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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019503

The Public Health Ministry reported on Tuesday (August 30) that over the past 24 hours, 994 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals, one of whom has arrived in Thailand from abroad.

The death toll has risen by 27, while 2,111 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,425,244 with 10,577 deaths.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,648,679 – 4,600,945 of whom have recovered, 15,459 are still in hospitals and 32,275 have died.

Separately, another 1,414 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 1,772 their second shot and 9,321 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 142,698,628.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 606.68 million on Tuesday, 582.49 million of whom have recovered, 17.7 million are active cases (43,302 in severe condition) and 6.49 million have died (up by 1,279).

Thailand ranks 29th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 96.09 million, followed by India with 44.42 million, France with 34.48 million, Brazil with 34.4 million and Germany with 32.1 million.

Published : August 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019484

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa recently presided over the opening ceremony of “GC Circular Living Symposium 2022: Together to Net Zero”, an event organised by PTT Global Chemical Plc and partners to promote the exchange of ideas and innovations under the concept of bio-circular-green (BCG) economy with an aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net zero carbon target.

In his opening speech, Varawut thanked organisers for their commitment to achieving the net zero target, in line with Thailand’s goals that the government has announced in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, and the Sustainable Development Goals under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

“Thailand has always been among the first countries affected by the impact of climate change, including floods, droughts, and storm surges that have cost the country over trillion baht in damage. It is therefore everyone’s responsibility to work together to achieve the net zero target,” he said.

Varawut added that Thailand aims to become carbon neutral in 2050 and achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2065. To achieve these goals, the government has increased the country’s greenhouse gas reduction target from 30 per cent to 40 per cent within 2030, mainly by cutting down the use of chemicals and energy that generate carbon.

“Thailand will also focus on using the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy model to ensure sustainable development of the country,” said Varawut. “The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment did not just make empty promises. We have been taking action following the policies that we have laid out. We demonstrated this commitment in the Thailand Climate Action Conference (TCAC) earlier this month, and will present our achievements in the COP27 meeting scheduled in November.”

The minister also urged all parties to work together to solve the climate change issues, as the moment to design elaborate policies has already passed and now it is time to act. “To bring about changes in carbon and greenhouse gases emission, the first step is to start at oneself. I have always believed in the potential of Thai people, and that if we work together, we can achieve the goals and overcome any crisis,” he said.

Published : August 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019502

Thailand has launched a new soft-power master plan modeled on Korean pop culture’s global success.

The government’s Creative Economy Agency (CEA), which unveiled the plan on Monday, said its focus would widen from the domestic market to adapting Thai cultural identity for export to the globe.

This would be achieved by boosting the creative economy – people, businesses and locations – under three strategies, CEA executive director Chakrit Pichyangkul told a Bangkok press conference.

He said the strategies are: to empower cultural assets and creative cities; to build creative business competitiveness; and to enter the global market.

Chakrit explained that CEA was established with a mission to promote 15 fields of the creative economy as the engine of a balanced and sustainable economy.

The creative economy, which accounted for 7.5 per cent of Thai GDP and an estimated 900,000 jobs in 2020, is growing at 1.2 per cent per year, he added.

Meanwhile, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) estimates Thai economic growth will more than double from 2025-2030 if businesses can fully leverage the creative economy.

The CEA said it is also connecting small operators with big business to encourage exchange of ideas and innovation that leads to investment.

Chakrit also unveiled two projects the CEA will launch in fiscal year 2023.

The first is a Content Lab to address the lack of Thai producers and screenwriters. The Content Lab will nurture budding talent with help from experienced experts while also matching their proposals with investors.

Meanwhile the Metaverse Ecosystem Lab will connect universities’ knowledge of virtual systems and software with industry’s wealth of equipment and resources to develop a domestic metaverse ecosystem. The CEA aims to develop a skilled metaverse workforce by building a sandbox for students and SME operators to test ideas with equipment.

Chakrit said his agency will also focus on the content industry as a way of selling Thai identity to the world via films, series, music and other media. He said this had been done before but in an unfocused way, so the CEA will focus on promoting specific Thai identities.

South Korea’s K-pop is a role model but Thai culture was different, so its many strengths would be promoted differently, he said.

He also pledged support for the gaming, animation, and e-sports industries, saying Thailand had to take advantage of technological disruption.

He cited the advent of digital photography, which led to job losses but also a whole new industry.

Therefore, the CEA will help build on existing Thai technology talent to build a skilled workforce to attract investment from overseas, he said.

Meanwhile, cooperation from public and private agencies was needed to help connect small operators with industries. He added that a “successful connection” would light up Thai identity on the global stage.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019494

True Corporation (True) on Monday warned people to beware of fake interactive voice response (IVR) phone calls on Monday.

The announcement came after criminals made IVR phone calls to deceive people, saying that their phone numbers were about to be deactivated.

True said that the company would not be contacting customers individually on the issue via IVR system.

True said that the IVR system would be used only to notify customers on their outstanding balance and payment due date for their mobile service.

According to a Bank of Thailand (BOT) report in May, call-centre gangs made some 6.4 million phone calls in 2021, up 270 per cent compared to 2020.

Meanwhile, a Suan Dusit Poll survey in February found that 21 per cent of 1,221 respondents had faced call-centre scams, while 32.9 per cent of them said their acquitances had faced these scams.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019493

The Police Commission on Monday appointed Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas – who also heads the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) – as Thailand’s new national police chief.

Damrongsak was appointed by unanimous vote during a commission meeting chaired by acting Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan at Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok. He will replace Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk, who retires as chief commissioner at the end of next month.

Nicknamed “Big Den”, Damrongsak will serve for one year before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 in September 2023.

Born on September 3, 1963, Damrongsak attended Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School before joining Class 38 at the Royal Police Cadet School and Class 22 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.

He received a master’s degree in public administration from the City University in the United States before training with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He also took a course in crowd control at the Tacoma Police Department in Washington State.

A former commander of the Traffic Police Division, Damrongsak played a key role in developing the online traffic-ticket database to ensure motorists honour their traffic fines.

Damrongsak also pushed for stronger penalties against repeat traffic offenders, including drunk drivers.

As head of the PCT, he oversaw development of www.thaipoliceonline.com, where the public can file complaints about cybercrime.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019492

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has fired its deputy secretary-general after accusing him of being “unusually wealthy”.

Prayad Puangchampa was dismissed by NACC chairman Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit in an order signed on Friday.

The dismissal came after an NACC investigation showed Prayad’s assets had increased by 658 million baht. Commissioners voted 4:4 to send Prayad’s case to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) for legal action in the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.

The NACC also asked the OAG to seek a court order for the seizure of the Bt658 million assets.

Prayad appealed against the NACC’s finding but the committee re-affirmed its decision.

Earlier, the NACC found Prayad had falsified his wife’s asset declaration when he took office on January 4, 2017.

The NACC asked the OAG to charge Prayad in the corruption court for concealing assets belonging to his wife worth 227.393 million baht.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019483

Some 370,522 rai (59,283 hectares) of plantations in the Northeast are inundated, of which 217,612 rai are rice fields, while the meteorological department has warned of heavy rains in most parts of the country until August 31.

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), in its Facebook post on Monday, unveiled flooding statistics for the country. It said that 84,737 rai of plantations in the Mekong area were flooded.

“The top three provinces affected by flooding are: Nakhon Phanom (22,266 rai), Udon Thani (17,994 rai) and Sakon Nakhon (15,997 rai),” it said.

The GISTDA added that 285,785 rai of plantations in the Chi and Mun river basins were flooded.

“The top three provinces in their vicinity affected by floods are Roi-Et (83,023 rai), Buri Ram (29,086 rai) and Surin (26,311 rai),” it said.

For more information, visit the GISTDA website: http://flood.gistda.or.th.

Earlier, the Thai Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains for the North, East, South and Central regions from Monday to Wednesday.

The department warned of flash floods and runoffs, especially along waterways near foothills and lowlands.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019479

Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow has been appointed chairperson of the soft power national committee to promote the country’s image, a senior government official said on Monday.

Anucha Burapachaisri, the deputy PM’s secretary-general and acting government spokesman, said the PM’s Office issued order No. 206/2022 on August 19 to set up the national committee on promoting the country’s image via soft power.

The order appointed Supattanapong as chair of the panel and Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome as deputy chairman.

Members of the panel include permanent secretaries from the Foreign, Tourism and Sports, Commerce, Culture, Digital Economy and Society, and Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation ministries.

The panel’s members include the secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council, the director of Thailand Development Research Institute, the chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce and the presidents of Federation of Thai Industries and Digital Council of Thailand.

The spokesman said the panel would be in charge of formulating national policies and setting goals and strategies for using soft power to promote the country’s reputation.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019478

Local agencies in Buri Ram’s Khaen Dong district managed to plug a leak in the Lam Ta Khong Reservoir on Sunday.

The move came after the reservoir’s flood barrier and spillway split due to natural erosion on Friday and inundated some 1,100 rai of farms in the area.

Prapit Chanma, director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, said local irrigation agencies used sandbags and weighed down gabion boxes to block the leak. They also informed local residents and worked on reducing the reservoir’s water levels.

Prapit said that though the floods in nearby farms have receded, local agencies will also help drain the area with pumps.

“The water level should drop if there is no more rain,” he said.

He added that related agencies have been instructed to accelerate repairs on the reservoir’s flood barrier and spillway, as well as look for ways to ensure the structure’s durability.

“Related agencies have also been urged to build a temporary bridge over the damaged flood barrier for residents to use,” he added.

A social-media user had brought the leak to the attention of local authorities on Friday but was initially dismissed.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019474

Khai jeow pu (crab omelette), khao soi (curried noodles) and sai krok Isaan (Northeast fermented sausages) were included in CNN Travel’s latest collection of 50 best street foods in Asia.

“It’s great that Thailand’s street food is still attractive to people across the world,” government spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri said on Monday.

He said Thai cuisine is popular among people worldwide because it offers a wide variety of tastes and textures. He added that the government is cooperating with related agencies to promote Thailand’s soft powers internationally in a bid to boost economic value and generate revenue for the country.

According to CNN Travel, crispy edges, fluffy texture and drizzle of sweet chilli sauce take the simple wok-cooked Thai crab omelette to the next level.

Sai krok Isaan, one of the most commonly devoured street foods in the Northeast, round out the perfect bite with condiments like ginger, chillies and fresh cabbage.

Khao soi, meanwhile, was described as gorgeous golden bowls of hearty, creamy, chilli-laced coconut broth that sits on a bed of egg noodles with chicken legs or beef.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION