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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013477

The Central Administrative Court on Monday suspended the execution of a sentence by the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) in April 2019 on the Hopewell case, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Administrative Court had ordered the Transport Ministry and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to pay compensation plus interest calculated at 7.5 per cent per annum, which amounted to 25.7 billion baht, to Hopewell for cancellation of the 80-billion-baht elevated highway and railway project back in 1998.

The order to suspend execution of the sentence came after the SAC on March 4 ruled in favour of the government’s request for a retrial of the Hopewell case.

Judges voted 40-10 in favour of the petition filed by the Transport Ministry and the SRT, reversing an earlier ruling by a lower court rejecting a retrial. They cited a subsequent Constitutional Court ruling in March 2021, which was in favour of a retrial.

In March last year, the Constitutional Court overturned the SAC’s 2002 resolution on the statute of limitations in the Hopewell case.

The resolution stated that the statute of limitations should be counted from the time the Administrative Court began operating in 2001.

The Constitutional Court explained that this resolution – made by a general meeting of SAC judges – was invalid because it had not been sent to Parliament for inspection or published in the Royal Gazette as required by the Constitution.

“The order to suspend execution of the sentence has effectively postponed payment of 25.7 billion baht in compensation until a retrial is complete,” Saksayam said.

Related News

Battle over Bangkok’s doomed Hopewell mass-transit project back in court

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Part of Hopewell beams collapses

Published : March 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013475

The Public Health Ministry is planning to ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday to cancel the requirement of a RT-PCR test for foreign visitors before they depart their countries and reduce Covid-19 insurance coverage to just $10,000 (THB333,670).

“We will propose improved conditions of the Test & Go scheme, in which new arrivals from overseas take a RT-PCR test just once – upon arrival – with no prior test required before departure,” Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Wednesday.

“Visitors will then have to take an antigen test [ATK] on the 5th day of their stay in Thailand.”

The ministry will also propose the reduction of mandatory Covid-19 insurance coverage for foreign arrivals from $50,000 to $10,000 to reflect the current treatment cost of Covid-19.

“Currently, the average cost of treating Covid-19 patients has gone down from 1 million baht per person to about 20,000 baht per person, therefore the insurance coverage should be reduced accordingly,” he pointed out.

Kiattiphum said both proposals aimed to make entry into the country easier for foreign tourists and would speed up economic recovery. The proposals are also in accordance with the ministry’s plan to classify Covid-19 as endemic instead of a pandemic.

Last week, the National Communicable Disease Committee approved measures for dealing with Covid-19 during a four-month transitional period before it is declared an endemic disease.

The first phase, which commenced from March 12 and goes on until early April, is regarded as an upward trend of the pandemic, in which the ministry will retain strict control measures.

The second phase, from April to May, is expected to see a spread rate that is still high, and foreign travellers will be required to have antigen tests on the first and fifth days of their arrival. Unvaccinated tourists will be required to quarantine for five days.

The third phase, from late May to June, is expected to be a time when new infections slow down. Unvaccinated tourists will be required to undergo an antigen test at the airport.

In the fourth or last phase starting from June 30, Covid-19 is expected to become endemic and foreign travellers will no longer be required to undergo any tests.

According to the World Health Organisation, an endemic disease must see a death rate no higher than one in 1,000.

Related News

NCDC okays measures, time frame for transition period of Covid becoming endemic

RT-PCR tests no longer necessary for Covid-19 patients: state medical dept

CCSA abolishes 2nd RT-PCR test for foreign arrivals

Published : March 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013473

The Phuket Court on Tuesday found Teerawat Thothip guilty of murdering Swiss national Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf and sentenced him to death, but the defendant confessed to the crime and therefore got his sentence commuted to life imprisonment.

Teerawat, also known as Bang Faree, had murdered Sauvain-Weisskopf, 57, at a waterfall in Phuket’s Muang district on August 3 last year.

The court dismissed the attempted rape and indecent-assault charges.

Sauvain-Weisskopf, who was a deputy protocol chief of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, had arrived in the country under the Phuket Sandbox programme.

She was seen leaving her hotel in Ao Yon, Wichit subdistrict, around 11.30am on August 3 and arrived at Ao Yon waterfall some 20 minutes later.

Teerawat, 28, had gone to the waterfall the same day to collect wild orchids. He met Sauvain-Weisskopf on the way down while she was sitting on a rock by a stream. Teerawat reportedly choke-held the victim from behind and forced her head into the water until she fell unconscious. He then dragged her body to the shore and took off her shorts and underwear, then covered her body with a black plastic sheet and rocks he found nearby. He searched her bag and took 300 baht in cash.

He was arrested a few days later and charged with murder, attempted rape and indecent assault.

The victim’s husband and two sons watched the court’s reading of the sentence from Switzerland via Google Meet on Tuesday afternoon. They thanked the Phuket Court, provincial prosecutors and police officers for tracking down the culprit and arresting him.

Related News

National Police chief in Phuket to investigate murder of Swiss national

Man suspected of killing Swiss tourist in Phuket hit with two charges

Suspect in death of Swiss tourist says he intended to rob not kill

Published : March 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013467

Ministry of Public Health reported on Thursday (March 17) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 25,456 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 39 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 77, while 22,217 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,052,663.
 

Published : March 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013466

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday clarified that the country had not signed any defence strategy pact with the United States.

The ministry was responding to criticism in Thai media and by other observers.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat insisted that the Thai government maintained neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Thailand is maintaining friendship with all nations based on the principle of respect for international law.

Tanee explained that the Indo-Pacific Strategy was a unilateral policy framework of the US government for carrying out its policy in the region. The document was updated every year and it is not an agreement with any country.

“As a result, Thailand and the Thai government have nothing to do with this document. None of the Thai government agencies have endorsed or recognised this document,” Tanee said.

“None of the Thai government agencies has agreed to cooperate with the US to carry out its policy guidelines in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The spokesman added that the Joint Vision Statement 2020 for the Thai-US Defence Alliance was just a document expressing the joint vision for strengthening friendship and ties.

He said the document was signed on November 17, 2019 by Prayut in his capacity as the defence minister and by then US defence secretary Mark Esper.

Tanee said the joint vision document was just a guideline for cooperation of the defence ministries of both countries without being legally binding because the document is not a contract or any form of agreement.

Tanee said the joint vision document followed the normal procedure and the Cabinet approved it in accordance with regulations and normal guidelines and the two governments have earlier informed the public openly about the document’s contents.

The spokesman said Thailand voted to support a joint UN General Assembly statement to condemn Russia’s invasion in line with Thailand’s independence and sovereignty by taking into account its neutral strand and friendship with all nations.

He said the vote also took into account the respect for the rule of international law for peace and harmony of the international community in the interest of Thailand and all sides.

“The vote was not done to please any country or to show hostility to any nation. Thailand respects the rule of international law that emphasises equality and sovereignty of all nations, no matter whether they are small or large. The sovereignty cannot be violated. And this rule is very important to Thailand so the voting was done on these principles so it was necessary, appropriate and prudent,” Tanee said.

He said the Thai government realises its duty to protect the national interests with its best efforts “but Thailand must not create enmity with other countries or allow itself to be under the influence of any nation to protect its interests”.

He said the government has been implementing foreign policies based on the principle that the country must be self-dependent with pride as an independent nation by cooperating with all nations for their mutual interests.

He said the condemnation at the UN did not mean Thailand was an enemy of any nation but it simply adheres to the rule of international law for peace and harmony.

Tanee said the Thai government would like to call on all sides to attach importance to negotiations for resolving conflicts “because no one would win in the conflict”.

The spokesman said that Thailand has friendly ties with both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, so the Thai government attached importance to providing help to the affected people in Ukraine.

Tanee said all countries in the world are suffering from the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war and Thailand’s gross domestic product also depends on oil imports, so the country is being affected by energy prices and inflation.

He said the government would like to seek cooperation from all sectors to help the country survive the fallout of the war, which could be done by maintaining friendly ties and communication with all countries.

The spokesman said the government has to implement foreign policies based on confidence and trust of the international community and stability and unity in the country as well.

“So, the Foreign Ministry would like to ask all sides to attach importance to correct information instead of sharing untrue stories until they become facts,” Tanee said.

“For foreign affairs, we have to interact with the international community. If we can’t create confidence in the unity of our policy, our country will suffer,” Tanee said.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013464

Thailand is currently working on a Covid-19 transition plan in which the pandemic will be declared endemic in a span of four months.

The transition was decided upon after the Public Health Ministry learned that more than 90 per cent of people who had been infected with the Omicron variant were asymptomatic, although the number of new cases has been increasing fast.

The ministry will suggest its transition plan to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday.

The plan is divided into four phases:

• Phase 1 (March 12 to early April): This so-called “combat” phase will focus on launching measures to contain the spread of the disease.

• Phase 2 (April to May): Called the “plateau” phase, it will focus on keeping the number of Covid-19 infections low.

• Phase 3 (May-end to June 30): The so-called “declining” phase will focus on maintaining the number of new Covid-19 cases to below 2,000 daily.

• Phase 4 (from July): Called the “post-pandemic” phase, it will focus on transitioning from a pandemic to an endemic disease.

However, the plan still involves vaccinating as many people as possible, especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases, to reduce deaths and provide effective treatment to the vulnerable.

In addition, the Public Health Ministry and related agencies will ease Covid-19 prevention measures according to the situation so people can start living a normal life.

As of Wednesday, Thailand’s total caseload from Covid-19 stood at 3,250,642 – precisely 3,004,752 of whom have recovered, 221,972 are still in hospital and 23,918 have died.

Separately, another 64,791 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 16,145 their second and 82,328 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 126,431,235.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013459

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Wednesday that the government is considering a subsidy package to mitigate the impact from rising prices of cooking gas on the poor and small foods and drinks shops.

Prayut said his government would launch measures to reduce the cost of LPG, or cooking gas, for the poor who are using state welfare card, and for food shops and drink shops that have joined the co-payment scheme.

The government is also considering ways to help lower the power bills for the poor and subsidise the cost of petrol for taxi motorcyclists, the prime minister added.

He said the government would also seek cooperation from the distributor of NGV gas to maintain the current prices until the energy price crisis eases.

“The government is considering how to help low-income and sensitive groups via the state welfare card system,” Prayut said.

“We are also discussing measures to subsidise the price of LPG for state welfare card holders as well.”

The prime minister said the government is closely monitoring the energy crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said the government would try to cap retail diesel price at Bt30 per litre for as long as possible.

“Now the Oil Fund has been used to subsidise the diesel price until it slides into deficit, so we’re trying to find other funding sources for providing this susbidy. We’ll do it as long as permitted by the budget and we’ll use other measures as well,” Prayut said.

The prime minister said he had instructed the Social Security Fund to consider measures to help employers and employees reduce their operation costs and cost of living as well as find measures to tackle labour shortage in certain industries.

Prayut said the Agriculture and Commerce ministries and the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board are jointly considering measures to help farmers cope with the rising prices of animal feed and fertilisers.

“We have been discussing these measures since last week. We’re still discussing the measures before they will be sent to government agencies concerned before they are approved by the Cabinet,” Prayut said.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013454

A woman and two men were nabbed for selling fake certificates online showing negative Covid-19 results, along with several other forged certificates and identifications, police and medical officials said.

The arrest of the three suspects was jointly announced at a press conference by Crime Suppression Subdivision 4 commander Pol Colonel Neti Wongkularb and Dr Naret Kratnairawiwong, director-general of the Health Service Support Department.

The three were identified as Ploy, 24, Veerapol, 26, and Munir, 22. Their surnames were withheld.

They were detained under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on March 3 and were charged with forging and using fake documents, pretending to be medical technicians, and providing services acquiring fake certificates as well as forging other labels that have been legally registered in the kingdom.

Neti said the three suspects took advantage of the situation to allegedly sell fake Covid-free certificates to Thais for use in applying for foreign trips to work abroad.

The three allegedly offered to sell the fake certificates for 890 baht each via the covid-lab.airsite.co.th website. They allegedly advertised that their customers could get the certificates in just 15 minutes without having to receive any RT-PCR test.

Neti said the suspects opened Line account PCR Test 890 for their clients to contact them. Each client was asked to provide his/her name, date of birth and the date they wanted on the certificate to show they had taken a RT-PCR test.

The clients received the certificates via Line, with the forged document under the name of PCT Laboratory Services Co Ltd.

The company has filed complaints with police against the three after it learned that its name was used on the fake certificates.

Neti said the suspects also sold forged education certificates via the gray-mulniti.com website. Clients could select whether they wanted a primary school certificate, secondary school one, a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree. They were charged between 1,500 and 7,000 baht for these fake documents.

The police officer said the suspects also offered to forge citizen identification cards, driving licences, government ID cards, land title deeds and vehicle registrations for their clients.

The suspects earned about 5 million baht from November 2021 to January 2022, Neti added.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013450

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Agriculture Ministry to speed up a project to make customised fertilisers to help farmers following shortages and rising prices of chemical fertilisers, the government spokesman said.

Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the prime minister is concerned about the farmers’ plight caused by shortage and rising prices of chemical fertilisers, so he has instructed the ministry to find alternatives, including compost, customised fertilisers and organic fertilisers.

The Agriculture Ministry will study soil conditions and make customised fertilisers appropriate for the plants and farm conditions.

The farmers will also be urged to use compost and organic fertilisers to reduce cost, the spokesman added.

The prime minister is concerned about the rising prices of animal feed caused by rising prices of raw materials, the spokesman added.

He said the prime minister has instructed concerned government agencies to regularly check stocks of animal feed and fertilisers to prevent hoarding and price manipulation.

The spokesman said chemical fertilisers and animal feed are price-controlled goods and the Commerce Ministry must first approve price hikes but so far no company has sought permission.

He said the government would like to seek cooperation from traders not to capitalise on the opportunity to raise prices or hoard their products because such practices would aggravate the plight of farmers.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013446

Nok Air cancelled flights from Yala’s Betong International Airport just a day after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Cabinet flew into the airport with much fanfare on Monday on the first commercial flight.

On Wednesday, the Department of Airports said it had sought an explanation from the airline about the flight cancellations.

The Nation learned from some Betong residents that their bookings from Betong airport were cancelled on Tuesday by Nok Air. No reason was given.

Prayut and his Cabinet flew from Don Mueang to Betong on the first commercial flight operated by Nok Air to preside over the opening of Thailand’s newest commercial airport in Yala’s Yarom subdistrict.

A Betong resident said she booked a seat from Betong to Bangkok on Flight DD5183 that was scheduled to depart Betong at 12.30pm this Friday and reach Don Mueang International Airport at 2.30pm.

But the airport called her at 11.55am on Tuesday to inform her that she would have to shift to Hat Yai International Airport. She was told she could choose a refund but would have to wait 45 days.

Another passenger said his flight from Betong to Don Mueang on Wednesday was also cancelled.

A local Line group discussed Nok Air’s flight cancellations and called on the airline to provide an explanation.

Sources said the airline apparently cancelled the two flights because the number of passengers, who booked the flights in advance, was less than 30.

Nok Air’s Facebook page highlighted its first commercial flight into Betong Airport on Monday without mentioning any flight cancellations.

The Department of Airports said Nok Air affirmed it was ready to operate on the Betong-Don Mueang route but the flights on Wednesday and Friday were cancelled because of “marketing mistakes”.

The department quoted Nok Air as saying it would “review route operations with agencies concerned”.

On Friday, Nok Air would fly an “influencer flight” by inviting YouTube channel casters, social media influencers and tourism operators to fly on a flight to Betong, the department said.

It went on to say that Nok Air would also hold a press conference later on Wednesday to explain the situation. The airline would fully refund all passengers who booked Wednesday and Friday flights and give them a compensation of Bt1,200 each.

The department said it would monitor the case closely until all passengers were compensated and the airline explained what had actually happened.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION