#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40011690

With the oil spill having reached Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng beach, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa has come up with plans to prevent a repeat of the disaster.

He said the National Oil Water Pollution Prevention and Elimination Plan was created in 2002 to provide the public and private sectors with guidelines and raise awareness.

The plan, which is overseen by the Transport Ministry, is implemented by the Oil Water Pollution Prevention and Elimination Committee, with the Marine Department and Industry, Energy and Transport ministries serving as coordination centres.

Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Navy and Marine Department will run an operation control centre with the provincial government and oil companies acting as operating units.

The Pollution Control Department is also involved in preventing oil spills and has been tasked with the following jobs:

• Developing and improving coastal resource databases and storing them in geographic information systems (GIS).

• Studying the composition of the oil to determine the source.

• Supervising the use of chemical dispersants to remove the spill.

• Preparing an environmental rehabilitation plan and proposing a subcommittee to work on restoring the area and assessing the damage incurred.

• Providing information and evidence to be used in claiming compensati

on and taking legal action against the polluters.

• Using the oil map as well as spatial and temporal changes in conditions in the upper Gulf of Thailand and Eastern Seaboard to prepare for future oil spills.

Published : January 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40011689

Despite the surge in Covid-19 cases, Pattaya has remained popular among local and foreign tourists thanks to its high defence against the virus that is helping tourists feel more at ease.

“Ibelieve Chinese New Year on February 1 is another important event that will see Pattaya bustling again. Tourists can come and complete all the rituals before heading to the beach to relax,” said Pattaya’s mayor Sontaya Kunplome.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) marked Pattaya City as a “blue zone” for domestic travellers, while foreign tourists can enter it via Test & Go or the Sandbox scheme.

Thailand is relaunching the Test & Go scheme from February 1 onwards, only this time it is open to all countries. Under the new version, tourists will be required to show booking at an SHA hotel or AQ site for the first and fifth day in Thailand and should be willing to undergo RT-PCR tests on those days. They are required to wait in the hotel or AQ premises until the results are released.

In the case of cluster infections, the Test & Go scheme may be replaced by a sandbox tourism pilot scheme.

Meanwhile, the CCSA will allow restaurants in the eight blue-zone provinces to serve booze until 11pm, provided the eateries meet SHA+ standards, or have Thai Stop Covid-19 and Covid-19 Free Setting measures in place.

Meanwhile, Sontaya said Pattaya’s income since the country reopened on November 1 last year has been good because more than 10 per c

ent of tourists entering Thailand head to the seaside town.

“I think the challenge now is managing tourism in line with health measures until the Covid-19 pandemic turns into an endemic,” the mayor said.

Published : January 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011683

Public Health Ministry reported on Sunday (January 30) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 8,444 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 236 of whom are foreign travellers.

Death toll increased by 12, while 7,829 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country are at 2,432,534 with 22,157 total deaths.

Published : January 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011678

The Thailand Meteorological Department on Sunday (January 30) that The westerly winds at high altitude prevail over the North and the Northeast of Thailand with cool to cold remaining. 

Meanwhile, another high-pressure system over southern China, upper Vietnam and the South China Sea is expected to reach the upper Northeast of Thailand by tomorrow (January 31). This forces the southerly and southeasterly winds blowing the humidity from the sea to cover the East and the Northeast regions of the country with isolated rain. 

On mountaintops of the North and the Northeast, cold to very cold is forecast. The minimum temperature of the North mountaintops is in range of 5-12 °C while the Northeast ranges by 9-15 °C. 

People in the upper country should keep healthy due to the variable weather. All transports take more caution in poor visibility.

The weak northeast monsoon prevails across the Gulf with isolated light rain over the South.

The 24-hour weather forecast for different regions:

North: Cool to cold with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 12-18 °C and highs of 30-35 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 5-12 °C.

Northeast: Cool with fog in the morning. Isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 17-22 °C and highs of 33-35 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-15 °C.

Central: Partly cloudy with morning fog and isolated light rain; temperature lows of 23-24 °C and highs of 35-37 °C.

East: Partly cloudy with morning fog and isolated light rain. Isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 24-27 °C, highs of 32-36 °C; waves below 1 metre high and about 1 metre offshore.

South (east coast): Partly cloudy with isolated light rain. Isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 21-25 °C, highs of 30-35 °C; waves below 1 metre high and about 1 metre in thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy. Isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 22-26 °C, highs of 34-36 °C; waves below 1 metre high and about 1 metre offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with fog in the morning and isolated light rain; temperature lows of 23-25 °C and highs of 33-36 °C.

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : January 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011674

An explosion in the southern province of Yala on Friday night sent police on a hunt for bombs and they had found 11 suspected explosive devices as of press time on Saturday.

The explosion in front of a convenience store in Muang district at around 9pm on Friday left a 59-year-old man, identified as Manoon Unok, with injuries to his left arm and right leg.

At around the same time, police also found another suspicious-looking box on Siroros Road. The box, containing gunpowder and an integrated circuit attached to a clock, was defused by the bomb disposal team.

Provincial police chief Pol Maj-General Tinnakorn Rangmart instructed investigators to study all security camera footage from areas around these locations to try and identify suspects. Some of the suspected perpetrators were spotted on the CCTV footage.

Meanwhile, of the 11 suspected explosive devices found, bomb disposal experts managed to defuse three. There were no reports of property damage.

Police believe the perpetrators simply wanted to cause disturbance in the insurgency-hit region.

Published : January 29, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011673

The Metropolitan Police Bureau will deploy up to 800 police officers to man polling stations in Bangkok’s Constituency 9 on Sunday, the bureau’s deputy chief Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsangek said on Saturday.

Voters will cast their ballots on Sunday from 8am to 5pm for a new member of Parliament for Constituency 9, which covers parts of Lak Si and Chatuchak districts, after Palang Pracharath Party MP Sira Jenjaka was disqualified by the Constitutional Court.

“There are 280 polling stations in the constituency and at least two officers will be monitoring each station,” Jirasan said. “The bureau will also have a fast-response team and a company of crowd-control officers ready in case of emergency.

“After 6pm on Saturday, sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages in election zones will be prohibited and the bureau has ordered all officers to ensure the law is strictly followed,” he added.

The no-booze regulation will be lifted at 6pm on Sunday.

Jirasan went on to say that police intelligence has reported that the anti-government group “Thalu Gas” is planning protests in six locations from 4pm on Sunday and has advised people to avoid the following areas as they will be heavily congested:

• Government House on Phitsanulok Road

• Finance Ministry on Rama VI Road

• October 14, 1973, memorial on Ratchadamnoen Avenue

• Bangkok Remand Prison in Chatuchak district

• Supreme Court in Phra Nakhon district

• Victory Monument in Ratchathewi district

“Though controls have been eased in Bangkok as it is a pilot tourism area, holding public activities that can spread Covid-19 is considered illegal under the Communicable Disease Act and the Emergency Decree during Covid-19 Situation,” the police spokesman said.

Related News

Bangkok by-election ‘too close to call’ amid huge generation gap

Aspiring MPs vie for votes ahead of crucial Bangkok by-election

Analysis: Stumbling Palang Pracharath likely to lose Bangkok by-election

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011672

Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng Beach was closed to the public on Saturday as officials launched an operation to clean up an oil spill washing ashore.

Beach vendors have been asked to suspend their business “until the situation returns to normal”, provincial governor Channa Iamsaeng said.

Meanwhile medical staff have been dispatched to the area to treat locals for allergies and nausea caused by the stench of crude oil.

The oil washed ashore from a leaking undersea pipe in the Gulf of Thailand, 20 kilometres off Rayong. An estimated 50,000 litres has spewed from the pipe, which is owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC).

Rayong’s chief public health official Dr Sunthorn Rheanpumikankit urged people to stay clear of oil-slicked beaches, which present a health hazard.

Published : January 29, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011671

A former model was on Friday arrested for selling live sex shows online after being caught in a police sting operation.

Natchayapa Udomchokwattanakit, 32, was trapped when Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau officers posing as restaurant operators asked her for a photo shoot to advertise their business.

The undercover cops arranged to meet her at the Summer Hill branch of Starbucks in Phra Khanong district, Bangkok. Police said she was arrested at the meeting and confessed to importing pornography to a computer system and selling it. They also seized an iPhone X, two sex toys, and Durex lubricant gel from the suspect.

According to police, Natchayapa opened a private Line group to share pornographic images, videos and live shows that featured sexual intercourse. Members were charged a 500 baht joining fee and then 500 baht per month.

Police said Natchayapa used to be a model for events and photoshoots. She switched to the pornography business, uploading content to Line and Zoom and publicising the members-only account via social media, they added.

Related News

‘Time running out’ to prosecute Vorayuth in cocaine case

Policeman charged after doctor fatally hit on zebra crossing

Police uncover boat-registration scam in crackdown on illegal fishing

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011670

Coalition partner Bhumjaithai Party presented draft bills related to cannabis and hemp to the Cabinet on Wednesday after the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) removed marijuana from the list of Category 5 narcotics.

ONCB’s decision came after the Public Health Ministry’s controlled drugs committee approved a draft to remove marijuana from the narcotics list on January 20.

This legislation will allow nearly every part of the marijuana plant to be removed from the list of controlled substances except for buds and flowers which produce tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of more than 0.2 per cent.

ONCB said it will collect information and analyse the legislation before it is signed by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and announced in the Royal Gazette before going into effect within 120 days.

How does the legalisation affect consumers?

Though marijuana has been removed from the list of Category 5 narcotics, it is still a controlled substance and the process of growing, extraction, manufacturing and usage will be controlled by the Cannabis and Hemp Act.

Related News

Narcotics board greenlights marijuana, hemp legalisation

Don’t sow those marijuana seeds just yet, says Wissanu

Marijuana legalisation a step closer to reality

Growing:

• Individual growers must register with relevant authorities.
• Commercial growers must be authorised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Extraction and processing:

• Must be authorised by the FDA.

Selling, exporting or importing:

• All products made from marijuana must be authorised by the FDA and nothing laced with cannabis that can be eaten, chewed, drunk or kept in the mouth can be sold to people under the age of 20, pregnant women, nursing mothers or people at risk.

Advertising:

• No advertising allowed unless authorised by the FDA.

However, even though marijuana has been removed from the list of Category 5 narcotics, there is still a lot of confusion about how it can be consumed.

Anutin has insisted that all recreational use of marijuana is illegal and those misusing it will face legal action. Yet there is a loophole in the law saying individuals only need to register with an agency without requiring authorisation from the FDA. No details have been provided about which agency is in charge.

Dangers of legalisation

Chitlada Areesantichai, director of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre for Addiction Studies (CADS), said the centre has studied 29 samples of marijuana-laced food products over the past two months.

The aim of the study was to see if the amount of THC present in the products crossed the legal limit and found that drinks on average had 0.214 to 0.231 per cent of THC, while a cookie could have 0.498 per cent.

Meanwhile, dry food like noodles can have as much as 32 to 35 per cent of THC, the study showed.

Chitlada also pointed out that people may inadvertently consume more THC as there is no way of keeping the consumption in check. Sellers might also up the THC content in their products to boost sales.

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011667

Crude oil from the leak that an underwater pipeline sprung on Tuesday evening has reached Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng Beach, provincial governor Channa Iamsaeng confirmed on Saturday.

The area will be marked off as a disaster zone and visitors barred from entering the water, he said, adding that the rule also applies to fishermen.

However, Channa insisted the situation was not severe but the area has been marked as a disaster zone to facilitate the clean-up operation.

Atthaphol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Pollution Control Department (PCD), said soldiers and government officials were doing their best to clean the beach and are keeping an eye out for another wave of crude oil 3 kilometres from the beach.

Fishermen in the area, however, say the situation is far worse than reported.

As of Friday, the areas most at risk were the IRPC port, Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng and Ban Phe beaches as well as the channel linking Koh Samet’s Ao Prao beach.

Related News

All-out efforts being made to stop oil spill reaching Rayong shore

Navy sets up emergency centre to tackle Rayong oil spill

Impact of Tuesday’s oil spill off Rayong ‘could be worse than in 2013’

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said all efforts are being made to clean the oil spill as soon as possible to reduce the impact on the environment and economy.

He pointed out that the situation will be handled as per the 2002 National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which brings together different agencies, including the Marine Department, the Pollution Control Department and the Royal Thai Navy, to deal with the disaster.

Meanwhile, Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha said in a Facebook post on Saturday: “We have arrived at Larn Hin Kaw at Mae Ram Phueng Beach this morning.”

He added that his ministry has sent representatives, including the Department of Health’s chief Dr Suwanchai Wattana Yingcharoenchai, to collect samples to determine the impact the spill may have on locals’ health.

A pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Plc sprung a leak late on Tuesday, releasing some 50,000 litres of oil in the sea some 20 kilometres from the shores of Rayong.

The leak was reportedly brought into control a day later, though satellite images from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency showed that the oil slick ran for up to 47 kilometres.

Separately, Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate told reporters on Friday that the government has filed an official complaint seeking compensation for damages caused by the spill.

Reuters has cited the Royal Thai Navy as saying it will take up to a month to clean the affected areas.

This is not the first time that Rayong has been hit by an oil spill. In 2013, a leak from underwater pipes blackened beaches in the province, causing environmental damage that affected fishing and tourism. It took several months to clear the area.

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION