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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018113

Passengers using the BTS Green Line extensions will have to start paying fares from next month, the Bangkok governor said on Sunday.

Governor Chadchart Sittipunt spoke to reporters after attending a meeting between the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) company Krungthep Thanakom and the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC). The two sides met to negotiate the mountain of debt, estimated at 40 billion baht, BMA owes to BTSC for operating the Green Line extensions.

The Green Line extensions run from Bearing to Kheha in Samut Prakan (13km) and from Mo Chit to Khu Khot in Pathum Thani (19km).

The BTSC slapped the BMA with a lawsuit in September last year for 12 billion baht it says is owed for operating the Green Line extensions and another 20 billion for operation and maintenance costs.

Chadchart said that apart from looking into ways of paying off the debt, BMA also needs to look into charging fares for the extensions, which have been free for commuters so far.

He said BMA’s Traffic and Transport Department is studying the fare issue and should have a decision ready within next month. He said this new fare will be applicable until 2029.

“We need to rush on this issue as BMA has been paying billions every year for operations, and we are in debt because we did not collect any fares,” he said.

He said it was necessary to generate revenue, but the BMA needs to consider all options to ensure commuters are not burdened.

He added that the fare for the Green Line extension should not exceed 59 baht, because the 44-baht limit proposed by the Thailand Consumers Council would only create more debts.

Chadchart also said the BMA will take advertisement revenue into account when calculating the fares.

Published : July 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018107

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) announced on Sunday that it received 2 million capsules of the anti-viral drug Molnupiravir on July 12 and expects another 3 million within this month.

Dr Sirikul Matevelungsun, GPO deputy managing director, said the government has tasked GPO with procuring 5 million 200mg Molnupiravir capsules from manufacturers at a price of no more than 1,000 baht per course of 40 capsules. The GPO has made deals with producers in India and other countries.

“These drugs will be delivered primarily to public health emergency operations centres across Thailand daily, including public holidays, to ensure all local units have enough drugs to treat Covid-19 patients,” she said.

Last week, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that private clinics operating under the 1998 Health Facility Act can order and sell FDA-approved Covid-19 anti-viral drugs like Favipiravir, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid.

Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said recently that the ministry plans to make Covid-19 drugs and treatment more easily available as steps are being taken to declare the disease endemic.

Currently, not all Covid-19 patients need anti-viral drugs, as those with mild or no symptoms can take fah talai jone tablets until they are cured, Kiattiphum added.

Published : July 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018105

Thailand will see less rain this week as the southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea, the South and Gulf is weakening. However, southerly and southeasterly winds continue prevailing over the lower Northeast, Central and the East, the Thai Meteorological Department said on Monday.

On Friday and Saturday, the southwest monsoon prevailing over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand will strengthen, bringing more rain, with isolated heavy showers in the East and the South. People in these areas should beware of severe conditions, the department said.

Over the next week, scattered thundershowers have been forecast for Greater Bangkok, North, Northeast and Central regions, with temperatures in the lows of 22 to 28 degrees Celsius and highs of 29 to 37 degrees.

The East, however, is expected to see some heavy rainfall with the coastal areas seeing metre-high waves and even higher during thundershowers.

The South will also see scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rains, and metre-high waves. The western coast of the South will be hit with heavy rain and metre-high waves, which will rise higher during thundershowers.

Published : July 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018104

The Public Health Ministry reported on Monday (July 25) that over the past 24 hours, 1,740 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals.

The death toll has risen by 32, while 2,425 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,354,158.
 

Published : July 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018102

Thailand on Sunday upgraded its monkeypox alert to the national level after an emergency meeting of health agencies and the public health minister.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called the meeting after the World Health Organisation on Saturday declared monkeypox a global health emergency.

Anutin said monitoring and control of monkeypox in Thailand will be taken over by the Public Health Ministry’s emergency operations centre.

Anutin said the meeting had also discussed the timeline of Thailand’s first confirmed monkeypox case.

On Tuesday, lab tests confirmed that a Nigerian man hospitalised in Phuket had contracted monkeypox. He then fled via Sa Kaew province to Cambodia and was arrested there on Saturday.

Anutin said health chiefs at the meeting believed the Nigerian national had not spread the virus to others over the past month, so Thailand was still safe.

He said that disease control officials around the country were working with border checkpoints to screen travellers for monkeypox. Travellers from at-risk countries were being monitored tightly, he added.

The Medical Services Department assured the meeting it had enough smallpox vaccine in stock to protect residents of Thailand. The vaccine is reported to have been in cold storage for 40 years, but the department said it was still viable.

It also assured the meeting that the country had sufficient medicine and facilities to treat patients in the event of a monkeypox outbreak.

Anutin said universal Covid prevention measures were also effective against monkeypox, which was a slower-spreading disease.

“There is no need for people to panic as monkeypox virus does not spread rapidly like Covid,” he said.

“Measures to lower risk from Covid can also be used [for monkeypox], including wearing masks, washing hands with alcohol gel and social distancing, as well as avoiding crowded areas.”

Anutin said monkeypox spreads via sexual activity, so people should protect themselves in the same way they do against HIV.

The meeting also appointed Medical Services Department specialist Dr Naruemol Sawanpanyalert to explain various preventive measures to the public.

Anutin said ministry medical experts would meet on Monday to discuss preventive measures against monkeypox and guidelines for hospitals.

Meanwhile, Phuket health officials said they have tracked down another 19 people who came into close contact with the infected man. The 19 at-risk individuals were traced to six locations or services used by the Nigerian national. The Phuket Public Health Office said two of the 19 had tested negative for monkeypox virus while test results for the others would be known in a few days.

Published : July 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018097

The number of patients being treated for the effects of cannabis has dropped sharply a month after the herb was legalised, the Public Health Ministry reported on Saturday.

Cannabis was removed from Thailand’s narcotics list on June 9, allowing people to grow the herb for medicinal and commercial purposes.

According to Panthep Puaphongphan, the government’s cannabis public relations spokesman, 33 patients had been treated for effects of the herb in July, down 81.66 per cent from 180 patients in June.

He added that the number of patients undergoing medical treatment for cannabis intoxication has reached the lowest point since October.

“Most patients who have received treatment for cannabis overdose will be more careful when using herb and will not repeat their mistake,” Panthep said, adding that some had even quit using the herb.

Panthep Puaphongphan

He also suggested that the reason why the number of cannabis addicts worldwide remained low was because most heavy users tend to fall asleep instead of seeking more of the herb.

Published : July 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018092

Every cannabis sapling in the Parliament complex was removed and disposed of on Saturday under the orders of Parliament President Chuan Leekpai.

Some 100 saplings were spotted by the gardeners while they were inspecting a banyan tree that had been knocked over in a storm on Friday.

Though cannabis has been decriminalised in Thailand, it is prohibited in government buildings, schools and police stations.

Dismissing talk of a bad omen from the knocking over of the banyan tree, Chuan instructed officials to check the grounds for more such saplings and find out who was responsible for planting them.

As of press time, nobody had come forward. However, an MP said that whoever planted the saplings had good gardening skills, because though other plants in the grounds were doing badly, the cannabis plants were flourishing.

Published : July 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018090

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called an urgent meeting with public health agencies on Sunday to discuss measures to cope with monkeypox, which has been declared a global health emergency.

Anutin said this discussion was necessary after the World Health Organisation (WHO) upgraded the recent monkeypox outbreak to the status of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Between January 1 and July 20, 14,533 probable and confirmed monkeypox cases were reported to the WHO from 72 countries. The cases included three deaths in Nigeria and two in the Central African Republic.

The PHEIC status was announced by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday. The upgrade is aimed at triggering an international response to the outbreak. It may also unlock funding for collaboration or sharing of vaccines and treatment.

Tedros said an expert committee met on Thursday to discuss the outbreak and they were split on the decision to upgrade the outbreak, with nine members against and six for the declaration.

The WHO chief said he had to stop in to break the deadlock and declare PHEIC.

“Though I’m declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners,” Tedros said at a media briefing in Geneva on Saturday.

Anutin, meanwhile, said he will discuss preventive measures and treatment options with the directors-general of the Disease Control Department, the Medical Services Department, the Medical Sciences Department, and the Health Service Support Department as well as medical experts.

He said Thailand has been taking steps against monkeypox since May, though the first confirmed case was only found last week. Since May, he said, hospitals have been told to scan possible cases and have potential patients immediately undergo lab tests.

Thailand’s first known confirmed monkeypox patient was a 27-year-old Nigerian man who fled to Cambodia after he tested positive for monkeypox at a Phuket hospital. The man was eventually tracked down and detained in Phnom Penh on Saturday night.

Published : July 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018085

The Northeast India Festival in Bangkok, to be held in CentralWorld next weekend, marks 75 years of bilateral ties between Thailand and India.

The exhibition will showcase a wide range of products from India’s Northeast, including agri-products, processed food and handicrafts among others.

The Northeast of India, comprising the states of Arunachal, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is renowned for its beauty and natural resources. It is also known for its long-standing traditions of art and craft, including weaving, wood carving and basketry.

The region has rich human resources due to high literacy levels, while Sikkim recently became the first state in India to make its farming sector completely organic.

The festival, organised by the Indian embassy and Assam NGO Trend MMS, runs from July 29 to 31.

Published : July 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018084

The weather authorities have called on people to be prepared for flash floods and runoffs in several parts of Thailand on Sunday.

The Thai Meteorological Department said that though less rain is expected overall, isolated heavy showers will hit some parts of the North, Northeast, Central, East and South (western coast) regions.

“People should beware of severe conditions that may cause flash floods and overflows,” the department said.

The areas that can be affected are:

• North: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet and Phetchabun.

• Northeast: Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani

• Central: Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi.

• East: Chachoengsao, Sa Kaew, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat.

• South: Ranong and Phang Nga.

The department also forecast 2-metre-high waves in the upper portions of the Andaman Sea, high waves in the lower part of the sea and the Gulf of Thailand and expects thundershowers to make the waves even higher.

“All ships should proceed with caution,” the department added.

Published : July 24, 2022

By : THE NATION