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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014232

The owner of Bluedragon said on Wednesday that his company should not be blamed for overpriced lottery tickets as it “only provides an online platform for some 39,000 small vendors”.

Executive Pachara Messiyaporn, 29, promptly held a press conference with his lawyer, Ananchai Chaiyadej, to dismiss allegations that his firm bought up some 2 million tickets for sales during each biweekly draw, thus leading to overpriced tickets.

The allegations were made by Seksakol Atthaworng, an assistant to a PM’s Office minister, and Pol Lt-General Surachet Hakpal, an assistant to the National Police chief.

Seksakol and Surachet led a team of police officers to comb through Bluedragon’s head office and branches on March 25. They discovered more than 2 million lottery tickets, which were reportedly duly seized.

Surachet alleged that Bluedragon overcharged buyers of tickets via its online platform by Bt20 to Bt30, causing the tickets to be overpriced nationwide.

Pachara said the allegations against his company were not fair and the searches caused “damage” to the firm.

He claimed his online platform only provided a venue for some 39,000 vendors to sell tickets so buyers could shop “more conveniently”.

Pachara insisted his company had nothing to do with setting of the prices and these were solely decided upon set by the vendors themselves, while buyers could browse through the vendor list to find prices acceptable to them.

Pachara also claimed his company received only Bt5 per lottery ticket as a scanning fee and providing the online platform service.

He explained that the Government Lottery of Thailand issued100 million tickets for each draw and 31 million are allocated for sale to its registered middlemen for distribution to associations, foundations, retail vendors and the handicapped. The remaining 69 million are handed to small vendors via an advanced booking system.

Pachara said several authorised and unauthorised middlemen resold tickets to retail vendors at inflated prices, prompting the vendors in turn to sell the tickets at higher prices.

When the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, small vendors suffered as buyers preferred not to purchase or even touch the tickets, so he initiated the Bluedragon platform to make it convenient for buyers to meet vendors, he explained.

Pachara said the scanned lottery tickets would be kept in a “strong room” of the company to prevent vendors from selling the tickets again after they are sold online.

He claimed that when a buyer agreed to purchase a ticket from a vendor, he or she would transfer money to the vendor’s bank account.

“So, the allegation that Bluedragon was the main cause for the overpriced tickets is not fair to the company. Everybody knows the stalls at the mouths of sois are already selling overpriced tickets,” he bemoaned.

Bluedragon is also a main sponsor of Thai League 3 football apparently because of the profits earned from the online platform.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014231

Expert virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan is inviting children aged between 5 and 11 who have received two Sinovac or Sinopharm jabs to take part in a clinical study that will provide them with Pfizer as the third jab.

He went on Facebook on Wednesday to say that the number of children who have been infected with Covid-19 has risen sharply because immunity developed by two Sinovac or Sinopharm doses is not enough to prevent infection.

He pointed out that the young ones should receive a mRNA jab as the third dose to stimulate immunity in the long term, adding it’s best they receive the third jab a month after the second.

“In this regard, Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology will conduct a clinical study on a Pfizer booster jab for children who have already received two Sinovac or Sinopharm doses,” he said.

“This has received approval from the university’s committee for human research ethics.”

Yong wrote that children who are eligible to participate must be healthy and should not have been infected with Covid-19 before.

The centre will check the immunity of the young volunteers before and after they receive the booster jab, he said.

It is also willing to administer influenza vaccines depending on consent from parents.

“Parents will individually be informed of the immunity results,” Yong said, adding that the centre is willing to give advice to parents throughout the clinical study.

Interested parents who wish to allow their children to participate can register here.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014227

The elderly aged 60 or above in Samut Prakan’s Phra Samut Chedi district who receive their third Covid-19 jab can stand a chance to win gold ornaments and cash worth more than 50,000 baht.

The campaign, organised by the Phra Samut Chedi District Public Health Office and the private sector, will see lucky draws between April 17 and May 15.

The office is also inviting residents to get vaccinated at subdistrict health promotion hospitals in the area – Ban Khlong Naklua Noi, Ban Khun Samut Chin, Ban Khlong Thale, Na Klua, Khlong Ka-om, Laem Fah Pha, Phra Samut Chedi, Ban Khlong Suan, Ban Khu Sang and Khlong Bang Pla Kot.

“A variety of Covid-19 vaccines, such as Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, are available at subdistrict health promotion hospitals,” the Phra Samut Chedi District Public Health Office added.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014225

The government is primed to launch additional measures to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) after bookings accelerated at the 43rd Bangkok International Motor Show, Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said on Tuesday.

As many as 3,000 EVs were booked at the event between March 23 and April 3, accounting for 10 per cent of all vehicle orders.

Supattanapong said the ministry is looking at the number of automakers which would join the government’s EV incentive campaign.

Additional measures include the promotion of charging stations to support increasing demand and the promotion of battery manufacturing factories in the country to boost industry efficiency, said Supattanapong.

“The government will attract large automakers to manufacture and sell EVs in Thailand,” the minister said.

He went on to say that there are no new measures to mitigate rising energy prices after the government launched 10 measures to ease the cost of living.

The ministry would focus on saving 20 per cent of energy along with measures to alleviate increasing energy prices in the short term, he said.

“The government will seek cooperation from entrepreneurs on this issue.”

There is no need to go in for more loans as fuel prices are starting to fall, he said, adding: “However, we cannot let our guard down because the situation is still uncertain.”

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014224

The National Health Security Office (NHSO), Thailand Post Distribution (THPD) and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) reached an agreement to deliver Favipiravir to Covid-19 patients under the Home Isolation scheme on Tuesday.

NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathat-Aree said this cooperation aims to boost the efficiency of providing treatment to Covid-19 patients amid the pandemic and cope with the expected rise in Covid-19 cases after the Songkran festival.

“With THPD’s delivery potential and BAAC financial support, the NHSO will be able to deliver Favipiravir to Covid-19 patients quickly, resulting in a decline in risks of developing severe symptoms and death,” he said.

THPD managing director Peera Udomkitsakul noted that the agency has been cooperating with the NHSO in taking care of patients under the social security system.

The THPD has also delivered dialysis solutions, medicines and medical supplies to patients by post, he added.

Meanwhile BAAC executive vice president Paisan Hongtong said the bank had allocated 500,000 baht to support the deliveries.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014222

Nakhon Si Thammarat Governor Kraisorn Wisitwong instructed officials on Tuesday to assist residents suffering from flash floods.

Kraisorn also asked residents to monitor the situation closely and prevent their children from playing with flood water.

“Local officials have been instructed to survey the flood damage at residences and provide assistance to residents,” he said.

As many as 23 districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat have been inundated due to heavy rains in the past three days.

Five districts – Tha Sala, Nopphitam, Khanom, Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat, Hua Sai and Sichon – have witnessed more than 100 millimetres of rainfall.

With cooperation between soldiers and government officials, people are now able to use some roads that had been swamped.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014215

The Government Lottery Office (GLO) revoked the rights of 8,964 sellers on the “Blue Dragon Lottery” platform on Tuesday.

The move came after police raided Blue Dragon’s offices in Nonthaburi and Loei provinces on March 25 as part of a crackdown on chronic overpricing of government lottery tickets. Officers also confiscated 2.02 million lottery tickets.

GLO director Lt-Colonel Noon Sansanakom explained that the 8,964 comprised 1,181 retailers, 181 associations and organisations and 7,602 buyers in advance.

He said any sellers who jack up prices or sell lottery to others are considered a violation of the GLO contract.

“The GLO will immediately revoke the rights of lottery sellers who violate the contract,” he warned.

“Associations and organisations which violate the contract will be unable to sell lottery to their members.”

Noon added that the GLO is also collecting data on lotteries being sold via the Kong Salak Plus platform for an investigation.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014214

Tourists are being invited to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) on Chakri Memorial Day today, Wednesday.

Those who are interested can visit both venues until noon, while they can pay respect to statues of kings of the Chakri dynasty at Phra Thep Bidon castle until 1pm.

However, they are not allowed to visit Phra Ubosot.

Tourists have been asked to dress politely. Men who want to visit Phra Thep Bidon castle must refrain from wearing jeans while women should not wear skirts.

All visitors must strictly undergo measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014213

Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday (April 6) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 24,252 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 87 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 94, while 26,225 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,558,392.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014212

A whopping 3 tonnes of plastic waste has been removed from Phuket beaches in the tourist island’s new battle against its daily torrent of garbage.

On Monday, Phuket Environmental Foundation (PEF) chairman Viroj Phutong hailed the pilot “Less Plastic Phuket” scheme, which seeks to reduce and better manage household and business waste while finding alternatives to single-use plastics.

Viroj said Phuket has suffered an increase in plastic during Covid-19 despite dwindling tourist numbers, as consumers had switched to food delivery services.

The scheme worked with restaurants and the food delivery sector, as well as raising public awareness of the problem, he added. Lending a hand were the Marine Conservation Volunteer Network, 30 government agencies and public, private and civil organisations. PEF also collaborated with the Tamsang-Tamsong food delivery app to cut plastic packaging.

“The foundation also supported eight beach clean-up volunteer groups who collected more than 3,000 kilograms of waste,” he said.

The Marine and Coastal Resources Office created a database to track the beach garbage collected to prevent more from entering the sea.

Phuket deputy governor Amnuay Pinsuwan warned that the amount of plastic waste on the island will rise as more tourists return.

“To find solutions, we need campaigns to raise awareness among the public, private and civil sector,” he said.

Phuket has been selected as the pilot province for a waste management centre focused on reduction and separation at source.

“Less Plastic Phuket” is one of more than 20 pilot initiatives in five countries that are funded by Germany and the EU’s “Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter” project.

Other countries covered include China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Published : April 06, 2022

By : THE NATION