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Police swoop down on Koh Pha-ngan bar, arrest 111 for breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules

NationalJan 28. 2021

By THE NATION

Surat Thani immigration police descended on the “360 Three Sixty Bar” in Koh Pha-ngan district on Tuesday night and promptly arrested the owner and 109 customers – 89 foreigners and 20 Thais – for reportedly violating Covid-19 lockdown measures.

Police swung into action after receiving a tip-off that the bar was holding a party in violation of lockdown rules.

On arriving at the scene, officers found that a party to celebrate the bar’s 5th anniversary was in full swing, with customers happily dancing away and drinking in a crowded space. Each had reportedly paid an entry fee of Bt100.

Police arrested Phongdaran Limocha, aged 40, owner and manager of the bar, and Somsakul Kiatnarong, 47, who worked as server. They also arrested 109 customers.

The owner and server were charged with organising a public gathering in a crowded space that could increase the risk of Covid-19 spreading in a controlled area, opening an entertainment venue and selling alcoholic beverages in violation of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations.

The customers were each charged with participating in a public gathering in a crowded space that could increase the risk of Covid-19 spreading.

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Upper Thailand to get colder, more rain forecast for South

NationalJan 28. 2021

By THE NATION

Cool-to-cold weather and strong winds are likely over upper Thailand, with a 2-4°C drop in temperature in the North and the Northeast and 1-3°C drop in the Central region, the East, Bangkok and its vicinity as a moderate high pressure system from China and Vietnam extends to cover upper Thailand by Thursday night, the Meteorological Department said.

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon prevailing over the Gulf and the South is strengthening, resulting in more rain in the South, it added.

Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool-to-cold weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 14-21 degrees and highs of 32-36 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-13 degrees.

Northeast: Cool-to-cold weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 15-21 degrees and highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-15 degrees.

Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 21-24 degrees, highs of 34-36 degrees Celsius.

East: Fog in the morning and isolated rain in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

South (east coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 30-33 degrees Celsius; waves 1-2 metres high and 2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Fog in the morning with light rain in some areas; temperature lows of 24-25 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.

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3 infected by DJ Matoom ‘super-spreader’ party kept attendance secret

NationalJan 27. 2021

Public anger erupted on Wednesday after it was revealed that three people who caught Covid-19 linked to a celebrity DJ’s birthday party concealed their timelines from authorities. The party held by DJ Matoom (aka Techin Ploypetch) on the January 9 has been dubbed a super-spreader event after it spawned two-dozen infections.

On Wednesday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) revealed three people – identified as cases 647, 657 and 658 – had failed to divulge information on their timings and locations after news broke of infections at the party, held at Banyan Tree Hotel on Sathorn Road. One of those partygoers was identified as a government official.

Case 647 was identified as a singer and actor, who failed to give information on his movements between January 14 and 20 after attending the January 9 party.

Case 657 was identified as a public relations manager, who failed to give information for January 17-21.

Case 658 was identified as a male government official who neglected to give information for January 10-12 and January 14-21. He is thought to have caught Covid-19 at a January 16 party linked with DJ Matoom’s birthday bash. However, he only came forward after he began coughing and took a Covid-19 test.

A fourth new case also concealed information from authorities, said the BMA.

Case 645, a restaurant chef, failed to provide information from January 17-19, but later said he stayed home on those days. His timeline shows he worked at Iconsiam’s CP-Hilai Harbour restaurant on January 5-8 and shopped at Tesco Lotus in the Phasi Charoen area.

Netizens responded to the news with anger on Wednesday, many urging the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to punish people who knowingly conceal their at-risk status.

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All schools, except in Samut Sakhon, can reopen from Feb 1

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

The Education Ministry announced on Wednesday that all schools, except for those in Samut Sakhon province, will be allowed to reopen from February 1.

However, the announcement said schools in Bangkok and its vicinity – Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom and Pathum Thani – can have no more than 25 students per classroom.

In Samut Sakhon, which has seen the highest number of infections in the new wave, schools are required to conduct online classes or at least assignments in case they don’t have facilities.

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Navy officers give back to society

NationalJan 27. 2021

By The Nation
Photos by Wanchai Kraisornkhajit

A group of 120 naval officers gather at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall in the capital’s Bangkok Yai district to donate blood on Wednesday.

Admiral Sittiporn Maskasem, the Navy’s deputy chief, presided over the blood donation drive, which was operated by medical personnel from Somdech Phra Pinklao Hospital.

The Army has launched a project encouraging officers to donate blood at public or military hospitals until July 31 in a bid to tackle the shortage of blood supply amid the Covid-19 crisis.

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Erawan National Park to reopen on Friday

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi will reopen to visitors from Friday (January 29), after getting the green light from the communicable disease committee.

However, visitors to Erawan Waterfall will only be allowed to trek the first three of its seven tiers between 8am and 4pm.

The rest of the park will be open from 7am to 8pm.

Erawan’s campsites and guest houses will also reopen from Friday but must be booked before 6pm.

Meanwhile Kaeng Krachan National Park in Petchaburi has been closed until February 11 after visitors on January 13-15 tested positive for Covid-19.

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Chonburi masseuses back in business as outbreak eases

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Chonburi’s massage parlours and beauty businesses were allowed to reopen from Wednesday after the Covid-19 outbreak eased.

The move came after massage therapists protested at Chonburi’s city hall on Monday, calling on authorities to lift the longstanding closure order on their workplaces.

Chonburi authorities proposed the issue to the government, and on Wednesday cancelled the order covering massage parlours and spas. Also permitted to reopen from Wednesday are hair salons, beauty clinics, and tattoo/piercing shops.

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MPs vote to remove kratom from narcotics list

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to remove kratom (mitragyna speciosa) from Thailand’s narcotics list and classify the herb as a controlled substance.

The draft Narcotics Act proposed by the Justice Ministry was passed by 319 votes to seven with three abstentions.

If approved by the Senate, the draft will be published in the Royal Gazette and become law within 90 days.

The Cabinet in March 2019 approved the plan to align the law with widespread consumption of kratom, especially by farmers and labourers in the South.

The draft allows production, import and export of kratom by those granted permission by the Narcotics Control Board.

However, sale of kratom to people under 18 or pregnant women is prohibited, as is hiring or allowing people under 18 to sell kratom. Violators face up to two years in jail and a maximum fine of Bt200,000.

Selling kratom in schools, dormitories, public parks, theme parks, or via online channels is prohibited and punishable with a fine of up to Bt40,000.

Advertising or marketing kratom is also prohibited and carries up to six months in jail and a maximum fine of Bt500,000.

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Police nab 50 suspects for allegedly cheating the system in Phuket, Chaiyaphum

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Police on Wednesday morning raided several hotels and restaurants in Phuket and Chaiyaphum provinces for allegedly stealing from the “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) government subsidy scheme.

According to police, of the 41 suspects in Chaiyaphum province, 38 were arrested, while 12 of the 14 suspects in Phuket were nabbed.

The suspects include operators of hotels and restaurants, as well as accomplices, who took advantage of a not very stringent verification system.

For instance, police said, a person was able to register a fake hotel and even show bookings. In some cases, operators allegedly recorded a higher price for rooms to get a bigger payoff from the government. The subsidy scheme offers customers a discount and returns the difference to hotels or restaurants.

The suspects face a variety of charges, ranging from fraud and false identification to misusing electronic cards and adding fraudulent information to the computer system.

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Maker of Thai-Danish milk adopts aggressive strategy to boost sales this year

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation (DPO), a state enterprise under the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry and producer of Thai-Danish milk, has set a sales target of Bt11 billion this year after missing its aim of achieving Bt10 billion in sales last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Thai-Danish only sold Bt9.5 billion worth of milk and milk products last year.

“To achieve the target this year, DPO will use a three-pronged strategy by focusing on the dairy industry, marketing and dairy cow farming,” DPO’s acting director Suchart Jariyalertsak said.

“For the dairy industry, we plan to install two high-speed packing machines for UHT milk at our factories in Khon Kaen and Prachuap Khiri Khan, which will boost our production capacity to 24,000 cartons per hour,” he said.

“We also plan to bring one or two new products to the market per year and boost the market share ratio of ready-to-drink milk between traditional markets and modern trade to 50:50.”

As for marketing promotion, DPO plans to add its Chew-D UHT yoghurt, which was introduced in mid-2020 and received a good response, to shelves in 7-Eleven convenience stores to maximise sales.

“DPO will also expand the sales channels of refrigerated products, such as pasteurised milk, yoghurt, drinking yoghurt and ice cream by making them available via modern trade and online channels such as Lazada and Shopee,” Suchart added.

“In terms of dairy cow farming, DPO has strictly followed measures announced by the Department of Disease Control to curb the spread of Covid-19 and other communicable diseases to ensure the safety of farmers and staff,” he said. “This year we will also be working with Betagro and Charoen Pokphand Foods who will help bring modern technology to dairy cow farmers who are part of the DPO cooperative to boost their productivity.”