Barkar Nash (Page 935)

The National Health Security Office (NHSO) plans to recruit pharmacies nationwide to offer medicine listed for 16 minor ailments for subscribers of the universal healthcare (UHC), also known as the “gold card” scheme.

Dr Jadet Thammathat-aree, secretary-general of the NHSO, said the office and the Pharmacy Council of Thailand (PCT) launched the project last November with 1,090 pharmacies across the country.

As of July 14, 189,035 gold card holders had registered to use the service.

Dr Jadet said the most-requested medicines are for flu, joint pain or muscle pain, skin irritation such as rashes, stomach pain and eye irritation.

The NHSO is currently working with the PCT to recruit 17,000 more pharmacies to join.

In 2024, the NHSO expects over 5,000 pharmacies will be part of the scheme and have medicines for 16 minor ailments ready to distribute, Dr Jadet said.

He added that every district will have at least one pharmacy in the NHSO scheme to administer basic medicines for subscribers. Ultimately, the NHSO wants all pharmacies to join.

Pharmacies that do so will also be able to provide annual basic health screenings for gold-card holders free of charge, which covers BMI, blood pressure, diabetes, and risks from smoking, drinking and drug use.

Dr Jadet said preventive medicines such as birth control, birth control for lactating women, emergency birth control, condoms, pregnancy tests and pregnancy supplements will also be available.

Subscribers to the scheme can show their national ID card to receive services.

The Rayong Provincial Administrative Office (PAO) is spending 70 million baht building a new pier linking the mainland to the resort island of Koh Samet.

The pier is expected to be fully open in 2025.

Rayong PAO chief, Piya Pitutecha, said a new pier is needed as the current pier is in a run-down condition. Currently, the pier is rented by a private company that operates a ferry service to the island.

After receiving 76 million baht from the Budget Bureau, Rayong PAO immediately initiated the first phase of work by demolishing wooden structures on the pier.

During the second phase, restaurants and shops will be removed from the pier area. Construction of the pier using reinforced concrete will follow in the third phase. The pier will be the province’s first modern pier built according to industry standards.

Mr Piya said the pier would offer facilities for locals and tourists wanting to take ferries to Koh Samet. The pier will also host state agencies’ offices, including the Marine Department’s regional office, the Marine Police Division and Tourist Police.

“Work is proceeding with the second phase. Once it is completed, the pier will become Rayong’s next landmark to welcome people to and from Koh Samet,” he said.

Mr Piya and other Rayong officials recently visited the location of the new pier, along with tambon Ban Phae mayor Pairat Arunwessaset.

A key Move Forward Party (MFP) figure yesterday condemned people who spread a rumour that the MFP would support a Pheu Thai prime minister candidate even if the party is ejected from the coalition.

Nattacha Boonchai-insawat, MFP’s deputy secretary-general, said the rumour was an ugly move and could only be seen as an attempt to force the MFP to leave the eight-party bloc.

He said Pheu Thai should inform its prospective coalition partners of the results of its talks with other parties outside the bloc as early as possible so they have time to make a decision.

“It must be made clear how the talks with the other political parties go. The prime minister vote may take place on [Friday], so it feels like our hands are being forced,” he said, referring to reports that Pheu Thai would hold a meeting a day before the vote.

House president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha called the Friday meeting, but whether a new vote takes place depends on a decision by the Constitutional Court on Thursday.

The court will announce if it is to accept a petition regarding the rejected renomination of MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat as PM. If accepted, the vote will not occur until the court’s ruling.

“We’ve stepped back and let Pheu Thai lead coalition formation because we want the eight parties to stay together. But if there there is an ugly move to force us to blindly vote, I believe our supporters will understand if we don’t support a Pheu Thai candidate,” he said.

SAMUT PRAKAN: A 23-year-old man has been arrested after a woman was found beaten to death and mutilated in tambon Thepharak in Muang district on Sunday.

Khajondet Jampathong was arrested by the police on Sunday in front of Charoenchai Condo 2 on Soi Sri Boonruang 2, after neighbours reported the assault of 59-year-old Jitra Chantharunai, a municipal street cleaner who lived in a neighbouring building, around 11.30am.

Jitra’s body was found in a nearby parking lot. Police who attended the scene found her sexual organs laid out next to her body.

According to witnesses, Jitra had been drinking at a nearby grocery store with several neighbours when she walked towards Mr Khajondet’s room.

Witnesses saw them arguing for a while. Then Mr Khajondet suddenly struck her on the head repeatedly with two hammers before dragging her to an empty parking lot nearby.

When police arrived at the scene, he admitted to undressing Jitra and cutting out her genitals using a 25-cm knife, which they found at the crime scene, along with the hammers.

Village chief Chamblong Phumphan said the suspect returned to the condo after finishing his service in the air force about a month ago. Neighbours told police Mr Khajondet had been seen talking to himself numerous times.

Jitra’s son, Damronska Sakaew, said he was shocked by the gruesome murder because his mother had never had any arguments with Mr Khajondet.

Acknowledge charges or face arrest, police warn

The owners of the fireworks warehouse in Narathiwat, which exploded on Saturday, levelling hundreds of homes and killing 12 people, will be arrested if they fail to report to the police today, said Provincial Police Region 9 commissioner, Pol Lt Gen Nanthadej Yoinuan yesterday.

His warning came after he received the latest update on the situation from local authorities, police and army officers.

Sompong Nakul, 42, and his wife, Piyanuch Peungwirawat, 42, are listed as the owners of Wirawat Panich — a company which trades in agricultural products, household items and fireworks.

They have been summoned by the police to acknowledge a slew of criminal charges, which include negligence causing death, as well as importing and selling fireworks without a licence, which is a violation of the Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Fireworks Act.

A police source said back in 2016, Mr Sompong was arrested for storing and selling fireworks and other flammable materials without a permit.

According to Pol Lt Gen Nanthadej, several workers were welding when the sparks lit up some of the fireworks stored in the warehouse, causing a massive explosion.

The Department of Provincial Administration’s (DoPA) director-general, Manrat Rattanasukhonhas, has ordered all district chiefs nationwide to inspect the safety standards and licences of all fireworks warehouses in the province.

The order followed the explosion at a fireworks warehouse in tambon Muno, which killed 12 people, injuring 121 and damaging 292 houses.

Yotdanai Bula, whose father perished in the tragedy, told the Post that his father had repeatedly warned the owner of the warehouse to stop storing large amounts of fireworks in the warehouse, which is located in the middle of the neighbourhood.

Yesterday Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary for public health, said His Majesty the King has offered to pay for the treatment of 10 people who were severely injured by the blast at Sungai Kolok Hospital in Narathiwat.

Meanwhile, Dr Chaiwat Pattanapisarnsak, from Narathiwat’s Public Health Office, said the blast has affected the psychological well-being of 365 people from 290 households.

ONWR touts use of solar-powered pump

A number of abandoned mines in the northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Lamphun will soon be turned into sources of water in a water-management project aimed at countering seasonal drought and flooding.

This is one of more than 7,000 water-management projects planned over the next 20 years, said Surasri Kidtimonton, secretary-general of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR).

These projects are primarily aimed at retaining 951 million cubic metres of water for use to supply 3.8 million rai in areas usually affected by drought in the dry season while protecting from flooding over more than 1.7 million rai of land often flooded in the rainy season, he said.

In Lamphun, for instance, 11 abandoned mines were found to have the potential to be developed into sources of water budgets for use in supplying farm areas nearby, he said. A test on the quality of the water in these mines shows it is safe and good enough for use in the agricultural sector, he said.

Two sizeable abandoned mines in tambon Dong Dam in Li district of Lamphun, for example, have a combined capacity to better serve farmers on up to 7,482 rai of farmland, which normally requires 9.3 million cubic metres of water per year, he said.

These old mines will next be turned into sources of water budgets in a pilot project to be implemented in Lamphun, while other such mines will later be included if the pilot phase proves successful, he said.

Water will be drawn from the mines using a solar-powered pump, Mr Surasi said. A 5-million-baht pump has been installed at Muang Li Mi Rak, one of the two mines, as part of the pilot project.

As part of a related project, a sluice gate called Mae Taman Gate will be built as a component of a system to divert more water into Mae Kuang Udom Thara Dam (Mae Kuang Dam) through the Mae Ngat-Mae Kuang water diversion tunnel in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district, he said.

The tunnel, which is almost complete, will help increase the volume of water into the dam by 160 million cubic metres each year, expanding the dam’s capacity to serve up to 76,129 rai of farmland from just 17,060 rai at present, he said.

Party to pick Srettha as candidate for PM

The Pheu Thai Party is cobbling together a 302-seat government without the Move Forward Party (MFP) and will nominate property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as prime minister in the next round of voting scheduled for this Friday, according to sources.

The Pheu Thai-led coalition comprises 10 parties that include five new partners — Bhumjaithai, the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), the Democrat Party, the Chartthaipattana Party and the Chartpattanakla Party, the sources said. The four others are Prachachat, Pheu Thai Ruam Palang, Seri Ruam Thai and Plung Sungkom Mai, part of the eight-party bloc formed shortly after the May 14 general election.

MFP heavyweights are reportedly against this development, and the party does not have to vote for the Pheu Thai’s prime minister candidate if it is pushed into the opposition, according to the sources.

The MFP also believes if Pheu Thai decides to bring in any of the “uncle” parties, the party should deal with the consequences of its decision, said the sources. The uncles are referred to the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as its prime ministerial candidate and the PPRP led by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

According to the sources, Pheu Thai has reached deals with the PPRP and the Democrat Party in which the two parties will get five and three cabinet seats each.

Gen Prawit will not take a cabinet seat, but his younger brother and former national police chief, Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwon, will be part of the cabinet. Pol Gen Patcharawat, who is known to have ties with Pheu Thai, was appointed as the PPRP’s chief adviser last weekend in what is widely seen as a move to pave the way for the PPRP to join the Pheu Thai-led government.

The PPRP’s new secretary-general Capt Thamanat Prompow, deputy leader Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn and MP for Kamphaeng Phet Pai Lik are tipped to be part of the cabinet.

Democrat MP for Songkhla Dech-it Khaothong is tipped to be a deputy prime minister and agriculture minister, and Democrat MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat Chaichana Dejdecho is expected to become a deputy interior minister. Mr Dech-it assured Pheu Thai that his group has the support of 19 MPs and expressed confidence that the new party leadership would not oppose the move, according to the sources. The Democrats are scheduled to select a new leader and executive board on Aug 6, with Narapat Kaewthong speculated to become the new leader.

According to the sources, the UTN has not been approached to join the bloc to avoid strong resistance from Pheu Thai supporters and its current partners — the Thai Sang Thai Party and Fair Party.

“This formula is hoped to bring the Senate to vote for the Pheu Thai candidate,” said one of the sources.

If Pheu Thai succeeds, the opposition camp will have 198 seats.

Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said yesterday the eight-party coalition partners will tentatively meet tomorrow to review talks that his party has had with those outside the bloc and senators. He said those MPs and senators have so far remained firm that they will vote for the Pheu Thai prime minister candidate only if the MFP is excluded from the coalition.

“That’s what we have and will bring to the meeting before the party MPs meet on Aug 3,” he said.

Pheu Thai list-MP Noppadon Pattama said the country could not wait 10 months for the military-appointed Senate to expire and select the prime minister as suggested by some.

According to Mr Noppadon, the party is expected to nominate Mr Srettha for the prime minister post, and it is likely to inform its MPs of its decision on Thursday.

Meanwhile, parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said the agenda for Friday’s meeting remains unchanged, with the prime minister selection being the first item on the agenda and the proposed amendment of Section 272 to follow.

If the prime ministerial vote cannot proceed, the parliament meeting will consider the proposed charter amendment seeking to remove the senate’s power to co-select the premier, he added.

The Constitutional Court will meet on Thursday to decide if it will accept a petition involving the prime minister’s selection. The court’s decision will decide if the PM vote on the next day will proceed or be put on hold.

A technical error caused the frigate HTMS Naresuan to crash at the Map Ta Phut Port in Rayong province during an International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) drill, a navy source said.

The source said the 30-year-old frigate crashed while docking at the port during the Naval Security Port and Ship Map Ta Phut Exercise 2023 (NASMAX 2023) on Wednesday.

The mishap damaged one of the triple torpedo tubes and some life rafts on the ship borrowed from the HTMS Chao Phraya specifically for the rehearsal, causing at least 1 billion baht in damages.

The source said some sailors were worried about how the crash occurred, and the Royal Thai Fleet is now investigating what happened.

HTMS Naresuan is a missile frigate modified from the Chinese-made Type 053 frigate. It was designed by the Royal Thai Navy and China in Shanghai. It was commissioned into service in 1995 after being launched in 1994.

According to online sources, the frigate has an overall length of about 120 metres, with a displacement of about 2,900 tonnes and 150 crew members.

NASMAX 2023 was held to improve port security measures so the navy can adhere to the ISPS Code.

The drill was held from July 25–27. The accident occurred on the second day.

NARATHIWAT: The couple who own the warehouse where a huge fireworks explosion killed 12 people and injured 121 others on Saturday will surrender to police on Tuesday, Provincial Police Region 9 commissioner Pol Lt Gen Nanthadet Yoinual said on Monday.

He named the couple as Sompong Na Kul, 42, and his wife Piyanut Puengworawat, 42 and said they had nitially obtained permission to open the premises as a shop named Weerawat Panit in tambon Muno, Sungai Kolok district.

They sold farm equipment and kitchenware. The shop was later converted for use as a warehouse, he said.

The two had contacted the police, saying they would surrender on Tuesday. If they did not show up, warrants would be issued for their arrest.

They would be initially charged with illegal possession of explosive materials leading to an explosion causing deaths, injuries and damage to property. Additional charges may be brought against them later, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Nanthadet said judging from the two or three deep holes left at the site, it was likely that more than 1,000 kilogrammes of fireworks had been illegally stored in the warehouse.

Suchart Kijakarn, an assistant chief of Sungai Kolok district, said the owners sought permission to build and use the warehouse to store merchandise, but did not specify the type of goods. Shortly after the conversion was completed, they began buying and storing a range of fireworks there.

Twelve people were killed and 121 injured in the explosion. Ten of the injured were admitted for treatment at Sungai Kolok Hospital. Nearly 300 neighbouring houses were damaged, many totally destroyed, and hundreds of residents left  homesless.

Health permanent secratary Opas Karnkawinpong said His Majesty the King had accepted the 10 most seriously injured for treatment under royal patronage.