#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012224

The Department of Health on Friday warned that eating “squid shot” could put consumers at high risk of ingesting bacteria and parasites, and suggested that all seafood be thoroughly cooked before consumption.

Squid shot is a novelty food in which live squid are put in a shot glass filled at the bottom with seafood sauce. Consumers would let the squid suck in the sauce before eating it alive by biting into its head and then body, or swallowing it whole if the squid is small enough.

“Eating raw seafood would allow vibrio parahaemolyticus into the body. It is a kind of bacteria mostly found in sea mud. It could cause stomach ache, diarrhoea, and food poisoning. In a serious case it could cause ulcers in the stomach and intestines,” Department of Health director-general Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingjaroenchai said on Friday.

“Besides bacteria, raw seafood such as squid, shrimp and shellfish could have parasites, such as the Anisakis spp. and Diphyllobothrium,” he added. “In Thailand these two parasites have been found in more than 50 types of seafood. When consumed foods that still have these parasites, patients will suffer stomach ache, abdominal distension, nausea, and other symptoms that are similar to those of gastritis.”

To avoid these bacteria and parasites, the department strongly recommends that people thoroughly cook their seafood in heat over 70 degrees Celsius for more than two minutes. “When buying ready-to-eat seafood, make sure to look for the “Clean Food Good Taste” label that the department has given to food sellers who have passed health standards,” said Suwanchai. “Also, make sure to use serving spoons and wash your hands before every meal.”

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012222

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said that it has collected 44 million baht in fines in three years from motorcyclists riding on pavements.

Bangkok deputy governor Sakonthee Pattiyakul posted on his Facebook on Friday that BMA has been strictly cracking down on those riding on footpaths for the past three years because of the trouble, annoyance and danger to pedestrians.

He said BMA has set up checkpoints to catch violators and has collected 44 million baht. According to the law, the maximum penalty is up to a 5,000 baht fine. However, the fine started at only 500 baht at first and has increased to 2,000 baht currently.

Sakonthee said that “If the BMA is really strict and continues to impose hefty fines, the riders’ behaviour will gradually change. Recently, I found more people push their bikes instead of riding on sidewalks.”

He added that riders who harm officers, the people who report the crime, or pedestrians, will face a maximum fine of 5,000 baht.

He cited as example a rider who hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district, and was fine 5,000 baht by the City Law Department.

Related News

Bangkok zebra crossing claims more casualties, days after doctor killed

BMA to district offices: Enforce law banning vehicles from parking, driving on sidewalks

Motorcycle rider plunges 6 metres down hole in Bangkok

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012221

Hundreds of Bangkokians flocked to the Trimurti Shrine in the compound of CentralWorld on Thursday to pray for fortune, love and career.

The Trimurti, comprising the three most powerful Hindu gods – Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer – is said to grant the boon of love between 9.30pm and 10pm every Thursday.

It is believed people flocked to the shrine this Thursday to pray that their hearts don’t get broken on the upcoming Valentine’s Day.

Related News

Tough Covid measures likely for Valentine’s Day and Songkran

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, couples get all-clear for normal sex

A floral extravaganza for Bangkok sweethearts this Valentine’s Day

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012216

Thailand is ready to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit this year in a bid to launch regional economic recovery after the Covid-19 crisis, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Thursday.

Apec representatives are scheduled to meet next week to set up this year’s programme and promote cooperation in line with the Aotearoa Plan of Action created last year to achieve goals set for the Putrajaya Vision 2040. The Putrajaya vision was formulated as an Apec operation guideline for the next 20 years.

The theme for Apec 2022 is “Open. Connect. Balance” with the key aim being to have Apec countries open to all opportunities, connected in all dimensions with balance in all aspects.

The move will be made under a vision that focuses on solving inequality problems that were worsened during the Covid-19 crisis and boosting economic growth in the region by adopting the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model which integrates three development guidelines.

The United States and Peru, which will host Apec in 2023 and 2024, respectively, will inherit the grouping’s long-term commitment to developing the Asia-Pacific region.

“With cooperation, we will fulfil the objective of creating an Asia-Pacific community with open-mindedness, dynamism and readiness to cope with changes and peace for all people and future generations,” Prayut’s statement said.

“I will wait for Apec leaders to come to Thailand in November, and they will all participate in setting up goals for our region together.”

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012207

Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (February 11) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 15,242 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 182 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 23, while 8,955 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 337,680.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,561,115 – 2,427,335 of whom have recovered, 111,393 are still in hospitals and 22,387 have died.

Separately, another 46,102 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 40,847 their second shot and 427,278 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 119,011,647.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 406.57 million on Friday, 326.79 million of whom have recovered, 73.97 million are active cases (89,233 in severe condition) and 5.81 million have died (up by 10,862).

Thailand ranks 30th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 79.05 million, followed by India with 42.53 million, Brazil with 27.13 million, France with 21.37 million and the UK with 18 million.

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012205

Thailand’s “targeted poor” has risen to 1.03 million in 2022, up by 42,466 persons since 2019, the Thai People Map and Analytics Platform (TPMAP) reported recently.

TPMAP said it based its estimation on data collected from 36.1 million people who have registered with the Community Development Department, which found 3.4 million people classified as poor as per the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

It then cross-referenced this group with those who have registered as state-welfare cardholders and eventually arrived at 1,025,782 as the number of “targeted poor”.

According to TPMAP, Nakhon Pathom has the lowest number of poor people in Thailand, followed by Chonburi, Trat, Samut Songkhram and Rayong. TPMAP also estimates that provinces where the number of poor people will start decreasing by the largest ratio in 2022 are Satun, Bueng Kan, Tak, Phitsanulok and Suphan Buri.

TPMAP is a government-sponsored platform working in cooperation with the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).

TPMAP was established in 2018 to collect data, which the government is using to solve Thailand’s poverty problems.

Related News

10% of Thais living below poverty line when Covid hit

Multidimensional poverty reduces worldwide while COVID-19 exposes existing vulnerabilities

PM pleased’ with report on reduction in poverty last year

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012203

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Thailand this year, though the date has yet to be set, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Thursday.

Crown Prince Salman will become the first Saudi royal to visit Thailand in an official capacity since bilateral ties were severed over the theft of jewels more than 30 years ago.

A first step towards mending ties was taken when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Saudi Arabia at the prince’s invitation on January 25-26.

Don spoke about the upcoming visit after attending a meeting with Prayut on Thursday to discuss follow-up plans on strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia.

Also present at the meeting were Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, Eastern Economic Corridor Office secretary-general Kanit Sangsubhan and National Economic and Social Development Council secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan.

“We discussed several aspects of Thai-Saudi ties, especially the memorandum of understanding between the two governments that will allow Thai labourers to work in Saudi Arabia, and cooperation in energy and soft-power projects,” Don said. “PM Prayut has ordered relevant agencies to draft investment plans with Saudi Arabia within two months so they can be discussed with the prince when he visits Thailand.”

Don added that the Foreign Ministry is coordinating with its Saudi counterpart on establishing a Thai embassy in Saudi Arabia as well as setting a date and activities for the prince’s official visit this year.

Related News

Saudi Crown Prince accepts invitation to visit Thailand

Thailand, Saudi Arabia agree to reinvigorate ties, appoint ambassadors

Prayut on historic visit to Saudi Arabia

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012202

A cocktail of Sinovac and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines was approved by the Public Health Ministry’s Immunity Promotion Subcommittee for children aged 12 to 17.

“The subcommittee approved the cocktail based on a study conducted by Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine on children aged 12 to 17 who had received a Sinovac jab followed by a Pfizer jab,” Dr Wichan Pawan, from the Department of Disease Control, said on Thursday. “After two months, the children’s immunity against Covid-19 stood at the same level as those who had two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine.

“Based on data from China, 235 million children aged three to 17 have been given Sinovac jabs. Of them, about 19,000 developed adverse side effects,” Wichan said. “As for the Pfizer vaccine, data from the United States shows that of the one million children aged five to 17 years who received two Pfizer jabs, 133.6 developed myocarditis or heart inflammation, with the symptoms 10 times more prevalent among boys compared to girls.”

Wichan added that the subcommittee was looking into approving the Sinovac-Pfizer cocktail for children aged six to 11.

“So far, Thailand has vaccinated 66,165 out of 5.1 million children in the five to 11 age group,” he said. “Four vaccine formulae have been approved so far for children under the age of 18. They include two doses of Pfizer [paediatric formula with orange cap] at an interval of eight weeks for kids aged five to 11; two doses of Sinovac four weeks apart for the six to 17 group; two doses of Pfizer [purple cap] three to four weeks apart for the 12-17 age group; and the Sinovac-Pfizer cocktail four weeks apart for children aged 12-17,” he said.

Related News

Children should avoid strenuous activities for 7 days after vaccination

Thailand begins vaccinating children aged 5-11, hospitals offer guide for parents

Should children 5-11 years old be vaccinated? | Voice of The Nation

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012194

A police task force is set to go after fishing trawlers illegally using cheaper diesel, in order to keep Thailand out of a European Union blacklist.

At a press conference on Thursday, police revealed they would tackle the problem of fishing trawlers buying cheaper “green diesel” to fill their tanks. Green diesel is normal diesel added with green colour to make it different from normal diesel.

Green diesel is priced at Bt6 per litre lower than normal diesel price, under a governmental subsidy to help out the fishing industry. The government spends around Bt4 billion each year to subsidise the cost of green diesel.

Deputy police chief Pol General Roy Ingkhaphairote said suppression or misuse of green diesel will keep Thailand out of the watchful eyes of the EU, which had previously lowered Thailand in its IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing) ranking.

Fishing trawlers entitled to green diesel must be registered with the Fishery Department and the National Fisheries Association of Thailand (NFAT). NFAT-certified vessels are issued with codes, but unregistered trawlers often buy green diesel using codes issued to scrapped or invalid vessels – buy green diesel.

As a result of a Yellow Card warning issued in 2015 by the EU under the IUU scheme, a governmental overhaul and registration of the entire trawler fleet followed, resulting in the total number of vessels using green diesel reducing from 10,459 to 8,445 last year, Roy said.

The subsidy for green diesel, which can be purchased and filled in vessels at 51 tankers, allotted is Bt471,717 per year per vessel. Authorities later found that despite a drop in the number of vessels, the subsidy remained high, he added.

The subsidy for and provision of green diesel which had not been reduced despite a lesser number of NFAT-certified vessels had prompted a recent World Trade Organization query over how effective government measures were to make the entire green diesel practical or transparent.

In order to reduce overfishing under IUU, Thailand needs to handle the green diesel provision through good control and management, otherwise, WTO would require Thailand to stop subsidising green diesel, which would badly affect the entire fishery industry, Roy said.

At a Cabinet meeting on November 23 last year, the WTO was informed that Thailand will ensure good control and management of the green diesel scheme.

The announcement prompted a governmental collaboration initiated by the Excise Department, which led to an integrated operation of this police task force that was unveiled on Thursday, which is led by Child, Woman Protection and Anti-Human Trafficking and Fishery Division, Roy said.

There was a raid on a trawler last July, which led to an arrest after the vessel was found filling its tank at several tankers wrongly using codes belonging to scrapped vessels.

Alerts on misuse of green diesel or complaints about violation of women’s, children’s and human rights can now be reported to www.humantrafficking.police.go.th; https://www.facebook.com/TICAC2016 หรือ LineOA: @HUMANTRAFFICKTH หรือ TWITTER: @safe_dek, in addition to the division’s hotline at 1599.

Published : February 10, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40012192

Anutin Charnvirakul, Minister of Public Health, prepared to issue an announcement to cancel the prescription for COVID-19 patients as emergency patients and let National Health Security Office (NHSO) will pay hospitals COVID-19 test costs.

Using the RT-PCR method, the hospital will get paid 900 baht and 1,100 baht, while the ATK tests are 250 and 350 baht, depending on the test kit.

There will be an adjustment in the rate of treatment in the Hospitel at 1,000 baht per day, which equates to the home isolation support.

All will be effective on March 1, 2022.

People who are infected can still receive treatment for free according to their health insurance rights, including a gold card, social security or civil servant welfare.

Published : February 10, 2022

By : THE NATION