Thailand News Today | Thailand pushes digital payments, rejects US dollar

Thailand pushes digital payments, rejects US dollar in the move towards a cashless society Thailand News

The Bank of Thailand and central banks in four more southeast Asian countries are
creating a cross-border payment zone using QR codes so that southeast Asians can
make international payments digitally without having to convert and reconvert to
US dollars.
The bank hopes to bolster the use of digital payments to halve the amount of cash
in circulation in Thailand by 2026, with the eventual goal of turning Thailand into
a cashless society.
On Monday at the G20 Summit in Bali, the central bank entered a memorandum of
understanding with the central banks of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the
Philippines to use QR codes for international payments between the five countries,
without the need to use the US dollar.
The bank is also fine-tuning the PromptPay system used to make digital payments
easier within Thailand.
In a policy statement, the bank argues that the widespread adoption of electronic
payments will increase economic activity. Promoting QR code payments within
Thailand and Southeast Asia, the bank aims for 42% of all payments in Thailand to
be digital by 2024 with each person making 800 digital payments per year. Thailand News

After heavy floods, Patong Hill road reopens to some traffic Thailand News

While officials now believe it will take months to repair the storm-damaged fully
motorway over Patong Hill, the road has been partially reopened to limited traffic
this morning. The reopening comes after a night of heavy rain caused flash
flooding all around the island. Kathu and Phuket Town were particularly hard-hit
by the torrential downpours.
Amid the heavy rains in dangerous conditions, Patong police closed down the entry
checkpoint at Wat Patong to the road over the hill at 10 pm. Their counterparts on
the other side of the hill close their checkpoint at 10.30 pm, barring all traffic from
accessing the dangerous roadway.
Once the rain subsided, officials reopened the Patong Hill road at 7.30 am. The
road was not open to all traffic though, with only foot traffic and motorbikes
allowed across both directions. Large cargo trucks were not allowed on the road at
all. And cars, passenger vans, and pickup trucks for granted Passage only coming
downhill from Patong to Kathu. The same car types are not allowed to travel in the
opposite direction yet.
The road was first closed a few weeks ago after heavy rains caused damage.
Officials first reopened the road to foot traffic only. Then when the roads were
stabilized a week later, authorities began to allow motorbikes to pass over Patong
Hill. The road had just been reopened to small car traffic when it had to be shut
down again two days later due to safety risks. Officials found that, despite using
the road lane closest to the embankment, the weight of cars traveling over it
widened the cracks that already existed at the edge of the road, according to the
Phuket Info Centre.

Local road closed after shoe factory fire next to Bang Na-Trat Highway Thailand News

Officials have closed to traffic a road running parallel to the out-bound Bang Na-
Trat Highway, due to concerns that a shoe factory, which was heavily damaged by
a fire last night (Tuesday), might collapse, posing a risk to motorists.
Firefighters took about five hours to extinguish the fire at the factory, which is a
five-story building and which was heavily damaged said, officials.
Two workers suffered burns in the fire, which started at about 5.30 pm. The first
floor of the building is the showroom and the other floors are production units and
shoe storage.
The closure of a 300-meter stretch of the parallel road at KM15 of the outbound
highway has caused traffic congestion extending for several kilometers, said
officials from the Bang Chalong Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO).
They explained that road closure is necessary for the safety of motorists. Thailand News

The first female Muslim governor of Pattani hailed on social media

The former deputy governor of Thailand’s Narathiwat and Yala provinces, Pateemoh
Sadeeyamu has become the first female Muslim governor of Pattani province, in
an appointment approved by the cabinet yesterday (Tuesday).
Her appointment has been welcomed by many people in the restive Pattani
province, including “We Peace”, a network of women dedicated to the restoration
of peace in the country’s Deep South.
Assistant Professor Chiraphan Sema, a former lecturer at the Prince of Songkhla
University, Pattani Campus, said that Pateemoh’s appointment is good news for
people in Pattani, as she is smart, has extensive experience and is a good
understanding of the problems in the southern region.
57-year-old Pateemoh entered government service at the Ministry of Interior in
1993 and has served in several southern provinces, including Ranong, Yala,
Narathiwat, Pattani, and Phatthalung, and at the Southern Border Provinces
Administration Centre as the director of the central administration office. Thailand News

Rare Asian golden cat spotted in northeast Thailand

Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary posted photos on Facebook of a rare Asian golden
cat spotted strolling through a road in Chaiyaphum province in northeast Thailand.
In the Thai language, the Asian golden cat is called Suea Fai (Fire Tiger). The
species is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
due to habitat loss and illegal poaching.
The wildlife sanctuary said the photos were taken in February by a photographer
Jirawan Khlaithong. The sanctuary educated the public about the threatened
species…
“The Asian golden cat is a medium-sized tiger with a firm shape. It has rather
long legs, a smoothly-colored torso, and some patterns.
“[The wild cat] is a reddish-brown color, similar to the color of a barking deer.
At first glance, you may think it is a barking deer. Some Asian golden cats have
black, brown, or grey patterns and distinctive stripes on their faces above their eyes.
They have long tails, and the bottom of the tail is always white. The belly and
underneath the tail are also white.
“It is nocturnal and hunts alone on the ground. The Asian golden cat’s favorite
foods include rats, rabbits, baby barking deer, and small birds.
“They are found in evergreen and mixed forests. The cats have a gestation period
of 100 days, giving birth to one or two babies at a time (so we rarely ever see baby
Asian golden cats).
“They weigh around 12-15 kilograms, which is quite light.” Thailand News

Check out other news or watch a news report on Thaiger’s youtube channel