Ministry of Public Health reported on Tuesday (April 5) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 21,088 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 93 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.
Death toll increased by 91, while 27,519 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,534,140.
Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have issued a joint message supporting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Wang Yi held talks with Don, who is also deputy prime minister, in Tunxi, in China’s Anhui province, on Saturday.
During the meeting, Wang Yi cited the important opinions expressed by China’s President Xi Jinping on April 1 to European Union leaders on solving the Ukraine crisis in the current circumstances, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wang Yi and Don discussed the situation related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the two sides agreed on four points:
First, China and Thailand support Russia and Ukraine to continue peace talks until a peace agreement is reached.
Second, the two countries will join hands to prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis and provide humanitarian assistance in time.
Third, the two countries will join hands to curb the negative fallout and maintain the momentum of global economic recovery.
Fourth, the two countries will cherish the hard-won peace and development in the Asian region and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides hoped that all countries will make joint efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
The French ambassador to Thailand on Monday handed over 3.2 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Ambassador Thierry Mathou met Prayut at Government House on Monday morning to formally hand over the vaccine shipment donated to Thailand by France.
After the meeting, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkrongchana said Prayut thanked France for the donation and lauded the envoy for helping coordinate close bilateral ties. The premier also pledged to continue cooperating with France in all dimensions, especially public health so the two countries can pull through the Covid-19 crisis together.
Prayut also promised that the donated vaccines would be distributed fairly among the public.
The vaccines are divided into two parts – 400,140 doses in normal packages with syringes and 2,868,480 ready-to-use doses.
The prime minister added that Thailand will also donate locally made AstraZeneca vaccines to other countries. So far, Thailand has sent shipments of AstraZeneca vaccines to its neighbours and some African countries, Prayut added.
Apart from thanking France for its friendly ties, Prayut also told Mathou that he was monitoring the French presidential elections and hoped everything goes smoothly.
The ambassador, meanwhile, said he was honoured to deliver the vaccines as it highlighted the friendship between the two nations.
Mathou added that he was confident both Thailand and France could exchange knowledge and experience learned from the Covid-19 crisis.
He added that he was ready to promote bilateral ties and the upgrading of a strategic partnership to promote cooperation between France and Asean countries.
Prayut and the envoy also congratulated each other on the signing of a roadmap for further strengthening bilateral ties during the recent Indo-Pacific Foreign Ministers meeting in France.
Prayut also told the ambassador that he believes France, as president of the European Union Council, would help make EU policies more efficient. The two sides also had a constructive discussion about the Russia-Ukraine war, the spokesman added.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants all 5 million vehicles aged over 20 years old to be removed from Thai roads and recycled, citing pollution concerns.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the prime minister feared that allowing “end-of-life” vehicles (ELVs) to remain on streets would contribute to hazardous PM2.5 pollution in cities. He did not elaborate on how government agencies would remove the ageing cars.
Thailand has over 5,033,307 registered vehicles that are over 20 years old, according to data from the Land Transport Department, which registers vehicles.
That figure would grow to 16 million in the next 20 years if no action is taken, the spokesman said.
Prayut said ELVs must be recycled properly so that their parts could be used in industry to help the country reduce steel imports, said Thanakorn. The spokesman added that each vehicle contains up to 69 per cent steel.
Under the prime minister’s initiative, the Industry Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development of Japan for a pilot project to recycle ELVs.
The “ELV Project: End-of-Life Vehicles in Thailand” would be a model for recycling ageing vehicles in Asia.
The PM wants all government agencies concerned to join hands in a nationwide push to recycle ELVs, which would also help reduce scrap waste from old vehicles.
Officers from Bang Na Police Station on Monday asked Phra Khanong Criminal Court to approve the detention of a police corporal suspected of helping his boss kidnap a couple who allegedly owed money to an online gambling operator.
Police investigators took Pol Corporal Apisit Chasanthia, a unit chief of the Hi-Tech Crime Division, to the Phra Khanong court at 9.20am to seek custody for 12 days pending an investigation into his alleged crime.
On Saturday, the Phra Khanong court had allowed police custody until April 13 of
Apisit’s superior, Pol Major Kom Rodphao, an inspector in the division under the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, to investigate the alleged kidnapping.
The court rejected Kom’s bail application, as he could intimidate witnesses.
Apisit and Kom have been charged with conspiring with 13 other men to kidnap and illegally detain Kanchanaporn Chuankrood and Thawatchai Sroythong and forcing them to pay THB400,000 in cash and a gold amulet worth THB650,000 for debt the couple allegedly owed a gambling web operator.
Cyber Crime Investigation commissioner Pol Lt-General Korchai Klayklueng signed an order on Saturday removing Apisit and Kom from police service, pending the outcome of the cases against them.
Apisit hid his face in his shirt and declined to make any remarks while being taken to the court. He said he reserved his right to testify only in court.
Bang Na police commander Pol Colonel Monsek Trakulphanit said police would seek arrest warrants from the Phra Khanong court on Monday for the arrest of four more suspects, who are all civilians.
He said police investigators are still gathering evidence and if more people are implicated by new evidence, police would seek arrest warrants against them.
Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Trairong Phiewphan said on Monday that Bang Na police investigators have asked the sister of Kanchanaporn to contact her and her husband and meet police to help with the investigation.
Police have not yet received any commitment whether the alleged victims would meet the investigators.
Trairong said other alleged accomplices in the kidnapping case also have not yet contacted investigators to turn themselves in.
A stray dog was saved in the nick of time when a rescue volunteer managed to free its head from a plastic jar.
Awoman in Chonburi’s Sattahip district spotted the dog on Saturday and immediately called rescue workers to help the poor animal.
The dog, an abandoned Thai breed, is black and white in colour and believed to be about two years old.
The animal, obviously terrified, would not let anyone near him. However, the rescue worker managed to lure the dog with food and caught him so he could cut off the jar. The operation took about an hour to complete.
The rescuer said that though the rescue operation was difficult, it was fortunate that they got to the dog in time, otherwise the poor animal would have suffocated to death.
He suspects the dog was hungry and was tempted by delicious smells from the jar.
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) is upgrading the Covid-19 hotline to handle up to 30,000 calls per day when people return from Songkran trips.
“Available lines for the 1330 hotline have now been increased to 3,000,” NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathat-Aree said on Sunday.
However, the NHSO will deploy more staffers and volunteers to handle an expected 30,000 calls per day after people return from Songkran family reunions.
“People can also contact the NHSO via non-voice channels, namely the Line official account and Facebook page @NHSO,” Jadet said. These channels can handle up to 10,000 people per day.
Jadet said he expected Covid-19 cases to surge after the week-long Songkran holiday.
“Although most new cases will likely be asymptomatic patients who can be treated at home, health authorities should still make preparations to treat patients in the 608 group.”
The 608 group covers people aged 60-plus, patients with one of seven underlying conditions, and women beyond their 12th week of pregnancy.
The 1330 hotline handles callers who have tested positive for Covid-19, arranging either home or community isolation schemes or transport to a hospital depending on their symptoms. It also provides answers and advice on Covid-19 prevention for people who suspect they have contracted the virus or those in high-risk groups.
The Department of Intellectual Property has stepped in to help two Thai novelists whose works were published in Cambodia without authorisation.
Officials responded after Jamsai Publishing complained that work by its novelists, who use the pseudonyms “Stampberry” and “Pui Fai”, had been found on Cambodian websites and Facebook pages, department director-general Wutthikrai Leeweeraphan said on Sunday. The works were published in the neighbouring country without consent from the authors or the publisher, which holds the copyright.
“The department promptly contacted Cambodia’s Department of Intellectual Property and urged them to delete all of the infringing works from websites and Facebook pages, and order the owners of the sites to publish an apology on their platforms,” said Wutthikrai.
He explained that the department is supporting the government’s soft power campaign by helping negotiate the purchase and sale of copyrighted works both in Thailand and overseas. Part of its duty is to protect Thais from theft of copyright and ensure they are properly compensated for their publications, he added.
Wutthikrai pointed out that each country has its own laws and practices to handle copyright issues.
“Any Thai publishers who encounter intellectual property issues overseas should not hesitate to contact the department for legal advice or any assistance in dealing with foreign authorities,” he said.
The mercury will rise by several degrees across most of Thailand this week, as the hot season arrives in earnest.
The temperature will rise by 3-5 centigrade in upper Thailand over the next four days (April 4-7) as a high-pressure system from China weakens, the Thai Meteorological Department said on Monday.
On Friday and Saturday (April 8-9), a low-pressure cell will cover upper Thailand, resulting in hot weather and haze during the day.
Meanwhile, strong easterly wind across the Gulf of Thailand and the South will lead to thundershowers and isolated heavy rains in the areas throughout the week. People in the South were warned of possible flash flooding. All ships should proceed with caution and avoid thunderstorms.
The Met department said Thailand’s early summer is unusually cool because of strong winds brought by the Chinese high-pressure system, not a polar vortex caused by global warming, as claimed by some experts.
Weather forecast for this week:
North
During April 4-7: A temperature rise of 3-5C with isolated thundershowers. Lows of 19-23C, highs of 30-33C.
During April 8-9: Hot and hazy during the day with isolated thundershowers. Lows of 23-25C, highs of 34-38C.
Northeast
During April 4-7: A temperature rise of 3-5 °C. Lows of 21-23C, highs of 27-34C.
During April 8-9: Hot and haze during the day. Lows of 24-26C, highs of 34-38C.
Central
During April 4-7: A rise of 3-5C with isolated light rain. Lows of 21-25C, highs of 32-34C.
During April 8-9: Hot and hazy during the day. Lows of 21-26C, highs of 35-38C.
East
During April 4-7: A rise of 3-5C. Lows of 23-26C, highs of 32-35C. Waves about 1 metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
During April 8-9: Hot and hazy during the day. Lows of 23-26C, highs of 34-36C. Waves less than 1 metre and about 1 metre offshore.
South (East Coast)
During April 4-9: Scattered thundershowers with isolated heavy to very heavy rain. Lows of 21-25C, highs of 29-35C. Waves about 2 metres and higher during thundershowers.
South (West Coast)
During April 4-9: Scattered thundershowers with isolated heavy rains. Lows of 22-26C, highs of 29-35C. Waves about 1-2 metres and higher during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas
During April 3-7: Cool mornings, strong winds and a temperature rise of 1-3C; isolated thundershowers. Lows of 20-22C, highs of 28-31C.
During April 8-9: A rise of 3-5C with isolated light rains. Lows of 24-27C, highs of 32-37C.
Ministry of Public Health reported on Monday (April 4) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 24,892 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 46 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.
Death toll increased by 97, while 27,254 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,513,052.
The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 3,736,487 – 3,454,380 of whom have recovered, 256,667 are still in hospitals and 25,512 have died.
Separately, another 17,236 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 10,274 their second shot and 58,224 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 130,139,978.
According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 491.81 million on Monday, 426.77 million of whom have recovered, 58.86 million are active cases (55,675 in severe condition) and 6.18 million have died (up by 1,893).
Thailand ranks 28th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 81.83 million, followed by India with 43.03 million, Brazil with 30 million, France with 26 million and Germany with 21.65 million.
Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Trairong Phiewphan said on Monday that Bang Na police investigators have asked the sister of Kanchanaporn to contact her and her husband and meet police to help with the investigation.
SootinClaimon.Com 