Nong Khaem air quality at unsafe level, 39 other Bangkok districts moderate
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
The air quality in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem district descended to unsafe levels on Wednesday morning, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) Environment Department reported.
As of 7am, the air quality in 39 of 71 areas around Bangkok and its vicinity were at the moderate level, such as Bangbon (50 μg/m3), Thawi Watthana (50 μg/m3), Prawet (49 μg/m3), Khlong Sam Wa (47 μg/m3) and Bang Phlat (47 μg/m3).
PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) readings were in the range of 29-55 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). Thailand’s safety level of PM2.5 is 37.5 μg/m3 or lower.
People in the area where the air quality is bad have been advised to monitor their health and reduce the time they spend outdoors, or use protective equipment if they develop a cough, difficulty breathing or eye irritation.
Meanwhile, people undergoing special healthcare should also reduce the time they spend outdoors or use protective equipment. They must see a doctor immediately if they develop a cough, have difficulty breathing, have eye inflammation, a headache, an irregular heartbeat, experience nausea or feel fatigued.
The PM2.5 situation can be followed on Air4Thai.com or bangkokairquality.com websites, the Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation Facebook page, or via Air4Thai and AirBKK smartphone applications.
Bangkok to compete with HK, S’pore in move to become MICE destination
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is working with the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce to promote the capital as a regional economic and investment hub, aiming to compete with Hong Kong and Singapore as the preferred meeting and seminar destination.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Tuesday after a meeting with Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Narongsak Puttapornmongkol that the BMA is ready to work with the chamber to attract foreign organisers to hold their events in Bangkok.
“Becoming a meeting and seminar destination will revive investors’ confidence in Bangkok as the economic hub in the region, and consequentially attract foreign investment to Thailand,” he said.
“By working with private entrepreneurs, the BMA is confident we can upgrade our facilities to international standards to compete with Hong Kong and Singapore.”
Chadchart pointed out that his policy has always focused on making Bangkok a “livable city”, with emphasis being placed on solving immediate problems such as flooding, and stimulating the economy in the post-Covid era.
The governor said the BMA had been facilitating business operations for foreign entrepreneurs and investors by speeding up the registration process of foreign businesses and coordinating with foreign chambers of commerce in sourcing English-speaking personnel to work in these foreign companies.
“With the newly renovated Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre that features more than 300,000 square metres of usable space, we hope Bangkok will attract global event organisers to hold their activities here,” Chadchart said. “Furthermore, we have another world-class venue – at Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi, just a short drive from Bangkok. The city is also full of business hotels and office spaces to fully accommodate foreign business travellers,” he noted.
The BMA and the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce is holding separate meetings on Wednesday for entrepreneurs in target industries such as MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), jewellery, creative products and hotels at Thai CC Tower in Sathorn district.
Krungthep Bridge opens to accommodate luxury yacht, causing heavy traffic jams
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
Rama III Road and nearby sois witnessed heavy traffic congestion after Krungthep Bridge was opened to allow a tall yacht to pass on Tuesday afternoon.
The large luxury vessel was seen sailing past the opened bridge before traffic movement could return to normal.
Krungthep Bridge is a bascule one spanning the Chao Phraya River, connecting Thonburi to Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district. Built in 1952, it is claimed to be the only functional drawbridge left in Southeast Asia.
The bridge takes roughly 20 minutes to open using the main mechanism powered by electricity. It also has a backup engine-powered mechanism, but this takes around 30 minutes to complete the task.
If all else fails, the bridge can be opened manually using a worm drive, which takes at least an hour.
Krungthep Bridge opens a few times each month to accommodate large ships, mostly Royal Thai Navy vessels, on the way to the shipyard at Bangkok Dock Company (1957), a state enterprise specialising in ship repairs and maintenance.
The Department of Rural Roads has had to close roads to traffic to perform maintenance on the bridge from time to time due to its old age to make sure its mechanisms still work.
Their Majesties make merit in Royal Kathin ceremonies
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana on Tuesday performed religious ceremonies to make merit and present robes to monks in the Royal Kathin ceremonies marking the end of Buddhist Lent.
The ceremonies were held at Wat Ratchabophit and Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho) in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district.
Accompanying Their Majesties was Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.
Meanwhile, Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, Princess Rajasarinisiribajra, performed the duty of commander of the Royal King’s Guard to welcome and see the departure of Their Majesties at Wat Phra Chetuphon.
Thais celebrate Kathin, or Thod Kathin, ceremony on the day after the 11th full moon, marking the end of the monks’ retreat during Buddhist lent. Villagers head to local temples for prayers and paying respect, and offer new saffron robes to the monks. The presentation of robes by the King or his representative is called The Royal Kathin Ceremony and often has been an occasion for one of Thailand’s Royal Barge Processions.
Chula research team develops nano-vaccine option for fish
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
A lecturer and his research team from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Chulalongkorn University have developed “Flavo Innovac” nano-vaccine for the prevention of bacterial gills diseases in freshwater fish species, such as Tilapia and freshwater Asian sea bass. This nano-vaccine is an effective solution that reduces the risk of death from diseases and avoids the limitations of vaccine injections.
Tilapia and Asian sea bass are the economically important fish species in the market but raising them to be healthy is a painstaking task, especially when faced with the possibility of disease outbreaks such as infections from Flavobacterium commonly found in raising water environments.
The problem worsens with the over-crowding of fish in ponds and other risk factors that promotes the spread of bacteria resulting in gills disease. The disease can cause massive mortality of fish.
For this reason, Associate Professor Dr Channarong Rodkhum has formed a collaborative effort with a research team from the Center of Excellence in Fish Infectious Diseases (CE FID) and Aqua Innovac Co. Ltd. to develop “FLAVO INNOVAC” the world’s first inactivated Flavobacterium nanovaccine.
“Normally fish farming or aquatic industries do experience diseases and infections. Overcrowding, bad environments and water quality, increase of organic substances or changes in water temperatures can weaken the fish making them susceptible to diseases. Flavobacterium spp. is the causative agent that attacks fish and causes gills and skin infections leading to as high as up to 100 % mortality rates, especially among the juvenile stage of fish that are still weak and cannot specifically protect themselves from Flavobacterium spp. infections. This can be prevented by administering a vaccine for these fish.” Channarong Rodkhum explained.
Why Needle-Free Vaccinations? When people think of vaccines, they immediately think of needles or injections. Vaccine injection in fish is, however, different from humans in terms of the process, expenses, limitations, and the risk of using needles.
Associate Professor Dr Channarong Rodkhum
Channarong enumerated more on the process saying “We aren’t able to inject a fish directly as it will start moving which causes fish stress. Injecting a fish means, therefore, that the fish first needs to be made unconscious by way of soaking it in a sedative agent for a while, after that fish will be injected one by one by an expert. The process also involves transferring the vaccinated fish into the pond. All of this increases the costs and labour consumed.”
“Vaccine injection in fish also involves the risk of infections at injection sites. Another limitation is that we are unable to inject very small fish.”
Therefore, the needle–free AQUA INNOVAC is an alternative to injections with needles. It can effectively stimulate the specific immune responses of the fish at a lower cost and enable vaccination of a mass population of fish at one time (up to many thousands or millions).
“Fish farmers can prepare FLAVO INNOVAC vaccination easily by themselves. The fish need to be immersed in water mixed with the vaccine for approximately 20-30 min in the proportions determined on the labels. During that time, the fish need to be given oxygen for the entire time. After receiving the vaccine, the fish can be released into the ponds right away. The nano vaccine is produced from the strain of Flavobacterium spp. locally isolated here in Thailand and is therefore very effective in the prevention of diseases occurred by a local strain of Flavobacterium spp.”
Vaccine delivery via Nanotechnology Aside from being Thailand’s first Flavobacterium nanovaccine for fish, “FLAVO INNOVAC” is also the world’s first inactivated Flavobacterium nanovaccine against bacterial gills disease caused by Flavobacterium infection, that makes use of nanotechnology for its delivery.
“Nanotechnology helps encapsulate the vaccine antigens. When the fish is soaked in the nanovaccine which has positive charge, the vaccine can attach itself to the negative charge of fish mucous membranes. The organic nanoparticles will then release antigens that help stimulate the immunity of the fish continuously. Once those antigens have all been released the organic nanoparticles will gradually decompose within a short time, and without leaving the residues. This makes it safe for the fish, the environment and also the consumers.”
Effects of FLAVO INNOVAC tested in field research FLAVO INNOVAC is currently undergoing field clinical trials along with the assessment of marketing results. Reactions from those farmers who have experienced the project have been largely positive.
“The vaccine is able to prevent infections at a time span of 2-3 months from the farming cycle of 6-9 months. That may seem a rather short period, but the first trimester is when fish are rather small and highly susceptible to infections. Boosting their immunity is, therefore, a crucial factor to ensure their survival to the next phase where they will develop greater resistance to the infections.”
Prevention of disease outbreaks is the most important task Channarong stressed the importance of health examinations for the fish before they are released into the pond. Administering vaccines to the fish while they are still small can also reduce losses during the early phase making it possible for them to survive until reach marketing size and can be sold to the markets. “Other than vaccinating the fish, another important aspect involves sending a sample group of fish to the laboratory for disease screening. This service is available at AQUA INNOVAC Co., Ltd., Faculty of Veterinary Science as well as the Department of Fisheries. The disease screening will help determine whether the fish might have been infected prior to being vaccinated. If fish have some infections prior to being vaccinated, it can be the cause of failure for the vaccination”.
The development of FLAVO INNOVAC has received support from various sectors such as Chulalongkorn University, the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), as well as the Chulalongkorn University Technology Center (CU UTC) for the spinoff company’s incubation. The research team plans to develop a booster vaccine that can be mixed with fish feed that will be easier and more convenient to administer.
Aside from the FLAVO INNOVAC vaccine innovation, AQUA INNOVAC Co., Ltd. also plans to develop another kind of vaccine for the prevention of other primary diseases which affect fish cultivation as well as other innovations which will be useful for aquatic animal health.
Amcham welcomes new US ambassador to Thailand at AGM, names board for 2023
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2022
The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (Amcham) welcomed the new US Ambassador to Thailand, Robert Godec, to the chamber’s annual general meeting (AGM) on October 17 at the Shangri-La Bangkok.
Amcham also announced its incoming board of governors for 2023, which includes an unprecedented seven women governors. “This board of governors is Amcham’s most diverse board yet, equally balanced between men and women of various nationalities, with representation from both US and Thai companies, including both MNCs and SMEs. We are proud to have leadership which is so representative of Thailand’s international business community and our membership,” Amcham executive director Heidi Gallant said.
Amcham‘s board for 2023 includes newly elected governors Wiyada Srinaganand of 3M, Jamie Brennan of Amazon Global Selling, and Tanapot Parksuwan of Citibank, as well as returning board governors Ornkanya Pibuldham of Bank of America, Arpaporn (Gift) Samabhandhu of Johnson & Johnson, Aileen Chew of Mastercard, Chatit Huayhongtong of Chevron, Charles Blocker of IC Partners, Deborah Seifert of Pfizer Thailand, Eliot Delunas of Nitro Labs, Jeffrey Nygaard of Seagate Technology, John Evans of Tractus, Kaveepan Eiamsakulrat of The KE Group, and Rachel Davidson of the Hilton and DoubleTree Sukhumvit.
During the fireside chat, Amcham president Jeffrey Nygaard and Ambassador Godec engaged with Amcham members on a dialogue to foster the US-Thai trade and investment relationship.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya presided over the Grand Opening of the “Weaving the Way: A Journey of Thai Silk” Exhibition on the occasion of 90th Birthday Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2022
THE NATION
HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya presided over the Grand Opening of the “Weaving the Way: A Journey of Thai Silk” Exhibition on the occasion of 90th Birthday Anniversary of HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother at Charoen Nakhon Hall, ICONSIAM. The Grand Opening was attended by H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry’s executives and officials, members of diplomatic corps and spouses as well as media.
This Exhibition is organised to honour Her Majesty’s dedication to preserve and promote Thai textiles on the global arena for more than 7 decades as well as HRH the Princess’ determination to continue, preserve and develop Her Majesty’s work. The Exhibition is divided into 3 parts as follows:
The first part is the beginning of the Thai Silk Journey where HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother became enchanted by the beauty of Mudmee Thai silk while visiting flood victims in Na Waa District, Nakorn Phanom Province, with HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great in 1970. From that visit, Her Majesty initiated a project to encourage and support the weaving of textiles as a means of creating steady secondary income for Thai women. Her Majesty then established the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupation and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) on 21 July 1976, ensuring that the diverse crafts of Thailand have survived to this day.
This part also displays various photographs of HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother graciously granting the opportunity to both local and international designers to create attires for HM to wear during State Visits, welcoming royal guests, as well as attending royal functions. The use of Mudmee, Prae Wa, Yok and Hilltribe textiles in her wardrobe shed a keen light on the beauty of Thai fabrics.
The second part involves the story of HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya setting Her heart out to continue, preserve and develop HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother’s work in conserving, reviving and promoting the arts and crafts of Thailand, especially in the support of textile weaving and product development for a more modern market to promote Thailand’s fashion and textile industry onto the international arena.
The final part is a display of bespoke masterpieces from Thai textiles by international designers and leading brands. These include clothes, bags, shoes and jewelry. This is a great example of how to turn cultural assets into value-added products. It also demonstrates that Thai textiles can be used to make apparel that is modern and recognised by leading designers.
A big green flag on the month of 10th, “Sabuy Digital” launching 2 mobile applications with 2 digital tokens, is now being stated as a utility token, on FIIT Token & Speedkub platform
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2022
THE NATION
Sabuy Digital, a new start up company under SABUY GROUP with a strong innovation and technology infrastructure together with a goal of bringing blockchain for users to experience a hybrid real-virtual world.
“FIIT Token”, a new and the first in the market “Move to Earn” platform, here users can play games or do virtual exercise to earn the tokens, which they can then exchange for products in the real world with a plenty of choices to redeem either from Sabuy Ecosystem or partners. With the concept of gamification, Sabuy Digital built a game gimmick for users to have game items including game NFT which users can convert or transfer to a real NFT on Binance Smart Chain. The NFT itself comes with a value where users can sell and buy in NFT Marketplace like Tofu NFT.
While “Speedkub” has the same concept of earning tokens but different usage purpose. The platform itself aims to be a solution for business partners or SMEs as a CRM for all and CRM Token. Speedkub Token is working as a connection of business and customers for a long term retention and building brand loyalty by giving them a privilege of discounts, special offers, etc. by utilizing the tokens. Sabuy Digital will make a first move with their own drop off brands listed under SABUY GROUP in the phase of launching and will expand to other business partners by the end of the year as expected.
The wait of connecting the Metaverse with Reality is finally over. “FIIT Token” and SpeedKUB” are now launching on both App Store & Play Store.
“Elevate and Enjoy” with Marriott’s premium room promotion in Thailand
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2022
THE NATION
Guests can now enjoy preferential rates on non-standard rooms, suites and villas, plus a welcome amenity, breakfast for two and daily hotel credit all across the kingdom
BANGKOK, THAILAND, October 2022 – Marriott Bonvoy is inviting its guests to elevate their next vacation in Thailand with an enticing new promotion that includes premium accommodation and a wealth of added extras.
Under the new “Elevate & Enjoy” offer, travelers can book a premium room at their chosen hotel or resort – including deluxe, club or family rooms, spacious suites or even luxurious villas – including daily breakfast for two people. Every guest will also be presented with a welcome amenity upon arrival, and daily hotel credit to be redeemed for soothing spa treatments, dining experiences, sunset drinks and more!
Available for bookings made from now until December 31st, 2022, and stays taken until March 31st, 2023, this attractive offer coincides with the high season in many dream destinations across Thailand.
So, whether you’re seeking a stylish city break in Bangkok, an idyllic island escape in Koh Samui or Phuket, a beachfront holiday in Krabi, Khao Lak, Hua Hin, Pattaya or Rayong, or an enchanting upcountry retreat in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, everyone can find their ultimate Thai vacation with Marriott.
With a selection of chic and spacious accommodation available, “Elevate & Enjoy” is ideal for guests seeking a romantic couple’s break, a special occasion or a fun-filled family vacation.
• Premium rooms are classed as any accommodation above the lead-in room category. • Valid for stays at participating properties only a subject to availability. • Not applicable for group bookings of 10 or more rooms. • Blackout dates, early departure and cancellation fees may apply and vary by hotel. • This offer cannot be combined with other select promotions, packages or discounts.
Some shops, eateries in Silom Edge to remain open until midnight
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2022
Many shops and eateries on B1 and G floor of Silom Edge, a mixed-use facility in Bangkok’s Silom area, are ready to provide services to visitors until midnight.
The facility, located on the corner of Silom Road near BTS Saladaeng Station and MRT Silom Station, was built by commercial property developer Frasers Property Commercial (Thailand).
“Shops and eateries on those floors include A Ramen, For U Pharma, GUGU Chicken, Shiko Japanese Udon Bar,” said the company’s executive vice-president for retail business development, Thiranant Kornsritipa.
Frasers Property had invested more than 1.8 billion baht to build a 24- storey mixed-use facility on 50,000 square metres of land under the concept “The New Sandbox Community in central business district (CBD)”.
The entire project provides support to entrepreneurs and startups who want to test the market and sell products through retail sandbox platforms, as well as promote a cashless society and support payments for services using cryptocurrency.
Associate Professor Dr Channarong Rodkhum
