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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012036

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa on Sunday ordered Phu Langka National Park in Bueng Kan to strictly adhere to measures that limit the number of tourists visiting Naga Cave, seeking an audit of the number of visitors.

The move came after many tourists were stuck on Phu Langka mountain on Saturday evening as they could not get down the mountain in time.

Naga Cave’s opening hours are from 6.30am to 2pm, while the limited number of 500 visitors must make a reservation via QueQ application in advance.

One reason for the tourists getting stuck on the mountain could be a one-way entrance with a dangerous area which needs to be navigated carefully, it was reported.

Varawut said he had ordered the ministry’s permanent secretary to ask the national park chief about the exact number of tourists on Saturday as it should be around 500-600 people, not 1,000 people as reported in the local press.

He added that he would survey the national park soon to oversee and improve tourist management in the area.

He said the incident might have been caused by many tourists wanting to get a view of sunset at around 5pm. He stressed that visitors should not go up the mountain after 3pm.

“Phu Langka National Park chief has been ordered to instruct tourist guides to strictly adhere to the national park measures,” he said, adding that anyone who does not adhere to measures would be transferred.

He added that it was necessary to impress and provide safety to visitors as this attraction is famous among tourists and devotees.

“Meanwhile, we have to ensure that no tourists violate the national park rules as well,” he added.

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012035

Thammasat Secondary School has denied allegations it teaches a distorted version of Thai history, saying its curriculum aims to develop responsible citizens to strengthen society.

The school issued the denial on Sunday after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered officials to investigate whether its curriculum distorts Thai history and the monarchy.

In a statement, the school said it addressed a diversity of ideas and views in lessons. It added that experts in various fields had helped develop a curriculum that enables Thammasat pupils to become Thai and global citizens who can think for themselves and cope with change.

“The school is focused on developing a curriculum based on modern knowledge that is appropriate for students in every age group,” the statement said.

The aim was to provide an environment where children can cultivate the critical thinking, creativity, leadership skills and teamwork required to develop well-rounded citizens, it added.

As well as core subjects, the school also teaches skills such as swimming, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship to give students practical knowledge they can use to progress in life, said the statement.

“The school hopes that this aim will become part of a shift that boosts national education, receiving support from every sector in the future,” it said.

The school is under the supervision of the Faculty of Learning at Thammasat University, a liberal institution that has a long history of resistance against military-backed governments.

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012034

Police are hunting Russian-speaking men over the Phuket murder of a Canadian passport holder who was wanted in both Canada and India.

Apolice source said the team investigating Mandeep Singh’s murder had received witness accounts that the gunmen spoke in Russian.

The new information surfaced on Monday when the investigation team, led by Provincial Police Bureau 8 Commissioner Ampol Buaraporn, met with representatives from the Canadian and Indian embassies.

Singh was gunned down on Saturday in front of a mansion in Rawai, Muang district.

Immigration Bureau records show the Indian-born Canadian first entered Thailand in 2016.

The investigation team was informed that Singh moved from India to Canada when he was 7 years old. He is a suspect in several major crime cases and fled to Thailand to escape a Canadian arrest warrant.

Singh joined a criminal gang dubbed the United Nations in Canada and used the alias “Slice” due to a prominent scar on his cheek, according to a police source at the meeting. In Canada, he was a suspect in the murder of a rival Red Scorpion gang member.

After fleeing Canada, he reportedly began a new career as a drug trafficker in India, where he is wanted on an arrest warrant.

The Thai police source said the investigation team was trying to establish the escape route taken by the gunmen.

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012028

The Interior Ministry will at the Tuesday Cabinet meeting propose that Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC)’s concession for BTS Green Line be extended by another 40 years.

In September last year, BTSC filed a lawsuit against Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) suing the city for 12 billion baht it is owed for operating the Green Line extension and another 20 billion baht it is owed for the train operating system.

The suit was filed after BMA reportedly failed to pay the debt within the April deadline.

“The Interior Ministry said the BMA-BTSC dispute has been resolved to an extent and therefore we believe it is a suitable time to propose an extension of the contract,” Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Monday.

“However, the ministry is prepared to suspend the agenda and study the proposal further in case the Cabinet requires it.”

Reporters on Monday asked if the Cabinet would delay its decision on the concession now that Democrat gubernatorial candidate Suchatvee Suwansawas has started negotiating with BTSC. Wissanu responded saying he did not believe Suchatvee’s involvement would affect the Cabinet’s decision.

“If the Cabinet approves the contract extension, opposition parties will still bring this issue up in Parliament to address questions they might have,” he said.

“Also, BTSC can file a lawsuit even after the Cabinet makes its decision if it feels the issue has not been properly resolved. We will try to fix the problem by ensuring that the concession for the BTS Green Line proceeds as planned.”

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Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012032

The highly transmissible Omicron variant is hammering up to 20 countries in Asia, accounting for most Covid-19 cases and deaths, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

Thira Woratanarat, Chulalongkorn’s Faculty of Medicine lecturer, said 90.11 per cent of new Covid-19 cases and 80.64 per cent of deaths in Asia, Europe and North America could be blamed on Omicron.

“In Europe alone, Omicron accounted for 52.43 per cent of new cases and 29.43 per cent of deaths,” he said.

He added that though the Omicron outbreak was on a downward trajectory in many places, it was moving upwards in South America, Oceania and Asia.

“Up to 20 Asian countries, including Thailand, are in an upward trajectory based on weekly Covid-19 cases and deaths,” he said.

Thira added that it was not easy for Thailand to ease prevention measures like other countries due to differences in vaccine efficacy, the number of people jabbed and infrastructure.

He added that the government should make decisions on curbing the spread of the disease carefully based on factual evidence to prevent losses.

“Claiming that Omicron is less severe than the Delta variant may not be enough to make a decision,” he said.

He also said the government should realise that there is a possibility that Covid-19 will be prolonged and consider the effect it is having on people, the public healthcare sector and the state of the nation.

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012023

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will consider further easing restrictions despite rising number of Covid-19 cases, Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Monday.

Thanakorn said the CCSA is expected to review the measures for controlling the spread of SARS-CoV 2 virus and is likely to relax restrictions so that all businesses can resume and people can resume their normal life as much as possible.

The review of measures is expected at the next meeting of the CCSA, he said.

The spokesman said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed all concerned government agencies to monitor the Covid-19 situation after the number of new daily cases passed the 10,000 mark.

But the Public Health Ministry has assured the prime minister that although the Omicron variant can spread much faster than the previous Delta strain, the new strain did not cause serious illness and the number of fatalities and seriously ill patients had not increased much.

The ministry has assured the prime minister that the public health system can cope with seriously ill patients to prevent more fatalities while people with asymptomatic disease or mild conditions can enter home isolation programme, he said.

Since he has been assured that the situation is under control, Prayut has instructed all agencies to explain to the people that they can live with the Covid-19 virus with safety when they strictly comply with protection measures, the spokesman added.

On Monday, the Public Health Ministry reported that Thailand had logged 10,470 new Covid-19 cases during the previous 24 hours, 10,304 local infections and 166 imported cases.

So far, 284,036 people have been infected in the fourth wave since January 1, 2022.

The previous 24 hours saw 12 people die from the virus.

A total of 118 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far, including 52 million doses of first jabs, 48 million doses of second jabs, 15.44 million doses of third jabs and 1.15 million doses of fourth jabs.

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012019

Beauty queen Manita Duangkham Farmer, 22, beat four other finalists to be named Thailand’s most beautiful woman on Sunday.

The final round of the Miss Thailand competition, themed “Revival of the Original”, was held in CentralWorld Bangkok and broadcast live on True4U 24 channel.

The 53rd Miss Thailand beat four other contenders and took home a bouquet, sceptre, sash, crown and a cheque for 800,000 baht.

As this year’s Miss Thailand, Manita will serve as the voice of Thai society and will support people, especially underprivileged children. She is also expected to become Thailand’s ambassador for culture and tourism.

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Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012017

The Transport Ministry has announced it will invest 1.49 trillion baht on 37 projects this year.

The funds will be divided among projects in two categories:

• 516 billion baht for 13 ongoing projects
• 974 billion baht for 24 new projects

Meanwhile, the 24 new projects are divided into five categories:

• 281 billion baht for 12 road projects
• 1.35 billion baht for building Nakhon Phanom Cross-Border Logistics Centre
• 624 billion baht for five railway projects, namely:

1. 124 billion baht for MRT Purple Line extension (Tao Poon-Rat Burana)
2. 122 billion baht for MRT Orange Line (Tao Poon-Rat Burana)
3. 85.3 billion baht for dual-track railway (Den Chai-Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong)
4. 67.9 billion baht for dual-track railway (Ban Phai-Nakhon Phanom)
5. 224 billion baht for a high-speed railway linking three airports

• 7.56 billion baht for two sea projects, namely:

1. 6.12 billion baht for a project to tackle coastal erosion
2. 1.44 billion baht for restoring beaches

• 59.4 billion baht for refurbishing Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chumphon and Ranong airports

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Bidding for government contracts has slowed down over the past two years with many projects being postponed due to Covid-19. Now that prevention measures are easing, the government will launch new bids to boost economic activities.

Bidding for the MRT Purple Line extension (Tao Poon-Rat Burana) was done at the beginning of this year.

Meanwhile, Asia Plus Securities said there is a positive outlook for the construction business this year now that the government has gone ahead with launching large-scale projects.

The next important project that will enter the bidding war will be the MRT Orange Line (Thailand Cultural Centre-Bang Khun Non). Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM) and BTS are expected to battle it out over this bid.
 

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012016

It will take at least one year before the impact of last month’s oil spill off the coast of Rayong is clearly visible, a Chulalongkorn University researcher said on Sunday.

“The authorities evaluate the impact of a chemical or oil spill from a short-term perspective, with no in-depth follow up on the effect it may have had on aquatic wildlife and the marine ecosystem,” said Prof Dr Woranop Wiyakarn, director of Aquatic Resources Research Institute and a professor at Chulalongkorn’s Marine Science Department.

“Coral reefs are mostly overlooked as they are often marked ‘clean’ once the oil slick is cleaned up,” he said. “In reality though, a large amount of oil and other toxic chemicals released in the water can affect the coral reef’s fertility, making them unable to discharge eggs and sperm to generate new coral.

“Even if some types of coral can still produce sperm and eggs, the residue of oil in the water can spoil them and halt the propagation of new reefs,” he added.

Woranop said the process of coral becoming infertile will show in about one year or more after the oil spill.

“Though the sterility is mostly temporary, it will take around three to five years for the coral to return to its original level of fertility,” he added.

Woranop also pointed out that the oil spill took place just ahead of the time corals release their eggs and sperm, which usually happens between February and April every year. Hence, he said, the damage done to coral reefs along Rayong’s shoreline would be worse compared to other oil-spill incidents.

“Researchers from Chulalongkorn University will survey the ecosystem in the area and test samples of water, soil and marine life over the next few months. We will then submit the results to relevant authorities so they can set a long-term rehabilitation plan and take steps accordingly,” he said.

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Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012014

The last three households of the Prem Prachakorn community were finally talked into moving out by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) on Friday.

“Several communities encroaching on the Prem Prachakorn canal [which connects Bangkok with Ayutthaya] have had to be removed to make way for the proposed dam construction,” BMA deputy permanent-secretary Narong Ruangsri said. “Since March last year, officials have been trying to talk them into moving out so the project, which was given the go-ahead in December 2020, can continue.”

Narong said the latest negotiation on February 4, which was the 11th one, was successful with families in the last three houses encroaching on the canal agreeing to move out. BMA expects to clear out the houses and have the area ready for construction by April 5.

The project covers a 5,350-metre-long dam along both sides of the canal, a pipeline to collect wastewater, a walkway behind the embankment and steel railings. The work is expected to be completed by January next year.

“Once completed, the floodwalls [dams] will boost the canal’s flood drainage capabilities and wastewater treatment. It will also improve the quality of life of people living along the canal,” Narong said.

BMA reported that some 1,469 houses of 13 allegedly illegal communities have been encroaching on the canal but have gradually moved out after negotiations.

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Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION