Thailand News Today | Thailand to end state of Covid emergency
After over two and a half years, it’s finally time to say goodbye to our old friend, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the Emergency Decree which has been in effect since March 24, 2020, and created the CCSA to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, will not be extended a 20th time when it is set to expire on September 30.
From that point on, all laws governing Covid and any other health threat will fall under the jurisdiction of the Communicable Diseases Act of 2015.
Coinciding with the end of the decree, Covid will be classified as a “disease under surveillance” and the downgrade in status will come with guidance from the CCSA one last time. The committee will convene before ceasing to exist to create safety guidelines and as lay out a plan on how those infected can best seek treatment and be cared for.
Moving forward, those with Covid can be treated at hospitals or can receive care at home using the National Health Security Office telemedicine system. Two apps, Good Doctor Technology and MorDee will be available to help those who are asymptomatic or inflicted with mild infections. Another app, Clicknic, will be used for high-risk patients who are considered at risk for being over 60 years old.
CCSA advisor Dr Udom Kachintorn says that there are currently 70,000 people in home isolation or hospitals who have Coronavirus though most have mild symptoms or none at all. That number is expected to remain steady for about a month and then start to decline. By the end of the year, it is hoped that Covid will only result in about 10 deaths per day and 1,000 hospitalised people or fewer.
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With what many believe to be the end of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha eight-year term limit just three days away, the Election Commission will discuss today the legal debate over if he can remain in the prime minister seat in any capacity beyond August 24.
That date marks eight years since PM Prayut took office, and the current constitution allows a maximum of eight years for any prime minister, but the current constitution was only adopted four years ago. It’s this discrepancy that forms the basis of the hotly debated legal question: Does PM Prayut constitutionally mandated eight-year limit start from the date he took office or from the date the constitution was ratified?
Activist Srisuwan Janya submitted a petition to the Election Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman demanding a definitive answer from the Constitutional to this question on August 5. The Ombudsman responded on Wednesday, rejecting the demand by saying that it is not in their jurisdiction. Yesterday the Election Commission chairman said they would take up the matter today.
A closely related issue is the debate over whether if it’s decided that PM Prayut term limit has been reached, he could just step into the role of caretaker prime minister, continuing his tenure under a slightly different name. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam had commented that Prayut could essentially be a transitional prime minister when, if ever, a suitable replacement was elected.
But a former Election Commissioner said that if the courts decide his eight years are up, he could not be a place holding caretaker after August 24, pointing out that former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was also barred from being a caretaker.
Opposition party Pheu Thai Party parliament member Somkid Chuakong also expressed a strong disagreement with PM Prayut remaining as caretaker prime minister.
He said “Taking the role of caretaker will only lead to disunity. Everyone knows that General Prayut has exceeded eight years. I suggest Gen Prayut take this chance to leave his post with dignity.”
The actual legal precedent for how power should shift at the end of a prime minister’s tenure is laid out under Section 41 of the State Administration Act of 1991. It states that the House should choose one of the deputy prime ministers to act as interim Prime Minister until a new one is elected.
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A policewoman facing accusations of torturing a female soldier who worked as her maid, turned herself in yesterday, claiming she has mental health issues.
The twisted tale involved a 43 year old policewoman with the Special Branch Bureau claiming to be a senator’s wife and manipulating a 30 year old woman to work in indentured servitude for several years.
The story was first brought to light when the victim reached out to an influencer named Gun Jompalang. He shared the story on Facebook and took the woman to file a police complaint. The story was then featured on TV Channel 3 on the “Hone Krasae” show airing Thursday, and the police intervened from there.
The 30 year old woman first met the policewoman several years ago, initially working in her coffee shop. When it closed, the policewoman promised to get her into the military but charged her a 500,000 baht fee that had to be slowly repaid. While she did make good on her promise, and the soldier has since repaid 260,000 baht of the fee, the policewoman then forced her to quit the military in May under threat of abuse.
The soldier had been working off her debt, but the policewoman became physically abusive.
The policewoman defended herself against the accusation of torturing the woman by bursting into tears and offering the police a medical certificate saying she’s been receiving mental illness treatment for two years and was unable to control her rage.
The policewoman faces a slew of legal charges for torturing the woman as well, including charges under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, illegal detention, using force against another person, and being a government official who benefits from forced labour.
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Health authorities have voiced concerns about the threat of dengue fever this monsoon season where cases of dengue fever have nearly doubled in the past month
On July 11, Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) recorded 9,473 cases of dengue fever since the beginning of the year. By August 16, the number of cases since the beginning of the year had shot up to 17,412.
In July, the DDC reported a total of eight dengue fever deaths in Thailand this year. By August 16, the death toll had risen to 14.
The department expects intensified dengue fever outbreaks in accordance with the disease outbreak cycle, which usually surges in the rainy season.
Dengue fever symptoms include two to seven days of high fever, headaches, body aches, rashes and small red spots on the skin. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, stomach ache and loss of appetite. Special care is required once the fever starts to go down, with most recorded deaths occurring at this stage from shock, says the DDC.
If a fever occurs for longer than two days and cannot be brought down by fever-reducing drugs, then dengue fever is suspected and the patient should see a doctor. The DDC warns against treating dengue with aspirin or ibuprofen.
