Finnair, Qatar Airways to offer daily Doha services from Nordic capitals
Finnair and Qatar Airways have entered into an agreement to offer daily services from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to Doha, Qatar.
The airlines expect to launch these services between November and December 2022, according to a press statement released by Finnair on August 29, 2022.
The news of the new connections to the Middle East comes as Finnair continues to be hurt by the closure of Russian airspace, with the Finnish carrier also separately providing an update on its planned winter flying. Avoiding Russian airspace has affected Finnair more than other European carriers, due to its geographic location and the fact that much of its business came from connecting Europe and Asia via overflying Russia.
Along with the connections from the Nordic capital cities to Doha, Finnair said it and Qatar Airways were "exploring opening services also between another European destination and Doha."
Finnair's Airbus A330 aircraft will operate the services to Doha on three weekly schedules, which include:
7 weekly flights to and from Helsinki
7 weekly flights to and from Stockholm
7 weekly flights to and from Copenhagen
The agreement, which includes establishing a "long-term strategic cooperation" between the two airlines, will be supported by a comprehensive codeshare agreement with shared passenger and cargo capacity between the airlines, the statement explains.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, commented on the partnership with Finnair and the Gulf carrier's ambition to develop Doha as a "oneworld hub."
"As a fellow oneworld member, we enjoy a close relationship with Finnair and these new services to Hamad International Airport are an example of Qatar Airways working with partners for the benefit of our joint customers," said Al Baker.
Al Baker added: "Soon, Doha will be the oneworldhub bringing more airline partners together than ever before. With this codeshare agreement, travellers from the Nordics will continue to have excellent connectivity to Doha with Finnair and onwards with Qatar Airways to attractive leisure and key business destinations across Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Middle East."
"We are delighted to expand our collaboration with ouroneworld partner Qatar Airways, offering new connections between Doha and the three Nordic capitals", says Finnair CEO Topi Manner. "The role of Doha as an international hub is growing, and Qatar Airways has extensive connections from Doha onwards to for example Australasia, the Middle East and Africa."
Member airlines of the oneworld alliance consists of Alaska Airlines, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL), British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines, Fiji Airways and Oman Air.
Finnair adjusts its winter 2022/2023 schedule
Finnair also announced a number of flight cancellations and schedule changes to its traffic plan for winter 2022–2023.
The airline attributed the change its operating environment, which has affected by the war in Ukraine and the subsequent closure of Russian airspace. The rerouting required has added almost five hours to some journeys between Finland and Asia. "Our aim is to operate a traffic plan that is as economically viable as possible," Finnair said in travel update statementon August 29, 2022.
Finnair canceled all of its flights to Krabi, Thailand and Chicago, the US, for the upcoming winter season and will discontinue direct flights from Stockholm Arlanda to New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Bangkok and Phuket.
The airline has also reduced its weekly frequencies on some routes. Finnair now flies daily to Tokyo Haneda, instead of Tokyo Narita.
Tomato flu not yet in Thailand, but being monitored
views 806
While no cases have yet been reported in the country, Thailand is closely monitoring the tomato flu situation in India, but does not regard the disease as a matter of domestic concern.
According to Disease Control Department Director-General Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong, tomato flu in India is mostly found in children under 5, as the disease is readily transmissible through physical contact. Small children are most susceptible as they tend to put things in their mouths.
He said that about 100 cases have been found in India so far, but no deaths.
The symptoms of tomato flu are similar to those of ordinary flu and include a fever and muscle pain, followed by red rashes on the skin and blisters, which resemble a small tomato, said Dr. Opart.
He also said that they look like the symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease in children, adding that, if there is a case here, similar methods to those used for treating hand, foot and mouth disease can be applied.
He then urged parents to take good care of their small children, especially regarding cleanliness, by frequently cleaning their toys.
Thailand's Department of Disease Control announced yesterday the nation has its seventh monkeypox victim.
A 37 year old Thai woman in Bangkok became the kingdom's latest victim hot on the heels of the country's sixth case last week.
DDC Director General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute reported on Saturday that a woman had tested positive for the disease.
Dr Opas revealed the patient had intercourse with a foreigner but had not travelled abroad recently.
The patient developed a fever on August 20 and found blisters near her anus the following day. Two days later more blisters appeared in other parts of her body, making her seek treatment at a Nonthaburi province institute.
Doctors conducted RT-PCR tests and confirmed her infection on Friday.
Three people have come in close contact with the woman and will be closely monitored until September 11.
Dr Opas advised people to avoid touching the bodily fluids of anyone who has a fever, rash, or blisters, and avoid having sex with untested persons. Always wear a facemask in public, and wash your hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser.
"If you find blisters, rashes, or pustules on your body along with symptoms like fever, headache, muscle ache, and swollen lymph nodes, get tested immediately or call the 1422 DDC hotline."
On Friday, a 21 year old woman in Thailand's northeast province of Maha Sarakham became the kingdom's sixth confirmed monkeypox patient. The woman says her symptoms started while she was in Qatar for work.
The woman had worked as a masseuse in Qatar and said that while she was there, she started getting blisters on her private parts on August 10.
Thailand's fifth case of monkeypox was confirmed earlier this month, in arather similar story. The patient was a 25 year old Thai woman who was thought to have started displaying symptoms in Dubai before travelling to Thailand.
Thailand's first monkeypox case was a 27 year old Nigerian man in Phuket, the secondcase was a Thai man in Bangkok, the thirdcase was found in a German tourist in Phuket, and the fourth in a Thai woman in Samut Prakan.
As of Saturday, 48,331 monkeypox cases have been identified worldwide with 15 deaths. The five countries with the most cases are the US, Spain, Brazil, France, and Germany.
A seriously-burned victim of the Mountain B pub inferno died today (Sunday) in a hospital in Chon Buri province, bringing the death toll since the August 5thblaze to 22.
Ronnarong Kaewpetch, an activist lawyer, identified the latest victim as 30-year-old Laddawan Katekorn, who leaves behind two children.
On August 23rd, a campaign was launched on social media seeking blood donations for the victims.
18 of those injured are still hospitalised, including six on ventilators.
A 28-year-old engineer, the 21st victim died yesterday in a Nonthaburi hospital.
The nature of the decision by the constitutional court last Wednesday might have been unexpected for many people, as it ordered Prayut Chan-o-cha to cease performing his duties as prime minister while the matter of his 8-years tenure is considered by the court.
A legal expert says that, although people may want the answer now, the earliest the country will get it from the court is in 30 days. There is a 15-day window of opportunity for Prayut to submit evidence and documentation to support his case and another 15 days or more for the court's deliberations.
"The constitutional court allows General Prayut 15 days to present whatever he has as," said Associate Professor Dr.Jade Donavanik of the Faculty of Law at the College of Asian Scholars, adding "So within 15 days, they might be taking on the legal issues relating to this particular aspect of General Prayut staying for 8 years, whether it is counted from 2014, 2017, or 2019. So, they can prepare. Once General Prayut submits the facts that he sees fit, then I think, in another 15 days, the Constitutional Court should be able to come up with the wording or the decision".
Prawit as a premier
As for the acting prime minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, how long he can stay in the position depends on the court's ruling. If the court says Prayut can stay on, then that's the end of his role as an acting prime minister but, if the verdict goes the other way, it's another story.
Dr.Jade said that, as long as the Constitutional Court rules that Prayut stays on, then Prawit will cease acting as prime minister but, if the Constitutional Court says that, today, the day that we are discussing this issue, was the day that Prayut should have been suspended from his office, then Prawit should get to stay on, as caretaker prime minister. The whole cabinet will be out and therefore, the whole cabinet will be a caretaker cabinet.
Political tension
Though the decision by the court has certainly fallen short of the expectations of the opposition parties and street demonstrators, who want to see Prayut's term ended right away, there are many people who believe that the interim decision is a way to reduce political tensions.
The suspension order is "very helpful" to Prayut, according to Dr. Jade. "It's only he himself now whether or not he will take the situation to be more positive to himself, working as only minister of defense or even not working for the minister of defence, and appointing General Chaicharn Changmongkol as the acting minister. Then, he is off the hook for all the positions in the cabinet. Then, that will leave pretty much no room for the demonstrators to continue demonstrate".
Next general election
What about the next general elections? How likely is this to happen in the near future? Dr. Jade said the near future will not be in a month or two. He thinks the next general election will happen in about May next year. That means the end of this parliament's term plus 45 days.
"So I don't think it's coming soon, at least after the APEC meeting. I think long after that. I think they will stay on until the end of the term".
Majority not worried by anti-Prayut protests over 8-year tenure: poll
FILE PHOTO: Protesters demonstrate after the Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha from official duties, after deciding to hear a petition to review his legally mandated eight-year term limit, in Bangkok on Aug 24, 2022. (Reuters)
A majority of people do not worry that protests against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over his 8-year tenure in the premiership might send the country into chaos, and believe the protests will not force him to resign or dissolve the House of Representatives, according to the result of an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was conducted on Aug 24-26 by telephone interviews with 1,312 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes throughout the country to compile their opinions about the controversy over the prime minister's 8-year tenure.
While the poll was being conducted, the Constitutional Court on Aug 24 issued an order to suspend Gen Prayut from performing the prime minister's duties, pending the court's ruling on when his 8-year tenure actually started.
Asked whether they were worried about possible chaos that could follow protests against Gen Prayut over the issue, 66.61% of the respondents said "no", with 47.48% not worried at all and 19.13% not particularly worried. On the other side, 21.19% were fairly worried and 10.90% very worried.
The rest, 1.30%, did not answer or were not interested.
Asked whether the protests would be able to pressure Gen Prayut to resign or dissolve the House of Representatives, 52.06% said "no" to both; 19.89% believed the protests would be able to force Gen Prayut to resign; 15.25% believed the protests would pressure him to dissolve the House of Representatives; and 12.80% had no answer or were not interested.
People were then asked which candidate they would support for the post of prime minister if Gen Prayut resigned or was ordered by the Constutional Court to step down from the position. They had to choose from among five candidates eligible for the post on the party-lists of political parties - none of whom were from Move Forward. The answers were as follows:
- 35.90% would not support any of the five candidates; - 22.79% were for Khunying Sudarat Keyurapan, current leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party; - 17.84% for Chadchart Sittipunt, current Bangkok governor; - 12.19% for Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party; - 5.87% for Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party; and - 1.68% for Chaikasem Nitisiri of the Pheu Thai Party.
The rest, 3.73%, had no answer or were not interested.
Snake encounter reported every 15 minutes in Bangkok
File photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut
Snakes are a much bigger problem in Bangkok than many people think. Just ask the staff at the 199 emergency hotline. On average, they say, they get a call for assistance with snakes every 15 minutes, with about 60,000 snake removals taking place each year.
The figures were released after a Bangkok resident posted a picture online of a large boa constrictor hanging from a tree in Din Daeng district, spurring a strong response in the neighbourhood and beyond.
Rescuers at the emergency hotline said on Saturday that some 200 calls are made daily in Bangkok requesting assistance with pests such as snakes, water monitors and wasps. Snakes make up about half of the calls, according to the operators.
"On average, a report is made every 15 minutes throughout every 24-hour period" said an operator.
The hotline reports a success rate of over 90% when capturing snakes, elaborating that the animals are turned over to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation so that they may be released in appropriate natural settings.
Alongkorn Mahanop, an adviser to the Zoological Park Organization, says no official survey of the snake population has been conducted in Bangkok, so no definite statistics are available. However, he estimated that there are likely close to a thousand snakes in each district in the city, making encounters likely.
"The high population of snakes in Bangkok is due to its citizens not consuming snakes, meaning the reptiles have no direct predators in the city while having an abundance of prey such as dogs, cats and chickens," Dr Alongkorn said.
According to the veterinarian, 90% of snakes found in the capital are boas with the other 10% being pythons.
A large boa constrictor hangs from a tree in Din Daeng district of Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo: Pangrum Dindaeng Facebook page)
A Thai woman, returning from Qatar, has become the sixth confirmed monkeypox case in Thailand, according to Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department.
He said yesterday (Friday) that the 21-year-old native of the north-eastern province of Maha Sarakham worked at a traditional Thai massage parlour in Qatar. She developed blisters on her genitals on August 10th and flew back to Thailand on August 21st. She then immediately returned to her hometown and went to see a doctor at the district hospital the following day.
The doctor thought she might be infected with monkeypox and took specimens, which were sent to the Medical Sciences Department in Bangkok for analysis, which subsequently confirmed the monkeypox infection.
Dr. Opart said that 28 people were found to have been in contact with the infected woman, but only four of them were classified as being at high risk. All 28 have, however, been advised to monitor their condition.
The five previous confirmed monkeypox cases include a Nigerian man in Phuket who left Thailand and was treated in Cambodia, a 47-year-old Thai man in Bangkok who had history of having sex with men, a German tourist in Phuket, a Thai woman in Bangkok and a Thai woman who returned from Dubai.
Thailand satsar på en stor återstart av turismen efter pandemin
Travel News fick en intervju med Titiporn Manenate, chef på Thailands turistbyrå med ansvar för Europa, Afrika och Mellanöstern. - Nu satsar vi för fullt för att återstarta den thailändska turistindustrin. Den utgör 20 procent av landets BNP och är avgörande vår ekonomi. Vi vet att ni längtar efter våra leenden och våra fantastiska stränder.
Vi ses på hotel Sheraton mitt i Stockholm där 18 säljare av hotell och destinationer möter lika många köpare från Norden och de Baltiska länderna.
– I oktober kommer regeringen att klassa covid som en ickepandemi. Och alla restriktioner är redan borta. Exempelvis appen där turister skulle registrera sig och kravet på munskydd, säger Titiporn Manenate.
Den stora utmaningen nu är personalbristen. Under pandemin återvände många turist- och hotellarbetare till sina hemtrakter och började arbeta med jordbruk. Nu ska de lockas tillbaka till de stora turistmetroplerna Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi, Hua Hin och förstås Bangkok.
2019 åkte 700 000 nordbor och balter till Thailand. I år är det långt kvar till dessa siffror, men återstarten är på god väg. Fram till augusti har knappt 28 000 svenskar åkt till Thailand och i vinter kör både Finnair, Ving och TUI direktlinjer till Phuket.
– Under pandemin har många företagare investerat i både nya hotell och renoverat gamla. Man har utbildat personalen i hållbarhet och vill få in ett större miljötänk i all turism, säger Titiporn Manenate.
Bland annat har man ett stort projekt för att rädda träd i Thailand.
– 20 procent av Thailands BNP är turism så det är helt avgörande för landets ekonomi och sysselsättning att vi kommer igång ordentligt, avslutar Titiporn Manenate med ett brett leende.
– De nordiska turisterna är bland de absolut viktigaste, både i volym, men också i revenue.
Thai Airways announced it is renting three more planes and hiring 600 more staff this year as part of its restructuring plans.
After cutting costs, selling stock, chasing debts, and distributing plane seats, Thai Airways' turnover rate in the third quarter of this year is expected to increase. Not only that, the President of the Reorganisation Committee of the Thai Airways International Public Company, Piyasavat Amranand, says he expects the company to be back in black within the next two years.
Piyasavat added that Thai Smile Airways, a subsidiary of Thai Airways, has seen an increase in passengers. He said the number of passengers is at about 80% of the pre-Covid-19 days.
The president said Thai Airways needed more personnel, especially ground staff, in response to the increasing number of passengers. So, he made known that they would outsource 600 staff to fill vacancies in the ground service area, cargo department, and kitchen. The number of company staff will be raised to 15,000 next year.
Piyasavat added that Thai Airways had 68 aircraft and would rent another three in preparation for China reopening. He revealed that China would accept flights from Thailand next month, but only 15 flights per week at the moment.
The company is also expecting more travellers from India, and European countries as Thailand approaches its high season from October to December.
Moreover, Thai Airways will resume direct flights from Bangkok to Milan, Italy, and Bangkok to Oslo, Norway, by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, and increase flights from Bangkok to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from four to seven flights per week.
Piyasavat believes Thai Airways will be back in black and on track by 2024 and end its reorganisation plan in 2025.
BANGKOK, Aug 25 (TNA) – The Department of Medical Services and Mahidol University developed a COVID-19 breath-test technique which is nearly as accurate as the RT-PCR method.
Assoc Prof Dr Sathit Niramitmahapanya, deputy director of Rajavithi Hospital who supervised the innovative development in the project, said the new technique was developed on a conventional technique to measure sugar levels with breath.
The development has resulted in ten versions of the new test device since the outbreak of COVID-19 three years ago.
Like the sugar-testing technique using breath, the new COVID-19 testing technique was developed to detect the gaseous changes that resulted from COVID-19 infection. The changes are related to acetone, carbon dioxide and benzoic acid. Compared with RT-PCR, the new technique had a sensitivity of 100% and an accuracy of 97%, Assoc Prof Dr Sathit said.
For such a test, a person exhales into a plastic bag and a tube is then used to connect the bag with a sensor which will give a result in five minutes.
Assoc Prof Dr Sathit said that the new testing devices were being further developed to increase their efficiency. The development received financial support from the National Science and Technology Development Agency and the innovative devices were expected to be brought into use in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, he said. (TNA)
Breaking news: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has been ordered by the constitutional court to stop working while they investigate complaints about his eight year term limit, which may take several weeks to review. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, pictured, will become caretaker PM during this period.
Police in central Bangkok are already preparing water cannon trucks as protest movements take up their position in the centre of the city with key roads to Government House being blocked. Pheu Thai Party MP for Ubon Ratchathani Somkid Chuekon has warned that any attempt by Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha to extend his term from Tuesday nightwill result in 'disunity'.
Thailand has found itself on the cusp of yet another political crisis with the Constitutional Court now petitioned by parliament to urgently rule on the status of Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha whose term, the opposition says, expires on Tuesday, the 23rd of August 2022 at midnight. The situation comes with a massive online and digital media opinion poll showing that over 93% of the public want the PM to go while protest groups have begun moving into place in central Bangkok in the last 24 hours with veteran activist and Red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan, on Sunday evening, telling followers that this would be a turning point and promising a 'countdown' to General Prayut's exit from power.
The political temperature in Bangkok is rising as a decision from the Constitutional Court on the future of PM Prayut Chan ocha (right) is expected while protest groups take up positions in the capital. On Monday, a huge poll conducted by online and digital media showed over 93% of the public want the prime minister who took power after the 2014 coup d'état, to resign this week in line with a constitutional term limit.
With pressure mounting by the hour on Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha to step down and bow to a constitutional provision limiting his term in office, a large and comprehensive opinion poll carried out by Thai online media and digital TV channels with over 374,000 votes, does not spell good news for the PM.
The poll shows that 93.17% of respondents want General Prayut to resign from office within the next 24 to 48 hours to comply with Section 158 of the Thai Constitution.
Over 374,000 people polled by online and digital TV media, 93.17% want the Prime Minister to resign
The poll, so far, has 369,284 respondents in Thailand with 4,579 in foreign countries while 1,438 votes were spoiled or incomplete.
It comes as it looks increasingly likely that the Constitutional Court will issue some sort of ruling on the matter shortly with Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam even suggesting, on Monday, that if General Prayut is forced out as Prime Minister, he could still attend cabinet meetings in his role as Defence Minister.
Earlier, Mr Wissanu, the government and Prayut's top legal adviser suggested that if the Constitutional Court ruled that General Prayut must cease performing duties as Prime Minister, he can still carry out the role in an acting capacity.
This has been rejected by scholars and opposition politicians on the basis that in 2014 then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had to vacate the office after being ordered to do so by the Constitutional Court.
Legal adviser and Deputy Prime Minister insists the Prime Minister may be allowed stay on even if the Constitutional Court rules against him on the issue
However, Dr Wissanu has differentiated between the two situations by saying that, in this case, the government leader has not transgressed any law as was the case with Ms Shinawatra in 2014 who was removed for illegally having a key official transferred from his position.
Before this, Mr Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, the former election commissioner who has played a leading role in framing Thailand's new election laws which are now caught up in the maelstrom of the crisis, ruled out the prospect of the prime minister remaining in a caretaker role citing the precedent of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014.
However, Deputy PM Wissanu said he saw no reason why this could not be a way forward except if the court specifically ordered to the contrary.
Mr Somchai has said that the appropriate step would be to appoint one of the current deputy prime ministers to the role under Section 41 of the State Administration Act 1991.
Petition submitted to the Constitutional Court by parliament after being perfected by Speaker's office
The Thai parliament has submitted the opposition's petition to the Constitutional Court seeking a ruling on the status of Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha whose term, according to most legal experts, is due to expire on Wednesday at midnight.
The submission was perfected by the Speakers Office in parliament after being presented to Mr Chuan Leekpai last week by opposition party leaders.
The current elevated level of uncertainty and political tension has seen the return of street protest groups who are determined to see the government leader who assumed office on the 24th of August 2014, some three months after a coup d'état which he led, step down.
Prime Minister's Office and allies urge caution as General Prayut remains tight-lipped about his future
General Prayut has never commented publicly on the issue except to state that it was a matter in which the court may ultimately decide.
He has remained tight-lipped about this in recent weeks as tension has mounted while calling for unity and promising not to dissolve the House of Representatives which is solely within his prerogative.
In the last week, his former spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana as well as key allies of the PM urged the public and political commentators to desist from interpreting the law and to let the court decide the matter in due course.
Protesters descend on central Bangkok for a 'countdown' led by veteran Redshirt leader Jatuporn Prompan who sees a turning point in politics
On Sunday, a protest group took up a position in Bangkok ahead of what is now expected to be a critical week in Thailand's politics.
The group called 'People's Unity Council' set up a stage outside Bangkok City Hall in a space reserved in recent weeks for peaceful protests by the newly elected Governor of Bangkok Chadchart Sittipunt, a former Minister of Transport who was arrested by security forces in the May 2022 coup led by then army chief and now Prime Minister General Prayut Chan ocha.
The group is fronted by 56-year-old United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) Chairman Jatuporn Prompan, a veteran political activist and former Pheu Thai Party MP.
The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) is seen as a key vehicle for what has been named as the Red Shirt movement in Thailand which has been associated with violent street protests in the capital since the ousting of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 army coup.
If Prayut stays beyond August 23rd, he will be a 'bootleg' prime minister warned Jatuporn on Sunday
The protest launched on Sunday evening has been themed as a 'countdown' to the removal of General Prayut from power.
Mr Jatuporn told his audience that the current political moment represented a 'turning point' for Thailand and a door leading to change.
'On August 23rd, the countdown will be held at midnight. After midnight, if Prayut stays, he will be a bootleg prime minister. He will have no right to enter Government House. I believe that this is the countdown for General Prayut for sure.'
It is understood that at least two other protest groups will be active between now and Wednesday night in Bangkok with at least one confirming that they intend to push their way through to Government House to encourage Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha to leave office.
Police close off four roads leading to Government House in Bangkok expecting a large crowd to turn up
The heightening of tensions has seen all roads near Government House in Bangkok closed by authorities as some of the protest groups planning to demonstrate over the next few days have promised to march on the seat of government.
The current crisis relates to Article 158 of Thailand's 2017 constitution, together with Section 170, which limits the cumulative term of any eligible person in Thailand to be prime minister to eight years.
Despite a flux of opinion in recent years as to what date the current prime minister's term took effect with three different strands of opinion and thinking, there has been a change over the last week as the date approached with a growing belief that the PM must resign.
Three different strands of thought as to when the PM's term in office began under the 2017 Constitution
The more popular opinion is that PM's term began on the date of his appointment or the 24th of August 2019, the other is the 6th of April 2017 when the constitution came into effect with the third being the 9th of June 2019 when General Prayut was appointed by the King after the General Election in March 2019, the first under the new charter.
There has been, however, a gathering consensus that the first interpretation is the correct one.
This is based on other provisions of the 2017 Constitution such as Section 264, stating the cabinet and ministers in place were assumed to be governed by the charter when it took effect on the 6th of April 2017.
In addition, the constitutional drafting committee, in 2018, at meetings to define the intent of the charter for its future interpretation, supports the view that General Prayut assumed office on the 24th of August 2014.
Only filed his statements of assets and liabilities once and that was in 2014 when taking up the role
Other arguments cited in support of this are that the government leader only filed a statement of assets and liabilities as requested for officer holders under the law after his appointment in 2014 while various politicians and legal experts have also distilled the argument down to common sense, namely that the prime minister has been in office for eight years.
This is the view taken by Pheu Thai Party MP for Ubon Ratchathani Somkid Chuekong who this week came out to oppose any extended tenure of Prime Minister in his role beyond the Tuesday 23rd August 2022 even in a caretaker capacity.
'Taking the role of caretaker will only lead to disunity. Everyone knows that General Prayut has exceeded eight years,' Mr Somkid declared. 'I suggest Gen Prayut take this chance to leave his post with dignity.'
Pheu Thai Party MP warns that it is obvious that the Prime Minister must resign to preserve 'unity'
Mr Somkid suggested that there should be no need for the prime minister to refer the matter to the legal sphere at all.
The MP warned that his failure to resign risked plunging the country into political chaos.
As to the prime minister holding onto power until after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, he said this was unheard of and that the country cannot be held up by the wishes of just one person.
Police in Bangkok prepare to confront protesters
Police at Nang Loeng Police Station in central Bangkok are reported to be expecting a large number of people to attend the network of protests that have been scheduled.
In addition to Mr Jatuporn's countdown, there are also protests planned on Tuesday at Democracy Monument and on Wednesday at Ratchaprasong Avenue.
On Sunday evening, protesters took note as crowd control police appeared before the Ministry of Transport and a blue vehicle fitted with water cannon was seen being prepared.
