The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported just one new case in state quarantine over a 24-hour period on Monday (September 7).
The new case is a returnee from India, who brings the total number of confirmed cases in Thailand to 3,445 (507 in state quarantine), 106 of whom are in hospital and 3,281 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 58.
As of 10am on Monday, the total number of confirmed cases globally stood at 27,292,583, of whom 19.3 million have recovered, while 59,964 are in serious condition and 887,554 have died so far.
Thailand ranks 122nd for most cases in the world, while the US tops the list with 6.46 million, followed by Brazil 4.2 million, India 4.13 million, Russia 1 million and Peru 689,977.
Hotels and guest houses in Tak province have seen only 50 per cent reservations by tourists during the four-day long weekend from September 4-7, compared to previous long weekends, due to news of Covid-19 spreading in Myanmar, Thitiporn Kasomsan, president of Tak Tourism Businesses Association, said on Sunday (September 6).
The extended weekend is a result of compensation holidays for Songkran.
“Mae Sot district used to be the centre of Tak tourism but today it’s completely quiet due to the news of the escalating Covid-19 situation in Myanmar, which shares the border with Tak in several districts,” she said.
“The Myanmar government had announced total lockdown in Rakhine state, which is at the epicentre of the outbreak and is far from Karen state that shares the border with Thailand,” added Thitiporn. “I have recently visited Myanmar and saw that their disease control capability is adequately efficient. It would be nearly impossible for an infected person to travel from Rakhine to Mae Sot without being stopped by authorities of both countries.”
“I would like to urge the public to digest the news carefully and not believe rumours that the outbreak is out of control in Myanmar,” she added.
“The situation in Tak is completely normal while operators of tourism businesses, such as hotels, guest houses, restaurants and souvenir vendors are recovering from the impact of Covid-19 and are awaiting visits from domestic tourists.”
A teacher in Ubon Ratchathani province has been charged with sexual harassment and molestation after he allegedly paid five underage students Bt200 for sexual activities.
On Sunday (September 6), Kritsana Pattanachareon, the deputy spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police, said that the teacher was charged with sexual harassment for allegedly paying his students to perform oral sex on September 3.
The investigators have already interrogated the accused, the students and their parents while collaborating with the provincial officers from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
They revealed that he had allegedly molested five children 11-12 years old on 10 occasions by taking them to obscure places, cleaning their genitals and performing oral sex.
He was charged with molesting children aged under 15 years with or without consent and investigators were gathering evidence for the prosecution, Kritsana said.
The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, has admitted that he had miscommunicated a plan to open Phuket province to international tourists, which had triggered concerns in local people.
Pipat said on Sunday (September 6) that the ministry was willing to listen to suggestions and complaints of tourism entrepreneurs in the Patong beach area.
Representatives of local entrepreneurs were invited to discuss plans to bring tourists back to Phuket with screening measures similar to that used for Thai returnees.
In addition, they have to possess a Covid-19 free certificate issued at least 72 hours before seeking a visa and they have to be quarantined for 14 days.
But the government does not intend to force the locals to accept the plan. The province was chosen since it was famous for tourism and where tourists would choose to stay for at least a month, he added.
Pipat said that most entrepreneurs could accept the government’s plan. They requested a postponement of debt payment for 1-2 years along with the city development and extending the closing time of entertainment venues to 4am, subsidising a city plan improvement and free Wi-Fi.
Meanwhile, those who opposed the idea said that the ministry should focus on Thai tourists, which would not create any risk of a Covid-19 outbreak in the province.
They asked the government to organise a referendum before implementing any measure. They also sought support for local entrepreneurs by subsidising the locals Bt10,000 a month, delaying debt payments for 1-3 years and rehabilitating tourism by offering soft loans for 5-7 years.
They also want improvements to Patong Hospital and upgrading of the public health system in the province to prepare for a second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, as well as developments in the province in education, city planning and Wi-Fi.
“The concern might have been caused by miscommunication and the ministry’s visit to Phuket will help clarify on the plan,” Pipat said.
An Uzbek national reportedly slipped from the edge of a cliff while taking a photo and fell to his death at Ngao Waterfall National Park in Ranong province, officials said on Sunday (September 6).
The official document stated that on September 5, the park officers were notified of an incident in which a foreign tourist fell from the cliff at around 12.50am.
They went to the scene with a rescue team and found the victim lying in a stream and covered in blood.
The victim was identified as Soipov Abdullokh, who had travelled from Uzbekistan and visited the park with five Russian tourists.
The tourists told the park officials that Soipov had tried to take a picture from a spot 15 metres above ground level despite a warning sign in the area about its slippery surface and he eventually fell from the cliff.
The medical team arrived at the area at 2.20pm and declared the victim dead. The body was sent to hospital for autopsy.
The father of a man, 35, who fell to his death from a five-storey department store in Rama III on Sunday has ruled out suicide and called for an investigation into his death.
At 2.10pm on Sunday (September 6), Bangpongpang Police Station in Bangkok Yannawa district was alerted about a case of a man falling to his death. The man’s body, wearing a black polo shirt and blue jeans along with a black backpack, was kept covered by a canvas on a white Nissan Navara pickup truck belonging to the department store. The driver’s licence on the body identified the deceased as Thaninrat (last name withheld), aged 35 years, a local of Bangkok.
The department store refused to reveal details to reporters but one of the witnesses reportedly said that after the man fell from the 5th floor to the ground, the department store staff had quickly put the body in the car and covered it with a canvas while waiting for officials to arrive.
Later that day, Suchai (last name withheld), aged 54 years, contacted the police saying that he is Thaninrat’s father. He reportedly said that his son worked as a managing director at a company but had recently quit due to personal reasons. He said he did not believe Thaninrat would commit suicide just because he was out of a job. Suchai also questioned why the department store was in such a hurry to remove the body from the scene. “My son’s death is highly suspicious, and I would like to urge authorities to investigate it with full transparency,” he added.
A group dedicated to creating an inclusive society put on a pantomime performance urging the public and the authorities to ensure equal learning opportunity and basic rights for disabled people in the new constitution draft.
On Sunday (September 6) evening at the Skywalk over Pathumwan Intersection in Bangkok’s Pathumwan district, the Alliance for Inclusive Society Movement (Allism) organised a symbolic pantomime performance portraying a disabled man on a wheelchair trying to reach for a golden pedestal tray, which is a symbol of the Thai Constitution.
At 6pm, group members sang the national anthem while making a three-finger gesture, after which a representative read a statement urging the public and authorities responsible for drafting the new constitution to include an article that ensures equal learning opportunities and basic rights to all disabled persons which was missing in the 2017 Constitution.
“The lack of guaranteed equal opportunities for disabled people has resulted in them being neglected and segregated from social activities, as well as losing career opportunities that could have helped improve their quality of life,” said the group’s representative.
The weak monsoon trough lying across the upper North of Thailand through Laos will bring isolated thundershowers to upper Thailand, the meteorological department forecast on Monday.
The southwest monsoon remains over the Andaman Sea and the South while the southeasterly wind prevails across the East, the Gulf of Thailand and the South, resulting in isolated heavy rain in the East and the South. People in risky areas should beware of heavy rains and accumulated rainfalls.
The department also said that the category 5 typhoon “Haishen” is expected to make landfall over the Korean peninsula on Monday with no effect on Thailand.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:
North: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 23-26 degrees Celsius, maximum 33-36°C .
Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 23-26°C, maximum 33-35°C.
Central: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 24-27°C, maximum 35-37°C.
East: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 24-28°C, maximum 32-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-26°C, maximum 33-36°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 31-34°C; waves a metre high and two metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 25-26°C, maximum 34-36°C.
The majority of Thais back people’s right to have a different political opinion and also attack rivals in a democracy, a recent survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll, found.
The study was conducted from September 1-3 on 1,326 people aged 15 and over, with various levels of education and occupation throughout Thailand under the topic, “Freedom to attack people with a different opinion”.
When asked for their overall opinions about using the social platform to oppose or attack people with different political opinion:
51.58 per cent said that it was a right and freedom in a democracy;
13.20 per cent said it violated the rights of political commentators;
12.14 per cent said they were just following the trend;
8.90 per cent said people who were opposed/attacked through online media had the right to retaliate;
8.37 per cent said it was just normal political activity;
8.37 per cent said it was political activity that created divisions in society:
4.37 per cent said it was campaigning with political groups/political parties behind the movement;
4.15 per cent said it was an undemocratic act;
2.87 per cent said it was a political activity that forced people in society to take sides;
0.83 per cent said it was a campaign backed by foreign agencies;
10.71 per cent did not answer or don’t care
When asked for their opinion about the online campaign to oppose or attack people with different political opinion:
17.19 per cent totally approve since it is the right and freedom of expression in a democracy;
17.65 per cent quite agree since it is their right in a democracy and an easier way to express their opinion online;
20.36 per cent do not really agree as since everyone had the right to express their political opinion, attacking those who do not have the same opinion is an abuse of rights;
37.18 per cent disagreed and saw it as an abuse of rights;
7.62 per cent did not respond or were not interested.
When asked if people were afraid to express their political opinion online because of fears of being attacked:
10.48 per cent said they were really scared since all people can access the internet;
20.67 per cent were scared as it might affect their jobs, personal life, family;
17.85 per cent were slightly scared as they believed it was their right and freedom of expression under the law;
46.30 per cent were not afraid since it was their right, and it did not affect other people’s rights;
5.20 per cent did not share their opinion;
Asked about the effect of online campaign to ban products or services belonging to rival political groups:
57.46 said it would not have an affect as consumers focus on products, brands or presenters;
12.90 said it would have only a small effect as consumers put more focus on the product;
11.16 believe it would be highly effective since the ban campaign would link to supporters;
The first patient in Thailand in over 100 days was estimated to have been in the vicinity of at least 970 people, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Sunday.
The patient is a 37-year-old ex-DJ who is facing a drug charge.
Of the 970 people, 119 are high-risk and 851 low-risk, the CCSA said.
His six family members have been tested and no infection has been found.
Authorities tested 137 people residing at Baan Suan Thon condominium, the patient’s residence, but no infection has been found.
In the Criminal Court, where he faces drugs charges, 492 people were exposed to him, of whom 14 were high-risk (11 tested negative, two results are awaited and one is still to be tested) and 478 have a low risk (146 tested negative while others are awaiting results).
Six people exposed to the patient in a correctional department hospital face 14 days of quarantine.
At the Central Correctional Institution, 36 inmates have tested negative, but are in a 14-day quarantine period. They have to be examined two more times, the CCSA said. Another group is 78 prison staff and volunteers of whom 24 were high-risk.
The Sam Wan Song Kuen pub and restaurant, Rama III branch, where the patient worked will be closed for 14 days for disinfecting.
At the Sam Wan Song Kuen pub and restaurant, Rama V branch, 25 were high-risk, but no infection was found, while 35 other low-risk people were in home quarantine.
Some 112 contacts on Khao San Road are low-risk but are undergoing home quarantine for 14 days.
Out of 970 infection suspects, 516 got tested (513 were negative and three are awaiting results) while others are in home quarantine before testing, according to criteria.
The CCSA said that people were dropping their guard on some key issues: temperature was not being taken at entry points; some people were not wearing masks or practising social distancing; they were drinking from the same glass, and not checking-in with ThaiChana Apps as they found the last data was registered on August 7.
