A BMA official, who asked not to be named, said BMA Governor Assawin Kwanmuang will chair a ceremony to launch the app next week.

The app will be available for both Android and iOS devices, according to the source.

The app will be linked to the BMA’s flood prevention centre to provide comprehensive information about areas that have been hit with heavy rains, areas under flash flooding and areas where water-draining pumps will be installed.

The source said the app has been developed from the BMA Traffic app so the app will also report the traffic situations on Bangkok streets to users.

All in all, the app will advise motorists to avoid flooded roads or congested roads, the source added.

Moreover, Bangkok residents can use the app to file complaints about city woes, such as floods, traffic snarls, and garbage woes.

Users of the app can take photos from within the app and upload them to the BMA right away. The app will record GPS location of the photos and alert BMA agencies concerned to tackle the issues within 24 hours.

The source said the BMA earlier planned to release the app last month but it was postponed because the development could not be completed in time.

Sansern Pholjiak, the NACC secretrary-general, said a 9-person subcommittee is now responsible for this controversial case in which UK-based Rolls Royce had admitted that it paid over Bt1.2 billion in bribes to Thai officials in return for multi-billion-baht purchase orders for aircraft engines.

The NACC inquiry will cover the entire procurement process of Thai Airways International for the Rolls Royce engines during 2004-05 when seven Boeing 777-200ER and Airbus A340-500/600 were purchased along with Rolls Royce engines.

The 26 persons to be questioned include former transport minister Suriya Chuengrungruangkit, deputy transport minister Vichet Kasemthongsri, THAI board chairman Thanong Bidaya and THAI president Kanok Apiradee.

“It must be banned even in irrigation zones,” Chatchai said during his visit to Chainat province on Friday.

Each round of rice growing takes about 100 days to yield crops. Authorities have been trying to encourage farmers to grow rice only during the rainy season to avoid the risk of water shortage.

According to Chatchai, farmers in the Chao Phraya River Basin have already engaged in the second round of rice growing and they will be able to harvest soon.

“But we have no plan to irrigate water for them for the third round of rice growing. So, do not grow rice after the end of the second round,” he said.

As of March 9, 34 major dams in Thailand had more than 19.98 billion cubic metres of disposable water. Although the volume is much larger than the same period last year, there is sill a risk that many areas beyond irrigation zones may face a water shortage.

The activists from Khao Kuha Communal Rights Protection Association, The People’s Network on Mineral, and other organisations launched a 101-kilometres long march “Walk with Love from Mountain to the Sea” to encourage the public and authorities to realise the effects of the major transport and industrial development projects especially in Songkhla and Satun.

The projects will consist of Pakbara and Songkhla deep-water seaport, the railroad link, Thepa coal-fired power plant, the industrial zone and also the landbridge project.

The statement by the groups said these projects will require a large amount of natural resources to support the infrastructure development and industry operation. Moreover, at least three mountains will be demolished for construction material.

The groups urged the government to stop all the development projects related to Songkhla-Satun Landbridge and progress with the developments under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The march will continue until next Thursday and the activists will attend the first public hearing on Pakbara seaport project in Satun on the last day.

A land ownership dispute between the ALRO and defendant Sompong Sakulthap was decided in favor of the former by a Phuket court last month. ALRO officers and other officials visited the property Thursday morning in order to place a notice of eviction.

Sompong’s lawyer claims that his client has a Sor Kor 1 for the land and that his family has been staying there for three generations. Additionally, Sompong claims that he is in the process of obtaining a chanote for it.

“The land in question is located on a hill between Tri Trang and Paradise beaches. It is part of a larger piece of 69 rai previously owned by Banlue Tantiwit many years ago. About ten years ago, it was seized by ALRO and Banlue was ordered to leave,” said Suthawat Naksawat of ALRO.

“At that time, we asked anyone who owned nearby land to submit a notice of consideration to ALRO,” Suthawat added.

Sompong reported he owned 22 rai of land, saying it was not part of the 69 rai claimed by Banlue.

However, the ALRO said that was not the case, and the property fell into dispute again. After a long legal battle, the court last year ruled in their favor. Sompong appealed, but lost again.

Despite losing the initial case as well as the appeal, Sompong’s lawyer said they they would enter into further ‘negotiations’ with the ALRO.

The bail was granted on condition that he would not tamper with evidence or leave Thailand. He returned to the temple without giving any comment.

The monk had earlier in the morning turned himself in at Pathum Thani’s Klong 5 Police Station to hear the charge of violating a junta order to present himself to the Department of Special Investigation chief earlier.

Police had summoned Phra Sanitwong and 13 other monks including Phra Dhammachayo to hear the charge.

Phra Sanitwong’s surrender brought the number of monks responding to police summonses to 13 while only Phra Dhammachayo is still being sought.

The search was conducted under the observation of Pathum Thani chief monk Phra Thep Rattanasuthee and provincial governor Surachai Khan-asa.

The DSI team, led by DSI chief Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang, was scheduled to raid the six-storey Boon Raksa building, which is believed to be the former abbot’s hideout.

Before the raid yesterday, the temple said it had allowed the DSI to thoroughly search the 130-rai Zone A, the 196-rai Zone B as well as the Boon Raksa building behind the temple.

The raids should be completed by the evening and results will be announced later.

The Uber statement said that since the service arrived in Thailand in 2014, it has continuously engaged with the Department of Land Transport (DLT) to clarify it is not a taxi service but an entirely new type of service called ridesharing.

It said there are currently no existing Thai regulations that recognise ridesharing services provided by smartphone applications.

The technology that enables ridesharing is different from existing public transportation, which is Uber cannot register as public transportation, the statement said.

“We are committed to continuing dialogue with DLT authorities to explain what Uber is; but we believe it is time to amend the existing legal framework to accommodate this much needed new technology and realise the full benefits it is bringing to riders, drivers and cities,” it said.

“We hope that Thailand will be able to embrace ridesharing as other countries in the region have, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.”

Uber also invited the public to support the ridesharing by participating in this petition: https://action.uber.org/th/

A 12-year-old girl was also injured in the shooting.

Forward command spokesman Col Pramote Phrom-in said that Fourth Army commander Piyawat Nakwanich had instructed the relevant agencies to provide remedial measures for the affected persons and urged all sides to help solve the case. As a result 10 suspects were detained for questioning and had provided useful information related to a group behind the attack, he said.

A police forensic probe found that five rifles and one 9mm pistol were used in the attack, which they linked to 21 other violent attacks in the region, including the July 6, 2015 attack that killed one man and wounded three others in Yala’s Raman district, the July 31, 2015 assault of a military outpost in Yaha district and an October 17, 2015 shooting that injured four people in Reu So district.