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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013178

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Tuesday hoped for cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, but warned a breakthrough for peace will not be easy.

He said every party wants to see the situation return to normal, adding that related parties are currently negotiating to resolve the conflict.

“Even though it is not easy, it should be done to make the situation return to normal as soon as possible, otherwise it would cause an impact on security, the economy and citizens’ lives,” he said.

He said the Cabinet is monitoring the situation closely to deal with the upcoming impact, while reiterating that no one wants the conflict to prolong.

He said Thailand’s participation in the Asean-US meeting would not affect relations between Thailand and Russia, as the holding of the meeting had been decided at the end of last year, before the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted.

He also confirmed that the Thai government would do its best to take care of Russians and Ukrainians stranded in Thailand, especially those who are facing problems using international money transfer services.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013177

An F-16A fighter jet of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) crashed in Chaiyaphum province on Tuesday afternoon, however the pilot escaped as he ejected in time.

Air Force spokesman AVM Prapas Sonjaidee said the accident happened at 1.40pm in the Chaturas district of Chaiyaphum province.

Prapas said the F-16A plane, bearing No. 10331, belonged to the103rd fleet of the Air Wing 1. It was the first plane of the Flying Unit 2 of the fleet.

Prapas said the fighter jet developed a malfunction during training. The pilot managed to exit and landed safely in a parachute.

The spokesman added that a rescue operation team of the Air Force reached the site and rescued the pilot after the accident.

Prapas said an aviation accident probe committee of the RTAF would visit the crash site to investigate the cause of the crash.

Prapas conveyed the RTAF’s thanks to local people and rescue volunteers who came to the assistance of the pilot, but he urged the public to stay away from the crash site.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013173

Police investigators will report on Tuesday their findings in the case of actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, who died after falling from a speedboat in the Chao Phraya River.

Pol Maj-General Udon Yomjaroen, deputy chief of region 1 police and head investigator in the case, said he would report to National Police chief Pol General Suwat Jaengyodsuk on Tuesday afternoon the results of their investigation so far.

Suwat had ordered a quick and thorough investigation after the case caught the attention of the public.

The body of the 37-year-old actress was found floating in the Chao Phraya River near the Rama VII Bridge in Nonthaburi province on February 27. Nida reportedly fell into the river from the back of a speed boat that she was riding with a group of friends late on February 24.

Her mother and brother have lodged a complaint with Nonthaburi police seeking an investigation into the incident, as they did not believe the death was an accident. They have also filed a request for a fresh autopsy.

Udon said so far officers have interviewed 71 witnesses, and have detained two male drivers of the boat and initially charged them with negligence resulting in the death of a person. Police are also reviewing the evidence to charge another male passenger of the boat who reportedly threw the wine glass that the actress had drunk from into the river, and also reportedly took home the wine bottle in a suspected intention to conceal evidence.

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Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013170

Trat police launched an official investigation on Tuesday into the fire that razed a villa in Koh Kood’s Soneva Kiri Resort and Residences on Sunday morning.

Afire erupted at the six-star luxury resort’s Villa 63, razing it to the ground and causing some 22 million baht in damages.

The news of the fire went viral on Monday when Ramathibodi Hospital paediatrician Dr Jiraporn Arunakul and former actress Thamolpan Panuchitputtiwong posted dramatic details of the incident on social media.

Pol Colonel Nakrit Jairakrian, Koh Kood Police Station superintendent, said police officers have already interrogated people and collected evidence at the site.

He added that police officers from Central Police Forensic Science Division will join the investigation soon.

According to Jiraporn and Thamolpan, there were no smoke detectors, fire alarms or sprinkler systems in the resort. Nakrit said the resort has confirmed that all villas are fitted with smoke detectors.

He added that the resort is required by law to take care of all guests who were affected by the incident.

Meanwhile, Pol Lt-Colonel Sompong Chuachoeng, Koh Kood Police Station deputy superintendent, said the investigators will seek the Central Police Forensic Science Division’s help in concluding the cause of the fire.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013166

Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan said Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting would seek measures to help some 7,000 tourists from Russia and Ukraine stranded in Thailand after war broke out between their two countries.

Russian credit cards have been blocked by Visa and Mastercard as part of international sanctions for Moscow’s invasion, while flights to Ukraine are suspended as war rages in the country.

Pipat said he would also consult the Foreign Ministry to find out what the Thai government could do to help the stranded tourists until the situation in their countries improves.

He added that his ministry would ask hotels whether the tourists can delay paying their bills.

“If the tourists cannot delay payments to their hotels, we may have to find shelters for these tourists to stay until the Russia-Ukraine conflict ends,” Pipat said.

He said his ministry will conduct a survey to find out how many tourists are stranded so a budget for their care could be estimated.

“From what I know, most tourists from Russia and Ukraine are staying in Chonburi’s Pattaya, Surat Thani’s Koh Samui, Phuket and Krabi,” Pipat said.

“We’ll also survey how many are stranded in Bangkok. We have to know their numbers before we can plan measures to help them and how much budget we will need.”

Pipat said the tourists have medical insurance for Covid-19 under the Thailand Plus and Test & Go schemes, but he is worried because this does not cover general health treatment. As such, his ministry will cooperate with the Public Health Ministry on how to help tourists with general health problems, he added.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013164

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has urged people to get their vulnerable family members vaccinated now to protect them during next month’s Songkran get-togethers.

“Please take your elders, small children and those with underlying health problems to get a vaccine before the holidays start,” said deputy CCSA spokeswoman Dr Sumanee Watcharasin on Monday.

She explained that the virus is likely to spread over the holiday when huge numbers of people travel between provinces.

She added that interprovincial travel was not banned, but people should be cautious and follow Covid-19 preventive measures on public transport and when gathering with family members, sharing a meal, and pouring water on each other.

People should also avoid crowded areas such as shopping malls, temples and restaurants, or choose Covid-Free Setting destinations if visits cannot be avoided, said Sumanee, who is also director of Risk Communication and Health Behaviour Development at the Department of Disease Control (DDC).

The DDC will propose other measures to contain the spread of Covid over Songkran to the CCSA meeting next week.

This year, Thailand’s biggest holiday will take place over a five-day long weekend from April 13-17. Thais will travel back to their hometowns to visit families and pay respect via the “Rod Nam Dam Hua” ceremony, where people pour water on elderly relatives’ hands in return for their blessings.

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Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013163

The BA.2 subvariant of Covid-19 Omicron variant accounts for nearly 52 per cent of current infections in Thailand, said Department of Medical Sciences (DMS) director-general Dr Supphakit Siriluck.

BA.2 has been nicknamed the “stealth variant” for its ability to avoid detection via RT-PCR tests. Studies have also found it spreads 1.4 times faster than the BA.1 subvariant, although the severity of symptoms from infection is the same.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that BA.2 subvariant has a higher degree of transmission to household members, at 39 per cent compared to 29 per cent for BA.1.

The latest DMS survey of Covid-19 found that 99.63 per cent of 1,905 samples were caused by the Omicron variant, while only seven people sampled had Delta.

“We tested 1,802 Omicron patients and found that 51.8 per cent have the BA.2 subvariant,” said Suphakit. “In the following weeks the ratio could grow bigger as the BA.2 is more transmissible than other subvariants.”

Suphakit added that 28.57 per cent of those who have BA.2 had previously contracted Delta and recovered.

“This shows that natural immunity after recovery from Delta variant is not effective against Omicron BA.2.”

“As for the resistance to Covid-19 vaccine, studies have found that the BA.2 subvariant is only marginally more resistant to the vaccine compared to BA.1. The difference has no statistical significance, therefore getting vaccinated is still an effective method of fighting BA.2,” said Suphakit.

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Omicron BA.2 spreading fast, expected to become main variant

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Published : March 08, 2022

By : The Star

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013161

Up to 4,000 Russian tourists are stranded in Phuket after two airlines – S7 and Aeroflot – announced they were suspending direct flights to the province from Russia.

Phuket Tourism Association president Bhummikitti Ruktaengam said the number of Russians arriving in Phuket will now drop.

S7 (Siberian Airlines) announced it was suspending its Phuket service from March 4, while Aeroflot followed suit on Tuesday.

“Russian tourists wanting to visit Phuket must now take connecting flights from Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul or Singapore via Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airlines or Singapore Airlines,” Bhummikitti explained.

Before the suspension, 70 per cent of Russian tourists took direct flights from Moscow or St Petersburg, with the rest booking connecting flights, he added.

The Cabinet on Tuesday will reportedly consider arranging repatriation flights to Russia as well as measures to support tourists who are running short of money in Thailand.

Bhummikitti said Russian tourists are facing payment difficulties after Visa and Mastercard blocked the use of Russian credit cards overseas.

He added that Thailand’s opposition to cryptocurrency as a payment platform is also causing difficulties for Russians and Thai tourism operators.

“Even though the tourists are still able to use [China’s] UnionPay platform for payment, some of them are running out of money,” he said.

He asked hotel operators in Phuket to identify tourists who are unable to return to their home country and take care of them as well as possible.

He added that the Phuket Tourism Association and Tourism Authority of Thailand are cooperating with the Russian consulate to implement guidelines to help tourists.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013159

The Finance Ministry announced on Monday that it was not reducing the excise tax on benzyl fuel because it has already spent huge sums on maintaining the price of energy.

Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat said the rising cost of fuel is still a short-term problem, and it is too early for the ministry to consider cutting the excise tax for benzyl fuel.

As for diesel, he said the Oil Fund is responsible for ensuring the price does not rise.

Meanwhile, Santi said he does not think the Russia-Ukraine war will expand because superpowers like the US, EU and China are trying to stop that from happening.

In the meantime, he said, Thais can use public transport to reduce their daily expenses and reduce the consumption of energy.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013157

The Department of Medical Sciences announced on Monday that patients who test positive with ATK do not have to also undergo an RT-PCR test, because it is expensive and takes longer.

Suphakit Sirilak, the department’s director-general, said the Covid-19 situation has changed and testing technology has also improved.

Hence, the department has issued new guidelines for Covid-19 tests:

• Proper samples should be collected for both RNA (RT-PCR) and ATK tests. For ATK tests, samples should be collected via a nasopharyngeal swab or saliva. For ATK tests at hospitals, samples should be collected via nasopharyngeal swabs, while nasal swabs or saliva can be used for ATK testing at home.

Suphakit advised that saliva should be collected immediately after waking up from deep inside the throat. The sample should be taken before brushing the teeth or using a mouthwash. If taken at other times of the day, the patient has to avoid eating or drinking for at least an hour.

He also said that hard swab sticks should not be used on children and instead recommended collecting saliva.

• For RNA tests, the initial criteria was that it should detect at least <1,000 copies/ml of more than one gene of the virus or a gene in more than one position.

Initially, only the RT-PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test was accepted, but now there are also RT-LAMP and CRISPR technologies. These new tests are faster but still need the Food and Drug Administration’s approval.

• Patients with mild or no symptoms who have tested positive via ATK tests should enter home or community isolation systems or be treated as an outpatient. If they develop severe symptoms, they can undergo an RT-PCR test before being treated in hospital.

If they test negative using ATK, then they do not have to quarantine. However, they are advised to test again in three days or if they develop symptoms.

• RT-PCR tests will be used at international checkpoints, though machine-based assay ATK tests or faster RNA tests that use large batches are also acceptable.

Suphakit said people do not have to undergo an RT-PCR test after an ATK test because the Omicron variant is not severe. However, patients with chronic diseases who may be at risk should see a doctor and undergo an RT-PCR test for treatment in the hospital.

Published : March 08, 2022

By : THE NATION