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20 new Covid cases – all in quarantine

NationalDec 17. 2020

By THE NATION

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Thursday reported 20 new cases in quarantine over a 24-hour period.

The new patients comprise 14 Thai returnees and six foreigners.

The Thai nationals are:

5 from India (aged 33, 38 and 41 and two aged 42)

1 from the UK (36)

1 from the United Arab Emirates (49)

1 from the US (54)

2 from Sweden (20 and 37)

1 from France (45)

2 from Switzerland (50 and 73)

1 from Kuwait (31)

The foreigners comprise one Indian, two British nationals, one German and one Pakistani, aged 42, 60, 17, 79 and 30, respectively, from their home countries, and a Dutch man aged 75 from Switzerland.

As of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has increased to 4,281 (1,287 in state quarantine). Of these, 232 are in hospital and 3,989 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains at 60.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am the number of confirmed global cases has risen to 74.52 million (increasing by 714,908). Of these, 52.36 million have recovered, 22.16 million are active cases (107,525 in severe condition) and 1.65 million have died (an increase of 13,446).

Thailand ranks a safe 152nd for most cases in the world. The US has the most number, with 17.36 million, followed by India 9.95 million, Brazil 7.04 million, Russia 2.73 million and France 2.4 million.

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SRT opens new Rangsit Station

NationalDec 17. 2020

By The Nation

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) on Thursday announced that it had opened the new Rangsit Station and has shut down the existing station now that the Red Metro line railway (Bang Sue-Rangsit) has gone into operation.

The new station is approximately 300 metres north of the original station.

Passengers can purchase tickets on the 2nd floor of the station.

For more information, contact 1690 at any time of the day or night.

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Bangkok warehouse goes up in flames, no reported injuries or deaths

NationalDec 17. 2020

By The Nation

The Sathira Dhammasathan warehouse in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district was burned to ashes on Thursday. Police believe that a near-by transformer which exploded was the cause of the fire.

Bang Khen police station was notified of the incident at 4.30am and contacted the Bang Khen and Lat Phrao fire stations to dispatch trucks to extinguish the flames.

Seven fire trucks and a team of rescuers rushed to the warehouse, which stored wood. The wood fuelled the flames. Firemen had to spend an hour to completely douse the flames.

There were no reports of any injuries or deaths.

A nun at Sathira Dhammasathan said she heard a crackling sound of the wood going up in flames, and went out of her residence to check.

On seeing the blaze engulf the warehouse, she quickly called the police. The fire meanwhile began to spread to nearby houses.

The police believe an explosion at a transformer started the fire, but they are conducting an investigation.

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Egat’s hydropower plant at Pha Juk dam to go on stream by 2022-end as planned

NationalDec 17. 2020

By THE NATION

The construction of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand’s (Egat) hydropower plant at Pha Juk dam in Uttaradit’s Muang district is progressing as planned and should meet its targeted commercial operation date of December 2022, Thidet Iam-sai, deputy director-general of engineering and power plant construction at Egat, said on Wednesday.

“The power plant will have two generators, each capable of producing 7 megawatts, hence the total capacity of the plant is 14 megawatts,” he said.

“It is expected to generate up to 90 million units of electricity for the power grid per year and reduce CO2 emissions of 45,833 tonnes annually.”

Thidet explained that the plant would use water released by the Pha Juk dam to generate electricity, which is an efficient use of water resources while not affecting the surrounding communities, which will still be able to use water from the dam for consumption and agriculture.

“Furthermore, hydropower is a clean, sustainable energy and is one of the cheapest of renewable energies,” he said.

On Wednesday, Egat opened a hydropower plant at Klong Tron dam in Uttaradit’s Nam Pad district for commercial use. The plant has a capacity of 2.5 megawatts and will produce 11.8 million units of electricity for the power grid.

So far Egat has built nine hydropower plants at dams nationwide – Chao Phraya, Mae Klong, Naresuan, Pasak Jolasid, Khun Dan Prakan Chon, Kwai Noi Bumrung Dan, Kiew Kho Ma, Chulabhorn and Klong Tron. They have a combined capacity of 87.95 megawatts.

Egat is also planning to build a floating solar power plant at selected dams, with a pilot project at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani. It is expected to be completed by mid-2022 and will generate 45 megawatts of electricity.

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Baht unchanged, could strengthen from possible economic recovery

NationalDec 17. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.03 to the US dollar on Thursday, unchanged from its closing rate on Wednesday.The Thai currency is likely to move between 29.90 and 30.10 during the day, predicted Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

On Wednesday night, the S&P 500 Index closed at 3,701.26 points, increasing by 0.2 per cent. The Stoxx 600 Index and the price of WTI crude oil and gold meanwhile rose in the range of 0.4 to 0.8 per cent.

Jitipol explained that the market rose partly after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting resolved to freeze the interest rate at 0 to 0.25 per cent. 

Also, the FOMC committed to using the full range of Federal Reserve tools to support the US economy, therefore promoting its maximum employment and price stability goals.

Financial markets also took note of a US report on macroeconomics and foreign exchange policies of major trading partners. The document categorised Vietnam and Switzerland as “FX manipulators”, while Thailand was placed on the monitoring list. This came as the dollar weakened.

In Thailand, Jitipol estimated that the baht in the short term would move in a narrow range. The market tends to monitor currency operations conducted by the Bank of Thailand.Economic recovery next year would be a main factor that would draw investors back to Thailand, he added. A recovery would possibly be a factor for the baht to strengthen.

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SCB to public: Beware of scammers sending SMS

NationalDec 17. 2020

By THE NATION

Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) warned the public via a Facebook post on Wednesday to beware of scammers who are now sending an SMS to customers claiming to be from the bank and urging them to update their data.

“They will ask customers to click on a link leading to a fake website that looks like the bank’s official one, prompting customers to enter their personal info,” the bank warned.

“If you find such a message or website, please do not enter your personal data such as ID card number, credit card number, birth date, ATM pin code, username, password or one-time password [OTP] that the bank generated for transactions,” it advised.

“SCB has no policy to notify customers via SMS, Line or Facebook Messenger to provide their personal info,” the bank clarified.

For further inquiries, contact the SCB Thailand Facebook page or call 02-777-777.

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RTAF defends budget to renovate restroom on VVIP plane

NationalDec 17. 2020Photo of A340-500 airplane (Credit: Facebook Thaifighterclub)

By THE NATION

Matichon newspaper reported that the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) said the Bt54-million budget for renovating a restroom on a VVIP plane is “reasonable”.

The publication claims its source revealed on Wednesday that the listed Bt54.43-million budget on the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering’s website to renovate a restroom on the A340-500 aircraft carrying serial number HS-TYV, which is used to transport very, very important persons, is reasonable and in the normal range of the market price.

The clarification came after the website document was widely shared over the Internet and netizens criticised the high cost, saying the renovation is unnecessarily expensive.

“People can check and compare the price on any plane modification website,” the source said. “Please understand that renovating a plane’s restroom is different from that of a residence. It will require redesigning and reinstalling of the piping system, which involves expensive German engineering techniques,” the source explained.

The source added that the RTAF bought the plane from Thai Airways International and it has already undergone a general renovation, which included the replacement of passenger seats.

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Cool to cold weather in Upper Thailand, isolated heavy rain in the South

NationalDec 17. 2020

By THE NATION

Upper Thailand is experiencing cool to cold weather with a 1-3°C decrease in temperature and strong winds, while mountaintops are cold to very cold, the Meteorological Department said on Thursday as a rather strong high-pressure system from China covers the area.

Meanwhile, the strong northeast monsoon covers the Gulf and the South, bringing thundershowers and isolated heavy rain over the area. The department advised people in the South to beware of heavy rain, adding that waves in the Gulf are about 2 metres high and above 2 metres in areas with thundershowers. It instructed all ships to proceed with caution.

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

North: Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 15-19 degrees and highs of 30-34 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 5-14 degrees Celsius, with frost in some areas.

Northeast: Cool to cold weather with strong wind; temperature lows of 14-19 degrees and highs of 29-32 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 10-14 degrees Celsius.

Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 20-22 degrees, highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius.

East: Cool weather with strong wind; temperature lows of 20-24 degrees, highs of 32-33 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 23-24 degrees, highs of 31-33 degrees Celsius; waves 2 metres high and over 2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with fog in the morning; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 32-34 degrees Celsius.

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Prawn industry more or less escapes fallout of Covid-19

NationalDec 17. 2020

By THE NATION

The Thai Prawn Association announced on Wednesday that Thailand will produce some 310,000 tonnes of prawns in 2021, 15 per cent more than the 270,000 tonnes produced this year.

The association’s president Somsak Paneetatyasai said this year’s production was 7 per cent less than the 290,000 tonnes produced in 2019, adding that farmers held back on production due to prawn disease and concerns over the Covid-19 situation.Most prawn farms are located in Central, East, and upper and lower South regions of the country, and this year, production in the East dropped by 17 per cent.Apart from Thailand, the prawn production has dropped in China by 12 per cent, Vietnam by 6 per cent and India by 5 per cent. In comparison, production has risen by 4 per cent in Indonesia and Malaysia, and by as much as 12 per cent in the Philippines.However, the association’s vice president Bunjonk Nisspawanich said he was glad that the outbreak has affected the prawn industry slightly, adding that this has helped preserve the trust of importers.In the first 10 months of 2020, Thailand exported 123,297 tonnes of prawns valued at Bt35.87 billion. This marked an 8.84 per cent drop from 135,249 tonnes exported in the same period in 2019, and 10.73 per cent in terms of value, which last year was Bt40.19 billion.

Somsak, meanwhile, said he expects total export of prawns to come in at 150,000 tonnes by the end of the year worth Bt44 billion in value.He said that though export has been affected by the Covid-19 situation in trade partner countries, local consumption of prawns has risen. He said in 2019, local consumption accounted for 22 per cent of production, adding that he expects up to 40 per cent to be consumed locally in five years.

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Thai virus restrictions leave 700,000 migrants out of work, in limbo: MWG

NationalDec 17. 2020

By The Nation

The Migrant Working Group (MWG) has outlined hardships facing an estimated 700,000 migrant workers who have lost their jobs during the Covid-19 crisis in Thailand.

Government restrictions had seen borders close and many migrant-employing businesses collapse, MWG representative Adisorn Kerdmongkol told a press conference marking International Migrants Day on Wednesday (December 16).

Many migrant workers had been laid off, some without compensation from either their employer or the Social Security Fund, he said. Accessing state aid was difficult or impossible for these people.

Meanwhile many laid off migrant workers are unable to find new employers within the 30-day deadline since the law requires proof that their contract was terminated by the original employer.

Also, said Adisorn, the government still lacks clarity on managing migrant workers waiting to enter Thailand to support the economic recovery after restrictions were eased. More than 100,000 migrant workers are currently waiting to enter the country, 69,235 with work permits and visas and 42,168 registered with Thai businesses.

“Most migrant workers who have applied under the MoU system have already borrowed money to travel to Thailand. Unable to travel to work, their debt burdens is are rising,” he said.

The lack of clear and safe guidelines for importing workers was also causing labour shortage problems, he added.

“As a result, the number of migrant workers being smuggled into Thailand is rising.”

Meanwhile 632,833 migrant workers have fallen out of the health system, according to MWG health expert Chuwong Saenkong.

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Workers whose health insurance expires during the Covid-19 situation can’t renew their policies due to difficulties in travelling to complete the process.

Education of migrant children has also suffered during the pandemic. According to a 2018 estimate, there are 300,000 migrant children in Thailand. Only 97,145 are in state schools while most study in migrant learning centres with no legal status.

Siwawong Suktawee, a consultant for the Foundation for Rural Youth (FRY), said the learning centres can be forced to close at any time. “How to make learning centres a sustainable and alternative solution is an important question,” he emphasised.

Also, many foreign students who return home during the holidays are unable to return because they cannot afford quarantine and travel costs. Others who remain in Thailand cannot go to schools as their parents’ financial status is affected. “Without government support, these students may have to quit schools and end up becoming child workers,” he said.