Opinions sought as Chana plan resumesProtesters from the Chana Rak Thin Network march to Dusit police station in Bangkok in January to acknowledge charges against them for a previous rally outside Government House. They want the government to halt the Chana industrial park project in Songkhla. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)The government has insisted it is open to opinions from all stakeholders in the Chana industrial project in Songkhla, amid controversy over the cabinet's resolution to resume development. On June 21, the cabinet reversed a decision, as per its promise to the opposition group, to halt progress on the Chana industrial project until a SEA was completed. In June, Songkhla's Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking called on Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon to back the Chana project.

The July 6 event generated instant trade of 130 million baht, with another 11.5 billion baht expected during the rest of this year, according to Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) director-general Phusit Ratanakul Sereeroengrit. Hosted by the DITP and Board of Trade, the event drew representatives from 70 Saudi companies under the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, most of whom are in the food-and-beverage, construction, healthcare, retail, transport, gem and jewellery industries. “Saudi businesspeople expressed strong interest in ordering more products from Thailand, saying that Thai products are of high quality, meet international standards, and suit the needs of Saudi consumers,” said Phusit. He added that the Commerce Ministry is expanding the Saudi market for Thai products including rice, halal foods, and fruit by launching promotions in Saudi supermarket chains Manuel and LULU. These events will be held alongside social media campaigns to boost Saudi consumers’ awareness of Thai products, especially food, cosmetics, and industrial products.

Anutin said the distribution by the ministry was aimed at enabling Covid-19 patients to access treatment in line with their rights. He stressed that both Favipiravir and Molnupiravir are sufficient for Covid-19 patients and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation can produce these drugs on its own. He also confirmed that all Covid-19 antiviral drugs procured by the government can treat the disease effectively and safely. "Currently, the usage of drugs is in line with the emergency decree, so the Department of Health Service Support will inspect hospitals that sell the drugs," he said. He added that there is no clear evidence about sales of Covid-19 antiviral drugs so far.

SCB X weighs options for $1.5bn asset management unitSCB X Plc is considering options including a sale of its asset management unit, people familiar with the matter said, amid growing industry consolidation in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. SCB X, formerly known as Siam Commercial Bank Plc, has been speaking with financial advisers to explore a potential transaction for SCB Asset Management Co, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. Considerations are at an early stage and SCB X could still decide against pursuing any deal, the people said. “Given the strategic importance of asset management, the company regularly evaluates strategic options, proposals, and opportunities which may involve consultation with external advisors,” SCB X said in an exchange filing on Monday. SCB Asset Management was set up in 1992 and manages mutual funds, provident funds and private funds, according to its website.

1,811 new Covid cases, 24 more deathsPeople receive Covid-19 vaccine at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)There were 24 more Covid-19 fatalities and 1,811 new cases admitted to hospitals on Sunday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced on Monday. This compared with the 22 coronavirus-related fatalities and 2,004 new cases admitted to hospitals on Saturday and reported on Sunday. Of the 1,811 new cases admitted to hospital over the 24 hours, there were 1,809 cases in the general population and two imported cases. Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,546,854 Covid-19 cases, including 2,323,419 this year, with 4,491,919 complete recoveries to date.

JASIF owns fibre-optical cables spanning 1.6 million core kilometres, currently leased by TTTBB for its broadband internet service under the brand 3BB. True's revenue from fixed broadband business amounted to 7.32 billion baht in the first quarter of 2022. Third, the fixed internet broadband market has only 51% household penetration, meaning it is unsaturated, compared with 120% penetration in the mobile market. A telecom veteran says both the AIS-TTTBB acquisition and the True-DTAC merger should sail through checks by the NBTC. The True-DTAC merger seems to hinge on reducing expenses and operation costs, he said.

The plan is projected to add more value to hemp grown and harvested in Thailand by at least 20,000 baht per rai, he said. The hemp industry development plan is also consistent with the government's Bio-Circular-Green Economy policy, he said. OIE director Thongchai Chawalitpichet said the hemp industry operation plan currently consists of four main measures. The third measure deals with marketing promotion for locally made products in relation to logistics in the hemp product manufacturing sector, he said. The last measure deals with the improvement of laws and regulations aimed at improving convenience in the certification of hemp products, he said.

The TPSO divides household expenses into 14 categories, with transportation costs, rent and utilities sucking up 8,432 baht or 46.62 per cent of total average expenses. The TPSO calculates average monthly household spending on each category in June as follows:

People affected most by high fuel prices: pollA vendor sells her wares at Bang Khae fresh market in Bang Khae district on April 17, 2022. Rising inflation, largely due to oil price hikes, has affected people's spending. (Photo: Arnun Cholmahatrakool)High fuel prices top the expenses that have affected people most in the present situation, according to the result of an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. The poll was conducted on July 6-8 by telephone interviews with 1,312 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes throughout the country. Asked to compare between their monthly income and expenses, 60.06% said they had less income than expenses; 32.62% said they were about the same; and 7.32% said they had more income than expenses.

“People should be prepared for severe conditions that may cause flash floods and break riverbanks. They should also exercise caution during thundershowers,” the department said. It also warned that strong winds will create waves as high as 4 metres in the upper Andaman Sea and even higher during thundershowers. It forecast 3-metre-high waves in the lower Andaman and above 2-metre-high waves in the upper Gulf. Small boats in the Andaman Sea should stay anchored from July 10 to 14,” the weather report said.

Big log earns Guinness World Record plauditRare find: Jatuporn Buruspat, environment ministry permanent secretary, donning a green shirt, observes the longest fossil log with officials, before receiving a certificate from a representative of Guinness World Records on Friday. A 70-metre petrified log in Tak on Friday earned a Guinness World Record for being the longest fossilised tree trunk in the world. The log was found in Doi Soi Malai National Park in Ban Tak district in 2003 when it was 72.22 metres long, equivalent to the height of a 20-storey building, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment. But later the excavation site was flooded, leading to damage to its tip and shortening the length to 69.7 metres. The ministry believed the petrified wood to be of the Thong Bueng tree species (kempas) commonly found in rainforests, and about 120,000 years old.

Government officials are tightening their security following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe by a disgruntled man in the Nara prefecture on Friday. The killing of Japan's longest-serving premier at a political rally has sent shockwaves across the world, including Thailand, where Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is reportedly still using a bulletproof Benz S600 Guard sedan, worth 19.5 million baht, as his vehicle. Security protocols are to be beefed up to ensure safety during today's meeting between visiting United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Gen Prayut. The premier's plans to survey the provinces next month will be halted as agents review safety measures, the security agency source said. Meanwhile, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, deputy chief of the national police, said safety protocols will be tightened to ensure the safety of the country's leaders.

Tourist spots gear up for holiday weekSurat Thani: More than 70,000 visitors to popular destinations are expected to bring in about 833 million baht during the long holiday next week, says Nanthawan Siripoksapat, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Surat Thani office. Local operators said tourists began arriving in Surat Thani this weekend, with many having taken Monday and Tuesday off work to get a nine-day holiday. Meanwhile, Apichart Limsuwan, mayor of tambon Koh Phangan, yesterday announced a new ferry service, Don Sak pier–Koh Phangan, is expected to be launched by the end of the month. Mr Apichart said the local office has reached an agreement with Seatran Ferry Co to run four trips a day. Recently Koh Phangan was selected as the world's best destination for "workations" this year by the William Russell website, and the ranking is seen by locals as underscoring the island's potential to become a top destination.

At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday, CCSA approved the following plan:AstraZeneca:• Reduce procurement target for 2022 from 60 million doses to 35.4 million doses. The cost will reduce from 18.76 billion baht to 11.06 billion baht. • Procure 275,500 doses of long-acting antibody vaccine (LAAB) worth 7.56 billion baht. • AstraZeneca has delivered 8.3 million doses of the vaccine this year, which means 27.1 million doses are pending to meet the new quota of 35.4 million doses. Pfizer• So far, 26.4 million doses of the 30 million doses bought have been delivered.

Surat Thani expects B833m from five-day holidayVisitors taking ferry services from Koh Samui arrive at a pier on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani. (Photo supplied: Supapong Chaolan)SURAT THANI: A five-day holiday next week is expected to attract more than 70,000 visitors to this southern province and generate 833 million baht in revenue from tourist spending, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Surat Thani office. Nanthawan Siripoksapat, director of TAT’s Surat Thani office, said on Saturday that 74,182 visitors – 46,429 Thais and 27,753 foreigners – were booked to visit the southern province during the five-day holiday period, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday. Tourist arrivals were expected to generate 833.18 million baht to the local economy during this holiday period - 330.16 million baht from Thai visitors and 503.02 million baht from foreign tourists. The number of flights on Bangkok-Koh Samui route will increase to 19-24 a day, while the number of flights between Bangkok and Surat Thani will increase to 41-52 flights a day, she said.