Development of the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) in four upper-South provinces is going ahead as planned, the government announced on Friday.
The SEC infrastructure will span Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat, said deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek.
It covers a Bt10-billion seaport in Ranong province, a Bt10-billion double-track rail linking Chumphon and Ranong provinces, oil pipelines, bridges and road investments.
The completed SEC will link up with the Eastern Economic Corridor to forge a massive trade hub joining the Pacific and Indian oceans.
The Ranong seaport will open a trade route to southern Asia, while upgrades to airports in the four provinces will forge a Gulf and Andaman tourism gateway.
Short-term development from 2019-2022 will be followed by a long-term plan from 2023 for a total of 111 projects worth Bt102.41 billion.
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has signed a memorandum of understanding with PTT to build a plant that can produce all types of cancer drugs, so Thai patients have easier access to medication at less than half the price.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said cancer was one of the major chronic diseases in Thailand and the top cause for death over the past two decades. More than 80,000 Thais die from cancer every year, and treatment for this disease is very high.
Producing drugs locally will cut the price by more than 50 per cent and also reduce the burden of importing drugs, which costs more than Bt21 billion yearly.
Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said promoting research and production of drugs is in line with the national development goal of a “biological, circular, green economy”.
Having a comprehensive medical industry will also play a key role in making Thailand a centre for better health and life sciences, he said.
The plant will be located in Rayong’s Wanarom Industrial Estate and its construction is expected to cost Bt2.5 billion. Building is expected to begin in 2022, and will take about 14 months to complete.
GPO director-general Dr Witoon Danwiboon said Thailand currently has to import all cancer-related drugs. However, he said, the institute has launched a cancer drug development program and is receiving technology transfer from leading drug manufacturers.
“This factory will have the capacity to produce 30 million units of chemotherapy drugs and 31 million units of biological drugs per year, with a focus on patents that will expire first. Once there is enough for domestic use, we can boost our production capacity for export. This will make cancer drugs cheaper in the country and will also help push for them to be included in the national list of most-needed medications,” he said.
A Buri Ram resident hanged himself on Thursday (September 24) and left a letter saying he chose to end his life because his wife no longer loved him after being with him for four months.
The body of Sittisak, 32, was found inside the bedroom, which was decorated with photographs of him and his wife with the message “Goodbye. May we love forever in another life.”
His relatives said the man and his wife had separated just four months after getting married and he began complaining that she no longer loved him.
On Thursday, Sittisak’s friends contacted his mother saying he had taken a selfie with a noose hanging from the ceiling, but when his family arrived, he was already dead.
His mother said Sittisak’s wife did not seem very happy after the wedding, while the woman’s mother said she was trying to bring them back together but failed.
US ambassador Michael George DeSombre, Consul General Sean K O’Neill and Chiang Mai governor Charoenrit Sanguansat jointly presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the new US Consulate General building in Chiang Mai on Friday.
The new US consulate will be located on the Super Highway (Chiang Mai-Lampang) road in Nongpakrang subdistrict and will replace the Cold War relic on Witchayanond Road by the Ping river, which was built in 1950.
It is the oldest operating foreign consulate in Chiang Mai and the sole US consular presence outside Bangkok.
“Seventy years ago the first consulate building was built in Chiang Mai, and we hope that the new building will stand at least 70 more years to represent the long standing relationship between US and Chiang Mai province,” said DeSombre.
Part of the consulate’s mission, said the US, was to target transnational crime in the North, including narcotics trafficking and trafficking in persons. “We also believe that the construction of new Consulate General building will help create more than 400 jobs for local people,” added the ambassador.
The new Consulate General building will be located on 16.5 rai of land under a construction budget of $284 million (Bt8.8 billion). Construction is expected to complete within 2023.
A rescue team in Phrae province is searching for a 69-year-old man who was swept away by the flash flood triggered by the heavy rains on Thursday.
More than 50 volunteers are following the current to find Dawid KhamKhao, a local of Sung Men district, who was dragged away by the floodwaters at 4.30pm on Thursday.
However, the rescue team is hampered by the strong current and the depth of the water. The team halted the search around 10pm and planned to split themselves into several teams to cover more areas.
The mayor of Sung Men subdistrict ordered the closure of irrigation gates to reduce the water volume. The rescue teams began the search again at 9am on Friday.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa has instructed related state agencies to take immediate steps to protect marine resources that have been damaged by fishing.
On Friday (September 25), the minister said he had gone diving near Surat Thani’s Koh Tao island and in other places in the country and found trash under the sea as well as other signs of damage.
He said related agencies will have to urgently take steps to protect marine resources in most-affected places such as Ranong’s Koh Phayam as well as look after the coral reefs in Surat Thani, Pattani, Phang Nga and Krabi.
The minister said Thailand initially had close to 149,000 rai of coral reefs, but now only 5.7 per cent of them are alive. The rest have been destroyed by humans.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources recently announced new rules to protect marine resources. According to these rules, people are prohibited from parking their boats near coral reef of Koh Phayam, as well as disposing wastewater or poisonous things into the sea. Fishing near the specified reefs is also prohibited.
Violators will face a fine of up to Bt100,000 and/or a year in prison. These new rules went into effect on Wednesday.
A basin-like formation at Mcot Junction, which makes it difficult to drain water out, was the cause of severe flooding in the area after heavy rains on Wednesday (September 23), Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang explained.
Aswin said that several districts in Bangkok faced the same issue, especially Wang Thonglang and Din Daeng districts that saw 124 millimetres and 120mm of rain per hour respectively.
The strong winds also brought down many trees on the streets in Din Daeng. He said officials in the area were told to cut the trees so that traffic could move again.
In Huai Khwang district, officials had to drain the floodwater with two pumps, while taking out a big amount of trash which was blocking the water flow.
Mcot Junction, located in Huai Khwang district, was a hot topic of discussion on the Internet after a video showing vehicles being swept into the flood by the wave went viral.
The governor said the junction had a unique topography like a basin, leading to water logging during rains and causing major flooding.
Parliament staff started their day on Friday (September 25) cleaning areas where pro-democracy protesters had gathered the previous evening.
The protesters had pasted stickers of the 2020 coup memorial plaque, which had been installed by them in Sanam Luang on Sunday (September 20) and later removed.
The activists also placed white ribbons to symbolise democracy.
Members of Parliament staff removed the stickers and ribbons, as well as the barriers that were put in place to keep protesters out of the complex.
The Thai economy is on a path to recovery after being impacted by the global Covid-19 pandemic and could see further upside as international companies consider Thailand as an investment destination amid the ongoing US-China trade war, experts said at a forum.
Thailand’s economic expansion could be further propelled by growth in sectors including tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, real estate, investments in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), renewable energy and digitalisation, according to a panel discussion at Standard Chartered Bank (Thai)’s “Asean Business Forum: Thailand – Resilient and Ready for Trade”.
“Over the past several months, Thailand has proved that the country is more than resilient and can persevere when facing both public health and economic challenges. The international communities have recognised Thailand as one of the most viable and trusted countries with strong public health affairs. Certainly, that has led to strong confidence in Thailand as a trusted destination for trade, investment and tourism,” said Boonyarit Kalayanamit, permanent secretary, at the Ministry of Commerce.
“Thailand has strong potential to become a regional trade hub. The country’s ideal geographical location and extensive infrastructure typically mean Thailand could serve as a product and distribution centre for Asean countries and beyond,” added Boonyarit in his keynote address.
With the US-China trade war still simmering and as a result of the pandemic, international companies are shifting their investments and Thailand has emerged as a target destination.
Duangjai Asawachintachit, secretary-general, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), said to support the potential relocation of investments and to be part of a resilient supply chain, the BOI has implemented a special investment stimulation package in order to tap these investments looking for a safe haven. The EEC has been positioned as a new growth hub of Asean, supporting investments with a focus on sectors using higher technology and knowledge content.
“Not only Chinese firms but also American, Japanese, Taiwanese and South Korean companies are relocating their business to this region,” said Kirida Bhaopichitr, director, Economic Intelligence Service (EIS), Thailand Development Research Institute.
International tourism, which accounts for around 12 per cent of Thailand’s gross domestic product, is critical to the economic recovery but can only support the rebound if Thailand is reopened to the international market, said Kirida, adding that tourism should be developed to become a higher value industry.
“Thailand is one of our most focused countries in the region. The country has set a benchmark in reliable electricity supply, the basis for investment, with digital infrastructure being put well in place,” said Markus Lorenzini, president and CEO, Siemens Energy Limited Thailand (Cambodia, Laos & Myanmar).
As for power generation and related power transmission, Siemens is cautiously optimistic about future demand and future needs of energy infrastructure given the prospects for the EEC and the export industry, digitisation, renewable electricity and cross border electricity trade, added Lorenzini.
Thai Airways (THAI) brought more than 300 Thais stranded in Hong Kong and New Zealand on Wednesday.
Sqn Ldr Anirute Sangrit, vice president, flight operations department, of THAI, and head of THAI’s operations control centre, said the airline partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong and the Royal Thai Embassy in Wellington to operate these repatriation flights:
Flight TG607, for the sixth time, brought 92 Thais from Hong Kong at 9.12pm (local time) and arrived in Bangkok at 10.45pm on Wednesday.
Flight TG492, for the fourth time, brought 220 Thais from Auckland at 1.10pm (local time) and arrived in Bangkok at 8.15pm on Wednesday.
THAI also delivered cargo on the roundtrip flights.
Ratchada Thanadirek 
