worse, Prasit said.

Cases in Malaysia have surged to 800-900 per day, while Myanmar has seen 8,000 infections in the last 10 days.

On vaccine development, he said 148 trials were being conducted around the world.

Eighty-eight are at the animal-testing stage, 35 are at Phase 1, 14 are at Phase 2, and 11 are at the most advanced Phase 3 of mass human testing

Prasit said a vaccine is expected to be completed as early as mid-2021, adding that Phase 3 trials had a 50 per cent chance of success.

However, he emphasised that the best protection against Covid-19 was to wear a mask, keep your distance from others, keep hands clean, and avoid social contact where possible.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Navy officer escapes attack in Narathiwat

NationalNov 03. 2020

By The Nation

A 50-year-old navy officer escaped with a graze after being shot at by insurgents in Narathiwat province on Tuesday morning.

Chief Petty Officer Muhamadsanavi Sanilo was heading to a religious ceremony in Bacho district at 6am on his motorbike when he was shot at by two men who were also on a motorbike behind him.

The passenger on the bike behind him shot twice, but only managed to graze his skin once.

The officer was admitted to hospital, while police have launched a manhunt for the shooters.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Myanmar driver’s trick to skip Covid-19 test exposed

NationalNov 03. 2020An arrested Myanmar national. 

By The Nation

A Myanmar truck driver’s ruse to avoid being tested for Covid-19 at the Thai border was exposed when his wife and son reported high fever.

Myanmar health officials took the driver and his family to Myawaddy General Hospital, where they all tested positive for coronavirus.

Myanmar officials had told their counterparts in Thailand on October 29 that only one of the two drivers had tested positive.

On the Thai side of the border, both drivers from Myanmar had been found infected with Covid-19.

It was later found that the driver had sent someone else to be tested in his place. Later the man’s wife said he had passed the infection on to her and her son, while the seven workers who had come into contact with him are being detained for test results.

Meanwhile, one Myanmar national was arrested as he tried to cross into Thailand via the Moei River early on Tuesday.

Many workers in Myanmar are hoping to cross over to Thailand for employment, while the number of Covid-19 patients in the border town of Myawaddy has risen to 88, one of whom has succumbed to the virus.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

189 soldiers returning from US put in quarantine despite testing negative

NationalNov 03. 2020

By The Nation

The 189 soldiers sent to the United States in July to participate in the “Lightning Forge 2020” military training session arrived in Thailand on Monday and are observing the 14-day mandatory quarantine.

Lt-Colonel Santipong Thampiya, director of the Army Covid-19 Situation Centre, said the team had also undergone training from October 3 to November 1 at the Joint Readiness Training Centre in Louisiana.

Before boarding their flight back home, all 189 tested negative to the virus, but will still observe quarantine until November 18 in line with the Public Health Ministry’s requirements.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Ex-judo fighter beats mother to a pulp over ‘lost’ motorbike key

NationalNov 03. 2020

By THE NATION

A former member of the national judo team, Posawee Thamrongrab, 36, was arrested on Tuesday for assaulting and badly injuring his 58-year-old mother in her office at the Culture, Sport and Tourism Department on October 28.

A colleague took the woman to hospital after her son left her on the floor with broken teeth and ribs. 

A CCTV clip posted on Facebook showed the man assaulting his mother and walking out of the room after she falls unconscious. The mother later filed a complaint against her son at Din Daeng Police Station. 

According to the mother’s testimony, her son had arrived asking for the motorcycle’s key and lost his temper when she said she didn’t know where it was. 

Initial investigation shows that the former athlete has been a drug addict for the past 10 years and attacked his mother often. He now faces the charge of assaulting a parent to the point of severe danger.