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No intimidation used in arresting protest leaders, insists Bangkok police chief

NationalNov 02. 2020Pakapong Pongpetra 

By THE NATION

Bangkok police chief, Pol Lt-General Pakapong Pongpetra, insisted on Monday that police had implemented arrest warrants against protest leaders within the law and no bullying tactics were used.

Pakapong made this announcement in reference to the 80 arrest warrants faced by protest leaders Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and Panupong “Mike” Jadnok.

The Bangkok police chief also said that a summons has been issued for the royalist who attacked Ramkhamhaeng University students during a rally in campus on October 21. Other suspects in the case are undergoing investigation, he added.

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Parents’ unemployment, pay cuts force more students to seek loans

NationalNov 02. 2020Chainarong Kajchapanan, SLF manager 

By The Nation

Thailand’s Student Loan Fund (SLF) said more students are seeking loans this year, especially since many parents have lost their jobs in the fallout of Covid-19.

Chainarong Kajchapanan, SLF manager, said on Monday that 628,000 students sought loans this year, compared to 538,000 last year, adding that the budget for student loans was subsequently increased to Bt37 billion from last year’s Bt34 billion.

He said this year saw more than 90,000 new borrowers, increasing the amount loaned out by Bt10 billion.

To be eligible for the loan, the student’s household income should stand at between Bt200,000 and Bt360,000 per year. This usually covers parents who earn between Bt20,000 and Bt30,000 per month and find it difficult to pay for their children’s education.

Chainarong said that though there have been more applicants this year, the allocated budget is enough to cover those affected by the outbreak.

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FDA allays fears about flu vaccine imports after deaths reported in South Korea

NationalNov 02. 2020

By THE NATION

Following recent reports that 59 South Koreans had died after being injected with influenza vaccines, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that the vaccine in question had never been imported for use in Thailand.

FDA deputy secretary-general Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat urged people not to panic and suggested that they receive the vaccine once a year to ensure effective prevention of the flu pandemic.

According to Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, 59 post-vaccination deaths have been reported in South Korea, mostly involving those in their 60s or older with pre-existing health conditions. Alarmist news headlines since the first death was reported on October 16 have deterred many South Koreans from getting vaccinated.

“Vaccines that we import from South Korea are of a different kind from the one in the news. The FDA and Department of Medical Sciences perform extensive tests before allowing imported drugs to be used domestically,” he said. “The FDA will monitor the situation closely and will immediately recall any vaccines from the market if there are signs that they can be dangerous to users.”

Surachoke added that the deaths in South Korea could be a result of chronic diseases of the patients, as the deceased had received vaccines from different manufacturers. “Moreover, the death rate in this case is still low, while the local government has urged South Koreans to trust health authorities, calling for widespread vaccinations to avoid a twin pandemic of flu and Covid-19,” he added.

“People should not panic and still get vaccinated against influenza once a year,” added Surachoke. “Please trust in FDA’s quality control and health surveillance capability. If something goes wrong, we will alert the public immediately.”

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Strange encounter of the mysterious kind

NationalNov 02. 2020

By THE NATION

A woman, returning home with her niece in the wee hours of Sunday, found herself being followed by mysterious men in a pick-up truck.

The 36-year-old woman, who only wanted to be identified as Pimchutha, said the incident took place at around 1.20am when a pick-up in front of her stopped at the mouth of Soi Srisawat. Two men then came out of the pick-up and directed her into the soi.

Initially, Pimchutha said she did not find this behaviour suspicious until she realised the pick-up truck was refusing to overtake her car even after she gave way.

When she reached her estate, she tried to explain the situation to the security staff when the driver of the pick-up truck jumped out and began interrupting their conversation and falsely claiming he knew her.

She said he then returned to his vehicle and crashed into the rear of her car. He also apparently honked the horn for a while.

The woman then decided to call the police, at which point the man tried to enter her car and argued with security as they tried to stop him. Pimchuta added that the man eventually left after realising that she had recorded the incident. Pimchuta later filed a police complaint of the incident.

The case caught the attention of several newspapers after the recording was posted on social media.

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Nine districts in Nakhon Ratchasima warned of flash floods

NationalNov 02. 2020

By The Nation

Residents of nine Nakhon Ratchasima districts were warned on Monday to prepare for flooding caused by the release of water from Lam Phra Phloeng Dam.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office said the dam has exceeded its capacity due to heavy rainfall and that people living in the districts of Pak Thong Chai, Chok Chai, Chalerm Phra Kiat, Non Sung, Chakkarat, Phimai, Chum Phuang, Lam Thamainchai, and Muang Yang to monitor the situation closely and move their belongings to higher land.

“Government agencies will issue weather forecasts and warnings, as well as evaluate the situation. People will be evacuated from the area if things get worse,” an official said.

Residents requiring assistance can call the 24-hour hotline 1784.

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Three test positive for Covid-19 in alternative quarantine hotels

NationalNov 02. 2020

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported three new cases in quarantine facilities over a 24-hour period on Monday.

All the cases were asymptomatic.

A Thai female farmer aged 34 returned from Sweden on October 19 and tested positive in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Samut Prakarn province on October 30.

A 57-year-old Thai female farmer returned from Qatar on October 24, and tested positive in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok on October 31.

A 53-year-old Kenyan UN officer arrived from Kenya on October 19 and tested positive in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok on October 31.

Meanwhile, three patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand increased to 3,787 (839 in state quarantine), 133 are in hospital, 3,595 have recovered and been discharged and 59 have died.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Monday, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 46.81 million (up by 436,707), 33.75 million have recovered, 11.86 million are active cases (85,303 in serious condition) and 1.2 million have died (up by 5,300).

Thailand ranks 147th for most cases in the world, while the US has the most number with 9.47 million, followed by India 8.22 million, Brazil 5.54 million, Russia 1.63 million and France 1.41 million.

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Brazil’s zero tariff on rice imports to benefit Thai exporters

NationalNov 02. 2020Kirati Ratchano 

By THE NATION

The Department of Foreign Trade has said that exporters of Thai rice would benefit from a Brazilian government decision since September to reduce import tariffs on paddy and rice to zero.

The department director-general, Kirati Ratchano, explained that the Council of the Foreign Trade Chamber had announced since late September that zero tax would collected from rice and paddy from September 11 to December 31. This measure is to ensure food stability in Brazil amid the Covid-19 crisis, he added.

Kirati said that previously Thailand paid 12 per cent tariff on the export of rice and paddy to Brazil. In September and October, Thai rice exports to Brazil totalled 28,163 tonnes — more than 433 tonnes exported in 2019 — worth $12.55 million (Bt390 million).

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US election expected to influence baht direction this week

NationalNov 02. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 31.16 to the US dollar on Monday, unchanged from Friday’s close.

The Thai currency on Friday is likely to move between 31.05 and 31.25 on Monday and between 31 and 31.50 this week, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

The baht this week was expected to mainly move in line with the dollar and the global stock markets. If the market is in a risk-on mode after the US election, the baht and other Asian currencies would strengthen, the senior director said.

He advised investors to monitor fluctuations caused by the election on Tuesday.

Jitipol said that the US Federal Open Market Committee would hold its meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. He predicted that the unemployment figures to be announced this week would show a 7.7 per cent reduction in jobless numbers compared to the previous announcement.

The dollar index this week would tend to move between 93.7 to 94.7 points from the present 94 points, he said.

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Thai e-commerce shows least delays in delivery of goods during pandemic within region, study shows

NationalNov 02. 2020

By THE NATION

Thai e-commerce operators have been providing services with the least delays in the region during the Covid-19 outbreak, a study by a research firm shows.

iPrice Thailand, a company researching e-commerce markets in Southeast Asia, in cooperation with Parcel Monitor Co, collected data from 1.4 million delivery attempts in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand from January to June, Khanittha Sasakul, head of content marking at iPrice, said.

“Although the research data showed that Singapore has the fastest average delivery time of 1.5 days, their average time saw a 15 per cent delay from the 1.3 days before the lockdown period,” she said.

“Meanwhile, delivery time in Thailand during Covid-19 averaged two days, compared to 1.8 before the Covid-19 lockdown, a 11 per cent delay, which is the least delay among the four countries.”

Malaysia suffered the most delays of 119 per cent due to the country’s lockdown, from an average of 2.1 days before Covid-19 to 4.6 days, while deliveries in Indonesia were delayed by 30 per cent from the average of 2.3 days pre-Covid to three days during the outbreak.

“However, there are other factors that could have affected delivery time, such as the geographical and climatic factors. Malaysia has been suffering from several floods due to the monsoon season, while Indonesia is comprised of several islands that could make it harder to streamline transportation,” she added.

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Suspected drug party busted in Bang Kapi resort

NationalNov 02. 2020

By THE NATION

A group of partiers were detained by Lat Phrao police on Sunday for suspected use of drugs.

Police searched a resort in Soi Yothin Phattana 3 in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district after being tipped off that a group of young partiers had gathered there since the night of October 31 for a Loy Krathong-Halloween party and were suspected of using recreational drugs.

Police searched two VIP rooms at the resort, which offers daily rental rooms in pool villa style, and found 28 partiers aged 20 to 40 years — 18 males and 10 females. Police have reportedly found methamphetamine on eight of the suspects, while the rest were brought to the police station to undergo urine test.

Preliminary investigation revealed that most of the suspects were locals of Songkhla province who had come to work in Bangkok.

“One of the suspects said he had won nearly Bt100,000 from a bullfight and paid for the room. He invited his friends via Facebook to come to celebrate the Loy Krathong and Halloween festivals,” said the police.

The suspects reportedly confessed that this was the first time that they had organised a drug party, but police believe that they must have done it several times and will look for additional evidence.