Princess Bajrakitiyabha under close observation as doctors log irregular heartbeat
SUNDAY, JANUARY 08, 2023
Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha is suffering from an irregular heartbeat caused by mycoplasma infection, the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement on Sunday.
The Princess – the daughter of His Majesty the King and HRH Princess Soamsawali – has been treated at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok for a heart-related condition since December 15.
Doctors said that though the Princess has not gained consciousness yet, she is being medicated and provided support with machines. The statement said a team of doctors is at hand to closely monitor the Princess’s condition.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha fainted on the evening of December 14 while training her dogs for a contest in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima. She was given first aid at Pak Chong Nana hospital before being airlifted to the hospital in Bangkok.
People have been pouring into the lobby of the hospital’s Bhumisiri Mangkhalanusorn Building for the past few days to leave tributes and pray for the Princess.
Thailand, Japan to jointly open marine litter monitoring centre
SUNDAY, JANUARY 08, 2023
Thailand and Japan have agreed to establish a marine litter monitoring centre as part of their bilateral climate change cooperation, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said on Saturday.
Varawut made the announcement after a meeting with Hiroshi Ono, Japan’s Deputy Minister of Environment, in Tokyo on January 6 at which they discussed strategies to protect natural resources and tackle climate change.
Also attending the meeting were: Prangtip Kanchanahattakij, minister of the Thai Embassy in Tokyo, Jatuporn Buruspat, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Phirun Saiyasitpanich, secretary-general of the Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning Office, and Kiatchai Maitriwong executive director of the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization.
Varawut said both sides shared experiences in tackling environmental problems, notably coastal erosion, wastewater treatment, and marine litter. The environment ministries of both countries agreed to establish a jointly operated marine litter monitoring centre to serve as a model for the future.
Thailand and Japan also agreed to exchange experience, technology and financial support in climate change operations under the framework of Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, Varawut said. The framework allows countries to trade emission reductions and removals with one another through bilateral or multilateral agreements. These traded credits are called Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes.
“With strengthened cooperation with Japan, Thailand is moving closer to the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” Varawut said.
New point system for motorists takes effect on Monday
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
Traffic police will start enforcing a new point system for motorists on Monday, but it will be implemented gradually with education being the initial priority, a senior officer said on Saturday.
The point system aims to improve compliance with traffic laws, reduce accidents, and increase road safety, Highway Police Division commander Maj-General Ekkarat Limsangkat said.
Each motorist will start with 12 points. Violations of traffic laws will result in the deduction of points, with the most severe offences resulting in the biggest deductions.
The system applies equally to every driver, Ekkarat said, adding that drivers who violate laws would have the opportunity to reform.
“Not all of their points will be deducted … they will have the opportunity to reform,” he said. The maximum reduction of points for a single offence is eight, and it applies to the severest offenses, Ekkarat said.
Offenses such as speeding, not wearing a helmet while riding a motorbike, not wearing a seat belt, not stopping at a pedestrian crossing, or using a mobile phone while driving, will cost drivers one point for each offence, he said.
Disobeying traffic signals – driving through a red light, for example – will cost drivers two points.
A hit and run or fleeing the scene of an accident will cost drivers three points, while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will cost drivers four points.
The loss of all 12 points will result in the suspension of a driver’s license. Three suspensions within three years will result in the revocation of a license.
Ekkarat said that many people considered a four-point deduction to be “too little” for drunk-driving. However, he pointed out, drunk drivers face additional penalties, including fines and jail.
First full moon of 2023 draws 20,000 ravers to Pha-ngan’s white-sand mecca
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
More than 20,000 tourists flocked to the first full moon party of the year on Pha-ngan Island in Surat Thani on Friday, spending an estimated 100 million baht, the southern province’s deputy governor Chusak Ruying said on Saturday.
It was the first all-night beach party of 2023 on the island, which is known around the globe as the home of the original full-moon party.
Chusak said that the large number of visitors, both Thais and foreigners, benefitted the local economy.
Local authorities enhanced security for tourists to ensure thieves did not prey on them during the crowded event, he said.
Enhanced safety measures are in effect on all three of Surat Thani’s island hotspots – Samui, Pha-ngan and Tao, Chusak said.
On Friday night, Chusak joined senior local officials, including provincial police chief Maj-Gen Saranyu Chamnanraj, to inspect the party’s location – white-sand Haad Rin beach on the southern tip of the island.
Regulator’s decision to allow True-Dtac merger skirted the law, professor says
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
The telecom regulator’s controversial vote last October that effectively gave the green light for the merger of two of Thailand’s three major mobile operators – True Corporation and Total Access Communication (Dtac) – failed to comply with the law, a legal expert said on Saturday.
Assoc Prof Narongdech Srukhosit, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Law, said there were “procedural improprieties” in the minutes of the October 20 National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) meeting on the merger.
The commission released the minutes of the meeting on December 9 – the same day the Central Administrative Court rejected a petition by the Thailand Consumers Council seeking an injunction against the planned merger.
Narongdech pointed out that before making its decision, the NBTC board failed to take into account all the relevant information, including recommendations by their independent advisers and expert opinion.
The regulator made the decision with insufficient facts and information, the professor wrote in a detailed legal analysis published by Thai-language media on Saturday.
The NBTC decision to “acknowledge” the proposed business merger between True and Dtac was not legally binding because the vote count failed to comply with a rule set by the Council of State, the government’s legal advisory agency, as well as Supreme Court verdicts, he said.
The five NBTC commissioners voted 3-2 to take the position that it had no authority over the deal between True and Dtac, which effectively gave a green light to their merger. The result came after the NBTC chairman’s vote was counted as two. He and another commissioner voted for the decision, two others against it, and the fifth commissioner abstained.
Despite the chairman’s double vote, the five commissioners failed to reach a majority of three votes, Narongdech said.
He said that according to NBTC meeting regulations, the chairman can only cast a deciding vote if the commissioners are split evenly. As an example, he cited an NBTC meeting in May 2020, when the agency had more commissioners. Two sides were split at three votes each before the chairman cast the deciding vote.
“This way, such a special vote by the chairman will result in the decision being legally binding,” Narongdech said.
Clearly, the resolution failed to get approval from at least half of the existing NBTC commissioners, he said.
“The chairman has the power to make the deciding vote, but the resolution was endorsed by two out of five commissioners, which is less than half. So, the NBTC resolution is not legally binding,” Narongdech concluded.
Thai electricity bills to get slightly cheaper from January
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
The Energy Regulatory Commission has relented to complaints about rising power bills and agreed to reduce its service fee slightly from this month.
Consumers who use more than 150 units per month and those who are charged under the time of use (ToU) rate during off-peak hours will find their monthly service charge reduced from 38.22 baht to 24.62 baht.
Small businesses using low-voltage power are eligible for a new service charge of 33.39 baht per month, down from 46.16 baht.
Those running water-pumping businesses for farming under the ToU rate will find their monthly service charge reduced from 228.17 baht to 204.07 baht.
The commission said it decided to reduce its monthly service fees after a public hearing on “stakeholders” uncovered consumers’ dissatisfaction.
It said the monthly service fee stems from the cost of recording power usage and printing bills.
“A proper monthly service fee ensures fairness for power users and helps reduce their cost of living,” the commission said in a press release recently.
Body of Thai soldier killed by landmine flown home to family
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
The body of the soldier killed by landmine in Si Sa Ket province this week was transported to his hometown in Uttaradit province by helicopter on Saturday for funeral rites.
Sergeant Akkaraphol Phuwadolworanat of the army’s 21st Artillery Regiment was killed on Thursday after a landmine exploded while his team was removing landmines from previous conflicts in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district, which borders Cambodia.
Another soldier, Sergeant Warongkorn Sri-ngam, was seriously injured by the blast and is being treated at Si Sa Ket Hospital.
General Suphachai Narinthornphakdi, director of the Thailand Mine Action Centre (TMAC), on Saturday led a ritual ahead of transporting Akkaraphol’s body by helicopter to his family in Uttaradit.
“Sergeant Akkaraphol was an excellent officer who had been working with TMAC for over three years. He was dedicated to making every part of Thailand safe from landmines,” Suphachai said.
Kantharalak district was the site of a decades-long dispute over territory around the ancient Angkorian temple of Preah Vihear, which is located on a mountaintop.
The mountaintop was also one of the last remaining strongholds of the Khmer Rouge, which used landmines to prevent Cambodian government forces from capturing them.
The humanitarian demining mission is a joint operation of the Defence Ministry, TMAC, and Cambodian authorities. Their goal is to remove landmines from border areas to ensure the safety of local residents.
The Defence Ministry has so far cleared landmines from 2,527 square kilometres in 21 provinces, it said, adding that a remaining 29.7 square kilometres in six provinces still need to be cleared.
On Thursday Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed condolences to the families of both soldiers, and instructed commanding officers to be extra cautious for the rest of the mission. He also instructed the army to promote the deceased sergeant and provide benefits to his family.
Police find new clues of National Parks chief skimming off Buri Ram project
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
New evidence has surfaced indicating that the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department chief may have been skimming from the 53.9-million-baht wild elephant deterrence project in Buri Ram.
The department’s chief Rutchada Suriyakul na Ayutthaya was arrested late last month and charged with malfeasance and bribery by the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD).
Rutchada was arrested after a sting operation orchestrated was by ACD and Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, former chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi, who alleged that Rutchada demanded 500,000 baht from his subordinates in exchange for not transferring them to remote areas.
Chaiwat also accused Rutchada of pocketing 18.5% of the budget for national parks and sanctuaries and 30% of the budget for forest fire prevention units.
A news source revealed on Friday that investigators recently discovered an envelope in Rutchada’s office with the words “Khu Dong Yai = 1.8 million baht, VIP (70%) 1.26 million baht” written on it. The envelope was empty but carried the Krungthai Bank symbol, indicating it may have contained cash.
The source said investigators believe the words “Khu Dong Yai” may have referred to a ditch-digging project – “Khu” in Thai – to prevent wild elephants from entering villages along the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in Buri Ram province.
The 105.2-kilometre ditch-digging project was listed under the department’s 2021-2022 budget and valued at 53.98 million baht.
Investigators have summoned persons involved with the project for questioning, namely the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary’s chief, the head of the Wildlife Protection Office and the managing director of the company that won the bid for the project.
The source added that investigators are also tracking the company’s finances to see if there are any links with officials of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Police moves to plug confidential info leaks to whistleblower Chuwit
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
The Metropolitan Police Bureau is investigating a senior police officer who is believed to have leaked information on the Jinling nightclub case to ex-massage parlour tycoon and politician Chuwit Kamolvisit.
Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Thiti Saengsawang said on Friday that a panel has been set up to investigate the issue after evidence was found that a police colonel within the agency had been providing confidential information to whistleblower Chuwit.
The information leaked is related to a police raid on the nightclub in Bangkok’s Yannawa district in October 2022.
In the raid, 104 revellers, 99 of whom were Chinese, tested positive for drugs. Police also seized recreational narcotics and some 30 luxury vehicles in the raid.
The following month, Chuwit handed police information on alleged Chinese triads operating in Thailand and using the nightclub as a base.
This resulted in an arrest warrant being issued for alleged triad kingpin Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant, who then surrendered to the police.
On Tuesday, Chuwit posted on Facebook CCTV footage from the nightclub on the night it was raided. In his post, he claimed that police had failed to collect evidence of drugs being sold at the club. He also questioned the transparency of the investigation.
Thiti, meanwhile, said the footage and other documents that Chuwit has been showing to the media are confidential evidence and may have been leaked by a senior officer responsible for the case.
If found guilty, the police colonel will be charged with sabotaging police investigation, the bureau chief added.
Bangkok all set to be coloured Blackpink this weekend
SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2023
Fans of the all-girl K-pop band Blackpink were spotted posing for selfies outside Bangkok’s National Stadium where the band is scheduled to perform this weekend.
The Bangkok leg of the “Born Pink World Tour” will be held at the Suphachalasai National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday from 7pm.
The organisers announced on Friday that people attending the concert will be required to wear a facemask. They also reserve the right to deny entry to anyone with a body temperature higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius and the ticket will not be refunded.
The South Korean band comprising Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Thailand’s very own Lalisa Lisa Manobal has been breaking records since it debuted in August 2016 with the album “Square One”. Now referred to as the “biggest girl group in the world”, Blackpink are the highest-charting female K-pop band on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on Billboard 200, where they hit No 1 with their second album “Born Pink” last year.
SootinClaimon.Com 