BANGKOK (NNT) – Thailand is now in transition from the the rainy season to winter, with precipitation decreasing. The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) is asking the general public to help save water to prepare for the dry season, while ensuring the volume of water in reserve is sufficient for consumption and environment protection.
The Meteorological Department has announced the official start of the winter season in Thailand tomorrow (17th October 2019), when the temperature in upper parts of Thailand will drop and precipitation will continue to decrease, however the southern region will continue to have heavy rains.
The total volume of water in medium-sized and large dams across the country is currently 50.999 billion cubic meters, or 67 percent of total capacity, with 27.07 million usable. The volume in the four main dams in the Chao Phraya River Basin, namely Bhumibol, Sirikit, Kwae Noi, Bamrung Dan and Pa Sak Jolasid, is now 12.097 billion cubic meters combined, or 49 percent capacity, with 5.401 billion cubic meters usable.
The RID Deputy Director General Thaweesak Thana-dachophol said the department will manage water appropriate to limited resources, and maximize the water reserve for consumption in the dry season and environment protection. He has asked all sectors to use water in only the most efficient manner, while the RID will be preparing equipment such as water pumps and tankers for drought mitigation.
Bangkok – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to announce its support for the staging of the “2020 Global Summit of Women”, in Bangkok, from 23-25 April, 2020.
TAT executives, led by Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, and Mr. Kitsana Kaewtumrong, Executive Director of the Advertising and Public Relations Department, recently welcomed Ms. Irene Natividad, President of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute, to a meeting in Bangkok in preparation for the 2020 Global Summit.
Mr. Tanes said, “Thailand is ready to host the 2020 Global Summit of Women in Bangkok and celebrate its 30th year of promoting women’s advancement in the global economy. That Thailand has been chosen as the host country can be attributed to the hard work and contribution of the Thai Host Committee, chaired by Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, former Minister of Tourism and Sports.”
From left: Mr. Kitsana Kaewtumrong, TAT’s Executive Director of the Advertising and Public Relations Department; Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT’s Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications; Ms. Irene Natividad, President of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute; Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul; Dr. Chonchanok Viravan, Past International President of International Federation of Business and Professional Women and Vice Chair, Thai Host Committee, during the recent meeting at the TAT’s Head Office.
The role of Thailand’s women is featured prominently on the 2020 Global Summit of Women’s website. It said:
Thai women make up 40 percent of chief executives and 34 percent of chief financial officers within Thai companies.
Thailand ranks first in the world for enrollment of women in higher education with 1.41 women attending a university for every man.
Women in Thailand were among the first in Asia who were granted the right to vote in 1932.
Thailand’s female population comprised 47% of the country’s workforce, which makes up the highest percentage of working women in the region of the Asia-Pacific.
The 2020 Global Summit of Women is expected to see over 1,000 leaders in business and government from around the world celebrating the 30th Anniversary Summit in Bangkok and discussing several issues under the theme “Women: Revolutionising Economies”.
Key topics include ‘Changing the Face of Economic Leadership Globally’, ‘Promoting Ethical Corporate Governance through Diverse Perspectives’, ‘Creating Innovative Enterprises for 21st Century Global Markets’, ‘Increasing Countries GDPs While Uplifting Families and Communities’, and ‘Leading the Fight to Preserve the Planet’s Resources for Future Growth’.
The Global Summit of Women is a project of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute, a non-profit organisation, based in Washington, DC, USA. Since 1990, the Summit has been connecting women worldwide.
For more information and the programme of the 2020 Global Summit of Women, please visit: https://globewomen.org/globalsummit/
BANGKOK(NNT) – The Comptroller General’s Department and the Department of Local Administration have developed a database to speed up the transfer of monthly allowances to senior citizens and persons with disabilities nationwide, and help prevent fraud and corruption.
The Director-General of the Comptroller General’s Department, Poomsak Aranyakasemsuk, said today his agency has integrated the social welfare database with the government’s e-Payment project, which is part of the National e-Payment Master Plan. With this integration, people who are eligible can directly receive their allowances from the government. The Department of Local Administration has set up the database and verified the personal information. People in Sing Buri province have been receiving their allowances directly since August this year.
Meanwhile, the information system and the subsistence allowance database are being upgraded and verified at 7,774 local administrative organizations across the country. The information will be linked through the database to help senior citizens and persons with disabilities receive their allowances directly, starting in January next year. The allowances will be transferred on the 10th day of each month. If it happens to be a weekend or a public holiday, the due date will be a day earlier.
BANGKOK (NNT) – The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society confirmed the Personal Information Protection Act will become officially effective in the middle of next year. The ministry will organize a major seminar to disseminate knowledge and understanding about the new law, which is intended to prevent unauthorized access to personal information.
Digital Economy Minister Puttipong Punnakanta confirmed the Personal Information Protection Act of 2019 will come into effect on May 28, 2020. The new law calls for the setting up of a committee to be in charge of protecting personal information and the Office of the Personal Information Protection Board. Wannaphorn Thephassadin na Ayutthaya, a deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, will act as interim secretary general of the committee.
Mr Puttipong said there have been many cases of misuse of personal information due to technological progress, such as basic information in ID cards, personal incomes and financial data. The law was largely designed to prevent the privacy of personal information from being violated. Measures and regulations are provided under international protocols.
The protective measures for personal information might be unfamiliar to several agencies, thus prompting the ministry to disseminate knowledge about the law. A major seminar for all relevant agencies is scheduled for October 10 at Centra by Centara Government Complex Hotel on Chaeng Wattana road. All views exchanged and suggestions made during the seminar will be collated as basis for the writing of an organic law before the Personal Information Protection Act becomes fully effective. Those interested in the seminar can register on www.zipeventapp.com from today.
BANGKOK(NNT) – This year, Thailand is to host the 19th International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) Congress. The event will reinforce the status of Thailand as the world’s leading colored stone exporter and promote the country as the world’s gem and jewelry trading center.
The Deputy Minister of Commerce, Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol, presided over the opening of the ICA Congress 2019 on the theme “Ruby: Eternal Love” at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. The event is jointly organized by the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand and the International Colored Gemstone Association. The congress serves as a platform for gem and jewelry traders from around the world to share industry information. This is the third time Thailand has hosted the ICA Congress because of the country’s place in this industry. This year, many of the world’s leading gem and jewelry traders are sharing their experiences on many topics, such as emerald and ruby mining in Africa; the colored stone industry; corporate social responsibility and standards of gem and jewelry testing.
Mr. Weerasak said Thailand is renowned for its colored stones and high standard of workmanship. The country is also one of the leading gem and jewelry manufacturers and suppliers, while its inspection is in compliance with the international standards for quality and excellence. The industry has contributed a large amount of revenue to the country. The Ministry of Commerce is ready to help and support local gem and jewelry traders in the international market place and promote the country as the world’s gem and jewelry trading center.
For many years, Thailand has been a center for rubies. Gem and jewelry exports rank third in Thailand’s total export value, generating annual revenue of almost 1 trillion baht and creating jobs for some 700,000 people.
At the ICA Congress 2019, many gems and jewelry items, including Siamese rubies, are on display. The Deputy Minister of Commerce awarded honorary plaques to individuals who support the Thai colored stone industry, including representatives of the Italian Republic, the United States of America, the People’s Republic of China, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
Author: Jae Ho Chung, Seoul National University Seoul is being pulled back and forth between Beijing and Washington as the two compete for regional influence. South Korea must figure out how to navigate these choppy waters while putting its own interests first. In the 27 years since diplomatic normalisation between South Korea and China, relations […]
The post South Korea’s US–China conundrum appeared first on Thailand – China.
BANGKOK (NNT) – Chulalongkorn University has joined the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Pollution Control Department and 7 educational institutes from Japan, to establish a marine debris research center to indentify effects of microplastic contamination in the environment.
Chulalongkorn University has unveiled the establishment of a research center inside the campus as part of the cooperation between Thailand and Japan, as well as the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Pollution Control Department and other related agencies.
This 5-year research program is aimed at eliminating debris, particularly plastics, from Thai waters, in keeping with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14, to conserve the oceans and marine resources for sustainable development. The center will engage in inclusive research projects and actions to raise pubic awareness, and ultimately report to related government agencies providing plastic waste management guidelines in Thailand.
Assoc Prof Voranop Viyakarn, the Director of the Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, revealed the university has been performing research on marine and plastic debris together with government agencies, including the Pollution Control Department and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, as well as five other educational institutes, namely Walailak University, Eastern Asia University, Burapha University, Prince of Songkla University, and Kasetsat University. The latest research program is the first of its kind to be undertaken in Thailand and involves 7 Japanese universities who will share academic resources and technologies to ensure the effectiveness of the research, with results expected over the next 3 years.
Assoc Prof Suchana Chavanich, a lecturer at the Department of Marine Science at Chulalongkorn University, added that initial research on Thai people’s use of single-use plastics shows signs of continuous decline, especially in Bangkok, while the research will focus sources of the highest debris volume, particularly large provinces and the upper Gulf of Thailand’s shores, to find the size and flow pattern of debris into the sea, as well as finding the level of microplastic contamination in living organisms in the human food chain.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam ranks 63rd among 140 countries and territories in the recently released Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) 2019, jumping four places compared to the latest 2017 ranking.
Thailand ranked 31st in the tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) 2019
Released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) every two years since 2007, the TTCI 2019 analysed 140 economies and scored each according to their performance on the following six pillars – Air transport infrastructure, ICT readiness, Price competitiveness, International openness, Travel & tourism prioritisation, and Safety and Security.
When it comes to price competitiveness, Vietnam ranks 22nd, rising 13 places while in terms of air transport infrastructure, the country has improved by 11 places, growing to 50th from 61st.
Spain holds the top spot in the ranking, followed by France, Germany and Japan. In Southeast Asia, Singapore was ranked as the most competitive travel and tourism economy while Vietnam was placed 5th.
In 2019, Vietnam’s tourism industry aims to welcome 103 million visitors, including 18 million international visitors and 85 million domestic tourists.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Administration (VNAT), in the first eight months of this year, the number of foreign visitors to the country rose by 8.7 percent year on year to…
