Making palm oil more sustainable
Most palm oil products in Thailand and Asean nations come from small and medium-sized oil palm growers. To pave the way for greener practices and greater economic benefit from the palm oil sector, policymakers, businesses and consumers have key roles to play in supporting sustainable palm oil by demanding it, experts say. GIZ recently co-hosted a business forum, "Road to Transforming the Sustainable Palm Oil Market in Thailand", in Bangkok together with the RSPO under their Sustainable and Climate-friendly Palm Oil Production Project (SCPOPP). However, it is still vital that palm oil businesses work with oil palm smallholders in the supply chain to enhance their productivity and improve livelihoods. It is aimed at improving the accountability of local palm oil products as well as promoting domestic consumption of sustainable palm oil.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2021 03:52 UTC
Vaccines must be safe
Vaccines must be safeIn a race to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, every country is trying to secure as many vaccines as it can, as soon as possible. The government has pre-ordered some 26 million doses from the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, and it recently bought another 35 million doses. The announcement came after reports emerged that some countries in Asean have received their Covid-19 vaccines and begun vaccinating their people. The countries include Indonesia, which received 1.8 million doses -- its second batch of coronavirus vaccines -- from Sinovac in December last year, adding to the 1.2 million it received earlier. Some believe the Chinese-made vaccine is safe, as its production method is relatively simple, and its mechanism of action is widely shared by other vaccines -- it uses virus particles to trigger the body's immune response.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2021 01:28 UTC
Covid confusion is the new normal
Covid confusion is the new normalWith this new surge of Covid-19 cases hitting the country, Thais know that the disease is not new. However, adding to the pandemic's new normal are myths, confusion, and fake news circulating online. We understand that in such circumstances, the prime minister has the final say. There is also speculation over the reliability of Away Covid-19 application developed by Phitsanulok-based tech start-up Mapedia. In the end, the developer of Away Covid-19 came out and said all of this was wrong.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 23:48 UTC
Tradition wins out
Karnjana KarnjanatawePrayadpon and her sister Maliwan co-founded the Khao Hom Thong Community Enterprise in Ban Champa. A package of 1kg of khao hang or khao hom thong. After the husk is removed, the golden brown rice known as khao hom thong or khao hang is revealed. They can sell a kilogramme of hang rice for 80 baht, much higher than the average of 35 baht a kilogramme. Khao hang or khao hom thong is registered as a geographical indication (GI) rice of Sakon Nakhon.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 23:37 UTC
Resurgence threatens shoots of recovery
"In the past year, many companies turned the Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity to shake up their structure. [That said,] despite the voluntary retirements and resignations, some were still forced to lay off employees," Mr Chalee said. According to the Social Security Office, 327,693 employees were let go in 2020 with the highest number losing their jobs in August. "I did not even get my unemployment insurance because my employer said it was the employees' fault," she said. It had risen year-on-year from December 2019 to December 2020, meaning overall, there were more people in gainful employment, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 23:37 UTC
FDA vows 'safety first'
In Bangkok, the vaccinations will be carried out at public health centres, he added. To ensure its safety, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pledged to prioritise patients' well-being when it evaluates the vaccine, which is expected to arrive next month. "The decision to approve that vaccine will depend on its safety and efficiency," said Surachoke Tangwiwat, the FDA's deputy secretary-general. Dr Surachoke said the FDA is waiting for Sinovac to send documents for the FDA to review and insisted officials will not fast-track the approval process. He admitted that the plan to administer the vaccine next month may still change, as the FDA will have to adhere to the strictest health and safety principles.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 23:27 UTC
Covid vaccine progress needs investment
Covid vaccine progress needs investmentIn normal times, a vaccine is a health product that works its way to protect a person from a disease. There are also several health research organisations under the Public Health Ministry including the Health System Research Institute and Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program which enable knowledge sharing among scholars. The government also founded the National Vaccine Institute in 2012, with an ambition to make Thailand a leader in vaccine development and manufacturing in Southeast Asia. Chula Specialist Vaccine Research Centre, under Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine, started a Covid-19 vaccine research project last year with a 300 million baht grant from the government. The grant has been delivered in instalments making it difficult for researchers to make quick progress in vaccine development.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 23:26 UTC
Money to be made, on and off the tables
Several crackdowns on gambling dens have been conducted after a casino saga in Rayong that is linked with a Covid cluster infection. Ask anyone in Rayong whether they believe the money trail from illegal gambling activity stops at the regional police chief? That explains why his illegal gambling operation has flourished and been untouched by police since long before the pandemic struck. If it wasn't for Covid-19 the influential illegal gambling dens in Rayong and their police connections may never have been exposed. Illegal gambling dens and police are like Siamese twins in the sense they are mutually dependent and beneficial.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 23:26 UTC
Myanmar migrants leave field hospital | Bangkok Post: learning
Migrant workers get sprayed with disinfectant as they leave the Covid-19 field hospital at Samut Sakhon's provincial stadium, after completing their quarantine period. (Photo by Arnun Chonmahatrakool)Almost 300 Myanmar migrants left the field hospital in Samut Sakhon on Sunday, becoming the first large group of migrants to have recovered from Covid-19. They waved goodbye to doctors and healthcare workers before being taken in military trucks to the Central Shrimp Market where they live and work. The recovered migrants went home with Covid-free certificates issued by the provincial public health office. The shrimp market is expected to reopen at the end of this month.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 22:07 UTC
Ratchanok among title contenders
Thailand's world No.5 Ratchanok Intanon trains at Muang Thong Thani on Sunday ahead of the Yonex Thailand Open, which gets underway on Tuesday. Ratchanok Intanon is among the title contenders in the women's singles at the Asian leg in Bangkok which begins on Tuesday with the Yonex Thailand Open. World No.5 Ratchanok, Thailand's highest-ranked singles player, broke a title drought of nine months last year with a hard-earned win over reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin at the Indonesia Masters. Chou, runner-up at the All England Open and semi-finalist at the Denmark Open, is considered one of the most consistent players on the tour. However, an article in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website www.bwfbadminton.com says Axelsen is the title favourite at the Yonex Thailand Open.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 21:56 UTC
Mae Sot expects hundreds of Thais from Myanmar casino | Bangkok Post: learning
Soldiers patrol the border along the Moei River in Mae Sot district of Tak to stem illegal crossing from Myawaddy. (Bangkok Post file photo)The border district of Mae Sot is on alert for a large number of Thais working in a casino in Myawaddy to flee the coronavirus in Myanmar. Seventeen of them tested positive and were sent to Mae Sot Hospital. Mae Sot had prepared field hospitals to receive the Thais from Myawaddy, in addition to the main hospital in the district town. Mae Sot has confirmed at least 60 Covid-19 cases since Monday, including 17 new transmissions announced on Sunday by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 10, 2021 09:00 UTC
It could be fun, in a strange sort of way
It could be fun, in a strange sort of wayA number of readers -- well, three -- have asked why last week's column did not contain the usual predictions for the coming year. Everyone knows we can look forward to assorted crackdowns, contradictions and cock-ups, accompanied by the usual lies, half-truths and prevarications. January: Bailiffs are sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue after President Donald Trump displays a reluctance to leave the White House. August: A Thai version of the 2012 Korean hit Gangnam Style, known as "Nakhon Nowhere Style" becomes a massive international hit. September: In a major scandal, an official transferred to an inactive post is caught red-handed being active.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 09, 2021 21:56 UTC
Mekong drowned in water politics
Mekong drowned in water politicsThe mighty Mekong River is the heart and soul of Southeast Asia. In recent years, historic low water levels in the Mekong has devastated communities like Cambodia's Tonle Sap, once home to one of the most productive freshwater fisheries on Earth. The Mekong Dam Monitor, formed in December, provided a clearer picture. At present, two agencies, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC), are spearheading efforts to heal the river but their approach is one dimensional, focusing only on improving drought forecasting to prevent low water levels. Meanwhile, downstream nations must come together and act as one counterbalance to China's strategic dominance upstream.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 09, 2021 21:45 UTC
Documents required to enter 5 provinces
(Photo by Wichan Charoenkiartpakun)People who travel to and from five provinces hit the hardest by re-emerging Covid-91 to have official documents stating their necessities. But if they have to, they must apply for the documents stating why they must go there and have the Mor Chana application installed on their mobile phones. Besides, authorities of the five provinces must check their body temperatures for fever and observe their symptoms. Individuals whom officials agree have the need to regularly travel to or from the provinces may ask for such documents of the type that is valid for a certain period. People from other provinces who seek to enter the five must apply for the documents to be issued in their hometowns for round trips.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 09, 2021 11:26 UTC
China seeks to shore up its influence in Myanmar
China seeks to shore up its influence in MyanmarChina's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive in Myanmar on Monday on a critical two-day visit. "It's routine practice in China's bilateral relations with Myanmar," according to Moe Thuza, a former Myanmar diplomat, now a regional specialist and Myanmar programme coordinator at the Singapore-based think-tank, the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Wang Yi was the first foreign dignitary to visit Myanmar when the NLD government took office in 2016. While the finer details of Mr Wang's itinerary are still being worked out, according to Myanmar diplomatic sources. "China has plenty of things that it wants to nudge Myanmar on," according to the China specialist Yun Sun, senior fellow at the US-based Stimson Centre.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 08, 2021 22:30 UTC