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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003191

Cabinet cuts water, electricity bills for 2 months

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved measures to reduce electricity bills for households and businesses in July and August as part of pandemic-relief measures.

The measures use February’s discounted electricity tariff.

Homes that use up to 150 units of electricity per month will get the first 90 units for free.

Homes that use more than 150 units per month but no more than their February usage will be charged the discounted tariff.

Homes that use more than in February, up to 500 units per month, pay the February rate.

Homes that use 501-1,000 units per month pay the discounted rate up to the value of their February bill, then +50 per cent for additional units.

Homes suing more than 1,000 units per month pay the discounted rate up to the value of their February bill, then +70 per cent for additional units.

Small businesses (excluding government agencies and state enterprises) get the first 100 units free of charge.

Medium and large enterprises, specialised enterprises, non-profit organisations and agricultural irrigation operations will be relieved of the minimum charge until the end of December, paying according to the actual power they consume.

For water use, bills to homes and small businesses will be cut by 10 per cent in August and September.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet said public education institutions will consider cutting tuition and other fees for the first term of 2021.

Published : July 14, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003194

Cobra Gold troops drop guns to raise school

US troops have helped construct a new school building in Sa Kaew province as part of the joint Cobra Gold military exercise.

US Marine Corps Engineers participated in the pillar-raising ceremony for a building at the Baan Mai Thai Pattana School last week, said a US Embassy press release.

Thai and US troops work together to build community projects during every Cobra Gold, which is now in its 40th year.

The embassy said the new 8×20-metre Sa Kaew school building will be a multipurpose classroom for 150 students from Kindergarten to 9th grade while also providing a place for town meetings and after-school activities for both the young and the old.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003192

Bangkok pawnshops to cut interest rates to help people survive

With people struggling to make ends meet in the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Bangkok authorities are getting all state-run pawnshops to reduce interest charges for three months from July 1.

The new monthly interest rates will be as follows:

• 0.1% for a pledge of up to 5,000 baht

• 0.8% for 5,001 to 15,000 baht

• 1% for pledges above 15,000

• Each pawn ticket can be worth no more than 100,000 baht

• A person can hold no more than five pawn tickets worth a total of 500,000 baht

• Gold can be pawned at 87.5% for its original purchase value.

Visit www.pawnshop.bangkok.go.th for more details.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003187

Corruption complaint filed over lavish Samut Prakan streetlights

Local politicians in Samut Prakan have asked the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to investigate a project to install ornate streetlamps, as corruption fears mount.

Topped with a kinnaree (half bird-half woman) design, the streetlamps in Racha Thewa subdistrict have drawn public criticism and suspicion over their lavish design and high cost.

The Racha Thewa subdistrict administrative organisation (SAO) has reportedly spent 900 million baht on the ornate lampposts since 2013. Critics say only one company was involved in the projects.

On June 22, the SAO approved a budget of 68.4 million baht to install another 720 kinnaree-topped lampposts in Racha Thewa.

On Tuesday, members of the SAO lodged a complaint with the DSI, asking the department to check for corruption in the procurement of the lampposts. The petition says the SAO ignored complaints from locals who voiced opposition to the plan to buy more lampposts.

SAO chairman Songchai Nokkhamin insists the purchase and installation of the lampposts was above board.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003186

Requirements for foreign tourists arriving on Samui from Thursday

Surat Thani on Tuesday issued Covid-19 rules for foreign travellers visiting three resort islands – Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao – under the Samui+ Model.

From Thursday (July 15), foreigners will be allowed into Thailand via Samui International Airport provided:

• They avoid areas at risk of Covid-19 infection for at least 14 days.

• They come from a low- or medium-risk country based on criteria set by the Public Health Ministry. The traveller will have to prove they have stayed in the said country for at least 21 days before entering Surat Thani.

• They hold a certificate of entry (COE).

• They hold proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken at least 72 hours before departure.

• They hold an insurance policy with at least US$100,000 of cover for medical expenses for Covid-19 and other conditions during their entire stay in Thailand.

• They install the Mor Chana tracing application or other apps specified by district disease control centres.

• They stay in an Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALQ) hotel in Koh Samui for seven days, after which they can stay in ALQ or SHA+ hotels in Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan or Koh Tao.

• They must undergo an RT-PCR Covid-19 test at least three times: On arrival at Samui Airport, on day six or seven, and on day 12 or 13. Children under six years old only have to undergo one RT-PCR test between the first and the seventh day of their stay.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003185

8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok

Eight people were arrested for breaching the first night of curfew in Bangkok and surrounding provinces on Monday.

Acurfew from 9pm-4am was ordered in Bangkok and nine other provinces by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration last Friday as part of a partial lockdown. The other provinces are Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, plus Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla in the deep South.

People are banned from leaving their homes from 9pm-4am except for emergencies, while interprovincial travel is discouraged.

8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok

“On the first night of curfew, 1,500 vehicles were stopped and checked and 2,183 individuals were searched or questioned at 110 checkpoints throughout Bangkok and surrounding areas,” reported the Metropolitan Police Bureau. “Officials made a total of eight arrests, four involving possession or use of narcotics.”

On the first night of curfew, police focused on giving information and warnings rather than making arrests, Bangkok police chief Phukphong Phongpetra explained earlier.

“We will consider curfew violators’ intention. They will get off with a warning if they are out at night unintentionally,” he said.

8 people arrested on first night of curfew in Greater Bangkok

The bureau said the most common reasons for being outside during curfew on Monday were to deliver products (637 people or 29 per cent) and travelling to/from work for the night shift (573 people or 26 per cent). Another 195 people (9 per cent) stopped by police were Bangkok Metropolitan Administration cleaning staff who work at dawn to avoid traffic.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003183

Thais warned not to fall for scammers offering Covid jabs

The Department of Medical Services is warning people to look out for scammers who claim they can get them a Covid-19 jab at the Bang Sue Grand Station for a fee.

“Vaccinations are being provided at the Bang Sue Grand Station for people aged 60 and above, and it’s completely free of charge,” the department said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“The department accepts online registration via four mobile operators and will set appointments from July 16 to 31 between 9am and 5pm.”

Those who are 60 or above can book their jab via:

AIS: www.ais.th/vaccine

True: Press *707# and call (for True Move H only), vaccine.trueid.net or scan QR code from PR media

Dtac: Via Dtac app or https://www.dtac.co.th/vaccine/registration/

NT: https://covid19vaccine.ntplc.co.th

The department also accepts walk-ins, provided they are over 75 and cannot register online. They can show up for a jab between July 12 and 18.

The National Vaccine Institute also said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that a gang of fraudsters has been sending emails inviting people to pay for alternative vaccines. The scammers claim they have booked 500,000 doses.

“This gang calls itself the ‘Thai Vaccine Institute’, which does not exist. They also use a fake logo that looks like that of the National Vaccine Institute,” the post said. “Do not put your personal data in the form attached to these emails, as you could become the victim of a scam.”

The institute is urging those who received these emails to forward their information to its Facebook page so it can take legal action against the fraudsters.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003182

KMITL produces special ventilator bags for emergency services

The King Mongkuts Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) recently produced 100 special emergency transport ventilators or Ambu bags to supply to 50 hospitals across the nation.

KMITL’s special KNIN II Ambu bags are smaller with an inbuilt battery, which makes them easy to use in emergencies.

The production of the devices was financed by the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003181

56 deaths, 8,685 new cases as Thailand’s third wave rages on

Thailand logged 56 deaths and 8,685 new infections over a 24-hour period on Tuesday.

Of the total, 6,026 had tested positive in hospitals, 2,501 were found via proactive testing, 146 infections were found in prisons and 12 were arrivals from overseas.

Bangkok led the list of most cases with 2,631, followed by Samut Sakhon (561), Nonthaburi (537), Samut Prakan (529), Chonburi (459) and Pathum Thani (189.

Meanwhile, 3,797 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.

Of the total 353,172 cases so far, 255,455 have recovered and been discharged, 95,410 patients are still in hospitals, and 2,847 have died.

Meanwhile, another 297,542 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 41,438 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 12,908,193.

According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 188.06 million, 172 million of whom have recovered, 12.01 million are active cases (78,536 in severe condition) and 4.05 million have died (up by 6,387).

Thailand ranks 60th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.76 million, followed by India with 30.9 million, Brazil with 19.1 million, France 5.81 million and Russia 5.8 million.

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003180

Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told

Bangkok’s homeless people are being urged to stop moving about and set up camp in one place during the 9pm to 4am curfew.

This curfew is part of the partial lockdown imposed in Greater Bangkok and southern border provinces since Monday in a bid to curb Covid-19 infections.

On Tuesday, Thailand was hit with 8,685 new cases and 56 deaths. The number of cases in the country has been soaring since the third wave was sparked in April, with deaths hitting a record high of 91 last Saturday and infections a record high of 9,539 cases on Sunday.

Choose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless toldChoose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless toldChoose a footpath and stay there, Bangkok’s homeless told

Published : July 13, 2021

By : The Nation