Retirement no mere snoozeOn New Year's Day, International Living -- a global travel magazine -- released its annual compilation of the world's best places to retire in 2022. Even after completing the bureaucratic maze that is needed to acquire a retirement visa, retirees have to maintain their status by regularly reporting to officials, and that means keeping up with changing rules and regulations. Similarly, Portugal, which ranked 4th on the list, issues residency to remote employees earning at least €702 (26,500 baht) per month. Thailand should make the most of its international reputation as a great destination for remote work, business, and retirement to boost its pension fund. After all, should Thailand not also be a good place for the average Thai to retire in as well?

NHSO pays out B1bn in jab side-effect claimsThe National Health Security Office (NHSO) has provided 1 billion baht in financial compensation to 9,551 people who have developed undesirable effects from Covid-19 vaccinations. So far, the NHSO has approved compensation for 9,551 (74%), worth 1 billion baht. The office has rejected requests by 14% who failed to meet criteria while 11% of claims remain under consideration. The criteria for claiming compensation were set by the NHSO on May 16 last year. If a claim is rejected, it is possible to lodge an appeal with the NHSO secretary-general within 30 days, he added.

Soaring pork prices linked to supply hoggingThe soaring prices of pork could stem from traders hogging supplies, said Deputy Agriculture Minister Prapat Pothasuthon. Mr Prapat told reporters on Saturday the domestic prevalence of African swine fever (ASF) may be only partly to blame for the hike in pork prices. "It's interesting to ask why the pork prices keep going up," Mr Prapat said. The answer could lie in pork supplies being hogged during the festive period from November to December last year, which drove up retail prices, he said. Mr Sorawit said the DLD also was working with the Commerce Ministry to inspect cold storages and warehouses to prevent the hogging of pork supplies ahead of the Chinese New Year next month.

Huge Tonga volcanic eruption felt around the worldThe eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano spewed smoke and ash in the air, with a thunderous roar heard 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) away in AlaskaNUKU'ALOFA (TONGA) - The massive underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga was so powerful it was recorded around the world and triggered a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States, scientists said Sunday. Dramatic satellite images showed the long, rumbling eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano spew smoke and ash in the air, with a thunderous roar heard 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) away in Alaska. The US Geological Survey recorded Saturday's eruption as equivalent to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at zero depth. In New Zealand, more than 2,300 kilometres from Tonga, 120 people were evacuated from northern coastal areas and several boats destroyed when a huge wave crashed into a marina. The National Weather Service Alaska reported the Alaska Volcano Observatory had recorded the eruption in Anchorage and Fairbanks "6,000 miles from the volcano."

But attempts to develop smart guns have stalled: Smith & Wesson got hit with a boycott, a German company’s product was hacked, and a New Jersey law aimed at promoting smart guns has raised the wrath of defenders of the Second Amendment. Sceptics have argued that smart guns are too risky for a person trying to protect a home or family during a crisis, or for police in the field. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry trade association, says it does not oppose smart guns as long as the government doesn’t mandate their sale. The 2019 law replaced a 2002 law that would have banned the sale of any handgun except smart guns. “The other side tipped their hand because they used smart guns to ban everything that’s not a smart gun,” said Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs.

Cambodia internet soon to be like ChinaPHNOM PENH: The day Kea Sokun was arrested in Cambodia, four men in plainclothes showed up at his photography shop near Angkor Wat and carted him off to the police station. Cambodia's National Internet Gateway, set to begin operating Feb 16, will send all internet traffic — including from abroad — through a government-run portal. "The National Internet Gateway is merely centralizing what has been a decentralised system of control over Cambodia’s internet," he said. "But the National Internet Gateway gives them a much more powerful tool to crack down on free expression and dissent." "There is a real risk that the National Internet Gateway will be used to block and censor dissenting opinions online," she said.

(Reuters photo)Good asset quality and strong competition in the Thai consumer banking sector are the main reasons United Overseas Bank (UOB) is buying Citibank's retail arms in four Asean markets, says an executive. Under the asset integration, UOB expects to double its retail customer base in the four markets to 5.3 million by 2026. The Thai market has the largest retail customer portfolio among the four countries at 2.4 million, of which 1.3 million are clients of UOB (Thai) and 1.1 million of Citi Thailand. Asset integration in Thailand is expected to be completed by the first half of next year, he said. Following legal vetting of the asset integration, UOB plans to gradually rename the brand from Citi to UOB over the next 6-24 months, he said.

RTP helping free officers from debtThe Royal Thai Police (RTP) has provided help to about 2,800 of approximately 7,300 police officers taking part in its new debt-relief programme, with those in the scheme among almost 165,000 officers said to be heavily in the red. Debt-saddled officers account for about 80% of all 205,448 officers in the RTP, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana yesterday. Their combined debt, as of mid-November last year, amounted to just over 322 billion baht. "Through its cooperatives, the RTP can provide police officers relief on debt-payment burdens through various measures including lower interest on loans," he said. Additional measures include debt restructuring and transference of debt from other financial institutions to police cooperatives, said the spokesman.

More privacy breaches could arise from greater digitisation and workfrom-home surveillance, says Data Protection Excellence CentreSoutheast Asia can expect to see more specific privacy breaches attributed to continued pandemic conditions this year, according to the Data Protection Excellence (DPEX) Centre, the learning and research arm of Singapore-based Straits Interactive. Organisations and their data processors/intermediaries need to be clear with their respective roles under data protection laws, said the DPEX Centre. More cases of privacy breaches involving intrusive mobile apps as a result of Covid and ongoing automation were also seen in 2021. As public awareness of privacy grows, the importance of certification both at the corporate and individual level will continue to gain momentum, driven by local data protection authorities. Authorities in Singapore and the Philippines are leading the way in the region in encouraging local data protection officers and professionals to be certified, the DPEX Centre said.

Fraud victims can seek justice via online lawsuitsAn online shopper browses products offered on e-commerce platforms. Mr Chaiwut said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha directed the DES Ministry to seek ways to help people conned by online shopping scams. The electronic lawsuits focus on civil cases to help online shoppers receiving incorrect products, Mr Chaiwut said. Mr Chaiwut indicated the DES Ministry and the Court of Justice are putting the finishing touches on the online lawsuit platform, which is expected to be operational later this month. Last year more than 20,000 complaints were lodged through the DES Ministry’s 1212 hotline in connection with suspected online trading scams.

In Nakhon Pathom, a crocodile farmer has turned the situation to his advantage by selling meat on his Facebook page. A woman holds different cuts of crocodile meat. Similarly, at Rungtaweechai farm in tambon Samngam of Don Tum district in Nakhon Pathom, local residents and tourists yesterday flocked to buy crocodile meat. “Since pork is expensive, more people have now turned to eating crocodile meat, which is cheaper and tastier. The sign shows different cuts of crocodile meat.

Tak airport deemed unfit to serve as logistics hubTak airport is not suitable for development as a logistical hub in the North despite its close proximity to a neighbouring country, according to an Airports of Thailand (AoT) study. However, the AoT has been studying the feasibility of turning Tak airport on the western border with Myanmar into a logistical hub in the North. In addition, there is an airport in nearby Mae Sot district which competes for traffic. Mr Nitinai said the study concluded that Tak airport does not have sufficient potential to operate viably as a logistical centre. Also, both Mae Sot and Tak airports have overlapping airspace, while runways at both airports must be improved and aerobridges built to accommodate large aircraft.

State aims to expedite consumer spendingThe government is mulling a faster rollout of the fourth phase of the “Khon La Khrueng” co-payment subsidy scheme to stimulate spending. Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said yesterday the government is studying expediting the co-payment scheme to pump up consumer spending amid the Omicron outbreak. The co-payment scheme sees the government subsidising 50% of food, drink and general goods purchases for participants. The four schemes saw around 41.5 million participants exercise rights for benefits with total spending of 254 billion baht. Of total spending, 114 billion baht was spending by participants, with the remainder the state subsidy.

They were taken to Thong Pha Phum police station for further interrogation. Earlier, national park officials had told reporters there were five suspects in the killing of the two tigers. (continues below)Four men wanted for killing two Bengal tigers are escorted into a police van sent to pick them up at a road checkpoint in Thong Pha Phum district, Kanchanaburi, on Thursday. Niphon Chamnongsirisak, director of the Protected Area Regional Office 3 (Ban Pong), on Wednesday revealed the hunting and killing of the wild animals at the Thong Pha Phum National Park headquarters. National park rangers seized the pelts of two Bengal tigers and other items at a campsite near the Myanmar border on Jan 9.

Joint venture to support EV productionNational oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc and its power generation arm Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC) have formed a joint venture in the battery supply chain to support PTT's electric vehicle (EV) production. GPSC plans to scale-up its battery production capacity to a gigawatt-hour level after opening the factory in the eastern province. The facility is claimed to be the first semi-solid battery production facility in Southeast Asia. PTT earlier teamed up with Taiwan-based multinational electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, to build an EV production plant, which will be located in Eastern Economic Corridor. Mr Auttapol expects EV production to start within the next 2-3 years, with annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles.