Covid-19 In Thailand Now Becoming Endemic Like Swine Flu, Says Yong
SAT, SEPTEMBER 10, 2022
Thailand’s Top Virologist Says Covid-19’S Outbreak Pattern Is Now Similar To That Of Swine Flu In 2009, Indicating That The Disease Is Becoming Endemic.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Dr Yong Poovorawan wrote that the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic of 2009 saw cases in Thailand peak from July to August before falling from September to December.
“There was another outbreak wave, but it was not as severe as the first one in the rainy season, which coincided with the first school semester. During the school break, the number of new cases declined,” Yong said.
“Another outbreak occurred in the second semester, around January, followed by a decline in December. The flu came back in the next rainy season,” said Yong, who heads the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University.
He concluded that Covid-19 will now follow the same outbreak pattern as H1N1 influenza after 2009.
“The school break will start around the middle of this month. New cases will start declining until the year-end. A new outbreak will take place again in the cool season,” he forecast.
Thailand recorded 1,106 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, with 17 deaths.
In 2009, H1N1 influenza was first reported in Mexico and the United States before sweeping the globe with unprecedented speed as a result of airline travel.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its pandemic level to the highest Phase 6 in June of that year, indicating widespread community transmission on at least two continents. However, the pandemic was declared over by the WHO in August 2010.
GULF Expands Investments To The US With Acquisition Of 49% Shares In Jackson Generation
BY LINE : THE NATION
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
Strengthening The Company’s Energy Business Through The Natural Gas-Fired Power Project In Illinois.
Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited (GULF), via its subsidiary Gulf Energy USA, has entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with J-POWER Group to acquire a 49% stake in the 1,200-megawatt Jackson Generation natural gas-fired power project in a deal valued at over 400 million US dollars (approximately 15,000 million Thai baht) which is expected to be completed within December 2022.
Jackson Generation, located in Will County, Illinois, USA, has a generating capacity of 1,200 megawatts and began commercial operation on 4 May 2022, supplying electricity to the Pennsylvania – New Jersey – Maryland Interconnection (PJM) merchant market. PJM is a regional transmission organization with the highest reliability and electricity demand in the United States, coordinating the movement of wholesale electricity in 13 states, namely, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. Jackson Generation has secured a gas supply agreement with a major natural gas supplier and is connected to three main gas pipelines, ensuring that the project will have sufficient fuel supply in the long term.
Ms. Yupapin Wangviwat, Chief Financial Officer of GULF, stated, “This investment in Jackson Generation can be considered GULF’s first step into the US energy market. The project is wholly-owned by Jackson Partners under the J-POWER Group, one of the largest independent power generation companies in the world. J-POWER has been a strong partner of GULF for over 20 years and has jointly invested in natural gas power projects under the Gulf JP group, including some of GULF’s earliest independent power producer (IPP) projects. We are confident that with our long history of gas-fired power project development experience in Thailand, we will be able to contribute our expertise and technology to successfully manage the Jackson Generation project with J-POWER. Furthermore, as electricity demand in the United States continues to increase, GULF sees the opportunity to develop other power projects and is also considering the potential for additional investments with various partners including J-POWER, who has a number of renewable energy projects under development in the United States.”
GULF’s investment in Jackson Generation aligns with the company’s commitment to enhance energy security through the provision of reliable, low-cost electricity through the energy transition towards a low-carbon society as the Jackson Generation project uses state-of-the-art combined cycle gas turbine technology to provide the highest efficiency while producing among the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any fossil fuel generation facility in the United States. As the project has already begun commercial operation, the company will be able to recognize profits immediately.
TU And CU Law Professors Agree NBTC Has All Kinds Of Powers Over True-Dtac Merger
BY LINE : THE NATION
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
True-Dtac Deal Is A More Severe Monopoly Than Socialism; NBTC Considered “Stubborn” In Not Recognizing Its Own Powers, Which Are Clearly Laid Out In The Law. NBTC Has The Authority To Give Or Withhold Permission. It Must Use These Existing Powers And Not Neglect Its Compliance With Section 157.
On September 7, the Thailand Consumers Council held a seminar to gather opinions on the case of “Whether NBTC has the authority to manage the True-Dtac merger.” Ideas and solutions were sought in the matter of consumer protection from business mergers.
Until now, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has not been able to conclude whether it can consider the request to merge the businesses of True and Dtac. It looks as if, even though NBTC board has read the reports from all four subcommittees which it established, it can still cannot yet come to a conclusion. One of these is the legal subcommittee, which clearly voted 10 to 1 that NBTC had authority to consider whether to approve or disapprove. However, NBTC submitted the matter of its own authority to the office of the Council of State to consider such authority for a second round, even though it was not a matter to bring in the executive branch to regulate itself.
Prof Dr Parinya Thewanarumitkul, a delegate from Thammasat University spoke about NBTC board’s behaviour. He said that looking back at the establishing laws of NBTC, the reason for an independent organization to regulate the national resource of RF spectra was to be compliant with the 2017 Constitution and the Announcement of NBTC concerning regulatory measures for business mergers of 2018. Section 9 of this Announcement stated that the report in Section 5 was considered to be a request for approval from NBTC under Section 8 of the NBTC Announcement concerning measures to prevent actions causing a monopoly or unfair competition in the telecom sector of 2006. NBTC has the authority to forbid a merger, if it falls into the scope of a monopoly, or reducing or limiting competition.
Then there is the objection that previously, nine merger deals had applied the NBTC Announcement of 2018, and that the words “report on the merger” are used to mean that according to the latest Announcement, companies did not have to request permission. They only had to make an acknowledging report, because NBTC did not have the authority for any action.
The nine previous deals should not be cited
Prof Parinya said that the True merger with Dtac could not be compared with these nine previous deals, because it fell into the scope of power over the market, and ownership of spectra, which are a natural resource. They would have a market share more of more than half, and clear power over the market, so why can’t they use the post-merger report system?
It is because of the nine deals mentioned, seven of them were mergers between licensees who are subsidiaries of the same parent group. One deal’s post-deal assets did not exceed the financial limits stipulated by the NBTC Announcement, and one deal was the merger of the state enterprise CAT Telecom with TOT to form NT, pursuant to a Cabinet resolution. Therefore, mergers which exceeded what was stipulated in the law gave the private sector a market share in excess of 50%, the scope of a monopoly more severe than a socialist economy.
Thus, NBTC, as the state organ charged with regulating spectra and providing telecom services has the obligation under Section 27 (11) of the Act on the Organization to Assign Radio frequency and to Regulate the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Services B.E. 2553 (2010) (“Radio Frequency Act”) to determine measures to protect any action which would be a monopoly or be the cause of unfair competition in telecom businesses. It also prevents or manages trade barriers or monopolies, protects consumers and eliminates unfair economic monopolies according to the state policy written in the Constitution, the country’s highest law.
“NBTC may not be confident in its own authority because this is a very large deal happening. However, both the Administrative Court and NBTC legal subcommittee have authority in this matter. Pretending not to know and then asking the Council of State may fall under negligence of duty, or illegitimate actions under Section 157.”
Because spectra are a national resource
Assoc Prof Dr Narongdej Surakosit of Chulalongkorn University’s Law Faculty commented that telecom businesses had to make massive investments which affected the interests of the state and the public. The bodies charged with regulation had to exercise oversight for the maximum benefit, which can be clearly seen written in the Constitution. This is why it was necessary to set up a state agency which was independent in the public interest. In this case, such a body was required to provide measures preventing the seeking of benefits from consumers, or taking advantage of consumers.
Therefore, the status of NBTC is an independent organization, established pursuant to the Act on the Organization to Assign Radio frequency and to Regulate the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Services B.E. 2553 (2010), and whose independence is endorsed by Section 60 of the 2017 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Also, pursuant to Section 6, the state is required to maintain radio frequencies and access to satellite orbits as national property in the best interests of the country and its people. The allocation of spectra under Paragraph 1, for broadcasting, telecommunication or any other use, must be in the paramount interest of the general public, national security, public benefit and allowing the public to benefit from those spectra.
“Regulating business concerned with the national benefit must be strictly observed, because the more that it is a limited resource, the more that everything must be for the greatest benefit of the public and the nation in accessing them, and specific powers have been granted to NBTC. Therefore, if you ask whether NBTC has authority to consider this matter, the easy answer is, yes, it has full authority.”
Hong Kong Top Art Toy Designers Showcasing Their Best Works In The First-Of-Its-Kind Hong Kong Exhibition In Thailand
BY LINE : THE NATION
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
The Event Is Called “Let’s Unbox! 2022 Hong Kong Art Toy Story Exhibition, Thailand Chapter”.
The first of its kind large-scale exhibition in Thailand which displays world class art toys all by Hong Kong famous designers will open to toy lovers and general public this Friday (September 9) until September 18, 2022. Titled “Let’s Unbox! 2022 Hong Kong Art Toy Story Exhibition, Thailand Chapter”, the Exhibition is organized by the Innovative Entrepreneur Association (IEA) in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) under the support of Create Hong Kong of the HKSAR Government as the Lead Sponsor.
The Exhibition will be held in the popular shopping center centralwOrld in Bangkok, Thailand, featuring the best collections from 15 units of Hong Kong top art toy designers, namely Foon Wong (Big boy toy), Husky Kevin, Ma Fai, Miloza Ma, Pat Lee, Pucky, Winson Ma, Felix Ip, Jeffery Yau, Lam Pei, Mickey Mic, Nicolas Lesaffre, Ryan Lee, Spooky work and Steven Choi.
The Exhibition will have the following four zones:
– “Amazing Art Toy Zone” in which seven famous Hong Kong art toy designers’ works will be displayed;
– “Brilliant Art Toy Zone” in which the works of eight Hong Kong newest generation’s art toy designers will be showcased;
– “Classic Art Toy Zone” will take visitors back to the beginning of global art toy story, which is widely recognized as originated from Hong Kong. Highlights include the classic collectibles of the earliest world-known Hong Kong art toy brands like “Amazing Twins”, “Brothersfree” and “Micheal Lau”, and
– “Discovery Zone” will display super fun and fascinating installations including larger than life-size toy boxes, giant size toy capsule machine and photo-perfect human size figurines, etc. Together with other exhibits of precious photos and magazines featuring Hong Kong art toys of different generations and a dedicated area for interactive AR photo-shooting with exhibiting Hong Kong art toys, the unboxing journey will immerse visitors in every monumental moment of Hong Kong art toy’s history.
In addition to various exhibits, attractive extended activities will be held during the two weekends of the exhibition period that participants can meet and interact with the attending Hong Kong art toy designers in person in talks, art battle, autograph sessions, etc.
“Let’s Unbox! 2022 Hong Kong Art Toy Story Exhibition, Thailand Chapter” will be held on 9 to 18 September 2022 for 10 days in total. An opening event will be held at 11:00 am on 10 September 2022 (Saturday) also at centralwOrld, Bangkok, Thailand. All are welcome to visit the Exhibition and join its opening event which are open for free admission. For the extended activities, they are open for free admission.
For more details of the Exhibition, please visit www.hkarttoysstory.com, or social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Line by adding @hkarttoystory.
Premier League Postpones Next Round Of Fixtures To Mourn Queen
BY LINE : REUTERS
SAT, SEPTEMBER 10, 2022
The Top Flight Premier League And The English Football League (EFL) Have Postponed Their Next Round Of Fixtures As A Mark Of Respect Following The Death Of Queen Elizabeth, They Said On Friday (September 9.
The queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.
“As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed,” it said in a statement.
“At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.”
The EFL said all its fixtures from Sept. 9-10 will be postponed.
“This is aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend,”
Thailand Face Philippines In Asean GP Volleyball Today
BY LINE : THE NATION
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
Thailand Take On The Philippines As The Second Women’s Asean Grand Prix Volleyball Tournament Gets Underway In Nakhon Ratchasima On Friday.
The three-day tournament (September 9-11) will be held at Korat Chatchai Hall.
The tournament is the result of cooperation between the Thailand Volleyball Association, Asian Volleyball Confederation, and Nakhon Ratchasima administration. Four national teams from the region will vie for prize money of 2.5 million baht.
Indonesia play Vietnam in the opening match on Friday at 3pm, followed by the Thailand-Philippines game at 6pm.
Thai sports fans can watch the matches live on One 31 channel, the oneD application, or at http://www.oneD.net.
World No. 14 Thailand will use the event to prepare for the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Poland and in the Netherlands from September 23 to October 16.
Winless Pathum Utd Take On Struggling Lamphun Warriors In Thai League
BY LINE : THE NATION
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
BG Pathum United Will Play Newly Promoted Lamphun Warriors In Their Third Game Of The 2022–23 Thai League 1 On Friday.
The teams will play at BG Pathum United’s home venue, BG Stadium in Pathum Thani province, at 7pm.
Hosts BG Pathum United are still waiting for their first win after losing their season-opening match and then drawing 2-2 against defending champions Buriram United.
BG Pathum United go into their third match at full strength, with all their main players — Teerasil Dangda, Worachit Kanitsribampen, team captain Sarach Yooyen, and Brazilian striker Diogo Luís Santo — available.
Meanwhile, Lamphun Warriors have only one point after they drew against Port FC in the first match. The team is yet to score a goal this season and have lost three matches on the trot.
Bitkub Collaborates With Thai Jiaranai Group To Provide Proper Digital Technology Education For International Investors
BY LINE : THE NATION
SAT, SEPTEMBER 10, 2022
On September 9, 2022 At Bitkub M Social, 9th Floor, The EmQuartier, Bitkub Online, Namely, Bitkub Exchange, The National Largest Cryptocurrency Exchange Certified By Ministry Of Finance And Operated Accordingly With The Securities And Exchange Commission’s Regulations Along With ISO 27001, Has Officially Declared The Business Collaboration With Thai Jiaranai Group Pub Co., Ltd., The World’s Digital Media Leader, Online Marketing Expert, And Organizer Consultant Stationed In Various Countries Such As Hong Kong And Singapore.
This collaboration aims to educate both Thai and international investors on the knowledge regarding Blockchain Technology and digital assets for sustainable and secure investment. With our intention, Bitkub will be a bridge of economic opportunity to connect the old world and digital world, allowing individuals to enter safely and assertively.
Mr. Atthakrit Chimplapibul, Chief Executive Officer of Bitkub Online Co., Ltd., said “The collaboration with Thai Jiaranai Group Pub Co., Ltd. is considered as a crucial cooperation, we will correspondingly strengthen the proper set of understanding toward blockchain technology and digital asset investment to both foreign and Thai investors in order to reach out to the Bitkub’s attentive purposes which are secure and sustainable investment. Bitkub will be mainly responsible for conducting and spreading the right set of information that is suitable and accessible for everyone regardless of any ages and genders. Yet, Bitkub aims to develop the information to be comfortably and efficiently accessible to everyone. With these aforementioned attentions, we are ready to collaborate with every sectoral party to drive the success of efficient information spread regarding our goals.”
Ms. Guo Rui, Director of Thai Jiaranai Group Pub Co., Ltd. revealed that “Thai Jiaranai Group Pub Co., Ltd. pays great attention to this collaboration. Thailand is one of the early countries in Asia that regulated digital assets to protect the investors from the extreme volatility of Digital Assets. Thailand also integrates Blockchain Technology in many industries. These attracted investors from all around the world, especially the new generation of investors who appeal to digital assets. Bitkub Online Co., Ltd. is the first cryptocurrency company that was certified by the Ministry of Finance and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Besides, communication and public relations is also considered as Thai Jiaranai Group’s strengths. Plus, there are several Thai Jiaranai Group Pub’s subordinated entities ranked as the Chinese top-tier presses that are highly guaranteed for swift, precise, and reliable communication. We hope that this collaboration will bring the efficiency of communication through giving accurate knowledge and materials to the investors and help revitalize Thailand’s domestic economy previously affected by the COVID situation by attracting the foreign investors to generate income to the country.”
Zort Widens Online Marketplace For E-Retailers With LINE, TikTok Tie-Up
BY LINE : NONGLUCK AJANAPANYA
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
Zort, An Integrated Cloud Inventory Platform That Also Manages The Back Office, Has Joined Up With LINE Shopping And TikTok To Penetrate Social Commerce, A New Frontier In Online Shopping.
Sawapop Tuamsang, CEO of Zortout, which runs the Zort platform, said social commerce or a marketplace operated via social media platforms, had the potential to grow exponentially.
“We gather sales from all platforms, both online and offline, in a single place. Our services include the management of orders, stock, logistics as well as a payment gateway. We also provide customer relationship management by analysing customer data to leverage sales efficiency,” he said.
With social media platforms like Line and TikTok fast becoming popular online marketplaces, he said, this is the perfect time for Zort to step in.
He added that this collaboration will make it easier for small businesses to meet trends and expand their sales channels without additional cost.
“We also offer backend order management via live chat,” he said. “The platform manages orders by connecting to the stock system, then to logistics and payment management. Hence, a single person can handle the entire process.”
He explained that with Zort in place, business owners will not require extra staff to handle different storefronts, because the system can handle everything on its own.
This alone can help boost sales by 50 per cent, he said.
Tracking the platform Established in 2015, Zort became one of the first Thai seller-management platforms to follow a customer-centric concept.
Sawapop said that over the past seven years, Zort has been behind the success of many online sellers. In the first half of this year, the number of Zort users has risen to 4,500, up 30 per cent from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the platform has helped both corporate and individual sellers grow by as much as 300 per cent over these seven years and brought their costs down by at least 30 per cent.
Zort has also helped Thai small businesses become strong enough to compete in foreign and larger markets, he said.
Besides, he added, this new link-up with Line and TikTok will help the platform grow 100 per cent in the second half of this year and again 100 per cent next year.
Wariya Leerasiri, who oversees strategic e-commerce planning and development for Line Thailand, said this partnership will be greatly beneficial to entrepreneurs as it will help them grow and compete sustainably.
Currently, there are 450,000 online stores and 80 per cent are small businesses.
Kornnikar Niwatsaiwong, TikTok Shop lead, said this collaboration gives Zort access to more than 1 billion users globally and a mix of personal and commercial content.
She added that TikTok Shop was fast becoming popular for short clips that offer “shoppertainment” and encourage trend-driven buying decisions.
“Apart from entertaining users and making shopping convenient, it also encourages them to share clips more easily. With Zort in place to manage orders placed via TikTok Shop Live, it will soon grow to become the hottest new sales channel,” Kornnikar said.
Inflation Equals Fewer Tourists And Lower Spending, Say Thai Hoteliers
BY LINE : THE NATION
FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
Thai Hotel Operators Are Worried That High Inflation Will Reduce Tourist Arrivals And Spending, According To A Survey By The Thai Hotels Association (THA).
Sixty-two per cent worry that inflation is eroding tourists’ purchasing power while 61 per cent are concerned about lower-than-expected foreign arrivals.
The survey was conducted among 106 hotel operators between August 8 and 24, THA president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi said.
Other major worries expressed by respondents included the shortage of hotel workers (43 per cent), new Covid-19 outbreaks (40 per cent), businesses not fully opened (19 per cent), the currency exchange rate (18 per cent) and the Thai interest rate (18 per cent).
Only 11 per cent were worried about monkeypox as the number of cases in Thailand remains low. Six per cent expressed concern about China-Taiwan tensions amid a lack of tourists from these countries. China was the largest contributor of tourists to Thailand before the pandemic.
Marisa also highlighted positives for the hotel industry, including the extension of visa-on-arrival from 15 to 30 days or 30 to 45 days depending on nationality. The extension will run from October to March 2023.
Meanwhile, operators of MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, and Exhibitions) have been handed a tax break to stimulate events organisation in Thailand.
Moreover, the new Long-Term Resident Visa (10 years) available from September 1 will lure more high-spending foreigners.
Meanwhile, airlines are opening routes again after Covid-19, especially from Asean countries, Northeast Asia, and South Asia.
However, Thai hotel operators are facing rising food and energy costs while the minimum wage increase would also affect costs and profits, Marisa said.
Hotels’ revenue in August was still low compared with pre-Covid times though it had improved since July when the country full reopened, she added.
The occupancy rate in August was around 47.5 per cent, up 2.5 per cent from July, after the Thailand Pass system was scrapped and the “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) scheme extended.
Most tourists are still Thai but foreign arrivals, especially from the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia, are increasing.
Hotel occupancy is rising in every region except the South and East, Marisa said.
“THA forecasts the occupancy rate in September will be around 40 to 45 per cent,” she said, adding that this figure could be higher if more foreign tourists arrive.
Meanwhile, the hotel employment rate has increased to 75.2 per cent of pre-Covid levels. However, it would take time to train new staff for the arrival of tourists in the fourth-quarter high season, she said.
