Don't reject private help
Don't reject private helpThe government has announced a new plan to procure 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to cover 50 million people by the end of the year, up from the 65 million doses it had originally planned to procure. From July onwards, the company has committed to produce 10 million doses per month, which brings the total doses available by the end of the year to 61 million doses. Last week, Gen Prayut invited the private sector to discuss ways to involve them in the procurement of additional vaccines. The PM may feel that the private sector's support in vaccine procurement isn't yet necessary. It's a good sign that the private sector is willing to help.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 02, 2021 23:26 UTC
'Penguin' dares to dream of better things
'Penguin' dares to dream of better thingsParit 'Penguin' Chiwarak along with another 21 political activists are taken into detention last September as they await trial on sedition and lese majeste charges. The second time was last year, when he become a big shot on the Thai political landscape -- a prominent protest leader. Yet his political campaign as well as his upcoming trial may cost him his dream career. "When I look back, it reminds me of the disparity that plagues Thai society. Parit told me that history books also offer lessons and examples -- that the upper echelons do not last long in many countries.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 02, 2021 23:26 UTC
Spaniard first 'but not last' woman to join German blue-chip CEOs
Spaniard first 'but not last' woman to join German blue-chip CEOsBelen Garijo will become the first woman to singlehandedly run a DAX 30-listed company from MayFRANKFURT - Belen Garijo will take over as CEO at German pharmaceuticals giant Merck from May -- the first woman to singlehandedly run a DAX 30-listed company -- as Europe's top economy debates quotas for greater boardroom equality. German software group SAP made the first cracks in the glass ceiling in 2019 when it appointed Jennifer Morgan as co-CEO alongside a male executive. Garijo for her part puts her success down to "hard work" and to having seized her chances "when they arose". - 'It's time' -Under the draft law approved by Merkel's government earlier this year, listed companies with four executives or more must appoint at least one woman to their executive boards. Merkel, in power since 2005, has spoken out at foot-dragging by business leaders, against the resistance of some in her own conservative bloc.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 02, 2021 05:37 UTC
Welcome to the year's merriest month
Welcome to the year's merriest monthWe are already in the merry month of May, not that there's much to be merry about these days. A big influence, especially in Britain, is because the month coincides with the arrival of summer and alleged warmer weather. It is the month when flowers bloom, trees blossom and England indeed resembles "a green and pleasant land". In The Canterbury Tales he refers to the squire being "as fresh as the month of May". For the curious, it is the only British plant that is named after the month in which it flowers.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 02, 2021 00:00 UTC
Thailand must act in Myanmar fiasco
Thailand must act in Myanmar fiascoIn less than a week, any sense of optimism about a possible peace process getting under way in Myanmar seems to have evaporated. Thai security forces and officials in Kanchanaburi province were alerted and preparing to deal with Myanmar villagers fleeing into Thailand. Apparently, Myanmar is on the verge of a civil war as civilians in urban areas and a few ethnic groups in rural and Thai-Myanmar border areas turn against the Myanmar army, known as the Tatmadaw. The Myanmar situation will be the test case for Asean -- and a tough nut to crack. After the coup in Myanmar, the army was reportedly accused by the KNU in Myanmar for supplying food to the Myanmar army.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 02, 2021 00:00 UTC
38 migrants found near local reservoir
38 migrants found near local reservoirKanchanaburi: Thirty-eight Myanmar nationals were arrested on Friday at a reservoir in Sangkhla Buri district for illegally crossing the kingdom's border, local officials said yesterday. The migrants were told to wait there for transport to go further into Thailand before the guide left. The migrants left Bo Yipoon village in Myanmar early on Tuesday, officials said, adding that many of the women looked exhausted. The migrants were taken to an exhibition centre in Sangkhla Buri to await deportation. The officers found a boat near their hideout and seized it as part of a probe.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 01, 2021 23:37 UTC
Why get so sour about Madam Choops' sweets?
Why get so sour about Madam Choops' sweets? But I can't help but admire the craftsmanship of this local pâtissier, Madam Choops. On Thursday, a senior NBO official went so far as to force the owner of Madam Choops to offer an apology. Followers of the Lord Buddha must not get hurt so easily, at least this is what the Lord Buddha teaches. What surprises me is that Madam Choops' A-lua is selling so well.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 30, 2021 23:26 UTC
Jailed activists put justice system to test
To demand justice for the political prisoners, the mothers of six jailed protesters have organised a demonstration in front of the Bangkok prison. For common folk, a number of practices used by the authorities against the jailed protesters are disturbing. But the same right was denied Penguin's and other jailed protesters' mothers and friends. It is an act of defiance but at the same time of desperation in having to face a justice system that they feel is weighed against them in an unjust way. Another way to peace must be found and it could begin by recalibrating the justice system to make it not only appear to be just but actually to truly dispense justice to all.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 30, 2021 23:26 UTC
Public needs antiviral meds
Public needs antiviral medsAmid the Covid-19 pandemic, Thais have been gripped by fear. Now the public is getting more anxious, following concerns over a possible shortage of favipiravir, an important medicine used to treat Covid-19 patients with moderate to severe symptoms. Covid-19 patients need 40–70 tablets throughout their treatment cycle, depending on their condition. Yet, under the patent law, the Japanese pharmaceutical firm is allowed to resubmit patent registration documents until August. Yet, Covid-19 patients cannot wait -- medicine shortages are a matter of life or death.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 30, 2021 23:26 UTC
Leading the digital assets revolution
Bitazza, a local digital asset broker, just surpassed 100,000 customers in April, a milestone in the company's goal of becoming Southeast Asia's premier digital asset trading platform. After the scandalous closure of BX, the country's first digital asset exchange established before the Digital Asset Decree took effect, local crypto traders were forced to seek new platforms. Mr Kavin felt it was the right time to capitalise on this emerging market as it coincided with the enforcement of the Digital Asset Decree that legalised and regulated digital asset businesses in Thailand. The legalisation of digital assets and growth potential of this nascent market, with only one large digital asset exchange at the time, sparked an idea to build a digital asset business. Mr Kavin believes digital asset payments will become a mainstream trend as new lifestyles favour people with technological know-how.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 30, 2021 23:25 UTC
GPO: More Sinovac on the way
3.5 million doses due to arrive in May as authorities try to speed up jabs(Post File Photo)Thailand will receive another 3.5 million doses of the Sinovac Biotech coronavirus vaccine in May, says the head of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO). One million doses will arrive on May 6 and 2 million more are due by the end of May, Witoon Danwiboon said at a briefing on Friday. Health authorities reported 1,583 new cases and 15 more deaths on Friday and said 250 patients were on ventilators. The government has also started discussions with representatives of Sinopharm about its vaccine, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said. The country has also approached Bharat Biotech in India, US-based Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and the makers of Russia's Sputnik V.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 30, 2021 11:37 UTC
Weapons not needed now
Despite being so vast, military spending does not contribute to economic growth. In accordance with the country's budget regulations, relinquishing an approved budget is complicated, and that may affect next year's planned expenditure. The military regime under Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, chief of the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), had faced harsh criticism with its approval of the procurement of military hardware and weapons that would not have happened under a civilian government. The coup-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA) acted as a rubber stamp, while taxpayers are left to shoulder the burden from the huge military spending spree. In pursuing heavy military spending in a time of economic hardship, the generals should know they are harming the government's stability more than any external enemies, if there are any, could ever do.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 29, 2021 23:15 UTC
Stop the fancy words in battle against Covid
Stop the fancy words in battle against CovidThe small drop in the number of new Covid-19 new cases to under 2,000 yesterday may look like a good sign. A total of 1,871 new cases and 10 deaths in one day tells us there's still a long battle ahead. Since the pandemic began, our society has learnt new vocabulary coined by the CCSA -- SQ (state quarantine), ASQ (alternative state quarantine) and LQ (local quarantine). I wonder how many Thai speakers grapple with these abbreviations and fancy terms, and I doubt whether the government or CCSA even care. It's probably about time for the government to stop feeding us unnecessary information, fancy words, and start sincerely communicating with us.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 29, 2021 23:15 UTC
Digital Health Solutions from Taiwan Calls for Healthcare Rethink
Digital Health Solutions from Taiwan Calls for Healthcare RethinkThe structure of populations across the world is changing, as many nations see a growing trend towards an ageing society. Accordingly, medical IoT applications have developed into a large, high potential industry, revolutionizing the provision of healthcare. Taiwan excels in a number of medical technology specialties, some ranking among the best in Asia. These strategic and visionary leaders, namely Leltek, Wincomm, Acer Healthcare, MiiS and Apollo Medical Optics, have presented their most innovative digital health solutions to the world. Facing fight to against COVID-19, it would require medical imaging detection in more efficient way, and thus these scalable processors can efficiently perform deep-learning inferencing and thanks to a hybrid CPU-plus-GPU architecture that supports complex, memory-intensive medical imaging workloads.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 29, 2021 08:15 UTC
TEST YOURSELF: History along the tracks
TEST YOURSELF: History along the tracksPhoto by Pattarawadee SaengmaneeExploring the BTS Green LineTest Yourself is where you can improve your reading skills. My sightseeing tour began with a 10-minute walk from the BTS Chang Erawan station to the Erawan Museum, which was once crowded with thousands of tourists. With the aim to educate people about Thai cultural heritage, the museum charges foreigners more for entry than Thais. Just a few stops down from BTS Chang Erawan is BTS Pak Nam and a 450m walk from this station brings you to the monastery of Phra Buddha Chinnarat Mongkonprakan. Erawan Museum.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 29, 2021 07:18 UTC