Startups join fight against coronavirusLocal startups have joined hands to help in the fight against Covid-19 by using digital technology to help streamline work processes at field hospitals and support a queue management system for vaccinations. At least four startups have joined forces to support automated workflows at a field hospital managed by Chulalongkorn University. Meanwhile, apartment management system provider Horganice has arranged a bed booking system at the facility. "We have combined the strength of each startup and spent two weeks deploying technology at Chula Field Hospital," said Mr Rungsun. "We plan to roll it out at Banglamung Hospital and Thammasat Field Hospital."

Border control is imperativeWhile the county battles its menacing third wave of Covid-19, experts have recently come out to warn that if there is a fourth, it is likely to be the result of illegal border crossings. From Jan 1-May 9, officials arrested 15,378 illegitimate border crossers -- the majority migrant labourers from Myanmar (6,072), Cambodia (5,114) and Laos (882). There is also the unthinkable possibility that if Covid is not brought under control, variants could emerge that render vaccines ineffective before they have even been widely administered. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, with his gamut of self-given legal powers, must make border control as much of a priority as stockpiling vaccines to achieve the fabled herd immunity that is beginning to seem more like a speck on the horizon than an achievable goal. It is imperative that the government pulls itself together to prevent this and subsequent waves of Covid-19 becoming deadly tsunamis of tragic proportions.

Thamanat 'dirt' splatters all over govtThe Constitutional Court's ruling has cleared the way for Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow but cast enormous doubts over his boss Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha. It's rather ironic but now that Capt Thamanat has been officially whitewashed, the "dirt" seems to have been splattered all over his supporters. Capt Thamanat categorically denied this. Capt Thamanat survived the censure debate with 269 votes of confidence from his party and coalition members. Known as the government's fixer, Capt Thamanat said himself that he is the main artery supplying blood to the government's heart.

Mr Dhanant says his first priority at Thailand Post is to enhance service quality for both online and offline activities. He told the Bangkok Post his mission is to transform Thailand Post's management and operations into a tech-driven organisation called "Thailand Post Digital". In the past, Thailand Post was one department under the Communications Authority of Thailand, the former name of CAT Telecom. Thailand Post is at the forefront in this segment, but faces threats from foreign operators, he said. Kerry Express Thailand, a major competitor to Thailand Post, posted 18.9 billion baht in revenue and 1.4 billion in profit in 2020.

Estonia offers local e-residency optionMr Haav says Bangkok is an important centre for business and finance in Asean. E-residents can run a business from anywhere in the world, however e-residency does not provide citizenship or physical residency benefits, or the right to travel to Estonia or the EU. Over 80,000 people from more than 170 countries have applied for the e-residency programme, with 16,000 firms established in Estonia, he said. "It was clear to us when we started planning our expansion that we needed to establish an Estonian e-residency card pick-up point in Bangkok. According to Mr Kaljulaid, Estonia is ready to welcome more freelancers, entrepreneurs, business owners and location-independent workers from around the world to join its e-residency programme.

The goal is to enable students and parents to earn a living from the lessons they learn from the programme's activities. They said they enjoyed growing a mangrove forest in their community and helping collect rubbish at Pak Duat beach in front of the school. They also helped their parents raise mussels at Pak Duat beach, which they use to make fish sauce for sale, with the knowledge they obtained from the programme. Adul Sakolviroj, 66, head of a group of parents at the school, said the programme is beneficial to his community. Ms Oumpornrant said the majority of students in her school are from low-income families and that their parents are fishermen.

One man alone can't solve Covid crisisKlong Toey residents go about their daily lives as usual despite low testing and vaccination rates amid an active outbreak. But, alas, they went back home in hordes because the prime minister made the wrong decision, which for some has proved to be fatal. Over the weekend, the prime minister said he had just made several important decisions. Today, it is a hotbed of Covid-19 infections, posing a real challenge to the BMA and the prime minister. When will Prime Minister Prayut learn from his past mistakes?

Choice of jabs neededThere are no signs the Covid-19 pandemic will leave us any time soon. Thus, it is important for Thailand to stockpile vaccines and let the public choose their own vaccines. That's why the government is racing against time amid high global demand in Covid-19 vaccine market to build up a local stockpile. It should rope in the private sector including private hospitals and corporates, to give the public a choice of jabs. Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri last week said a committee on the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines had agreed Covid-19 vaccines would be added to the controlled goods list.

Authorities have vowed to take tough legal action against illegal migrant workers and smugglers as new Covid-19 infection clusters were detected at workplaces employing foreign migrants. He was responding to reports on social media that migrants from neighbouring countries had sneaked across the border into Thailand. "In the next few months, the variant found in India may slip across the border into Thailand from Myanmar. Business operators are now importing illegal migrants again," Dr Thiravat said. Five recent Covid-19 imports from neighbouring countries have underscored the danger of the virus being brought into Thailand by illegal border crossers, authorities say.

The eyes have it in the big cover-upComing from our Not Particularly Surprising News Department is a report that owing to the Covid pandemic lipstick sales have slumped quite markedly. The eyes have always played a crucial role in communicating and these days the "peepers" are even more important. Dolly Parton is another red lipstick fan, "the redder the better". During wartime, working women in Britain were encouraged by Winston Churchill to wear strong red lipstick to boost the population's morale. The reluctant flapperThe only time I ever wore lipstick was on one occasion in the mid-1960s when our church youth club performed a spoof on fashion shows.

Expats fear jabs are not for themAs Covid cases and the death toll in Thailand steeply climbs, Dr Opas Kankawinpong, head of the Disease Control Department, on Thursday came out to pacify fears of the foreign community in Thailand -- at last. The government's message about how the authority will provide the foreign community much needed Covid vaccinations has been mixed. There remains much scepticism about how the government will overcome hurdles to provide Covid vaccines to foreigners living here. The authority itself struggles to provide vaccines to its citizenry. The heat intensified this month when "Mor Prom", a mobile phone application for people to book appointments to get state Covid vaccine inoculations, opened on May 1.

in demand: Medical personnel attend to a Covid-19 patient at the intensive medical unit at Thammasat University Hospital, which has also opened a field hospital at the university's Rangsit campus. "Thammasat University Hospital believes it is ready. "The prime minister and high-ranking public health officials told us that our field hospital was the best." in demand: Medical personnel attend to a Covid-19 patient at the intensive medical unit at Thammasat University Hospital, which has also opened a field hospital at the university's Rangsit campus. The new ICU wards at Thammasat University Hospital were inspected by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on April 30.

(Reuters Photo)The European Commission has approved a new Covid vaccine contract with Pfizer and BioNTech, paving the way for as many as 1.8 billion doses for 2021-23, commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday. The contract is for a guaranteed 900 million shots, with an option for a further 900 million. The new agreement includes clauses to allow the donation and reselling of doses, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg. Meanwhile, deliveries of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remain sparse as investigations continue into contaminated batches at a US plant. Still, von der Leyen said last week that she expects enough doses of all vaccines to inoculate the bulk of the bloc’s population to be available by July.

Patty Tavatanakit, left, looks on as Atthaya Thitikul prepares to putt during the second round of the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club yesterday. Patty, 21, and Atthaya, 18, remain in the hunt to become the first Thai to win the tournament which was launched in 2006. Conditions were hot and Patty was seen using a small hand-held fan to cool down during her round. "I'm happy with the result," said Patty, whose Thai name is Paphangkorn. Atthaya had four birdies, an eagle and a bogey in the second round.

Sweeping powers may be PM's undoingA man walks past a tent where Klong Toey residents register for active case finding conducted by health officials of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The infection rate that surged after the Thong Lor cluster was detected in April remains in quadruple digits most days, while the death toll mounts. Without efficient handling, the Thong Lor cluster spilled over into Klong Toey, and that has proved to be a disaster. Gen Prayut may have to learn the hard way that sweeping powers come with sweeping responsibility too. The prime minister has survived his political challenges so far, but Covid-19 could prove be his undoing as what began as turbulence snowballs into a tsunami.