ONDE Push Thailand Towards ASEAN Digital Hub With National Policy

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23 February 2021, 05:30

“We will collaborate with the private sector to focus on sustainable development”: ONDE, MWC Shanghai 2021

22^nd February 2021 – National Digital Economy and Society Commission, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Thailand (ONDE) said in “MWC Shanghai 2021” event that it will focus on Digital Transformation and improving Digital Economy in Thailand, as well as helping Thailand become a Digital Hub in ASEAN, by utilizing national policy and collaboration with the private sector to lay the foundation of digital infrastructure for 5G, internet, and network innovation for sustainable future.

As the world embarks on recovery from the pandemic, there is growing recognition of the need for a green and inclusive growth. The digital technologies can and will play a critical role to pave the way to net-zero emissions and bring equitable education to more beneficiaries. To tackle the challenge, Huawei, with the participation of UNESCO, and co-sponsored by GSMA, the School of Economics, Fudan University, and The Paper, hosted “Connected for shared Prosperity”, an online and offline forum aiming to advance sustainable development during the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021.

With Thailand having experienced one of the highest digital development advancements, Mrs. Vunnaporn Dehastin, Secretary-General of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, gave the honor to provide a speech on “National Policy Driving Digital Technology and Sustainable Development: Building Digital Hub of ASEAN”, joined by government representatives from other countries. She also elaborated on Thailand’s policy to advancing the country to become a digital hub in ASEAN, the vision behind it and the aims to boost economy, improve social well-being, and achieve sustainable development.

“We have developed Thailand Digital Economy and Society Development Plan from a national level. This plan acts as a blueprint to revolutionize government operations, business practices, and people’s lifestyle. The plan covers building a country-wide, high-capacity digital infrastructure to provide accessible and affordable internet, digital transformation through initiatives such as Digital SMEs, Digital Agriculture, and Digital Industry, and a collaboration with Huawei on opening 5G Ecosystem Innovation Center (EIC) in Bangkok last year. This center is as a sandbox for digital innovations of 5G applications and services across various industries. These innovations will create new business opportunities for SMEs, startups and educational institutions, paving the way to achieve Thailand 4.0 and build the digital hub in the ASEAN region. This goal must be achieved through cooperation between the public and the private sectors, at both domestic and international level. Together, we can overcome the challenges and build a better future.” she said.

Regarding sustainable development, Mrs. Vunnaporn stated that digital technologies have positively impacted the society, especially during and after the pandemic. Digital economy promises new ways for business to grow, brings social well-being, and aligns with Thailand sustainable development goals and global trends which prioritize tackling climate change, reducing carbon emissions, pursuing new renewable energy resources, and supporting circular economy through green ICT solutions.

Based on the Speedtest Global Index 2020, Thailand ranks at the top out of 176 countries in fixed broadband internet speed testing, also the first country in South East Asia to launch commercial 5G services. In addition, there are many initiatives the government has launched to improve public service, such as Government Data Center and Cloud service (GDCC) project, aiming to improve the efficiency and decrease the government budget for digital infrastructure development. Other initiatives include the Pracharat Internet Project, installing free high-speed internet networks through a total of 24,700 with more than 80,000 km of fiber optic, and Digital Community Center Project, with 2,277 sites in 77 provinces, and over 2,300 volunteer staff.

The “Connected for shared Prosperity” offline and online forum, hosted by Huawei, saw Catherine Chen, Corporate Senior Vice President and Director of the Board, Huawei give an opening speech. She was joined by representatives from other countries, experts in innovation and digital technology. The purpose of the forum is to tackle climate change and advance sustainable development during the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021, with the participation of UNESCO, and co-sponsored by GSMA, the School of Economics, Fudan University, and The Paper. In addition, Huawei would like to promote Thailand as a digital transformation role model for other countries in South East Asian region.

About Huawei

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 194,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:

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For media contact, please reach Carl Byoir & Associates:

Suthatip Boonsaeng (08-7685-1695, 0-2627-3501 ext. 102) [email protected]

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Year of Dissent: Activists Reflect on Anniversary of Street Protests

By

Khaosod English

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22 February 2021, 20:00

153536048_4071239942894907_4367860175611131512_o — Student-led demonstrators gather at Ratchaprasong Intersection on Oct. 25, 2020.

Top: Student-led demonstrators gather at Ratchaprasong Intersection on Oct. 25, 2020.

BANGKOK — The chain of consequences that led from this day a year ago is certainly incredible in every sense of the word.

What started as a small protest against the dissolution of the Future Forward Party in several universities soon snowballed into the largest street protests since the military seized power in 2014.

Calls for justice on behalf of the party, which enjoyed widespread support among the younger voters, also evolved into the once-unthinkable quest to debate the royal institution publicly and make it more accountable under the law.

But while all of the activists interviewed for this story agree that they have achieved in raising political consciousness and sparking conversations about monarchy, they differed in the lessons learned from a full year of resistance. Some say the movement needs to be more “leaderless,” others suggest an overhaul of strategies and priorities.

“We have journeyed for a long way,” Thammasat University student and activist Benja Apan, 22, said by phone. “Even though we have disappeared for some months because of COVID, many groups were formed. There are pro-democracy networks in provinces outside Bangkok, too. We have come so far that we have crystallized our three demands.”

The demands are PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s resignation, charter amendments, and reforms of the monarchy. Benja is a member of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, who organized many of the rallies in the past year.

“One year might be a long time, but we will keep going forward. The awareness about democracy is increasing,” Benja said. “In the past, people wouldn’t dare discuss the monarchy. But people are more conscious now and they’re talking about it more. They can talk about it on dinner tables now.”

EQZWzrMUwAEuqq3 6 — *Anti-government protest at Thammasat University in Pathum Thani province on Feb. 26, 2020.*

Jutatip Sirikhan, a 22-year-old leader of the Free Youth movement, also said the success of the past 12 months was to awaken the political awareness among many groups of Thai society, not just the new generations.

“It makes people interested in problems in our politics, and issues about the monarchy,” said Jutatip, whose organization is responsible for some of the largest protests in the past months.

Free Youth drew controversy in December when it appeared to support communist ideologies, causing allies like the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration to distance themselves from the activists.

But the group recently clarified it stood for “liberal democracy” and announced it will return to organizing protests, suggesting that the rift has been mended.

บรรยากาศการอภิปรายไม่ไว้วางใจรัฐมนตรีเป็นรายบุคคล 25 2 — *Protest at Mahidol University Salaya Campus in Nakhon Pathom province on Feb. 25, 2020.*

Jutatip the Free Youth leader said she wished the movement relies less on a handful of leaders and expands more in the horizontal way, since many activists have been bogged down by multiple criminal charges for their roles in the protests, including royal defamation.

“Security officers can arrest people who played a large role [in protests], yet people still have to rely on the leaders. This is a problem right now,” Jutatip said. “I want to see the movement truly belonging to the mass. I want everyone to be their own leaders, like what happens in Burma. The movement has to evolve this year.”

Benja, the activist from the Thammasat United Front, said she’s seen many flaws in the past year that she and her peers could learn from, like internal conflicts among different pro-democracy groups, inadequate emphasis on nonviolence, and putting too much focus on monarchy reforms at the expense of two other major demands.

“We might have focused too much on attacking the monarchy, to the point that we neglect our first goal, which is Prayut must go,” Benja said.

S 20603184 copy — *Students protest on July 31, 2020 at Silpakorn University.*

“This year, we will set new priorities. We will adapt our strategies. We will eat the meal one spoon at a time. We will increase the push for [monarchy] reforms, but we will have to get Prayut to leave first.”

Outside Bangkok, the political awakening has been felt the strongest in the northeast, where 15 out of 20 provinces in the region witnessed at least one protest by student-led groups in the past year.

Phongsatorn Tancharoen, a 19-year-old student activist at Maha Sarakham University, said the level of political awakening in his home province and the Isaan region in general is high, yet they are often ignored by Bangkok-based activist groups.

Maha Sarakham is more than 450 kilometers from the capital. Phongsatorn said the gap, physical and ideological, fails to push the grievances of local communities into national movement.

“There’s a lack of cooperation between Bangkok and the regional levels,” Phongsatorn said by phone. “We still lack a discussion. We still miss the points that can connect our groups together.”

S 3940428 — *Anti-government protest in Bangkok on Oct. 19, 2020.*

He went on, “In many areas, people suffer from crop prices, environmental issues, and the difficulty that Isaan people face when they move in to work in the capital. Yet these issues are not picked up.”

For Chotisak Onsoong, a 39-year-old veteran campaigner who has been protesting military influences in politics since the coup in 2006, said he wishes the student activists are aware that the fight will take longer than many of them had thought.

“Even if they lose in this round, there will be new rounds of fight, in the next 5 or 10 years,” Chotisak said. “Of course, one day they will win, but that may not happen in this round.”

Although Chotisak acknowledged that the student movement achieved a notable feat in popularizing the issue about the monarchy, he said the focus on peaceful methods of resistance is lacking.

“I think their biggest success is making the monarchy a topic that people can talk about more, but the problem is the issue about nonviolence,” he said.

Police ‘Have No Duty’ to Explain ‘Elephant Ticket’ Scandal

By

Khaosod English

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22 February 2021, 18:20

Demonstrators toss mock “Elephant Tickets” during an anti-government rally in front of the parliament on Feb. 20, 2021. — Demonstrators toss mock copies of “Elephant Tickets” during an anti-government rally in front of the parliament on Feb. 20, 2021.

BANGKOK — Police top brass remained silent Monday on the bombshell revelation by an opposition MP that police officers can advance up the ranks just by securing a letter signed by powerful figures, without having to go through the formal channels.

Move Forward Party lawmaker Rangsiman Rome showed evidence of the shortcut, known as “The Elephant Ticket,” during a censure debate on Friday, and accused Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan of turning blind eye to the alleged corruption. But a police spokesman said the force isn’t required to provide any response.

“The opposition MP made the accusations against the government, so the police have no duty to respond,” Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen said. “However, the police may verify the content and authenticity of the police appointment documents published online.”

Another police spokesman, Maj. Gen. Yingyot Thepchamnong, turned down the request for comments about Rangsiman’s accusations, because he was seeing a doctor.

“I’m not available right now,” Yingyot said, before hanging up the phone.

S 5963833 — *Move Forward MP Rangsiman Rome speaks at the Parliament on Feb. 19, 2021.*

Police reform activist Wirut Sirisawasdibut said he is not surprised by Rangsiman’s revelation.

“What’s the fuss about it?” Wirut said. “It’s already existed for decades already, but it was only presented with evidence [by Rangsiman]. Fortune favors the bold, if you don’t pay for your position or approach your boss, you wouldn’t get it.”

Wirut, who served as a police colonel, said the current police appointment regulation is vaguely written and can be easily exploited.

“They want to keep it open,” Wirut said. “What defines competency? They could just say this police officer has the ability to hold this position without getting tested or spending enough time in tenure.”

During Friday’s no-confidence debate, Rangsiman said 20 police officers were exempted from the official criteria for a promotion and fast tracked to a higher position after their names were listed in “The Elephant Ticket.”

The ticket is said to be a document signed by Royal Household Bureau sec-gen Sathitpong Sukvimol, who asked a certain institution for permission to vault those men up their ranks.

The promotions were granted, even though Sathitpong – whose previous positions include the head of the Crown Property Bureau – does not currently have any formal position in the police force.

Mentions of the “Elephant Ticket” appear to be mentioned for the first time in an investigative report by MGR Online news agency back in 2017.

“The best kind of Ticket, or promotion recommendation letter, that has never been refused, no matter what the requested positions are, is called Elephant Ticket,” the article said. “This fact is only known within the police circle.”

At Friday’s debate, Rangsiman presented a similar scheme run by Sathitpong’s brother, Maj. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol, who now serves as the commander of the police’s Central Investigation Bureau. He’s also the chief of the Ratchawallop Police Retainers, King’s Guard 904.

He showed a document signed by Torsak asking then-national police commissioner Chakthip Chaijinda to promote three police officers, citing the fact that they have completed the Royal Volunteer Spirit 904 training course – a program initiated by King Vajiralongkorn.

Rangsiman was forced to mention names by their initials during his speech when presiding House Speaker Supachai Phuso said he is not allowed to reference individuals outside the parliament.

สาดสี2 1 — *Police present their weapons during an inspection in Bangkok on Dec. 23, 2019.*

He was eventually ordered by Supachai to stop his speech after multiple protests by coalition lawmakers, but he continued the presentation at a news conference outside the chamber. Due to legal concerns, Khaosod English cannot discuss Rangsiman’s allegations or the documents he cited in full details, though they were readily available on social media.

A government aide already threatened to press royal defamation charges against Rangsiman for making references to the monarchy.

Prayut, who chairs the Police Commission, which oversees police appointments, responded to Rangsiman’s accusations by saying every appointment under his oversight was done according to laws and police regulations.

However, he did not directly address the “Elephant Ticket” itself.

Pro-democracy activists are set to hold a rally near the national police headquarters on Tuesday evening to call police officers to join force against the alleged corruption scheme within their ranks.

Speaking at a news conference earlier today, police spokesman Yingyot said he does not believe that there will be any officers joining the protest at Ratchaprasong Intersection.

“I think they know what is appropriate or not,” Yingyot said. “Personally, I believe there will be no officers joining, but they may observe it under their duties.”

South Koreans Arrive for Thailand’s First ‘Golf Quarantine’

By

Khaosod English

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22 February 2021, 15:29

A woman destined for Thailand’s first “villa quarantine” gets a COVID-19 test on Feb. 21, 2021 at Phuket International Airport.

BANGKOK — The government pandemic center announced Monday that a group of 41 South Koreans have landed in Thailand for what is termed as the country’s first ever “golf quarantine.”

The 41 South Korean nationals are currently quarantined at Artitaya Golf Country Club in Nakhon Nayok, having arrived on Thursday, a center spokeswoman said. The travelers will be confined in their rooms for only five days and allowed to use the country club’s golfing facilities afterward, if they test negative for the coronavirus .

Pandemic center spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan said the government is open to suggestions quarantine experience that would be attractive to foreign travelers.

“Business owners can suggest other quarantine ideas, and even arrange for food delivery and selling items in the quarantine area,” Apisamai said at the news conference. “With this system, the economy can develop while following safety measures.”

Quarantine tourism for the ultrarich travelers appears to be underway. The pandemic center announced last week that a group of around 70 “international socialites” will land in Phuket as part of a travel bubble. On Sunday, 59 of them already arrived on the island via two flights: a private jet carrying 13, and a chartered flight carrying 46, officials said.

The group will undergo a luxury “villa quarantine” at Sri Panwa Resort, whose owner made news in September for lashing out at pro-democracy demonstrators. The cost wasn’t mentioned.

นักกอล์ฟจากเกาหลี 728x471 1 — A photo of South Koreans arriving for Thailand’s first Golf Quarantine group released by the government on Feb. 22, 2021.

The border remains closed to tourism in general, however. Although several trade federations have called for the border to reopen to foreign travelers who are already vaccinated against COVID-19, the government has yet to make any formal decision on the matter.

Market Cluster

Health officials also announced Monday that an active case search in Pathum Thani covering 13,000 people have turned up at least 430 infections. Most of them, 413, were linked to an outbreak at Pornpat Market in the province.

But the case number nationwide is falling. According to the coronavirus response center, Thailand logged 89 new infections as of Monday, 73 of them local and the rest found in quarantine for arrivals from overseas.

“We are seeing infections in [just] two digits per day now,” Apisamai said.

Of these numbers, 31 cases were found in Samut Sakhon, 11 in Tak, and 9 in Pathum Thani.

The infections in Tak were traced to a trucker who transports items between Thailand and Myanmar.

Apisamai said markets nationwide should conduct tougher social distancing and screening measures. Many markets currently do not require customers to check in via the government’s app for COVID-19 tracking, or Thai Chana.

‘Miss Grand Mexico’ Criticized For Posing With Buddha Image

By

Khaosod English

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22 February 2021, 13:04

BANGKOK — Some of the devout Buddhists on Monday are finding fault with a Mexican beauty queen who took photos and a video of her in a swimsuit next to a Buddha image.

Miss Grand Mexico Angela Yuriar, 19, posted the video on Sunday with the caption, “Thailand here we go,” though she later deleted it. Yuriar is set to attend The Miss Grand International 2020 pageant in Bangkok next month.

“Due to her ignorance of Buddhist culture, she wore a swimsuit and took photos with the Buddha image, creating a scandal about decorum and religious sensitivity,” Beng Nang Ngam, a beauty pageant fanpage, wrote online.

“Due to her lack of understanding about religion, I think she has to come out and say something. But still sending her our support!”

Hardline Buddhist groups have often expressed outrage against foreigners using the sacred image of the Buddha as kitschy souvenirs, tattoos, or decorative items. A well-funded campaign, called Knowing Buddha, also urges tourists not to buy Buddha images to be used back home as decorations.

“In her country, it might be normal, but here it’s very inappropriate. I saw that once they used the Buddha’s head to make an ashtray. We have to explain to them and they will understand,” Facebook user Here Nat wrote in a comment under a news article.

However, some pointed out that according to Buddhist teachings, the Buddha himself had asked his followers not to worship him or turn him into an idolatry image.

“If we go back in time and tattle to the Buddha, he wouldn’t be angry,” user Chetsada Thamchaikul wrote in a comment. “He rejected worshiping the image. His representation is the Dhamma. We are the ones who created such rituals to worship the person instead of his teachings.”

The 8th edition of the Miss Grand International pageant will take place at Show DC in Bangkok on March 27. It was supposed to be held last year, but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The contestants are expected to start arriving in Bangkok on Feb. 28.

The current titleholder of the Thailand-based franchise is Valentine Figuera of Venezuela. Thailand’s representative in the pageant is Patcharaporn “Nam” Chantarapadit.

Bangkok Ban on Booze in Restaurants Lifted, Bars Reopen

By

Khaosod English

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22 February 2021, 11:00

img_20200405_185145 — Khaosan Road is seen on Apri 6, 2020.

Major update: The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration approves the proposal to reopen bars and allow alcohol to be sold in restaurants in Bangkok, starting on Tuesday, though they will have to close by 11pm.

BANGKOK — The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, is set to discuss on Monday whether bars in Bangkok will be allowed to reopen and a ban on alcohol sales in restaurants lifted.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha himself, who wrote online Sunday that he’s aware the restrictions were having an impact on small enterprises in the capital.

“One of the issues to be deliberated is the easing of restrictions on consumption of alcohol in restaurants and reopening of nightlife establishments,” Prayut said. “The meeting will discuss this matter in the most careful manner, since it’s an issue that affects many small businesses, restaurants, and business operators.”

The ban was imposed in early January in a bid to curb the new wave of coronavirus infections, which resurfaced in Samut Sakhon province in late December.

The impact is believed to be devastating for many businesses in Bangkok, who were already left struggling in the pandemic throughout 2020, though a number of establishments have begun to serve alcohol discreetly in recent weeks.

Alcohol trade groups have repeatedly urged the government to lift the ban. But health authorities insist the shutdown is necessary to prevent crowds and gatherings that could spread the virus.

The ban is still maintained in the capital even as other cities like Chonburi and Chiang Mai already allowed bars to resume their operations.

The CCSA reports 92 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Thailand’s total infection number stands at 25,415 as of Sunday, with 83 deaths linked to the coronavirus.

12 Japan Firms Will Kill Business Deals Involving Uyghur Forced Labor

By

Kyodo News

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22 February 2021, 09:01

1000 (10) — People take part in a rally condemning China's alleged human rights violations against Uyghurs in Hong Kong on Dec. 22, 2019. (Kyodo)

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Twelve major Japanese companies have established a policy of ceasing business deals with Chinese companies found to benefit from the forced labor of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s far-western Xinjiang region, a Kyodo News investigation showed Sunday.

Pressure has been mounting on Japanese firms to take action over such human rights abuses in the supply chain after the United States and Britain imposed import restrictions on cotton and other products originating from the autonomous region.

Continue reading the story here.

Why Some Texans Are Getting Sky-High Energy Bills

By

Associated Press

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22 February 2021, 09:01

1000 (1) — DeAndré Upshaw shows a $5,000 bill from Griddy on his cell phone for his 900-square-foot apartment during very cold weather in Dallas, on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (Lola Gomez//The Dallas Morning News via AP)

By The Associated Press

After unusual icy weather left millions of Texans without power, some are facing another crisis: Sky-high electricity bills.

The surge in pricing is hitting people who have chosen to pay wholesale prices for their power, which is typically cheaper than paying fixed rates during good weather, but can spike when there’s high demand for electricity. Many of those who have reported receiving large bills are customers of electricity provider Griddy, which only operates in Texas.

Among them is Susan Hosford of Denison, Texas. On a typical February day, she pays Griddy less than $2.50 for power. But the one-day cost spiked to hundreds of dollars after the storm. In all, she was automatically charged $1,346.17 for the first two weeks of February, which was more than she had in her checking account, causing her bank to charge her overdraft fees and affect other bills.

“This whole thing has been a nightmare,” she said.

1000 5 12 — *In this Feb. 16, 2021, file photo, a woman wrapped in a blanket crosses the street near downtown Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)*

Here’s more on the soaring electricity bills:

What Are Wholesale Electricity Prices?

Wholesale electricity prices fluctuate based on demand. Because natural gas pipelines and wind turbines froze up in Texas, there was less power available, but high demand for electricity, causing wholesale prices to shoot up, said Joshua Rhodes, an energy research associate at the University of Texas.

Wholesale prices are typically as low as a couple of cents per kilowatt-hour but spiked to $9 per kilowatt-hour after the storm. Fixed rate customers pay a set amount that doesn’t rise as much. Typically, they pay around 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. But Rhodes said fixed rate customers could see their price rise by a few cents later this year as companies hit by the icy conditions look to recoup their costs — but their bills won’t be in the thousands.

People are able to pay wholesale prices in Texas because it’s one of the only states that lets people pick which company it buys power from, Rhodes said.

What Is Griddy?

Griddy, which launched in 2017, charges $10 a month to give people a way to pay wholesale prices for electricity instead of a fixed rate. It warned customers of raising prices and urged them to switch providers. The company said wholesale prices returned to normal as of Feb. 20.

1000 4 19 — In this Feb. 17, 2021, file photo, Juan Guerrlo, center left, waits in line to fill his propane tanks in Houston. Customers had to wait over an hour in the freezing rain to fill their tanks. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

How Many People Are Affected?

Griddy said it has 29,000 members. It’s unclear how many other Texans also pay wholesale prices from other companies.

“We won’t get the full picture on the financial devastation for maybe 30 to 90 days,” said Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston.

Will Those Who Got Large Bills Get Financial Help?

That’s unclear. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Sunday that he is working with members of the legislature to address skyrocketing energy bills and “find ways that the state can help reduce this burden.” But he didn’t give specifics on what that may be. For the time being, the state has stopped companies from cutting off power for not paying.

Rhodes said bailing out customers may be a hard sell since they opted to pay wholesale prices and may have paid a much lower price than others for some time.

US Coronavirus Death Toll Approaches Milestone of 500,000

By

Associated Press

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22 February 2021, 09:00

1000 (12) — President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden are joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff during a COVID-19 memorial event at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By The Associated Press

The U.S. stood Sunday at the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus.

A year into the pandemic, the running total of lives lost was about 498,000 — roughly the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and just shy of the size of Atlanta. The figure compiled by Johns Hopkins University surpasses the number of people who died in 2019 of chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, flu and pneumonia combined.

“It’s nothing like we have ever been through in the last 102 years, since the 1918 influenza pandemic,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The U.S. virus death toll reached 400,000 on Jan. 19 in the waning hours in office for President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis was judged by public health experts to be a singular failure.

The first known deaths from the virus in the U.S. happened in early February 2020, both of them in Santa Clara County, California. It took four months to reach the first 100,000 dead. The toll hit 200,000 deaths in September and 300,000 in December. Then it took just over a month to go from 300,000 to 400,000 and about two months to climb from 400,000 to the brink of 500,000.

Joyce Willis of Las Vegas is among the countless Americans who lost family members during the pandemic. Her husband, Anthony Willis, died Dec. 28, followed by her mother-in-law in early January.

There were anxious calls from the ICU when her husband was hospitalized. She was unable to see him before he died because she, too, had the virus and could not visit.

“They are gone. Your loved one is gone, but you are still alive,” Willis said. “It’s like you still have to get up every morning. You have to take care of your kids and make a living. There is no way around it. You just have to move on.”

Then came a nightmare scenario of caring for her father-in-law while dealing with grief, arranging funerals, paying bills, helping her children navigate online school and figuring out how to go back to work as an occupational therapist.

Her father-in-law, a Vietnam vet, also contracted the virus. He also suffered from respiratory issues and died on Feb. 8. The family isn’t sure if COVID-19 contributed to his death.

“Some days I feel OK and other days I feel like I’m strong and I can do this,” she said. “And then other days it just hits me. My whole world is turned upside-down.”

The global death toll was approaching 2.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins.

While the count is based on figures supplied by government agencies around the world, the real death toll is believed to be significantly higher, in part because of inadequate testing and cases inaccurately attributed to other causes early on.

Despite efforts to administer coronavirus vaccines, a widely cited model by the University of Washington projects the U.S. death toll will surpass 589,000 by June 1.

“People will be talking about this decades and decades and decades from now,” Fauci said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

___

Associated Press Writer Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report.

CP Foods Signs MOU With Chiang Mai University for Developing Insect Protein

By

Khaosod English

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22 February 2021, 06:00

Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CP Foods) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chiang Mai University to develop insect-based protein from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens), embracing Bio-Circular-Green Economy (BCG) model and driving Thai agriculture industry towards a sustainable growth.

The agreement, which was recently signed by Clinical Professor Niwes Nantachit, M.D., President of Chiang Mai University, and Dr. Pairat Srichana, senior vice president of CP Foods, aims at commercializing insect-based protein that is a sustainable alternative food source for animals and human. It is also offering great circular economy opportunities since the insects can efficiently help recycling biowaste.

Assoc.Prof.Dr Yuthana Phimolsiripol, director of Food Innovation and Packaging Center (FIN) at Chiang Mai University, said that, initially, the University researched on multiple Black Soldier Fly’s products such as skincare from the insect’s larvae oil. The University has joined hands with CP Foods to explore commercial opportunities from the research.

Under this MoU, CP Foods will fund the project and jointly develop the first smart farm for Black Soldier Fly in Thailand. This pilot farm will also be a learning centre for students, farmers, and the community.

“Chiang Mai University and CP Foods have the same goal, which is to explore the new products for driving Thai agriculture sector towards sustainable growth, using BCG economy model as an outline. This research will not only benefit both organizations, but also farmers across the country, who can generate extra income from this new economic insect.” Dr. Yuthana.

Dr. Pairat added that CP Foods has been working on alternative protein sources, whether it is plant-based protein, cell-based protein, and insect-based protein in response to the new sustainable food trend and building food security.

He explained that the company has a keen interest in insect sector. Previously, the company has developed cricket feed in 2013 and starting to research on the benefits of Black Soldier Fly in 2016.

“Black Soldier Fly is a sustainable choice for alternative protein and fat sources. Therefore, we are making a traceable and value-added insect protein. We hope that our partnership with Chiang Mai University will pave the way for a sustainable and profitable insect industry in Thailand.” Dr. Pairat said.

“We will collaborate with the private sector to focus on sustainable development”: ONDE, MWC Shanghai 2021

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