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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404554

March inflation figures show steady recovery of Thai economy

NationalApr 05. 2021

By THE NATION

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped 0.08 per cent year-on-year in March, its lowest contraction in 13 months and a marked improvement from the 1.17 per cent drop in February, the Commerce Ministry reported on Monday.

The CPI measures headline inflation based on the prices of a basket of consumer goods and services.

The improvement stemmed mainly from the rising price of energy, pork, and cooking oil.

However, the price of other items, including raw food and housing, dropped further to drive a slight reduction in headline inflation of 0.08 per cent last month.

Discounting food and energy (core inflation), the CPI in March rose 0.09 per cent (YoY).

In the first quarter of 2021, headline inflation fell 0.53 per cent (YoY) and core inflation rose 0.12 per cent.

The slight contraction of CPI came with signs of gradual economic recovery both on the demand and supply sides, the ministry said.

The demand side has seen improvement in farmers’ income, agricultural prices, private consumption index, sales of commercial vehicles and motorcycles, and real estate transactions.

On the supply side, the Manufacturing Production Index (MPI), Capacity Utilisation (Cap-U), and the Producer Price Index (PPI) are on upward trends.

The Commerce Ministry has adjusted its forecast for headline inflation in 2021 to 0.7 to 1.7 per cent (1.2 per cent on average).

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404552

Price of raw sugar raised in bid to turn sugarcane into cash crop

NationalApr 05. 2021Siriwut Siembhakdi

By THE NATION

The Thai Sugar Millers Corp (TSMC) has set the price for 10 CCS (commercial cane sugar) at Bt1,000 per tonne in a bid to encourage farmers to grow more sugarcane.

“TSMC will also provide the know-how to new farmers who want to switch to sugarcane,” the corp’s PR chief Siriwut Siembhakdi said.

The yield of refined sugar from one tonne of sugarcane this year stood at 113.57 kilograms versus 110.46kg per tonne last year.

There are currently 57 factories that process sugar nationwide.

“The average sweetness level of sugar this year was 12.68 CCS,” he said.

Despite the increase in per tonne yield, the total output of sugarcane this season dropped to 66.66 million tonnes from the last season’s 74.86 million tonnes due to drought in many regions of Thailand.

“Pollution during this season’s harvest was not bad because many farmers were observing the ban on setting fire to fields to harvest sugarcane,” he said. “This year, only 17.61 tonnes of sugarcane were harvested by setting fields on fire compared to the last season, when 37.18 million tonnes were harvested by burning.”

Sirwut added TSMC is confident that offering Bt1,000 for every tonne of 10 CCS sugar will encourage more farmers to grow sugarcane and ensure stability in Thailand’s sugar industry.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404551

Elusive croc finally captured in Surat Thani

NationalApr 05. 2021Photo Credit PR.Surat Facebook page

By The Nation

A four-metre-long saltwater crocodile was captured in a mangrove forest in Surat Thani’s Phunphin district on Sunday.

Photo Credit PR.Surat Facebook page

Provincial governor Wichawut Jinto said villagers carried the crocodile to Ban Khlong Rang School in a fishing net, adding that this croc had last been seen in the Khlong Leelet canal early last month.

“Capturing the crocodile has been tough because the canal has many turnoffs and is near the estuary,” he said.

Photo Credit PR.Surat Facebook page

Thanking the villagers for their bravery and ensuring children’s safety, he said government officials will move the crocodile to a safe place.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404550

Proactive testing in Bangkok’s Thong Lor 10 to prevent new Covid cluster

NationalApr 05. 2021

By The Nation

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) morning stationed two biosafety units at Thong Lor 10 on Monday morning to conduct Covid-19 tests on people working there and those who might be at risk.

Since Thong Lor 10 is home to many restaurants and pubs, the authorities decided to test people in the area so the chance of another cluster of infections is avoided.

Earlier, BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said on Facebook that the 40 cases related to the Thong Lor cluster were:

• 21 cases (11 visitors, seven employees and three facing the risk of infection) found at Krystal Club in Thong Lor.

• Three cases (two visitors and one facing risk of infection) found at Ban Phahon Café & Bar in Chatuchak.

• Eight cases (two visitors and six facing the risk of infection) found at Ekamai Beer House in Ekamai.

• Five cases (four visitors and one facing risk) were found at Bar Bar Bar in Thong Lor and Dollar Bangkok in Wang Thonglang.

• One case was found at Cassette Music Bar in Ekamai, who had also visited Pub Dirty in Thong Lor.

• Two cases (both tourists) found at Emquatier and Emporium department stores in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404547

Thong Lor entertainment venues to shutter over latest outbreak

NationalApr 05. 2021

By THE NATION

Entertainment venues will be closed to tackle a fresh outbreak of infections in Bangkok and nearby areas, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Monday.

The CCSA reported 194 new infections on Monday, including 87 cases in and around Bangkok. Twelve people tested positive in quarantine facilities, while the youngest case in the cluster today was 5 months old.

Of the total, 69 cases were linked to entertainment venues – 45 in Bangkok, nine in Samut Prakan, seven in Chonburi, two in Nonthaburi, two in Chumphon, and one each in Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sa Kaew and Pathum Thani.

As of Saturday, the cluster linked with entertainment venues totalled 71 cases. Most of these (40) were linked to entertainment venues in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area.

The CCSA said the affected entertainment venues tend be closed for two weeks. If the situation grows more severe, the entertainment venues would be closed by area or throughout provinces, it added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404546

Long Songkran break a boon for Thai airline industry, says Aerothai

NationalApr 05. 2021

By THE NATION

Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) estimates that some 8,754 local flights or an average of 1,250 flights daily will operate during the April 10-16 Songkran break.

It estimates that April will see 36,150 flights, or 7 per cent more than the 33,796 flights in March.

“The domestic tourism industry will do better in April thanks to the long Songkran holidays,” Aerothai vice-president Thinnakorn Chuwong said. “Meanwhile, the number of international flights passing over Thai airspaces should also rise slightly thanks to an improvement in the outbreak situation in many countries, signalling an improvement in the global airline industry.

Thinnakorn Chuwong

“The government’s decision to let vaccinated foreign tourists travel in certain provinces freely without undergoing mandatory quarantine will help the Thai airline industry recover faster and move closer to the level of 3,000 flights daily, like before the pandemic,” he added.

The program, dubbed “tourism sandbox”, will pilot in Phuket from July 1. Under the sandbox, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely without having to quarantine. Similar schemes will be applied to other destinations like Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani later when more people have been vaccinated and more preventive measures have been put in place.

“Aerothai has prepared additional staff and equipment for air-traffic management at airports nationwide for more domestic flights during Songkran to ensure smooth air traffic flow and passengers’ safety,” Thinnakorn said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404545

Bangkok’s Thonglor cluster forces many international schools to suspend classes

NationalApr 05. 2021

By The Nation

Several international schools in Bangkok have suspended classes temporarily after some 40 Covid-19 cases, some of them students and parents, were found to have originated from the Thonglor cluster.

A comment posted on the Mor Sai Dark (Dark Side Doctor) Facebook page on Sunday said Thonglor had possibly been a source of infections for a while because many entertainment venues in the area would not cooperate with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to conduct proactive tests.

“If tests found Covid-19 patients, then the venues would have to be closed for a while, and business would be lost,” the page said. It added that the students and parents who have been infected are wealthy and usually hold social gatherings.

“Office workers, wealthy people and ambassadors have been infected with Covid-19 over the past three days,” the post read.

Meanwhile, a former international school director said the students would have been infected by their family members.

“However, I believe public health agencies will be able to contain the spread of Covid-19 soon,” the former school director said.

BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said on Facebook that the 40 cases related to the Thonglor cluster were:

• 21 cases (11 visitors, seven employees and three facing the risk of infection) found at Krystal Club in Thonglor.

• Three cases (two visitors and one facing risk of infection) found at Ban Phahon Café & Bar in Chatuchak.

• Eight cases (two visitors and six facing the risk of infection) found at Ekamai Beer House in Ekamai.

• Five cases (four visitors and one facing risk) were found at Barbarbar in Thonglor and Dollar Bangkok in Wang Thonglang.

• One case was found at Cassette Music Bar in Ekamai, who had also visited Pub Dirty in Thonglor.

• Two cases (both tourists) found at Emquatier and Emporium department stores in Bangkok’s Wattana district.

“BMA officials have already launched cleaning operations and is conducting tests in the abovementioned areas,” Pongsakorn said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404544

194 new Covid-19 cases reported as world adds over half a million patients

NationalApr 05. 2021

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Monday reported 194 new cases, 12 of them overseas arrivals in quarantine.

Of the 182 domestic cases, 87 had been contracted locally and 95 were found via proactive testing.

Of the patients who have contracted Covid-19 locally or were found via proactive tests, 46 were in Bangkok, followed by Narathiwat (94), Samut Prakan (9), Chonburi (7), Suphan Buri (7), Samut Sakhon (4), Nonthaburi (4), Prachuap Khiri Khan (2), Chaiyaphum (2), Chumphon (2), Pathum Thani (2), Tak (1), Samut Songkhram (1) and Sa Kaew (1).

Meanwhile, 13 arrivals, both Thai and foreign nationals, tested positive. They included two each from Ethiopia and Bangladesh, and one each from Yemen, Russia, Brazil, India, the United States, Sweden, Germany and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, 66 patients have recovered and been discharged.

As of Monday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 29,321. Of these, 26,170 had been contracted locally, including 16,188 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,151 were returnees.

So far, 27,840 have recovered and been discharged, 1,386 patients are being treated, and 95 have died (35 in the second outbreak).

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Monday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 131.90 million (up by 534,856), 106.19 million of whom have recovered, 22.85 million are active cases (98,779 in severe condition) and 2.86 million have died (up by 6,742).

Thailand ranks 115th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 31.42 million, followed by Brazil 12.98 million, India 12.58 million, France 4.82 million and Russia 4.58 million.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404543

Thailand to explore travel bubble with Singapore

NationalApr 05. 2021Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn

By THE NATION

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports aims to discuss with Singapore a travel bubble between the two countries.

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that the discussions would take place within this week with the Embassy of Singapore.

“We have acknowledged that Singapore has previously run the travel bubble with Australia and New Zealand. If Singapore agrees to run the scheme with Thailand as well, we would probably be able to receive tourists from Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Singaporeans,” the minister said.

He added that his ministry aimed to discuss the travel bubble with other Asean countries as well, such as Vietnam and Laos where Covid-19 new cases were low.

The travel bubble was expected to be organised from October 1, the minister said, adding that his ministry planned to attract more tourists from China if the country allowed its people to travel abroad.

Phiphat also urged tourism entrepreneurs in Thailand to contact their previous customers from the Middle East, to see if they want to visit Thailand after Ramadan, or from the middle of May.

The minister explained that several people in the Middle East had been vaccinated, and to bring them back to Thailand was important.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said that Hong Kong had asked the TAT about the travel bubble, as well as with Singapore.

Thailand has decided to reduce its mandatory quarantine period for foreign arrivals from 14 days to 10 days from April 1.

The quarantine period will be further reduced to seven days for travellers who have been inoculated against Covid-19.

However, travellers from high-risk countries will still be required to quarantine for 14 days.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Economic Situation Administration decided on March 26 to launch the Phuket “tourism sandbox” for vaccinated tourists from July 1, as proposed by the TAT.

Under this scheme, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely without having to quarantine.

Similar schemes will be applied to other destinations such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani later, once more people have been vaccinated and preventive measures are put in place.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404542

Energy minister debunks rumour he had visited venue under Covid-19 scrutiny

NationalApr 05. 2021Supattanapong (centre) Photo: Facebook @supattanapongp

By THE NATION

Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow on Monday rubbished rumours of him visiting an entertainment venue in Thonglor area on March 25, and asserted that his recent test had yielded a negative result.

Rumourswere rife on social media that one of the minister’s friends who was present at the gathering had tested positive.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Friday urged people who had visited Krystal Club, Bla Bla Bar and Beer House in the Thonglor and Ekkamai areas between March 25 to 31 to fill in a risk assessment form via their website as soon as possible. The BMA said the Health Department and the Urban Institute for Disease Prevention had reported the discovery of 13 Covid-19 cases involving entertainment venues.

“On March 25, I was inspecting the government’s community development projects in Bueng Kan and Udon Thani provinces,” said Supattanapong. “After I heard that my name was on the list of ministers who might have visited Thonglor entertainment venues mentioned on social media, I went to Udon Thani Hospital on April 4, together with all my staff, for a Covid-19 test. The result was negative for everyone.

Photo: Facebook @supattanapongp

“I would like to thank everyone for being concerned about me,” he added.