After practising fire evacuation and emergency drills on Friday, St. Louis Station on the Green Line BTS train route will start service on February 8.
Saint Louis Station is located between Chong Nonsi Station (S3) and Surasak Station (S5) on North-South Sathorn Road at Sathorn Soi 12, in front of UOB Bank Sathorn Head Office and the Ascott Hotel. It is located In the Bang Rak and Sathorn areas.
The Government Gazette announced on Saturday an amendment to Criminal Code sections 301 and 305, which would make it possible for women to terminate their pregnancy of up to 12 weeks.
The amended law reads:
Section 301: A woman who aborts a foetus that is older than 12 weeks shall be liable to no more than six months in prison and/or a fine of Bt10,000.
Section 305: The offender is not guilty if:
– The pregnancy puts the mother at risk physically or psychologically.
– The baby faces a significant risk of developing physical or mental disorder or disability.
– The woman has been impregnated due to rape.
– The mother-to-be is convinced there is no other option.
– The abortion of foetus that is older than 12 weeks but not exceeding 20 weeks is approved by a doctor or other health professionals as approved by the Ministry of Public Health.
The majority of respondents in a Suan Dusit Poll encouraged the government to open legal gambling dens in Thailand.
The poll was conducted from January 27 to February 5 and surveyed 1,929 people.
Asked about issues which caused the spread of Covid-19 (multiple choice):
92.55 per cent blamed illegal workers sneaking into the country;
86.30 per cent blamed illegal gambling dens;
63.36 per cent entertainment venues;
61.84 per cent celebrities’ party;
60.58 per cent — travelling in crowded places.
Asked about legal gambling dens’ role in containing the spread of Covid-19:
51.63 per cent said it would not help;
30.12 per cent said it would help;
18.25 per cent said they were not sure.
Asked about the benefits of having legal gambling dens’ (multiple choice):
81.97 per cent said the government can collect gambling taxes;
62.15 per cent said it reduced the problems of extortion and mafia behaviour;
58.14 per cent said the government can monitor gambling dens easily.
Asked about the weak points of legal gambling dens (multiple choice):
69.22 per cent said it would create more debt;
63.27 per cent said it was deceitful;
61.79 per cent said it would develop bad habits in the youth.
Regarding the opening of legal gambling dens in Thailand:
50.70 per cent agreed;
36.70 per cent disagreed;
12.60 per cent said they were not sure.
Regarding the respondents’ interest in Thailand’s legal gambling dens:
83.14 per cent said they were not interested;
16.86 per cent said they were interested.
Pornphan Buathong, an analyst at Suan Dusit Poll, said the opening of legal gambling dens in Thailand is a controversial issue since long.
She added that the majority of respondents agreed on opening legal gambling dens, hence the government should study the strong and weak points thoroughly. Otherwise, it would be a big problem in the future.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Sunday reported 237 new cases, of whom 12 are overseas travellers in quarantine facilities.
Of the 113 exposed to the disease while visiting high-risk areas, Samut Sakhon leads the list with 95 cases, followed by 14 in Bangkok and three in Tak.
Meanwhile, proactive testing led to the discovery of 112 cases, most of them in Samut Sakhon 107, followed by Bangkok 3 and Tak 2.
Of the cases in quarantine centres, five are Thais returning from Germany, Maldives and Myanmar. Foreigners include a Sri Lankan citizen from Singapore, an Irish national from France, two Britons, an Italian, a Pakistani and a Japanese, who flew in from their respective countries.
Meanwhile, 668 patients have recovered and been discharged.
As of Sunday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 23,371. Of these, 20,830 had been contracted locally, including 13,348 found via proactive testing, while 2,541 were returnees. So far, 16,942 have recovered and been discharged, 6,350 patients are still in hospital (2,447 in hospital and 3,904 in field hospital) and the death toll remains 79.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Sunday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 106.34 million (up by 421,496), 77.98 million have recovered, 25.89 million are active cases (104,408 in severe condition) and 2.32 million have died (up by 10,998).
Thailand ranks 115th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 27.51 million, followed by India 10.83 million, Brazil 9.49 million, Russia 3.95 million and the United Kingdom 3.92 million.
CCSA assistant spokesperson Panprapa Yongtrakul said intensive case finding will continue with around 10,000 people tested per day and assessed through February even if the number continues to decrease. She added that this operation would continue until health security is ensured. More than 150,000 people in Samut Sakhon have entered the screening process.
Air quality in 30 districts around Bangkok and its vicinity hit unsafe levels on Sunday morning, the Bangkok Air Pollution Coordination Centre reported.
PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) readings were in the range of 35-71 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). Nong Khaem district had the highest reading at 71μg/m3.
Thailand’s standard for safe levels of PM2.5 is 50μg/m3 or lower.
People in areas where PM2.5 pollution is bad, especially the elderly, children, and patients with respiratory diseases, have been advised to monitor their health and reduce time spent on outdoor activities.
The PM2.5 situation can be followed on Air4Thai.com and bangkokairquality.com websites, or via Air4Thai and AirBKK smartphone applications.
On Saturday, a government team led by Teerapat Prayoonsit, permanent secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, went to Nim See Seng Transport 1988 Phutthamonthon Sai 2 branch and Phutthamonthon Sai 5 Truck Terminal to oversee the operation to deal with air pollution due to emissions from vehicles.
Teerapat said related agencies will check vehicles’ emissions at truck and bus terminals, ports and markets around Bangkok next week.
“We would like to ask people to maintain their vehicles regularly and avoid doing activities that cause air pollution, such as construction and burning of crops,” he said.
Hua Hin Airport is speeding up the expansion of its runway to facilitate landings for Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.
Deputy Minister of Transport Thavorn Seniam said that the Department of Airports plans to develop seven projects of Hua Hin Airport Phase 1 from 2018-21.
It has completed three projects:
1. To increase efficiency and airport security standards with a budget of Bt123.4 million, consisting of the security management system, aviation area, satellite network, and detectors for weapons and EDS explosives with baggage conveyor, control room and equipment.
2. Installation of walk-through weapons and explosives detectors with a budget of Bt300,000 for efficient baggage inspection and of items carried on board passenger aircraft.
3. Procurement and installation of a lighting system, fence line, aviation area with a budget of Bt11.28 million to meet the requirements of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme requirements and comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommendations.
The other four projects under construction are:
▪︎Work to expand the runway width and strengthen the runway surface with airport electrical system;
▪︎Procurement of ramps to transport passengers with disabilities to take off and land the aircraft ;
▪︎Installation of weapons and explosives detectors with Dual View X-Ray in the baggage inspection tunnel of 60×40 centimetres;
▪︎Improve the fence around the area.
The expedited construction work will expand the runway width and enhance the runway surface with airport electrical system at a budget of Bt250 million to develop the asphalt concrete runway to 45 metres following ICAO standards for aircraft type B737, A320.
The National Vaccine Institute (NVI) has explained that as Thailand is a middle-income country, it is not eligible to receive free vaccine from the Covax facility.
If it participates in the project the government has to spend money, but it cannot choose a vaccine or negotiate, NVI director Dr Nakorn Premsri said.
Covax is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and WHO. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access to every country in the world
In Asean, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam will receive the free vaccine, while Thailand, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia are not eligible. To join the project, money must be spent to participate in the Covid-19 vaccine procurement, he said. Thailand had plans to co-supply the Covid-19 vaccine with Covax from the beginning and had sent a letter of intent to join from the beginning of the project, he said.
The Ministry of Public Health has established a dedicated working group consisting of experts in many areas. It is a collaboration between many parties both inside and outside the Ministry of Public Health whether in the academic, legal and financial field, to consider an agreement with Covax, he said.
Nakorn added that the agreement to reserve the Covid-19 vaccine, either through the Covax facility or a direct contract with the manufacturer, needs to consider multiple data and contexts together. Due to the decision to agree to reserve a vaccine at that time, all companies of the Covid-19 vaccine are still under development. It is not known which vaccines will be successful and there is not enough information on the vaccine’s efficacy and safety. After paying for the reservation, the vaccine may not be accepted if the development fails, he said.
The decision to make the deal is based on weighing the benefits and risks a country will experience if it books a vaccine.
When considering the conditions for booking a vaccine through Covax, it found that making a reservation would be subjected to a processing fee charged in addition to the vaccine price.
In the case of reserving with a selected manufacturer, there is no charge of US$1.6 per dose. If a country chooses its own manufacturer, it will be additionally charged $3.5 per dose (including fee $1.6 per dose and risk management fee $0.4 per dose. However, there is no real freedom of choice. Covax will allow buyers to make two decisions: Covax will offer a list of contracted suppliers in the first round, not a list of all the world manufacturers. If the buyer is not interested in the manufacturers in the proposed plan, they will have to wait for the announcement of options in the next round. If the manufacturer named in the list is selected, Covax will use the buyer’s money to book the vaccine with the manufacturer. Then the buyer will have the right to decide whether to sign a contract with that manufacturer or not.
If the buyer decides not to make a contract for any reason, they must incur all expenses in advance. There is no refund even if the agreement was terminated due to unsuccessful development of the vaccine, he said. Additionally, the vaccine must be purchased at the manufacturer’s actual price by agreeing to all conditions. There is no bargaining power of any kind and there are also other related expenses such as vaccine transportation, domestic vaccine registration costs and taxes, etc, he explained.
“The agreement to buy the Covid-19 vaccine directly from the manufacturer offers more flexibility. We can decide how many vaccines to buy and can negotiate the price. If you buy in bulk, the price will be lower, and conditions can still be negotiated, ” he said.
“If we decide to purchase through the Covax facility, a minimum amount to cover 10 per cent of the population is required. If the vaccine is needed quickly, the buyer must accept the manufacturer’s terms and conditions. However, Thailand continues to negotiate with Covax. If the conditions are adjusted, and the country will benefit from it, there may be an agreement through Covax,” said Nakorn.
There will be no registration of marriages on Valentine’s Day this year, due to the risk of Covid-19, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has said.
BMA permanent secretary Silapasuay Raweesangsoon said recently that couples in Thailand register for their marriage certificate on Valentine’s Day in large numbers. However, due to the ongoing pandemic situation, Bangkok’s 50 district offices will refrain from marriage registration to prevent people from gathering, he said.
People can still use the marriage registration or other registration service during official hours on other days. The registration department in each district office will determine the appropriate number of service recipients.
In order to reduce the density of people coming to receive the service, they can use the online queue reservation system via the BMAQ application by selecting the date, time and place of use in advance for convenience in receiving the service as well as saving travel time and reducing the risk of Covid-19 transmission, he said.
According to statistics on Valentine’s Day in 2020, all 50 districts saw a total of 2,913 couples registering their marriage. Bang Rak saw the most number of registrations with 773 pairs, followed by Bang Khun Thian 112, Lat Krabang 103, Bang Sue 97 and Sai Mai 82.
Outbreaks of thunderstorms with gusty winds and hail are possible in the North while cool weather continues in upper country with morning fog, the Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Sunday.
The westerly trough moves past Myanmar to cover the upper North while the weak high-pressure system covers upper Thailand, the department said.
People in the North should beware of the severe condition when outdoor, big trees and unsecured billboards, and farmers should beware of damage to crop.
The moderate northeast monsoon triggers waves in the lower Gulf up to about two metres high.
In addition, on February 8-9, outbreaks of thundershowers, strong winds and isolated hail will be likely over the upper country. After that, the temperature will fall by 4-6°C in the North and the Northeast, and by 2-4°C in the other regions.
The weather forecast for 24 hours:
North: Cool with morning fog; scattered thunderstorms with gusty winds and hail; minimum temperature 18-21°C, maximum 31-35°C; cold to very cold on mountaintops with minimum temperature 6-14°C; southwesterly winds 10-30kph.
Northeast: Cool with morning fog; 1-2°C rise in temperature; minimum temperature 17-21°C, maximum 32-34°C; cold on the mountaintop with minimum temperature 10-15°C; northeasterly winds 10-25kph.
Central: Cool with morning fog; a 1-2°C rise in temperature; minimum temperature 21-23°C, maximum 34-37°C; northeasterly winds 10-20kph.
East: Partly cloudy with morning fog; isolated light rain; minimum temperature 22-25°C, maximum 32-36°C; easterly winds 15-30kph; waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
South (east coast):
Surat Thani northward: Cool morning with isolated thundershowers mostly in Chumphon and Surat Thani provinces; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 31-33°C;
Songkhla southward: Northeasterly winds 20-35kph; waves about two metres high.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with isolated thundershowers mostly in Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi with minimum temperature 22-25°C, maximum 33-35°C; Easterly winds 15-30kph; waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
Bangkok and nearby areas: Partly cloudy; 1-2°C rise in temperature; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 34-36°C; northeasterly winds 10-20kph..
