Crocodile goes onto the menu
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 14, 2022 02:41 UTC
Tak airport deemed unfit to serve as logistics hub
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 13, 2022 23:23 UTC
State aims to expedite consumer spending
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 13, 2022 22:08 UTC
Suspects in killing of Bengal tigers surrender
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 13, 2022 20:26 UTC
Joint venture to support EV production
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 13, 2022 06:51 UTC
Sculptor's identity found in the abstract
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 13, 2022 02:31 UTC
Call for delay of new tourist entry fee
(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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 13, 2022 01:53 UTC
SET unveils ambitious 2022-24 strategy
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2022 10:09 UTC
BoT jittery over rising living costs
(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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2022 05:57 UTC
Mitsubishi joins state's 'green hospitals' initiative
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2022 05:43 UTC
Artist explores life's meaning in exhibition
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".
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2022 01:37 UTC
Growth prospects weak amid outbreak
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2022 01:31 UTC
LPG subsidy extended
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2022 15:32 UTC
If we can trust the bureaucracy, pigs might fly
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.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2022 10:24 UTC
Korn wants Kla Party to go it alone
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?
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2022 05:01 UTC