Thai manufacturers are capable of gaining 20 per cent of global market share in the rubber glove market, from the present 16 per cent, the Thai Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association said.
Veerasith Sinchareonkul, the association chairman and the director of Sri Trang Gloves Thailand (STGT), explained that the gloves produced in Thailand were of high quality, meeting international standards, as well as having production capacity and marketing strength.
Meanwhile, STGT aims to increase its production capacity to 50 billion pieces a year within 2023, and 70,000 billion pieces a year within 2026. Production capacity will reach 100 billion pieces a year within 2028, he added.
Debt and interest repayments would be frozen for six months for customers affected by the flooding in several provinces due to Higos tropical storm that hit Thailand earlier this month, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand said.
The bank’s managing director, Nartnaree Rathapat, said that both customers having term loan and promissory note contracts would be eligible for six months debt and interest suspension, provided they have been affected by flooding and are located in the following provinces: Nan, Chiang Mai, Phrae, Uttaradit, Lamphun, Lampang, Loei, Nongbua Lamphu, Mae Hong Son, Phayao, Udon Thani, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Phanom, Tak, Amnat Chaoren, Surin, Surat Thani, Phang Nga, Ranon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chumphon and Phuket.
“In addition, existing customers can apply for loans to fix their business from flood damage for a maximum of five years with one year’s grace period at a fixed interest rate of 4.99 per cent annually,” she added. “Customers with approved credit limit of less than Bt1 million could apply for a maximum Bt500,000 loan. Those with credit limit from Bt1 million to Bt5 million would be eligible for a maximum Bt1-million loan, while those with over Bt5-million credit limit could apply for up to Bt2 million loan, provided the combination of new and existing debt did not exceed Bt15 million.
“The bank is also preparing loans for entrepreneurs who wish to expand their business after the disaster has passed, such as ‘Local Economy Loan’, that features a low interest rate of 2.875 per cent for juristic clients and 4.875 per cent for individual clients in the first three years, and ‘Extra Cash Loan’ that offers 3 per cent interest in the first two years and minimum lending rate-plus-one rate from years 3-5. The loan limit is Bt3 million per client and no collateral is needed,” Nartnaree added.
An alleged human trafficking agent has been arrested by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, together with local police in Watthana Nakhon district of Sa Kaeo province.
The woman, 19, identified by her first name Saichon, allegedly lured girls via Twitter social media to provide them for prostitution.
She was charged with trafficking youth aged 15 to 18 for prostitution, and for being an agent of prostitution.
Police said that they came to know through non-governmental organisations that this kind of crime via Twitter had been committed in Sa Kaeo, which led to investigation culminating in the arrest of the suspect.
Bangkok Art Biennale 2020 (BAB20) is set to give Thailand’s art scene a shot in the arm with a line-up of 82 world-renowned artists, and over 200 artworks on display at nine landmarks in the heart of the capital.
The artists hailing from 35 countries in five continents are expected to elevate and energise the Thai art scene with their artworks under the theme “Escape Routes”.
Among the artists are: Marina Abramović, Irwan Ahmett and Tita Salina, Ai Weiwei, John Akomfrah, Rushdi Anwar, Elina Brotherus, Maisie Cousins, Leandro Erlich, Ho Rui An, Christian Jankowski, Anish Kapoor, Yuree Kensaku, Khvay Samnang, Ga Ram Kim, Dinh Q. Lê, Lu Yang, Yoko Ono, Nipan Oranniwesna, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Michael Shaowanasai, Melati Suryodarrmo, Yuken Teruya, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Bill Viola.
The artworks will be exhibited across nine venues in the heart of Bangkok: at The Parq, BAB Box, The Prelude One Bangkok (from October 12 to January 31), at three historic temples — Wat Pho (commonly known as Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Arun, and Wat Prayoon — as well as Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Museum Siam and LHONG 1919 (from October 29 until January 31).
BAB 2020 is spearheaded by Thai Beverage Pcl, in collaboration with the government and the private sector, including Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, One Bangkok, Siam Cement Group Public Co Ltd, Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd, South East Insurance Pcl, PM Center Co Ltd, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Amarin TV 34, GMM Channel Co Ltd, and embassies in Thailand as main sponsors and allied partners.
Prof Apinan Poshyananda, chief executive and artistic director of BAB20, said: “Bangkok Art Biennale 2020 has become an art event of global significance, which transforms Bangkok into a connecting hub for art and culture, thanks to the success of the festival’s first edition in 2018. This year, we have 82 artists, even more than the previous edition, which will help liven up both the tourism and the art scene with over 200 world-class artworks under the theme of “Escape Routes” at nine notable locations in the heart of Bangkok. These include temples, pathways along the Chao Phraya River, and communities of long history, all of which are Thailand’s invaluable cultural heritage sites and considered the tourism epicentre of Bangkok.”
Several people visited the October 14 Memorial on Bangkok’s Rajdamnoen Klang Road on Friday (August 28) morning to cheer activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, better known as Pai Dao Din.
Jatupat is leading the “Camp Not Jail” campaign by erecting tents around the monument.
In this campaign, the activist and his friends screen documentaries about democracy to draw the attention of passerby. Also, visitors to the monument were screened by the organiser’s guards
Some vendors have set up stalls there. Meanwhile, the traffic near the monument was facilitated by local police.
On Friday morning, the activist and this friends aimed to visit Samranrat Police Station.
On Monday (August 24), Jatupat decided to set fire to his police summons at an anti-government rally held near Khon Kaen’s Democracy Monument.
The activist said the summonses were just a sign of oppression and intimidation, and said he was burning them to prove he was not afraid of the powers that be.
Previously, he had spent more than two years in jail for lese majeste and violation of the Computer Crime Act for sharing a BBC Thai Facebook biography of His Majesty the King in December 2016.
The Thai government has been cracking down on pro-democracy protesters and those it deems to be undermining the monarchy.
The protesters have launched almost daily rallies nationwide, demanding a new Constitution, dissolution of Parliament, and an end to intimidation of activists. Some of the youth-led protests have also called for reform of the monarchy, breaking a deep taboo against debate on the royal institution.
The baht on Friday opened at Bt31.29 to the US dollar, weakening from Thursday’s close of Bt31.26.
The Thai currency would move between Bt31.22 and Bt31.42, Jitipol Puksamatanan, head of Markets Strategy at SCB Securities, said.
On Thursday night, the S&P 500 rose by 0.2 per cent, supported by stocks of financial and property businesses. Also, the US Ten-Year Treasury increased to 0.75 per cent.
The strategist explained that these movements happened after the Fed chairman said in the annual “Jackson Hole Symposium” about the aim of the new financial policies, which was average inflation targeting.
Moreover, the dollar strengthened by 0.1 per cent, compared to other currencies. The investors believed that the financial policies will also help support other US financial assets.
The initial jobless claims announced this week was one million positions, while personal consumption in the US decreased by 34.2 per cent in the second quarter. Besides, pending home sales rose by 2 per cent last month.
Furthermore, the baht on Friday weakened due to the strengthening dollar. The strategist mentioned that the market needed time to get accustomed to the new Fed polices.
However, further changes in the markets, related to polices, will take place after the next Fed meeting on September 15 and 16.
People must beware of dengue fever, after rains in several regions of Thailand have spawned huge numbers of mosquitoes, Department of Disease Control (DDC) director-general Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai has warned.
“From January 1 to August 24, 47,738 cases of dengue fever have been reported with 32 deaths,” he said. “During the rainy season alone [June-August], we have had 29,814 new cases, or 62 per cent of total patients.”
“Dengue fever carried by mosquitoes can be commonly found in young people, with 26.22 per cent of patients in the 15-24 age group, 22.25 per cent aged 10-14 and 13.14 per cent aged 25-34,” he added. “Provinces that have seen most cases per 100,000 population are: Mae Hong Son, Rayong, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima and Khon Kaen.”
The DDC advised people to follow these instructions to reduce the risk of dengue fever:
▪︎ Clean up your home and never leave clothes lying around to reduce places where mosquitoes can live.
▪︎ Properly dispose of garbage in and around the house. Empty containers of food should be put in garbage bags to prevent mosquitoes laying eggs in rain water.
▪︎ Put a lid on all water containers. Change water in flower vases and plant pots every week.
▪︎ If you have high fever for more than two days and feel tired, nauseated, have a stomach ache and red spots on the skin, go and see a doctor for proper diagnosis. Avoid using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen or Brufen, as they could cause internal bleeding.
For more information, contact DDC Hotline at 1422.
An elderly man reportedly jumped to his death from Krung Thep Bridge into Chao Phraya River.
At 2pm on Thursday (August 27), Bang Kho Laem Police Station was informed about a body found in Chao Phraya River near Krung Thep Bridge that connects Bang Kho Laem district in Bangkok with Thonburi district.
The Thai male was about 165 centimetres tall, wearing white and blue shirt, black shorts and a black face mask. An ID card found in the deceased’s pocket identified him as Narong (last name withheld), aged 65, a local of Thung Kharu district in Bangkok. Police also found an appointment card with Ratburana Hospital dated August 26.
Police speculated that Narong could have been the man who had been sighted standing on Krung Thep Bridge on August 26 night by pedestrians, who promptly contacted rescue staff. When rescue staff reached the spot, they said the man had already disappeared.
Charnnarong, 31, the son of the deceased, told officials that his father had left the house at 7am on August 26 for a check-up at the hospital, as he suffered from diabetes.
“At around 3pm my dad had still not returned so I called the hospital, but they said he had not shown up,” he said. “The reason for his suicide could have been the stress from the huge mortgage debt for our house, which I recently paid up but had not told him yet as I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Narong’s body was sent to Siriraj Hospital for detailed autopsy to confirm the cause of death.
More rain is likely in the North, the Northeast, the Central and the East, the Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Friday (August 28), due to the weak monsoon trough lying across upper North and the upper Northeast.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon prevailing over the Andaman Sea and the South will ease rains in the South.
The department also mentioned a category 2 tropical depression over the west Pacific, the east of the Philippines. This storm is forecast to move to South Korea and Japan but will have no effect on Thailand.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees Celsius and highs of 33-34°C.
Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26°C and highs of 31-35°C.
Central: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 35-37°C.
East: Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-28°C, highs of 33-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-25°C, highs of 34-37°C; waves less than a metre high and one metre during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 33-34°C; waves a metre high and two metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 26-27°C, highs of 34-38°C.
Kasetsart University has launched a one-year postgraduate programme to help develop a new pool of talent to support the growth of Thai beverage industry.
Assoc Prof Dr Anuvat Jangchud, dean of the university’s Faculty of Agro-Industry, said the Thai beverage sector is likely to grow by up to 2 per cent post-Covid-19 era and this is the perfect time to help develop the industry, which currently comprises a growing number of SMEs.
This diploma programme aims to support the industry by providing training to upskill/reskill workers.
The postgraduate diploma programme in Beverage Technology and Management was created under the Southeast Asia Academy for Beverage Technology (SEA-ABT) project supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE).
This program is the result of a collaboration between three Thai universities, namely Kasetsart University, Chulalongkorn University and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, in association with universities from Austria, Italy, and Germany, along with various private sector organisations and education organisations within the European Union.
The 24-credit programme covers subjects designed and reviewed by EU experts to ensure students are given the know-how to enhance the beverage industry through a combination of modules related to science and technology as well as management of the beverage industry.
Classes will be held after business hours and be taught in Thai by lecturers from the three universities as well as industry specialists. Applications will be accepted from October with fees tentatively set at Bt90,000.
