The National Health Security Office has fine-tuned the role of its hotline 1330 to helping callers identify their level of Covid-19 symptoms so that they could seek proper treatment.
NHSO secretary-general Dr Jadet Thamthataree said on Wednesday that the role of hotline 1330 has been tweaked since the Public Health Ministry changed its policy on how to treat people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Since March 1, the ministry has treated infected people with mild or no symptoms as outpatients, asking them to seek medication based on their symptoms from hospitals where they have rights, and stay at home to recover from the virus.
Since March 16, Covid treatment has been removed from the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (UCEP) policy that allowed infected people to seek treatments at any hospital. The disease has instead been put on the list of UCEP Plus, meaning only patients with moderate (yellow) and severe (red) conditions could seek treatment from any hospital with the government footing the bills.
Jadet said the 1330 hotline has been adapted accordingly. He said an infected person must dial 1330 and press 14 to enter the symptom diagnosis procedure.
If they are found to be people in vulnerable groups at risk of developing severe conditions, they will be passed on to hospitals for treatment. If not, they will be told to stay at home.
Jadet said the NHSO has also opened a special line 1330 (press 18) for diagnosis of infected people who are elderly, people with eight underlying illnesses, bed-ridden patients, disabled and children under 5. If officials decide that the patients are at risk of developing severe symptoms, they will find hospitals for them, Jadet said.
He said the hotline 1330 is just a supplement system of the Covid-19 treatment system of each province. He said the infected people can check details on how to get help from the provincial administration from the website of the provincial public health office.
Covid-19 infected people in Bangkok can check the BMA website: https://main.bangkok.go.th/)and its Facebook page; www.facebook.com/prbangkok, Jadet added.
The Thai and Cambodian governments will sign a memorandum of understanding soon to crack down on call-centre scammers and operators of online gambling dens, the government spokesman said on Wednesday.
Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said representatives of the two governments were in the process of consulting on the MOU draft that is aimed at promoting digital cooperation between the two countries.
He said the cooperation would focus on joint efforts to suppress call-centre gangs and online gambling operators.
Thanakorn said the discussions with Cambodia reflected the government’s stepped-up efforts to target scammers and online gambling websites following an order by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The spokesman said Prayut had instructed all government agencies concerned to join forces to step up the crackdown.
Thanakorn said the Police Cyber Taskforce recently raided the operational base of a network of four gambling websites in Nonthaburi. The network had more than 200,000 clients with Bt200 million a month in circulation.
The spokesman said the Digital Economy and Society Ministry had also integrated its operations with other government agencies to suppress call-centre gangs and gambling websites.
The cooperation has led to the arrest of as many as 6,348 suspects covering 5,517 cases during the past year.
Owners of 344 bank accounts have also been arrested for allowing their accounts to be used by the gangsters. Thanakorn said the accounts have been used to inflict damages worth Bt569 million on victims.
He said the cooperation among government agencies also resulted in the closure of 742 URLs or gambling web addresses in the first three months of the year. The websites were blamed for causing damages worth Bt157 million to Thais.
Prayut had also instructed government agencies concerned to launch awareness campaigns so that people won’t fall victim to call-centre gangs again, Thanakorn added.
The cabinet on Tuesday tasked the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry and National Telecom with establishing and operating a Government Cloud, a massive central computing network to facilitate digital operations.
“The initial phase of the project will last three years – from 2023 to 2025 – under a budget of 6.2 billion baht,” deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul said on Tuesday.
This budget will be divided into the following:
– Rental fee of a cloud system featuring at least 25,000 VMs (virtual machines) at 3.85 billion baht
– Rental fee for data storage space of 3,000 terabytes, costing 578 million baht
– Service fee for log and security management costing 1.35 billion baht
– Database licence fee at 229 million baht
– Cloud marketplace fee of 150 million baht
– Service fee for 24/7 call centres, costing 57 million baht.
“The DES Ministry has estimated that the Government Cloud project will help the government save on its digital infrastructure budget related to cloud rental services from overseas parties by 4.1 billion baht, or 76.2 per cent of the invested budget, but will greatly enhance the security of Thailand’s information technology system as cloud operators will be based here in Thailand,” said Traisulee.
“The Government Cloud project will also be an important steppingstone toward the transition of a traditional government into a digital one, and will fully utilise big data for efficient administration and policymaking,” she added.
Thai durians were transported into China’s border town of Mohan via Nong Khai after the Chinese government approved imports of the fruit.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Mananya Thaiset said Department of Agriculture director-general Rapeepat Chantarasriwong informed her on Wednesday morning that Thai durians have reached the Chinese town of Mohan in Yunnan province via Nong Khai.
She said it confirmed the success of Thailand’s Covid-19 prevention measures according to recommendations from the Chinese government. She also congratulated Thai farmers for the success.
Rapeepat said a Nong Khai checkpoint official said she had not inspected the products because the Chinese official asked her to adjust the plant health certificate before sending it back.
A representive of the operator sent the document back to the official after adjustments were made, facilitating the transport of the durian to Mohan.
Six state enterprise unions urged the government on Wednesday to reconsider the new electricity tariff and voiced opposition to privatisation of public utility services.
Unions from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, the Provincial Waterworks Authority and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) held a meeting and formed a network of state enterprise workers in the drug, electricity and water sectors and “for the people”.
PEA Union president Kittichai Saisa-ard said the network agreed to campaign to protect the people’s interest related to drug and public utility services.
He said the network would launch its campaign by submitting a letter to the government, asking it to reconsider the new so-called floating time (FT) rate that is used to calculate electricity bills. The government approved the new FT rate in mid-March that would result in an increase of fees starting with Bt4 per unit.
Kittichai said his network would on Thursday submit the letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asking him to reconsider the FT rate because it would affect the people. Kittichai suggested that instead of increasing the FT rate, Egat should lower the amount of electricity purchased from private power plants to reduce costs.
He said the network agreed on the following demands to be submitted to the government:
– The government must review the FT rate and have state power plants produce more electricity while lowering purchases from private plants.
– The government must not privatise public utilities services but subsidise the costs of state firms.
– The government must support the GPO to produce medicine and vaccines so that people can get access to enough and cheap drugs and vaccines.
– The government must not sell state firms, which are national assets, and should avoid taking any action to weaken these firms.
Kittichai said the network would give the government 15 days.
“If the government does nothing after 15 days, unionists from Egat, the PEA and MEA will descend on Government House to ask about our demands,” he warned.
The European Union’s directorate-general for environment, Astrid Schomaker, emphasised the importance of the EU’s Green Deal goal, urging Thai companies to integrate their businesses towards a sustainable economy for opportunities in the European Union.
Schomaker made the remarks in an exclusive interview with The Nation during her March 26-29 visit to Bangkok.
The EU Green Deal, which has been adopted and designed as a systemic response to the three major issues of climate change, biodiversity and pollution, is a sustainable growth strategy as well as the driving force behind the EU’s internal and external policies, including trade.
It is also intended to transform environmental challenges into opportunities for business, growth and job creation.
As for Thailand carrying out business with the EU within the Green Deal framework, Schomaker pointed out three important initiatives – the legislative proposal for Deforestation, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and mandatory social and environmental due diligence across supply chains.
Thai companies can gradually adapt in order to integrate their businesses and move towards a sustainable economy with the EU because, despite the challenges, this would create increasing opportunities for businesses that would benefit from technological progress and experience exchanges, she said, adding that the EU is ready to support its partners in terms of technical assistance for businesses which want to embark on a green innovative and digital transition journey.
Schomaker made it clear that any Thai companies looking to conduct long-term business can rely on the EU’s openness.
From the government and business end to collaborating for good understanding of upcoming requirements and seeking guidance, Thailand can turn to concerned European Commission services and their representatives based in the kingdom, she said.
Furthermore, they can seek recommendations, support and assistance from European and bilateral Chambers of Commerce, which have extensive knowledge and experience in the field of sustainability, as the “EU is the most advanced global player in terms of environmental technologies, renewable energies, sustainable farming, and more”, she added.
Schomaker said there would be challenges ahead in order to move forward sustainability, but “we must think about our future generations and the world in which they will live. Let us be inconvenienced for now in order to have a much better green future”, she concluded.
A policeman was killed and three officers injured in a bomb ambush in Yala’s Bannang Sata district on Wednesday morning.
The attack took place at 10am on the Bacho-Bang Lang Dam Road in Moo 4 village in Tambon Bacho.
Pol Sergeant Wiwat Rakchart, a unit commander of the Bannang Sata police station, died at the scene after shrapnel from the homemade bomb tore through his throat.
The three injured policemen were identified as Pol Lance Corporal Natchapol Prommanee, Pol Corporal Sufree Norapha, and Pol Lt-Corporal Assarawut Rapom.
They were rushed to Yala provincial hospital.
The four were travelling in a pickup truck to deliver a summons order to a suspect in Tambon Bacho.
When they arrived at the scene, an unknown number of insurgents detonated the homemade bomb buried in the middle of the road. The explosion caused a hole in the road and its impact sent the pickup truck tumbling onto the roadside.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on Wednesday approved the organising of activities to mark Songkran pending a go-ahead from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
The CCSA is expected to soon consider regulations related to the activities, so the BMA can organise them in line with the regulations, which are to come into effect on April 1, said BMA permanent secretary Kajit Chatchavanich.
He went on to explain that participants, however, must undergo strict anti-Covid rules, such as refraining from splashing water, using perfumed powder, organising foam parties and selling or consuming alcoholic drinks in public areas such as roads.
“As for family gatherings, people will be allowed to pay their respects to their elders, but they should organise activities in well-ventilated areas, wear face masks all the time, maintain a social distance and avoid dining together for extended periods,” he advised, adding that the elderly should be fully vaccinated before participating.
Kajit said up to eight venues, including landmark areas and temples, have asked permission to organise Songkran activities, while up to 46 Bangkok district offices said they would not hold any activities.
He said the reason why the 46 offices refrained from organising Songkran activities was the election of Bangkok governor and Bangkok Metropolitan Council.
Kajit went on to say that event organisers who want to hold activities with less than 1,000 participants must request permission from the BMA’s Health Department “at least five days before the event begins”.
Meanwhile, a source from the BMA’s Communicable Disease Committee said stores around venues where Songkran activities are organised can sell alcoholic drinks, but they must pass the SHA or SHA Plus standards and strictly undergo measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved urgent measures worth 45.10 billion baht to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices.
The measures aim to relieve the expense burden on workers in the transportation and agriculture sectors, as well as low-income earners, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.
The urgent measures include:
> Raising the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by only 15 baht per cylinder from April to June. The price will rise to 333 baht in April, 348 baht in May and 363 baht in June. This measure, to cost 6.38 billion baht, will come from the Oil Fund.
> Maintaining the natural gas for vehicles (NGV) retail price at 15.59 baht per kilogramme from April to June. The measure, costing 1.59 billion baht, will be carried out by PTT.
> Reducing the fuel tariff (FT) by 22 satang per unit for those who use no more than 300 units per month of electricity from May to August. The measure, to cost between 2 billion and 3.5 billion baht, will come from this year’s central budget.
> Maintaining the diesel retail price at 30 baht per litre until the end of April. After that, the government will tackle the excess diesel price by half, or around 8 baht per litre, from May to June. This measure will cost 33.14 billion baht and come from the Oil Fund and the Excise Department.
> Up to 157,000 motorcycle taxi drivers who had registered with the Department of Land Transport will receive a gasohol discount of 250 baht per month from May to July. The measure will cost 120 million baht and come from this year’s central budget.
> Up to 17,460 taxi drivers who participated in the “NGV for the Same Breath” scheme can purchase NGV at 13.62 baht per kilogramme, but not exceeding a total 10,000 baht per month, from April to June. This measure, to cost 171 million baht, will be operated by PTT.
> Increasing the discount on cooking gas for 3.6 million state welfare cardholders from 45 baht to 100 baht per person per month from April to June. The measure will cost 200 million baht and come from this year’s central budget.
> Up to 5,500 hawkers who hold state welfare cards will receive a discount of 100 baht per month on cooking gas from April to June. The measure will cost 1.65 million baht and be operated by PTT.
> Reducing social security contributions from 5 per cent to 1 per cent for 490,000 employers and 11.2 million employees under Section 33 from May to July.
> Reducing the contribution of 1.9 million insurers under Social Security Section 39 from 9 per cent to 1.9 per cent from May to July. This measure also includes the reduction in contribution by 10.7 million insurers under Section 40 from between 70 and 300 baht to between 42 and 180 baht from February to July.
“Separately, the Commerce and Agriculture ministries are accelerating guidelines to tackle fertiliser and animal feed issues, while the Oil Fund will suspend compensation payment for high-speed diesel from April,” Rachada said.
“Meanwhile, the Cabinet has allocated money for the Oil Fund to maintain the stability of energy prices in the country and gain confidence among financial institutions in granting loans for the fund.”
The Transport Ministry has been instructed to reduce expenses on registration renewals for trucks and public buses as well, Rachada said.
The Cabinet has meanwhile appointed the Finance Ministry, the National Economic and Social Development Council, the Budget Bureau and the Bank of Thailand to monitor and improve measures to help people amid rising global energy prices, she added.
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, The Nation Multimedia Group brought together six political party leaders and two top CEOs to share their vision of where the country is headed.
Participating in the event, held on Monday at the Centara Grand Convention Centre, were veteran politicians like Jurin Laksanawisit, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, Dr Uttama Savanayana, Varawut Silpa-archa and Korn Chatikavanij, and political newcomer Sirikanya Tansakun.
Shine Bunnag, CEO, The Nation Group mad epening remarks at the Nation Dinner Talk
It’s been two years since The Nation held a dinner talk due to the Covid-19 crisis. And today, The Nation is very pleased to welcome you back to speak under the concept, “Thailand Future 2022”.
For the past two years, humanity has been challenged by a natural calamity and it may be considered one of the toughest challenges in history.
Over 482 million people have been infected and more than 6 million have lost their lives to this epidemic, which froze economies and the way of life for the whole world. Both education and public health have entered a crisis.
It’s been more than two years, and the Covid-19 virus still exists, and with the Russia-Ukraine war pushing up prices, it has become a crisis inside a crisis.
Plus the problem of traditional management structure delaying reform has affected development, while the country’s competitiveness has dropped. This, coupled with the political situation facing a crisis of faith, is making people lose hope.
In line with all these factors, we often hear questions about Thailand’s future and what it should look like.
Nation Group, as a media organisation, has set up “The Nation Dinner Talk: Thailand Future 2022” as a platform to share ideas and visions for the future. It is also serving as a medium for two leading CEOs, who drive their organisations with social responsibility, as well as leaders of political parties to share their views on the fields of economy, society, education, public health and environment. If they were to run the country, what direction do they see Thailand taking?
Also sharing their perspective on the subject of the “Future of Thailand that Everybody Wants to See” were Siam Commercial Bank’s chief executive officer Arthid Nanthawithaya and PTT president Auttapol Rerkpiboon.
While speaking on the subject, Arthid said Phuket could be converted into a digital hub, while Chiang Mai could follow in Chinese city Chengdu’s footsteps and transform into a tourism hub.
Auttapol, meanwhile, believes Thailand should shift its focus to green energy and cultivating value-added agricultural products. He also said Thailand could transform into the Detroit of Asia through the expansion of the EV industry, become a medical hub in Asia as well as a centre for e-sports and the metaverse. According to him, the up-and-coming trends now are sustainability and health.
Meanwhile, each politician was given seven minutes to put forward their thoughts on the direction Thailand is headed and where it should go. Here’s what they said:
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit
Democrat Party leader
The Democrat Party’s aim is to focus on developing urban areas and injecting money into the economy. Inequality, which is a big problem in the country, has to be reduced and to do this political parties need to modernise their viewpoints. At present, Democrat is the only party that has an economic team. Political parties must be the first to introduce changes and adopt new economic mechanisms like e-commerce, blockchain, metaverse, etc. Thailand also needs to build a balance between democracy and a healthy economy if it wants to survive.
Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan
Thai Sang Thai Party chairperson
We must rebuild Thailand’s strengths, such as the tourism and health sectors, and its world-famous cuisine. We also need to make the most of the new era and work towards turning Thailand into a digital hub. For this, we need to invest in building a population that is armed with a good, top-quality education that can help improve people’s quality of life and open the door to more opportunities. The public also requires better healthcare and pension schemes, because our society is ageing and if this is not done, we will be a country full of poor old people with medical problems. Finally, all political parties must be transformed into people’s parties that work for the people.
Dr Uttama Savanayana
Sang Anakot Thai Party, founder
The development and future of the Thai people are being hindered by the lack of reforms. It’s time for us to come together and drive change, so the young have more opportunities to work with experienced politicians and build stronger, better futures. Today, I invite everyone to come together to build Thailand’s future based on five guidelines:
• A strong economic foundation,
• A strong industrial sector
• A developed digital economy
• A just and supportive society
• A public that is ready for rapid changes and can help build constructive politics that does not create dissension.
This will help Thailand turn into a true democracy.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa
Chartthaipattana Party, chair of policy and strategy committee
For the past two to three years, Thailand has suffered from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and political turmoil. But as minister of natural resources and environment, I have learned that though Thailand is a small country, it has an abundance and can become the breadbasket of the world. However, old farming techniques such as using chemical fertilisers is no longer applicable. To strengthen Thailand’s agricultural sector, it needs new technology.
Chartthaipattana proposed the idea of using new farming technology combined with old-school knowledge. For instance, Thailand is coordinating with Germany to implement new concepts in rice cultivation that uses less water and more organic fertilisers to result in a bigger harvest. The plan is to export top-quality produce that has the least impact on the environment. The goal is to move forward by creating new strengths and developing a greener economy.
Former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij
Kla Party, leader
Thailand is facing an economic crisis that is far different from the problems in the past, such as the 1997 Tom Yum Kung crisis. People today are suffering from a drop in income and a soaring cost of living. And these problems are not just limited to the poor, the middle class is also in serious trouble. Thailand’s hope was to build a bigger middle-class population, but the young people who are about to graduate are feeling hopeless because there are no opportunities on the horizon.
Over the past two years, the Thai economy has taken a hit from the Covid-19 crisis and now it’s facing a crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Policies set in the past do not work any longer. The quality of education must be improved and personnel must have access to technology and training in innovative thinking systems. However, this will not be possible if Thailand maintains its red tape. The government must be digitised and fit in our mobiles – it should be of better quality and cost less.
Sirikanya Tansakun
Move Forward Party, policy director
With the ongoing crises and challenges, Thailand requires a government that has the potential and capacity to solve people’s problems. With up to 40 per cent of the country’s annual budget going towards medical care, pensions and salaries of government officials, very little is left behind to tackle real issues. Also, this government is focused on helping big companies, when in reality it should unlock the local economy and create more opportunities for the people.
Separately, when the panel was asked if the current government would be gone before Thailand hosts the Apec Summit in November, only two politicians spoke up.
Khunying Sudarat said she believed this government would see through the summit before dissolving because it would wait to reap the benefits of the international event. Also, she said, it will have more funds to launch new populist schemes to ensure a clean sweep in the next elections.
Jurin, meanwhile, said it would depend on the government’s stability, though he saw no signs indicating House dissolution before Apec 2022.
When they arrived at the scene, an unknown number of insurgents detonated the homemade bomb buried in the middle of the road. The explosion caused a hole in the road and its impact sent the pickup truck tumbling onto the roadside.
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