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Govt’s cash-handout scheme tops Thai search trend on Google this year (nationthailand.com)

Govt’s cash-handout scheme tops Thai search trend on Google this year

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

The government’s “Rao Mai Ting Kan” campaign was Thailand’s top-trending search term on Google in 2020, the search engine’s insight on trends published on Wednesday shows.

Google’s annual Year in Search offers a unique perspective on the year’s major events, hottest trends and changes in consumer behaviour based on searches conducted in the country.

This year, Thais appeared to be most intrigued about campaigns launched by the government to help reduce the cost of living for those affected by the economic fallout caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as to stimulate the Thai economy.

Undoubtedly, five of the top 10 trending search terms were associated with government schemes, including “เราไม่ทิ้งกัน”, the Rao Mai Ting Kan or No One Will Be Left Behind cash-handout scheme; “คนละครึ่ง”, the Khon La Krueng or Let’s Go Halves shopping-subsidy scheme; “เยียวยาเกษตรกร” subsidy for farmers; “เราเที่ยวด้วยกัน”, Rao Tiew Duay Kan or We Travel Together tourism stimulus campaign; and the “ลงทะเบียนรับเงินค่าไฟ” power subsidy scheme.

The pandemic continues to attract the attention of Thais, as the search term “โควิด-19” (Covid-19) came in as No 3.

Meanwhile, two search terms related to education – “DLTV” (Distance Learning Television) and “สมัครสอบ ก.พ.” (OCSC exam registration) – made their way to the top 10 for the first time.

International news also drew interest from Thais as the top-trending list also includes searches for “US Election 2020”.

In addition, Covid-19 has driven Thais to get things done online as they’re adjusting to the new normal. The terms “เรียนออนไลน์” (online learning), “ลอยกระทงออนไลน์” (online krathong floating), “ยื่นภาษีออนไลน์” (online tax filing), “เวียนเทียนออนไลน์” (online light waving rite), and “อบรมใบขับขี่ออนไลน์” (online driving licence training) were the top five trending queries related to online activities.

When it comes to news, Thai netizens showed interest in several different topics. This year, the coronavirus outbreak has put people across Thailand on high alert as “โควิค-19” (Covid-19) topped the trending news list.

The list also includes search for “ไวรัส RSV” (RSV virus), which came in at No 4. Thais also showed interest in global politics with “US Election 2020” taking the second spot.

Meanwhile, four out 10 trending news are about tragic incidents that captured nationwide attention, including “ข่าวน้องชมพู่”, news about the death of three-year-old Nong Chompoo; “กราดยิงโคราช”, the mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima; “โจรปล้นทอง”, murder-robbery at a gold shop in Lopburi; and “รถไฟชนรถบัส”, a bus-train collision in Chachoengsao.

News about natural events like the solar eclipse “สุริยุปราคา 2563” and storms in Thailand “พายุเข้าไทย” also made it to the top 10 of trending news queries this year.

For travel-related searches, the list is dominated by domestic destinations including those with natural scenery, mountains and cold weather like “เชียงใหม่” (Chiang Mai), “เชียงราย” (Chiang Rai), “เขาค้อ” (Khao Kho), and “กาญจนบุรี” (Kanchanaburi), as people are unable to travel overseas due to Covid-19. Beach and seaside destinations like “สุราษฎร์ธานี” (Surat Thani), “พัทยา” (Pattaya), “หัวหิน” (Hua Hin), “ประจวบคีรีขันธ์” (Prachuap Khiri Khan), “ระนอง” (Ranong), and “ระยอง” (Rayong) are also among the top 10 trending destinations.

Thais also showed their eagerness to learn “how to” do things to adjust to the new normal and take advantage of government’s campaigns. The terms “วิธีใช้คนละครึ่ง” (how to apply for Khon La Krueng scheme) ranked No 1 among the top 10 how-to queries.

The list also includes “วิธีลงทะเบียนค่าไฟ” (how to register for electricity bill subsidy), “วิธีทำหน้ากากอนามัย” (how to make a face mask), “วิธีทำเจลล้างมือ” (how to make hand sanitiser), “วิธีลงทะเบียนรับเงิน 5,000” (how to register for the Bt5,000 cash handout), “วิธีลงทะเบียนเยียวยาเกษตรกร” (how to register for a subsidy for farmers), and “วิธีแก้เครียด” (how to relieve stress).

Visit g.co/2020trends/TH to learn more about Google’s Year in Search 2020.

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Covid-19 from Tachilek found in 7 Thai provinces (nationthailand.com)

Covid-19 from Tachilek found in 7 Thai provinces

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

Covid-19 cases from Myanmar’s Tachilek city have been found in seven Thai provinces, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) reported on Wednesday.

The first case was discovered on November 28, said DDC director general Opas Karnkawinpong, after Thais working in Tachilek began sneaking back over the border into Chiang Rai to escape a serious outbreak in Myanmar.

However, since December 6 new infections from Tachilek have been contained in Chiang Rai province, he added.

Tachilek-related confirmed cases now totalled 46, including two local infections.

More than 5,100 contacts of infected returnees have been tested in Chiang Rai, but only one was found to be infected.

Meanwhile, 55 close contacts of a Sing Buri woman who caught Covid-19 while taking the same flight as Tachilek returnees have all tested negative, according to Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, director of the Communicable Diseases Division.

Security camera footage from Chiang Rai airport shows the woman, 51, sitting close to two illegal returnees who are not wearing their masks correctly.

Elsewhere, five health workers in alternative state quarantine (ASQ) contracted Covid-19 after one of them took the temperature of a family of three in ASQ on November 24-27, said Sophon. The family was later found to be infected. The health workers eat together after work and share the same room. Their close contacts have been traced and tested. Among them are 226 workers at a private hospital (224 have tested negative while two are waiting for results), 6 co-workers (all negative), 7 at a government hospital (all negative), 14 in the first ASQ (negative), 20 in the second ASQ (negative), and 7 family members (negative).

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New law clamps down on substandard melamine containers (nationthailand.com)

New law clamps down on substandard melamine containers

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

New restrictions on food containers made from melamine come into force on Friday (December 11), with stiff penalties for violations.

Wanchai Panomchai, secretary-general of the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), said that under the new Melamine Container Control Law, Thai businesses that make or import the product must show the TIS 2921-2562 standard mark on every container,

Those caught making or importing melamine containers without the TIS standard will be punished with up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to Bt2 million.

Meanwhile shop owners selling non-standard melamine products face imprisonment for up to 6 months and/or a fine of not more than Bt500,000. Those caught using the TIS label without permission will be punished with up to one year in prison and/or a maximum fine of Bt1 million.

Wanchai said 22 Thai businesses – 10 manufacturers and 12 importers – had applied for TIS registration.

“From December 11 onwards, the TISI will conduct inspections via the National Single Window system and in the market, including online sellers. If any offences are found, immediate legal action will follow,” said the TISI chief.

Substandard melamine containers carry the risk of chemical contamination of food.

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TAT expects local travellers to spend over Bt1.26-bn this long weekend (nationthailand.com)

TAT expects local travellers to spend over Bt1.26-bn this long weekend

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

At least 3.11 million Thais planning to travel over four-day weekend, with ‘We Travel Together’ scheme influencing many tourists.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects the December 10-13 weekend to see up to 3.11 million Thais travelling in the country, spending more than Bt12.6 billion and boosting hotel occupancy by up to 40 per cent, TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Wednesday.

A TAT survey conducted on November 25 found that the government’s “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) subsidy scheme influenced 74.15 per cent of travel decisions and “Khon La Khreung” (Lets Go Halves) affected 88.57 per cent of travel expenditure plans. The survey found that 80.4 per cent of Thais want to travel locally, with 62.83 per cent during the New Years’ break and 21.06 per cent during this long weekend.

Most respondents (87.64 per cent) opted for short trips averaging three and half days, with the average total cost coming up at Bt9,136.

Of the respondents, 63.05 per cent chose the North as a preferred destination, followed by the East, Central region, Bangkok and its metropolitan area and the Northeast. The most popular provinces proved to be Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Bangkok, Phetchabun and Krabi.

Average travel groups came in at 4.3 people, most of them families. Private cars proved to be the most popular mode of transport (56.24 per cent) followed by flights (12.05 per cent) and bus (10.89 per cent). While most travellers (60 per cent) chose to stay in hotels and resorts, 13.88 per cent preferred to stay with friends or relatives.

Yuthasak said the one factor making Thais hesitate in making travel plans during this long weekend were the Covid-19 infected Thais who sneaked across the border from Myanmar in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district. This has affected especially affected the tourism business in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai as people are anxious and unconvinced about the domestic epidemic situation. Many bookings have been cancelled since this news broke.

Tourism in the South has also been affected by flooding in several provinces, including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Krabi, Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla.

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Suvarnabhumi Airport waives Zone C parking fees for long holiday (nationthailand.com)

Suvarnabhumi Airport waives Zone C parking fees for long holiday

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

Suvarnabhumi Airport has exempted fees at its long-term car park at Zone C from Wednesday until 5pm on December 14, airport general manager Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwannawat said after the Cabinet approved a long holiday this week to compensate for Father’s Day as well as stimulate domestic tourism.

Zone C can accommodate 718 vehicles and has a shuttle bus running every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.

The buses run a free passenger pick-up and drop-off service from Zone C to the passenger terminal at Gate 3 and 8 on Level 1 and Gate 5 on Level 2.

Passengers must continue to strictly follow anti-Covid-19 rules by wearing a face mask, social distancing and arriving at the airport two hours in advance.

For further information, contact the Airports of Thailand office via 1722, 24 hours a day.

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Prayut reveals Children’s Day slogan (nationthailand.com)

Prayut reveals Children’s Day slogan

NationalDec 09. 2020

By THE NATION

Government House on Wednesday revealed Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s slogan for the upcoming Children’s Day.

Thai Children’s Day falls on the second Saturday of every January, or January 9 this time around.

The slogan can be translated as: “Thai children in new normal era unite Thais to build the nation with loyalty and virtue.”

It is a tradition for a prime minister to give the slogan for the day.

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Bangkok police nab two Uighur escapees, return them to prison in Tak (nationthailand.com)

Bangkok police nab two Uighur escapees, return them to prison in Tak

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

Two Uighurs who escaped from jail in Tak’s Mae Sot district twice were caught in Bangkok, while the immigration police chief in Tak has been transferred for being lax in his duties.

The two escapees were arrested in Bangkok’s Wang Thong Lang district and flown back to Tak. The two Uighur men had broken out of immigration jail in Mae Sot mid-October and were later spotted in Bangkok. Records show they had broken out of jail twice.

Meanwhile, Pol Colonel Sangkhom Tadso, chief of the Tak immigration police, has been transferred to another region for repeatedly failing in his job.

In 2017, 20 Uighur inmates had escaped from the immigration detention cell in Songkhla. The provincial immigration bureau at that time was under Sangkhom’s supervision.

There are about 11 million Uighurs, a Muslim Turkic-speaking ethnic group, living in the Chinese state of Xinjiang. Beijing has been holding more than one million members of this minority in detention camps, and is subjecting many more to intense surveillance and restrictions.

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Beauties cosy up to beasts in Chiang Mai (nationthailand.com)

Beauties cosy up to beasts in Chiang Mai

NationalDec 09. 2020

By THE NATIONMiss Thailand contestants on Tuesday made the most of wildlife at the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district and at the Night Safari Zoo in Hang Dong district.

The 30 beauty pageant participants have been on a publicity tour since last week, starting off with a visit to Lamphun, Lampang and finally Chiang Mai. The tour also aims to promote domestic tourism in the North.

The Tuesday programme started with a visit to the “I Love Flower” farm and the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden in Mae Rim district, where the contestants posed for photos. They then headed for the Tiger Kingdom and Night Safari Zoo to take photographs with giraffes, leopards and tigers, before watching the zoo’s Safari Dancing Show that also features wildlife.

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Cabbies seek to participate in ‘Let’s Go Halves’ scheme (nationthailand.com)

Cabbies seek to participate in ‘Let’s Go Halves’ scheme

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

The taxi cooperatives network wrote to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday asking that taxi drivers be allowed to participate in the “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) subsidised shopping scheme.

Vitoon Naewpanich, the network’s chairman, said discounts on public transport will benefit both taxi drivers and passengers.

“More people will take taxis, which will help taxi drivers’ income and reduce people’s cost of living,” he said.

The Cabinet approved the second phase of the subsidised shopping scheme on Tuesday, which will now be expanded to cover 15 million citizens from the original 10 million.

Until March 31, the government will pay 50 per cent of participants’ bill for food, drink and general goods up capped at Bt150 per day. The cap on the total subsidy per person over the entire period has been raised from Bt,3000 to Bt3,500.

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Doi Inthanon visitor faces legal action for scratched out message (nationthailand.com)

Doi Inthanon visitor faces legal action for scratched out message

NationalDec 09. 2020

By The Nation

Doi Inthanon National Park’s chief is taking legal action against a tourist who scratched out the message “it’s our love” on a wall inside the park, damaging the growth of moss and lichen.

Park chief Kriangkrai Chaipiset filed a police report in Chiang Mai’s Chom Thong district on Tuesday after a Facebook user called “Superbee Solao” posted a clip and pictures of himself damaging park property.

The action violates the National Park Act, which prohibits any damage on trees, rock, soil, mineral, petroleum and other natural resources in the park or any act that will affect the ecosystem.

CCTV footages shows the offender and friend riding a motorbike without a licence plate out of the park at around 2.12pm and heading towards Chom Thong district.