A group of students from the Chiang Mai Rajabhat University were nearly killed in a road accident on Monday morning after the driver of their van fell asleep and crashed into a roadside tree at 6am.
Police and rescue staff arrived to help the 10 students, two of whom were severely injured and transferred to hospital.
Initial investigation showed they were returning from a camp in Nakhon Ratchasima province, and their driver fell asleep as they were passing through Lampang province.
A buffalo with a face that looks like that of a pug has become famous in Uthai Thani, with many farmers willing to pay Bt500,000 for it to improve their fortunes.
At a provincial festival on Monday, featuring parades, eateries, rides, souvenir stalls and livestock markets, the buffalo “Mumu” became an instant hit, with people arriving specifically to take selfies with it.
The owner, Ong-at Ketsin, said his business has flourished since he got Mumu and even though some people have offered Bt500,000 for the animal, he has decided to keep it for himself as it brings him good luck.
The merger of CAT Telecom and TOT will be completed on January 7, 2021, after the Cabinet approved an extension from December 14 specified earlier.The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) said on Monday morning thatDES minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta had confirned that the merger was underway. The new state enterprise, “NT Telecom”, formed by the merger of CAT Telecom and TOT, will be completed on time.The minister added that he would discuss with the Minister of Finance, TOT’s big shareholder, and the State Enterprise Policy Office for nominations to NT’s board of directors. This board will be in charge of choosing the chief executive officer, he added.Also, the minister has set three phases of operation after the merger is successful in January. He explained that all business units under NT Telecom would work in unity within the last phase.Buddhipongse revealed that NT Telecom would have assets worth over Bt300 billion in value. The assets mainly include over 25,000 telecommunication towers nationwide, underwater cables, radio frequency, underground conduits with around 4,000 kilometres of total length, fiber optic cables with 4 million core kilometres of length, 13 data centres across the nation, and an international phone system.
Locals in a subdistrict of Surin province are protesting on Monday about a pipeline system that has not been usable for over five years.The protesters were locals from Ban Na Hung village in Nongkhwao subdistrict. They urged the media to spotlight the problem in their village, as well as three others.Monchai Tiankot, Ban Na Hung chief, explained that the pipeline system in the villages had been unserviceable since their construction.He added that the construction was not in keeping with the plan. The water tank installed in an area of Nong Lek village was smaller than what the blueprint specified. Its diameter was only 3.2 metres, instead of 5 metres as was planned.Also, the pipeline in Ban Na Hung and Na Kae villages had not been laid underground as was specified. Monchai said that placing the pipes on the ground was risky as they could be damaged by cars running over them.
Over Bt42-bn exchanges hands under ‘Let’s Go Halves’ scheme
NationalDec 14. 2020Kulaya Tantitemit, the Finance Ministry’s spokesperson
By The Nation
The government’s “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) shopping subsidy has reportedly circulated more than Bt42 billion in the economy, while the Finance Ministry has confirmed that Phase 2 of the project will kick off within this week.
Kulaya Tantitemit, the Finance Ministry’s spokesperson, said since its launch on October 23, the scheme has resulted in the spending of Bt42.04 billion with some 968,000 stores participating.
Kulaya said the ministry will hold a press conference to provide detailed information on the second phase of the project and who is eligible to join.
Thailand’s capital has been engulfed by a hazardous haze since Monday morning, which can affect the health of residents in 58 districts.
Air Quality and Noise Management Division reported that records of the average PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) dust particle level within 24 hours showed that several zones of Bangkok have PM2.5 levels above the standard at 50 micrograms per cubic metre.
The most hazardous area is Bang Khae district. Residents there have been urged to wear face masks and avoid outdoor activities.
Experts have advised people who have cough, breathing problems, eye irritation, headache or nausea to see a doctor.
At 10.40am, IQAir ranked Bangkok the seventh most polluted city in the world for air quality.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 27 new cases in quarantine facilities and a local transmission in Bangkok over a 24-hour period on Monday.
Most of the cases are travellers, both Thai and foreign, from overseas who are completing their mandatory quarantine in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Chonburi.
The cases include a British man, 36, and two women, 44, who travelled from the UK; two Thai men, 55 and 56, who came from France; a Thai woman, 37, travelling from Pakistan; a Thai man, 43, from Azerbaijan; a Thai woman, 39, from Germany; two Thai men, 23 and 27, and four women, 33, 34, 36, and 37, travelling from Myanmar; a Thai woman, 53, from Ukraine; Thai man, 24, and woman, 40, from Poland (a re-active case after testing positive on October 17); seven Thai women, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 42 from Bahrain; an Indonesian man, 31; Swiss man, 43; and a Georgian man, 51, (a re-active case after testing positive in October) arriving from their respective countries.
Meanwhile, a female health worker in Bangkok, 27, tested positive after developing a sore throat during quarantine in hospital. She had shared a room with personnel from a private hospital who had tested positive. Her first test on December 8 came out negative, but then she tested positive on December 12.
Meanwhile, 17 patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 4,237 (1,243 in state quarantine), 237 of whom are in hospital and 3,940 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 60.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am, the total number of confirmed cases globally has risen to 72.64 million (up by 539,289). Of them, 50.86 million have recovered, while 20.16 million are active cases (106,189 in severe condition) and 1.61 million have died (up by 7,650).
Thailand ranks 151st for most cases in the world, while the US tops the list with 16.73 million, followed by India 9.88 million, Brazil 6.9 million, Russia 2.65 million and France 2.37 million.
Residents in three districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat province are still stranded in floodwaters for more than two weeks.
Floodwater from Chaloem Phra Kiat, Chian Yai and Pak Phanang districts are likely to be completely drained by next week. However, if there are more rains, it could take months before life returns to normal, officials said.
People in the flooded areas are also suffering because the dirty water has become contaminated and has turned from brown to black in colour.
The situation has caused difficulties for travel, as exposure to the contaminated water can cause skin diseases.
The locals said that besides being naturally dirty, the water has also been polluted by chemical substances used in agriculture.
Overseas trade offices told to aggressively pursue business opportunities
NationalDec 14. 2020Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit
By THE NATION
The Commerce Ministry is pushing a vigorous proactive role for trade promotion offices overseas as the Covid-19 situation improves worldwide.
Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has tasked the ministry’s permanent secretary and Department of International Trade Promotion director-general with making sure that directors of trade promotion offices overseas fulfil their role of promoting trade between Thailand and the respective country.
“As the Covid-19 situation is gradually improving worldwide, trade promotion offices have to work aggressively to restore businesses that we have lost due to the outbreak,” he said. “Directors of the trade promotion offices must take up the role of ‘commerce ambassador’, or a salesperson of Thailand who is able to introduce our products that could have high potential in penetrating the market in each country.
“There will be a revision of key performance indicators of office directors based on the exports to each country over the years, the success rate of market penetration and the assistance being provided to Thai entrepreneurs in securing new markets,” Jurin added.
“A commerce ambassador who fails the performance evaluation will be sent back even if their term is not over yet.”
Jurin had initiated the concept of ‘commerce ambassador’ early this year in a bid to adjust the role of trade promotion offices overseas amid the growing threat of the Covid-19 outbreak and the fallout of the trade war between the US and China.
The Digital Economy and Society Ministry has warned people not to believe or share news or Internet posts accusing the Government Lottery Office (GLO) of leaking lottery winning numbers to its staff before the draw date, and of the staff passing on those numbers to others for a price.
“The ministry’s Anti-Fake News Centre contacted the GLO and was told that the rumour was false,” it said. “The GLO confirmed that its lottery draw procedure strictly conformed to the ISO 9001:2015 standard, and all steps were transparent and verifiable. There is absolutely no one who can know the winning numbers before the draw date.”
The GLO also added that such rumours could harm its reputation, and that it was gathering evidence to file a complaint against the individuals starting and spreading the rumour.
For enquiries about the government’s lottery, contact GLO on tel 02-528-9999. To report fake news, do so via website www.antifakenewscenter.com.
Buddhipongse Punnakanta 
Kulaya Tantitemit, the Finance Ministry’s spokesperson 
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit 
SootinClaimon.Com 