Local residents and authorities in all regions of the Kingdom gathered in the morning to offer food and other items to Buddhist monks. In many provinces, the alms-giving ceremony was led by senior officials, including provincial governors.

Some other provinces held ceremonies involving the country’s three major religions – Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.

HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne last year.

In Bangkok, Cabinet members and the King’s privy councillors, as well as their spouses, offered alms to 651 monks at the Royal Plaza yesterday morning. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was among the government leaders participating.

Also joining the alms-giving ceremony were senior officials from state agencies based in Bangkok, and military commanders.

The event was aimed at making merit to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as well as offering good wishes to Her Majesty the Queen, and King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Provincial halls around the country and Thai embassies around the world also hosted similar mass alms-offerings and merit-making ceremonies yesterday to mark the King’s birthday.

In other parts of the capital and in the provinces, local businesses displayed portraits of the King at their premises.

People lined up outside post offices to get a special edition of postage stamps issued in honour of the monarch. “The first day of sale of the first stamp in the reign of King Rama X was met with huge public interest,” Thailand Post said in a statement.

Government offices and private organisations have been hosting various events and religious ceremonies to celebrate the occasion since Wednesday.

In the southern Surat Thani province, more than 6,000 people took part in a morning alms-giving ceremony yesterday, which was chaired by the provincial governor, Uaychai Inthanak.

More than 3,000 people in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima offered alms to 165 monks in a ceremony presided over by the provincial governor, Vichien Chantaranothai.

Chiang Mai residents in the North held a joint ceremony participated in by leaders of five religions worshipped by people in the city – Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism – in honour of the King. The ceremony was presided over by Chiang Mai governor Pawin Chamniprasart.

A similar inter-religious ceremony involving five faiths was also held in Phuket, a main tourist destination in the South.

In Ang Thong, 1 million small fish and prawns bred by local fishery authorities were released in the Chao Phraya River in a merit-making ceremony aimed at honouring the King. A joint ceremony of Buddhists, Muslims and Christians was also held at the City Hall for the special occasion.

About 10,000 residents of Pathum Thani offered community services at different locations in Bangkok’s neighbouring province yesterday.

Like the solar storms and space radioactivity he has tirelessly chased in his research, the 49-year-old physics lecturer at MU’s Faculty of Science has been a local and international force to be reckoned with in the fields of global radiation and cosmic ray research and development.

Ruffolo created new theories of turbulent transport of cosmic rays and developed a widely recognised computer software model to predict the effects on Earth of a solar storm.

He also led the establishment of a neutron monitor in Thailand to detect galactic cosmic rays at the world’s highest geomagnetic cut-off energy (about 17 GV). Out of the world’s 40 neutron monitor stations, the Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor near the summit of Doi Inthanon (Thailand’s highest mountain) in Chiang Mai province was the world’s first to measure real-time cosmic rays.

Ruffolo was granted Thai nationality in 2012. He received an honour as the Thailand Research Fund (TRF)’s Senior Research Scholar in 2016.

A former “gifted child”, who surpassed age peers to graduate with a PhD at the age of 22 in 1991 at University of Chicago, Ruffolo has come to love Thailand. He first worked here as a high school physics instructor before moving on to university teaching.

“After I obtained the PhD, I wanted to do something for Thai society; there were few astrophysicists in Thailand at that time,” he recalls. “I wanted to be partake in grooming Thai students to become future astrophysicists and space physics scientists. There are more scientists now but there should be even more of them and Thai people should have a thorough understanding of the solar winds,” he said.

Although solar storms have not yet killed anyone or torn down any buildings, they could cause blackouts and destroy satellites and spacecraft used for communications. Cosmic rays from solar wind turbulence could also affect human health as people travel by plane or in space. Ruffolo said he would continue studying cosmic rays in relations to the Earth climate to help build a global disaster warning system. And he will pursue other new research that would benefit Thailand and the world.

“Scientist is an honourable job that is essential to a country’s development, so I want Thai youths to be interested in studying physics more. I want them to see it as a freedom in learning. Studying science is fun and challenging as you have to find answers for new questions,” he said.

“Usually children are interested in space but it is difficult to link that interest to physics, which people perceive as a matter of formulas and calculation. Actually space physics is an art, so if we can let children see that physics is fun, while space learning is about applying imagination to something that kids are keen about,” he said.

“I want parents to let their children feel free to do what they like, are good at and want to do – not just follow society’s value that academically excellent students must become doctors and engineers. If any kid likes science and wants to become a scientist, the parents should support him or her,” he added.

The winner of Thailand’s annual outstanding scientist award receives a trophy from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn along with a Bt400,000 cash prize.

The new generation scientist awards 2017, which came with a trophy from the princess and Bt100,000 each, were granted to:

Assistant Professor Burapat Inceesungvorn from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University; Assistant Professor Benjapon Chalermsinsuwan from the Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University; Assistant Professor Varodom Charoensawan from the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University; and Assistant Professor Viboon Tangwarodomnukun from the Department of Production Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi.

LOCAL OPPONENTS to the opening of a new potash mine in Sakon Nakhon’s Wanon Niwat District were being monitored by the police and military, while many people were sued for their actions to protect the local environment, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says.

The NHRC says the actions were common throughout the region, and urged the government to change their stance on local activism and assure public participation for the sustainable development of the region.

NHRC and Amnesty International Thailand on Wednesday led a media tour of the potash exploration site in Wanon Niwat District, as they said it was a vivid example of the freedom of expression and communal rights violations in North Eastern Region.

Sakkaphon Chaisaengrat, a lawyer for local people, said that 120,000 rai of land in Wanon Niwat District is currently granted to China Ming Ta Potash Corporation to survey for the possibility of opening a new potash mine in the area. This has caused a lot of concern among the local people.

“Since the company got the special licence to explore potash in the area in 2015, local people have not been told anything about the mine. They only knew that their hometown will be turned into a mining site when the company set up its office in the town,” Sakkaphon said.

“The people were not told anything about the impacts that they may suffer after the mine is operated, and when the people tried to raise their voices against the project they were harassed by officers and sued by the company.”

He said that activism during the administration of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) was not easy, as the people in the North Eastern Region were usually seen by authorities as the main supporters of the former government Pheu Thai Party. Activism in the region is often treated by officers with great concern.

He said local authorities are friends of the investors, so they usually protect the interest of the company rather than the people’s rights, which has caused many lawsuits against local activists.

There are at least two defamation and Computer Crime Act violation cases against local people and another case of violation of the Public Assembly Act. Local resident Satanont Chuenta said that the company has already violated people’s rights by intruding into the private land to make a potash survey without the landowner’s consent and protesters were also terrified by the military personnel.

“I have experienced the threatening by both officers and the company myself. When I and a group of local people tried to campaign about the project, I was sued in a defamation lawsuit by the company and I was also sued on the Public Assembly Act for arranging a religious ceremony at the temple,” Satanont said.

“The military officers often visit our communities and their presence makes the people feel insecure and makes them distrust the authorities.”

He said that he only wanted to campaign for a careful development, because the improper development will lead to inevitable environmental problems and land disputes in Wanon Niwat District.

NHRC commissioner Angkana Neelapaijit said that the agency has received many complaints on the issues and the NHRC has already made recommendations to authorities to improve the situation.

“It is the government’s duty to protect the people’s rights and ensure that they can participate in managing local resources. They also have to stop seeing the people as obstruction of the development and prioritise preventing negative impacts from the development to the people,” Angkana said.

The NHRC said that the agency’s statistics showed complaints about rights violations in the justice system were highest in the North Eastern Region, as 26 per cent of all complaints in this region were about unfair treatment by officers, planting false allegations, or injustice in the justice system.

China Ming Ta Potash Corporation manager Thanyapat Wangwongsiri said that the company invested in Thailand via the Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and China and the company has a right to protect its reputation and operation.

“The people are afraid because of false information and our company’s reputation is also damaged, so it is our right to protect ourselves to seek a solution on court. We do not want to be an enemy with the local people, since we invest here and we are also part of the community,” Thanyapat said.

He said that due to the people’s protest, the company can only survey for potash in two areas, which is not enough to assess the worthiness of the mine, so the company’s team will continue the survey in the licensed area.

“We assure that our operation will not pollute the environment and affect the people, because we also have industrial and mining standards. We are the representative of China’s Mineral Resources Department, so the people can trust our mining standards,” he added.

US President Donald Trump said in his statement that “on behalf of the American people, Melania and I send you our warm greetings on the occasion of your 65th birthday”.

The friendship between the US and Thailand spans almost 200 years, dating back to the early days of the Chakri Dynasty when King Rama II first wrote to President James Monroe. Washington deeply values the enduring alliance and friendship with Thailand, Trump’s message said.

“We look forward to building on our successful partnership to enhance our collective security, deepen ties between our peoples, and promote increased trade and investment between our two great nations,” he said.

“On this day of celebration, we offer Your Majesty and the royal family our very best wishes.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s message asked the King to “please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your 65th anniversary. I whole-heartedly wish you good health, happiness, wellbeing, every success and all the best”.

Russia highly values friendly relations with Thailand, the 120th anniversary of which we are celebrating this year, Putin said.

“I am confident that further development of constructive bilateral cooperation in various fields corresponds to the fundamental interests of the peoples of our countries and facilitates strengthening peace, security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” Putin’s statement said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also sent a message highlighting that Thailand was the first US treaty partner in Asia – a formal relationship dating back to 1833 during the reign of King Rama III.

“Since early in the reign of late King Rama IX, we have been military allies committed to working together for our mutual peace and security,” Tillerson said.

As Thailand continues to mourn the passing of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the US remains committed to honouring his memory by seeking ways to advance relations between our two countries for the benefit of the American and Thai peoples, Tillerson added.

He said that a flood on the runway forced the airport to close at 3pm on Friday until at least 3pm on Saturday. Officials will evaluate the serious of the situation day by day. The department had sent technicians to examine the electrical system at the airport, Daroon said.

Taxiway A was flooded to about 40 centimetres depth Friday afternoon. Nok Air cancelled its afternoon and evening flights, he said.

Airport authorities provided bus service for 15 passengers stranded at the airport. Rain continued to pour throughout Friday afternoon. Air Asia and Norair were able to land their morning flights.

Northeastern, Northern and some central plain provinces have been hit by severe floods due to the impact of tropical storm Sonca.

People across the country celebrate the 65th birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Friday.

Most parts of Sakhon Nakhon city and various roads were submerged while Sakhon Nakhon Airport announced it would temporarily close until Saturday afternoon or until the flood situation improved.

Some parts of the city also had electricity blackouts. Sakhon Nakhon Hospital also had to move patients on ground floor to upper floors away from floodwater.

Muang district’s Huai Sai reservoir also overflowed worsening the situation, forcing many families in downstream villages to evacuate to higher ground.

Nearly 70 tourists were trapped at a hotel surrounded floodwater in Muang district on Friday afternoon, said Facebook user “Ich Bin Som” who also posted pictures of the situation at the 75-room Hop Inn Hotel onto the Facebook’s public group “Sakonnakhoncity Photo” to call for assistance.

Sakhon Nakhon disaster prevention and mitigation office head Nitiwat Nitthinanthan said that over 100 flood victims had already moved into a temporary shelter, which was set up at the provincial administrative organisation stadium with food and drinking water.

He said people trapped in flooded homes should call the flood command center’s number 0 4271 1171 so soldiers and officials would pick them up.

The command centre at the provincial governor’s residence would monitor the situation around the clock and dispatch manpower and tools to aid affected residents, he added.

The flood barrier had leaked the night before resulting to slight flooding, but officials sealed the hole with large sandbags and continued to monitor the situation.

At 5am on Friday, the river bust the flood barrier again, 30 metres from the previous night’s leak.

This time the floodwaters flowed along the Ratchathani Road and vendors at the market’s 50 shops had to close their businesses temporarily in the wake of 40cm-80cm-deep torrents.

As officials attempted to seal the new leak behind Wat Chai Chumpol in the afternoon, another 100-metre-long section of the barrier broke and floods covered the municipality’s economic area, including Rat-uthit, Thassanapanich 2 and 3 roads. Wichien Jamnong and Khlong Taphetch communities were also submerged.

Yom River in front of the provincial governor’s residence, was at 7.37 metres and flowed at 549 cubic metres per second between 8am and 2pm.

Royal Irrigation Department deputy chief Thongplew Kongchan cited a report by the Smart Water Operation Center said the largest volume of water in the Yom River had passed Sukhothai’s Sri Satchanalai district via Ban Hat Saphan Chan sluice gate at 697 cubic metre per second at 4am on Friday. He instructed officials to monitor the province’s water situation closely so flood problems could be tackled.

The department was diverting water through Khlong Hok Baht at 170 cubic metres per second to help lessen flood risk to the Muang Sukhothai Municipality area as to keep it at a manageable level of under 550 cubic metres per second.

The alms offering at 6.30am to 651 Buddhist monks was also held for the merits of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the blessing for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

Prayut and his wife, along with Cabinet members and spouses also went on to sign well wishes for HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn at the office of the Royal Household Bureau in the Grand Palace at 8.30am

At the Royal Plaza, Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda also presided over the 9.10am official launch of a volunteer caravan to perform social services in solving flood, traffic jam and other issues at various areas under the campaign “We Do Good With Our Hearts” established by His Majesty to mark his birthday anniversary. Thousands of people had registered to join this volunteer campaign which also granted each of the participants a souvenir shirt, a cap, a scarf and a notebook.

Elsewhere across the country, various organisations also hosted merit-making activities to mark HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s birthday anniversary.

Up North, Chiang Mai governor Pawin Chamniprasart led officials and public members in an alms offering at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre and then joined a ritual of five religious faiths (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Brahmin/Hinduism and Sikhism) to offer blessings to His Majesty and blood donation activities for HM’s merits.

In Sa Kaew, provincial governor Klanarong Pongcharoen led officials and public members to offer dried food to 66 Buddhist monks at the City Hall, where they also signed well-wishes for HM’s birthday anniversary and then performed social service activities.

Down South, Yala’s Betong district chief Damrong Deesakul led officials and public members in an alms offering to 41 monks, while Phang Nga provincial governor Pakkapong Thawipat led officials and others to grow 3,166 mangrove trees on the 21-rai coastral land that the authority had seized from an oil palm plantation, whose case was finalised, and release 9,866 fish into the sea.

Post offices across the country had swarms of visitors on

Friday was the King’s 65th birthday.

All editions of the first stamp issued in his reign were sold within a short time.

Bang Rak Post Office in Bangkok reported that 500 sets were sold within an hour.

The stamp features His Majesty’s full-length portrait against a yellow background, the colour associated with Monday, his day of birth.

His initials and emblem appear in the upper right corner. The stamp has a face value of Bt10, but is sold with a special envelope for Bt20 and is also available in a full sheet of 10 stamps.