The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has warned people not to believe in fake news about adding a MOPH Connect account in Line to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
The ministry made this remark on the government’s Covid-19 data centre Facebook page yesterday (September 16).
A ministry official explained that the truth is a Covid-19 vaccine is currently under development and MOPH Connect is not involved in any vaccine allocation.
The baht opened at 31.14 to the US dollar today (September 17), unchanged from yesterday’s close.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 31.05 and 31.25 today, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, head of markets strategy at SCB Securities.
Yesterday, investors decided to sell their risk assets after the US Federal Open Market Committee said another dose of government stimulus was likely needed. This led to a decrease in the S&P 500 by 0.46 per cent. However, the Stoxx 600 closed in positive territory, by 0.59 per cent.
The US Ten-Year Treasury yield increased to 0.69 per cent, despite predictions that the policy interest rate would continue to stay low.
In financial markets, the dollar weakened by 0.1 per cent, while the yen reached 105 per US dollar.
Jitipol advised investors to monitor both Bank of Japan and Bank of England meetings today.
In Thailand, the baht has strengthened in line with other currencies.
SCB Securities said this strengthening was more continual than before, after news that a Covid-19 vaccine was being successfully developed and US financial policy was expected to be more relaxed.
This situation helped the baht and other currencies in emerging markets to strengthen despite facing big-risk market factors, including the US presidential election.
EECi project to get cutting-edge synchrotron light generator
NationalSep 17. 2020Synchrotron Radiation Facility in EECi
By THE NATION
The Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) project will include a new state-of-the-art synchrotron light generator, which will greatly contribute to research and development in high-tech industries, EECi director Jengrit Khanatharana, who is also National Science and Technology Development Agency deputy director, said.
“More than Bt9 billion has been invested to construct the new synchrotron light generator. Construction will start in 2021 and take around seven years to complete,” he said.
“The generator will work as an electron accelerator that will help advance X-ray research at the molecular level. It will enable the manufacturing of modern raw materials, drugs, and protein-based products, and improve the country’s capability in molecular engineering,” Jengrit said.
“The generator will also help attract foreign entrepreneurs in high-tech industries to invest in the Eastern Economic Corridor,” he said.
Jengrit said there are not many synchrotron light generators in the world.
“In East Asia alone, only China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand have these generators, and we are the only Asean country to have them,” he said. “Owning a new state-of-the-art generator will enable Thailand to cooperate with advanced synchrotron research centres in other countries and put us at the top of synchrotron technology development in the region.”
The EECi is now 45 per cent complete and will be ready for operation by June 2021.
The project area covers 3,454 rai in Rayong.
Other facilities to be included in the project are biorefineries that will turn agricultural produce and leftovers into biofuel, an Industry 4.0 Centre and an Aerospace Development Centre.
The EECi will use a budget of Bt30 billion under a 20-year plan. Bt20 billion will be used for constructing infrastructure in the first ten years.
A bear that attacked and injured five people in Khon Kaen province was successfully captured by officials after a 10-day hunt that went into operation on September 6.
Officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation were hunting for the bear after the attack, when early on Wednesday they found it had broken into one of the cages, set up as a trap with fruits, in Si Chompu district. But the animal managed to escape.
It was reportedly found around 3.40pm, and forced to run into a residential zone so officials could capture it more easily.
They subsequently shot the bear twice with tranquiliser guns.
Veterinarians then approached it cautiously after it fell to the ground and then checked the animal.
It was sent to a government facility in Chaiyaphum province, where it would be temporarily cared for.
The captured bear is a male weighing about 120 kilograms.
Officials are investigating whether it was kept as a pet or is a wild animal.
A news source revealed yesterday (September 16) that the Royal Thai Police Headquarters has ordered Provincial Police Region 1-8 and Border Patrol Police to dispatch thousands of officers to keep law and order at political rallies scheduled across the country on Saturday (September 19).
The main rally is led by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus in Bangkok, while it is believed rallies will also be held in several other provinces.
The source cited a letter by deputy police chief Pol Lt-General Damrongsak Kittipraphas, which was dispatched to the two provincial police divisions on September 14.
The letter said Provincial Police Region 1-8 must contribute 48 companies while the Border Patrol Police will contribute nine, totalling 8,550 officers, to assist the Metropolitan Police Bureau during the rallies. Drafted officers must report for duty tomorrow evening (September 18).
Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Somprasong Yenthuam said earlier that the bureau would draft at least 2,000 police officers to maintain law and order as well as facilitate traffic flow at Saturday’s rally in Bangkok. They have also prepared three companies of crowd-control officers on the university campus, six companies around Sanam Luang and three companies around Government House on September 19 and 20.
Nefarious attempts are being made to scam customers of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) into divulging their personal data to a fake Line account under the bank’s name, which invites victims to add the account as a friend, assistant manager Somkiat Kimaoha warned.
“These people will contact you via Facebook’s inbox, claiming to be officials of the bank and asking customers to add the fake Line account as a friend in case they have problems using BAAC’s A-Mobile application,” he said.
“When the victims add this account, they will be asked to input personal data such as bank account, ID card number, birthday and password as a first step to ‘solving’ the problem,” he added.
“I want to insist that the bank has no policy to contact customers via Line or Facebook to solve any problems regarding the A-Mobile application. Also, the bank’s official Line account is called ‘BAAC Family’, which is used for introducing new products, posting important announcements and registering for some loan campaigns only,” Somkiat said.
“If customers have any problem using the A-Mobile application, they should contact BAAC’s call centre at 02-555-0555, which is available 24/7, or visit any branch of the bank to have our staff assist you,” he added. “To obtain the latest information on the bank’s services, please visit the www.baac.or.th website or BAAC Thailand on Facebook.”
Flights in August rose nearly 10 per cent as the Covid-19 situation improved, resulting in more people travelling domestically, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) reported yesterday (September 16).
August’s air traffic volume was recorded at 30,360 flights, 2,721 flights more than July, or a 9.8 per cent increase, Aerothai said.
It cited the reason behind this increase as being more Thais travelling domestically during holidays and weekends after the coronavirus situation in the country improved dramatically.
Previously, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) had announced a temporary ban on flights from April 3 to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. With the situation being contained, CAAT allowed airlines to operate flights across the nation in May and gave permission for some international flights in July, leading to an increase in air traffic.
The air traffic volume in August comprised 4,036 international flights, 16,045 domestic flights, 2,381 flights across Thai airspace and 7,898 military and government flights, Aerothai said.
However, compared to August 2019, the number of flights dropped a huge 66 per cent – from 88,701 to 30,360.
Isolated heavy showers are likely in the East and the South as the southwest monsoon prevailing over the country, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand will intensify, the Meteorological Department forecast today (September 17).
It advised people in risky areas to beware of the severe conditions and warned small boats to keep ashore as waves whipped up by wind in the Andaman Sea and the gulf will become stronger, reaching 2 metres high and more than 3 metres during thundershowers.
The department also mentioned category 3 tropical storm Noul in the South China Sea. From tomorrow to September 20, this storm is expected to develop into a category 5 typhoon and make landfall over Vietnam before moving to Thailand’s Northeast and North, bringing more showers and torrential rain across the country.
Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-26 degrees and highs of 33-36 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 34-36 degrees Celsius.
Central: Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 25-26 degrees, highs of 34-36 degrees Celsius.
East: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves 2 metres high and over 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees, highs of 33-34 degrees Celsius; waves 1-2 metres high and 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the area and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 30-32 degrees Celsius; waves 2-3 metres high and over 3 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 25-26 degrees, highs of 33-36 degrees Celsius.
Agriculture agencies are seeking drought-resistant crops that can cope with Thailand’s future water shortages, Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Srion revealed on Wednesday.
Water levels in reservoirs nationwide have been low since late 2019 due to lower than expected rainfall volume. Total water stocks between May 1 and September 15 were down by 8,000 cubic metres on the same period last year.
Large and medium-sized reservoirs currently contain 36.764 billion cu/m, or 48 per cent of total capacity, according to the Royal Irrigation Department (RID). Only 12.946 billion cu/m is available for irrigation.
Chairing Wednesday’s 2020-21 water management meeting, Chalermchai ordered the RID to boost storage capacity ahead of the dry season.
However, he said Thailand still had enough water for consumption judging from comparisons with previous years.
He added that related agencies would discuss growing crops that need less water than rice, a notoriously thirsty plant.
The ministry will also speed up plans to create alternative employment for those farmers unable to plant crops because of drought, he said.
A 13.6 per cent rise in teenage drinking, 13 children killed daily on Thai roads, 3.6 million teens with gambling problems, and rape victims as young as 5 years old are among the social issues being tackled by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
The official figures, from 2017, were cited at the launch of a campaign to raise awareness of alcoholism, gambling, accidents and sexual abuse among adolescents on Wednesday, ahead of National Youth Day on September 20.
The Foundation has joined with several youth networks to step up efforts to solve the issues and rehabilitate youths already affected.
Some 60 youngsters shared their experiences during the campaign launch at a Bangkok hotel on Wednesday. One said he began drinking alcohol at the age of six and eventually lost both his legs to the addiction. Others told stories of falling victim to traffic accidents and sexual abuse.
Khangguy Areyasakul, who runs the KhangGuy Facebook page, described how she had been sexually abused from the age of four by people she knew well.
She said victims of sexual abuse often felt too ashamed to speak up for themselves, so she decided to campaign on the issue, drive for changes in the rape law, and encourage the Education Ministry to include sexual-abuse awareness in the curriculum so that victims would no longer be shamed into silence.
Synchrotron Radiation Facility in EECi 
Chalermchai Srion 
