The French company announced in Friday that it would pull out of Myanmar. PTT Exploration and Production of Thailand (PTTEP) holds 25.5% and state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) the remaining 15%. Revenue from MOGE is one of the largest sources of income for the military in Myanmar. Total and MOGE hold stakes in Moattama Gas Transportation Company (MGTC), which owns the pipeline linking the Yadana field and Thailand. Ultimately, Myanma Oil & Gas could end up with a larger share, a spokesman for the French company conceded.

Men in white: Officials from samut prakan’s Disaster prevention and mitigation Division spray disinfectant in an old community in tambon pak nam of muang district. Speaking at a press conference, Dr Supakit Sirilak, chief of the Department of Medical Sciences, said that the Omicron variant has now been diagnosed in every province, with 10,701 cases reported so far. The department cited that although there may be socio-cultural factors behind the present split, infections in the South will almost certainly follow suit. "Currently, the proportion of Omicron patients is up to 86.8%, and we believe that it will almost fully dominate the Delta variant by the end of this month. At that time, only six million people were vaccinated, but the virus ultimately saw deaths fall as the symptoms became milder.

“I suspect farmers nearby may have set these traps to keep wild elephants from ransacking their sugarcane plantations,” he added. “The department has discussed this issue with local farmers on several occasions. We have even advised them to keep bees or grow chilli as elephants hate bees and the smell of chilli and will eventually leave the plantation alone. “Though most farmers understand the nature of wild animals and agreed to use harmless methods to repel them, some still apparently resort to cruelty and violence,” Jirachai said. “However, since the nails are rusty, the elephant can develop an infection or tetanus and if left untreated, it could die.”

(PTTEP Photo)The oil majors TotalEnergies and Chevron Corp, partners in a major gas project in Myanmar, have decided to withdraw from the country, they said on Friday, citing the worsening humanitarian situation following last year’s coup. PTTEP is “putting the utmost importance for energy security of both Thailand and Myanmar”, it said in a statement. Myanmar amounted to 0.6% of TotalEnergies’ total oil and gas production in that period. PTTEP and the Myanmar state-owned oil and gas group MOGE hold the remainder. TotalEnergies said it has been the operator of the Yadana gas field’s blocks M5 and M6 in Myanmar since 1992.

Despite COVID-19, the bilateral trade surged nearly 80 per cent to reach US$10 billion last year. In 2021, Vietnamese companies poured more than $88.9 million in four new projects in Cambodia. This raised Việt Nam’s total investment to over $2.84 billion, making it one of the five largest foreign investors in the neighbouring country. The two FMs agreed to strengthen cooperation and enforce agreements reached by both countries’ leaders on land border demarcation and marker planting. It is necessary to push for talks to finalise a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, he said.

"Once Thailand has been removed from the blacklist, the country will be able to host sports events and use the national flag in international sports competitions," Thanakorn said. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday asked the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) to inform WADA that the country published the newly amended 2012 Sports Doping Control Act in the Royal Gazette on December 31 in line with the agency's requirements. Prayut also ordered Thai agencies to maintain regular contact with international agencies and keep regulations updated, as this issue affected the morale of athletes and citizens and the reputation of the economy and country. "The government is ready to support Thai athletes in various sports competitions, especially the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam between May 12 and 23," Thanakorn added.

Nippon Steel to buy Thai steelmakers in deal worth up to $763mTOKYO: Japan's biggest steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp will buy two electric arc furnace steelmakers in Thailand in a deal worth up to $763 million, it said on Friday, as it seeks to cut its reliance on blast furnaces that use coking coal and emit carbon dioxide. Nippon Steel will pay about $300 million to buy stakes in Thai steelmakers G Steel and GJ Steel. The total cost of the acquisition will be up to $763 million, a spokesperson told Reuters. The company was in talks to buy a steel mill in Southeast Asia to secure iron-making resources in the growing market, a senior executive told Reuters in November.

Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, said each RT-PCR test in Koh Samui costs 2,200 baht. "When the viral situation is under control in 1-2 months, the government should relax the rule by requiring just one RT-PCR test and allowing an ATK for the second test," said Mr Ratchaporn. He said a RT-PCR test in Pattaya costs around 1,600 baht. Moreover, the back-end systems of tracking apps like MorChana and COSTE have to be fully synchronised to effectively alert tourists to take the second test, he said. Assuming Test & Go resumes next month, TAT predicts in the first quarter Thailand will earn 26 billion baht from 338,645 international tourists.

State vows to maintain price controlsThe government has pledged to cap the prices of diesel and cooking gas for as long as possible to stabilise the costs of consumer goods. The government is considering finding an additional budget to shore up the state Oil Fund used to subsidise retail diesel prices." The Energy Ministry reported that as of Jan 16, the state Oil Fund was 8.7 billion baht in the red. The borrowing is used to subsidise retail diesel prices, which are now capped at 30 baht per litre. Mr Supattanapong said earlier the government expects the first batch of 20 billion baht to help cap diesel prices for a period of only four months.

Central bank to issue 20-baht polymer banknotes in MarchThe Bank of Thailand plans to start issuing 20-baht polymer banknotes on March 24. The Bank of Thailand plans to start issuing 20-baht polymer banknotes on March 24. This allows polymer banknotes to last significantly longer than paper banknotes. Advanced anti-counterfeit technologies are being used to ensure fake polymer banknotes would be difficult to produce, said the central bank. The central bank prints about 1.8 billion banknotes each year, of which 600 million are 20-baht banknotes.

New contracts have AGE keen on revenueTransport service is projected to help AGE earn more revenue this year. SET-listed coal trader Asia Green Energy (AGE) expects to double its logistics revenue in 2022 after being awarded contracts worth 550 million baht to transport cement and silica sand for three years. AGE recently signed contracts to transport the two products, amounting to 3.2 million tonnes in total. The company also plans to offer a logistics service in the agricultural sector through its subsidiary AGE Agri Trading Co. The company's coal trade volume is predicted to be 6.5 million tonnes this year, up from 5 million tonnes in 2021, he said.

Move Forward was allocated Bt30,145,874.86 from the fund, which comes from taxpayers. The party’s secretary-general, Chaithawat Tulathon, on Friday thanked taxpayers who donated to Move Forward and promised the party would spend the subsidy efficiently for its development as a political institution. When filling in their annual income tax forms, taxpayers have an option to donate a portion of their tax money (up to Bt500) to a political party of their choice.

Death toll increased by 13, while 8,641 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals. The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,361,702 – 2,256,982 of whom have recovered, 82,720 are still in hospitals and 22,000 have died. Separately, another 46,078 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 110,971 their second shot and 366,041 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 111,323,026. According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 343.27 million on Friday, 276.42 million of whom have recovered, 61.26 million are active cases (95,913 in severe condition) and 5.59 million have died (up by 9,084).

Thai GDP expected to grow 3.5%-4.5% in 2022 despite Omicron - FinMinFILE PHOTO: Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith speaks at the "Bangkok Post International Forum 2021: Unleashing the Future: A Glimpse into 2022 and Beyond” on Dec 2, 2021. (Bangkok Post photo)The economy is still expected to grow 3.5%-4.5% this year driven by fiscal policy, exports and investment, despite an outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant remaining a challenge, the finance minister said on Thursday. After earlier 1.5 trillion baht borrowing plans, the government can still borrow a further 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) if needed, he said. With the price of goods rising, he said the government would try to keep inflation within its 1%-3% target range. The BoT sees inflation at 1.7% in 2022 and 1.4% next year.

Tourism trade wants test price cutA medical worker performs a nasal swab test on a boy. All entrants enrolling in this scheme, including Thais and expats, must prebook two RT-PCR tests and two hotel rooms on arrival and day 5. “When the viral situation is under control in the next 1-2 months, the government should relax the rule by requiring just one RT-PCR test and allowing an ATK for the second test to see more pickup,” said Mr Ratchaporn. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, acting president of the Chon Buri Tourism Council, said the government must control the price of RT-PCR tests at 1,300 baht which is the same rate the authority currently helps subsidise the second test for Test & Go registrants before the programme was suspended. Moreover, tracking apps, like MorChana and COSTE back-end system, must be fully synchronised to effectively alert tourists to undergo the second test.