Sculptural works by Alongkorn Lauwatthana. ATTA GalleryContemporary artist Alongkorn Lauwatthana will showcase new artworks that are the products of his almost 50 years of experience creating abstract and realistic paintings, at ATTA Gallery, from Saturday to Feb 20. His abstract paintings were created from pure emotions, without much thinking about the results. The identity of the canvas was instantaneously created and erased at the same time as he proceeds with his paintings. However, one can still feel the beauty of the craft objects camouflaged under the remnants of abstract paintings.

(Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The new 300-baht tourism fee due to take effect in April is drawing mixed reactions from tourism operators as the recovery remains tepid and fragile. The new entry fee will be collected from foreigners entering Thailand by air, land and sea, he said. The fee is expected to be transferred to the Tourism Transformation Fund managed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry. If Thailand reopens its borders with Myanmar, Laos and Malaysia for travel, the number could even hit 15 million, Mr Thanakorn said. For land transport, tourists will be encouraged to pay the fee via an app before crossing the border, said Mr Phiphat.

Mr Pakorn, centre right, says the bourse will promote the business sector's role in protecting the environment and developing society towards sustainability. He said to provide more opportunities for both businesses and investors, the SET aims to be a fundraising venue for businesses, steering towards new economy industries. The bourse also wants to offer more global capital market-linked products, allowing Thais the chance to invest in foreign stocks at lower costs. In terms of infrastructure, the SET plans to expand and create a reliable and efficient digital infrastructure to serve investors' changing lifestyles. The ESG Data Platform will be initiated to provide investors with useful information regarding investment in sustainable stocks, said Mr Pakorn.

(Photo: Apichit Jinakul)The Bank of Thailand is concerned with higher prices for living costs, but not in terms of overall price stability, says the central bank governor. The central bank predicts the headline inflation rate will be under its target rates of 1.2%, 1.7% and 1.4% for 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. The higher living costs could affect low-income earners, particularly those in tourism and related sectors, said Mr Sethaput. Given this negative factor, the central bank slashed its foreign tourist arrival forecast for 2022 from 6 million to 5.6 million. Moreover, the central bank allows commercial bank subsidiaries to invest in digital assets with its permission, Mr Sethaput said.

Mitsubishi joins state's 'green hospitals' initiativeFrom left are Mr Egathi Rattana-Aree, executive vice-president, Human Resources & General Administration Unit, Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand), Dr Thongchai, Mr Kiatchai, Morikazu Chokki, chairman of the board, Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand), Mr Koito, Mr Suttipong and Mr Somboon Lertsuwannaroj, chief executive of Impact Solar, at the 'Solar for Lives' MoU signing ceremony. The government campaign against carbon dioxide emissions is gaining momentum, with Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) becoming the latest to work with health and energy officials to build "green hospitals" by installing solar panels at community hospitals nationwide. "This cooperation requires a 60-million-baht investment to provide the solar panel system and yearly maintenance for 40 community hospitals by 2032," said Eiichi Koito, president and chief executive of Mitsubishi Motors Thailand. The project is forecast to help hospitals reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 17,300 tonnes over the next 10 years. There are more than 10,000 state-run hospitals in Thailand and most of them are community hospitals, said Dr Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, deputy permanent secretary for public health.

Life, relationships and death are the subjects of "Eternal Labyrinth", which is running at Art4C, Gallery and Creative Learning Space, until Feb 20. Artwork by Achitaphon Piansukprasert. photo courtesy of Art4CThe solo exhibition by artist, filmmaker and writer Achitaphon Piansukprasert portrays the relationship between things and an individual as an interconnection between memory and narrative. Likewise, his life depends on relationships with other things, one of which is artistic practice. However, he regards death as a right to exercise free will and also a shortcut to get oneself out of the complex "labyrinths" and the locking "cages".

Growth prospects weak amid outbreakA health worker swabs a man for Covid-19 at a drive-through testing centre at the southern bus terminal on Boromratchonnanee Road in Taling Chan district. A business group plans to discuss the impact of Omicron on key economic indicators on Wednesday. The move results from growing concern over the rapid spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, with the impact looming over the Thai economy. "It's possible the JSCCIB will cut back the economic figures because Omicron has increased new daily infections more rapidly than expected," he said. He attributed the TISI growth to export expansion, which was fuelled by a global economic recovery and more purchase orders overseas in the lead-up to the New Year holidays.

LPG subsidy extendedA pump attendant waits for customers. (Bangkok Post file photo)The Energy Policy Administration Committee will extend the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price cap for another two months to relieve people's living costs, Kulit Sombatsiri, permanent secretary for energy, said on Tuesday. Mr Kulit, as chairman of the committee, said the LPG price cap at 318 baht per 15-kilogramme cylinder, which was due to end this month, will be extended until March 31. As of Jan 5, the global price of LPG stood at US$682.90 a tonne, which is equal to its retail price of 412 baht per 15-kg cylinder. He said that the committee also approved a cap of the price of compressed natural gas, also known as NGV (natural gas for vehicles), at 15.59 baht per kg for personal vehicles and 13.62 baht per kg for taxis in greater Bangkok until March 15, with support from PTT.

If we can trust the bureaucracy, pigs might flySoaring pork prices are another indicator of a sinking bureaucracy, a system that's both inefficient and increasingly becoming untrustworthy. According to news reports, the number of live pigs the country produced went down from about 19 million last year to just 13 million this year. To whom did the missing six million pigs belong to? Last May, Vietnam suspended a shipment of live pigs from Thailand, saying it detected ASF in them. The response is the usual reaction from bureaucratic authorities and it appears too little too late if six million live pigs have already disappeared from the system.

Korn wants Kla Party to go it alone"The reality is that we are up against money changing hands under the table to stop us," said Kla Party leader Korn Chatikavanij. The Kla Party is designed to be a platform for those professionals who want to contribute to society through the political arena. We choose our candidates very carefully so that they match what the party wants to do and wants to offer to society as a whole. If you want professionals who have a deep understanding of important and relevant issues, then the Kla Party should be your party. We, the Kla Party, particularly during the current by-elections, are often asked whose side our MPs would be on in the House?

Fear cases may hit 20k a dayPeople wait for booster vaccine shots against Covid-19 in Klong Toey district, Bangkok, last Friday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)New cases of Covid-19 could jump to 20,000 a day by the end of the month unless precautionary measures are taken seriously, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Monday. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for the Public Health Ministry, agreed that most infections this month have been Omicron. He said that the Public Health Ministry had previously come up with three possible scenarios in light of the new threat posed by the Omicron variant. Thailand logged 7,926 new cases and 13 more Covid-19 fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry said on Monday.

I love you so much Bobby," wrote actor John Stamos, who played Uncle Jesse on the hit sitcom, on Twitter. "Bob Saget… Just the funniest and nicest…" tweeted comedian Jon Stewart. "Deeply saddened to learn of the untimely passing of comedian Bob Saget. RIP to friend, comedian & fellow Aristocrat," wrote comedian Gilbert Gottfried on Twitter. Novak tweeted: "I have always and will always love Bob Saget."

Commerce keeps an eye on price tagsThe Commerce Ministry's mobile commercial vehicle scheme links product distribution from producers directly to consumers. Chanat KatanyuThe Commerce Ministry has pledged to closely supervise the prices of products and services, using both legal and administrative measures while vowing to continue discount campaigns to reduce the cost of living for people nationwide. The department also promised to closely follow up on the retail prices of products and services to ensure their compliance with production costs. There are 231 items (208 products and 23 services) that warrant the Commerce Ministry's close supervision. The SL covers sensitive products and services that require close supervision of their situation and price movement every day.

However, Mr Pipat said the higher inflation rate would have an outsized impact on low-income earners and some business operators. Thailand's inflation remains subject to upside risks including higher global inflation and cost pass-throughs, said the minutes. Unlike the US, which saw inflation surge by 6.8% late last year, Thailand's inflation tends to be lower than 2% because living costs, notably most food prices, are not high, he said. "This is an important factor causing fresh worries over higher inflation rates around the world," he said. In fact, a moderate increase in inflation may be good for the economy as very low inflation reflects sluggish economic activities, said Mr Kriengkrai.

What might prompt the PM to dissolve the House? According to Assoc Prof Dr Jade Donavanik, former adviser to the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and Dean of the Faculty of Law at Dhurakij Pundit University, it is likely Gen Prayut will choose not to dissolve the House as there would be little gain in doing so. At present neither of these are true," said Mr Jade. "Critics will get at him if he can't complete his term despite seizing power," Mr Jade says. In his view, Gen Prayut's term begun in 2014 based on provisional clauses included in the 2017 charter which differ from those of the previous 2007 document.