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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404157

Chiang Mai zoo comes up with creative ways to keep big cats cool

NationalMar 27. 2021

By The Nation

Officials at Chiang Mai’s Tiger Kingdom have devised many ingenious ways to ensure the tigers remain hydrated and cool in the searing summer heat.

The temperature at noon can sometimes hit 40 degrees Celsius, so zoo officials have been serving a snack of ice cream to the two-year-old male Bengal tigers Strong and Satang. They also shake long sticks with coconut or palm leaves at the tip to lure the tigers into the pond.

Meanwhile, tiger cubs Nguen, Nak and Thong are being kept under air-conditioning, while Nummon and Namo – the zoo’s superstar cheetahs – love being wiped down with a wet cloth.

These cheetahs are famous for their friendliness.

Orapin Shinawatra, general manager of the zoo in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district, said veterinarians and zoo officials keep a watchful eye on the tigers to ensure they are not stressed or have heatstroke.

“If the weather is hot, the tigers will lie down to save their energy,” she added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404174

Longer Thai quarantine for travellers from 10 African countries

NationalMar 26. 2021

By The Nation

Thai health authorities on Friday issued a list of 10 countries exempted from the new 10-day quarantine measure for foreign arrivals.

Department of Disease Control chief Opas Karnkawinpong said travellers from African countries where a highly infectious Covid-19 variant is prevalent would still have to undergo the full 14-day quarantine in Thailand.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved the launch of 10-day quarantine from April 1, as Thailand eases travel restrictions in response to the vaccination rollout worldwide.

However, concern that vaccines may be less effective against the South African variant of the virus has prompted tighter Thai quarantine restrictions for 10 African countries.

Travellers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, DR Congo, and Ghana will have to spend the full 14 days in Thai quarantine.

The South African strain has been found in Thai returnees from Tanzania and Mozambique.

The full list of countries exempted from the 10-day quarantine measure will be released on the DDC website from April 1 with updates every two weeks.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404172

Nam Dok Mai mango ‘avalanche’ triggers gold rush in Phitsanulok

NationalMar 26. 2021

By The Nation

Phitsanulok’s annual mango harvest has sparked a gold rush in the lower North province, as prices plummet due to oversupply. With international travel and exports blocked by Covid-19, Phitsanulok farmers are desperate to find customers for growing mountains of their world-renowned Nam Dok Mai mangoes this year.

Today, local fruit lovers were hit by the avalanche of their dreams when the Phitsanulok Mango Fest 2021 opened in town.

Piled up at Central Plaza Phitsanulok until March 29 are 10 tonnes of prime export-grade Nam Dok Mai and mango products. Sticky mango rice tops the menu of over 100 mango dishes on offer at the festival. Also featured are mango product workshops and even mango-leaf fortune-telling.

This season’s mango glut in Phitsanulok has seen the price of golden Nam Dok Mai plummet to around Bt10-20 per kilo according to grade and size. That’s 300 times less than the price Nam Dok Mai are currently fetching in Europe.

Meanwhile, the price of other mango varieties in Phitsanulok has dropped to around Bt2-Bt5 per kilo.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404169

Passengers travel for free on Red Line from July-November

NationalMar 26. 2021

By THE NATION

Passengers on the SRT Red Line will travel free of charge during the trial period from July to November this year, said Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob.

On Friday, the minister took a trial run on the Red Line from Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok. He said the fare for the line had been set at B12-Bt42 from November.

The new line will run north from Bang Sue to Rangsit and west from Bang Sue to Taling Chan.

Saksayam noted that Bang Sue Grand Station will become the country’s railway hub, replacing Hua Lamphong station, when it opens on July 28. The station will connect long-distance trains with high-speed services, Bangkok’s Red Line and the Airport Link.

He added that the Grand Station will be convenient to reach by new bus and taxis routes.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404168

Phuket ‘sandbox’ plan gets initial nod from CESA

NationalMar 26. 2021

By The Nation

The Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) on Friday approved opening the Phuket “tourism sandbox” to vaccinated tourists from July 1 as proposed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as CESA chairman, however, has instructed TAT to discuss the plan with Phuket’s governor and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration first before making it official.

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said 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.

Phuket requires 925,000 doses of the vaccine to inoculate 70 per cent of its population before it can reopen.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404167

Bangkok Bank launches cross-border mobile payments with Vietnam

NationalMar 26. 2021

By The Nation

Bangkok Bank (BBL) unveiled a cross-border QR payment service enabling customers to make transactions between Thailand and Vietnam on Friday.

Charamporn Jotikasthira, BBL executive director, said the service allows customers in Thailand and Vietnam to make QR payments via mobile banking application between the two countries.

“It also helps customers reduce foreign exchange costs as they are able to pay in their own currency, which is cheaper than payment via credit or debit cards,” he said.

He said consumers nowadays were familiar with electronic payments, thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak.

He added that BBL transactions via e-payment and QR code payment last year (2020) totalled 13.39 million, up 49.14 per cent compared to the previous year (2019).

“Cross-border QR payment helps meet demand from migrant workers and people who are purchasing goods online at this time, so we believe this service will play an important role in supporting economic activities once the Covid-19 outbreak resolves,” he added.

This cross-border QR payment service is the fruit of cooperation between BBL, the Bank of Thailand and State Bank of Vietnam.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404165

Aerial photos reveal forest encroachment in Kaeng Krachan National Park

NationalMar 26. 2021

By THE NATION

Aerial photographs of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi showed evidence of further encroachment near the Myanmar border on Friday. A helicopter team deployed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment discovered four areas where park forest had been cleared.

“The four plots are located along the Sam Phraeng Creek toward the Myanmar border,” said park chief Itthiphol Thaikamol.

“Officials also took photos of a hut located near one of these plots, showing that it is equipped with a solar panel which indicates recent usage.”

Itthiphol speculated that the encroachers could be Karang people, an ethnic group of Karen nationals who reside along the Myanmar-Phetchaburi border.

Earlier this month, park officials escorted 87 Karang people out of the Jai Paendin area of the national park and relocated them to Bang Kloy village in Phetchaburi’s Tha Yang district.

“Most of the Karang people are willing to be relocated out of national park areas, and they will not face charges of forest encroachment,” said the park chief. “But some remain stubborn and retreat into deep forest, hiding from authorities,” he added. “Park officials have marked the coordinates [of the four scarred plots] and will later send rangers to reclaim the forest as well as try to bring offenders to justice.”

Earlier this month, the government invited United Nations officials to inspect Bang Kloy village to investigate allegations of human rights violations committed by Thai officials against local Karen people. The Karen at Bang Kloy claim Jai Paendin was their ancestral land long before Kaeng Krachan was declared a national park in 1981.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404164

Bangkok gets its first automated parking lot

NationalMar 26. 2021

By The Nation

Bangkok’s first automated parking lot was unveiled at the MRT Sam Yan station on Friday in a bid to encourage motorists to opt for public transport.

The new parking system will be available from April 1 and will cost motorists using the metro only Bt15 for two hours. Those not using the subway system will be charged Bt50 per hour, though both train users and non-train users can get a deal of Bt2,000 per month.

The system allows cars to be parked vertically, and car owners will only have to wait three minutes for their vehicle to be brought down.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) will set up a similar automated parking lot at the Huay Kwang station before expanding to other stations on the Blue Line.

“This move is in line with the government’s plan to get more people to use public transport and the Transport Ministry’s policy to tackle air pollution,” MRTA said.

For more information visit www.mrta.co.th, its Facebook page @MRTA.PR or its call centre (02) 716 4044.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404162

Power consumption will rise this year, predicts B Grimm

NationalMar 26. 2021

By The Nation

Thailand’s B Grimm Power expects the consumption of electricity in the country this year to grow by 10 to 15 per cent.

Harald Link, the company’s chairman, said statistics show that 4 per cent more power has been used in January and February compared to the same period last year. This is because the economy is slowly reviving now that the Covid-19 situation is improving, he said.

B Grimm, which operates several power plants in Thailand and the region, has acquired new customers that are consuming more than 40-megawatts (MW) and hopes to increase that to 76MW.

The conglomerate’s investment target remains at Bt4 billion to Bt5 billion in a bid to drive projects, especially in SPP (small power producer) replacement schemes. The projects include the construction of five combined cycle power plants of 140MW capacity each in the Eastern Economic Corridor.

B Grimm is also acquiring power plants in Malaysia and negotiations should be clear in the third quarter of this year.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404160

Patient died from chronic illness, not Covid jab, declare health officials

NationalMar 26. 2021Dr Sophon Mekthon

By The Nation

The death of a male patient 10 days after getting a Covid-19 jab was just a coincidence, Dr Sophon Mekthon, who oversees the government’s sub-committee on vaccine management, announced on Friday.

Earlier Report: Ministry probing death of 60-year-old patient after vaccination

Later in the day, Dr Tawee Chotpitayasunondh from the National Communicable Disease Committee, who is also an adviser to the public health minister, said the patient had received the jab on March 3 after undergoing a health examination.

Dr Tawee Chotpitayasunondh

The patient had been declared healthy on the third and sixth day. On the seventh day, health officers could not reach him. He then got admitted to hospital on the ninth day, complaining of a tight chest, difficulty in breathing and fatigue. The patient died the following day on March 13.

As per the patient’s health records, he had undergone surgery in late January for an aortic aneurysm and had spent 40 days in hospital. The patient was aware that he faced the risk of being infected and had agreed to take the jab one week earlier. He had also been checked by a doctor and declared healthy enough to be inoculated, Dr Tawee said.

Autopsy results show the patient had died from an abdominal aneurysm, which was not related to the vaccine.

Tawee said an abdominal aneurysm, or distension caused by a weakened artery, is like a time bomb as the artery can erupt causing internal bleeding and can become fatal without any warning.

He said people should take care of themselves and avoid risky behaviour that can lead to high blood pressure, such as eating fried foods or smoking.