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Phuket eases lockdown measures to attract tourists during Chinese New Year

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

Phuket Governor Narong Woonsiew said on Friday that the provincial communicable disease committee had approved relaxation of lockdown measures as no new cases had been reported in the province for 29 days since the new wave of Covid-19.

“Travellers from other provinces will not have to get their ID cards scanned before entering Phuket, but they still need to undergo thermo-scanning, checking in via MorChana application and pre-registering at the website www.gophuget.com before entering the province either by land, air, or sea channels,” he said.

“People from 28 provinces declared as red zone by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration due to the high number of infections, will not need to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine before entering Phuket,” he added.

“However, those travelling from provinces in dark-red zones, namely Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chonburi, Trad and Chanthaburi, where the number of infections is very high, would need to enter mandatory quarantine.”

The governor added that the easing of lockdown measures was aimed at helping boost Phuket’s economy which relies mostly on tourism.

“As the Chinese New Year festival [starting February 12] is drawing near, we hope to regain some of the tourists to help hotel entrepreneurs and those in related industries get back on their feet,” he said.

Other disease prevention measures announced by the Ministry of Public Health would still be strictly enforced in the province, the governor added.

Since the new outbreak was reported in Thailand in December, Phuket has found only three confirmed cases in the province — from a family who had visited a big-bike festival on Koh Lanta in Krabi province on December 11. All patients had been treated, cured of Covid-19 and been discharged.

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A 7-year-old’s mischief was too much for a man, 30, so he killed the boy

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

The alleged murderer of a seven-year-old boy in Chiang Rai province was arrested at midnight and he has reportedly confessed to killing the boy because he could not tolerate his mischief.

Hunt for the suspect had begun the previous Saturday, when the boy, Thanachot Pangruean, went missing from his house. The following day his dead body was found with a hoe and two large pieces of wood nearby.

The alleged murderer was identified as Sinchai Kasetsophaphan, aged around 30. The suspect, who lived with his brother, had left the house on Monday. The house of the victim is around 150 metres from the house of the suspect’s brother.

On Friday night, locals saw him returning to the village he had left, so they alerted police.

At Wiang Chiang Rung Police Station, Sinchai confessed that he had killed the boy to avenge his naughty behaviour.

The man said that Thanachot had annoyed him several times. The boy had allegedly torn his mattress, broken his toy cars, and even eaten his dragon fruit.

On January 16, he said he had asked the boy to shoot birds with a catapult. However, Thanachot was unskilled and shot him.

In rage, Sinchai asked the boy to stand still. He found a hoe and pieces of wood nearby, and using them he killed the boy.

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One more fatality as another 198 Covid-19 cases found

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

There were 198 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, and one death, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported on Saturday.

CCSA assistant spokesperson Dr Panprapa Yongtrakul said that of the new cases, 69 were normal ones, while 111 were found by proactive testing and 18 cases were in quarantine facilities.

There were 56 cases in Samut Sakhon province, 5 each in Bangkok and Samut Songkhram, and one in each Ang Thong, Samut Prakarn and Rayong.

Of the 111 patients found from proactive testing, 107 were in Samut Sakhon and 4 in Bangkok.

Of the 18 overseas travellers who tested positive in quarantine, 12 were Thais — one each coming from India, Switzerland and the UAE, 5 from the UK and 4 from Bahrain.

The six foreigners included an Italian, an American, a Russian and an Egyptian coming from their respective countries, and two Americans coming from the UAE and Sweden.

As of Saturday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 13,302. Of these, 10,945 infections had been contracted domestically, including 4,495 who were found via proactive testing, while 2,357 were returnees.

So far, 10,446 have fully recovered – 6,508 from the second outbreak. A total of 2,557 patients are still in hospital while the death toll increased to 72.

According to Panprapa, an 81-year-old man had died in Phichit province after he had contracted the disease from his son who had returned from Samut Sakhon last month. The cause of death was complications caused by the disease and his age.

According to Worldometer, as of midnight on Thursday, the number of confirmed cases globally since the outbreak had risen to 98.74 million (up by 652,952), 70.91 million have recovered, and 2.11 million have died (up by 15,953).

Thailand ranks 128th on the global list of most cases. The US tops the list with 25.39 million, followed by India 10.64 million, Brazil 8.75 million, Russia 3.67 million and the United Kingdom 3.58 million.

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FDA issues alert over hook found in canned fish

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned people against consuming a canned fish brand called “Tra Petch”, after a hook was found in a sample produced on August 24, 2020.

FDA said its officials inspected Kiatfah Foods in Samut Prakarn province where the canned fish had been produced on November 6. Some products were collected at that time and sent to the Department of Medical Sciences for scientific examination.

The department found a fish hook in a can of the product produced on August 24, 2020, which will expire on the same date in 2021.

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Teens caught stealing by CCTV surrender to police

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

Four teenagers who had allegedly stolen a pair of shoes and made a mocking gesture at a CCTV camera were brought to police by their parents after video footage of their actions went viral recently.

On January 10, the teenagers visited an apartment where their friend lived, in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakarn province.
They saw the shoes an owner had placed outside his room and allegedly stole them, without realising that their actions were recorded by a CCTV camera.

The video footage of the theft was later uploaded online. Fearing that they will be arrested, the four teenagers, wearing helmets, returned to the apartment and placed the stolen shoes back outside the owner’s room. This action took place on January 15.

However, before leaving, the teenagers made a mocking gesture before the camera. Again, the CCTV footage was released online and went viral.

On Friday, the teenagers’ parents took them to Bang Phli Police Station. They were all male and aged between 15 to 17. They were charged with stealing at night.

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Ministry defers land and building tax collection for two months

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

The Interior Ministry issued an urgent order to local government organisations nationwide to postpone the collection of land and building tax of 2021 for two months, in a bid to alleviate the financial burden of people during a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak.

The order was signed by ministry permanent secretary Chatchai Promlert.

Under the Land and Building Tax Act of 2019, local government organisations were to announce estimated prices of lands and buildings in their jurisdiction in January, dispatch tax forms to property owners in February, while the owners would have had to pay the tax within April. This postponement will, therefore, push the estimated price announcement to March 2021, followed by dispatch of tax forms in April 2021, and deadline for paying tax at end of June 2021.

The act came into effect from January 1, 2020, aiming to encourage the productive use of land and improve tax collection, as well as control the supply of condominiums and houses by collecting more taxes from those who own unused lands and from property projects with unsold units.

Last year, due to the Covid-19 situation, the deadline for land and building tax payment had been pushed to August 2020 and again to October 2020 to help people during the economic downturn caused by the outbreak.

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No political discussions in meeting with PM’s secretary-general, vaccine institute chief clarifies

NationalJan 23. 2021Dr Nakorn Premsri

By THE NATION

The head of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) has clarified that there were no political motives in his meeting with the PM’s secretary-general.

NVI director Dr Nakorn Premsri called a press conference on Friday evening after his meeting with PM’s secretary-general Disthat Hotrakit at Government House earlier that day was interpreted by some media channels as involving political issues, especially regarding questions raised by a prominent politician on vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca.

On Thursday, leader of the Progressive Movement, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, had questioned the government over its purchase of 26 million doses from UK’s AstraZeneca plus 2 million doses from China’s Sinovac, saying it might not be enough to inoculate the entire population. He also questioned why the government-funded Siam Bioscience was the only corporation given the right to manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine in Thailand.

Read More: Unfazed by lese majeste charges, Thanathorn continues querying govt’s vaccine deal

“The meeting with the PM’s secretary-general along with Food and Drug Administration secretary-general [Dr Paisan Dankhum] was about the registration of Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand,” he said.

“We discussed related laws, regulations, and quality control of the vaccines. There were no discussions about political issues or about AstraZeneca as speculated by some media channels.

“We urge the media to maintain their journalistic professionalism by refraining from publishing news without confirming the source, as well as remove fake news from all their communication channels,” he added.

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National park in Loei to remain closed until Jan 31

NationalJan 23. 2021(File Photo)

By THE NATION

Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei province is extending its closure until January 31 to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Park director Samret Phusaensri said on Friday that it had earlier been closed from January 5 to 18 after the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported that about 70 per cent of tourists visiting Phu Kradueng are from provinces in the maximum control zone, also known as red zone, where a high number of infections were found.

“After considering the fact that the outbreak is still active in many provinces, the park has decided to remain shut until January 31 for the safety of tourists and park officials,” said Samret.

“Tourists who have reserved lodging and camping areas in the park can get a refund by contacting tel. 02579 6666 ext. 1743, or email: banpak025795269@gmail.com

Phu Kradueng is among Thailand’s best-known national parks, famous for its sea of mist, cool temperature and rich flora and fauna spread over 217,576 rai (34,800 hectares). Its diverse landscape features soaring cliffs, waterfalls, fields and forests, which draw domestic and international visitors throughout the year.

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Warmer weather with fog forecast for upper Thailand

NationalJan 23. 2021

By THE NATION

The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday that a weak high-pressure system covers upper Thailand while westerly winds prevail over the upper North. Temperature is expected to rise 1-3 degrees Celsius with morning fog and thick fog in some areas.

All transport should move with caution due to poor visibility, the department said. Mountaintops remain cold to very cold with frost in some places.

Meanwhile, the weak northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South.

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 13-17 degrees Celsius, highs of 30-34°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 5-13°C with frost in some areas.

Northeast: Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 14-18°C, highs of 31-33°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 6-12°C.

Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 17-19°C, highs of 32-34°C.

East: Cool weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 19-22°C, highs of 31-34°C; waves less than a metre high and a metre high offshore.

South (east coast): Cool weather with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 20-24°C, highs of 30-32°C; waves 1-2 metres high and 2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-24°C, highs of 32-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 20-22°C, highs of 32-34°C.

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Who’s got the coolest face mask in school?

NationalJan 22. 2021

By The Nation
Photos by Charoon Thongnual

Students at Ban Prakob Aok Border Patrol Police School in Songkhla wore face masks to class on Friday as measures were tightened against an outbreak of Covid-19 over the border.

The school is located in Na Thawi district, just 3 kilometres from the border with Malaysia, where a severe outbreak of the virus his spawning around 4,000 new cases per day.

Face masks have become a new toy for many kids in the Covid-19 era, enabling them to show off at school while also being socially responsible.