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https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/in-focus/40010515

Following Thailands pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2065, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) in collaboration with Thai-German Climate Programme – Policy, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, organised a symposium titled “COP26 Debrief: Global Future, Thai Future” on 16 December 2021 at the Ballroom, Centara Grand Hotel Central Ladprao, Bangkok, to disseminate and summarise the results of the 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26).

This symposium also provided a forum for those involved to share their insights and strategies for action on climate change and was honoured to have the participation of representatives of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, Office of the Board of Investment, and Bank of Thailand. More than 300 people from government agencies, the private sector, the educational sector, the public sector, media, and independent organisations attended the event.

In his keynote address, Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), stated: “Working on climate change comprises both carbon emissions and sequestration. MoNRE has an important mission in regard to sequestration in addition to being Thailand’s national focal point on climate change. Increasing the country’s forested and green areas by 55%, as specified in the 20-year national strategic framework, is an effort to increase the number of carbon sinks. Many ministries, including the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and other relevant sectors, must collaborate to reduce carbon emissions. All sectors must work together.”

“From now on, ONEP will continue to work closely with all relevant sectors in all forms to ensure Thailand’s operations are successful,” added Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Secretary-General of ONEP.

The forum noted that it was gratifying to see that many agencies have now begun to actively drive their work in carbon sequestration. The Ministry of Energy has amended the National Energy Plan to transition into the Energy Disruption era through the 4D + 1E scheme — Digitalization is adopting modern technology to increase energy efficiency and efficiency and to push Thailand to become an ASEAN energy center; Decarbonization is reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and coal use while increasing the production and use of electricity generated from solar cells, biomass, and biogas; Deregulation is unlocking regulations on electricity generation and trading to help prosumers reduce electricity purchase costs; Decentralization is the delegation of authority to local governments and the promotion of community energy management; and Electrification means fostering the electrification of everything, conducting and expanding the electric train network, and promoting the utilisation of electric vehicles (EV).

Meanwhile, the transport and transportation sector has shown its commitment to developing infrastructure to manage rail and waterway travel for people and goods. In the financial and investment promotion sectors, players have made efforts to promote and support green businesses, both through policy and infrastructure, such as the issuance of tax exemption measures for investment in renewable energy, greenhouse gas storage technology for the petrochemical industry, and encouraging large corporations to invest in small-scale agriculture, such as low-carbon rice cultivation. Also being encouraged is the domestic production of electric vehicles as well as investment in research and development.

H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt

H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt, the German Ambassador to Thailand, remarked, “There is an apparent contradiction between ecology and economy, but it’s not either/or. It is much more expensive to do nothing than to do something. The government can set the rules, so the transition is fair to everyone.  We also need people for the change. Without the people, nothing would happen. It’s a challenge for Thailand. It’s a challenge for Germany. It’s a challenge for the world.

Varawut Silpa-archa

Mr. Varawut also addressed efforts to integrate climate change information and understanding into the education sector, which is an intriguing aspect. He also made the point that climate finance is critical to enabling conditions for Thailand’s transition to a low-carbon society.  For more than a decade, Germany and Thailand have actively and continuously collaborated to combat climate change in numerous projects, and Germany will continue to support Thailand in the year to come, providing climate funds totalling up to 1.5 billion baht.

“Our thanks go to the German government for their ongoing assistance in working with Thailand and understanding Thai people. I sincerely hope that next year, when Thailand and Germany celebrate our 160th anniversary of friendship, good things will happen,” Mr. Varawut said.

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010511

Tourist Police Bureau’s “New Year New Normal 2022” campaign launched on Monday will see more security checkpoints set up nationwide with officers on hand to provide assistance and promote safer travel across Thailand.

Tourists will also be urged to download the “Tourist Police i lert u” smartphone application so they can seek help immediately.

The campaign was launched at an event presided over by Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn in Bangkok’s CentralWorld shopping centre on Monday.

Also attending was Tourist Police chief Pol Lt-General Sukhun Prommayon.

“This campaign was launched as a publicity measure for tourists, so they realise that Thai police, including the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Central Investigation Police, Immigration Bureau, Tourist Police volunteers and the private sector will proactively provide security during the New Year period,” Sukhun said.

He added that the “Tourist Police i lert u” application, which was launched on December 15, aims to prevent crime as it monitors tourists while they are travelling in Thailand, so police can jump to their assistance when required.

The application is linked to the 1155 Emergency Response Centre, which will dispatch police officers immediately. The call centre is available in English, Chinese, Russian, Japanese and Korean, and will next year support French, German and Arabic.

Related news:

• Tourist Police launch mobile app for faster response
• 7 airlines ready to fly during New Year break under tighter Covid-19 measures
• Prevention measures for New Year celebrations

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010510

The answer as to why the number of Covid-19 infections in the UK and South Asia is so high may lie in the LZTFL1 gene, the Chulabhorn Royal Academy said in a Facebook post on Monday.

“The destructive form of the LZTFL1 gene is found in up to 60 per cent of people of South Asian descent, 15 per cent of people with European ancestry, 2.4 per cent of Africans and 1.8 per cent of East Asians,” the post read. “Racial backgrounds carrying the high-risk version of the gene double the risk of death from Covid-19.

“The Nature Genetics website has published a study on the LZTFL1 gene,” said the post. “Researchers believe the risky version of the gene makes people’s lungs more susceptible to coronavirus and derails a key protective mechanism that cells lining the lungs normally employ to defend themselves from Covid-19.”

According to the study, when cells lining the lung interact with coronavirus, one of their defence strategies is to turn into less specialised cells and become less welcoming to the virus. This de-specialisation process reduces the amount of a key protein called ACE-2 on the cell surface, which is key to coronavirus attaching to the cells. But for people with the risky version of the LZTFL1 gene, this process does not work as well, and lung cells are left vulnerable to the virus.

The study concluded that patients with a low expression of the LZTFL1 gene are at lower risk of coronavirus invasion in their lungs, while a higher version of the LZTFL1 gene expression derail cell transformation and make the lungs vulnerable to infection. This gene doubles a person’s risk of death from the disease – worse than coronary heart disease and diabetes – and can also affect people below the age of 60.

The academy also quoted Prof Frances Flinter, emeritus professor of Clinical Genetics at King’s College London, who concluded that it is particularly important to inoculate communities that are at a greater risk of serious Covid-19 infection due to this gene. She said this increased risk can be cancelled out by vaccination.

Related News

Thailand’s first plant-based Covid-19 vaccine to be adjusted to fight against Omicron

Covid scientists find a turning point in life-threatening cases

Chula research team comes up with innovative, fast, accurate, affordable Covid-19 test kit

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010508

Israeli tourist Ohad Baruch, who was tracked down to Koh Samui on December 22 after escaping his quarantine in Bangkok, was sent to Thong Lor Police Station on Monday to face legal proceedings.

Once the court issues a ruling, Baruch will be deported under the Immigration Act.

The Israel national landed in Thailand on December 17 under the Test & Go scheme and left his hotel in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area before his RT-PCR test result was released.

The court subsequently issued an arrest warrant for the man and he was later caught at a restaurant on Samui island and charged with violating the emergency decree and communicable disease control act.

He was then escorted to Koh Samui Hospital for a Covid-19 test and was found to be negative.

However, Suphakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, said on December 23 that the earlier test showed Baruch was infected with the Omicron variant.

Related stories:

• Quarantine escapee Baruch was infected with Omicron, but Samui test result comes up negative
• Israeli man arrested on Samui after fleeing quarantine in Bangkok, heading to Pattaya then Chumphon
• Samui 7th best island in the world, 2nd best in Asia

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010507

Thailand will go ahead with its order of 2 million tablets of the Covid-19 magic pill Molnupiravir despite news that France has cancelled its order due to disappointing test results, Dr Somsak Akksilp, Department of Medical Services director-general, said on Monday.

Reuters reported on December 22 that France has cancelled its order with Merck following disappointing trial data and has opted instead for a similar drug being produced by Pfizer.

France is the first country to announce publicly that it is not buying the drug after Merck released data in late November suggesting that the drug was markedly less effective than previously thought. Clinical trials showed that the drug reduces hospitalisations and deaths among high-risk individuals by only 30 per cent.

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry signed a contract with Merck to procure 50,000 courses of Molnupiravir anti-Covid pill. The shipment is expected to land in January.

“The contract specifically says that Thailand can reconsider the order based on other countries’ order and usage of the drug,” Somsak said. “Latest information shows that the United Kingdom on December 22 increased its Molnupiravir order to 1.75 million courses, while Japan ordered another 1.6 million courses on December 24.

“The situation regarding the antiviral drug is constantly changing, while the department will focus primarily on the safety of patients,” said Somsak. “Merck & Co had initially claimed that the Molnupiravir has over 70 per cent efficacy in treating Covid-19 patients during its mid-stage human trials. The efficacy in the final stage however has dropped to 30-40 per cent, which means that the drug still works.”

Related News

Health Ministry signs contract to procure 50,000 Molnupiravir courses

Two million Molnupiravir tablets expected to arrive in January

Molnupiravir will turn Covid-19 into an ordinary complaint: top virologist

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010503

Commander of Naresuan Force Major Gen Prasan Saengsirirak on Monday morning visited a temporary refugee camp in Mahawan subdistrict of Tak’s Mae Sot district to show moral support to soldiers of 14th Ranger Regiment who have been stationing at the Thai-Myanmar border to monitor the situation in Myanmar and provide assistance to Myanmar refugees.

Anews source reported on Monday that more than 5,000 Myanmar nationals have taken refuge in Tak’s Mae Sot district after fighting between Myanmar’s armed forces and the Karen resistance movement intensified over the past three days.

On Saturday, the Myanmar army launched airstrikes and fired cannons into the Karen stronghold, forcing 5,384 villagers to cross the Moei River and seek refuge on Thai soil.

On Monday afternoon Gen Prasan traveled to Meun Leu Chai village in Tak’s Phrob Phra district to provide construction materials and other necessities to residents near border areas whose houses have been damaged by the airstrikes. Soldiers of Naresuan Force also helped villagers in fixing their homes and strengthening bomb shelters in the village.

As for Myanmar refugees in Tak who wish to return home, the border patrol soldiers will help them cross the border at safe areas while maintaining strict Covid-19 preventive measures.

Related News

Over 5,000 Myanmar villagers flee to Mae Sot as clashes intensify

Tight security in Mae Sot after clashes break out in Myawaddy

Mentally unstable Myanmar migrant freezes to death in Mae Sot

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010496

Ministry of Public Health reported on Tuesday (December 28) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 2,305 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 54 of whom have been found in prisons.

Death toll increased by 32, while 3,070 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,214,712 – 2,159,443 of whom have recovered, 33,639 are still in hospitals and 21,630 have died.

Separately, another 36,548 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 112,442 their second shot and 134,326 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 102,975,259.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 281.84 million on Tuesday, 251.21 million of whom have recovered, 25.21 million are active cases (88,796 in severe condition) and 5.42 million have died (up by 4,646).

Thailand ranks 24th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 53.74 million, followed by India with 34.8 million, Brazil with 22.25 million, the UK with 12.21 million and Russia with 10.42 million.

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40010484

The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Tuesday (December 28) that the rather strong high-pressure system from China covers upper Thailand. Cool to cold weather with strong winds and a decrease in temperature by 2-4 °C are forecast in the North, the Northeast, the Central and the East regions.

Mountaintops in the North and the Northeast are cold to very cold with temperature ranging from 5 to 13 °C. People should take care of their health due to variable weather.

The Department also mentioned that the rather strong northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf of Thailand, resulting in 1-2 meters high waves in the Gulf. All ships should proceed with caution.

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

North: Cool to cold weather; temperature lows of 13-18 degrees and highs of 26-31 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 5-12 degrees Celsius.

Northeast: Cool to cold weather with strong winds; temperature lows of 11-20 degrees and highs of 26-30 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 8-13 degrees Celsius.

Central: Cool to cold weather in the morning with strong winds; temperature lows of 18-22 degrees, highs of 28-32 degrees Celsius.

East: Cool weather in the morning with strong winds; temperature lows of 18-22 degrees, highs of 28-33 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and more than 1 meter offshore.

South (east coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 19-26 degrees, highs of 29-34 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters high during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-25 degrees, highs of 29-35 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool weather in the morning with strong winds; temperature lows of 19-23 degrees, highs of 29-32 degrees Celsius.
 

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : December 28, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40010481

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) has, as of Monday, received three bids for the 82-billion-baht Purple Line running from Tao Poon to Rat Burana (Kanchanaphisek ring road).

The first two bidders were CKST Joint Venture Group, an alliance between CH Karnchang and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, and ITD-NWR MRT joint venture comprising Italian-Thai Public Co and Nawarat Patanakarn. The third company to hand in a bid was Unique Engineering and Construction.

The bidders will be considered in technical terms, the price offered and if they have worked in Thailand for at least 20 years.

MRTA will announce the winner in the first quarter of 2022, after which the contract will be signed immediately to expedite the start of construction within the third quarter. The construction is expected to take 2,005 days and should be completed by the end of 2027.

Published : December 27, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40010480

A recent analysis conducted by the Department of Disease Control (DDC) shows that if no measures are taken to tackle the highly transmissible Omicron strain, Thailand will end up having to handle 30,000 new infections and up to 180 deaths daily.

In this scenario, it will take three to four months to control the outbreak, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Monday.

But if all relevant measures are strictly put in place, then daily infections and deaths may come down to 10,000 and up to 60 respectively, he said, adding that a lockdown would be the last resort.

He also said that though the Omicron strain is far more easily transmissible than Delta, the symptoms are relatively mild and can be controlled if everybody cooperates and gets their jabs.

Published : December 27, 2021

By : THE NATION