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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015901

News of a fake Facebook page created in the name of Bangkok governor-elect Chadchart Sittipunt and calling for a 500 baht donation for travel expenses went viral on Tuesday.

The scammers reportedly sent messages to Facebook users saying: “I will tackle the floods, but don’t have transport fare. Can you please loan me 500 baht. I will return the money as well as a bag made from campaign banners.”

Chadchart, known fondly by his fans as “The Hulk” and the “strongest minister on Earth”, became the most-discussed topic on social media after winning the Bangkok elections by a landslide on Sunday.

He came away with 1,386,769 votes, with Democrats’ Suchatvee Suwansawat and Move Forward’s Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn trailing far behind with 254,723 and 253,938, respectively.

The former transport minister who was once Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate even broke Democrat Sukhumbhand Paribatra’s record, who won in 2013 with 1,256,349 votes.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015900

The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) has helped 21 stateless hill tribes people get Thai citizen identification cards and 224 more are on the waiting list.

Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on Tuesday that the 21 hill tribes people had got their Thai ID cards after he instructed the DSI to verify Thai nationality of stateless people who live in the northern provinces to help them get ID cards as soon as possible.

Somsak said the 21 people live in Chiang Mai’s Om Koi district. The DSI has also conducted preliminary investigations to confirm Thai citizenship of 224 more residents of Om Koi. They have to undergo DNA checks before they will be given Thai ID cards, Somsak added.

He said he gave the instruction to the DSI in line with the Justice Ministry’s policy to give citizenship to ethnic people who were born in the country but had become stateless people.

Somsak said these stateless people are poor and live along the northern borders and lack evidence to prove their nationality. He said 479,943 stateless people have been registered with government agencies and he had ordered the DSI to step in to help check family backgrounds of the registered stateless in the North.

Somsak said the DSI has developed an application for verifying family backgrounds of the stateless, called DSI Smart Search.

The application will use the household registration database of the Provincial Administration to search for relatives of the stateless by comparing their unique identities to those in the database.

Somsak said the application allowed the DSI to verify information 12 times faster and the verification results are 100 per cent authentic. He added that the application allowed verification of a stateless person to be done within 20 minutes.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015899

A woman passenger was injured when a No. 552 bus caught fire in front of Pantip Plaza mall on Ngam Wong Wan Road in Nonthaburi province on Monday night.

Firefighters took about 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control. Nine natural gas fuel tanks were found on the roof of the gutted bus.

The fire also damaged about 50 metres of adjacent electric and communication wires.

A statement released by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) said the fire was caused by a brake system failure, which caused the brakes to stick together and overheat.

The BMTA has asked Cho Thavee, the company responsible for bus maintenance and repairs, to solve the problem.

The company said the accident happened due to rust on the brake discs after exposure to water, as the rainy season has started and many areas were flooded. The firm also claimed that it had changed the brake pads every 60,000 kilometres.

The BMTA has asked Cho Thavee to increase the frequency of inspection of engine systems and accessories to prevent a repeat of similar accidents.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015897

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Thais to consume more milk and dairy products not just to boost their calcium intake but to also support the local dairy industry.

He made these remarks on Tuesday, ahead of World Milk Day, which is marked every year on June 1.

The premier also called on dairy-related agencies to pay attention to all aspects of dairy manufacturing and export processes.

World Milk Day was established in 2001 by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation to recognise the importance of milk as a global food and to celebrate the global dairy sector, which provides livelihood to 1 billion people.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015895

The Transport Ministry is investigating the “serious” incident of a Thai AirAsia flight landing on the wrong runway in Don Mueang airport earlier this month, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said on Tuesday.

On May 4, Thai AirAsia flight FD3141 from Ranong to Don Mueang landed on runway 21L instead of touching down on 21R as scheduled. No injuries were reported.

According to the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), this incident can be considered serious under Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) convention.

“The Transport Ministry’s Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Committee [AAIC] will complete the investigation within 30 days,” CAAT said.

CAAT added that Aerothai, airlines and other related agencies have been instructed to submit safety management reports to the agency to prevent a repeat of such incidents.

Once AAIC submits its investigation report to CAAT, the agency will work out who should be held responsible, analyse the safety data and prepare prevention measures.

Aerothai said air-traffic control officers have been summoned for questioning, adding that anyone found guilty will be suspended for at least 48 hours.

Thai AirAsia, meanwhile, said the pilot and co-pilot on the flight have been suspended pending investigation. The airline has apologised for the incident and said it has instructed all its staff to strictly adhere to safety regulations.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015893

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha will meet with his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo later this week, with economic, defence and tourism ties certain to be high on the agenda.

Prayut hosted PM Fumio Kishida three weeks ago in Bangkok, where the leaders announced a new defence deal and plans to upgrade Thailand-Japan trade relations.

Meanwhile, Japan this month reopened to vaccinated travellers from Thailand.

Prayut will visit Tokyo on Thursday and Friday, where he will also give a speech at the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia (Nikkei Forum), government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Tuesday.

Accompanying the PM will be Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board.

Other global leaders taking part in the forum will include Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, a deputy prime minister of Vietnam and former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, Thanakorn added.

Prayut will give a speech on how to handle economic disruption in Asia and Thailand and how all sides can cooperate to survive the economic crisis and ensure Asia’s revival.

Prayut’s trip will mark the first visit to Japan by a Thai prime minister for nine years, said the spokesman.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015891

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved an extension of the tourism stimulus campaign, “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together), by adding 1.5 million rights and extending the deadline from May 31 to September 30, a news source from Government House said on Tuesday.

Under Rao Tiew Duay Kan, eligible registrants can receive 40 per cent discount on hotel rooms and restaurants, capped at THB3,000 per night. They will also receive an e-voucher when checking into a hotel as well as a 40 per cent flight refund when they check out.

The subsidy was capped at 2 million room nights and 600,000 air tickets.

The source added that all 2 million rights have been availed since April, prompting the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to propose an extension of phase 4.

“This will not be a new phase, as the ministry will use the leftover budget from the previous phase of around THB4 billion to finance the extension,” it said.

The ministry expected to announce the registration period for the extension as soon as Krungthai Bank, which handles the Pao Tang application, finishes optimising its personal identification system in compliance with the new Personal Data Protection Act.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015890

Former Democrat Party deputy leader Prinn Pantichpakdi reported to Lumpini police station on Tuesday morning to acknowledge another sexual harassment charge, the eighth case against him so far.

After almost three hours of questioning, police drove Prinn to the South Bangkok District Court to seek a detention order pending further investigations.

The court was expected to approve temporary detention but grant bail in line with the seven other cases against him.

Since early April, when prominent lawyer Sittha Biabungkerd publicised sexual misconduct allegations against Prinn, more than a dozen women and teenage girls have accused the politician of either sexually harassing or raping them. Prinn denies the allegations but has quit all his posts in the Democrat Party to fight the cases.

Prinn declined to talk to reporters gathered at Lumpini police station as he was escorted into the van by officers.

Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Trairong Phiewphan was at the station to give an update on progress in the cases.

Trairong said Prinn had denied the charges in the latest case, which stems from an alleged encounter in 2013.

The eighth case was the fifth filed at Lumpini station and the sixth within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Trairong said. The station is also investigating complaints by four other women against Prinn, he added.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015886

The popular trail running event, “Amazean Jungle Trail”, in Betong district of Yala province has been officially added to the UTMB World Series as one of 25 trail-running events in 16 countries across the world, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports announced on Tuesday.

The event was held from May 6-8 at Betong Mongkhonrit Tunnel and covers three race distances: Betong 100K, Betong 50K and Betong 25K. The event aims to promote the image of Betong city and develop it into a sport destination at the international level, using beautiful nature trails as soft power to attract tourists and running enthusiasts.

“Amazean Jungle Trail was added to the UTMB World Series after its outstanding success this year,” said Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. “Next year, the event will be called “Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB,” and become the second UTMB trail-running event in Thailand after the Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB in Chiang Mai province.”

Phiphat said he expected the event in the coming years to bring in trail runners and spectators from around the world to witness the beauty of Betong, which will help boost tourism and the local economy in the southern province of Yala, as well as nearby border provinces.

He added that the success of the event on May 6-8, which saw over a thousand runners from 14 countries, was a result of cooperation between his ministry and several agencies including the Interior, Natural Resources and Environment, Culture, Transport and Foreign Affairs ministries, as well as private partners in Yala province.

Apart from trail running, the Amazean Jungle Trail also features other activities that all family members could enjoy, such as traditional bow competition, Betong food festival, and light and sound shows.

The ministry estimates that the event generated around THB140 million income to local communities.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015882

Online scams are posing a serious challenge in Thailand, forcing both the government and the private sector to improve security technology and strictly enact data protection regulations.

Between March 1 and May 10, Thai police received 22,426 complaints related to cybercrime, of which 5,079 were directly related to financial fraud. These fraudsters dupe people out of 1.5 billion baht a month on average, police said.

Up to 6,593 bank accounts have been frozen and officials have been able to recover 76.36 million of the 2.06 billion baht damages recorded so far.

Meanwhile, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) pointed out that in 2021, more than 6.4 million fraudulent phone calls were reported in Thailand, up 270 per cent, while fraudulent SMS messages rose by 57 per cent.

Based on complaints filed in 2021, it was found that more than 1,600 people had fallen victim to call-centre gangs, losing more than 1 billion baht. There were also 48,513 online complaints, more than double the number in the previous year.

Another NESDC survey found that nearly half or 48.1 per cent of the population has been scammed in some way or the other, of whom at least 42.6 per cent have been victims of financial fraud, losing approximately 2,400 baht per person.

Studies show that Gen Y and Gen Z are the most vulnerable to online scams due to the amount of time they spend online. Though Gen X and Baby Boomers are relatively safe, the latter have been found to suffer the highest damage in terms of value.

Besides, more than half of the victims take little or no action because they believe the government’s prevention/management methods are not effective enough.

Published : May 24, 2022

By : THE NATION