#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015340

A flood warning has been issued for areas of the South where heavy rain is forecast from today until Tuesday.

The Thai Meteorological Department said on Sunday that a tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal will bring more rain to Thailand, especially in the South.

The depression is moving northwest at a speed of 15 kilometres per hour and is expected to develop into tropical cyclone today and move to the upper Bay of Bengal on Monday and Tuesday.

Thailand will experience continuous rainfall and isolated heavy rain with very heavy rain in the south, the department said.

It warned people in the South to beware of severe weather conditions that may cause flash floods and runoffs.

It added that strengthening wind would whip up waves to two metres high in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf and over two metres in thundershowers.

All ships should proceed with caution and avoid thundershowers, the department added.

Published : May 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015334

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed concern about online campaigns targeting the monarchy after a Lazada sales ad sparked a public outcry earlier this week.

Prayut said Thais love and respect the monarchy and that it serves as a centre of unity for the country.

He was responding to an advertisement depicting a woman in a wheelchair being bullied by another who is apparently of noble birth. The TikTok clip launched an outcry among Thai netizens who accused the creators of making fun of people with disabilities and being particularly offensive to a royal. Some people were so offended that they deleted the e-commerce platform’s app and launched a campaign for its boycott.

Meanwhile, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry said it is working with the Police Technology Crime Suppression Division to see if any laws had been violated, the government spokesman said.

“Marketers, influencers and content creators should be careful about what they put online. You should avoid content that can be deemed inappropriate and targets an institution that is respected by the entire nation,” Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.

“Not only will they dissatisfy Thais across the country, but will also damage the image and reputation of the brands involved. They could also risk violating the law,” he said. “It is against human rights principles to mock the disabled. I don’t think any Thai consumer will support that kind of ‘uncreative’ marketing.”

Meanwhile, the advertising firm Intersect Design Factory, which had hired the influencers in question, took responsibility for the offensive ad and said it had no intention of mocking the disabled or any individual in particular. The offensive clip has also been pulled off the net.

Lazada also issued an apology on Friday and said the controversial ad had not gone through a proper vetting process, otherwise “it would never have been published as it is against our values and principles”.

Published : May 07, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015335

Public Health Ministry reported on Sunday (May 8) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 8,081 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, four of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 54, while 10,588 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 2,101,415.

Published : May 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015333

A man has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a house and making off with more than 10 million baht in cash and gold during the long Songkran break.

Police said on Saturday that the man, who had been nabbed on Friday, confessed to the break-in.

The suspect is being interrogated about the location of the assets, so they can be returned to the owners, police said.

Police have not provided details about the arrest or the name of the suspect.

Bank employee Juthasit Mekwongtrakan recently reported that his house in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district had been broken into while he and his family were away on a vacation during the Songkran break in mid-April.

Upon returning home, he discovered that the safe in his bedroom had been pried open and assets worth more than 10 million baht stolen. The assets included cash in Thai and foreign currency as well as gold bars and ornaments.

Published : May 07, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015332

Heavy rains left many provinces in the South inundated on Saturday, with some 100 households affected. There were no reports of casualties.

Officials were sent to help people in five badly hit areas, namely Lang Suan district in Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Nopphitam district and Surat Thani’s Vibhavadi, Chaiya and Tha Chang districts.

Though water levels were receding in most areas as of press time, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has made its 1784 hotline and Line account @1784DDPM available 24 hours for those requiring help.

Flash floods were also reported on Saturday near two waterfalls in Chiang Mai province in the North. The water level and current of the Wang Kwai and Mae Klang waterfalls surged from the heavy downpour. The waterfalls are part of the Doi Inthanon National Park in Chom Thong district.

A video clip showing a bamboo bench being swept away in the strong current of Wang Kwai waterfall was posted on social media. The bench belonged to a food stall nearby.

Doi Inthanon National Park chief Kriangkrai Chaipiset allayed fears of severe flash floods, saying the area only recorded about 30 millimetres of rain, though the park is closely monitoring the situation.

Published : May 07, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015331

Thailand’s first mRNA vaccine has been certified safe after BioNet-Asia launched domestic production of doses, government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek announced on Saturday.

ChulaCov19, developed by Chulalongkorn University and BioNet-Asia, has passed its first two trials and will enter third-phase human trials this year. If successful it will be registered with the Food and Drug Administration late this year, said the spokesperson.

Development of the vaccine is being funded by a budget of 2.3 billion baht approved by the government.

The first two trials on humans found that ChulaCov19 created higher immunity than the Pfizer mRNA vaccine currently being used in Thailand, Rachada said, citing data from the researchers.

The government plans to develop and produce vaccines under the Medical Hub Strategy 2017-2026.

“This will have a positive impact for the region. Southeast Asia will build up security and safety in virus prevention,” she added.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been informed of ChulaCov19’s success by Chulalongkorn University’s Vaccine Research Centre.

Published : May 07, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015321

The Public Health Ministry has unveiled a four-point Covid strategy for 35,000 schools that will reopen later this month.

Schools around the country will resume onsite learning on May 17, as the academic year gets underway.

The first measure is to ensure that at least 60 per cent of students aged 15-18 are fully vaccinated with two doses, said Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha.

The second is to ensure all schools score at least 95 per cent in evaluations by provincial public health offices using the Thai Stop Covid Plus standard.

The third is to screen symptomatic and at-risk students with antigen tests.

The fourth measure is an emergency plan to ensure schools remain open even if infections are found. Classrooms where students test positive must be cleansed, after which classes can continue as normal.

Sathit added that students who test positive at boarding schools will undergo school isolation.

He said that students or staff who come into contact with infected people do not need to undergo quarantine if they are vaccinated and have no symptoms.

However, unvaccinated people with high-risk contacts should be quarantined for five days and then monitor their symptoms for another five days. Those who come into contact with infected people should test themselves with ATKs on days 5 and 10 after the contact.

Published : May 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015320

More than 30 water-management projects are due for completion this year in Bangkok, as the city braces for seasonal flooding from May to October.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reports that 32 new projects to increase drainage efficiency should be up and running before the end of 2022.

At a flood-mitigation meeting on Friday, the BMA revealed that the projects are divided into six categories:

1. Two pipe jacking projects
2. Eight drainage and gutter projects
3. Three water banks
4. Ten pumping wells
5. Eight pumping station and floodgate projects
6. One drainage tunnel

Nine areas in Bangkok are at high risk of floods while 48 other spots are being monitored for flooding, BMA deputy permanent secretary Narong Ruengsri explained.

He said the BMA was coordinating with district offices to solve flood problems in the at-risk and monitored zones.

Meanwhile, city workers are clearing drains, dredging canals and opening waterways to improve drainage during the rainy season.

Workers have so far cleared 58.61 per cent of Bangkok’s 3,000 kilometres of drainage ditches, the BMA said.

Meanwhile, 77.78 per cent of the city’s 398.6km canal network has been dredged while 71.98 per cent of its 1,600km of waterways have been opened.

Narong said he had ordered the Department of Drainage and Sewerage to monitor drainage-clearing operations and ensure they were completed on time for the flood season.

The department will also deploy water pumps and backhoes to tackle chronic flood problems on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road caused by construction of the MRT Pink Line.

Workers and contractors at the construction site have been ordered to build a barrier to prevent soil and building material from blocking drainage channels.

Published : May 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015319

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered all government agencies to reduce their energy usage by 20 per cent as Thailand struggles with the fuel price crisis.

Prayut said the Energy Ministry had proposed several measures to reduce energy usage, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Friday. The PM added that he wanted clear goals and effective evaluation of the energy-saving push.

All agencies must achieve the 20 per cent cut within the set timeframe and report back via the set channels, Prayut told a meeting of the National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) on Friday.

The meeting also approved the purchase of 282.93 megawatts of electricity from 34 small power producers (SPP) and very small power producers (VSPP) under the feed-in-tariff (FiT) mechanism. The electricity will supply commercial users in 2025-2026.

Meanwhile the NEPC green-lighted plans under the National Power Development Plan 2018-2037 to increase generation of clean energy and buy renewable energy from producers with no fuel costs. It tasked the Energy Regulatory Commission with drafting the regulations and selection process for the purchase.

No other measures to tackle soaring energy prices or their burden on the public were discussed during the meeting.

Published : May 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015317

Prachuap Khiri Khan and 14 other southern provinces have been placed on alert for flash floods and water runoff from today until Tuesday (May 7-10).

The other 14 southern provinces on flood alert are Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Patthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, and Satun.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department issued the alert after a forecast of thundershowers and heavy rain by the Thailand Meteorological Department. The department’s weather bulletin on Friday said a brewing cyclone in the Bay of Bengal will bring strong southeasterly winds across the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf from today until Monday.

Thundershowers with isolated heavy rains are forecast over the country, while people in the South should beware of the severe weather conditions that may cause flash floods and overflows.

The disaster prevention department is coordinating with local authorities and the military to monitor the situation and prepare equipment including sandbags, boats and water pumps. It also advised people to follow the meteorological department’s weather updates or download the mobile application “Thai Disaster Alert”.

To report flood-related damage or disasters, contact the 1784 hotline or Line @1784DDPM.

Published : May 07, 2022

By : THE NATION