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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008350

Marine Department officials toiled on Wednesday to salvage 51 containers at the site where two cargo ships crashed into each other on the Chao Phraya River in front of Samut Prakan’s city hall in Muang district on Tuesday afternoon.

The impact caused half of one cargo ship, which carried the 51 containers, to sink under the water.

The ship was identified as the OPK 3, a-670 tonne gross cargo vessel belonging to OPK Global Logistics Ltd.

51 containers being salvaged from cargo ship crash site in Samut Prakan

About 500 metres from the half-sunken ship was the anchored NP Pathumthani, a 355-tonne gross cargo vessel that sustained damage at the front.

There were no reports of any injuries or deaths from the accident.

51 containers being salvaged from cargo ship crash site in Samut Prakan

Wanchai Sabaijai, an OPK Global Logistics manager, said the OPK was carrying 51 containers from Saha Thai Port in Samut Prakan to Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi when the NP Pathumthani, which was travelling “off course”, T-boned it and caused it to leak and partially sink.

“A crane ship has been deployed to pick up the 51 containers from the half-sunken ship,” said Marine Department deputy director-general Phuri Theerakulpisut. “After that, officials will use patrol ships to push the OPK 3 toward the riverbank in order to drain water from its hull and fix the leak. We have also deployed buoys around it to prevent oil from leaking into the river,” he explained.

51 containers being salvaged from cargo ship crash site in Samut Prakan

“We expect the operation to be completed in three days, after which all vessels should be able to travel in the particular area as normal,” he said.

Phuri added that the containers were found to carry agricultural products and ceramic ware. He advised ship operators who have to use the route to take extra caution around the salvage site.

Meanwhile, police officers are interviewing the ship helmsmen and witnesses to determine the cause of the accident.

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Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008348

Bangkokians should prepare for PM2.5 dust (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) during the cooler season from December to February, while real-time air quality information can be checked via websites and a phone application, the governor said on Wednesday.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang posted on Facebook on Wednesday that there is a chance that the PM2.5 dust is likely to exceed the standard value in January, as it usually happens every year. 

The governor said that in 2020, the capital began to experience the PM2.5 dust situation early in December, due to the spread down of the weakening cold air mass which caused weak or calm winds. Also, the prevailing wind that brings dust from the burnings in an open space from the central region and neighboring countries into the east side of Bangkok is causing PM2.5 dust to accumulate higher.

“There are 70 permanent PM2.5 dust monitoring stations throughout the capital. If any area is found with dust that exceeds the standard, the officials will urgently take action in order to control air pollution to be in the standard and safe for public health,” said Aswin.

The governor also urged Bangkokians to access the air quality information in real-time at www.air4bangkok.com, www.bangkokairquality.com and the AirBKK mobile phone application in a bid to prepare and protect themselves and their family.

Related news:

• Higher PM2.5 levels may return from late October, could exceed health standard in Jan, Feb
• Bangkok prepares to battle PM2.5 problem as cool season approaches
• New face masks can repel both PM2.5 and Covid-19

Capitals dwellers advised to prepare for dust problem

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008347

Bangkok has been delisted from the top 50 Covid-19 City Safety Ranking Q2/2021 published by London-based analytical agency Deep Knowledge Analytics (DKA) in September.

According to the report, 72 cities, including Bangkok, had been analysed in 114 indicators across five categories of pandemic responses: economic resiliency, governance, healthcare, quarantine and vaccinations.

The United Arab Emirates’s Abu Dhabi was named the safest city in the second quarter this year with a score of 73.16, followed by Singapore with 71.69 and South Korea’s Seoul with 71.41.

Bangkok fails to make top 50 listing for Covid safety

Abu Dhabi was adjudged best city for vaccination rate, Singapore best in economic resilience, Seoul top in healthcare management, Canada’s Ottawa best in government efficiency and China’s Beijing topmost in quarantine efficiency.

Bangkok fails to make top 50 listing for Covid safety

The DKA said Bangkok faced its greatest crisis in the second quarter this year due to air travel restrictions and quarantine. The analytical agency also pointed out that the city’s economy was fragile even though the country has been reopened to foreign travellers.

Related stories:

• Samui 7th best island in the world, 2nd best in Asia
• 4 Bangkok hotels ranked among world’s best this year
• CU advances to 308th in world university rankings, Thailand told more research needed at universities

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008346

The Legal Execution Department announced it would hold an auction for Dhara Dhevi Hotel Chiang Mai.

The auction will take place at the Chiang Mai Legal Execution Office on November 12, with a starting price of THB2.116 billion.

This price is just 50 per cent of the amount paid by Inter Far East Energy Corporation when it bought the hotel in December 2015. The company bought stocks for THB2.52 billion and paid THB4.3 billion, which included the debt.

At the beginning of 2020, the hotel was severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis and closed temporarily. It filed for business rehabilitation in June 2020.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the petition on November 18, 2020, which forced the hotel to enter bankruptcy.

The 123-room hotel reopened in 2002 as a five-star facility.

Dhara Dhevi Hotel Chiang Mai goes under the hammer with THB2.1 bn starting price

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Its architecture resembles the ancient Lanna kingdom.

It is located in Mueang district and covers an area of 153 rai.

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008344

The police have tightened border patrols to prevent Myanmar immigrants from sneaking into Thailand, Provincial Police Region 7 said.

Pol Colonel Pongsakorn Upaphong, deputy commander-in-chief of the Kanchanaburi Provincial Police, explained that the province has 43 natural borders across five districts with steep and complex mountainous topography.

He said the police were cooperating with related agencies and local leaders to conduct patrols every 24 hours as Myanmar immigrants who enter illegally may cause the spread of Covid-19 in this country.

“We have instructed police officers to cooperate with related agencies on preventing immigrants from sneaking into the country,” Pongsakorn said. “Immigrants who have been arrested will face interrogation based on human rights principles in order to arrest human traffickers,” he said.

Pongsakorn also said the police arrested 102 immigrants – 61 men and 41 women – at the border in Kanchanaburi’s Sai Yok district on November 1.

“The immigrants said that most of them would go to work in Samut Sakhon initially, while others would head off to seek jobs in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom and Ratchaburi,” Pongsakorn said.

“Some of immigrants were knowledgeable in natural borders as they had worked in Thailand before,” he added.

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008342

All the 25 crew of the “Darawan” fishing vessel were in for a surprise on finding a whale shark trapped in their fishing net on the Andaman Sea in Satun on Monday night.

The crew immediately swung into action after their captain ordered them to set the struggling shark free in a heart-touching move.

The shark was among myriad other fish trapped in the net.

Setting it free was no easy task due to its huge frame and the rescue took a while until it was successfully released, much to the relief of the captain and crew.

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• Expert dismisses claim of 280 whale sharks spotted in Koh Tao
• Underwater beauty captured off the coast of Tarutao Island
• Dotted whale shark greets divers at Koh Tao as Surat Thani opens to tourists

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008343

The Foreign Affairs Ministry on Tuesday issued a statement saying Poland’s government had cancelled the donation of 3 million Moderna doses to Thailand after Thammasat University (TU), which negotiated with Polish government organisation Rzadowa Agencia Rezerw Strategicznych, said it intended to sell two-thirds of the donated vaccine via private partners to cover the import cost.

TU last month took to Facebook to acccuse the ministry of blocking Poland’s donation of Moderna vaccines by refusing to issue a document authorising the university as a representative of the Thai government in order to receive the vaccine donation.

However, ministry spokesperson Tanee Sangrat on October 27 clarified that the ministry did not have any legal authority to prohibit the university from making deals with foreign agencies or importing vaccines.

Tanee said the ministry responded to the TU via a letter suggesting that the university deal directly with the donor agency. He said nothing in the letter indicated that the ministry disagreed with or was opposed to the donation.

“TU informed the ministry that it intended to keep one-third of the donated vaccines for its own use, to be distributed at Thammasat University Field Hospital to the public free of charge,” the statement said on Tuesday. “As for the rest of the vaccine, TU planned to distribute them to private partners who would sell them to the interested public to cover the cost of importing the vaccine.”

The statement went on to say that the ministry has discussed the issue with its Polish counterpart and was informed that Poland’s government did not allow the sale of donated vaccines, and that in order to sell the vaccine the seller must have market authorisation from Moderna, which TU was never granted. This has led to Poland’s decision to cancel the donation of Moderna vaccines to Thailand altogether.

“The Foreign Affairs Ministry could not issue a document authorising TU as a Thai government representative or a document confirming that Thailand would accept the vaccine donation from Poland, which could affect the international relationship between both countries and undermine Thailand’s credibility,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, the ministry’s decision in not issuing such documents is focused on the country’s benefit as a top priority, as the sale of vaccines by parties with no market authorisation from the manufacturer could result in future lawsuits against the Thai government,” the statement said.

“The ministry, however, is happy to support TU in its effort to procure Covid-19 vaccines through donation from other countries in the future,” it added.

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Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008341

Seven Covid-19 vaccines have been approved in Thailand which will not require mandatory quarantine for visitors from 63 countries. However, those who enter the country need to obtain the Thailand Pass under specified conditions.

Here are the approved vaccines, according to the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Consular Affairs:

• CoronaVac (Sinovac)

• AstraZeneca

• Pfizer-BioNTech

• Moderna

• Covilo (Sinopharm)

• Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)

• Sputnik V.

The timing of receiving the second dose must also be in accordance with the specified period after the first dose:

• Two weeks apart after the first dose of Sinovac;

• Four weeks apart for AstraZeneca;

• Three weeks apart for Pfizer-BioNTech;

• Four weeks apart for Moderna;

• Three weeks apart for Sinopharm;

• Three weeks apart for Sputnik V.

Travellers are required to complete their second jab 14 days before arrival, including those who have received a Johnson&Johnson shot.

Visitors who have already had Covid-19 can enter the country after receiving one dose of vaccine within three months after recovery. A medical certificate to confirm the recovery and a vaccination document must be provided upon arrival.

A traveller will be deemed to have been fully vaccinated if he/she carries a document certifying two doses of vaccination before any infection, according to the criteria.

Related news:

• Now double-jabbed tourists from 63 countries can visit Thailand
• Unlocking of bars in Bangkok to be considered on Nov 15
• An open letter to the people of Thailand: AstraZeneca

As for the Thailand Pass, visitors are required to fill in their travel plans and health information in a web-based system upon arrival before receiving a QR code, which will allow them to travel in the country. The pass can be obtained only for those who meet visa requirements.

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008338

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions on Tuesday announced that it has accepted the charges filed against Phalang Pracharath party listed MP Wirat Rattanaset and 86 others for corruption in the construction of futsal fields in Nakhon Ratchasima schools.

Among the 86 defendants are two other Phalang Pracharath MPs, namely Tassaneeya Rattanaset, Wirat’s wife, and Tassanaporn Ketmetheekarun, Tassaneeya’s sister.

The court therefore ordered Wirat, Tassaneeya and Tassanaporn to stop all their duties as members of the Parliament immediately.
 

The allegations are related to the 2012 fiscal budget under which 4.45 billion baht was allocated to Education Service Area Offices in Nakhon Ratchasima and other 17 provinces in the North and Northeast.

Wirat, Tassaneeya and Tassanaporn had allegedly told their subordinates to contact directors of schools under Nakhon Ratchasima Primary Educational Service Area so they could allocate funds for the construction of futsal fields in their school.

Public prosecutors say this unlawful allocation of state funds violated several articles of the Criminal Code, the Organic Act on Counter Corruption, and Act on Offences Relating to the Submission of Bids to State Agencies.

The court has scheduled the first hearing on December 20 at 9am.
 

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Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008326

Ministry of Public Health reported on Wednesday (November 3) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 7,679 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 536 of whom have been found in prisons.

Death toll increased by 56, while 8,482 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 1,935,442 – 1,818,463 of whom have recovered, 97,585 are still in hospitals and 19,394 have died.

Separately, another 267,117 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 485,778 their second shot and 35,081 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 77,014,092.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 248.28 million on Wednesday, 224.99 million of whom have recovered, 18.26 million are active cases (73,468 in severe condition) and 5.03 million have died (up by 6,798).

Thailand ranks 24th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 47 million, followed by India with 34.31 million, Brazil with 21.82 million, the UK with 9.13 million and Russia with 8.59 million.

Published : November 03, 2021

By : THE NATION