#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

‘October Heroes’ remembered in a ceremony at Thammasat

NationalOct 06. 2020Photos by Tanachai Pramarnpanich 

By The Nation

The families of “October Heroes” gathered at Thammasat University on Tuesday to hold a ceremony to mark the 44th anniversary of the Thammasat massacre on October 6, 1976.

People gathered at the university’s Tha Pra Chan campus to make merit and place flowers in honour of those who had lost their lives to the fight against dictatorship, before attending an academic panel at the university.The 44th anniversary of the horrific day is also being commemorated with a “pop-up” museum on campus, displaying vivid images and sounds of the happenings before and during the October 6 crackdown.

Events leading to the massacre began a few weeks before October 6, when the tortured corpses of two electricity officials were found hanging in Nakhon Pathom on September 24.These officials had been protesting against the return of Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn, who had been ousted three years earlier.

The following day, student activists issued two demands to the government of MR Seni Pramoj – that Thanom, who was allowed to return to tend to his sick father, be exiled and the murderers of the hanged officials be brought to justice.On September 29, more than 20,000 students gathered in Sanam Luang near the university to air their demands, and on October 4, Seni declared that a group of policemen were behind the hangings.

A bunch of right-wing thugs then showed up in Sanam Luang to intimidate the students, who decided to take refuge in the campus.

On October 5, a Thai newspaper published a photograph of a play the students had put together in protest of the hangings, saying one of the students playing the part of the hanging official bore resemblance to the crown prince.

The performers tried to explain themselves, but by then several right-wing radio stations had started calling the students insurgents.

Tensions finally boiled over when security forces surrounded the campus and started firing through the gates.

The students, though they surrendered, were either killed on the spot or dragged out and lynched in neighbouring Sanam Luang.

Though the official death toll was 45, with 145 injured and 3,094 students arrested, unofficial accounts put the deaths at over a hundred.In comments on social media, prominent red-shirt activist Sombat Boonngamanong likened the Thammasat massacre to the bloodletting 10 years ago, when scores of red-shirt protesters were killed in a crackdown in 2010.

Some democracy supporters say that Thailand is stuck in a loop of the military using its power against people for the sake of the monarchy.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Anguished trader posts CCTV footage of women defecating at night in Udon Thani market

NationalOct 06. 2020

By THE NATION

A trader in Udon Thani province posted videos of women defecating before his stall in a market, saying it was unbearable for him that people visited the market in the night for vomiting or excreting.

Last week, three videos were posted in the Facebook group called “KumphawapiNews”. The first two videos showed two women visiting a market at night at different times, and excreting in front of a stall. The last video showed a woman cleaning up the mess.

The video was posted by Mongkol Srivorakul, 49, a stall owner in Kumphawapi Market in Udon Thani. He said on Monday that the videos were recorded by his CCTV camera, and he had chosen footage where their faces were blurred, as it was not his intention to embarrass the women.

He added that there were people who visited the market at night for vomiting, urinating or excreting. And it was left to the traders to clean up the mess.

Mongkol said his aim in posting the videos was to raise awareness in people that this kind of action was not proper, and must not be repeated.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Three foreigners among the 10 new Covid-19 cases found in state quarantine

NationalOct 06. 2020

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 10 new cases in state quarantine on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,600.

Of the new cases, two had travelled from Kuwait – a 38-year-old Thai male freelancer who tested positive on October 4 (12th day in quarantine) and 61-year-old Kuwaiti man, who is accompanying a medical tourist and tested positive upon arrival on October 3.

Three patients had travelled from Hong Kong, namely two men aged 31 and 40 who tested positive on October 4 (11th day in quarantine) and a 22-year-old female entertainment venue employee who tested positive on October 3 (4th day in quarantine).

The infected cases also included two Russian nationals, a 51-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman who were on the same flight and tested positive on October 3 (5th day in quarantine).

The last three cases were Thai female hotel employees, all aged 23, who travelled from the US and were found positive on October 4 (5th day in quarantine).

Of the 3,600 total confirmed cases in Thailand, 662 had been found in state quarantine and 151 are still being treated in hospital. The death toll remains unchanged at 59.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases worldwide has risen to 35.69 million (rising by 264,209). Of them, 26.86 million have recovered, while 7.78 million are active cases ( 66,889 in severe condition) and 1.04 million have died (increased by 4,251).

Thailand ranks 139th for most cases in the world, while the US tops the list with 7.67 million cases, followed by India 6.68 million, Brazil 4.94 million, Russia 1.22 million and Colombia 862,158.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Local officials told to watch water levels at dams as tropical depression approaches

NationalOct 06. 2020File photo of Khun Dan Prakarn Chon reservoir. 

By THE NATION

Provincial authorities have been alerted to monitor the water levels in dams and reservoirs around the clock and prepare for evacuation as heavy rains are expected during October 7-9.

The deputy secretary-general at the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), Samrerng Saengphuwong, cited the Thailand Meteorological Department’s forecast that a category 1 active low pressure cell in the middle of the South China Sea was likely to intensify into a category 2 tropical depression and was expected to move to the Gulf of Thailand by October 8. It was likely to bring isolated heavy to very heavy rain in the lower Northeast, the East, the Central and the South from October 7-9.

The ONWR in particular has urged authorities to monitor the water level of Khun Dan Prakarn Chon reservoir in Nakhon Nayok province and Nong Pla Lai reservoir in Rayong province, as they are nearly at full capacity and could cause flash floods in nearby areas.

The office also warned that from October 7-12, the following provinces would be prone to flash floods, water runoffs and landslides:

Northern region: Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Nan, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, Phetchabun, Uthai Thani.

Northeastern region: Chaiyaphum, Loei, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima

Eastern region: Prachin Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Sa Kaeo, Chonburi, Rayong

Western region: Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Phetburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan

Southern region: Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang and Stun.

Authorities in these areas should update local people of the situation and prepare for evacuation if necessary, the ONWR advised.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Short-term gain for baht as foreign investors sell dollars

NationalOct 06. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 31.31 to the US dollar on Tuesday, strengthening from 31.41 at close on Monday.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 31.21 and 31.41 on Tuesday, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, head of markets strategy at SCB Securities.

Jitipol said that the financial markets were buoyant again on Monday night — the S&P 500 index and Stoxx 600 increasing by 1.8 and 0.8 per cent, respectively — after US President Donald Trump’s recovery from Covid-19.

However, investors believe that Trump will lose to Joe Biden in the election.

At the same time, the US Ten-Year Treasury increased by six basis points to 0.76 per cent, while the Thirty-Year Treasury rose to 1.56 per cent, revealing that the financial markets were already in a risk-on state.

The baht in the short term was supported by the sales of the weakened dollars of foreign investors. Moreover, the investors did not sell Thai bonds, since Thai inflation has reduced sharply.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

3,000 police to be deployed for October 14 pro-democracy rally

NationalOct 06. 2020Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumijit (File Photo) 

By THE NATION

Some 3,000 police would be deployed to maintain peace and security during the political rally scheduled for October 14 by several pro-democracy groups, Metropolitan Police Bureau spokesperson Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumijit said on Monday.

The Democracy Restoration Group, the Free Youth Group and United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, are reportedly among the groups joining the rally scheduled for 2pm at Democracy Monument in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district.

“Public health staff would set up screening checkpoints for rally participants to prevent the spread of Covid-19, while police would also be checking for contraband at these checkpoints,” he said.

“Traffic police would also be deployed around the areas to facilitate traffic flow for vehicles and pedestrians. We would later announce the affected routes as well as alternative routes that motorists could use to avoid the rally.

“The bureau has also asked the provincial police in regions 1,2,3,4 and 7 to prepare to send additional officials in case the number of rally participants exceed our expectations, or if the situation escalates,” he added.

“So far, the rally leaders have yet to submit documents asking for permission to hold the rally. However, we would like to ask rally leaders to keep the activity peaceful and within legal limits.”

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

VR and AR set to change customers’ reality

NationalOct 06. 2020Children try out VR equipment at an industry expo in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. WANG JIANKANG/FOR CHINA DAILY 

By MA SI
China Daily/ANN

As the US science-fiction film Ready Player One hit cinema screens in 2018, few people were familiar with the virtual reality technology mentioned in the movie.

But within just two years, VR has become an increasingly popular topic for young people. Experts forecast that 5G will further this trend by opening up new possibilities for the technology, and the industry is now at the tipping point for growth.

Yuan Min, deputy general manager of Migu Video, a subsidiary of Chinese digital content provider Migu, said VR is a major 5G-powered application and is closely linked to the development of 5G. As China accelerates efforts to roll out 5G, VR is also expected to see faster expansion.

“We will pour in more resources to assist the production of high-quality VR content because the commercialization of 5G will fuel the industry’s growth,” Yuan said.

She added that 5G can solve many of the technological bottlenecks that have limited the popularity of VR and augmented reality, such as enabling new convenient forms of meetings to reduce misunderstandings and better convey messages.

Migu said its Cloud VR platform has already played an active part in offering rich content to consumers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, it has enabled consumers to see 360-degree online livestreams of Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest, and support VR concerts.

Yuan said the platform is currently dedicated to helping consumers access VR content on smartphones, TVs and VR goggles, so more people will learn about the format and enjoy its beauty.

As the price of VR hardware falls and content becomes increasingly abundant and diverse, more people will buy and embrace professional VR goggles, Yuan added.

Tuong Nguyen, senior principal analyst at researcher Gartner, said 5G will become a huge enabler of the VR and AR industries. It will open up many possibilities by providing high bandwidth, low time lag and massively collaborative on-demand contextualized experiences.

High-quality VR will become possible at places where 5G is available because the technology will enhance the sense of “presence”－the feeling that consumers are really “there” inside the experience. In addition, 5G will cut the cord connecting many VR headsets to PCs, with the Cloud taking over the heavy lifting, Nguyen said.

HTC, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of VR headsets, is moving in that direction. In June, the company launched its VIVE XR Suite, an integrated application bundle that enables users to work, learn, socialize and even attend events in an immersive fashion from any location in China by using computing devices.

Alvin Wang Graylin, China president of HTC, said VR and AR are poised for robust growth as the novel coronavirus outbreak prompted a large number of consumers and employees to stay indoors and use VR and AR to communicate with colleagues and to entertain themselves.

He said he believes that the world has changed irreversibly in recent months, taking people on an accelerated path toward a digital-first future. “This videocentric ‘new normal’ we are living in will rapidly transition to the XR first ‘next normal’ that awaits us,” he said.

XR is the umbrella category that covers the various forms of computer-altered reality, including AR, VR and Mixed Reality.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the nation’s top industry regulator, has recently called for more efforts to propel the application of 5G in a wide range of fields, including VR, AR, livestreaming, games and entertainment.

China’s VR industry is expected to be worth 54.45 billion yuan ($8 billion) next year, with an annual growth rate of about 95.2 percent, according to a report from the China Center for Information Industry Development, a research institute affiliated with the ministry.

Wu Shengwu, deputy head of the ministry’s electronic information division, said China has become the most important global production base for VR hardware, which has helped to nurture the VR consumer market.

“After China officially allowed the commercial use of 5G last year, the superfast wireless technology is helping to unlock more potential in VR, which is now starting to see more applications in manufacturing, education, gaming, medical care and transportation,” Wu said.

He added that the ministry will continue to support construction of a VR manufacturing innovation center and advance research and development of VR core technologies.

Claire Zhao, an analyst at global market consultancy IDC, said VR and AR devices have become more popular during the COVID-19 epidemic, with their recent application in education accounting for 23.8 percent of all VR/AR devices in China.

IDC has forecast that China’s VR/AR market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 67.5 percent over the next five years, though it will take some time before the technology is widely accepted by the public.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Two Energy Ministry officials arrested for allegedly demanding bribe from private company

NationalOct 06. 2020

By THE NATION

Two officials from the Energy Ministry have been arrested for allegedly seeking money from a private company as a fee to change its status to oil warehousing business at Energy Complex A Building in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district.

Deputy secretary-general at the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), Phumiwisal Kasemsuk, said on Monday that the office coordinated with police officers to make the arrests.

“A representative of the company had tipped off the PAAC that it had filed to change the business status to oil warehousing business in Chonburi province on July 22 at the Oil Business Safety Division, Department of Energy Business, Ministry of Energy,” said Phumiwisal.

“The official who accepted the petition was Thapanaphong [last name withheld], a professional engineer of the division, who allegedly told the company representative to meet him at a coffee shop and allegedly demanded Bt50,000 from the victim as a fee to process the document within 45 days.

“The victim said they negotiated the fee down to Bt20,000 and agreed to pay the money on Monday. Alerted officials from the PACC arrested the suspect, along with Jakchai [last name withheld], a senior professional engineer of Oil Business Safety Division, who also allegedly took part in the racket.

The two were brought to Bang Sue Police Station and were charged with abusing their power as government officials, while PACC officers are investigating the money trail for possible conspirators. The defendants reportedly pleaded that the money was a gift from the business operator.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Lopburi subdistrict chief executive killed in road accident

NationalOct 06. 2020

By THE NATION

The chief executive of the Wang Khon Khwang Subdistrict Administrative Organisation in Lopburi province was killed in a road accident on Monday.

The fatal accident that killed Aphichart Mali, 57, occurred on Phaholyothin Road Km 183-184 in Khok Samrong district of Lopburi.

Khok Samrong police found a severely damaged white Honda Jazz car, which had been hit in the back by a Toyota Revo pickup truck that was carrying water bottles. Witnesses said the impact sent the Honda Jazz into the opposite lane where it crashed into a Toyota Commuter van in the front. Both the pickup truck and the van suffered moderate damage at the front.

Rescue staff had to use a metal cutter to free the driver whose body was stuck inside. He was rush to Khok Samrong Hospital, but the victim succumbed to his injuries.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Heavy rain forecast for many parts of Thailand

NationalOct 06. 2020

By THE NATION

Continuous rains are forecast for most parts of the country with isolated heavy showers in the North, the Northeast, the East and the Central including Bangkok and its vicinity, the Thailand Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

A monsoon trough lies across the Central, the East and lower Northeast regions while the moderate southwest monsoon prevails across the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf, the department said.

People in risky areas should beware of the severe conditions. Waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf are likely to rise 2 metres and more than two metres high in thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, the department said.

Meanwhile, a category 1 active low pressure cell in the middle South China Sea is likely to intensify into a category 2 tropical depression. It is expected to move ashore in southern Vietnam by Wednesday and move west to the Gulf of Thailand by Thursday. Isolated heavy to very heavy rain is forecast in the lower Northeast, the East, the Central and the South from October 7-9.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24 degrees Celsius, maximum 32-34°C.

Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 30-33°C.

Central: Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 33-34°C.

East: Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-26°C, maximum 30-33°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.

South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 24-25°C, maximum 32-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 31-34°C; waves two metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 24-25°C, maximum 32-34°C.