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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011666

The Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) will give Southeast Insurance Plc and Thai Insurance Plc seven days to submit documents detailing steps taken to manage active policies and compensate their customers and beneficiaries in line with the law.

The two companies have filed motions with the OIC for permission to shut down their insurance business.

“OIC will approve their motion to shut down only after all details required have been submitted,” Adisorn Pipatworphong, OIC’s deputy secretary-general for legal affairs, said on Friday. “In the meantime, both companies shall continue operating as usual, and their customers can file for insurance claims within their legal rights.”

Southeast Insurance and Thai Insurance are both subsidiaries of Thai Group Holdings (TGH), which had announced the termination of its insurance businesses earlier this week due to an unprecedented surge in Covid-19 claims. The group has reportedly paid more than 9.9 billion baht in Covid-19 claims.

According to OIC’s regulations, an insurance company wishing to close its business must inform the OIC of the following before closure can be approved:

• Steps taken to manage or transfer active insurance policies to a new operator. The new operator must provide equal or greater benefits compared to the current policies.

• Steps taken to inform its customers and beneficiaries of the closure and information on how they can exercise their legal rights.

• Steps taken to withdraw or transfer the deposit the company placed with the OIC. The company will be required to provide evidence that it has no outstanding debts or obligations to transfer the deposit.

• Asset and debt management plans for the affected insurance business and other related businesses.

• The period during which regulations 1 to 4 will be implemented.

Related News

Motion to close Southeast Insurance still under probe, assures OIC

Insurers delaying Covid payments face THB20,000 daily fine, warns OIC

OIC prohibits cancellation of Covid-19 insurance before policy ends

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011665

Registration for the new Test & Go scheme, which kicks off on February 1, is open to all nationalities, though registrants must be willing to undergo two RT-PCR tests during their first five days in the country, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s spokesperson Dr Apisamai Srirangsan said on Friday.

The original Test & Go scheme had opened the country to visitors from 63 countries/territories with a low level of Covid-19 infections. However, this scheme was suspended from December 22 in a bid to curb the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“Under the revised criteria of Test & Go scheme, registration is no longer restricted by country/region of origin,” she said. “However, travellers are required to have two RT-PCR examinations, one on the day of arrival and second on the fifth day.

“They must also provide proof of booking and payment for two nights of SHA Extra Plus/AQ/OQ/AHQ hotel or accommodation on days one and five. The bookings do not necessarily have to be in the same hotel or even the same province. However, visitors must wait at the hotel for the test results,” she added.

“In case infections start surging or if there is a change in the situation, the CCSA may consider adjusting the measures and only allowing visitors to arrive under sandbox or quarantine conditions like before,” she said.

From January 1 to 27, 170,479 tourists have landed on Thai soil, and of them 3.63 per cent or 6,194 have tested positive. The arrivals are categorised as follows:

• 69,488 entered under Test & Go scheme, with 2,652 or 3.82 per cent testing positive.

• 70,593 entered under sandbox scheme, with 2,867 or 4.06 per cent testing positive.

• 30,398 people arrived under the alternative quarantine system, with 675 or 2.22 per cent testing positive.

Related News

Modified Test & Go scheme to resume from Feb 1

Bangkok gets ready to welcome foreign visitors from Feb 1

Revised requirements for visitors under “Test and​ Go”, starting Feb 1

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011661

Ministry of Public Health reported on Saturday (January 29) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 8,618 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 216 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 19, while 8,358 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 200,655.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,424,090 – 2,318,006 of whom have recovered, 83,939 are still in hospitals and 22,145 have died.

Separately, another 48,407 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 95,037 their second shot and 346,329 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 114,577,194.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 370.5 million on Saturday, 292.56 million of whom have recovered, 72.26 million are active cases (95,018 in severe condition) and 5.67 million have died (up by 10,324).

Thailand ranks 29th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 75.27 million, followed by India with 40.85 million, Brazil with 25.04 million, France with 18.48 million and the UK with 16.33 million.

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011654

The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday (January 29) that the high-pressure system over the North and the upper Northeast of Thailand is weakening while the westerly wind at high altitude prevails over the upper country. Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning are likely in the North and the Northeast. Mountaintops are cold to very cold with temperature in the range of 5-14 °C. People in the upper country should take care of their health due to variable weather. All transports should take more caution due to poor visibility.

Meanwhile, the southerly and the southeasterly winds prevail over the lower Central including Bangkok and its vicinity and the East regions, causing isolated light rains in the areas.

The Department also mentioned that the weak northeast monsoon prevails across the Gulf of Thailand and brings isolated light rains over the South.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:

North: Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 13-19 degrees and highs of 31-36 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 5-12 degrees Celsius.

Northeast: Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 16-22 degrees and highs of 32-36 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 8-14 degrees Celsius.

Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning and isolated light; temperature lows of 22-24 degrees, highs of 34-36 degrees Celsius.

East: Cool weather with fog in the morning and isolated light rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high and about a meter high offshore.

South (east coast): Partly cloudy with isolated light rains; temperature lows of 22-24 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high and about a meter high during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with isolated light rains; temperature lows of 22-26 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high and about a meter high offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with light fog in the morning and isolated light rains; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees, highs of 33-36 degrees Celsius.

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : January 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011649

Thailand’s first legal casino should be located in a remote area, to help boost the local economy while reducing the income gap with more developed parts of the country, an MP sitting on the newly formed House panel dealing with the matter suggested on Friday.

Panich Vikitsreth, a member of the House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee studying the feasibility of opening a casino, said that it would be “more suitable” for the complex to be built in a remote and less developed province than a large city.

“The [casino] province and surrounding areas will attract more economic development, with new jobs, increased tourism, more businesses and travel,” he wrote on Facebook.

Panich, an MP from the coalition Democrat Party, said a good example was Las Vegas in the US state of Nevada, once a remote desert town that became a major tourist destination due to casinos and entertainment complexes.

“This [Thai] entertainment complex and casino must help reduce inequality and no location should be favoured over another [in advance],” he said. “We have to closely follow this matter and help people understand how they and the country stand to benefit.”

The committee on Thursday resolved to set up four subcommittees to study different aspects of the casino entertainment complex, said Panich.

They will study legislation, revenue and tax collection, prevention of possible adverse impacts, investment, business models, and the gaming business, he added.

The MP commented that legalising casinos would create new jobs for locals while boosting the local and national economy. “The government also receive considerably more revenue from tax,” he added.

Published : January 28, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011647

From next month, haemodialysis will be free for patients with kidney failure under the universal healthcare system, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday.

Currently, only peritoneal dialysis is free for patients under the National Health Security Office (gold card holders), while the less invasive haemodialysis costs up to Bt20,000 a month.

Anutin delivered the good news for kidney patients after meeting with National Health Security Office (NHSO) secretary-general Jadet Thamthat-Aree, Nephrology Society of Thailand chief Surasak Kantachuwessiri, and Association of Friends of Kidney Patients president Thanapol Dokkaew.

Anutin said he held the meeting to ensure sudden demand for free haemodialysis from February 1 does not affect kidney patient care in general.

The NHSO board of directors earlier this month agreed to subsidise haemodialysis for patients who do not want to receive peritoneal dialysis.

Jadet said the NHSO approved free haemodialysis after hearing some kidney patients complain they could not have the operation for peritoneal dialysis and were left shouldering the Bt1,500 cost of dialysis treatments on their own.

Jadet said an NHSO study found that the cost of subsidising free dialysis treatment was not too high but would improve the quality of life for this group of patients.

To be eligible for free dialysis, patients must gain consent from their doctors, he said.

Of the 30,802 dialysis patients currently being treated under the NHSO, 6,546 are unsuited to the peritoneal method, Jadet said.

The NHSO also found that 5,000 peritoneal dialysis patients want to switch to haemodialysis instead.

The NHSO will spend Bt719.9 million to provide free haemodialysis for the remaining eight months of fiscal year 2022. The money will come from leftover NHSO budget, including from fiscal year 2021, Jadet added.

After gaining their doctor’s approval, kidney patients can receive two free dialysis treatments per week at any dialysis facility – not just their gold-card hospital.

Surasak said the people will benefit from the new policy, after 10 years of the free peritoneal method when there weren’t enough dialysis machines to go round.

Thanapol thanked Anutin and the NHSO, saying free blood dialysis would help low-income earners save up to 20,000 baht per month in treatment expenses. However, he was concerned over whether there would be enough dialysis machines and medical staff to treat the increasing number of patients who use the free service.

Published : January 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011643

The number of Saudi Arabian tourists to Thailand is expected to jump 10 times — to around 300,000 a year — thanks to the recently revived ties between the two kingdoms.

The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) made the estimate after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday visited Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is considered the de facto leader of the oil-rich Middle East country.

The visit came after over three decades of soured bilateral ties following the so-called Blue Diamond Affair, in which a Thai employee stole a cache of jewellery from a Saudi prince in 1989, leading to a trail of murders and suspected police corruption in Thailand.

ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn said on Friday that if the Thai government and private sectors work closely together, his group expected the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia to grow 10 times, from 30,000 in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is not difficult for [a market with] a population of almost 35 million. We can draw quality tourists with high purchasing power,” he said.

The number of Saudi tourists has been on a decline over the past five years — dropping from 33,517 in 2017 to 30,002 in 2019 and only 467 last year.

Meanwhile, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Friday that TAT would map out its promotion plans for Saudi Arabia after bilateral relations normalised.

TAT will collaborate with major Middle Eastern airlines like Emirates, Qatar and Etihad, while also working with Arabic-speaking influencers to promote Thailand.

The tourism authority will also focus on Thai Airways International and Saudia when the air route between the two countries reopens, Yuthasak said.

Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier has announced it will resume direct flights to Thailand in May.

“The month coincides with the high season for tourists from the Middle East, who like to travel during the rainy season in Thailand,” he said.

Published : January 28, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011642

The city administration will install AI traffic cameras at intersections and zebra crossings throughout Bangkok in an effort to improve road safety, Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on Friday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration chief posted on his Facebook wall that he would like to thank the Royal Thai Police for approving the expansion of the AI traffic-camera project.

Currently, AI traffic cameras are used only at the Asoke intersection in a pilot project to catch motorists and motorcyclists when they violate traffic rights or stop on zebra crossings while waiting for the green light.

The expansion of the system was approved by the Royal Thai Police on Friday, allowing the BMA to rush to install more AI cameras at some 10 to 20 more intersections and at several zebra crossings, Aswin said.

Police and the BMA have been stepping up road-safety measures after an eye doctor was killed by a speeding big bike at a zebra crossing on a Bangkok street last week.

The BMA will use the AI camera system to catch traffic violators and send their pictures to the police to issue warrants and fines accordingly, the governor added.

Aswin said the AI system had been effective in reducing the number of traffic violations at the Asoke intersection.

To improve road safety, apart from improving physical characteristics of problematic roads, intersections and crossings, the strict enforcement of traffic law would also be necessary, Aswin added.

He said the AI camera system would allow police to issue tickets against violators effectively and fast, and eventually prompt motorists and motorcyclists to improve their behaviour.

“When the AI camera system is expanded to several crossings and intersections, traffic law violations will come down and when the system covers entire Bangkok, those who tend to violate the traffic law will change their behaviour,” Aswin said.

Published : January 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011641

The government lottery plans to launch a digital ticket-selling platform to tackle the problem of overpriced tickets.

Krungthai Bank will develop the platform, which will be free of charge for vendors and should be ready by May 2, said Lavaron Sangsnit, chairman of the Lottery Board.

Lavaron said the move will on Monday be proposed to the committee tasked with combating overpriced lottery tickets, chaired by Prime Minister’s Office Minister Anucha Nakasai.

Sellers with quotas must consent to sell their tickets on the Digital Lottery platform, while the Government Lottery Office (GLO) will keep their real tickets.

“The tickets will disappear once they are purchased, while buyers will receive a receipt in the form of an electronic bill or SMS message,” Lavaron explained. “The platform aims to boost sales channels for retailers and keep the ticket price at a maximum of 80 baht.”

It will also enable retailers to reduce ticket prices close to the prize-announcement day, and allow them to sell all or only some of their quota online.

Lavaron said the platform will also aim to persuade retailers to sell their tickets via the GPO rather than other outlets.

He added that retailers will receive cash payment once their tickets are purchased, while buyers will be able to purchase as many as are available at 80 baht per ticket.

“Once the platform is launched, retailers who sell tickets on other [online] platforms will lose their quota immediately,” he said, adding that over 9,000 retailers have lost their ticket quota this year. He added that these retailers can reregister for a quota, but they would be blacklisted if they sell their tickets on other platforms again.

Lavaron Sangsnit

A total of 878,000 sellers have registered for ticket quotas so far this month – almost double the 500,000 expected.

“Hence, we expect about 1 million people to apply by the time registration closes on January 31,” Lavaron said. He added that it would take about two months to screen the remaining 200,000 registrants for eligibility but said the GLO will not extend its lottery quota or print more tickets if some registrants were rejected

Meanwhile, 4,790 sellers have registered for a new project to set up one lottery stall per district selling tickets at 80 baht.

“Of the 928 districts nationwide, sellers in 691 districts have already registered for the project, while 237 districts are still available.”

He added that GLO will cooperate with police in screening sellers who receive their quota at post offices nationwide to prevent scalping which results in high ticket prices.

Published : January 28, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/in-focus/40011636

A US-funded renovation of the Thai Border Patrol Police Close Quarter Battle Training Facility in Chiang Mai province’s Mae Taeng district was unveiled on Friday.

US Embassy chargé d’affaires Michael Heath and Pol Maj-General Varayuth Sukhawat, deputy chief of Border Patrol Police (BPP), presided over the inauguration.

The upgraded facility, which is a testament to the long-standing US-Thai partnership, will help ensure law enforcement authorities can better protect communities in Thailand and across the region from transnational crimes, said a press release issued by the US Embassy and Consulate in Thailand.

The US$600,000 (THB19.8 million) renovation added shooting ranges, a mock village, a three-storey tactical training building, and state-of-the-art-equipment including a closed-circuit digital recording system to the training facility. The BPP will utilise this improved facility to conduct training scenarios in a variety of environments and review and analyse footage of the training for future improvements.

Apart from funding the facility’s renovation, the United States’ overall $1.2 million (THB40 million) contribution to the BPP in northern Thailand will ensure that this facility will support future training programmes of the BPP, the statement said.

At the opening ceremony on Friday, Michael Heath highlighted the breadth and depth of the US-Thai partnership and underscored security collaboration between both nations.

“Our longstanding law enforcement cooperation combats transnational crimes, including illicit trafficking of people, narcotics and wildlife, keeping people of both our countries and the region safe,” said Heath.

“US support for this facility, which will enhance the BBP’s ability to counter illicit transborder activities, demonstrates our commitment to our partner and ally Thailand,” said Rear Admiral Charles Fosse, director of the US Indo-Pacific Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force West, which provided funding for this training centre.

Varayuth thanked “our US partners for long-term support and continued collaboration”.

The United States and Thailand have been cooperating to advance mutual interests in all sectors, including health, commerce, education, and security. The US’s extensive law enforcement partnership signals the importance it places on Thailand as a strategic partner and regional leader, the embassy statement said.

Published : January 28, 2022

By : THE NATION