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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40025001

Thailand closes 8 national parks in North to prevent forest fires

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023

The Natural Resource and Environment Ministry is taking definitive steps to prevent forest fires in the North after satellite images showed that nearly 80% of hot spots were based in forests.

The ministry’s Pollution Control Department said on Friday that the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported that 77% of hot spots in the North were in forest areas, 18% in agricultural zones and 5% in city areas.

“These hot spots are caused either by forest fires, the burning of garbage or farm scrub,” said Pinsak Suraswadi, the department’s director-general.

“The ministry has urged local authorities in 17 provinces in the North to keep an eye out for fire and prohibit the burning of things, which is a major cause of PM2.5 pollution.”

PM2.5 refers to dust particles that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter and can be easily inhaled. Long-term exposure to such fine particles has been linked to many chronic diseases, including acute lung and heart problems.

Pinsak said the ministry has ordered the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to consider temporarily shutting down national parks that are at risk of forest fires and increase patrolling for people’s safety.

So far, eight national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the North have been ordered shut, namely Lum Nam Pai in Mae Hong Son, Pha Daeng, Op Luang and Omkoi in Chiang Mai, Tham Pha Thai in Lampang, Mae Ping in Lamphun, Si Nan in Nan and Mae Tuen in Tak. Only visitor centres at these locations remain open, he added.

The ministry’s smog emergency response teams in the North have been told to be on standby and monitor the situation closely. Officials were told to follow the latest updates and forecast by the Thai Meteorological Department, Air4Thai website and application, and evaluate the situation every three days.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40025000

Nakhon Sawan police arrive just in time to foil ‘monkey business’, arrest 2

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023

The two suspects caught trying to capture long-tailed macaques were met with fury from Nakhon Sawan locals as they were brought back by police to enact their crime on Friday.

Thaweeluck, 37, and Phromphiram, 23, (last names withheld) were arrested on Thursday as they trying to hit the poor creatures with tranquiliser darts.

Wat Khao No, a mountainous tourist attraction in Nakhon Sawan’s Banphot Phisai district, is famous for its long-tailed macaques.

The suspects reportedly confessed they were planning to sell the monkeys to restaurants in neighbouring countries, and apparently expected to be paid up to 100,000 baht per macaque.

Officials shifted nine tranquilised macaques to a shelter near Wat Khao No, but one succumbed to the effects of the tranquiliser and another was killed by a dog. Locals said the dog got to the monkey because someone had left the cage open.

The rest of the monkeys were eventually released into the wild on Friday morning.

A vendor selling food for monkeys at Wat Khao No said the number of macaques had dropped sharply in the past few years because smugglers have been capturing and selling these creatures. He said that sometimes the parents were taken away, leaving the babies to starve to death.

Suwan Khamenkhetkarn, a Banphot Phisai resident, said the mountain once housed more than 100,000 monkeys, but now there are fewer than 10,000 left due to these smuggling gangs. She said officials should boost patrols around the area and arrest these smugglers before all the monkeys are gone.

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No more monkey business: Thai farmers now have a machine to take them up coconut trees

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024998

Thailand to get 2 new types of lottery: fully digital and semi-digital

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023

The Government Lottery Office (GLO)’s board approved the plan to issue two new types of lottery – the six-digit (L6) and three-digit (N3) lotteries.

The move was proposed by the Finance Ministry.

The L6 lottery will go for 80 baht each, the same as the lotteries currently available, but will only be sold in digital format. Some of these lotteries will be sold via the Pao Tang application, said Lavaron Sangsnit, chairman of the Lottery Board.

Lavaron Sangsnit

The N3 lottery, meanwhile, will be sold in both digital and physical formats. Vendors selling physical lottery tickets will be required to provide daily sales data to the GLO digitally.

The price of the N3 lottery has not yet been set, added Lavaron, who also doubles as the Revenue Department’s director-general.

He said the board and Finance Ministry will adjust the details of both new lotteries and submit the plan for Cabinet approval.

Separately, the GLO board meeting on Friday also voted to revoke the rights of more than 12,000 lottery vendors who have violated regulations. So far, more than 20,000 sellers have lost their rights, and more than 3 million tickets have been repossessed.

The board has agreed to allot 1 million of the repossessed tickets to existing sellers via the quota system, while the remaining 2 million will be sold via the Pao Tang application, Lavaron said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024991

Websites of all 20 Thai ministries hacked by online gambling platforms

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

The websites of state agencies under all 20 Thai ministries have been attacked by hackers working for online gambling platforms, Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said on Friday.

He said the hackers managed to plant malicious script on webpages of the government agencies that linked to online gambling websites.

More than 30 million URLs of compromised state-agency websites were found to have been corrupted.

The DES minister said the scripts caused state agency webpages hijacked by online gambling websites to appear among the top Google search results. The scripts contain keywords about online gambling and links to gaming platforms.

Chaiwut said Thai state agencies have suffered over 500 cyberattacks in the past year, two-thirds of them involving website hacking.

The biggest targets were academic organisations, followed by public health agencies and local administrative organisations.

However, the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) detected no serious damage from the cyberattacks, Chaiwut said. It also advised the agencies to adopt anti-hacking, which resulted in a decline in new cases, he added.

The minister also warned the public about cybercriminals conning people with fake websites and false social media accounts and e-mail addresses.

These criminals also lure victims to install malicious apps on their phones that allow them to remotely control the devices and steal money via mobile banking apps. The criminals often pose as officials of state agencies or private companies.

Chaiwut said the NCSA has taken down many websites and accounts used by cybercriminals.

He said anyone with information about cybercrime could contact the ministry via the 1212 hotline, website ncert@ncsa.or.th, or https://facebook.com/DESMonitor.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024985

Police major killed as bomb planted by suspected insurgents in Yala explodes

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

A senior police officer was killed and four others were injured when a bomb exploded while they were examining a crime scene in the southern border province of Yala, police said on Friday.

Police Major Prasan Kongprasit, the investigation inspector at Bannang Sata District Police Station, succumbed to injuries inflicted by a homemade explosive device.

Four others were wounded by shrapnel from the explosion. They were identified as Pol Corporal Suthat Mool-ngoen, Pol Sgt-Major Suwit Thanawong, and Pol Corporal Kraisri Rojnotom. The name of the last victim was still unknown.

The officers were inspecting a scene along the Bannang Sata to Thanto Road, where many backhoes and graders of road construction company Yala Highway had been set on fire the previous night.

A gunfight ensued between police paratroopers at the scene and a group of suspected insurgents. More reinforcements were requested from the military and the Border Patrol Police as the armed encounter continued.

Violence has remained intense in the Muslim-majority deep South as the separatist insurgency entered its 20th year last month.

In 2022, a total of 29 people were killed – an average of 2.5 a month – well below the monthly average of four over the past five years. However, the number of injured people, 123, represented a 156% increase over 2021, according to Benar News.

“Although that represented an increase in casualties, these numbers are a blip compared with a decade ago, when more than 10 times the number of people were killed and six times the number were wounded,” the news agency reported.

Among the dead, 38% were members of the security forces. They also made up 68% of the people injured in regional violence in 2022, the report said.

The number of attacks involving homemade bombs rose sharply last year. There were 69 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in 2022, an average of 5.75 a month. In contrast, there were only 33 and 19 IED attacks in 2020 and 2021, respectively, the report said.

In 2022, bomb-squad personnel defused six IEDs. There were also six grenade attacks.

Other violence included 11 arson attacks and eight attacks on cellular and electricity towers. There were some 11 separate attacks on the railways, including a December 3 bombing that derailed 11 of 20 freight cars. That was followed by a bomb the next day that targeted first responders.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024980

Popular yogurt drink brand to raise prices for first time in over a decade

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Prices of the popular yogurt drink brand “Yakult” will rise for the first time in more than a decade next month due to higher costs of ingredients and production, the company that produces the brand said on Friday.

The price will rise by one baht per bottle on March 1, Yakult Thailand Co Ltd said.

It has not raised prices since March 2012, but the costs of ingredients and manufacturing have crept up over the past decade, the company said.

From next month, a bottle of original flavor Yakult will cost eight baht instead of seven baht, while the cost of Yakult Lite will rise to nine baht per bottle from eight baht.

Yakult only sells its brand in 80 millilitre bottles, saying these contain an optimal amount of lactobacillus bacteria to improve the digestive system.

In December last year, the Cabinet approved a price hike for dairy products under the government’s school-milk project to reflect current production costs. The move raised the reference price for bagged pasteurised milk from 6.58 baht to 6.89 baht apiece, and the price of boxed UHT milk from 7.82 baht to 8.13 baht apiece.

To ease the burden on schools with large numbers of students – primarily those in Bangkok and Pattaya – the Cabinet also allowed agencies supervising schools to request a subsidy from the Budget Bureau.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024979

Chuwit’s latest Facebook bombshell prompts swift police reaction

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Police expect to arrest a Chinese national suspected of having links to triads today, after the Immigration Bureau revoked his visa, Deputy National Police Chief General Surachet Hakparn told a press conference on Friday morning.

The suspect, Yu Xinqi, is still in Thailand and police have been monitoring his residence in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district since Thursday, Surachet said.

On Thursday, whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit alleged that members of Chinese triads arrived in Thailand under the cover of a foundation set up by Yu Xinqi.

The massage-parlour tycoon turned anti-corruption crusader has made a series of allegations that led to a national investigation into Chinese criminal gangs operating in Thailand with help from authorities, including customs, immigration, and police officers.

Yu Xinqi set up the Shaanxi Association of Thailand as a front for triad activity, using it to forge relationships with Thai establishment figures, including monks, Chuwit alleged in a Facebook post.

Surachet, who is responsible for Chinese triad investigations, said officials found no evidence Yu Xinqi left Thailand.

The suspect has been using photos of himself with high-ranking Thai figures to lure other Chinese nationals into investing with him, claiming that he has connections with influential Thai people, Surachet said.

The deputy national police chief admitted that the suspect had taken a photo with him, but said it was taken without his knowledge.

Surachet said police will file three initial charges against Yu Xinqi – committing public fraud, establishing a foundation without a permit, and impersonating a member of the royal family.

After arresting the suspect, police will search his house and his foundation for evidence of any possible links to criminal activity, he added.

Police expect more people to file complaints against Yu Xinqi and provide information useful to their investigation, Surachet said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024972

Money-siphoning apps and how to protect your phone against them

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

About 500 million baht in damages has been reported by mobile banking app users who unknowingly installed harmful apps that siphoned money from their accounts, the Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA) said on Thursday.

TBA is working with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, the digital ministry, and mobile operators to improve security of mobile banking and protect users from criminal gangs, said Yos Kimsawatde, TBA’s head of payment systems.

Yos said four measures were being implemented to tighten mobile banking security:

1. Shutting down fake Line accounts pretending to be official accounts of banks or government agencies.

2. Monitoring SMS senders who do not use real names.

3. Blocking harmful URLs.

4. Coordinating with member banks to improve their apps’ security, such as by limiting accessibility and adding more authentication methods including biometrics.

He added that further measures being proposed to the Bank of Thailand and related agencies include a waiting period after users adjust their transfer limit, and establishing a Central Fraud Registry Office to monitor suspicious transactions using shared information among member banks. He expects these measures to be approved within 4-5 weeks.

The pending Royal Decree on Cybercrime Prevention and Suppression would add further protection against malicious apps, as it would allow banks to suspend suspicious transactions and block suspicious accounts without victims having to file police complaints first, he said.

Money-siphoning gangs using harmful apps usually work in three steps, according to TBA’s emergency response director Chatchawat Asawarakwong.

First, they ​send an SMS to deceive victims into thinking they have won a prize, or there is a problem with their bank account or tax, or pretending to be a bank offering loans at a special rate. The victim is then instructed to add the criminal’s Line account as a friend.

Second, victims are told via Line to download and install an app in .apk format from outside Google Play Store and then allow the app to access their phone. This allows the criminal to remotely access the victim’s phone without their knowledge.

Third, while victims are using mobile banking app, criminals record their password and personal info using the remote access app, and later transfer money out of victim’s account.

Chatchawat said criminals often pretend to be from one of five organisations to trick victims into believing that they have won prizes, are being granted loans, or have tax problems. The five organisations are the Revenue Department, Department of Special Investigation, Commerce Ministry, Lion Air, and Thai Life Insurance.

Money-siphoning gangs also use dating apps to deceive victims in a similar way to romance scams, he said.

However, instead of asking victims for money or private information, they ask them to install the .apk app to connect with their matched partner.

The TBA advises mobile phones users do the following to stay safe from harmful applications:

1. Regularly check which applications on your phones are using the accessibility service and make sure that no unknown apps are using this feature.

2. Turn on Google Play Protect on your phone, which will block and uninstall any known harmful apps.

3. Use endpoint protection or an antivirus app to protect against harmful apps and malware.

4. If you suspect your phone is being accessed remotely, immediately force shutdown/restart your phone by holding the power and volume buttons down for 10-20 seconds. If this is unsuccessful, try cutting internet access to the phone and alert the bank and police immediately.

5. Avoid using rooted/jailbroken devices, sharing your password or using one that is easy to guess, installing apps from untrusted sources, or clicking on URLs in SMS or chat messages from people you don’t know.

6. Follow updates on technology news and warnings to stay ahead of the criminals.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024971

Funeral in Chaing Rai ‘drew Duangphet’s soul home’ from UK

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

The funeral for one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai in 2018 was held at Wat Phra That Doi Wao in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district on Thursday night.

Duangphet “Dom” Promthep, 17, one of the Wild Boar football team members who – along with their coach – was trapped in Tham Luang Cave in 2018, died in England on Tuesday, after collapsing in his dormitory room on Sunday.

He won a scholarship to study at Brooke House College, a football academy about 150 kilometres north of London, in August last year, and subsequently flew to England in September.

Duangphet’s parents and relatives, as well as other members of the Wild Boar football team, attended the funeral.

Monks led by abbot Phra Kru Prayut Chetiyanukarn conducted the funeral rites using Duangphet’s photo, clothes and shoes instead of his body, which remains in England.

The funeral was held to make merit for Duangphet and lead his soul back to his hometown, the temple’s abbot said.

“I believe that Duangphet’s soul has returned to his hometown to meet his parents and friends who gathered to make merit for him,” he said.

He also expressed hope that Duangphet becomes his parents’ son again in a future life, adding that those who attended the funeral had done their best to bring his soul home.

The Royal Thai Embassy in London said Duangphet was sent to a hospital’s intensive care unit after losing consciousness in his dormitory room on Sunday.

“On Tuesday morning, Duangphet remained in critical condition before he died at 1.43pm [local time],” the embassy said, adding that the hospital had informed Duangphet’s relatives.

The embassy is cooperating with them, Zico Foundation, and Brooke House College to return his body to Thailand.

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UK football academy mourns loss of Thai boy who survived flooded cave

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Thai boy saved from flooded cave dies in UK accident

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024969

Body of Thai earthquake victim returned to mother in Chaiyaphum

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

The body of a Thai woman killed by the massive earthquake in Turkey on February 6 arrived back in Thailand onboard a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) repatriation flight on Thursday night.

The RTAF Airbus 300 was also carrying 36 Thai nationals evacuated from Turkey as it landed at Don Mueang Military Air Terminal 2, Wing 6 in Bangkok.

The evacuees were welcomed by RTAF commander-in-chief ACM Alongkorn Wannarot and Department of Consular Affairs director-general Ruj Thammongkol, according to a Foreign Ministry press release.

The evacuees underwent immigration procedures, disease screening and a physical examination, according to the ministry press release.

They were checked at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi before returning to their hometowns on Friday.

The body of the earthquake victim was transported by the Thai Red Cross Society back to her hometown in Chaiyaphum province.

Chamaiporn Homsantia, 28, was reportedly sleeping when the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake shook the southern Turkish town of Iskenderun, where she worked as a traditional Thai masseuse. Her body was found in the rubble after the hotel where she worked collapsed.    

Chamaiporn’s body was delivered to her parents’ house at 2.04am on Friday for the funeral. Her mother, Boonchu Homsantia, thanked the Thai Red Cross Society, Department of Consular Affairs and other agencies for their help in returning her daughter’s remains. The cremation is scheduled for next Monday (February 20) at Wat Pa Samakkhi Tham.

Thailand’s urban search and rescue (USAR) team have now completed their mission in Turkey and were due to touch down at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok onboard Turkish Airlines flight KT64 at 10am on Friday.

The death toll from the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria rose to over 44,000 on Friday, with millions more affected in both countries.

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