In a statement released today by the US Department of State, Sullivan said “On behalf of the government of the United States, I extend my best wishes to the people of the Kingdom of Thailand as they celebrate Songkran and welcome a new year on April 13, 2018.”

The statement adds: “This year marks 200 years of friendship between the United States and Thailand. The ‘Great and Good Friends’ exhibition of royal gifts and letters exchanged over these two centuries between Thai Kings and US Presidents, now on display at the Grand Palace, is a tangible reminder of the legacy and enduring strength of our relationship. As we celebrate this bicentennial, we think of how our friendship became an alliance that remains one of our oldest and most important in Asia. We look forward to further nurturing cooperation and partnership with the people of Thailand as we enter a third century of friendship during the reign of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn.”

“I wish all Thais a joyous festival with family and friends, and a healthy and prosperous New Year. Happy Songkran!”

The video of the embassy on the coming Thai New Year said: “Let’s hear from our American staff at the embassy what Songkran means to them.”

The ceremony was held to make merit for late lecturers who taught the Pali and Sanskrit languages. The Princess got a Master’s degree in Pali and Sanskrit from the faculty in 1981.

The Princess also gave an opportunity for the lecturers of the Pali Sanskrit Club to pour water on her hands as blessings on the occasion of Songkran, which falls on Friday.

The rating of 18.6 is the all-time high viewer score since Thailand’s digital-TV industry was fully rolled out a few years ago.

The viewer rating for Bangkok was 23.4.

Since the series went on air in February, its ratings continued climbing, repeatedly breaking records. It achieved phenomenon status, inspiring many Thais to wear traditional costumes and spurring huge public interest in the nation’s history.

The series has been based on a novel of the same name. Several of the characters are based on real-life historical figures, including King Narai and Greek Constantine Phaulkon, who lived in what is now Thailand more than three centuries ago.

The soul of the heroine, “Kedsurang”, is transported back in time from the modern Rattanakosin period to the Ayutthaya era to live inside the body of a beautiful woman named “Karaked”. There, she met and married her soul mate – an official in King Narai’s court.

Due to popularity, Channel 3 is set to broadcast special episodes.

The series is also being watched by audiences in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, China and Russia, who are viewing a version with subtitles in their own language as well as in English.

Nakee, a TV series from Channel 3, was the previous ratings record champion in the digital-TV era. Its final episode’s nationwide rating of 17.2 set a record that was broken by BuppeSanNivas in late March.

Back in the age of analogue TV several decades ago, and prior to the era of online entertainment, the, Khu Kam TV series on Channel 7 hit a ratings record of 40.

Sirin, a brother of former finance minister Tarin Nimmanahaeminda, died of cancer on Monday.

The family said a bathing rite would be held at Sala Bumpenkuson at 3:30pm and a royally sponsored bathing ceremony would be at 5pm. A praying rite will follow at 6:30pm.

From April 18 to April 23, praying rites will be held at 7pm.

The family said the date for cremation would be announced later.

The family does not receive wreaths and advises guests to donate towards the construction of Siriraj Hospital’s Navamindrapobitr 84th Anniversary Building instead.

His funeral will be held at Wat Bang Toei from April 16-20, the foundation announced on social media.

Nathee, who served as the foundation’s secretary-general, recently suffered a stroke and had been in a coma following surgery.

He and several other volunteers launched Issarachon, which means “free people”, in 1996, initially organising activities for homeless children and later expanding to assist other underprivileged groups, such as slum dwellers.

The group was incorporated as a foundation in 2005 and its volunteers continue to provide counselling, medications, condoms, snacks, drinking water and books to people in need.

The foundation publicises their plight so that state agencies and the general public can better understand their needs and offer assistance accordingly.

A junta spokeswoman said on Thursday that 156 vehicles were seized the day before and 2,716 motorcyclists and other drivers were charged with drunk driving.

Deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Ngathong said stepped-up spot checks on roads had identified 3,339 cases of drunk driving.

More than 1,860 of those cases involved motorcyclists, she said, and 105 motorcycles were seized and 356 driving licences were confiscated.

Authorities arrested 1,457 motorcyclists who will be going to court, while the rest were fined.

The remainder of the cases involved private cars and transport vehicles, with 41 vehicles seized and 82 driving licences confiscated.

A total of 1,259 motorists face charges in court and the rest were fined.

The crackdown targeted former and current chiefs of local administrative bodies.

“The operations are mostly in relation to alleged irregularities in the procurement of vacuum trucks,” Pol Maj-General Kamol Rienracha, who heads the police force’s Counter Corruption Division (CCD), said.

There have been allegations of bidding collusion, which reportedly left the public sector with substandard vacuum equipment.

The operations were carried out in Chon Buri, Nonthaburi, Rayong, Samut Prakan, Sing Buri, Si Sa Ket, Phetchaburi, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok and Samut Sakhon provinces.

Kamol said his agency aimed to gather solid evidence of corruption so that the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission and the National Anti-Corruption Commission could take further actions.

In Samut Sakhon province, more than 30 policemen and backup officials searched the house and office of village head Ruangrit Ubonsai.

CCD deputy commander Pol Colonel Chak Pengsathorn said Ruangrit was suspected of committing corruption during his time as the chief executive of Tambon Tasai Administrative Organisation five years ago.

“This organisation procured a vacuum truck in 2013,” Chak said.

In Samut Prakan province, Prateep Yangyuen – a former mayor of Tambon Bang Muang – was the target. CCD deputy commander Pol Colonel Praphan Yoocharoendee led a team in searching Prateep’s house.

Prateep was at home when police turned up.

“At the time Prateep was the mayor, his municipality constructed new roads and bought a vacuum truck. The Bt18-million procurement is allegedly mired in corruption,” Praphan said.

His team spent more than three hours at Prateep’s house.

In Phitsanulok province, Pol Colonel Rittikorn Saisanan na Ayutthaya from the CDD searched the house of Narin Wattanakulchai, the current mayor of Aranyik Municipality, following allegations that his local administrative body had bought a vacuum truck at an inflated price.

Narin was not at home when officials arrived. His deputy said he was on leave and had travelled to Bangkok.

“We conducted the search to gather evidence of alleged crimes,” Rittikorn said.

Vacuum-truck driver Nattawat Wanpaiboon said he did not know how much the vehicle cost.

“But I think it works quite well. We use this truck about 20 days a month in sucking mud out of roads,” he said. He said the municipality commissioned this vacuum truck in late 2013.

There are only three such vehicles in Phitsanulok province. Two others are in service of the Phitsanulok Municipality and Phitsanulok Provincial Administrative Organisation.

A lot of effort has been made by Thailand to tackle migrant worker abuse and human trafficking in recent years. However, many workers are still afraid to come forward and many are unaware of their rights and benefits.

Using 20 years of experience in the Thai labour sector, LPN has established a training course to help CPF’s employees understand their rights and use the Labour Voices Centre, a grievance channel established in 2017.

Sompong Srakaew, director and founder of LPN, said a third-party hotline is a crucial mechanism to protect the reputation of Thailand’s food industry. It creates trust and confidence in the company’s grievance mechanism, as the workers are more comfortable to speak out to an independent organisation than report to their employer.

“The whistle-blowing hotline is an independent channel that will enable the business sector to truly recognise the concerns of the workforce and deliver solutions in line with human rights practices.

Consequently, workers from the network monitor human rights violations at the workplace and cultivate a strong whistle-blowing culture.

“This project is a role model for cooperation between an NGO and the private sector to uplift the quality of life for both domestic and migrant workers. It gives us a sustainable solution for labour rights issues in Southeast Asia,” Sompong added.

LPN is reaching out to the employees of CPF, including 10,000 migrant workers, and provides guidance on labour rights practices to the company. This helps the food conglomerate to significantly mitigate risks related to its workforce.

Vanna May, Cambodian translator at the Nakhon Ratchasima chicken-processing plant, said the 4,000-strong Cambodian workforce at the plant is aware of the “Labour Voice” channel. They are also pleased that LPN provides officers who are able to speak their native language.

“Labour Voice by LPN helps the Cambodian workforce to better understand labour rights in Thailand and Asean. Moreover, they are able to give suggestions to their families and neighbours who are interested in working with a Thai company, using knowledge that they have learned from Labour Voices.”

Zaw Min Tai, a Myanmar employee at the Minburi chicken-processing plant, added that even though all workers are informed about their rights through company training, LPN’s employees give them useful advice and clarification on their rights.

Tan Tan Mon, who also worked at the Minburi plant, praised the company for equal labour treatment regardless of nationality, which helps everyone to have confidence in the company and the grievance system.

“All my friends have Labour Voice’s phone number. They are very helpful in giving advice to me as well as my friends who want to work in Thailand,” she said

IN A BID to end the recurring scourge of road accidents and the huge number of fatalities during the long Songkran holidays, the government is implementing tougher measures, including a 15-day immediate detention or the use of electronic monitoring (EM) bracelets for those caught drunk driving.

Thailand is notorious for the high number of road accidents, with crashes and casualties reaching a tragic peak during long-holiday festivals such as Songkran. In 2017, the seven-day accident-monitoring period for Songkran reported a new high of 3,690 accidents compared to 3,447 in 2016 and 3,373 in 2015.

The Office of the Judiciary secretary-general, Sarawut Benjakul, yesterday said 5,000 EM bracelets had been arranged for those placed on probation for drunk-driving – people whose alcohol level at the time of arrest is 50-250mg per cent of alcohol. This will prevent them from going out between 10pm to 5am during the long holidays.

The measure is to start on a pilot basis this Songkran in Don Muang and Phra Nakhon Nua court jurisdiction areas – known to have the most number of drunk-driving cases in the capital, he said.

Those with an alcohol level at the time of arrest above 251mg will be locked up for 15 days at the Pathum Thani Central Detention, without bail, Don Muang Court head judge Prasert Lopradit said.

After 15 days of detention or EM use on offenders, the two courts’ judges may consider giving an extended sentence of up to one year if the offenders had no remorse and showed a tendency to repeat the drunk driving offence.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Lt-General Charnthep Sesawet vowed to beef up security at 11 spots designated for Songkran celebrations from April 11-18 and set up 137 checkpoints to ensure public safety.

The 11 Songkran sites are: Lumpini Park, Silom Road, Khao San Road, Asiatique the Riverfront, Na Na Songkran Festival 2018, Patpong-Thaniya, CentralWorld, Siam Square, Chokchai Road 4, Royal City Avenue (RCA), and Songkran Music Festival 2018 on Rama IX Road.

As the police intelligence agency has not seen any security threats, he said the forces would focus on crime prevention, especially via patrol and quick response to incidents.

Charnthep also urged Songkran revellers to wear polite clothing and refrain from using high-pressure water guns, avoid drug abuse and drinking alcohol.

Meanwhile, Mitraparp Highway in the “Gateway to the Northeast” province of Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday reported a high number of holidaymakers’ vehicles heading to Isaan to celebrate Songkran in their hometown.

The congestion was particularly severe at Pak Chong, Si Kiew and Muang districts with some bottlenecks reporting two-kilometre-long traffic jams. Nakhon Ratchasima police deputy chief Pol Colonel Boonlert Wongwajana said they had opened an extra lane on the 15km-long section between Tambon Nong Sarai of Pak Chong to Tambon Khlong Phai in Si Kiew to ease congestion.

In Nakhon Phanom, the provincial bus station was crowded with travellers, most of them Laotian workers arriving from Bangkok heading across the border to the Thakhek border town in Khammouane province of Laos.

Extra cross-border bus trips between Nakhon Phanom and Khammouane were added to support the high volume of travellers during this period, said bus station head Thitinan Somboonrat.

Similar crowding was also reported at the Customs checkpoint at a pier crossing the Mekong River and many workers were happy to be exempted from paying the usual Bt1,000 border fee. The Cabinet resolved on March 27 to waive the border pass fee for migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia from April 5-30.

In the meantime, Chiang Mai Irrigation Office director Jensak Limpiti yesterday affirmed that a total of 186,000 cubic metres of water had been released into the Nakhon Chiang Mai Municipality Khu Muang canal, which surrounds the old city area, so the water quality was safe for the water splashing associated with the Songkran Festival.

THE BANGKOK Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) plans to appeal a Central Administrative Court order for it to pay more than Bt1.1 billion in compensation to Bestlin Group for unlawfully terminating a procurement contract for 489 new NGV-fuelled buses, a senior official said yesterday.

Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn said the Transport Ministry, which oversees the state-run operator of public buses in the city, will appeal the verdict within the legal deadline of 30 days.

He expressed confidence that the BMTA would win the case when it is brought to the Supreme Administrative Court.

The new buses purchased by the BMTA are fuelled by natural gas for vehicles (NGV).

The court on Tuesday ordered the BMTA to pay Bt1.159 billion with an interest of 7.5 per cent per annum to Bestlin for failing to comply with terms of a contract signed by both parties in September 2016 for the purchase and maintenance of the buses.

In May last year, Bestlin brought the case to court after the BMTA scrapped the contract. The court found that Bestlin imported 489 NGV buses and delivered 390 of them to the BMTA.

The court also found that the city bus operator failed to inspect the delivered buses as well as the ones confiscated by the Customs Department on suspicion of customs fraud.

The company said the buses were assembled in Malaysia to benefit from lower import tariffs among Asean member countries. However, customs authorities suspected the buses were in fact assembled in China and shipped to Malaysia before being imported, in order to benefit from the preferable tariff.

Due to the confiscation, the buses were not be delivered to the BMTA in time. The city bus operator later cited this in its decision to scrap the contract with Bestlin.

The court ruled that the BMTA’s claim was inconsistent with the fact that its committee overseeing the bus delivery had agreed to allow the company to gradually deliver the buses.

In a related case, the court on Tuesday also granted an injunction against new bids called by the BMTA after scrapping its contract with Bestlin. The plaintiff Siam Standard Energy Co, one of the bid contenders, said the BMTA’s resolution to approve a new procurement contract for 489 buses at a cost of Bt4.2 billion was unlawful.

Observers were concerned the injunction order could complicate the delivery of buses by the new bid winner SCN-CHO, which is a joint venture between Scan Inter and Cho Thavee. Some 100 new NGV-fuelled buses bought under the new contract are already operating on Bangkok streets. Services of these buses may be suspended as a result, observers said.