Govt lab tasked with monitoring quality of Thai kratom products
MONDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2022
THE NATION
The Agriculture Ministry has decided to get kratom products checked at the government-owned Central Lab Thai before they are shipped out.
Sakul Kiatjeeravirat, an adviser to the agriculture minister, said a stamp of approval from the Central Lab would add value to exported kratom products and ensure importers of the quality.
He added that the Agriculture Ministry is helping farmers grow kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) so it can be turned into herbal products for export. The herb, which has stimulating properties, has been removed from the national narcotics list.
He said kratom could become a new cash crop, generating a lot of income for the country as the active substances in the leaves can be used in medical products, cosmetics, food and beverages.
Sakul said the Agriculture Ministry has assigned the Central Lab to check the quality and amount of extract used in the products. He added that the lab has the precision tools required for the job and that importers had recently visited the lab to observe the process.
Sakul said the ministry will soon launch a system of random checks, so kratom products can get a certificate of analysis.
The lab’s managing director Chakrit Tiebtienrat said they had acquired new equipment this year in response to the rising demand for quality checks on herbal, ganja, hemp and kratom products.
He said the lab could check the level of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine in leaves before the substances are extracted for use in medical products or in food or drink.
The Central Lab Thai was set up on June 17, 2003, under a Cabinet resolution. The Finance Ministry owns 49 per cent of the lab, while the rest is owned by the Office of SMEs Promotion under the PM’s Office.
Rikruelee Jeweh, the chief business adviser for Deena Farm Co Ltd, said his firm has been monitoring the government’s policies regarding kratom with interest because the demand for the leaves is high in the Middle East.
At present, only Indonesia and Malaysia have been exporting kratom to the Middle East, but now that the herb has been decriminalised here, Thai exporters can also enter the market.
He said Thai kratom is loaded with the active ingredient mitragynine, which will boost its demand in the Middle East.
Cross-border trade, rice deals with China on new DFT chief’s agenda
MONDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2022
THE NATION
The new Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) director-general said he will promote cross-border trade and government-to-government rice deals with China to help rebuild the economy in the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ronnarong Phoolpipat, who was recently appointed as DFT director-general, said on Monday that the agency’s most important agenda is to boost cross-border trade, as its value rose to 1.15 trillion baht in the first eight months of 2022, rising 3.18 per cent year on year.
“Cross-border export rose slightly at 0.11 per cent to 682.84 billion baht, while imports rose 7.98 per cent to 471.02 billion baht. In August, Thailand ran a trade surplus of 211.82 billion baht,” he said.
Ronnarong, who previously oversaw the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, said a weakened baht and recovering Myanmar and Laos economies were the main factors boosting cross-border trade this year. The rising demand for energy alone has expanded Thailand’s exports to Myanmar and Laos by 100 and 115 per cent year on year respectively.
He added that as the Covid-19 situation improves, consumption and manufacturing in the region is also bouncing back. In the first eight months of 2022, Malaysia has imported 389.42 per cent more automobiles and 131.43 per cent more tyres from Thailand compared to the previous year. Cambodia, meanwhile, has imported 618.91 per cent more circuit boards and 93.41 per cent more fabric and yarn.
“The DFT will also focus on G2G contracts to sell rice to China under the Thailand-China highspeed rail cooperative framework,” he said. “Under the contract, China will purchase 2 million tonnes of rice from Thailand. So far 720,000 tonnes have already been shipped. The DFT will work with the Chinese government to push for the rest of the shipment as soon as possible.”
Ronnarong added that his agency will also support exporters in their effort to find new buyers, especially in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
“The department will also review AD [anti-dumping] laws to ensure trade is done in compliance with the latest international standards to protect our markets,” he added.
BOT to monitor loan campaigns by commercial banks to prevent aggravation of household debt situation
MONDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2022
THE NATION
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) on Monday vowed not to let the household debt situation worsen by making sure that commercial banks would refrain from launching campaigns that would encourage unnecessary borrowing by consumers.
BOT Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said the central bank would seek to tackle the issue of high household debt with sustainable measures by making sure that commercial banks don’t create distorted motives for loans.
“We must make sure that commercial banks would not create a moral hazard related to household borrowings,” Sethaput said.
Ronadol Numnonda, deputy BOT governor in charge of financial institutions’ stability, said the central bank would not allow commercial banks to launch loan products and commercial campaigns that would encourage people to borrow for unnecessary consumption.
Ronadol said the central bank would issue regulations to control unnecessary borrowings in the first quarter of next year.
He said commercial banks would be told to consider funds available with the borrowers for their daily lives apart from considering their ability to repay their debt.
He added that the central bank has been trying to reduce household debt, which had been accumulating even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Governor Sethaput added that the central banks has adjusted measures for taking care of debtors in vulnerable groups because the household debt was still as high as 88-89 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) after it peaked at 90 per cent during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, household debt rose by 10 per cent, he said.
He said the Bank for International Settlements suggested that household debt should not be higher than 80 per cent of GDP.
“The household debt is an issue that has been with us for a long time. There is no magic pill for curing it. It takes time to solve it, but the debtors must survive,” Sethaput said.
As one of the measures for addressing household debt, the BOT on September 3 last year asked commercial banks to restructure household debt so that they could paid back over a longer period in keeping with the debtors’ ability to repay the debt.
“Without this measure, the economy might have been disrupted,” Sethaput said.
He added that the central bank’s attempt to control household debt was one of the measures it was using to make sure the slow recovery of the country’s economy would not be disrupted. Another measure was to control the rising inflation through gradual hikes in policy interest rate in accordance with the economic situation, Sethaput said.
Meanwhile, Mathee Supapongse, BOT deputy governor in charge of monetary stability, said the central bank found that low-income people and labourers had the most household debt.
He said this group of people saw their income reduced during the Covid pandemic so the central bank would come up with specific measures to help them.
The central bank has reported that at the end of the second quarter this year, the amount of household debt rose to 14.76 trillion, but its ratio to GDP declined from 89.2 per cent in the first quarter to 88.2 per cent in the second quarter.
Household debt rose 3.5 per cent year on year, the lowest increase in 18 years, and the growth rate slowed down from 3.7 per cent year on year in the first quarter.
Royal Cliff Hotel CEO calls for more government assistance to boost tourism
MONDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2022
THE NATION
A hotel operator in Pattaya has urged the government to launch measures that would support the country’s tourism industry after the Covid-19 crisis.
Royal Cliff Hotels Group CEO Vitanart Vathanakul said the Eastern Economic Corridor policy to promote Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong as world-class tourist destinations would help attract foreign investment.
He added that some of the the government’s policies, such as Long Term Residency (LTR) visa personal income tax waiver, also would help attract foreign investors to eastern provinces.
“Some foreign investors also took the opportunity to hold conferences in the eastern provinces, especially in Pattaya City,” he said.
He said Royal Cliff Hotels Group has renovated its hotels to be ready for tourism to recover and adjusted the management strategy to maintain the employment of its 600 staff.
“Currently, the group’s occupancy rate has risen to around 50-60 per cent compared to 70-80 per cent before the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
However, he said the number of foreign visitors in Pattaya has dropped, especially travellers from China, Russia and Ukraine where internal problems exist.
He expected China to allow its residents to travel overseas after October, adding that the group is ready to offer promotion campaigns to attract Chinese tourists to Pattaya.
Vitanart also urged the government to launch tourism stimulus measures, especially among domestic tourists.
“For instance, the “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) tourism stimulus scheme should be extended until 2023,” he said.
“Meanwhile, the government should provide financial support for organising conferences and seminars in the country which would benefit other industries as well.”
He also asked the government to launch marketing campaigns to boost awareness of Pattaya’s image, as the city has changed a lot since the Covid-19 crisis.
“These campaigns would help attract high income tourists to visit the country,” he added.
Fourgle – Thailand’s latest social-networking app with a difference
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
THE NATION
A Thai startup firm is launching a social-networking application under an “economy sharing” concept this month and hopes to draw a million users within this year.
Anuchit Anuchitanukul, CEO and co-founder of Fourgle (Thailand), said the Fourgle app will put make it easier for people to access information about everything, including people, places, timings and activities. He said the app aims to respond to changing lifestyles and give online businesses an added boost.
Anuchit said the app will allow users to tailor the content to match their lifestyles, as well as create or join communities that focus on their topics of interest.
The Fourgle (Thailand) startup has a registered capital of US$1 million and is currently valued at 400 million baht.
Co-founder Supat Pornnapha, who once worked in the United States’ Silicone Valley, said the app is currently at a closed-beta stage with some 160,000 users and a major e-commerce operator has expressed interest in it. He added that the app, set to be officially launched sometime this month, will initially focus on food communities, with its CookKlich feature allowing users to exchange recipes and cooking tips and tricks.
Fourgle has also joined hands with restaurants in Gaysorn Plaza, Amarin Plaza and other malls in Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong area.
Supat said next year the app expand to cover other topics like home decoration, interior design, fashion and tourism and will link up with relevant businesses.
“Fourgle aims to link up communities to create a useful legacy,” Supat said. “Users will be allowed to create their own content and the successful ones will be rewarded Fourgle coins that can be redeemed for goofs and privileges.”
Ticket to the MARS: The Special NFT on Bitkub Chain
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2022
THE NATION
Bangkok, September 27 – Bitkub Chain announced KUB to the MARS, the Lock & Drop package on September 1, 2022.
It is the first time on Bitkub Chain to distribute the reward as KUB Coin. Lock & Drop is one of the main utilities of KUB Coin as provided on Bitkub Chain White Paper. The exclusive NFT airdrop called “Ticket to the MARS’’ will be airdropped according to the total value of KUB locking.
The schedule of KUB to the MARS locking package is concluded as follows:
1. From the 1st of September 2022, 12.00 pm. to the 7th of September 2022, 23.59 pm. (estimated 13% of annual percentage yield) 2. From the 8th of September 2022, 12.00 pm. to the 14th of September 2022, 23.59 pm. (estimated 12% of annual percentage yield) 3. From the 15th of September 2022, 12.00 pm. to the 21st of September 2022, 23.59 pm. (estimated 11% of annual percentage yield) 4. From the 22nd of September 2022, 12.00 pm. to the 5th of October 2022, 23.59 pm. (estimated 10% of annual percentage yield)
Ticket to the MARS NFT will be airdropped to the users according to the total value of KUB locking. You can see more detail about the special privileges as follows:
1. For the users who lock from 1 to 1,000 KUB ● Ticket to the MARS NFT Airdrop: Normal rarity ● Special Activities on Bitkub Chain ● Free Training Creator Studio Class ● Creator Studio Fee Credit: 10 BCS ● Free Access to Bitkub M Social 5 times per year ● Social DAO Voting 100 Power ● Bitkub Academy 5% Store Discount (Participating Items)
2. For the users who lock from 1,001 to 10,000 KUB ● Ticket to the MARS NFT Airdrop: Rare rarity ● Special Activities on Bitkub Chain ● Free Training Creator Studio Class ● Creator Studio Fee Credit: 50 BCS ● Free Access to Bitkub M Social 10 times per year ● Social DAO Voting 1,000 Power ● Bitkub Academy 5% Store Discount (Participating Items)
3. For the users who lock from 10,001 to 50,000 KUB ● Ticket to the MARS NFT Airdrop: Super Rare rarity ● Special Activities on Bitkub Chain ● Free Training Creator Studio Class ● Creator Studio Fee Credit: 100 BCS ● Free Access to Bitkub M Social 15 times per year ● Social DAO Voting 5,000 Power ● Bitkub Academy 5% Store Discount (Participating Items) ● Free Meeting Room Booking at Bitkub M Social 1 time per year ● Space Rental Discount for 30% at Bitkub M Social
4. For the users who lock from 50,001 KUB or above ● Ticket to the MARS NFT Airdrop: Ultra Rare rarity ● Special Activities on Bitkub Chain ● Free Training Creator Studio Class ● Creator Studio Fee Credit: 1,000 BCS ● Free Access to Bitkub M Social 30 times per year ● Social DAO Voting 10,000 Power ● Bitkub Academy 10% Store Discount (Participating Items) ● Free Meeting Room Booking at Bitkub M Social 2 times per year ● Space Rental Discount for 50% at Bitkub M Social ● Fast lane to buy NFT (Participating Stores)
The exclusive NFT Airdrop will be distributed on the 17th of October 2022 (12:00 pm onwards).
Disclaimer*: 1. The price of digital assets is highly volatile. Please examine the details carefully before participating. 2. KUB TO THE MARS is a long-term locking. 3. Reward distribution will be on a daily basis, and the users can claim the reward 1 time per day. 4. The first reward distribution date is on the 7th of October 2022 (12.00 pm onwards). 5. Exclusive NFT will be airdropped on the 17th of October 2022, 12 pm onwards (1 wallet address per 1 NFT airdrop). For more detail, please visit Bitkub Chain Official Facebook Page. 6. The company reserves the right to change the conditions for the product. Please consider the risks before participating in this activity. Lock KUB and Get Bonus feature was announced on the 1st of September 2021, and it is one of the main utilities of KUB Coin as provided on Bitkub Chain White Paper. It is the first activity on Bitkub Chain to allow users to lock KUB and earn rewards as digital tokens.
Caroline Link honoured ‘outstanding female leader’ for doing business with social responsibility and environmental friendliness
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
THE NATION
Caroline Link, the fourth-generation heir to B.Grimm, Thailand’s oldest business institutions founded in 1878, was named “Outstanding Women Leaders for Green Growth Awards 2022” by the Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Associations of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of H.M. the Queen.
The 2022 award recognises Caroline for conducting business with social responsibility and environmental friendliness. The award presentation ceremony was held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok recently.
Caroline carried her family’s 144-year tradition of “doing business with compassion in harmony with nature.” She has long been known for her commitment to sustainable business practices in all dimensions, and her philanthropy both with B.Grimm and other organisations.
Caroline is President of B.Grimm Joint Venture Holding Ltd and Director of B.Grimm Power Public Co Ltd. She plays a crucial role in driving B.Grimm’s businesses, especially in energy, industrial systems and healthcare, by adhering to good corporate governance and sustainable business practices. High on B.Grimm’s agenda is becoming a net-zero carbon emissions organisation by 2050.
“With global warming and climate change issues becoming more critical, B.Grimm has dedicated efforts to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions as much as possible,” said Caroline.
“We started by presenting information on global warming issues to educate and increase awareness among our employees. We also promote clean energy at our facilities such as installing solar panels on roof-tops of various buildings at B.Grimm’s headquarters as well as setting up EV charging stations for use by employees.”
In terms of innovation, Caroline prioritises adopting digital and IoT technologies for developing renewable or clean energy and for securing new solutions to help save B.Grimm’s energy usage.
After closely surveying across B.Grimm’s joint ventures, Caroline identified and pulled together various best practices in energy efficiency innovations and launched a new comprehensive industrial energy efficiency enterprise. The new business aimed to provide a one-stop solution for industries and companies looking to increase energy savings in power and air quality management.
Caroline attached great importance to the conservation of nature and the environment. She plays a pivotal role in driving B.Grimm’s comprehensive forest conservation, by initiating a continuous reforestation project to restore forests and the environment in Chon Buri province together with the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club. This included planting of economic trees over 250 rai of land in 2020.
B.Grimm has worked with the WWF-Thailand and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to restore the forest ecosystem through “Save the Tiger” project to conserve and rehabilitating the tiger population — a mission which has continued unabated for more than eight years.
Like her father, Dr Harald Link, Caroline also believes that, with compassion, a business can exist in harmony with nature and community. Tigers are one of the top predators that maintain the balance of the ecosystem. When the top species are endangered, the ecosystem in which they live is endangered as well. There are only approximately 150 tigers remaining in the wild in Thailand, so strong actions are needed to increase the population.
The cooperation calls for the provisions of equipment and welfare for rangers who help protecting resources and the land as well as campaigning and educating about tiger conservation among students and communities living in areas near the forest reserves.
The Outstanding Women Leaders for Green Growth Awards 2022 event is a collaboration of the Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Associations of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of HM the Queen, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
They seek to honour exemplary female executives who conceptually developed businesses to grow with an environmentally friendly approach along with improving the quality of life and well-being for employees, customers, communities and society in a sustainable way. Four other awardees for this year are Supatra Chirathivat, Lalana Srikram, Tippaporn Ariyawararom and Peerada Patitat.
Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University distributes “Sawasdee Nursing Robot” to hospitals
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
THE NATION
Ms Ajarin Pattanapanchai (9th from the left), permanent secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, presided over the distribution ceremony of “Sawasdee Nursing Robot” to support medical professionals at hospitals under the Public Health Ministry’s network.
Assistant Professor Dr Tanapol Kortana (6th from the left) and Assistant Professor Dr Natnaporn Aeknarajindawat (8th from the left), Head of Sawasdee Nursing Robot Project, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, gave a warm welcome at the University Council Meeting Room.
COVID-19 vaccines continue to protect against death and hospitalization worldwide while boosters can help top up immunity for vulnerable
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
THE NATION
Special interview with Professor Sir Andrew J. Pollard, FMedSci, Director of Oxford Vaccine Group and Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford
It has been two and a half years since the COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. After multiple lockdowns, social-distancing protocols, vaccines, and debates over how to move forward and live with this virus, the world finally recognized the COVID-19 vaccines’ critical significance as a prophylactic measure against death and hospital pressures. Despite the heightened infectiousness of the new Omicron variants, infection rates have finally declined globally. However, the World Health Organization recently issued a warning: “Although reported cases and deaths are decreasing internationally, and several countries have eased restrictions, the epidemic is far from over—and it will not be over anywhere until it’s over everywhere.”
A number of world-class experts in the field of epidemic immunisation say that after the primary shots, the world population should continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Professor Sir Andrew J. Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, expressed his thoughts on the subject:
Vaccines are highly effective against severe COVID-19 infection, and vaccinated populations with the first two primary doses had relatively few hospital admissions or deaths from the severe lung disease prevalent in the pre-vaccine period in 2020-21. However, many patients with underlying health issues or age-related frailty feel poorly with any viral disease and may require hospitalization. We now know that immunizations, while effective in avoiding severe COVID-19, are less effective in preventing infection. Boosters, on the other hand, play an essential role in preventing infection and keeping these people safe, he revealed.
New findings from Chiang Mai University in Thailand suggest that when given as a fourth dose booster on top of any previous primary or booster vaccine, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine successfully prevented COVID-19 infections caused by the Omicron variants, Professor Pollard noted.
“This shows the potential of boosters to be used to top up immunity for vulnerable individuals and help defend health. We don’t yet know how best to use boosters in future years, but careful monitoring of the virus will help determine the future frequency and timing of boosters. If we can get this right, boosters will help protect people and health systems,” he said.
When asked about the trial results for Oxford-COVID-19 AZ’s vaccine, which showed overall vaccine efficacy of 70.4% versus the reported 90% efficacy of other mRNA vaccines. Professor Pollard explained that such a difference could lead to misconceptions and that viral-vector vaccines yield similar efficacy in protecting against death and severe symptoms related to COVID-19:
“Differences in licensure trial design and clinical goals make a direct comparison of trial efficacy of different vaccines tested in different nations in two very distinct studies extremely challenging. Indeed, neither research was large enough to measure the impact of severe COVID-19, the outcome that matters the most. However, we now know that both the Oxford-AstraZeneca and mRNA vaccines had a significant influence in preventing deaths and relieving demands on hospitals and health systems during the pandemic. According to a recent AirFinity estimate, the Oxford vaccine spared 6.3 million fatalities while the Pfizer vaccine averted 5.8 million deaths in their analysis of lives saved in 2021. The remarkable global reach of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, with its ease of distribution and the developers’ devotion to low cost, has saved so many lives.”
“COVID-19 will be with us for decades to come, but it is difficult to be sure at the moment exactly what the future patterns of infection will look like. We don’t know how often, how big, or how long future peaks will be. Most experts think that we will need to continue to use boosters to protect the most vulnerable in society, and perhaps the virus behaves a bit like influenza with winter peaks,” he added.
The major issue is that the virus evolves quicker than we can develop and license updated vaccines. Given the recent global outbreak of Omicron variants, the following cases this year will likely to be caused by a new variant. Fortunately, the original vaccines continue to provide significant protection against severe COVID-19, and we can utilise them to protect people who require it. In the future, we anticipate that COVID-19 seasons will be more predictable, similar to flu seasons, and that we will be able to provide updated vaccines for each “season”.
“The fight against the pandemic is a complex mix of vaccine coverage and effectiveness, and timeliness. A highly effective vaccine that comes late, or doesn’t reach people who need it, is no good to anyone,” he said.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca operation was successful because dosages were provided early in the pandemic, beginning in January 2021, and reached hundreds of millions of people before they were infected with COVID-19, Professor Pollard remarked.
Mouawad may have become a celebrated brand in high-end jewellery, but the story began in the 19th century, when David Mouawad (1865-1951) left his native Lebanon in 1890. He spent almost two decades in New York and Mexico, honing his skills as a watchmaker, goldsmith and jeweller.
Brand Mouawad started a new era at the turn of the second decade of the 21st century. Fred Mouawad is currently the fourth-generation of Mouawad’s “co-guardians”.
“Five generations of the Mouawad family have contributed to the company’s legacy of innovative jewellery designs and timepiece craftsmanship spanning more than a century,” says Fred Mouawad, “co-guardian” and CEO of Synergia One Group .
Since its origin in Lebanon in 1890, the brand’s storied ideals have been revitalised to provide genuine elegance and sophisticated jewellery masterpieces to an increasingly global market.
Mouawad is headquartered in Thailand, and uses highly skilled Thai craftsmen at the jewellery hub where their products are crafted with care and exported around the world.
Watch the interview on the Business Story Programme on October 1, 10am, at www.nationthailand.com.
Fourgle has also joined hands with restaurants in Gaysorn Plaza, Amarin Plaza and other malls in Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong area.
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