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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012917

Thailand’s cyber police arrested another 14 suspects and seized more than 75 million baht worth of assets from the alleged owner of a gambling website in the South.

Pol Lt-General Preecha Charoensahaya, assistant national police chief who leads the cyber taskforce, announced the arrests and asset confiscation at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

The website Gimi88 was shut down after police arrested 46 suspects in raids at eight spots in Songkhla’s Muang district on February 8.

Police then arrested Chanonpat Naksua, chairman of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Football Club, at Don Mueang Airport on February 24 for allegedly running the website and laundering money through his football club.

The taskforce chief said police investigated the case further and tracked another 14 suspects.

Police also seized three vehicles, including a Lamborghini Aventador LP720-4 limited edition worth more than 50 million baht, and 14 other items.

Preecha said up to 1 billion baht was found to be circulating via the gambling website, which has caused many Thais to lose money.

Published : March 01, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012916

The Ranong provincial administration on Tuesday deported 129 Myanmar jobseekers who had been arrested and prosecuted for sneaking illegally into Thailand.

The 129 men and women from Myanmar were handed over to the authorities of Koh Song island in Myanmar following a ceremony on a pier. The ceremony was also attended by senior Ranong immigration police.

Speaking during the ceremony, Ranong Governor Somkiart Sisanetr said Ranong and Koh Song province of Myanmar had agreed to close their permanent and temporary border checkpoints. To prevent Covid-19 infections, the peoples of the two provinces were allowed cross-border visits only to buy foods and necessities.

However, Somkiart said, some people had taken the advantage of the border closure to lure Myanmar jobseekers to sneak into Thailand with the promise of finding them jobs.

Somkiart said the jobseekers had to pay fees of tens of thousands of baht only to be arrested and deported.

The governor said the Thai authorities have been making several arrests and the 129 jobseekers had been legally punished so they will be deported back to their families in Myanmar.

Somkiart told the jobseekers that Thailand would welcome them back to work here once the border is reopened. He said the jobseekers should seek jobs in Thailand through legal channels so that they would not be arrested and so that they can receive all their due rights as foreign labourers.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012914

Ukraine’s embassy in Thailand is accepting donations in baht to save lives following Russia’s invasion of the country.

People can make donations via the embassy’s Bangkok Bank account 911-0-20757-9, according to the embassy’s Facebook post on Tuesday.

“Each donation matters,” said the post.

Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine, its neighbour to the southwest, on February 24, marking a dramatic escalation of conflicts that began in 2014. This is also the largest conventional military attack on European soil since World War II.

The invasion was preceded by a Russian military build-up that began in early 2021, during which President Vladimir Putin condemned the post-1997 enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) to neighbouring nations as a threat to his country’s security and demanded that Ukraine be legally prohibited from joining the military alliance.

The US, its Western allies and other countries responded to the invasion by imposing economic sanctions on Moscow, including removing Russian banks from the Swift international interbank payment system on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Ukrainians in Thailand and many other countries have held demonstrations calling for peace and condemning Russia’s war on their country.

Ukraine’s Bangkok embassy has reported up to 4,500 Russian military personnel have been killed during the invasion, though these figures are unconfirmed. The embassy said Russia had invaded with tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), armoured vehicles, heavy artillery and anti-aircraft warfare systems.

On Tuesday, satellite images showed a Russian armoured convoy stretching at least 65 kilometres advancing towards Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

The first round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine ended with no sign of a breakthrough on Monday.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012909

Thailand’s summer hot season will officially begin on Wednesday (March 2), according to the government’s Meteorological Department.

Calling an end to the cold season on Tuesday, the department estimated the hot season would last until May. The hot season is judged to begin when the highest temperature exceeds 35C and most of the country has hot weather for a continued period, said the department. The start of summer is also signified by a switch in direction of winds in upper Thailand from northeasterly to south-southeasterly, it added.

The department forecast 10 per cent more rain than usual over the next three months (March-May).

However, it expects the average highest temperature in upper Thailand to be 0.5C lower than the seasonal norm, at 36C in the North, 35.2C in the Northeast, 36.4C in Central Region, 34.1C in the East, 33.4C on the Southeast coast, 33.8C on the Southwest coast, and 34.7C in Bangkok and surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, it forecasts normal average lowest temperatures in the North (22.9C), Northeast (24.1), Central Region (24.9), East (25.7), Southeast coast (24.4), Southwest coast (24.5), and Bangkok and surrounding areas (26.5).

The department warned of storms in March and April along with hailstorms in some areas, and advised people to reinforce their homes and outdoor structures and protect their crops.

It said a depression or cyclone could develop over the Andaman coast in late April-early May, bringing heavy rain to the North, Central and South regions coupled with higher risk of flash flooding.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012907

Thailand is using some 60 million Favipiravir pills a month to treat people with symptomatic Covid-19 disease, raising concerns in a medical specialist that the virus may turn resistant to the drug.

The concern was voiced on Tuesday by Assoc Prof Dr Thawee Chotepithayasunon, a specialist of the Medical Services Department.

Thawee said about 90 per cent of people do not have symptoms or only have mild symptoms after they are infected with the Omicron strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, so they should not be given the Favipiravir antiviral drug.

The doctor said statistics showed that Thailand is using about 2 million pills of Favipiravir a day or 60 million pills a month, which was very high.

“Since the antiviral drug is used in very high amounts now, specialists fear drug resistance. Theoretically, it can happen,” Thawee said.

He said once the Covid-19 virus becomes resistant to Favipiravir, the antiviral drug would become useless.

He said infected people should be treated based on their symptoms and people with no symptoms should not be given Favipiravir at all.

The doctor said the Public Health Ministry has issued new treatment guidelines for hospitals to admit only infected people with high fever above 38 degrees Celsius or people with comorbidities or the elderly who may need respirators or may see their symptoms worsen later.

Thawee said 90 per cent of infected people will be able to cure themselves in course of time. Doctors who are in charge of home isolations may consider giving them Far Talai Jone (Andrographis paniculata) herb.

The doctor added that it was very rare for people infected with Omicron to see their condition worsen from green to red — the most serious condition.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012905

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed appreciation for the gift of 50,060 copies of the Koran from the king of Saudi Arabia, the government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said Prayut appreciated the kindness of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for granting the Koran copies printed in Saudi Arabia to Muslims in Thailand.

The Koran copies were handed over to Thai representatives in a ceremony on February 26 in Bangkok by representatives from the Saudi embassy and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. 
Islamic academics and leaders from several provinces represented the Thai side to receive the holy books.

The holy Koran copies are printed by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an and they are distributed to Muslims worldwide by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The holy books are normally sent to Muslims worldwide as gifts before the holy month of Ramadan.

The spokesman said Saudi Arabia used to send the holy books to Thailand years ago and the gift was renewed as the two kingdoms have normalised ties.

The Koran has been translated into 76 languages and the King Fahd Complex has increased the printing capacity from 7 million copies a year to 20 million copies a year. At the end of 2021, some 345 million copies of Koran have been printed by the complex and over 320 million copies have been sent as gifts to Muslims around the world.

The spokesman said the gift of the Koran books by the king of Saudi Arabia reflected good cooperation and ties and the acceptance of Thailand’s role of promoting a plural society and harmony among people of different faiths in the eyes of the international Muslim community.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012903

All Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will from Tuesday be provided outpatient services at hospitals.

This is part of the Public Health Ministry’s moves to transition Covid-19 from a pandemic to an endemic, especially since despite the surge in Covid-19 infections in Thailand, most patients have little or no symptoms.

Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said patients who test positive for Covid-19 using antigen test kits (ATK) can be treated as outpatients.

He added that doctors will prescribe them with Favipiravir, Fah Talai Jone herbal pills and other drugs like Vitamin C and paracetamol.

“Siriraj Hospital and medical institutes in some provinces have already kicked off this scheme,” he said.

Kiattiphum added that asymptomatic patients do not have to be isolated all the time, but should take care of themselves, observe their symptoms, avoid gatherings as well as travel to contain the spread of Covid-19.

He added that people at risk of infection, especially the elderly and people with chronic diseases, can also use outpatient services though it would be up to the doctor to decide if they need to be hospitalised.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012900

Thousands of Bangkokians are set to ride the city’s new electric-boat service for free this week, after Monday’s opening of Klong Saen Saep’s Bang Kapi-Minburi route.

Governor Aswin Kwanmuang oversaw the launch of the service, which runs east from Wat Si Bun Rueang pier in Bang Kapi district to Minburi District Office pier.

Aswin said the new route will be help people who want to commute from Minburi to inner-city areas.

The service is operated by the TTA Chao Phraya Express Boat Consortium and features 12 electric boats with zero emissions and quieter engines than diesel-powered vessels, said the governor.

Each boat has 40 regular seats plus two for wheelchair users and two bike racks for cyclists. The fare is free until the end of August, after which a ticket will cost 15 baht for the whole route.

Saen Saep’s electric boats run from 5.30am to 8.30pm on weekdays and 6am to 7pm on weekends and holidays. The Wat Si Bun Rueang-Minburi extension is 10.5 kilometres long with a travel time of 50-60 minutes. It features 12 stops: Wat Si Bun Rueang, Phrom Mitr Phittaya School, Paseo Mall, Serithai 26, Rahas Canal, Muban Rom Sai, Darul Abeedeen Mosque, Lo Lae Yai Community, South Bangchan Watergate, North Bangchan Watergate, Minburi Market, and Minburi District Office.

City authorities forecast 600-1,000 passengers will ride the route every day.

Related News

Electric ferries buzz Saen Saep canal ahead of August launch

Electric boats to glide down Bangkok’s Saen Saep canal soon

Bangkok’s electric boats running again

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012892

Saudi Arabia has re-established an air connection with Thailand after more than three decades of diplomatic tensions following the so-called Blue Diamond Affair.

Saudia Airlines flight SV846 touched down at Suvarnabhumi Airport from Jeddah at 6pm on Monday, marking the first direct flight to Thailand by the national carrier in 32 years.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 1989 after a Thai cleaner’s theft of jewels from a Saudi palace led to a string of murders of Saudi diplomats in Thailand amid suspected police corruption.

The relationship was restored in January this year when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made a state visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The inaugural flight on Monday was welcomed by Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) representatives. The flight was carrying 71 Saudi tourists, who were greeted with a water salute and traditional Thai masked dance show upon arrival.

Saudia Airlines will operate three direct flights per week from Saudi Arabia to Thailand – on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, using 298-seater Boeing 787-9s.

“We expect the direct flights will open new opportunities for tourism businesses in Thailand from Middle Eastern visitors,” said Siripakorn Chiewsamut, TAT’s deputy director of marketing communication.

In 2019, 36,783 Saudi visitors entered Thailand and generated over Bt3.2 billion in tourism revenue, TAT reported. Most were medical and wellness tourists visiting Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Phang Nga, Krabi, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai.

Related News

Thai workers to be trained for jobs in Saudi Arabia

Prayut hopes Saudi religious leader’s visit will further strengthen bilateral ties

Tourism Ministry plans Saudi Arabia roadshow next month, targeting Bt20bn revenue

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012881

Ministry of Public Health reported on Tuesday (March 1) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 20,420 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 171 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 43, while 18,297 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 688,912.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,912,347 – 2,673,646 of whom have recovered, 215,725 are still in hospitals and 22,976 have died.

Separately, another 40,779 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 20,367 their second shot and 180,039 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 123,809,855.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 437.35 million on Tuesday, 368.83 million of whom have recovered, 62.54 million are active cases (74,495 in severe condition) and 5.98 million have died (up by 5,569).

Thailand ranks 33rd in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 80.65 million, followed by India with 42.93 million, Brazil with 28.79 million, France with 22.7 million and the UK with 18.8 million.

Published : March 01, 2022

By : THE NATION