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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003281

Joint statement of 6 media professional guilds on the Emergency Decree’s impact on the freedom of the press and the public 

On July 10, 2021, the Thai government invoked Section 9 of the 2005 Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation, introducing a new set of measures concerning the media.

They include Article 11, which outlaws “the distortion of information and news that cause misunderstanding in the emergency situation, the presentation and dissemination of news in books, published material and other media that contain messages that incite fear to the public, or intentionally distort information to create misunderstanding in emergency situation that impacts state security, peace and morality of the public.” Any infraction will be considered a violation of the Emergency Decree. 

In the light of the development, 6 media professional guilds, whose names are identified at the end of this statement, met to discuss concerns expressed by media professionals and members of the public. We reached the following conclusions: 

1.The new measures issued under the Emergency Decree differ from the previous enactment of the same Decree, which specifically limited its scope to only (1) information related to the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) presentation of false news or information. The previous measures also required law enforcement officials to warn, suspend, or instruct the offenders to amend the information before taking any legal action. The omission of those crucial clauses amounts to empowering state officials to enforce the measures in accordance with their own discretion, which may affect the media’s duty to present news information and the public’s freedom of expression.

2.In practice, there are already many existing laws that allow state officials to suspend or take legal action against news or information that intentionally distorts facts to cause damages and dangers to the public, such as the Computer Crime Act and the Communicable Diseases Act. Therefore, the new measures enacted under the Emergency Decree provokes concerns that the government may intend to wield the power under the Emergency Decree to infringe on the freedom of the press and public’s freedom of expression, potentially abusing the law to silence news and information unrelated to the pandemic situation. 

3.Throughout the past year and a half of the pandemic, there are many well documented cases in which state agencies were repeatedly responsible for miscommunication and causing confusion to the public and the media. The government should solve the problems of misleading news or information by turning to the many existing venues of cooperation with the media instead of resorting to legal mechanisms that would negatively impact the media’s work in keeping the public informed. 

4.We’d like to encourage news organizations and media professionals to keep reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic while strictly adhering to journalist ethics and codes of conducts, in order to assure the public that news and information presented by the media is accurate and credible.

5.As the pandemic continues under the changing media landscape – which permits any individual to present news and information to an increasingly larger audience – we urge members of the public to be vigilant in exercising their discretion when receiving and sharing news and information. To achieve this end, news consumers can also rely on the efforts by many news agencies and civil society organizations who are working to fact check and verify the deluge of information on social media.  

We urge the government to reconsider the new measures mentioned in this statement. The government must also clarify the enforcement of the new measures in a clear manner, to prevent them from being misused as an instrument to crack down on the freedom of the press and the public’s freedom of expression. The rights to information and expression cannot be infringed, especially during the ongoing crisis of the pandemic. 

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003280

Medical deans back mixed-jab strategy against Delta contagion

Deans of Faculties of Medicine at 10 universities backed a mix-and-match vaccine strategy to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant on Wednesday.

The deans, who are also advisers to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), issued a statement supporting the National Communicable Disease Committee’s proposal for a first jab of Sinovac followed by a second of AstraZeneca to increase immunity against fast-spreading variants of Covid-19.

The deans cited the rapid increase of Delta infections in Thailand, which logged 9,186 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday with 98 deaths.

“In Bangkok alone, up to 69 per cent of patients have the Delta variant, which has a higher mortality rate than other variants,” said their statement. “Also, the Delta variant tends to be less responsive to vaccines, which have been developed based on other variants.”

The statement added that one jab of AstraZeneca or two jabs of Sinovac produced a low level of neutralising antibodies – not enough to protect against Delta infection.

However, two studies show that mixing and matching doses boosts immunity, it said.

“A Chulalongkorn University study of 36 volunteers and a Department of Medical Sciences study of 18 volunteers showed that a Sinovac jab followed by an AstraZeneca jab boosted their immunity up to eight times more than people who received two jabs of Sinovac,” said the statement.

The volunteers’ immunity also rose at a faster rate than those who received two jabs of the same vaccine, it added. “People who receive two jabs of AstraZeneca will achieve the desired level of immunity against Delta variant eight weeks after the first jab is given, while those who receive Sinovac and then AstraZeneca jabs can achieve the same immunity level in only 5-6 weeks.”

The deans also said 1,102 people had received two different vaccine brands after shortages of Sinovac for their second dose meant they had to get an AstraZeneca jab instead.

“We have studied people in this group closely and found that none of them developed severe allergic reactions or died after getting the jabs. Most importantly, none were infected with Covid-19.”

The deans also supported giving booster shots (third jabs) to front-line medical staff as protection against Delta. “Medics given two jabs of Sinovac should get another jab of AstraZeneca or any mRNA type vaccine at least four weeks after the second jab to reduce the infection risk from treating patients,” the deans said.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003279

Don’t fall for ‘too good to be true’ visa offers, warns US embassy

The US embassy along with missions from other countries recently issued a warning about fraudulent visa agencies who make offers that are too good to pass up.

“Don’t think it can’t happen to you! Every day there are visa applicants who fall victim to fraudulent visa agencies. If someone is making you an offer that sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” the US embassy posted on its Facebook page on Thursday.

Apart from promising well-paying jobs, some scammers claim that all visa applications submitted through them have a 100-per-cent chance of getting approved. Some of these agencies also overcharge their customers.

Comments on a similar subject were also posted on the Facebook pages of Canada, New Zealand, UK and Australia embassies.

The US embassy has advised victims of these scams to report via support-thailand@ustraveldocs.com.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003278

98 deaths, 9,186 infections as Thailand hits new record

Thailand logged a new daily high of 98 deaths and 9,186 new infections over the past 24 hours on Thursday, pushing the country’s caseload to 372,215 cases.

Of the total infections, 7,481 had tested positive in hospitals, 1,604 were found via proactive testing, 79 infections were found in prisons and 22 were arrivals from overseas.

Bangkok led the list with 2,224 cases, followed by Samut Prakan (846), Samut Sakhon (640), Chonburi (523) and Nonthaburi (355).

Meanwhile, 5,543 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.

Of the total 372,215 cases, 266,127 have recovered and been discharged, 103,056 patients are still in hospitals, and 3,032 have died.

Meanwhile, another 275,216 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 27,820 were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccines administered in Thailand to 13,533,717.

According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Thursday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 189.16 million, 172.79 million of whom have recovered, 12.3 million are active cases (79,141 in severe condition) and 4.07 million have died (up by 8,715).

Thailand ranks 59th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.84 million, followed by India with 30.98 million, Brazil with 19.2 million, France with 5.85 million and Russia 5.82 million.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003276

Rapid Covid-19 test kits already up for sale in Hat Yai

A pharmacy in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district has already started selling rapid antigen test kits after the Public Health Ministry approved the use of these kits earlier this week to combat long queues for RT-PCR tests.

The ministry’s plan was to first deliver a supply of the test kits to more than 300 state hospitals nationwide before getting pharmacies to stock up.

On Wednesday, reports said the rapid test kits were already available at Pharmaplex, a large drug store in Hat Yai.

The store has a stock of some 400 kits, which is expected to be sold out within a week.

Pharmaplex manager Dr Phashinee Saokaew said the test kits sold in her store are of the “For a” brand. She also said results from these test kits are sometimes unreliable, so people should test themselves again in three or five days of getting a negative result.

Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, chief of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, had voiced similar concerns in a Facebook post.

Thiravat warned that the result can be false if people don’t understand the principles of an antigen test. In other words, testing negative on this rapid test kit does not mean they are not infected.

For instance, he said, saliva and samples taken from the nasal cavity can give different results due to the virus levels at the sources.

However, he conceded that though the test kits would provide unreliable results, there is no other option at this point in time.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003275

Bookings for Sinopharm jabs delayed due to app problems

Registration for Sinopharm jabs via Chulabhorn Royal Academy’s CRA SINOP smartphone application has been postponed to Sunday because the app is not ready yet.

The academy was scheduled to take bookings from today.

Dr Nithi Mahanonda, the academy’s secretary-general, posted an apology on his Facebook page on Thursday saying the CRA SINOP app will be ready for download via Google Play Store and the iOS App Store from Sunday.

Like Sinovac and Covaxin, Sinopharm is also an inactivated virus vaccine. It has been approved for use on people aged 18 and over. So far, more than 65 million doses have been administered in China, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Hungary.

Sinopharm is the sixth vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which says it is 79 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid-19 infection. The vaccine can also be stored in a refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003274

People rush to register for latest cash-handout scheme

People flocked to their nearest Social Security Office on Thursday to register so they can claim compensation under the government’s new relief measures.

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a cash-handout scheme for those affected by the curfew and Covid restrictions imposed in Greater Bangkok and the deep South.

The measures cover Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla.

Thai employees under the social security system will receive half their salary in compensation, up to a maximum of 10,000 baht.

Self-employed people registered for social security will get payments of 5,000 baht.

Employers under the social security system will be compensated 3,000 baht per employee, up to a maximum of 600,000 baht.

Households and businesses will also get two months of discounted utility bills.

These relief measures apply to workers in the hotel and food industry, construction, entertainment/cultural venues, services, transportation and warehouses, wholesale and retail operators, administration and services, science and academia, and communications sectors.

To claim compensation, self-employed people and employers must register into the social security system within this month.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003272

CSO Coalition seeks halt in sales of young fish, warns of extinction

The Civil Society Organisation Coalition for Ethical and Sustainable Seafood (CSO Coalition) urged traders and supermarkets to stop selling young fish to prevent extinction of aquatic wildlife.

“From our research in 15 provinces, the biggest markets for young seafood are modern trade and supermarkets, while fresh markets and souvenir shops are only responsible for selling a small fraction of non-adult seafood products,” the CSO Coalition said in online seminar titled “Baby fish, a big issue of Thailand’s seas”.

“Catching juvenile fish will prevent them becoming adults and laying eggs to increase offspring and will drastically decrease fish population in the sea,” it pointed out.

“This will adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem and eventually hurt the economy as the fishery industry will yield lower output.”

CSO Coalition seeks halt in sales of young fish, warns of extinction

The coalition also revealed that some sellers use the trick of changing the names of young seafood to make customers think they are not young fish but a different breed of adult fish that are small by nature.

“Yong mackerel, for instance, has been renamed ‘clear mackerel’, while young anchovies have been called ‘Khao San fish’ [rice fish]. Young squid and horse crab are also marketed under totally different names of Katoy squid and Katoy crab, whereas ‘Katoy’ in the southern dialect means miniature but not necessarily young,” CSO Coalition said.

“As these young fish are small in size, they are often caught and sold in bulk at high prices,” it said.

“If fishermen had waited for another six months, those fish would have become bigger and could be sold at more reasonable prices per weight ratio. If the problem persists, consumers will eventually have to buy fish at higher prices as good quality fish will become harder to find,” CSO Coalition warned.

It therefore urged modern trade operators and supermarkets to stop selling young fish and invited people to support the campaign by signing up at Change.org/BabySeafood.

CSO Coalition seeks halt in sales of young fish, warns of extinction

“To solve this problem everyone must work together. The government must issue suitable laws to limit the catching of young fish and traders must stop selling non-adult seafood, which will help reduce market demand greatly, while customers must also stop buying such fish,” the CSO Coalition pleaded.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003271

Anxious, bored construction worker flies the quarantine coup

A 46-year-old construction labourer, who reportedly slipped away from quarantine in Buriram, said he escaped because he was bored and anxious at being ordered to stay under detention.

On Wednesday, the Ban Huay village chief in Chaloem Phra Kiat district was informed by the quarantine facility that a man had escaped after four days into detention. The man (whose name was not revealed) was a construction worker who returned from a Covid-19 high-risk area in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

A search team finally found the man at his house.

The man told the village chief and his team that he flew the coup because of anxiety and boredom in quarantine. He added that his medicine for a congenital disease also ran out, so he decided to leave the facility and asked a taxi biker to take him back home.

He was immediately sent back into quarantine.

According to his medical history, he was a psychiatric patient.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003264

GPO set to sign Moderna purchase contract with private hospitals

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) will start signing purchase contracts for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine with private hospitals on Friday, while a contract with Zuellig Pharma, which imports Moderna, will be signed on July 23.

“As there are 285 hospitals which have expressed an interest in the vaccine, we expect the purchase contracts with them to all be finalised before July 21,” GPO deputy managing director Dr Sirikul Matevelungsun said on Wednesday.

“We can then expect to sign the contract with Zuellig Pharma next week on Friday [July 23], which is sooner than we previously estimated.”

Sirikul said the GPO expected the delivery of 5 million Moderna doses to arrive between the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.

Moderna is among the top choices of alternative Covid-19 vaccines in Thailand, with private hospitals opening reservations earlier this month.

For example, Bangkok’s Phyathai 2 Hospital, which sells each dose of the vaccine at THB1,650, announced they were sold out in less than a minute after reservation opened on July 8 at noon.

Published : July 15, 2021

By : THE NATION