Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday delivered 2,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Mae Sariang Hospital in Mae Hong Son province to inoculate public health and border patrol staff.
These staff face high risk of infection from dealing with refugees and migrant workers from Myanmar.
Besides the vaccine, the Public Health Ministry also provided 100,000 surgical face masks, 20,000 N95 face masks and alcohol hand sanitizers to the hospital.
“Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed concern for the staff working with refugees and migrant labourers in Mae Hong Son, where an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 people cross the border into Thailand each day,” said Anutin.
“The Ministry of Public Health therefore will provide 2,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine to hospital and border patrol staff to protect them against the virus and reduce the chance of severe symptoms or death in case of infection.”
The minister also visited the quarantine facility in Mae Sariang Hospital to ensure they could handle Myanmar refugees and migrant labourers.
“If the number of patients keeps increasing beyond the hospital’s capacity, the ministry would consider setting up a field hospital in Mae Hong Son,” he added.
The government has no plan to hike the value-added tax (VAT) in order to achieve the gross domestic product growth target this year of 4 per cent, a senior official said.
Anucha Buraphachaisri, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, said that Thailand had set the VAT rate at 10 per cent under the Revenue Code since the change from the trade tax system to the VAT system in 1992, but the VAT rate had been mitigated.
In the past, the Cabinet would periodically issue a Royal Decree to reduce the VAT to 7 per cent, but the rate was raised to 10 per cent only during the Tom Yam Kung financial crisis of 1997.
Anucha said that each country had different VAT rates. For example, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan collect VAT at 10 per cent, Singapore collects 7 per cent, Malaysia 6 per cent, while Thailand collects 7 per cent which is in accordance with the economic situation, to lessen the burden on the public and stimulate economic growth as well.
The death of a 71-year-old monk in Bangkok on the day he received his Covid-19 vaccine might have been due to underlying causes, the top official of a hospital said.
Dr Chumni Jittreprasert director of Priest Hospital, on Friday held a press conference to discuss the monk’s death after he was given the AstraZeneca vaccine at Traimit Temple on March 31. He died the same day.
Chumni cited the monk’s medical record, saying he had diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He had received 15 years of continuous treatment at Priest Hospital, and had been diagnosed with enlarged heart disease in 2018-19. He could not undergo treatment for the heart problem in 2020, as he was travelling abroad, Chumni said.
Before the vaccination on March 31, he was screened. His blood pressure was normal, he had no fever and no complications. He waited for 30 minutes after the inoculation to monitor symptoms before he returned to Samphanthawong Temple. There were no abnormal symptoms. Ten monks who had been inoculated from the same vial did not have any abnormal symptoms, Chumni said.
According to the unofficial autopsy report of Police General Hospital, blood clots were not found in the brain, heart and other organs. However, coronary artery stenosis — a condition often caused by wear and tear due to age — was found. This could have caused his death, the doctor said.
However, the medical team must wait for experts to summarise the investigation.
At Traimit Temple, 412 monks were vaccinated, but only two showed rashes. One was given AstraZeneca while another got Sinovac. Health officials are trying to accelerate vaccination of monks in Bangkok before Songkran Festival.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday that a moderate high-pressure system extends to lower China and upper Vietnam, and is expected to reach the Northeast of Thailand and the South China Sea by Saturday.
Meanwhile, the southerly and southeasterly winds bring moisture from the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand to the lower North, the Northeast, the Central including Bangkok and its vicinity, and the East regions.
In upper Thailand, hot to very hot weather is forecast together with summer storm, thunderstorm, lightning, gusty winds and hail in some areas.
Isolated heavy rains are also possible. People should keep off outdoor places, big trees, unsecured buildings and billboards. Farmers should beware of damage to crop.
The department also said that an active low-pressure cell covers the Andaman Sea, bringing isolated heavy rains to the South.
Waves 2-3 metres high are expected in the Andaman Sea and above three metres during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats should stay ashore, the department said.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Hot day with haze, thunderstorm and gusty winds in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 20-29 degrees Celsius, highs of 36-39°C.
Northeast: Hot day with haze, thunderstorm and gusty winds in 60 per cent of the areas, hail possible in some areas; temperature lows of 22-26°C, highs of 35-38°C.
Central: Hot to very hot day with haze, thunderstorm and gusty winds in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 37-40°C.
East: Hot day with haze, thunderstorm and gusty winds in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-27°C, highs of 33-37°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 32-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 32-34°C; waves 2-3 metres high and over three metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Hot day with haze and isolated rain; temperature lows of 26-27°C, highs of 34-39°C.
A testing facility for air-conditioners using natural refrigerant technology has opened at the Operation and Standards Centre of the Electrical and Electronics Institute (EEI).
The event is a collaboration between the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), the EEI and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The newly upgraded facility, supported by the RAC NAMA Fund, also aims to inform the public and private sectors of the new TIS 1529-2561 standard on the safety of air-conditioners using flammable refrigerants.
As Thailand is an important industrial hub in the global refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) sector, manufacturers need to be well prepared to adjust to the changing trends and regulations to remain competitive.
Sriwan Buranachokepisal, assistant governor for power plant planning at Egat, said: “Egat’s mission is to maintain security of the electricity system as well as support the Thai government in reaching its energy-saving and greenhouse gas [GHG] mitigation targets. Egat embraces the introduction of innovations and modern cooling technology that is energy efficient and climate friendly. In assuming responsibility for managing the RAC NAMA Fund, with a total budget of 8.3 million euros [Bt300 million], Egat has promoted the production and use of climate-friendly natural refrigerant.”
At the same time, they also place great importance on upgrading the testing facilities to prepare for market introduction of these new cooling technologies in the future, she said.
“The partnership with EEI focuses on our efforts to further enhance the existing equipment and system of the current facility to be able to conduct testing according to both Thai and global standards.”
Philipp Pischke, director of the Thailand Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (RAC NAMA) project, GIZ, underscored the important role Thailand plays in the global RAC landscape.
“Thailand hosts one of the largest RAC industries in the world, with approximately 12 per cent of global market share. With more than 60 per cent of electricity consumption, cooling is the largest electricity consuming technology sector. The RAC NAMA project is the country’s most significant climate action in the cooling sector, aiming at the introduction of climate-friendly and energy-efficient cooling technologies,” he said.
“For the past four years, RAC NAMA has been working to build up capacities of local manufacturers, stimulate market demand, develop strategies to remove barriers and showcase business cases.
“By 2021, Thailand plans to ratify the Kigali Amendment. Under the Amendment, the Thai government will gradually begin the phase-down of HFCs [hydro-fluorocarbons] and replace them with more environmentally friendly alternatives.” Pischke added.
In his keynote address titled “Roles of the Electrical and Electronics Institute in enhancing competitiveness of the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector towards green industry”, EEI president Narat Rujirat stated: “For the past two decades, EEI has been supporting Thailand’s electrical and electronics industry in increasing its competitiveness in the international trade arena as well as to adjust to the changing technological trends.
“Through this partnership with Egat and GIZ, EEI is proud to play a part in preparing local Thai manufacturers for future technology adoption and legislation, namely the TIS 1529-2561 standard on safety of air-conditioners using flammable refrigerants. We believe the new regulation will open up new business opportunities and research and development while keeping Thailand at the forefront of green cooling technology.”
RAC NAMA is funded by the NAMA Facility on behalf of the German and British governments. Since April 2016, with GIZ as the main implementer, the project has partnered with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, the Department of Alternative Energy Department and Efficiency and Egat as well as Thai industries to transfer technology and know-how on ozone and climate-friendly technology and financial support to the private sector, as well as in providing policy and technical advice to relevant government agencies.
A fire broke out within Krisda Nakhon 31 village in Sala Thammasop subdistrict, Thawi Watthana district on Saturday (April 3).
A building was reportedly collapsed while firefighters were putting out the flame, trapping about 20 officers under it. Preliminary report has confirmed 3 deaths.
Doctors have expressed concern at the condition of a reporter who was bitten by “Godzilla”, an obese macaque who shot to online stardom after being seized from its owner last week.
The monkey had been kept by its owner at a market in Bangkok’s Minburi district, where it ballooned to over 20 kilograms in weight after being fed junk food by passers-by. An average full-grown macaque weighs only 10 kilos.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) decided to seize Godzilla from its owner last Thursday (March 25), concerned that the primate would die from obesity.
The day before (March 24), PPTV reporter Natcha Norphong visited the home of the monkey’s owner on a news assignment.
Natcha said that she had hugged herself to avoid handling the macaque at first. However, after the owner reassured her it was safe to touch her pet, she felt more comfortable. She decided to approach Godzilla, only for the animal to sink its teeth into her flesh.
The bite cut through to the bone, she added.
Now, doctors at Paolo Hospital Phaholyothin where Natcha is being treated are concerned about her condition. They report that her white blood cell count has dropped to 3,000/ml from normal levels of 4,500-10,000/ml and she cannot leave her bed.
No virus was found in her blood, but medics suspect Natcha may have contracted a bone infection.
PPTV has asked the DNP to check the monkey for viruses. There is no evidence that Godzilla has ever been vaccinated.
A DNP veterinarian pointed out that monkeys can carry rabies and tetanus.
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has partnered with Cofact, Thailand’s first collaborative fact-checking platform, to train Thai fact-checkers, journalists and academics.
“Fact-checking has never been more important than it is now given that we see misinformation continue to spread regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, and our organisation can provide the tools to our Thai friends to ensure they shine a light on the truth,” said IFCN director Baybars Örsek.
The IFCN is the fact-checking organisation of choice for several major media corporations, including Google and Facebook.
Orsek was speaking on Thursday at a Cofact summit held in Bangkok to mark International Fact-Checking Day (April 2).
Cofact brought together a wide range of journalists, civil society organisations, academics, and corporate representatives, including Sure and Share, AFP Fact-Check Thailand, and the Society for Online News Providers (SONP).
Cofact announced that 2022 will be “The Year of Fact Checking” in Thailand, a concerted effort aimed at strengthening Thailand’s ability to counter disinformation and misinformation.
With support from the US Embassy, IFCN will partner with Cofact to launch the first fact-checking curriculum in Thailand, an online course that will train Thailand’s local fact-checkers, journalists, and academics, equipping them with skills to identify reliable sources and debunk viral misinformation.
The Khon Kaen provincial court on Friday handed down a death sentence to Somkid Pumpuang, who was charged with first-degree murder in 2019.
Dubbed Thailand’s Jack the Ripper, Somkid was found guilty of killing his sixth victim – a 51-year-old woman at her home in Khon Kaen – on December 15, 2019.
He apparently made friends with the woman on Facebook and witnesses say a man answering to Somkid’s description stayed in the victim’s house from December 5 to 15, 2019.
Somkid was initially sentenced to death in 2005 for killing five women – a singer and four masseuses – but his sentence was commuted to life in prison.
He was released on May 27, 2019, for good behaviour, and about six months later committed the same crime.
When arrested again, he confessed initially when presented with evidence and witnesses.
However, he changed his statement and swore innocence during the trial process, leading to the court giving him a death sentence with no chance of reprieve.
The court refused to consider his earlier confession for an easier sentence.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday released the timeline of a 19-year-old Mahidol University student who tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.
His movements have been tracked as follows:
• March 20-24: Spent mostly in his dormitory in Nakhon Pathom’s Salaya sub-district, but goes to an entertainment venue in Phutthamonthon district with 11 friends on March 23.
• March 25-29: Takes an AirAsia flight with nine friends to Phuket, where he checks into a resort and uses a van to get around. He returns to Bangkok on an AirAsia flight on March 29 and is picked up and driven home by his mother.
• March 30: He drives back to his dormitory and plays badminton with eight friends in the evening.
• March 31: Attends class with some 50 classmates from 9.30am to 11.30am, spends noon to 1pm in university canteen and goes to an exhibition in Bangkok with a friend from 1pm to 4pm. He learns that an employee at the entertainment venue he visited on March 23 had tested positive for Covid-19.
• April 1: He tests positive for Covid-19 at Ramathibodhi Hospital.
“All operators, especially those running entertainment venues and fresh markets, must strictly undergo measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. Even though the vaccine has arrived, we can’t let our guards down,” said CCSA spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin.
He added that 203,650 people in Thailand have been vaccinated so far. Of them, 166,243 have received their first jab, while 37,407 people have received their second jab. Four people reportedly developed severe symptoms after taking the shot, but they have recovered.
The CCSA reported 58 new cases on Friday, 42 of which had been contracted locally, three found via testing and 13 brought in from overseas.
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Photo credit: Tusave S’anyser
Somkid Pumpuang
Taweesin Visanuyothin
