Cannabis in butter is seen during a process of making cannabis snacks at a shop in Bangkok on July 16, 2022. They comprise those who carry out research studies on cannabis, export cannabis, distribute the plant or process it for commercial purposes. According to the ministry, permits must be sought in line with its 2016 directive on the research, import, distribution or procession of controlled herbs for commercial purposes. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reiterated on Wednesday that the draft law being examined by the House does not permit recreational use of the plant. "What would happen to those using cannabis for treatment, or those investing in a business, if the delisting was cancelled?"

On August 21, 2020, the MRTA changed the bid criteria. On September 17, the BTSC filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court, alleging that the change in bidding criteria was unlawful. On February 3, 2021, the MRTA cancelled the first bid, prompting the BTSC to file another lawsuit with the Administrative Court against the decision. On February 9, the Central Administrative Court ruled that the changing of bid criteria was unlawful. On July 7, the Administrative Court ruled that the cancellation of the first bid was also unlawful.

The Public Health Ministry therefore asked the RTP in a letter on Tuesday to arrest and take legal action against offenders according to Section 4 of the Protection and Promotion of Knowledge on Thai Traditional Medicine Act. According to the letter, four punishable offences are:Those who do not seek permission to study cannabis. People who don’t seek permission to export the plant. Those who fail to seek permission to sell cannabis. People who do not seek permission to process cannabis for commercial purposes.

Air force appeals F-35A vetoThe Royal Thai Air Force yesterday appealed a decision by a sub-committee of the House of Representatives to exclude its plan to procure two F-35A fighter jets from the US at a cost of 7.4 billion baht from the government's 2023 fiscal budget. However, according to Mr Yuttapong, it will take up to 20 months for the air force to seal the planned jet procurement. That is because the air force is conscious of the government's need to divert resources to fund efforts to revive the economy, he said. The air force, however, does need this initial sum to help convince the US to accelerate its decision on whether to make the sale, he said. A quote is expected in January next year following an air force request last December, he said.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul attends an exhibition at the Public Health Ministry on May 27, 2022, to promote the use of marijuana and hemp for the economy. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has refused to back down from the move to decriminalise cannabis despite mounting calls for the policy to be immediately suspended. Mr Anutin said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has promised to push the bill through during the current parliamentary session. "One regulation bans the consumption of cannabis in public places, but not in private places or at home," Mr Supat said. "But this was clearly illegal because the school is a public place and people under 20 are banned from using cannabis."

Two insurgents killed in southern clashArmed soldiers and police are deployed in a community behind the Islamic dawah centre in Sateng Nok area of Muang district, Yala province. (Photo: Abdullah Benjakat)YALA: Two suspects in security cases were killed in a shootout with security forces in Muang district on Tuesday morning. Soldiers, police and local officials surrounded a community behind a markaz, or Islamic dawah centre, in tambon Sateng Nok around 3am. When the shooting stopped, two men named on arrest warrants in security cases were dead. One of the men killed was later named as Nasarulor Kaseng, whose former name was Maya Kaseng, 37.

New monthly handouts approvedA noodle vendor with a sign announcing participation in the government’s Khon La Khrueng co-payment scheme. (Bangkok Post photo)The cabinet on Tuesday approved a new phase of its co-payment subsidy scheme and doubled its monthly handout for poor and needy people for September and October. The cabinet also resolved to double the monthly handout for holders of government welfare cards; those who had no smartphones and no access to the internet and the government’s Paotang wallet app; and those who were dependants, Gen Prayut said. Their monthly handout will rise from 200 baht to 400 baht per month during September and October. Recipients could start to use the handouts under both programmes from Sept 1, the prime minister said.

The hybrid event brought together representatives from government startup agencies from Asean and partnering countries - Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and India to discuss the main issues confronting the startup ecosystem and the solutions that can be achieved through a united effort. The government has a significant role to support in promoting invaluable assets such as Artificial Intelligence, digital transformation, technology, advanced materials, and manufacturing. SEASA event is, therefore, the place where key players in regional startup communities can exchange knowledge and experience regarding policies, current situations, and challenges that all are currently facing." The representatives of each country made their brief presentations on "The Roles of Governments in Promoting Startups in the Post-Covid-19 Era" focusing on policy, launch pads, and the current startup situation to maintain strong collaborations of the Asean startup ecosystem. It reflected that they have similar policies to support startups.

Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2022 provides harmonised data on tax revenues for 28 economies in the region, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan for the first time. The report reveals that the average tax-to-GDP ratio in the Asia-Pacific region was lower than the averages for the OECD and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Between 2019 and 2020, tax-to-GDP ratios fell in 19 of the 26 economies for which 2020 data are available. to 33.5% between 2019 and 2020 while the average tax-to-GDP ratio in the LAC region declined by -0.8 p.p. On average, taxes on goods and services accounted for 50.6% of total tax revenues in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020.

'Mor Prom' app gets big upgradeThe Ministry of Public Health is working with the private sector to transform the Mor Prom app into a new standalone digital health platform. Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said the ministry has joined hands with state organisations and the private sector, including Kasikornbank, Internet Thailand PCL, SCG Logistics Management Co, for the project which will see a total of 12 new features added to enhance access to health services. The app will connect directly with health clinics and offer its 32 million users a larger choice of services than previously, said Dr Sophon Mekthon, assistant to the public health minister. Six of 12 features have already been rolled out and more are upcoming. It is expected that all the features in the app will be functional by August and those to be incorporated into the official Line account from September.

Dr Jakrat Phittayawong-anon, chief of the Department of Disease Control (DDC)’s Epidemiology Bureau, said on Monday that DDC’s Communicable Disease Committee believes the current alert level is fine as the country’s public health system can handle the spread of the disease. “As per the 2015 Communicable Disease Act, a dangerous communicable disease is defined as one that causes severe symptoms and can be transmitted easily over a short period. Monkeypox does not fit this description yet,” Jakrat said. “For patients, DDC is coordinating with the Department of Medical Services to issue a standard treatment plan for monkeypox to be followed by all medical units. It is also getting a plan ready in case more patients are found in the country.”The committee also agreed to upgrade emergency operation centres nationwide to make surveillance and screening of high-risk groups more efficient.

NACC viewing 'bribe money to MPs proof'Graftbusters are analysing the screenshot of a Line mobile app chat log that reportedly proved that some MPs from smaller parties received monthly allowances from the government over the past three years, according to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). NACC secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol on Monday said the commission has already acknowledged the submission of the screenshot. "The NACC is closely monitoring and if the evidence is proven [authentic], it can assign a committee to examine the case," Mr Niwatchai said. Mr Niwatchai said according to Section 128 of the NACC law, MPs or government officials cannot receive benefits worth more than 3,000 baht. Earlier, Mr Srisuwan on Facebook said he has collected evidence of MPs receiving bribes and is ready to hand it over to the NACC in Nonthaburi today.

Contraband ganja seized on Mekong bankThe 200 kilogrammes of dried marijuana seized in Nakhon Phanom's Tha Uthen district on Sunday night, on display in front of Border Patrol Police Company 237 headquarters. (Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai)NAKHON PHANOM: Border patrol police seized about 200 kilogrammes of contraband marijuana from the Mekong river bank and arrested a man allegedly looking to pick it up, in Tha Uthen district late on Sunday night. Pol Col Chalermchai Srithong, commander of Border Patrol Police Company 237, said a BPP team on patrol along the Mekong river found five sacks containing altogether 200 slabs of dried marijuana, each of 1kg, on the bank near Moo 7 village in tambon Chaiburi. They also arrested Chirawut Sastrachai, 22, of Tha Uthen district. In this case, he would be charged only with violating the Customs Act, the Plant Breeding Act and the Plant Quarantine Act, Pol Col Chalermchai said.

The SEC said it had also instructed Zipmex Thailand to provide efficient and adequate channels for its customers to file complaints. The SEC itself wants to make it more convenient for customers of Zipmex Thailand so it has provide an online filling form as well, it said. The form requires Zipmex Thailand users to fill in their names, citizen or passport ID, phone number or email address, and types and amount of damage.

Doctors want immediate suspension of cannabis decriminalisationPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, right, listens to a presentation on the medical use of cannabis at Government House last month. (Photo: Government House)More than 800 doctors from Ramathibodi Hospital have called for the immediate suspension of the policy of decriminalisation of cannabis pending implementation of adequate controls to protect the young. He posted on his Facebook account that 851 doctors, lecturers and alumni of the faculty of medicine Ramathibodi Hospital at Mahidol University had issued a statement seeking the immediate suspension of cannabis decriminalisation. The situation was different from the government’s intention to increase people’s access to the medical use of cannabis. The doctors urged the government to immediately suspend the policy until laws were in place to protect young people from cannabis abuse and ensure proper use of cannabis, to minimise its impact on the general public.