The government’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported on Saturday morning that 572 fire hotspots were detected in Thailand on Friday, down by over a half from Thursday.
The report summarised information gleaned from Suomi NPP satellite. Most of the hotspots — 277 — were in the northern part of the country.
The cities with the most hotspots were Mae Hong Son (102), Tak (36) and Chiang Mai (25).
Among neighbouring countries, Myanmar had 4,753 hotspots, followed by Cambodia (2,529) and Laos (1,811).
The German Embassy has unveiled a glimpse of Thailand’s future with a new exhibition at Samyan Mitrtown in Bangkok.
“Moving and powering the future” envisions the country’s energy and transport as it makes the transition to a smart, integrated, resilient and climate-proofed future.
Launched with Germany’s GIZ development agency, the interactive exhibition is also boosting awareness about green energy and sustainable mobility solutions.
Georg Schmidt
“Less is more – how can we reduce our ecological footprint and have a better life?” asked German Ambassador Georg Schmidt at Friday’s launch. “The exhibition gives some ideas for a green and prosperous future. We can all be a part of that change. We vote with our wallets every day.”
Sorapong Paitoonphong
Representing Thailand at the launch, Transport deputy permanent secretary Sorapong Paitoonphong acknowledged technological innovation would play a crucial role in transforming transport.
“We support the use of clean energy and the development of technology for sustainable, clean and green transport,” he said.
The country had launched a National Electric Vehicle Roadmap in recognition that transportation is currently the second largest cause of air pollution in Thailand and the majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from road transport, Sorapong added.
He said EV buses would be seen on Thai roads in the next few months, while tax on electric vehicles was being cut to encourage usage levels seen in Europe.
Another milestone for smart mobility in Thailand is Bang Sue Central Station, set to spark a renaissance in rail travel when it opens as the region’s largest railwat station in November 2021, he said. With a daily capacity of 600,000 passengers, the new station will be a hub for the BTS Skytrain, MRT, Airport Rail Link, high-speed rail linking Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and U-Tapao international airports, and Thailand’s first high-speed train line, being built from Bangkok to Nong Khai.
Poonpat Leesombatpiboon
On Thailand’s energy transition, the Energy Ministry is now developing the National Energy Plan (NEP) for a cleaner, greener and sustainable future, said ministry official Poonpat Leesombatpiboon.
The exhibition runs on the third floor of Samyan Mitrtown until March 18. It then moves to Rajamangala University of Technology in Khon Kaen from March 23 to 27.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has started vaccinating on Saturday those at high risk of contracting Covid-19 from working close to patients.
The inoculation will continue until April 7 to achieve the target of 2,840 persons, Bangkok Governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang said on Saturday.
“The high risk group is classified our second target group, and so far we have vaccinated 477 persons, or 16.8 per cent of the target,” he said.
Meanwhile, the first group, consisting of 3,520 medical professionals who have direct contact with patients, had been given vaccine since last week through 13 private hospitals, three public hospitals and seven public health service centres in Bang Khun Thian, Bang Bon, Nong Khaem, Bang Khae, Phasi Charoen and Jomthong districts.
The last group to be given vaccine will be those who have chronic diseases and are therefore more vulnerable if they contract Covid-19.
“We set the target for this group at 26,832 persons, who will start being inoculated from March 15 onwards,” said Aswin.
The BMA also revealed that so far 3,997 people in Bangkok had been injected with the Covid-19 vaccine, while 402 persons have reported side-effects, or 10.06 per cent.
The BMA had been allotted 66,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine by the government, and aims to complete the target of 33,000 persons vaccinated as soon as possible.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Saturday reported 78 new cases, and one death taking total fatalities since the outbreak to 86.
The dead person was a woman with cancer and dyslipidemia, who had lived in Samut Sakhon province, and had tested positive on February 19 died on March 12.
Of 11 overseas travellers found positive in state quarantine, four were Thais from Bangladesh.
The others were citizens of Sri Lanka, the US, the UK, Afghanistan, Poland, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe from their respective countries.
Separately, 30 patients have recovered and been discharged.
As of Saturday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 26,757. Of these, 23,844 had been infected locally, including 14,829 who were found via proactive testing, while 2,913 were returnees. So far, 26,086 have recovered and been discharged, 585 patients are still in hospitals, and 86 have died.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Saturday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 119.6 million (up by 488,414), 96.25 million have recovered, 20.7 million are active cases (89,376 in severe condition) and 2.65 million have died (up by 9,361).
Thailand ranks 116th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 29.99 million, followed by India at 11.36 million, Brazil 11.33 million, Russia 4.37 million and the United Kingdom 4.24 million.
Most people do not know what a vaccine passport is, according to Bangkok Poll.
On Saturday, Bangkok University revealed its poll results on “vaccine passportand tourism in the future”, conducted recently among 1,210 samples nationwide.
The vaccine passport reduces the number of days in quarantine for travellers with vaccination certificates from 14 days to seven.
According to the poll, 69.2 per cent did not know what the measure was, while some 44.6 per cent aimed to use the vaccination certificates to travel to Japan.
Asked which business would benefit from the vaccine passport, 49 per cent of respondents said tourism attractions, while 23.9 said aviation and 13.4 per cent tourism agencies.
The rest 5.9 and 3.6 per cent said accommodation and restaurants respectively, the poll added.
However, 49 per cent of those surveyed were concerned the vaccination certificates could be forged if the vaccine passport is available.
A veterinarian recalled memories of the first wild elephant he had cured, on the occasion of National Elephant Day on March 13.
On Saturday, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation veterinarian Pattarapol Maneeon posted on his Facebook page an account of his reunion with the first wild elephant he had cured.
The veterinarian said that he had met the elephant 12 years ago, when it suffered from trypanosomiasis.
The elephant had fever, edema at chin, neck and stomach, inflamed eyes, stiff legs and back, and anaemia, which he added could cause sudden death.
Pattarapol said the elephant was smart, and it took a long time before allowing him to approach it and begin the treatment.
He added that the last time he found the animal, it was still able to remember him.
National Elephant Day is marked on March 13 every year since 1998. The day was announced to underline the importance of the close relationship elephants have had with locals in Thailand for hundreds of years. The elephant is Thailand’s national animal.
KA-32 helicopter was sent on Friday to put out forest fires on a mountain in Chiang Mai province where fire-fighters could not reach.
The helicopter sourced water 15 times from a reservoir in San Sai district to put out the fires in Doi Saket district. Some 30,000 litres of water were used for the operation.
Leading Thai brands made their presence felt at the 2020-2021 World Branding Awards.
The prestigious awards, now in its 12th edition, saw over 400 brands from more than 45 countries named “Brand of the Year”, nominated by over 250,000 consumers across the globe.
Amongst the top tier brands listed as “Global Tier” winners were: Beijing Tong Ren Tang, CoCo, Faber Castell, Fender, Heinz, Ikea, Lego, Lurpak, McCain, Netflix, Pilot, Spotify, Yakult, and Yamaha, amongst others.
“Regional Tier” winners included Anchor (New Zealand), Cotton On (Australia), Elkjøp (Norway), LuLu (United Arab Emirates), Isetan and Uniqlo (Japan), amongst others.
“National Tier” champions included Aurora (jewellery), Café Amazon (retailer – coffee), King Power (retailer – duty free), M-150 (energy drinks), PTT Station (petrol/gas stations), Thai Life Insurance (insurance), and TrueOnline (broadband/ISP), all of which are returning winners, amongst others.
Winners are judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Seventy per cent of the scoring process comes from consumer votes.
There can only be one winner in each category per country.
The voting and nomination had taken place amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic whilst many countries were faced with restriction measures that had greatly disrupted the economic landscape.
The awards celebrate the innovative and creative ways these successful brands have managed to remain distinct and relevant to their consumers over the past year.
Now in its seventh year, the awards are organised by the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing branding standards. It organises and sponsors a range of educational programmes.
More Thai consumers are prioritising financial health during the Covid-19 pandemic compared with their Asean counterparts, according to the UOB Asean Consumer Sentiment Study 2020.
The study found that close to three in four Thai consumers (72 per cent) want to manage their financial health, ahead of respondents in Malaysia (70 per cent), Vietnam (69 per cent), Indonesia (60 per cent), and Singapore (46 per cent).
Sixty-four per cent of Thai respondents also said they have changed the way they manage and track their personal budgets to stay financially disciplined during Covid-19.
Among Thai consumers, millennials (66 per cent) have made the most prominent shift to tighten their budgets and are tracking spending more closely during the pandemic.
More than three in four (76 per cent) of millennials also say that they are using digital platforms and tools to help them look after their finances more effectively.
The same trend can also be seen among customers of TMRW, Asean’s first mobile-only bank for the region’s digital generation that is powered by UOB, the bank said. In 2020, the number of TMRW customers – many of whom are millennials – who actively tapped the mobile-only bank’s AI-driven Smart Insights to keep track of and to manage better their finances grew by four times in 2020, UOB said.
Each Smart Insight is personalised to the customer as it is based on his or her transaction data.
Through TMRW, customers are also able to set a budget for their monthly expenses and receive alerts when their spending reaches their pre-set limit, UOB said.
In addition to reshaping the financial behaviours of Thai consumers, the Covid-19 pandemic has also influenced their financial aspirations.
The UOB Asean Consumer Sentiment Study 2020 found that more than half of Thai consumers (52 per cent) recalibrated their financial portfolio to grow their savings pot during pandemic.
Savings accounted for 40 per cent of change in holdings followed by fixed deposits (39 per cent) and insurance plans (36 per cent). A third of Thai respondents (36 per cent) also said that they had increased their investments during the pandemic.
Bangkok police have advised motorists to avoid routes around Democracy Monument on Rajdamnoen Avenue as pro-democracy protesters have announced plans to hold a rally there on Saturday from 2pm, and later march to Government House in Dusit district.
“This Saturday, avoid using the following roads and bridges, ideally from noon until the rally ends: Rajdamnoen Klang Avenue, Rajdamnoen Nok Avenue, Din Sor Road, Tanao Road, Phitsanulok Road, Nakhon Sawan Road and Phra Pin Klao Bridge,” said Pol Major-Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-Ake, deputy Metropolitan Police chief.
“People wishing to travel from Phra Nakhon district to Thonburi should use Sawan Khalok Road once they get off the Yommarat Expressway. The road will lead to Rajavithi Road and then Thonburi Bridge,” he added.
“If you come from Rama VI Road, take the Liab Khlong Phadung Krungkasem Road which will lead to Yaowarat Road and then Phra Pok Klao Bridge. If you come from Rama IV Road, then take South Sathorn Road and head to Taksin Bridge to cross to Thonburi.”
Those in Thonburi wishing to travel to Phra Nakhon district should use the elevated road to get to Srirat Expressway or use Sirindhorn Road which leads to Krung Thonburi Bridge, he advised.
To inquire about traffic routes or request roadside assistance, contact hotline 1197, visit www.trafficpolice.go.th, Line official account “Police Traffic News”, or download the mobile application “M-Help Me”.
Photo credit: Pattarapol Maneeon
