PT revives digital wallet plan
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Pheu Thai Party intends to reintroduce its 10,000-baht digital wallet programme once the government it is forming takes office, says deputy secretary-general Paopoom Rojanasakul.
The party shelved the policy after finishing second in the May 14 election, as the social welfare policies of the election-winning Move Forward Party (MFP) were given priority when the latter was attempting to put together a coalition government.
“Now the situation has changed, and Pheu Thai is the core [of a new coalition],” Mr Paopoom said yesterday. “Today, the party would like to officially declare that it will move ahead with the digital wallet policy using blockchain technology.”
The policy involves a 10,000-baht digital handout to every Thai aged 16 and over, delivered to a smartphone. The digital money can only be spent within a four-kilometre radius of recipients’ homes and is valid for six months.
“There won’t be any problems for those without access to this application as they can use their national ID card to get a personal code instead,” he said, adding Thailand would be among the very first countries to introduce this form of digital payment.
Mr Paopoom said Pheu Thai’s economic team had evaluated the programme and believes it would spur economic growth rather than cause more inflation.
A capital market and securities exchange commission for digital assets will be set up, he added. “That is to say, we will go ahead with the digital wallet scheme and make it fully operational for the benefit of the country.”
Srettha Thavisin, who is expected to be nominated as the party’s prime ministerial candidate, said during the election campaign the 10,000-baht handout would unleash an “economic tsunami” of consumption, delivering benefits to many sectors of the economy.
He defended the cost of the policy, which the party has put at 560 billion baht, saying it was on par with the social welfare promises and pledged handouts made by other parties.
The Thai Chamber of Commerce has predicted a GDP boost of 2.5% or more from the fund infusion. It suggested the digital wallet rollout should start with low-income earners.
Plant name honours Queen Mother
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
Researchers from Chiang Mai University have named a newly found species of the Annonaceae family Majestatis to celebrate the 91st birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother.
Asst Prof Tanawat Chaowasku from the biology faculty of Chiang Mai University revealed that the species can be found in the southern provinces of Krabi, Phangnga and Surat Thani.
The plant’s scientific name is Miliusa majestatis Damth, Sinbumr & Chaowasku. “Majestatis” refers to the Queen Mother, who is also known as the protector of biodiversity, he said.
The species also has the Thai nickname “Rakhang Akara”, meaning “supreme bell”, because of its bell-shaped petals.
Asst Prof Tanawat explained that the plant can grow up to five metres tall and contains herbal elements known to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Top court upholds ex-MP’s sentence
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
A panel of Supreme Court judges yesterday stood by a decision to sentence former Pheu Thai MP Narisorn Thongthirach to 12 months in prison for casting votes for colleagues during House meetings in 2013.
The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions earlier found him guilty of misconduct and handed down the 12-month jail term. The politician appealed the sentence in February and asked for a suspended sentence.
The judges, reviewing the appeal, upheld the jail term, saying they found no grounds to suspend the sentence and he was also found guilty in a similar case in which he was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Narisorn was previously impeached over this case by the National Legislative Assembly in 2016 and was barred from holding political or government office for five years.
Chanin’s B220m bank account frozen
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has frozen a bank account worth 220 million baht belonging to scandal-hit Stark Corp’s former chairman Chanin Yensudchai, DSI spokeswoman Pichaya Tarakornsanti said yesterday.
“The DSI has frozen another account of Mr Chanin’s from Credit Suisse Bank, and this will be used to compensate victims,” Ms Pichaya said.
The DSI has also frozen real estate under Mr Chanin’s name. She said that the Department of Lands is reviewing the land details and values.
Mr Chanin is accused of financial misconduct, and his whereabouts abroad are unknown.
The DSI has requested Interpol issue a red notice for him and has informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to revoke his passport, Ms Pichaya said.
The Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges with the DSI, accusing Stark Corp and four of its subsidiaries and five individuals of financial misconduct.
The individuals and companies are accused of colluding with others to produce false statements for Stark and affiliates during 2021 and 2022.
They are also accused of concealing details about the company’s accounts and debenture sales, including a planned investment in German firm Leoni AG.
Among the individuals, Stark’s largest shareholder Vonnarat Tangkaravakoon has acknowledged but denied his charge on July 26.
The DSI is reviewing the testimonies of former chief financial officer Sathar Chantrasettalead and his secretary Yosboworn Amarit.
The DSI has sent a summon to another former executive Kittisak Jitprasertngam to acknowledge a charge next week.
Govt sends B20m to hospital in Tak
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Public Health Ministry has sent 20 million baht in funding to Umphang Hospital in Tak province to assist in the medical emergency along the Thai-Myanmar border after the hospital was reported to be facing a financial crisis and had lost 40 million baht of its liquidity.
Dr Opas Kankawinpong, the health ministry’s permanent secretary, said the political turmoil in Myanmar had caused an influx of ethnic people across the Thai border. Many have turned to Umphang Hospital for help causing a spike in its operating costs.
He said the Public Health Ministry sent the 20 million baht in funding in July to ease the situation temporarily.
Dr Opas noted the lack of liquidity stemmed from the political unrest in ethnic states in Myanmar, which resulted in a large number of migrants seeking refuge in Thailand and requesting medical help.
“I have assigned officials to investigate whether local hospitals along the Thai-Myanmar border are facing the same situation as Umphang Hospital and for them to draw up solutions,” said Dr Opas.
He added that Umphang Hospital is listed under the “One Province One Hospital” scheme, where hospitals in each health district share medical staff, budgets and resources to support one another.
On Aug 9, Dr Worawit Tantiwattanasap, director of Umphang Hospital, said the 2023 fiscal year marks the first time in three decades that the hospital has over 40 million baht in deficit, largely resulting from its treatment of immigrant patients.
Some 25% of migrant inpatients and half of migrant outpatients reportedly cannot afford their medical bills.
Many patients were hospitalised due to the outbreak of fighting in the Kawkareik border town of Myanmar’s Karen State as well as an ongoing malaria flare-up, said Dr Worawit.
Besides, he added that more migrants have come to Tak province to have their babies delivered.
Umphang Hospital has settled a community isolation programme in Myanmar to slow down migration to Thailand. However, the operating cost of the programme cannot be reimbursed from the Public Health Ministry, resulting in a deficit of the hospital’s budget.
Wan vows support for students in Indonesia amid job concerns
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha yesterday promised to help address the concerns of Thai students in Indonesia over complaints they cannot apply for a job in the public sector with the degrees they have earned there.
He was speaking after a meeting with a group of Thai students in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, where he led a delegation of parliamentarians to attend the 44th Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).
Mr Wan said the students urged parliament and the government to help resolve issues concerning their education degrees earned from abroad.
Some courses or fields of study are not recognised by the education ministry, and they are required to seek a certificate equivalent to a degree or study more if they want to apply for a job in the public sector, said Mr Wan.
He said the students’ concerns would be brought to the attention of the House of Representatives so they would be properly addressed, but he also advised the students to submit the issue to the House.
“An issue like this has been handled before,” he said. “There is a case of a medical graduate from abroad whose degree wasn’t recognised. He is currently required to work at a designated hospital for one or two years, take the required exams, and get a licence.”
Mr Wan said more than 1,000 Thai students are studying in Indonesia, but only 10 are enrolled at universities in Jakarta, while the others are studying in cities where living costs are lower.
Nura-ayanee Samoh, who studies at Muhammadiyah in Jakarta, said she hoped all Thai graduates from overseas, regardless of their field of study, could apply for jobs in the public sector without having to get a certificate equivalent to a degree or study more.
Sulfar Mani, who studies at UIN Jakarta, said he asked Mr Wan to see what he could do to help students deal with the high cost of living and to coordinate with them on visa renewals.
New scam targets uni students
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
Police have warned about a new scam where call centre gangs trick students into sending fake abduction video clips of themselves, which are then used to get money from their parents.
Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang, special adviser to the Royal Thai Police (RTP), yesterday gave details about this new type of scam where call centre gangs target university students living alone in apartments.
A gang would make a phone call via voice over internet protocol (VoIP), mostly beginning with the numbers +697 and +698 and randomly call victims, Pol Lt Gen Sompong said.
They use the same technique of telling their victims that they were involved in an illegal activity. During the call, if they find the receiver is a university student, who lives alone and does not have money, the gang will suggest to the victim a way out, he said.
Pol Lt Gen Sompong said they told each victim to buy a new mobile phone SIM card and record a clip of the victim being tied by a rope or duct tape and send the clip to the gang.
The gang then contacts the victim’s parents and sends them the video clip with a demand for money.
The parents cannot contact their child, so they transfer money to either a mule account or their child’s account, which is later transferred to the scammer gang, he said.
Pol Lt Gen Sompong urged people to be more prudent and not fall for such scams.
He also suggested people download the “Who’s Call” mobile application to help verify mobile phone numbers and inform the police at 191 or call centre of Police Cyber Task Force centre at 1441 or 081-866-3000 about suspected scam calls.
Agency seeks international help on floods
Wants discharge rate on Mekong managed
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) has sent an emergency notice to the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS), requesting neighbouring countries in the Lower Mekong River Basin and China to carefully manage water level discharges to prevent floods.
Surasri Kidtimonton, ONWR secretary-general and deputy director of the National Water Command Centre (NWCC), said yesterday that continuous heavy rain in the lower basin has resulted in flash floods in Laos’ Bolikhamxay province.
A low-pressure trough covering southern China and northern Vietnam has caused heavy downpours across the North and Northeast of Thailand, with water levels expected to rise in the Mekong River from Thursday to Tuesday, he said.
The NWCC initially warned people living in eight provinces along the Mekong River to brace for potential flash floods, he said.
After the warning, the ONWR sent a letter to the MRCS to inform member countries, such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, of the latest water situation, urging them to prevent emergency situations stemming from floods, he said.
Mr Surasri said that the ONWR has also contacted Laos and China to urge them to carefully manage the discharge rate of dams along the Mekong River to prevent floods.
Reports from water stations along the river — in Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani — showed that current water levels are still manageable, he said.
Officials from the ONWR Region 3 have been assigned to closely observe the water situation and cooperate with local agencies to assist people who live along the major waterway during an emergency, he said.
From today to Friday, Thailand will experience heavy rainfall, which will likely cause landslides and flash floods across 16 provinces, he said, citing a weather forecast.
On Thursday, downpours hit Trat, Mukdahan, Trang, Kanchanaburi, Nan and Lop Buri, he said.
Moreover, flash floods and mudslides are expected in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Nan, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Satun and Trang from today to Friday, he said.
China’s GDS launches Nusajaya Tech Park Data Center Campus in Johor, with eye on SEA
GDS makes debut in SEA with launch of inaugural Data Center Campus
New campus geared to meet surging digital demands in the age of AI
GDS, a leading China based developer and operator of high-performance data centers, celebrated the grand opening of its Nusajaya Tech Park Data Center Campus in Johor, Malaysia.
In a…Continue Reading
Former NTUC Income chief’s presidential bid: 5 things to know about Tan Kin Lian
SINGAPORE: Former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian on Friday (Aug 11) launched his bid to run for the presidency.
He is the fourth person to declare their intention to contest the upcoming Presidential Election. The other three are former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, businessman George Goh and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song.
Here are five things to know about Mr Tan, 75, who also ran for the presidency in 2011 but finished last.
FORMER NTUC INCOME CEO
Mr Tan was the CEO of NTUC Income for 30 years until 2007. After leaving the insurer, he started a computer software business and travelled regularly to provide insurance consultancy in Indonesia.
In a blog post on Jul 30, he claimed NTUC Income’s assets had increased by 600 times under his leadership – from S$28 million (US$20.8 million) to S$17 billion.
NTUC Income’s net assets were valued at around S$1.17 billion in its annual report for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2006, which was Mr Tan’s last full year as its CEO.
Explaining why he left NTUC Income, Mr Tan previously said that he disagreed with a few members of the board on the issue of privatising NTUC Income and had “fought so hard” for it to remain a cooperative.
When the board decided to search for a new CEO, Mr Tan said he accepted that decision “as it was best for NTUC Income to search for a new direction for the future”.
NTUC Income is now a corporate entity after its insurance business and assets were transferred to a new company called Income Insurance Ltd in 2022.