Mobile retail races ahead
Grocery stores on wheels took off during the pandemic and are now here to stayThong Fah mobile grocery trucks have helped fruit growers reach more customers. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many changes to the retail market, to the point that reinvention and reformatting have become essential for survival at a time when restrictions are everywhere. In recent years, we have seen the rise of food trucks as an effective and agile way to introduce new brands while reducing the cost of setting up a store. The growth of the food truck industry in Thailand clearly started last year, building on the momentum of the Food Truck Expo in 2019 and riding the wave of changing retail trends. The number of food trucks in Thailand almost tripled to 2,800 by the beginning of 2021.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2021 23:26 UTC
Thailand slow in terms of 5G download speeds
Thailand ranked bottom out of eight Asia-Pacific economies in terms of 5G download speeds, according to mobile analytics company Opensignal. (Bangkok Post photo)Thailand ranked bottom out of eight Asia-Pacific economies in terms of 5G download speeds. South Korea topped the list with 5G download speeds of 380.5 Mbps, followed by Taiwan, Australia and Japan. Thailand was in seventh position for peak 5G download speeds at 414.9 Mbps and third in terms of 5G upload speed at 26.4 Mbps. According to Opensignal, Singapore was fifth in 5G download speed rankings despite just launching 5G services in the second half of last year.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2021 23:03 UTC
Football gambling 'hosts' busted in Mae Sot
Football gambling 'hosts' busted in Mae SotImmigration police examine a computer after raiding a house and arresting two men in Mae Sot district on Wednesday for hosting online football gambling. TAK: Police arrested two men in Mae Sot district on Wednesday on a charge of hosting online gambling during the Euro 2020 football tournament. The raid was led by immigration police commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang. He said the suspects confessed and said they worked with the gothambetvip gambling website. Online gambling hosts were hired by foreign gambling networks and operated at many locations along the western border in Tak, the immigration commissioner said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2021 11:03 UTC
Family seeks autopsy after young policeman dies following Covid vaccination
Family seeks autopsy after young policeman dies following Covid vaccinationThe father of police lance corporal Kittipong Chuekhamhod, who died 11 days after receiving his second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, collects documents at Srinagarind Hospital before taking the body of his police son to Bangkok for an autopsy. (Photo: Chakrapan Natanri)KHON KAEN: The family of a young police officer who died suddenly 11 days after receiving his second Covid-19 vaccination has requested an autopsy to clear up questions about his death. He had earlier gone to Bangkok where he received his second-dose Covid-19 vaccination at Police General Hospital on June 10. A source said the family was later informed that the hospital would transfer the case to Police General Hospital for an autopsy. The father was taking his son's body to Bangkok, the source said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2021 08:03 UTC
Land official accused of sexual harassment
Land official accused of sexual harassmentA screenshot from a video clip posted on Facebook with an allegation that an official at Non Sung land office in Nakhon Ratchasima had sexually harassed a woman employee. (Photo supplied)NAKHON RATCHASIMA: An official at the land office in Non Sung district has been transferred to Bangkok after being accused of the sexual harassment of a woman under his supervision. The transfer order, effective June 22, was signed by Nisit Chansomwong, director-general of the Land Department of the Interior Ministry. Supoj Prutipruek, a C-8 official at the Non Sung land office, was assigned to temporary duty at the Land Department in Bangkok pending a disciplinary investigation into the allegation. Provincial governor Kobchai Boon-orana said the Land Department had set up a committee make a disciplinary investigation of Mr Supoj.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2021 05:03 UTC
Record 51 Covid deaths, 3,174 new cases
Record 51 Covid deaths, 3,174 new cases"Permanently closed" signs on stalls on Tuesday at Bang Kapi fresh market, which has been shuttered after a Covid-19 outbreak. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)A record 51 Covid-19 fatalities and 3,174 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry said on Wednesday morning. The previous daily high of Covid-19 fatalities was 47 on May 27, when the country logged 3,323 new infections. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 228,539 Covid-19 cases, 189,777 of whom recovered. The 3,174 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours included 3,112 local infections in 65 provinces and 26 imported cases.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2021 01:14 UTC
Colombia has the world's largest variety of butterfly species
BOGOTA: Colombia is home to the world's largest variety of butterflies, approximately 20% of all known species, according to a study published Tuesday by the Natural History Museum in London. An international team of scientists cataloged 3,642 species and 2,085 subspecies, registering them in a document titled "Checklist of Colombian Butterflies." More than 200 butterfly species are found only in Colombia, said Blanca Huertas, the senior butterfly collection curator at the Natural History Museum in London, who was part of the research team. Project researchers traveled widely in Colombia, analyzed more than 350,000 photographs, and studied information collected since the late 18th century, the museum said. Protecting butterflies in Colombia will also help protect its forests as well as other, less likeable species, Huertas said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2021 23:48 UTC
Migrant workers must get shots too
Migrant workers must get shots tooMyanmar migrant workers at the central shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province where Thailand's second wave of Covid-19 began are seen in December last year. Now, three-and-a-half months later, neither has a formal announcement been made as to the status of migrant workers who will be included in the vaccination programme, nor is there a system in place for the registration of migrant workers to receive Covid-19 vaccines. Last year, when the outbreak happened among thousands of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province, many people in society were surprised to learn that Thailand hosted such a high number of migrant workers. This shows that migrant workers are somehow invisible to many Thais, despite the fact that they contribute to the national economy enormously. The series of outbreaks in Thailand, with some involving migrant workers, suggests that it is time to properly address the health and safety of migrant workers during this pandemic.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2021 23:26 UTC
Cabinet approves Phuket sandbox
The reopening scheme would be scrapped if there are more than 90 infections reported per week in tourism areas. He said vaccinated foreign visitors are allowed to travel to Phuket without state quarantine requirements. However, they are required to stay in Phuket for 14 days before travelling to other provinces in Thailand. If they stay in Phuket for fewer than 14 days, they are required to fly back via a direct flight. Those who travel to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are required to travel only via a "sealed" route scheme.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2021 23:26 UTC
Jab drive far too opaque
Jab drive far too opaqueIf the Interior Ministry's approval of a request by Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to its employees and their families is lawful, why did it make a U-turn and cancel it? Under the guidelines dated May 18, the public and private sectors can request vaccine doses for their personnel, especially in at-risk areas. The scandal shows the high level of distrust that the public have for the government and its handling of the vaccination drive so far. Once distributed, the type of organisations, number of people and doses allocated are also posted online for everyone to check. The ThaiBev scandal should remind the government that it is best to shine the light on matters and make everything transparent when doubt arises.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2021 20:15 UTC
New referendum law sails through Parliament
New referendum law sails through Parliament(Parliament photo)Parliament has passed a new referendum law, paving the way for amendments or a rewrite of the constitution. Under the law, a referendum can be held in five cases:constitution amendmentsissues deemed necessary by a cabinet resolutionissues required by law that a referendum be held onissues Parliament votes to be put to a referendumat least 50,000 voters propose to the cabinet for approvalThe law allows for the first time Thais living abroad to vote in a referendum by registering in the countries in which they reside. On other issues decided by the cabinet, the timeframe for a referendum is also 90-120 days from the date the cabinet approves it. Their names must also be on house registers not less than 90 days before a referendum date. Related information must be propagated in advance, 15 days after the referendum is announced on issues related to a constitution.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2021 11:39 UTC
Need space for your work-from-home schedule?
Need space for your work-from-home schedule? Well, now you can, for half a day, a full day or even longer. Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok offers a “WORK FROM KIMPTON” package, inclusive of everything from deskspace to playspace for up to five people. Due to popular demand, “WORK FROM KIMPTON” package is now extended till 31 December 2021. - Check out Kimpton pet policy and pet accessibility areas to ensure you and your pet enjoy fur-ever memories!
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2021 08:48 UTC
Boosters may be needed
Dr Opas, however, insisted it was still too soon to say whether a booster shot is actually needed and if the shot can come from a different manufacturer. As for other Covid-19 vaccines that induce lower rates of immune responses, he said, third shots may need to be used as boosters while the kingdom waits for new vaccines to be developed to specifically deal with the Delta variant. "In the meantime, Thailand needs to closely monitor how each existing coronavirus variant is spreading to keep track of them all, especially the fast-spreading Delta variant," Dr Yong said. In response to growing public concern over lower immune responses induced by Covid-19 vaccines, Dr Opas said the ministry is also monitoring information taken from the ongoing mass vaccination drive. However, everyone in the country will be vaccinated as promised, Dr Yong said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 21, 2021 21:33 UTC
End misery in Myanmar
End misery in MyanmarThailand's decision to abstain from voting to adopt the United Nations' General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on the situation in Myanmar on Friday was not surprising. History has shown that the Myanmar military, also known as the Tatmadaw, is fiercely stubborn and unflinching in the face of international condemnation and economic sanctions. Thailand's military was criticised for siding with the Myanmar junta after it was found to have supplied rice to Myanmar soldiers along the border. Time is of the essence when it comes to peace building in Myanmar. But now, Asean must show the world it can bring Myanmar out of its misery.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 21, 2021 21:22 UTC
Govt dials in to 'reopen' from Planet Clueless
Govt dials in to 'reopen' from Planet CluelessAre Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and his team from another planet? The next day, Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said the reopening in 120 days would start on July 1.Who on earth would "starting today" mean starting in two weeks? Reopening the country when the number of new infections still stands at more than 3,000 a day? But hey, it's just like the countdown for reopening the country in four months from today doesn't mean "today", but July 1. To jump ahead and set the goal for reopening the country when the vaccination drive remains extremely sketchy seems out of place.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 21, 2021 21:22 UTC