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CP Group and CP Foods Make Multiple COVID-Relief Efforts To Help Thailand Tackle COVID-19

Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CP Foods) and partners have made a series of measures under “CPF Food from the Heart against COVID-19” project, including donating 250,800 pieces of surgical masks and 129,000 packs of ready-to-eat meals, to help frontline healthcare workers, volunteers, and vulnerable groups, including migrant workers, tackle the new wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

CP Foods’ Chief Executive Officer Prasit Boonduangprasert said that “CPF Food from the Heart against COVID-19” project was initiated to deliver safe food supplies, ensuring food security in Thailand. This is also in responding to the policy from Mr. Dhanin Chearavanont, senior chairman of CP Group, who wants to help Thailand combatting the COVID crisis, and the group’s “3-benefits” philosophy, which are the country, the people and, lastly, the company.

“CP Group and CP Foods are sending our care to people all over the country with quality and safe foods. We are currently delivering essential supplies, such as ready-to-eat meals and surgical masks to frontline medical staffs, volunteers, and vulnerable group, including migrant workers.” Mr. Prasit said.

He added CP Foods is committed to helping people living in Thailand withstand the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak with multiple supporting measures until the crisis is over.

Since January 2021, 129,000 packs of ready-to-eat meals has been donated by CP Foods and CP Group. This includes 61,200 packs for 15 hospitals in six provinces, including Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Suphanburi and Kanchanaburi, and 22,000 packs to field hospitals in Samut Sakhon province.

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The company also supplies foods to migrant groups working in Thailand. CP Foods in collaboration with Labour Protection Network (LPN) donated 30,800 packs of meals and 10,000 eggs to support 1,200 families of Myanmar workers under house quarantine around Mahachai Shrimp Market in Samut Sakhon. Later, the company gave out 3,600 packs of foods, 36,000 eggs, and other essential goods such as water, beverages, rice, and vegetable oil to the migrant workers via Embassy of Myanmar.

Aside food supplies, the company and CP Group donated a total of 250,800 pieces of mask to vulnerable groups via the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, migrant workers via Embassies of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and frontline medical staffs via Ministry of Health.

“On behalf of the government, I would like to express thanks to CP Group – CP Foods for their constant COVID-19 relief efforts. Initially, CP Foods delivered quality meals to healthcare workers and their families across the country to fight the COVID crisis. Once again, CP Group and CP Foods have lighten the burden of health workers at field hospitals as well as boosting well-being of the patients there,” said Anutin.

“CPF Food from the Heart against COVID-19” project was initiated in March 2020 to ensure food security and food safety for medical staffs and vulnerable groups, including migrant workers, who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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NKT Automatic Bagging Machines for Sale

NKT has automatic bagging machines for sale that ease the workload for many types of industries all across Thailand. With the increased competitiveness of the world’s economy today, every company needs to explore its processes in an effort to streamline their production, improve efficiency and cut costs.

The automatic bagging machines for sale from NKT can help many companies in the business of selling fine-grained products achieve all three of these goals.

Streamline Your Production Process

By packaging food materials like rice, tapioca, flour and spices, you can ensure greater compliance with hygienic standards. Besides filling PE, PP woven, or Kraft paper bags with a specified amount or weight of the product, these bagging machines also automatically close the bag. This ensures that no contaminants can enter the bag. Bags no longer remain open to the elements until they can be manually closed by hand.

Non-food production lines also benefit from the introduction of automatic bagging machines. These machines cut down on spillage and wasted material and ensure you’re maximizing your profits as much as possible.

Improve the Efficiency of Your Company’s Operations

Anytime you can automate any step of your production process, you improve the efficiency and the overall cost-effectiveness of your operation. With fewer people having to deal with the bagging process, they can be deployed to other, more labour-intensive jobs.

The quantity of moisture in your product also affects its weight efficiency in packaging. With an automatic bagging machine, you’re able to quickly and uniformly make adjustments to the weight and quantity being added to each bag to ensure the moisture content is being accounted for.

Increase Profits by Cutting Costs

By purchasing an automatic bagging machine for sale, you also help cut costs. Overages and underages that may be unaccounted for in a manual bagging process become a thing of the past. By knowing exactly how much product is shipped, you maintain better control over your finances and can make quarterly projections with a greater sense of confidence.

Cleaning up spillages that can slow down your production line, also become a thing of the past. By reducing costly spills and accidents, you can maintain a steady production rate that’s cost-efficient.

NKT Provides Versatility to Your Operations

In addition to automatic bagging machines for sale, NKT also has other systems that can be combined and configured to suit your production process. Weighing machines, conveyor systems, and product silos an all enhance your production capabilities and speed up your operations.

Robotics is also being used more and more in industries other than the automotive industry. NKT offers robot palletizer systems that lessen the dangers and risks of stacking and moving heavy pallets by hand.

Automation should be a goal of any industry that deals in fine-grained products. These can include food items as well as plastic pellets, packaging materials and industrial powders. The fine-grained properties of these materials are well-served by an automated production process.

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‘Final Warning’ Not To Touch Monarchy in Censure Debate

Pro-democracy activist Intira "Sai" Charoenpura waves a flag during a rally to call for the abolition of lese majeste law on Feb. 10, 2021.

BANGKOK — Deputy leader of the ruling Phalang Pracharath Party Paiboon Nititawan said Wednesday he will file a court challenge if the opposition invokes the monarchy during the upcoming censure debate.

Paiboon’s warning is the latest backlash from the pro-establishment faction to the Move Forward Party’s bid to discuss the government’s role in “damaging the good relations between the monarchy and the public” when the Parliament meets for the debate on Feb. 16. Move Forward is also pushing for a reform of the royal insult law, or lese majeste.

“The no-confidence debate is about politics. If there is an intention to get the monarchy involved, I’ll take action. This is my final warning,” Paiboon said by phone. “If they mention [the monarchy], I will pursue actions in all available channels, and I won’t stop at the Constitutional Court.”

The lawmaker said he’s planning to file a legal challenge to the motion, per Article 6 of the Constitution, which states that His Majesty the King must be revered and held inviolable by all Thais.

Paiboon conceded however that it’s likely too late to submit his challenge; the censure debate is set to take place less than a week from now. House Speaker Chuan Leekpai said he has yet to receive any motion from Paiboon.

Chuan also confirmed the debate will go ahead on Tuesday, Feb. 16, as scheduled by the Parliament, though he said his staff is looking into legal details about the possibilities of the monarchy being discussed during the session.

Move Forward Party sec-gen Chaitawat Tulathon said earlier this month that some its MPs will discuss the lese majeste offense when they take the floor during the censure debate. Chaitawat also hinted that the calls by street protests for monarchy reforms may also be mentioned.

The party’s motion to amend the lese majeste law was submitted and endorsed by 44 of its MPs on Wednesday; nine refused to sign.

They were Karom Polpornklang (Party List), Win Suteerachai (Party List), Kasemsan Meethip (Party List), Wanwaree Talomsin (Bangkok), Tossaporn Thongsiri (Bangkok), Jirawat Aranyakanon (Bangkok), Kwanlert Panichmat (Chonburi), Ekkapop Pianpiset (Chiang Rai), and Peeradet Kamsamut (Chiang Rai).

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NACC Rules Parina Committed ‘Serious Ethical Breaches’

Parina Kraikupt gestures while in Parliament on Feb. 10, 2021.

BANGKOK — The national anti-graft agency on Wednesday said a pro-government lawmaker committed “serious ethical breaches” by building a poultry farm on a protected forest land.

The Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission said it has also forwarded the case against Phalang Pracharath Party MP Parina Kraikupt to the Supreme Court, a move that could see Parina stripped from her seat and banned from holding political offices.

“The case of MP Parina Kraikupt unlawfully owning and benefitting from state land is a serious ethical breach,” the announcement by the commission said. “There is a conflict of interest between her individual benefits and public benefit.”

It went on, “Whether committed directly or indirectly, this is a serious breach and as a MP her actions have defamed the dignity of her office.”

“From our investigation we found that Parina Kraikupt, along with her father Tawee Kraikupt, encroached and benefitted from state land,” the statement read.

Parina stands accused of owning a 711-rai chicken farm that encroaches on a forest land reserved for impoverished farmers in Ratchaburi province. Parina has repeatedly denied the accusations, and little action has been taken against her since the scandal broke in November 2019.

Parina’s term in office as an elected House Representative began on May 25, 2019 even as she continued to own the land, the statement by the anti-graft commission said.

According to the agency, the Royal Forestry Department estimated that Parina’s land encroachment cost the state at least 36,224,791 baht in damages.

“But Parina Kraikupt continues to hold, own, and use for her benefit the aforementioned land, without having the right to own it, without permission from the Royal Forest Department or the Agricultural Land Reform Office,” the statement read.

If found guilty by the Supreme Court, the lawmaker could lose her seat in the Parliament and face a ban from political offices. It is not immediately clear when the case against Parina will be deliberated by the court.

Parina, who represents Ratchaburi province, is infamous for her scathing verbal attacks on members of the opposition and the pro-democracy camp.

Related stories:

Police Seek to Strip Parina of Immunity, Charge Her for Land Encroachment

Deadline for Parina to Hand Over Encroached Lands Ends Today

Officials Say Gov’t MP Poultry Farm Encroaches on Public Land

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Local Gov’t, Private Hospitals Blocked From Starting Vaccine Drive

Residents in Mae Sot district, Tak, queue up for coronavirus tests during an active case-finding initiative on Feb. 9, 2021.
Residents in Mae Sot district, Tak, queue up for coronavirus tests during an active case-finding initiative on Feb. 9, 2021.

BANGKOK — An order mandated by the central government this week bans local authorities and private hospitals from procuring their own coronavirus vaccine supplies, even as the fate of the national vaccination drive remains uncertain.

The decision by the Ministry of Interior Affairs came after several local governments announced their plan to secure the vaccine for their residents, namely in Phuket, where local officials hoped to open its doors to foreign tourists by October. The reopening plan is now delayed indefinitely due to the ban.

“It will definitely impact our plans,” president of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization Rewat Areerob said by phone Wednesday.

“We now have to wait for the central government to allocate the vaccines to us, but I have submitted a letter asking the health ministry to reserve more vaccine quota for us since we are a tourism province. We made a lot of money for the nation.”

Earlier this month, the mayor of Phuket City Municipality said it has set aside 45 million baht to buy the vaccines against COVID-19, while Patong Municipality said it will spend 30 million baht to inoculate its own residents.

Read: Firm Says Vaccine Production Has Started, But Won’t Let Media See It

Scores of local governments nationwide also followed suit. The Nonthaburi City Municipality announced it would use 300 million baht of its budget to buy coronavirus vaccines and cover its population of 260,000.

But in the order sent to provincial governors yesterday, the interior ministry says only the central government has the power to buy vaccines and manage the initial phase of the vaccination drive. The order cites the necessities to ensure that the doses are distributed to the desired population group and effectively monitor any adverse effects.

The same document also shot down the private sector’s plan to acquire their own stockpile of vaccines. Some private hospital chains had ordered millions doses of vaccines ahead of the government’s approval, which they hoped to inoculate their workforce – and patients who are willing to pay.

The order followed contradictory statements from key government officials. On Sunday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said in a government podcast that the private sector can import vaccines, as long as they have them registered with the Food and Drug Administration.

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Workers at a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon are tested for their antibody against the coronavirus on Feb. 8, 2021.

His pledge was overturned just days later by health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who said on Tuesday that private hospitals can’t seek their own supply of coronavirus vaccines.

“They can’t buy it. The suppliers won’t sell it either,” Anutin said Tuesday. “Vaccines that were approved for emergency use can only be sold to the government.”

Anutin also contracted himself – the health minister said it himself earlier last month that local governments and private companies can contribute to the country’s vaccine drive against COVID-19.

“If local governments want to help the central government, they can submit their proposal to us for inspection,” Anutin said on Jan. 12. “If private hospitals have the capacity to pay for their own vaccines, they can register with the FDA. The health ministry is open to everyone’s initiative, but they must be safe.”

One prominent hospital magnate says confusing communications from the central government left him frustrated.

“I don’t understand why the government prevents us from buying our own vaccines,” Boon Vanasin, the owner of Thonburi Healthcare Group said in an interview.

“I was relieved when the Prime Minister said earlier that he wouldn’t block the private sector from importing vaccines, but then the health minister said yesterday that it would no longer be possible.”

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In this photo dated June 1, 2020, released by the government, public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his entourage visit a COVID-19 vaccine research facility in Ayutthaya province.

Boon, who owns Thonburi private hospital chain, said the government had always been supportive of his plan to import one million doses of vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac. The tycoon also said has no intention of competing with the government’s effort to procure the vaccines, since he is doing it entirely out of his own pocket.

“It’s our own money,” Boon said. “We are trying to help the government because we are uncertain whether the vaccines will arrive as expected or the government will be able to reach the inoculation target of 50 percent of the population in time.”

“We can’t wait any longer since Thailand has to open the country as soon as possible.”

Thailand’s inoculation strategy relies mostly on AstraZeneca vaccines to be made locally by a Thai firm called Siam Bioscience, per a technology sharing agreement. The government said the first batch of 26 million doses produced by Siam Bioscience will be available by June.

The government has also ordered 2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine. Officials said the Chinese doses were due to arrive in January, but that hasn’t happened so far.

Related stories:

Health Officials Can’t Even Agree on COVID Vaccine Launch Date

Anutin Says Vaccination Campaign Delayed Due to Supply Row

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PM Prayut Wishes You A Happy Chinese New Year…On TikTok

Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha in a Tiktok posted Feb. 10, 2021.

BANGKOK — Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday made his debut on TikTok with a video of him wishing a happy Chinese New Year.

Gen. Prayut’s message to the Thai-Chinese community was made on the government’s official TikTok account, which appears to have been launched just a week ago. The video has been “liked” for more than 2,000 times as of publication time.

“For this Chinese New Year, I invite all the sacred spirits to bless our Chinese brothers and sisters, as well as Thais with Chinese descent. May you have strong hearts and minds, and be blessed with fortune, merit, and happiness in all aspects of your life,” Prayut said.

In the 16-second clip with seasonal background music, the general is surrounded by cartoon Chinese lanterns and a red banner at the top that reads, “Prime Minister’s Chinese New Year Wishes.”

@thaigov##นายกประยุทธ์ อวยพร ##ตรุษจีน2021 ##ไทยคู่ฟ้า♬ original sound – ไทยคู่ฟ้า

He signed off with the traditional Teochew greeting for the Lunar Festival, “Xin jia yu ee, xin ni huad chai,” which is the equivalent of “Gong xi fa cai” in Mandarin.

But don’t expect a viral TikTok dance from the retired general any time soon though.

“I already told my public relations department that I will not be making funny faces like teenagers do,” Gen. Prayut told reporters earlier today. “I won’t do that … I have to be mindful of my posture, as a Prime Minister.”

The government’s official Tiktok account @Thaigov posted their first video in early February about registering for car license plates. Two other videos are about petty crime punishments and using social security aid cards.

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HRH Sirindhorn Wishes Economic Prosperity for Year of the Ox

Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn attends a Chinese New Year celebration Feb. 5, 2020, in Bangkok’s Chinatown.

BANGKOK — Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn issued a Chinese New Year’s greeting card for the Year of the Ox, which traditionally begins on Friday. 

The greeting card featured a handwritten message by Her Royal Highness that said, “牛气冲天” or niú qi chōng tiān. The princess also included her translation, “proud Ox climbs towards the heavens,” and explained that she wished for a prosperous economy for the Lunar New Year. 

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The palace-run store Phufa is selling red polo shirts emblazoned with the greeting in the princess’ handwriting. 

Princess Sirindhorn is an enthusiast in Chinese culture and often promotes relations between Thailand and China. For her role, Chinese President Xi Jinping awarded the princess a medal of friendship back in September 2019. 

The 65-year-old royalty is a younger sister of His Majesty the King.

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Activists Issue Call for ‘Major Protest’ After 4 Leaders Jailed

Parit “Penguin Chiwarak, Arnon Nampa, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, and Patiwat “Bank” Saraiyam flash the three-finger salute on Feb. 9, 2021.

BANGKOK — Pro-democracy activist groups urged their supporters to take to the street on Wednesday in solidarity with four protest leaders who were put in jail on royal insult charges.

The protest will be held at Pathumwan Intersection on Wednesday afternoon. Activists initially set the starting time at 5pm but later moved it up to 4pm.

“All the people, we urge you to come out and unite, show that we will no longer tolerate this, for the sake of the future of a better Thailand,” a Facebook page run by the protest organizers said.

The rally was called in response to the jailings of activist leaders Arnon Nampa, Parit “Penguin Chiwarak, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, and Patiwat “Bank” Saraiyam. The four were charged with insulting the monarchy, or lese majeste, for the protest they staged on Sept. 19. The court denied them bail, saying that the activists may “repeat the offense” if they were allowed to walk free.

At least 58 people have been charged with lese majeste since November, according to civil rights group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. The offense is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, per count.

A small rally also took place at Pathumwan Intersection on Wednesday night, where a crowd of protesters said they were furious at the increasingly harsh enforcement of the lese majeste law.

“I’m angry,” said Jatuporn Sae-ung, who was also charged with lese majeste. “If you can’t accept what the people are saying, then you should fix yourself rather than putting people into jail.”

Another demonstrator said, “I’m surprised to see many people turning up today even though it’s an impromptu call for protest. It’s our tactic. People use social media to keep up with the movement, so they can be here immediately.”

It remains to be seen whether today’s rally will mark the return of the street protests that rocked Bangkok throughout the latter half of 2020. The protests were paused in late December amid the resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak.

The opposition’s Move Forward Party on Thursday also submitted a motion to reform the country’s libel laws including lese majeste. The ruling party Phalang Pracharath has said it will oppose any move to amend the royal insult offense.

Correction: An earlier version of this article said the protest would take place on Thursday afternoon. In fact, it will take place on Wednesday afternoon.

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Michelin Winner ‘Kam’s Roast’ from Hong Kong Opens in Bangkok

Toro Char Siu (445 baht).

BANGKOK — The Cantonese roast franchise Kam’s Roast makes its debut in Bangkok this week, just in time for Chinese New Year.

The Hong Kong-based restaurant is set to open its doors Thursday on the seventh floor of CentralWorld mall, boasting an impressive array of roast duck and pork dishes to quell even the most raucous family gatherings and nitpicking relatives. Media were invited to a preview on Monday.

I may still continue to dream of the Toro Char Siu (445 baht), slices of warm moo daeng pork belly ribboned with just the right amount of fat, dipped into plum sauce. The Crispy Roast Pork (410 baht) is a delightful mix of thin, crunchy skin and flavorful fat. When dipped in spicy mustard, one wants more of both.

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An arrangement of roast duck, pipa duck, Toro Char Siu and Char Siu.

The Char Siu (374 baht) is the leaner cousin of the Toro Char Siu, with just the right amount of toughness around its red edges.

The roast duck (price from 410 baht for one-fourth of the duck to 1,507 baht for an entire duck) takes three days to prepare, the restaurant says, and only 12 can be made at a time. The birds are marinated for a day, air dried for another, and roasted on the third day. It’s dense but neither tough nor stringy.

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Roast Duck (1,507 baht for a whole duck)

Even more delicious than the roast duck was the Pipa duck, with its crispy skin and lighter flesh. It’s been marinated in a variety of Chinese spices, including orange peels dry-aged for 23 years.

Indeed, Kam’s Roast happily replaces memories of cold plates of neon red duck and alarmingly-green egg noodles one is forced to eat at clan reunions, ordered in bulk by aunties who insist on their consumption for the occasion.

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Pipa Duck (1,624 baht for a whole duck).

However, the famous roast goose is nowhere to be seen – staff said goose would be on the menu in May.

The honey glazed soya beans (59 baht) provided a chewy, sweet break from the meat as ddi the marinated black fungus with vinegar (70 baht).

The decadent meat dishes overshadowed other fare, such as the Soya Chicken (328 for a small portion to 1,158 baht for a whole chicken), the Shrimp Wonton Soup (281 baht) or the noodle side dishes. The eggy noodles are imported from Hong Kong. A normal Red Bean Soup (94 baht) is provided as a warm dessert.

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Red Bean Soup (94 baht).

The original Kam’s Roast in Hong Kong is famous for earning one Michelin star, and retaining it, for seven consecutive years from 2015 to 2021. The first branch debuted in July 2014 by Hardy Kam Shun-yuen, and won their first star just four months after opening.

Kam’s grandfather, Kam Shui Fai, founded another famous roast goose restaurant, Yung Kee in 1942.

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Crispy Roast Pork (410 baht).
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Wonton Soup (281 baht).

Kam’s Roast also has branches in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Thai store is the largest store in its overseas franchises, with a seat capacity of 120.

Kam’s Roast Thailand is open from 11am to 10pm every day and is located on the seventh floor of CentralWorld, a short walk from BTS Siam or BTS Chit Lom. This review is unsponsored and based on a hosted visit. 

 

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Tokyo Gov. Won’t Attend Olympic Meeting After Mori’s Sexist Gaffe

Kyodo file photo of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Wednesday she will not attend a four-party meeting involving International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach planned for this month following controversial remarks about women by the head of the Tokyo Games organizing committee last week.

Holding the meeting at this point “would not deliver anything really positive,” Koike told reporters in regards to the comments widely seen as sexist made by Yoshiro Mori, which has complicated Japan’s efforts to host the postponed Olympics and Paralympics this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Continue reading the story here

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