#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

‘No delay in govt staff salaries, social welfare card payments’

NationalSep 15. 2020Lavaron Sangsnit 

By The Nation

The Ministry of Finance has assured that salary payments to civil servants and social welfare cardholders would not be delayed by the Budget Procedures Act, BE 2564 (2021).

Lavaron Sangsnit, director of the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office and ministry spokesman, said that the act could not be effective on October 1, but that would not affect civil servants’ salaries and utility bills payments.

According to the law, these parts could be subsidised by the national budget of 2020, similar to the social welfare cardholders who would receive money as usual.

The investment project bonded with last year’s budget could also continue since the office allowed withdrawals from a quarter of the national budget of 2019, however new investments would have to wait for the new act, he said.

The drafting of the new Budget Procedures Act would be flexible and the money could be withdrawn in emergency cases like the national budget of 2019, which was also postponed but did not affect the economy.

He said that the postponement of debt payments to people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic was not the reason why the act was delayed since the ministry’s reserve funds could cover it.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

More public holidays eyed in bid to boost economy

NationalSep 15. 2020Wissanu Krea-ngam 

By The Nation

The Tourism and Sports Ministry is looking into the option of creating new public holidays in a bid to stimulate the economy, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Tuesday (September 15).

The idea was first proposed by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Wissanu believes the additional days off will be added in November, because October already has several public holidays. He also said the extra days will tagged on to a weekend.

“We will speak to the Tourism and Sports Ministry on whether these extra holidays should be added to the end of Buddhist Lent or Loy Krathong festival so people can go travelling,” he said.

However, he added, the government is concerned that people may not have enough money to spend if additional public holidays are put in place later in the year.

Meanwhile, Prayut said extra public holidays must be announced early, so people have time to make travel plans.

“We have asked the Tourism and Sports Ministry to consider adding the extra days to the many public holidays in October,” he said.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Phetchabun governor moots transfer of encroached forest land to Treasury Department

NationalSep 15. 2020A mountain view of Khao Kho National Park 

By THE NATION

Phetchabun Governor Seubsak Iamwijarn said on Monday (September 14) that he was planning to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat this week to discuss the encroachment on national forest lands by hotel operators in Khao Kho, Phuhin Rongkla and Nam Nao national parks.

“The province aims to propose a way to solve the problem by changing the land status from national forest land to state land under the Treasury Department, which would help legalise more than 1,000 resorts and hotels in Phetchabun that have been operating on those lands,” he said.

“Previously, the National Land Policy Committee had announced that the lands in Khao Kho National Park that were in dispute for encroachment be allotted to 595 local volunteers to promote local ownership. But that failed to fix the problem since the lands are still in the national forest area which prohibits the building of resort or any commercial use.”

Seubsak explained that if the lands in dispute were labelled as state land and transferred to the administration of the Treasury Department, resort operators would be able to apply for commercial use of those lands and legalise their operation without having to move out. “This will end the dispute as well as help promote tourism and the local economy in Phetchabun.”

Seubsak clarified that the proposed approach does not advocate the selling of national forest land for profit, as those resort operators are local people who have been on those lands before the announcement of national forest lands.

“The province is still committed to preventing any parties from encroaching on forest lands after the announcement,” he added.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Baht strengthens but all eyes on FOMC meeting

NationalSep 15. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 31.30 to the US dollar on Tuesday (September 15), strengthening from Monday’s close of 31.33.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 31.20 and 31.40 on Tuesday, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, head of markets strategy at SCB Securities.

On Monday night, the financial markets were in risk-on state, with the S&P 500 rising by 1.27 per cent and Stoxx 600 going up by 0.1 per cent.

The buoyancy was mostly because of a recovery in tech stocks, which had seen a sharp downturn last week. WTI crude oil price was down by 0.2 per cent, after Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries predicted that oil demand would not regain high levels in 2021.

Bonds moved in a narrow range, while the dollar on Monday night weakened by 0.3 per cent. The yen strengthened to 105.7 yen per US dollar, after Yoshihide Suga was chosen as Japan’s new prime minister.

In Thailand, the baht weakened after foreign investors decided to reduce the baht in their hands. However, SCB’s chief investment office saw this movement as not very important in the financial market, and would review the situation after the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting this week.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Body of woman found in Lampang river in suspected suicide case

NationalSep 15. 2020

By THE NATION

The body of a 55-year-old woman was found in Wang River in the Sobprab district of Lampang Province on Monday (September 14).

Relatives had filed a missing person report on Sunday for Rojana Potha, a local of Sobprab. She was reported missing after the relatives found her motorcycle parked by the Wang River with the key still in the ignition and her shoes on the riverbank.

One of the relatives reportedly told officials that Rojana might have committed suicide by jumping into the river, as she had a huge fight with her family; she had also reportedly attempted suicide in the past, but relatives had saved her in time.

Divers from Lampang Rescue Foundation found the woman’s body stuck to the riverbank around 1km from where the motorcycle was parked.

Officials reported that there were no signs of injuries or violence, and ruled it as a case of death by drowning, before letting relatives take the body back for the funeral.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

316 Thais from Europe and Pakistan fly back home

NationalSep 15. 2020

By THE NATION

Thai Airways International (THAI), in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, brought back 316 Thai nationals stranded in some European countries and Pakistan during September 11-13.

Thais who had registered with the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin, the consulate-general in Frankfurt and Munich, the Royal Thai Embassy in Islamabad and consulate-general in Karachi were eligible to take these special flights, Sqn Leader Anirut Sangrit, vice president of the airline’s flight operations department, said.

THAI flight TG925 brought back 269 Thais from Germany and nearby countries including Austria, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland, France and Luxembourg. It left Munich on September 11 at 8.40pm (local time) and reached Bangkok on September 12 at 12.11am. This is the fifth flight organised from Germany to repatriate Thais.

THAI flight TG346 brought back 47 Thais from Pakistan. It left Lahore on September 12 at 11.55pm (local time) and reached Bangkok on September 13 at 6.31am. This is the second flight organised to repatriate Thais from Pakistan.

The airline also delivered cargo on these roundtrip flights.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Thundershowers, isolated heavy rain forecast for many parts of Thailand

NationalSep 15. 2020

By THE NATION

The Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Tuesday (September 15) that the monsoon trough lies across the Central, the East and the lower Northeast regions while the southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand.

Thundershowers remain over the country with isolated heavy rains in the East and the South. People in risky areas should beware of the severe conditions. The moderate winds in the Andaman Sea raise the waves during thundershowers to over three metres high. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers. Small boats should stay ashore, the department said.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-25 degrees Celsius, highs of 33-35°C .

Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 32-35°C.

Central: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 33-35°C.

East: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 32-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (east coast): Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 32-36°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 31-33°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over three metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-26°C, highs of 32-35°C.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Covid situation in Myanmar may pressure SET

NationalSep 15. 2020Terdsak Taweethiratham 

By THE NATION

An expert said that the Covid-19 situation in Myanmar may affect the Thai stock market, especially in relation to listed companies whose income bases are in the neighbouring country.

When the number of Covid-19 patients in Yangon rose to 675, the Myanmar government put the city under lockdown until at least October 1.

The country now has 3,015 Covid-19 patients as of Monday (September 14).

Asia Plus Securities said investors are concerned that the virus situation in Myanmar may pressure the Thai stock market into shrinking, especially if cases in the neighbouring country are the reason for a second-wave of infections in Thailand.

Terdsak Taweethiratham, executive vice president of the securities firm, said the Thai economy is currently facing a slowdown, and if a second wave happens, then Thailand will not be attractive to investors.

He also said cases in Myanmar would affect listed companies whose source of revenue are located in Myanmar.

However, he said, if the virus does not spread to Thailand, then the listed companies will not be affected that much as their investment in Myanmar is quite small and the country has only put some areas under lockdown.

Companies that rely on Myanmar for revenue include Carabao Group (CBG), Osotspa (OSP) and Siam Global House (GLOBAL). Their shares closed at Bt110.50, Bt37.25 and Bt18.50, dropping 2.64 per cent, 2.61 per cent and 3.65 per cent, respectively.

Terdsak said his company expects the resistance of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index at 1,270 to 1,280 point. However, he said, investors should not rely on this estimate because two factors – Covid-19 and Thailand’s political situation – are pressuring the market.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Govt throws teenage mums an education lifeline

NationalSep 15. 2020

By The Nation

The government on Monday launched a nationwide project to tackle Thailand’s soaring rate of teenage pregnancies and help the young mothers involved.

The “Opportunity for Pregnant Adolescents in Education” project is a collaboration of the Public Health, Education, and Social Development and Human Security ministries.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that pregnancy can affect the body, mind, emotions and social life of teenagers, resulting in domestic violence and less opportunity in education and jobs.

An average of 169 children each day are born to girls aged 15-19 while six per day are born to girls under 15, according to Thailand’s Bureau of Reproductive Health. Last year, a total of 63,875 children were born to girls under the age of 20.

Anutin said those aged 10 to 19 were supported under the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem Act of 2016, but his ministry was providing additional help.

Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan said that the ministry aimed to boost sex education efforts while also offer opportunities for pregnant teenagers to remain in education. Schools and colleges routinely bar pregnant teenagers from attending class.

Social Development and Human Security Deputy Minister Sagol Muangsiri said his ministry was helping to build local youth networks to support the families of pregnant teenagers.

The ministry is also aiding adoption efforts for teenage mums who are not ready to raise a child, he added.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Budget snag won’t hurt Bangkok’s elderly and disabled, says governor

NationalSep 14. 2020Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang 

By The Nation

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang has reassured elderly and disabled residents that their social welfare recipients this month will not be affected by a budget logjam.

Aswin offered the reassurance on his Facebook page after Bangkok’s elderly and disabled were shocked to learn that the Comptroller-General Department planned to postpone the monthly payments.

The governor said the payments had already been transferred on September 10.

Unlike other areas, social welfare payments in Bangkok are made directly from the government’s Comptroller General Department, bypassing city authorities.

Elsewhere, the government payments are made to local authorities who pass them on to recipients.