Siamese fighting fish, a gorgeous, tiny fish with vibrantly coloured and wavering tails, is the subject matter for "The Tail Stories", which is running at River City Bangkok's Room 254, Charoen Krung 24, until Sept 12. (Photo: Patchara Aunsangchan)This is a photography exhibition by Patchara Aunsangchan who has been fascinated by the colours and movements of this aquatic animal, also known as betta. They also were featured in a photography book titled Siamese Fighting Fish: The National Aquatic Animal published by the Department of Fisheries. As the gallery remains temporarily closed due to the Bangkok lockdown, the exhibition is presented in a virtual format via bit.ly/3jPxkZu. To make an appointment to visit the gallery, email rcbexhibition@rivercity.co.th or add Line by scanning the QR code at lin.ee/wmjiuRl.

Koh Samet is the most popular island destination of the park. The main attraction of Koh Samet is its white sandy beaches and clear water, especially after the island was recently closed for visitors. Koh Samet is home to 900 households whose main income comes from tourism. Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park is located in the Muang district. The park is not yet open for visitors as well as other attractions such as Khao Laem Ya, Koh Kudi, Koh Kruai, Koh Kham and Koh Thalu.

Locals of the Lat Chado community paddle their boats carrying candles and offerings for monks to mark Wan Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent Day). After hitting the town, I drove directly to the Lat Chado community. Before the pandemic, those who visited the Lat Chado market could take a boat cruise along the canal. The attractions in Phak Hai district seem to be ordinary but its attraction lies in its originality and well-preserved identity. My one day trip was like a rural retreat and that is what I need from time to time.

(AFP photo)Teenage sensation Atthaya Thitikul will be bidding to win a breakthrough LPGA title at the Women's British Open, which tees off on Wednesday at Carnoustie in Scotland. In the eyes of the bookmakers, Atthaya and Ariya are among the top-six favourites to win the year's fifth and final major championship on the women's circuit. Atthaya has finished runner-up twice on the LPGA Tour this season at the LPGA Thailand in May and the Women's Scottish Open last week. If she lifts the Women's British Open trophy on Sunday, she will earn LPGA Tour membership. Ariya had a tournament to forget at the Tokyo Olympics but bounced back at the Women's Scottish Open.

RS upbeat on slow growth this yearDespite the prolonged Covid-19 outbreak, SET-listed RS is remaining positive about business growth this year, albeit at a slow pace. Chief financial officer Wittawat Wetchabutsakorn said the company projected its revenue to grow by 10-15% to 4-4.4 billion baht this year, down from 50% growth to 5.7 billion previously targeted. Of the total, 2.8-3 billion baht will come from commerce, with the remainder stemming from the entertainment business, he said. The company is confident its revenue for the full year will total 4-4.4 billion baht thanks to various marketing strategies, he said. Thailand's herbal export industry has grown in popularity, worth some 80 billion baht last year.

A shopping mall in Bangkok's central business district remains temporarily closed due to the latest Covid-19 outbreak in the capital. The labour market is becoming more fragile, particularly the service sector and the self-employed, as both experienced income losses. During the pandemic roughly 1.6 million unemployed people have returned to their hometowns, he said. Most have shifted from the service sector to agriculture, earning a lower income. The MPC recently assessed the economy was projected to expand by 0.7% and 3.7% in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

BG Container Glass plans to increase its glass container production to meet growing demand. BG Container Glass (BGC), Thailand's largest glass container manufacturer by capacity, plans to spend 2.7 billion baht expanding its production capacity in the expectation that its glass and non-glass businesses will increase revenue to offset a 6% drop in pandemic-hit sales. Thailand's packaging market, excluding glass packaging, is valued at 80 billion baht. BGC also expects its revenue from businesses including glass and non-glass packaging to increase by 2-3% to 13 billion baht this year. The Thai glass packaging market is expected to grow by 3% this year, said Mr Silparat.

NBTC decides to scrap Aug 28 auctionTrairat Viriyasirikul, acting secretary-general of the NBTC. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has cancelled its planned auction of four satellite orbital slot packages slated for Aug 28, saying the participation of only one contender in the auction cannot create fair competition. The NBTC board also instructed its management to return the bid guarantee placed by TC Space Connect and bid envelope fees to all the parties that purchased them. On July 7, the NBTC board resolved to postpone the event until Aug 28, giving a new opportunity for interested parties to join in. Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn had previously called on the NBTC to postpone the auction until new members of the NBTC board are appointed.

(Reuters photo)Short-form video-sharing app TikTok is expanding its reach in terms of entertainment content to shopping, edutainment and infotainment to bolster user engagement amid tough competition in the segment. He said TikTok has turned into an entertainment destination for Thais, noting entertainment content can ease users' stress from the pandemic while they spend more time at home. Citing Nielsen's study commissioned by TikTok in 2020, three out of four TikTok users feel positive and inspired as they can express themselves openly and 60% said they feel a sense of being part of the TikTok community. In the US, a pilot TikTok Resumes feature was rolled out as another channel for recruitment and job discovery. She said beauty and fashion brands are seeking new creators in TikTok to boost customer engagement.

Experts warn of cryptocurrency risksThe number of crypto traders in Thailand has risen to more than 1.1 million as of the end of July. Cryptocurrency trading value in Thailand spiked to 700-800 billion baht during the past 10 months and is expected to reach 1 trillion baht by the end of this year, according to Zipmex Thailand chief executive Akalarp Yimwilai at PostToday's Cryptocurrency Forum 2021 on Wednesday. The SEC has reportedly received a lot of complaints about digital asset trading scams and urged investors to carefully study the benefits and risks of the products. The regulator insists there are only 11 companies authorised to provide digital asset trading services in Thailand. "We encourage crypto traders to thoroughly check the credibility of a company and study the feasibility of cryptocurrency trading before opening a trading account," said Ms Jomkwan.

IRPC targets special polymersIRPC Plc, the petrochemical arm of PTT Group, is poised to become a key manufacturer of speciality polymers in the post-pandemic period to avoid tougher competition in the commodity-grade polymer market. Speciality polymers can be produced for uses in various industries, including medical equipment, electric vehicles (EVs), batteries and floating solar power modules, said Chawalit Tippawanich, president and chief executive of IRPC. The company wants to use speciality polymers to make high-quality materials that are often used in the medical industry, such as N95 face masks. Speciality polymers can also be used as materials for the battery production process, which involves a battery separator, as well as absorbent production. The company plans to use part of its five-year capital budget worth 30 billion baht for speciality polymer development.

Factory infections revealedCovid-19 has spread to the manufacturing sector at a worrying rate of 13 infected factories a day, with the food and electronics industries at the top of the caseload table, according to the Industry Ministry. The ministry found new infections in 13 factories and some 800 workers a day, making up 4% of total daily infections in Thailand. The top five industries where infections were reported are food (136 factories), followed by electronics (103), metal (65), garments (64) and plastics (57). The ministry did not consider the infections to be new clusters because the number of Covid-19 cases was lower than 100 in many factories. Factory operators and state officials are working together to contain the spread of the virus through the Thai Stop Covid scheme, which assesses hygienic standards at factories.

At present, Chiang Mai has 969 hotels and services being certified with SHA, but only 17 hotels and 12 restaurants have achieved SHA Plus so far. Even though Chiang Mai has a high-quality healthcare system with over 2,770 beds available for Covid-19 treatment, the success of the plan still relies on many factors. CHARMING CHIANG MAIMr Thanet said the reopening plan named "Charming Chiang Mai" has an incident action plan in which some activities might be paused if new infections exceed 200 per day for 10 consecutive days. MAINSTREAM COMES FIRSTThis winter, tourism will not look that different as Chiang Mai still has to largely depend on the domestic market. Mrs La-Iad said the Thai market was the main focus for Chiang Mai tourism in the final quarter as this market has higher potential when compared with international tourists.

Privilege usage surges among exporters in H1The use of free trade agreement (FTA) privileges and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) by Thai exporters surged by 34.3% in the first half of the year to US$40.2 billion, boosted largely by a recovery in global demand. Of the total, the use of FTA privileges contributed $38.3 billion, up 34.3% year-on-year, while shipments under the GSP stood at $1.92 billion, up 35.6% year-on-year. Products that saw the most use of privileges varied, covering categories such as industrial products, food/beverage and farm products. Products with the highest application of GSP privileges included rubber gloves, non-alcoholic beverages, air conditioner parts, processed food, canned pineapple, fresh and frozen fish fillets and rice. "In the first half this year, Thailand utilised higher FTA privileges, in line with the country's export emphasis, particularly in Asean, China, Australia and India," he said.

Khon Kaen aims for 70% jabsThe Khon Kaen municipality is speeding up its Covid-19 mass vaccination programme while hoping to lift certain restrictions when it reaches at least 70% in coverage later this year. Vaccination teams will be sent into communities to vaccinate these people later in the next round of the mass vaccination programme, he said. Whether the 11 schools under the municipality will also be able to resume classes next term will be discussed again when the 70% vaccination coverage goal is achieved, he said. The Khon Kaen municipality is among a number of local administration organisations nationwide purchasing the so-called alternative Covid-19 vaccines through the CRA for their residents. Aside from the CRA, the Thai Red Cross Society previously pledged to speed up delivering a different brand of Covid-19 vaccine to those local administration organisations requesting vaccine supplies.