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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013907

The operator of online lottery selling platform “Blue Dragon Lottery” said it will suspend operations from April 2 after its office was raided by police on suspicion of overpricing.

“Customers can still buy lottery tickets for the draw on April 1,” said the company’s president Phatchara Messiahporn on Sunday evening.

He denied any wrongdoing but said he did not know when sales of tickets would resume.

Police raided Blue Dragon’s offices in Nonthaburi and Loei province last Friday (March 25) as part of a crackdown on chronic overpricing of government lottery tickets.

Officers confiscated 1.8 million lottery tickets from the Nonthaburi office and 200,000 tickets from the office in Loei.

Initial investigation showed the company, which has assets of more than 100 million baht, is not eligible for a lottery quota but has amassed large amounts of lottery tickets from existing quota holders and small sellers.

Officials are now investigating the company on suspicion of other crimes including money laundering and illegal gambling.

Phatchara said Blue Dragon customers with receipts could still pick up tickets, whether they had won prizes or not.

“Those who win in the April 1 draw can also use the company’s prize redeeming service without having to visit the Government Lottery Office,” he added.

“We insist that all tickets sold via our online platform are backed by the original tickets issued by the government,” said Phatchara.

“We do not know when we can resume selling online tickets again. From April 2 all Blue Dragon lottery services will be unavailable. However, other services such as sales of amulets, horoscopes, fortune-telling, and our ‘high-tech noodle’ food trucks, will be open as usual.”

Related News

2 million tickets seized in crackdown on overpricing of govt lottery

Published : March 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013897

Phang Nga police say that wealthy hotelier Vorasit “Pla Wan” Issara and three friends were not tested for alcohol after he crashed his Bentley on Thursday because officers “did not smell alcohol on their breath”.

Officers arrived at the scene of the crash on Phetkasem Road in Thung Maphrao subdistrict and interviewed Vorasit and his three passengers for about 10 minutes, but detected no sign of alcohol use, according to Thai Muang station chief Pol Col Boriboon Yusuksomboon.

Vorasit, the owner of Phuket’s ultra-luxury Sri Panwa resort, lost control of the vehicle and hit a guard rail, causing the car to flip several times before coming to rest in the middle of the road. The four occupants exited the vehicle just before it went up in flames.

Lawyers questioned why police had failed to conduct alcohol tests on Vorasit and his friends, as required by the law. The law stipulates that driving under the influence of alcohol is punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a Bt20,000 fine, plus licence suspension for at least six months.

“If the driver is ordered by police to take a test but refuses, they will be fined Bt1,000 and the officer must presume that they have been drinking,” said a lawyer on Facebook.

“Tests that show an alcohol-blood level over 50 milligrams per decilitre are considered DUI, in which case the insurance company will not provide coverage for the accident.”

Responding to the legal controversy, station chief Boriboon said: “After interviewing the driver and passengers for about 10 minutes, officers smelled no alcohol on their breath and thus did not order an alcohol test. Officers however charged the driver with reckless driving and causing damage to property, namely the guard rail, and fined them Bt1,000.”

He added: “In this case an alcohol test was not necessary as there were no injuries or deaths and another party was not involved [in the accident].”

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Real estate heir Pla Wan escapes death as his Bentley rolls, goes up in flames

Phuket resort owner faces backlash over comments critical of pro-democracy protests

The luxury Phuket hotel hit by a political boycott

Published : March 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013893

The Transport Ministry has ordered the Marine Department to investigate why a tanker carrying 3.2 million litres of crude oil exploded and caught fire in Samut Prakan on Sunday, killing one crew member and injuring four others.

The Ampar 8 was attempting to dock at Pom Phrachul 2 pier at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in Phra Samut Chedi district when the incident occurred.

The ship was transporting crude oil from Koh Si Chang in Chonburi to a refinery in Samut Prakan.

“Preliminary investigation found that no oil leaked into the Chao Phraya River,” said Deputy Transport Minister Athirat Rattanaseth.

“Officials are using fireboats to spray water at the ship’s bow, which has now stopped emitting black smoke, to reduce the temperature and prevent another explosion.”

Athirat added that once the blaze is under control, investigators will board the ship to seek the cause of the explosion. The pier has been sealed off for safety reasons.

The Ampar 8 was the second oil tanker to explode in Samut Prakan this month. On March 9, the Smooth Sea II oil exploded and caught fire at the IRPC pier in Phra Pradaeng district, killing one worker and injuring three others.

Related News

Oil tanker explosion in Samut Prakan kills one, injures another

Investigation ordered into explosion and fire at oil tanker off Samut Prakan

Published : March 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013891

Ministry of Public Health reported on Monday (March 28) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 24,635 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 34 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 81, while 25,753 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,330,285.
 

Published : March 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013885

One worker was killed and another injured when a ship carrying millions of litres of oil caught fire while trying to dock at a pier in Samut Prakan province on Sunday.

The 191 emergency centre received a call at 1.30pm that AMPAR 8 Bangkok had caught fire as it was docking in Samut Prakan’s Pom Phrachul 2 pier. It was near Wat Traimitr in Samut Prakan’s Phra Samut Chedi district when the explosion was reported.

The ship was transporting 3 million litres of crude oil from Koh Si Chang in Chonburi to a refinery in Samut Prakan. The fire and subsequent explosion resulted in streams of thick black smoke. Investigators are yet to determine the cause of the explosion.

The Royal Thai Navy and Samut Prakan’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office have dispatched fire-fighting boats to try to control the blaze.

Rescuers found an injured worker on the ship and the burned body of another who had jumped overboard.

Rescuers were last reported trying to control the ship as it was being swept by the high tide to the Gulf of Thailand.

Published : March 27, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013879

A recent opinion poll has learned that most Thais are worried about the rising cost of living and the government’s poor performance.

Results of the Suan Dusit Poll, conducted among 1,047 people nationwide from Tuesday to Thursday last week, were announced on Sunday.

Most of the questions were open-ended and allowed respondents to give more than one answer.

When asked what they were most worried about, 89.73 per cent chose the rising cost of living and rising prices of consumer goods and energy. Other answers were economic slowdown (87.43 per cent), poor administration (73.70 per cent), Covid-19 situation (71.21 per cent) and the behaviour of politicians (70.44 per cent).

When asked about how worried they are, 56.73 per cent said they were mildly worried, 38.87 per cent extremely worried, 4.01 per cent not so worried and 0.48 per cent not worried at all.

When asked to explain why they are worried, 80.97 per cent put it down to rising prices, 57.10 per cent named the so-called government subsidies, while 47.25 per cent said they could not make ends meet.

As to what they want the government to do, 75.77 per cent said the administration should listen to people’s views, 71.61 per cent want the powers-that-be to pay more attention to people’s quality of life instead of politics, while 66.57 per cent want more government subsidies.

As for the immediate future, 76.14 per cent said they are being patient and waiting for things to change, 58 per cent said they were resigned to their fate, while 57.23 per cent said they were surviving by thinking about their families and the ones they love.

Published : March 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013876

The Northeast province of Surin has announced that it is downgrading Covid-19 pandemic to endemic status from April 1.

The Surin Information Office said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the province has met all the criteria for turning Covid-19 into an endemic disease.

The provincial administration also boasted that Surin will be the first province in Thailand to do so. The office also encouraged everybody in the province to get a Covid-19 booster shot as soon as possible.

The office backed its endemic declaration with a list of the criteria the province has met, namely:

• All villages are strictly observing Covid-19 “blue zone” measures

• The death rate from Covid-19 infections is no higher than 0.5 per cent

• No more than 3 per cent of Covid-19 patients need hospitalisation

• At least 70 per cent of Surin residents have received two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine

• Everybody in Surin strictly observes the DMHTT guidelines, namely social-distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing, testing in case of symptoms and using the ThaiChana app.

Between December 24 and March 26, Surin recorded a total of 16,354 cases, with 276 new cases confirmed as of 6pm on Saturday. The total number of deaths during this period came in at 29.

Published : March 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013871

One soldier and three volunteer rangers were injured in a bomb explosion in Narathiwat’s Si Sakhon district on Saturday evening.

District police superintendent, Pol Colonel Chalong Rattanapakdee, learned at around 6.50pm that a pick-up truck driven by Captain Suphab Maneechai had been hit with a bomb. Four soldiers were injured in the attack and the vehicle was badly damaged.

The explosion had also knocked down a tree that blocked the road and shrapnel was found spread on the road and bushes nearby. The four injured rangers were taken to Si Sakhon Hospital for treatment.

According to initial reports, Captain Suphab Maneechai, 35, sustained an injury to his right leg, while volunteer ranger Nat Kong-in, also 35, was hit by glass in the face.

Fellow volunteer ranger Kamol Archasong, 29, sustained injuries to both his legs and complained of breathing problems and another volunteer, Pissanu Paenkaew, 36, complained of a tight chest and ringing ears.

On Saturday, Suphab and eight other rangers had gone to watch a football match and hand in prizes in Si Sakhon’s Choeng Khiri subdistrict. They had travelled in two pick-up trucks and on the way back to the base, Suphab opted for the first truck, which was hit by a bomb.

Soldiers in the second truck then began firing shots at the adjoining forest to scare away the attackers.

The incident is still under investigation and the authorities have not said if it is an insurgency attack.

Narathiwat, one of the four provinces in the deep South of Thailand, has been hit by insurgency attacks since 1948, which are becoming increasingly violent since the early 2000s.

Published : March 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013865

Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday (March 27) that in the past 24 hours there are 25,821 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 56 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 84, while 24,066 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,305,650.

Published : March 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013851

The 50th annual national book fair kicked off on Saturday at Bang Sue Grand Station, where hundreds of publishers from across the country are offering products.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the opening of Thai Book Fair 2022 at 5pm on Saturday. The event runs until April 6.

This year more than 200 printing houses are offering their books for sale at almost 600 booths inside the venue, said Thipsuda Sinchawarnwat, president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT).

Visitors can browse through six zones, covering foreign-language books, old books, children’s books, textbooks, and comic books.

The event is being held under Covid-19 preventive measures, Thipsuda said.

Meanwhile, famous bookstore Naiin will close its flagship outlet in Bangkok’s Tha Phrachan area on March 31.

Its first branch, located next to Thammasat University’s Tha Phrachan campus, was opened in June 1994.

Naiin’s bricks-and-mortar stores have suffered falling revenues and rising costs as people from paper books to reading on digital devices.

Naiin will now focus on selling books via its website, http://www.naiin.com, as well as electronic books that can be read on its mobile app.

Published : March 26, 2022