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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017608

Construction of the high-speed railway linking Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports will kick off in October, a senior official announced on Monday.

Kanit Sangsubhan, secretary-general of the Eastern Economic Corridor Office, said the construction schedule was presented at the EEC committee’s meeting on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Kanit said the EEC was told that the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has completed the expropriation of land for the project and the areas have been handed over to the contractor – a CP-led consortium called AERA1.

He added that the contractor has moved into the construction sites to start preparations, such as building roads and factories for making pre-fabricated parts of the railway. The actual construction is expected to start in October.

Kanit said the railway should be up and running by 2026.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017607

The Progressive Movement on Monday submitted 80,772 signatures it has gathered nationwide to Parliament, petitioning the amendment of Article 14 of the Constitution and demanding the shifting of power from the central government to local administrative organisations (LAOs).

At least 50,000 signatures are required to have a draft amendment considered in Parliament.

The petition was presented by the movement’s director, Pannika Wanich, addressed to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai, and was received by Phongsri Tarapoom, member of House of Representatives’ working group on political affairs.

Pannika said the movement was able to gather signatures from supporters in just three months of campaigning between April 1 and June 30. “We exceeded the goal quickly as we made everyone understand that every province should be able to choose its administrators, while centralised administration should be abolished to allow LAOs to manage their budgets and resources efficiently,” she added.

Parit Wacharasindhu, Move Forward Party’s communications and policy campaign manager who accompanied Pannika on Monday, added that the petition was not submitted in the name of Progressive Movement or Move Forward Party, but should be viewed as a “petition of the people”.

“Whether the MPs and senators would agree to amend the constitution or not, we will continue to push for the decentralisation of power in Thailand,” he insisted.

Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit had earlier said that the petition is pushing for the following five changes:

1. LAOs to have power over all public services except national finance, military and foreign affairs.

2. Reduction of overlapping duties among LAOs, regional and central authorities.

3. LAOs to be allocated 50 per cent of the national budget.

4. LAOs to have full jurisdiction without intervention from regional and central authorities.

5. Local people to be able to participate in public hearings on important local issues, and to vote to remove local administrators. Citizen councils to be established to supervise budget planning and allocation.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017600

Hospitals are not allowed to sell Covid-19 antiviral drugs distributed by the mnistry, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday.

He made the remarks after a private hospital was found selling packages of Favipiravir and Molnupiravir.

Anutin said the distribution by the ministry was aimed at enabling Covid-19 patients to access treatment in line with their rights.

He stressed that both Favipiravir and Molnupiravir are sufficient for Covid-19 patients and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation can produce these drugs on its own.

He also confirmed that all Covid-19 antiviral drugs procured by the government can treat the disease effectively and safely.

“Currently, the usage of drugs is in line with the emergency decree, so the Department of Health Service Support will inspect hospitals that sell the drugs,” he said.

He added that there is no clear evidence about sales of Covid-19 antiviral drugs so far.

Meanwhile, Department of Health Service Support director-general Thares Krassanai-Rawiwong explained that private hospitals are now able to request Favipiravir and Molnupiravir from the ministry and also import these drugs from overseas.

However, he pointed out that private hospitals can sell their imported drugs at a specified price, adding that they must inform patients in advance.

“Patients who find private hospitals selling Covid-19 antiviral drugs without intimation can file complaints at the Department of Health Service Support,” he said.

The World Health Organisation has approved three antiviral drugs for treating Covid-19 patients so far, namely Remdesivir, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017594

Thanks to help from Cambodian counterparts, Thai police have managed to nab 74 Thais who were allegedly running call centres in the neighbouring country.

Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas, deputy national police chief and director of the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), announced this success while visiting Phnom Penh on Monday morning.

Damrongsak was in the Cambodian capital with Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn to sign a memorandum of understanding on the suppression of call-centre gangs and cybercrime.

The deputy national police chief said PCT had earlier dispatched some 20 police officers to join their Cambodian counterparts in raiding five call-centre sites, which resulted in the arrest of 74 suspects.

The suspects will be returned to Thailand once the legal process in Cambodia is completed, he said.

According to Damrongsak, 21 suspects were arrested at a hotel in Sihanoukville on June 21. These suspects allegedly used the Tinder dating app to deceive fellow Thais into falling in love and then talking them into spending on fraudulent investments. Another 10 suspects were arrested on the same day in a different spot in Sihanoukville. They allegedly deceived their Thai victims into going in for false loans. Some of these suspects were also accused of pretending to be Chanthaburi police officers.

No arrests were made at a third raid in a Sihanoukville casino on the same day.

However, on July 6 another 18 suspects were arrested in Sihanoukville, Damrongsak said. This group allegedly deceived their victims by pretending to be Laem Chabang police officers.

One day later, another 25 suspects were nabbed in Poi Pet for allegedly deceiving their victims by pretending to be DHL officials and Chanthaburi police officers.

Damrongsak said PCT has obtained 237 arrest warrants against call-centre gangs over the past year and has arrested 138 suspects so far.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017592

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has instructed all 50 district offices to get community isolation centres and medical supplies ready to deal with the new Covid-19 wave.

AFacebook post by the Anti-Fake News Centre Thailand on Sunday said this instruction was sparked by a surge in Covid-19 patients in downtown Bangkok.

“Hence, patients living in the centre of Bangkok will be transferred to hospitals in the outskirts,” the page said.

It added that residents who test positive or are at risk of Covid-19 infection can receive treatment at public healthcare centres or community clinics near their homes.

Isolation facilities will also be available in all Bangkok districts, especially in crowded communities, it added.

It also said that the BMA will take steps to encourage vulnerable groups, including the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, to receive their booster shots as soon as possible.

Help can be sought by calling the Erawan Centre’s 1669 hotline.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017590

Household power bills will rise by 5 baht per unit later this year as fuel tariff (FT) is likely to hit 100 satang per unit, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said on Monday.

ERC said the increase in FT comes from the surge in the import price of liquified natural gas (LNG), which has risen to US$30 per million British thermal units (BTU) from $20 per million BTU.

The commission said it is discussing this issue and will announce the FT for the September to December period later this month or in early August.

“The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand [Egat] is bearing more than 80 billion baht in fuel costs, so ERC may need to reduce this burden by increasing the FT gradually,” ERC said.

It also confirmed that it will prioritise energy stability to ensure that citizens and business operators have uninterrupted electricity.

It said Egat’s move to bear the financial burden for consumers would affect power generation and stability, even though the Cabinet has allowed Egat to borrow 25 billion baht to boost its liquidity.

“If Egat bears the cost without increasing FT, its deficit will rise to 100 billion baht this year,” ERC said.

It also added that it is uncertain about domestic natural gas production due to the change in the concessionaire of the Erawan gas field in the Gulf of Thailand. The Erawan gas field is a key resource for electricity generation in Thailand.

ERC said the new concessionaire has said it would take about two years to bring natural gas production capacity up to a level that is enough to cover power generation for the entire country.

This means power bills will be affected by the rising price of imported LNG for at least two years, ERC said, adding that the cost of electricity will be high from later this year to the whole of next year.

Apart from rising fuel costs, it said the exchange rate will also affect the fuel tariff for the September to December period.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017588

A driver managed to escape just in time as his car was suddenly hit by a gush of water as he was driving through a tunnel in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Bua Yai district at around 3am on Sunday. The tunnel is near the Chira Junction-Khon Kaen double-track railway.

“Residents rushed to help the driver at the scene, though some took the opportunity to catch fish,” the “Tee Nee Bua Yai” (Here’s Bua Yai) Facebook page announced later on Sunday.

The page said the tunnel was frequently inundated as the smart pumps in the area do not operate properly, forcing motorists to wait until the water recedes or use other routes.

The page also claimed that the State Railway of Thailand has been informed of this issue, but nothing has been done yet.

The Thai Meteorological Department had earlier forecast heavy to very heavy rains in almost all parts of the country.

“People should be prepared for severe conditions that may cause flash floods and break riverbanks. They should also exercise caution during thundershowers,” the department had said.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017583

An expert on infectious diseases said that patients who have recovered from Covid-19 can get reinfected, but how soon depends very much on the subvariant they have been exposed to.

“If you were infected by Omicron BA.1 or 2 previously, you could get infected again by the BA.4 or 5 subvariant within a month after recovery,” Dr Thiravat Hemachuda said in a Facebook post on Monday. “However, if you recover from a BA.4 or 5 infection, the immunity you have gained can protect you from reinfection by the same subvariants for two to three months.”

Thiravat is director of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Centre under Chulalongkorn University.

“Due to this, how fast Covid-19 spreads will depend on how the virus evolves in the future. It is estimated that by September and October this year, we can expect to see a new Omicron subvariant or an entirely new variant,” he added.

Thiravat added that the second generation Covid-19 vaccines being developed aim to prevent infection from Omicron BA.1-2 and BA.4-5. However, by the time these vaccines come out, the Covid-19 virus may have mutated further, rendering these vaccines inefficient.

“Therefore, we must work together on three aspects to stay safe from Covid-19,” Thiravat said. “The first is to prevent infection by avoiding high-risk places and wearing a facemask. Second, get at least three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, preferably an mRNA jab to push your immunity as high as possible. And third, seek treatment immediately to prevent the virus from affecting other parts of the body. Proper treatment will help the body build immunity against the virus faster.”

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017581

Despite being toppled over twice by a real elephant, the elephant statue nicknamed Plai Ning has returned to its post outside the Khao Yai National Park’s visitor centre in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Plai Ning was first knocked over by its real-life rival Plai Diew Lub aka Plai Nga Diew on August 21 last year and returned to its post on September 15.

Plai Ning was again knocked off its pedestal by Plai Diew Lub on July 5 and again taken away for repairs.

The Khao Yai National Park’s Facebook page announced on Sunday that Plai Ning has returned to its post, but with scars on its tusks and bottom.

As expected, many netizens responded with comments like “Plai Diew Lub will get annoyed again”, “a statue with a scar is human” and “Plai Ning will stand and fight again”.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017576

All government agencies and state enterprises have been instructed to fly Thailand’s flag at half-mast on Monday in honour of former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe.

Abe, 67, was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in the Japanese city of Nara on July 8. Police arrested the shooter, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, on the spot.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Sunday issued an order to all state agencies and enterprises nationwide to fly the flag at half-mast all day to mourn the loss.

Abe served two terms becoming Japan’s longest-serving premier from December 2012 before stepping down in 2020 due to ill health. Abe also made history by becoming the youngest Japanese PM at age 52 during this first term from September 2006 to September 2007.

Abe was one of Japan’s most prominent prime ministers on the international stage and was known especially for his signature “Abenomics”, which featured a bold monetary policy, flexible fiscal measures and strong growth strategy.

Published : July 11, 2022

By : THE NATION