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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014329

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is gearing up for a 106 per cent jump in passenger numbers during next week’s long Songkran holiday, general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said on Friday.

Atotal of 551,665 travellers are expected to use the airport between April 9 and 18 – an average of 55,167 per day, he said.

The majority will be domestic passengers, estimated at 356,181, while195,484 international travellers are expected to pass through the airport next week.

That represents an increase of 106.6 per cent from the same period last year.

A total of 4,715 flights will be available during the extended nine-day Songkran holiday, or an average of 472 flights per day.

The flight volume represents an increase of just 0.68 per cent when compared to the same period last year.

Kittipong said that the airport has prepared amenities, personnel and services to meet the expected increase in passenger volume and aviation traffic during the holiday.

This year’s long Thai New Year holiday starts on April 13 and ends on April 17. However, many Songkran revellers are expected to take extra leave days on April 11 and 12 so they can enjoy a nine-day holiday from April 9 to April 17.

Suvarnabhumi Airport is also offering free parking at its Zone C long-term car park from April 11 to April 17. A shuttle bus service will also be available round the clock.

Published : April 08, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014326

It’s become a tradition for the Transport Ministry to waive expressway toll fees during long public holidays to facilitate traffic flow and ease people’s financial burden.

This year’s Songkran festival, which will be marked from April 13-17, will also see motorists zooming down expressways for free.

Here is a list of which expressways will be free and when:

• Burapha Withi and Kanchanaphisek: April 12-18

• Si Rat, Udon Ratthaya, Chaloem Maha Nakhon: April 13-15

• Motorway No 7 (Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya), Motorway No 9 (Bang Pa-in–Bang Phli-Phra Pra Daeng-Bang Khunthien: April 12-18

• Motorway No 6 (Bang Pa-in–Nakhon Ratchasima) 64km from Pak Chong to Kham Thale So: April 11-17

Motorway No 6 will be open to one-way traffic to Nakhon Ratchasima from April 11-14 and to Bang Pa-in from April 15-18

Suvarnabhumi Airport’s parking lot Zone C will also be free from April 11-17.

Published : April 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014325

Thailand’s first-ever auction of “special licence plates” saw stiff competition among bidders on Thursday, with a top price of 18.5 million baht paid for the most auspicious plate.

The Department of Land Transport (DLT) has auctioned off the so-called vanity licence plates every year since 2003 to raise money for the Road Safety Fund, which has now accumulated over 4 billion baht.

The proceeds from Thursday’s auction at Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel added about 100 million baht to the fund.

This year was the first time that special-format licence plates approved earlier this year by the Cabinet joined the auction roster. A special format plate can contain up to seven consonants, vowels or tone marks, and can be followed by a number. The plate can contain a person’s name or any words approved by the DLT.

“This year 273 people joined the auction for 84 licence plates, either in person at the hotel or via the real-time online auction at www.tabienrod.com,” said director-general Jirut Wisaljit.

The hottest plate this year was “รวย 9999”, which carries the word “rich” in Thai followed by the most auspicious combination of numerals. The starting price of 1.5 million baht attracted furious competition from 33 bidders. The last one standing after no less than 424 bids was an internet user by the name of “Whatever”, who won the plate with a bid of 18.56 million baht.

The second hottest plate was “รวย 8888”, which carried the same starting price of 1.5 million baht and attracted 14 bidders. The battle for the plate lasted 320 bids, before Wassana Inthasaeng, the 37-year-old managing director of Revomed cosmetics company, won the plate with an offer of 11.1 million baht.

Wassana said the plate would be attached to her new Bentley to bring good fortune to herself and the cosmetics company.

“This year’s auction has raised around 100 million baht from auction winners, who will have 30 days to pay for the plates they bought,” said Jirut. “The money will be used to help victims of road accidents and to support safety campaigns under the Road Safety Fund.”

However, the top bid of 18.56 million baht this year was only the third-highest winning bid in the 19 years of DLT licence-plate auctions.

The record bid is 28.1 million baht, paid for the plate “8กก 8888” while second-highest is the 25 million baht winning bid for “1กก 1111”.

Published : April 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014317

Only three of Bangkok’s 50 districts will organise Songkran celebrations this year during the April 11-17 holiday period, amid concern that Covid-19 cases could soar.

The Department of Disease Control estimates a worst-case scenario of 100,000 infections per day if people do not obey Covid-19 restrictions during the holiday period.

Public festivities in the capital will be held by district offices in Phra Khanong, Bang Bon and Lat Phrao districts, said Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) permanent secretary Khajit Chatchavanich.

The Songkran celebrations will focus on Thai traditions and maintain strict Covid-19 prevention measures, he said.

“There will be no foam parties, daubing with face powder, or selling or drinking alcohol in the activity areas. Participants must wear face masks and pass thermal scanning checkpoints,” Khajit said.

From April 11-17, the BMA will also establish security checkpoints on major roads in all 50 districts to ensure that people obey the ban on water splashing, face-powder daubing and foam parties in public.

“Also, the city will establish service tents on the side of major roads leading to other regions, such as Vibhavadi Rangsit, Debaratana [Bangna-Trat], Suwinthawong, Phetkasem and Rama II roads, to facilitate people as they travel to their hometowns during the Songkran festival,” said Khajit.

“Each tent will have officials standing by to provide information on routes and traffic conditions, as well as health officials and mechanics in case of accidents and/or vehicle malfunctions.”

On Friday, Thailand recorded 29,140 new cases of Covid-19 and 89 fatalities.

Published : April 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014313

Public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered all provincial public health officials on standby during the “7 dangerous days” of Songkran, when traffic accidents soar as people travel back to their hometowns for festivities.

“All public hospitals have also been told to prepare their emergency rooms and stock up on medicines in anticipation of high trauma patients from April 11-17,” he said.

“Also, hospitals must have transport ready to transfer patients to nearby hospitals in case their beds are at full capacity.”

Anutin also ordered the Department of Disease Control (DDC) to supply Covid-19 vaccine to provincial hospitals and vaccination units. He urged public health officers to vaccinate people in the 608 group before Songkran get-togethers, to prevent cluster outbreaks at the community level.

The 608 group comprises seniors aged 60-plus, patients with aged 12-plus with one of seven chronic diseases, and women from their 12th week of pregnancy onwards.

People in this group are susceptible to developing severe symptoms if they contract Covid-19.

“Before heading back home during Songkran, people should make sure that all family members are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for the safety of everyone,” added Anutin. “If it has been more than six months since your last shot, it is time to get a booster shot to keep your immunity high.”

Published : April 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014312

Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (April 8) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 25,140 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 100 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 89, while 24,854 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,609,613.
 

Published : April 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014305

Fishery groups from across the country have applied to sell almost 800 of their fishing vessels to the government, in the face of harsher rules aimed at curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

National Fisheries Association of Thailand president Mongkol Sukcharoenkana on Thursday said a total of 792 fishing boats were offered to be sold to the government, as their owners can no longer shoulder the higher costs.

He blamed the situation on “unreasonably severe penalties” set by the Emergency Decree on Fisheries, which became more stringent after its latest amendment in 2017.

Due to the rules, fishing boats can only be used for 240 days per year while the owners have the burden of covering the costs for the entire year, Mongkol said.

Also, the fishery industry is facing a shortage of workforce, he added, blaming the problem on the government’s policy that is “incompatible with reality”.

“The Thai fisheries industry is dying. Commercial fishery has decreased 60 per cent and the catches account for less than 40 per cent of the previous amount,” Mongkol said.

“Thailand will soon have to import seafood for domestic consumption,” he added.

The fishing boats bought by the government will be taken out of the system in order to meet the country’s maximum sustainable yield (MSY) set by the National Fisheries Policy Council. MSY is the largest average catch that can be captured from a stock under existing environmental conditions.

Of the 792 fishing boats set to be sold to the government, 766 are permitted for commercial fishing while the remaining 26 have no such permit.

The boats are from Bangkok and seaside provinces in the Central region, eastern seaboard and the South.

Pattani accounts for most of them, with 164 fishing boats offered to be sold, followed by Samut Prakan (116), Samut Songkhram (109), Nakhon Si Thammarat (94), and Chumphon (65).

IUU fishing is a global issue, as industry observers believe it occurs in most fisheries, accounting for up to 30 per cent of total catches in some important fisheries.

Under the “carding scheme” adopted by the European Union to tackle the scourge of illegal fishing, Thailand was given a “yellow card” as a warning of potential EU sanctions for ignoring IUU fishing. The EU action in 2015 prompted the Thai government to get stricter with the fishery industry.

Published : April 07, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014304

The state-run Transport Co Ltd is offering a 20 per cent discount to those who buy its tickets for travel between April 7-9.

The promotional campaign is held to welcome the long Songkran holiday next week.

Transport Co Ltd president Sanyalux Panwattanalikit said on Thursday that the discount (excluding the relevant fees) applies to everyone who buys interprovincial bus tickets via the E-Ticket mobile application, the company’s website (www.transport.co.th), or any of its ticket booths across the country.

The non-refundable tickets must be purchased for travel sometime between April 7 and 9.

Sanyalux said that Transport Co Ltd was well prepared for an expected increase in interprovincial travels during the upcoming Thai New Year festival.

He said that safety of passengers was his company’s top priority. All drivers must be free from narcotics and alcoholic drinks. Also, bus hostesses are required to take antigen Covid tests every three days.

Published : April 07, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014303

Kerry Express delivery service provider is distributing free “care boxes” to asymptomatic Covid patients who are in home isolation.

Kerry Express (Thailand) chief operations officer Warawut Natpradith said on Thursday that the company is delivering its Kerry Care Boxes to “green” Covid patients at their homes.

“Kerry Express is ready to take part in the effort to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in Thailand,” he said.

In the box, there are necessary items for home isolation and treatment, including face masks, paracetamol pills, cough syrup, alcohol, Fa Talai Jon herbal capsules, and a thermometer.

Online registration is open at https://bit.ly/3Imvslrfrom

 April 7 to 21 for “green” Covid patients who want to get Kerry Care Boxes delivered to their homes.

This type of Covid patients refers to those who test positive for the coronavirus but show no symptoms. They are often advised by healthcare professionals to be in home isolation during their treatment.

Published : April 07, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014302

The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday resolved to ask the prime minister to rescind a part of a Covid-19 emergency order that is seen as violating the freedom of expression.

Sant Phaileeklee, a member of the commission, held a press conference at the NHRC Office to announce the resolution of the commission, which required Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to rescind the 11th point of the 27th Covid-19 emergency situation order within 60 days.

Last year, Prayut had invoked Section 9 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations BE 2548 (2005) to issue the 27th Covid-19 emergency order dated July 10 2021.

In August 2021, six media professional organisations jointly submitted a petition to the NHRC to consider whether the 11th point of the 27th order restricted the freedom of press. The six organisations are: National Press Council of Thailand, Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, Thai Journalists Association, News Broadcasting Council of Thailand, National Union of Journalists Thailand, and Society for Online News Providers.

The media organisations said the order restricted the right to information and freedom of expression for the people and the media.

Sant said the NHRC considered and found that the 11th point of the 27th order, which banned media reports that could cause panic among the people related to the Covid-19 pandemic, did restrict the right to free information and freedom of expression.

Sant said the NHRC saw the point has too wide a scope and it is ambiguous and could be interpreted in many ways. Sant said the law enforcers might interpret the publicity of true reports or expression of innocent opinions as an action that could cause panic among the public.

As a result, the commission resolved that the prime minister in his capacity as the chairman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration must revoke the 11th point of the 27th order.

Wasant said the NHRC will inform the CCSA to rescind the 11th point of the 27th Covid emergency order within 60 days.

Published : April 07, 2022

By : THE NATION