Phetchabun police round up gang of ‘unwashed’ big bikers
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022
Some 200 big bikers on a “nam mai arb” (without bathing) race to and from tourist attractions in Phetchabun’s Khao Kho and Lom Kao districts were finally snared on Saturday.
This gang is known for causing trouble in the province, like blocking motorists, creating noise and driving recklessly.
The bikers were arrested on Saturday after provincial police station chief Pol Maj-General Thadej Klomklieng had checkpoints positioned on public roads to nab them.
The gang was arrested under the Motor Vehicles Act and the Road Traffic Act for not wearing helmets, driving without a licence plate, ignoring traffic signs and wrongfully modifying vehicles.
“Up to 26 bikers were charged at the Bueng Sam Phan Police Station, 150 at Muang Phetchabun Police Station and 30 at Lom Sak Police Station,” Thadej said.
“Petchabun is ready to welcome tourists, but they must come in peace, follow traffic laws, not create noise pollution or drive recklessly,” Thadej said, adding that this gang regularly disturbs the locals.
The group is also facing charges in Nong Phai district for insulting police officers and obstructing operations.
Nong Phai residents said they want the bikers to be arrested because they were being a real nuisance. They also said the bikers’ claim that their activities will stimulate tourism and generate revenue is actually having an adverse impact.
Prayut praises new US-Asean pact as boost for sustainable development
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has hailed the new US-Asean pact as a win for sustainable global development, a Thai government spokesman said on Sunday.
The 10th Asean-US Summit, hosted by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, got underway in Phnom Penh on Saturday with US President Joe Biden in attendance.
“PM [Prayut] considered this meeting important for reviewing and setting the direction of US-Asean relations amid changing [global] conditions,” said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.
Prayut told the summit that global challenges such as development inequality, food and energy crises, natural disasters due to climate change and geopolitical conflicts are likely to intensify, the spokesman added.
“Building strategic partnerships between Asean and the US is necessary to overcome such crises,” he said, citing Prayut’s remarks.
Anucha reported that Prayut was pleased with the US move to strengthen its partnership with Asean.
The PM also urged leaders at this month’s Asean, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) and G20 summits to grasp opportunities to find solutions to urgent crises, Anucha said.
The Asean Summit runs until Sunday and is followed by the Bangkok Apec meet from November 14 to 19, and the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15-16. Biden is scheduled to meet China’s Preside Xi Jinping at the G20 gathering.
Prayut also urged the US to promote digital development by investing in digital infrastructure, and skills for workers and businesses – especially micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and female entrepreneurs.
He highlighted next year’s “Trade Winds Business Forum” in Thailand as a gateway for business opportunities for workers and entrepreneurs, Anucha said.
Prayut also praised US moves to tackle climate change, emphasising the need to develop green finance mechanisms, green infrastructure, and create jobs in eco-friendly industries.
The PM highlighted the “Open Connect Balance” theme of next week’s Apec summit in Bangkok, where the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model for sustainable development will be in the spotlight.
He also pledged Thailand would work with the US, which will host Apec next year.
“The PM believes that these partnerships will help strengthen the relationship between Asean and the US and enable global sustainable progress,” Anucha said.
Six spectacular light shows illuminating Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022
Six spectacular light shows are illuminating the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok to welcome Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders and tourists from November 12 to 27.
The free “Vijit Chao Phraya” shows are being held at six locations to promote tourism, improve Bangkok’s image and boost income for local businesses.
The six locations are:
Rama VIII Bridge: a light and laser show will welcome Apec leaders and celebrate the country’s reopening. The show is held daily six times per day at 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, 9pm and 9.30pm.
Wichai Prasit Fort: Projection mapping depicts scenes of maritime trade, diplomatic contacts and the country’s defence to tell the story of riverside life from bygone days to present times. Six shows per day at 7.15pm, 7.45pm, 8.15pm, 8.45pm, 9.15pm and 9.45pm. (Special effects shows on November 12-13, 17-19 and 26-27).
Wat Kalayanamit Worahamawiharn: a cultural show combined with special effects unveils Thailand’s rich culture and wisdom. Three shows per day at 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm on November 12-13, 17-19, and 26-27.
Phra Phuttha Yodfa Bridge: A light show illuminates the river’s role in the everyday life and travel of Thais. Six shows per day at 7.15pm, 7.45pm, 8.15pm, 8.45pm, 9.15pm and 9.45pm.
River City Bangkok: Projectors map Thai culture’s global reach through food, film, fashion and festivals. Six shows per day at 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, 9pm and 9.30pm.
IconSiam: Solar-powered lights illuminate the longest multimedia water show in Southeast Asia. Four shows per day at 6.15pm, 7.15pm, 8.15pm and 9.15pm.
Phatthalung’s Thale Noi Wetland buffaloes get FAO recognition
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
Generations of water buffalos have been raised for the past 250 years in the Thale Noi Wetland of Phatthalung province, which recently received UN recognition.
Deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said on Saturday that the folk wisdom of raising buffalos in the wetlands has been passed on from generation to generation.
On November 4, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recognised Thale Noi Wetland in the southern province as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) — Thailand’s first of its kind.
“The Thale Noi Wetland Buffalo Pastoral Agro-Eco-System is a diversified farming system marked by longstanding interaction between humans and buffaloes,” the FAO said on its website.
The selection criteria for GIAHS sites include global importance that is beneficial to the public, agro-biodiversity, supports food and livelihood security, knowledge systems, social values and culture, as well as outstanding landscapes.
Rachada said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was delighted by the recognition.
“He is pleased that Thai folk wisdom and culture passed on for generations has received international recognition. This reflects the fact that Thai heritage is valuable,” Rachada said.
Thale Noi Wetland is one of the 52 remaining GIAHS sites across the world that is related to the water buffalo, the spokesperson added.
She said more than 3,500 buffalos are raised in Thale Noi, which has been declared a non-hunting area.
Thale Noi buffaloes are raised either free-range or sheltered in pens only at night. Herders lead their animals out to graze through flooded fields and bring them back before nightfall. The buffaloes have adapted for survival on land that is flooded for almost five months of the year.
19 luxury Bangkok hotels housing Apec leaders to be off-limits
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
Apart from the Apec Summit venue, 19 Bangkok hotels where attending leaders and their entourages are staying will be kept off-limits to protesters from Monday to Saturday.
The directive from the Prime Minister’s Office, issued on Tuesday and published in the Royal Gazette on Friday, went into effect on Saturday. Citing the Public Assembly Act, the directive prohibits all public demonstrations at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), where leaders from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation will convene on November 18-19. Related meetings kick off on Monday. The order also marks 19 luxury hotels where the leaders and their entourages will be staying next week as off-limits.
The hotels are Grand Hyatt Erawan, Anantara Siam, Park Hyatt Bangkok, Rosewood Bangkok, The Okura Prestige, The Athenee, Conrad Bangkok, Kimpton Maa-Lai, Sindhorn Kempinski, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Siam Kempinski, SO/ Bangkok, Waldorf Astoria, St Regis Bangkok, Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, the Sukhothai, Banyan Tree, Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La. The Public Assembly Act empowers any government minister to designate places where “no public assembly shall obstruct their gateway, impede the performance of their duties, or hinder access to their service”. These locations are in addition to ones clearly specified in the legislation’s Article 8, namely state agency offices; airport, wharf, rail station or any other public transport station; hospital, education institution and religious establishment; and embassy, consulate or international organisation office.
Infection is as good as vaccine against Covid-19: virologist
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
Thailand’s top virologist believes an infection offers as much immunity against Covid-19 as vaccines do.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dr Yong Poovorawan said more people in Thailand are building immunity against the virus via infection, judging by the drop in Covid-19 vaccines administered daily.
However, he advised people to get at least two shots and a booster jab to protect themselves from severe symptoms.
Dr Yong said that if a person picks up a Covid-19 infection after getting three jabs, they will have enough immunity to fight it off with little or no symptoms.
The virologist believes more than 50% of the Thai population has been vaccinated and this number should rise to 70% soon.
He also warned people at risk, namely people who are 60 and above, those with chronic disease, pregnant women and those weighing more than 90 kilos should get vaccinated or they may suffer severe symptoms.
Yong advised the authorities to study the population’s overall vaccination status and plan the dispensation of boosters next year.
Chiang Mai artisans craft beautiful souvenirs for Apec 2022
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
It was a matter of honour and pride when a Chiang Mai artisan community was commissioned to produce souvenirs for government heads attending the Apec Leaders’ Summit next week.
The Wat Sri Suphan community in Chiang Mai’s Muang district, which is famous for fine metalwork and engravings, was approached by the Foreign Ministry’s Protocol Department. The job was to produce plaques from recycled metal and jewellery boxes with engraved lids also made from recycled metal.
Recycled metal was chosen to highlight Thailand’s bio-circular-green economic model.
Direk Sitthikarn, a master metalsmith from the community who designed the engravings, told The Nation that the two souvenirs were the pride of the Chiang Mai people.
Metal engraving is a traditional Lanna art form that has been passed down for generations and is now being shown to the international community, he said proudly.
Direk explained that expert artisans spent more than two months crafting each piece to ensure they are of exceptional quality.
The community was commissioned to produce 30x60x6cm engraved plaques showing the Grand Palace from the perspective of the Royal Thai Navy’s auditorium, where a reception will be held for the leaders and their spouses. The engraving also includes a royal barge in the foreground and the Apec 2022 logo in the background.
The jewellery box is 13x20x5cm in size with a metal lid engraved with a traditional Thai pattern and the Apec logo.
Direk said the items have been delivered to the authorities to be added to the gift set of seven souvenirs for Apec leaders and their spouses. He added that he has kept the prototypes of the plaque and jewellery boxes as a reminder of the honour.
Souvenirs handed out at Apec 2022 can be seen here
Bangkok to restore ‘Venice of the East’ with THB5.5bn water transport plan
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
A 5.5-billion-baht plan to join up Bangkok’s water transport network with roads and rail stations and free the city from paralysing traffic congestion was unveiled on Friday.
The W-Map project will develop 40 connecting points between boat stops and the capital’s roads and railways to boost water transport in Greater Bangkok, Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office (TPPO) chief Panya Chupanich said.
Bangkok was once dubbed “Venice of the East”, pointing to the potential of its extensive canal network as a transport system.
The first phase of the W-Map project will use a budget of 3.4 billion baht to develop 34 connections between water and other transport routes through 2027.
The second phase, running from 2028 to 2032, will build six more connections with a budget of 2.1 billion baht.
Panya said GPS and surveillance camera data will be used to integrate the water, road and rail networks, with the aim of solving Bangkok’s traffic problems.
The TPPO also plans to improve eight connecting piers, including the four Chao Phraya River ferry stops of Phra Nang Klao, Bang Po, Rajinee, and Sathorn.
The plan will be proposed to the Transport Ministry by March next year.
Meanwhile, park-and-ride facilities will be provided to connect the Bangkok- Suphanburi bus with Phra Nang Klao Bridge MRT station and Phra Nang Klao pier.
Apec Summit 2022: Bracing for recession, striving for recovery
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022
Nongluck Ajanapanya
World leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit will seek inclusive solutions to the current global turmoil over the next six days.
Experts expect two major outcomes from the summit: a plan to prepare for recession and the outlines of a path to recovery.
Today’s uncertainties and geopolitical tensions are no longer the responsibility of a single country or region. Hence, experts say that countries must engage face to face to find solutions together to the deepening problems afflicting the world.
Ndiame Diop, World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, said the global economy is currently dealing with overlapping crises.
Just as countries began to recover from the pandemic and reduce policy support, the world was confronted first with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, then inflation, and now financial tightening as interest rates ratchet up.
Though these crises originated in different parts of the world, their impact has been global. World economic growth is projected to decline to 3.2% in 2022 and to 2.7% in 2023, from 6% in 2021, with poor and vulnerable countries bearing the brunt of the impacts.
Developing countries of East Asia and the Pacific, including Thailand, will not be immune to the global slowdown and fiscal tightening.
“Our latest economic update released in late September projects regional growth will decline from 7.2% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and recover somewhat to 4.6% in 2023,” Diop said.
The risk of a global recession in 2023 is rising, according to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and many other leading institutions, as central banks implement simultaneous interest-rate increases to combat inflation.
However, the expected trajectory of interest-rate increases and other policy actions may not be sufficient to return global inflation to pre-Covid levels. Global inflation, which is currently at a 14-year high, is expected to remain above target ranges in the vast majority of advanced and developing economies until 2023.
Diop pointed out that the way governments respond to today’s challenges will also shape development in the long term. Governments need to act on two fronts, he added.
They must mitigate the major risks while at the same time seizing the few opportunities.
He proposes four different courses of action to deal with this perfect storm.
First, improve fiscal policy efficiency for relief, recovery, and growth. More targeted assistance to households and businesses, rather than blanket transfers and price controls, would alleviate pain and make room for investment in infrastructure, health, and education.
Second, strengthen macroprudential policies to reduce risks associated with global financial tightening. Greater and earlier transparency about financial sector problems hidden behind the cloak of regulatory forbearance would aid in the prevention of financial instability and misallocation.
Third, reform trade-related policies in goods and, especially, in still-protected services sectors to take advantage of shifts in global trade.
Fourth, change policy to encourage technology diffusion. Increased competition and improved digital infrastructure may boost incentives for technology adoption. Ending fossil fuel subsidies and other forms of assistance are also required to encourage the adoption of green technologies and to combat climate change.
Unsurprisingly, the World Bank’s proposal aligns with the key agenda that Apec leaders will discuss during their summit at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on November 18-19.
Cherdchai Chaivaivid, the Thai Foreign Ministry’s director-general of International Economic Affairs, said that Apec leaders will discuss how to advance the Asia-Pacific region through ongoing global economic challenges toward sustainable and inclusive economic recovery from Covid-19.
The summit will renew talks on the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area (FTAAP) by establishing a long-term framework for dialogue, he added.
Apec members will also discuss digitalisation, sustainable development, and inclusive engagement.
Host Thailand’s guiding framework for the summit is titled “Bangkok Goals on BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) Economy”. The framework will push towards a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient Apec.
“If you want to grow quickly, go alone; if you want to grow sustainably, go together,” said Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), at a press conference for the Apec CEO summit.
He said that many of the issues currently facing the world arose because we failed to listen and talk to one another. The first in-person Apec summit in four years would be an excellent place to begin fixing this communication breakdown, he added.
Montri Mahaplerkpong, FTI vice president, said the summit is a great opportunity for participants to share what they have and what they lack so that they can figure out how to address urgent issues like food security, supply chains, carbon emissions, and competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses.
Meanwhile, Kobsak Pootrakool, executive vice president of Bangkok Bank, said Apec members must cooperate to strengthen themselves, hasten recovery and combat recession.
He expects the summit to produce opportunities and paths for recovery in Thailand and other member economies.
Diop from the World Bank noted that global cooperation remains critical to overcoming our common challenges across all issues.
As such, the week-long Apec meet is an important opportunity to strengthen multilateral cooperation on these and other challenges, with a focus on solidarity and solutions, he said.
Apec comprises 21 economies accounting for 38% of the world’s population, approximately 61% of global GDP and 47% of its trade in goods and services.
Elite residency visa luring younger Chinese expats to Thailand
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022
The average age of wealthy Chinese expats in Thailand is falling fast, according to the firm that handles Elite residency visas in China.
Rui Guo, president of Thai Jiaranai Group, said the average age of Elite visa buyers is now lower than 40, compared to over 50 in the past.
Chinese nationals are by far the biggest buyers, accounting for 7,350 of some 20,000 Elite visas approved so far.
Thai Jiaranai Group is the official seller of Thailand Elite residence programme in China. The firm also operates Chinese online media in Thailand while offering consultancy advice to Thai firms seeking business opportunities in China.
Rui Guo was speaking during a reception party held for Elite visa holders at S31 Sukhumvit Hotel on Thursday night. He said the number of Chinese expats holding the visas has soared several-fold in the past five years. And the fact that they were getting younger showed the new generation of high-income Chinese are attracted to Thailand, he added.
The Thailand Elite Residence Programme offers four different visas for multi-entry stays of between five and 20 years.
Aimed at luring foreign investment to boost Thailand’s economy, the programme is managed by the Tourism Ministry’s Thailand Privilege Card Company (TPC).
Chinese Elite visa applicants are drawn to Thailand by the food and pleasant environment, said Rui Guo. They liked the programme because they did not have to renew visas often, he added.
Thailand’s excellent geopolitical position made it attractive for both travel and business, said Senator Weerasak Kowsurat, in his welcome speech at the event.
Weerasak, a former tourism minister, said Thailand was also luring wealthy Chinese with its international food and beautiful tourist destinations.
Fears the Elite visa is a gateway for wealthy criminals were played down by Foreign Ministry representatives, who said all applicants are checked to ensure they have honest income to benefit the Thai economy during their stay.
Thousands of holders were helping the country recover from the Covid-19 crisis by spending on tourism, sports, spars and other activities across Thailand, said Pornthep Pantanapat, deputy managing director of TPC.
None of those granted Elite visas in the past 20 years had been arrested for serious crime, he added.
Thousands of holders were helping the country recover from the Covid-19 crisis by spending on tourism, sports, spars and other activities across Thailand, said Pornthep Pantanapat, deputy managing director of TPC.
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