Motorist in student murder case in solitary after attacking other prisonerTheerasak Boonruang, 42, is arrested by police for the murder of three high school students in Khao Phanom district, Phuket, on Tuesday. (Photo: Capture from investigation sub-division, Krabi police station Facebook)The motorist arrested after three students were shot dead following a road accident in Krabi on Tuesday morning has been moved to solitary confinement after attacking another prisoner in his police cell. Police said Theerasak Boonruang, 42, punched another prisoner in his cell at Khao Phanom police station on Tuesday evening and banged his head on the floor, causing injuries. The dead boy was identified as Nanthaphan Udomsri and the girls as Natnicha Phanseng and Phanthira Chuthong, all Mathayom Suksa 6 students at Phanom Benja School. Management, teachers and students at Phanom Benja School attended bathing rites for the three slain students at three local temples in Khao Phanom district on Tuesday.

Published byThe Bangkok Postpublished : 7 Sep 2022 at 04:00 newspaper section: [Life](http://search.bangkokpost.com/search/result_advanced?category=news&xNewsSection=Life) After The Cave (2019), The Caved Life (2020) and Thirteen Lives, which has recently been released on Amazon Prime, we have one more story left about the 12 young Wild Boar football team members and their coach who were trapped in the Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai for 18 days in 2018. Netflix last week revealed the full trailer for the limited series Thai Cave Rescue, which brings to light untold perspectives of the rescue mission that captivated the en…Read More

Assistance promised for this month's high power billsA worker installs solar panels at a parking lot. Many companies are turning to solar panels to generate their own electricity and reduce power bills. He said the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) had proposed measures to cushion the new power tariff, which is effective this month, and the cabinet would consider them next Tuesday. Mr Supattanapong also said the government would promote household installation of solar panels to offset the ongoing cost of electricity. Agencies including the Energy Ministry and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand would quickly work out a promotion package, Mr Supattanapong said.

Singapore hunts for global ‘rainmakers’ with new expat visaA worker cleans the pond outside the ArtScience Museum with the city skyline in the background, in Singapore, on August 2, 2022. (AFP file photo)Singapore won’t limit the number of applicants for its newest work permit, Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng said, as the city-state seeks to burnish its appeal to the best minds globally. “What we are really hoping to bring to Singapore are the rainmakers,” Tan said, referring to the efforts to bring in leaders in fields across science, technology, engineering and math, as well as finance, arts, culture and sports. “In the competition for talent, we’re in a very, very hyped-up mode,” Tan told a panel of Bloomberg editors and reporters separately. “There’s hyper competition, and we are very careful about what we reveal, because we’re not going after the numbers.

CKP seeks to double capacity by 2024An aerial view of the 1,285MW Xayaburi power plant, developed by CKP, in Laos. CK Power Plc (CKP), the power generation arm of construction firm CH Karnchang Plc, will double its electricity generation capacity to 4,800 megawatts within 2024, mostly from renewable energy, as the company continues to focus on clean power development. At present, the company's capacity stands at 2,167MW, 89% of which is generated by facilities producing renewable power. The Luang Prabang project is intended to be built on the Mekong mainstream in Houygno village, about 25 kilometres from Luang Prabang, according to the Mekong River Commission's website. CKP earlier developed the Nam Ngum 2 hydropower plant with installed capacity of 615MW and the 1,285MW Xayaburi power plant in Laos.

CanSino's inhaled Covid-19 vaccine gets emergency use approval in ChinaHONG KONG: China's CanSino Biologics Inc said on Sunday that its recently developed Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the country's drug regulator for emergency use as a booster, potentially benefiting its business. The inhaled version of Cansino's adenovirus-vectored Covid-19 vaccine has obtained the green light from the National Medical Products Administration, the company said in a filing on Sunday. "The approval will have a positive impact on the company's performance if the vaccine is subsequently purchased and used by relevant government agencies," CanSino said. The company cautioned, however, that it will face fierce competition from other vaccines in China that have also obtained government approval or are in clinical trials. China granted emergency use authorisation to Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc's Covid-19 vaccine as a booster, Livzon said on Friday, one of just two new products against the disease the country had cleared in more than a year.

Somkid clears path for PM bidSomkid: Will run for new partyFormer deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusripitak has resigned from all positions in Saha Pathana Inter-Holding Plc (SPI) as he prepares to accept the PM nomination of the Sang Anakhot Thai (Building Thailand's Future) Party (SATP). SPI issued a letter to inform the Stock Exchange of Thailand of Mr Somkid's resignation as member and chairman of the company's board of directors, effective Aug 31. The SPI said Mr Somkid left the company as he had other endeavours to pursue. Sontirat Sontijirawong, the party's secretary-general, previously said Mr Somkid had accepted an invitation to be named the party's choice of prime minister. Information about Mr Somkid quitting the SPI was on Saturday relayed by Suranand Vejjajiva, another SATP deputy leader, on his Facebook page, followed by the message: "Please stay tuned for more news."

Thailand’s “Satun Province” Ready to Host 7th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium (APGN) 2022The 7th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium (APGN) 2022 is scheduled for September 4–11, 2022 at Songkhla Rajabhat University, Satun Campus and UNESCO Global Geoparks covering four districts in Satun, comprising Mueang Satun, La-Ngu, Thung Wa, and Manang, as well as other key landmarks in the province. This year’s geoparks networking conference will be held in person under the theme “UNESCO Global Geoparks Building Sustainable Communities” to foster collaboration and engagement with a shared goal to achieve geographical sustainability. The ability to host the symposium serves as an efficiency assessment benchmark for a renewal of the status of geoparks network in Satun. Satun governor Ekkarat Leesen said Satun stands ready to host the 7th APGN 2022 with standard infrastructure, conference facilities, venues, and accommodations in place to welcome participants from Asia-Pacific. For more information on the 7th APGN 2022, visit http://satunapgn2022.org/

The new, long-term resident (LTR) visa -- which kicked off on Thursday -- will allow selected non-Thais to stay in the kingdom for up to 10 years, Mr Suchart said. The visa offers a range of tax and non-tax benefits to attract new foreign residents, technologies and talents to stay or work in the country longer, he said. Spouses and children under 20 years of age will also qualify for the same visa, he said, adding that each LTR visa holder can have a maximum of four dependents. The new visa programme, unveiled more than a year ago, seeks to build on post-pandemic efforts to welcome back visitors as the tourism industry accounts for 12% of gross domestic product. "The long-term resident visa programme will help Thailand in the post-Covid economic recovery," Duangjai Asawachintachit, secretary-general of Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI), said on Wednesday.

Mr Arkhom says no Thai insurance policies exist for damage to state infrastructure. The Office of the Insurance Commission should consider approving insurance that covers environmental damage and damage to state infrastructure, says Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. However, after such period state agencies have to shoulder the risks of project damage on their own, said Mr Arkhom. Many countries have these two types of insurance, said Mr Arkhom. The pandemic outbreak during the past two years is another factor encouraging Thais to buy insurance policies, said Mr Arkhom.

Innobic in talks with potential partnerMr Buranin is helping Innobic make rapid progress in the pharmaceutical business, especially in the field of cancer treatment. Innobic expects to make a significant step forward in the pharmaceutical industry through cooperation with its new business partner. "Entering the pharmaceutical industry is part of Innobic's business plan that aims to treat patients through modern medicinal products," said Mr Buranin. "These will lead us to a rapid growth in the life science business," said Mr Buranin. Investments in the pharmaceutical industry will pave the way for Innobic to grow its S-curve businesses.

(Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)The Bank of Thailand plans to hold a new debt mediation event in an effort to ease the country's swelling household debt and help vulnerable borrowers restructure debt amid the uneven economic recovery. The central bank, in collaboration with the Finance Ministry and other organisations in the public and private sectors, scheduled the online debt mediation event for Sept 26 to Nov 30. There are 56 financial institutions registered to join the debt mediation event, including commercial banks, non-banks, AMCs and SFIs. At the past three debt mediation events, around 80% of participants entered debt restructuring programmes, he said. He said the Bank of Thailand will help viable but fragile borrowers with debt restructuring as an instrument to ease the household debt problem.

The agency said 749,396 rai along the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak, Bang Pakong and Mun rivers were affected by floods, especially some areas in Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Nayok, Prachinburi and Nakhon Ratchasima. Precisely 260,558 rai of rice fields were among the areas overwhelmed by floods. The GISTDA said it had sent satellite images to various organisations to support their missions in planning and monitoring the flood situation. Meanwhile, the agency has also adjusted its satellite signal reception to monitor the situation in areas that are expected to be flooded.

DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said the ministry's smart school-bus system features an internet of things (IoT) sensor which can notify teachers and guardians about students inside the van via smartphones. The ministry also aims to add face recognition system to enable users to know whether all students had gotten off the van, he added. "The smart school bus will enable users to help students inside the vehicles quickly," he said. He added that the ministry would cooperate with the Education Ministry and related agencies to set up the system in all school vans nationwide. "If the project is successful, it will save many students' lives and no one will be forgotten inside school vans," he added.

Calls for an end to pork smugglingLarge cuts of pork illegally imported into the country. Pig farmers are calling on responsible authorities to take serious action to tackle pork smuggling, pointing out that the amount of smuggled pork has increased and could result in severe damage to total domestic pig farming in the fourth quarter. "The association has observed the pork smuggling situation for some time and found the amount of smuggled pork has been continuously increasing," he said. "We would like the Livestock Development Department to come up with a clearer statement on how to tackle the issue and work together with the private sector and farmers to address pork smuggling." "But before the new supply enters the market in the fourth quarter of this year, we should not allow pork smuggling to persist," said Mr Surachai.