Between 2014 and 2018, five children died because adults forgot they were still inside a vehicle and locked it, leaving them trapped and alone.

Four of them died in school buses, while the other child succumbed inside a private car.

“All these young victims had been left inside the locked vehicles for more than six hours,” Disease Control Department director-general Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said yesterday in a bid to persuade adults to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.

Tests by Ramathibodi Hospital’s Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Centre suggest that children left inside a locked vehicle under the scorching sun do not perish because they run out of oxygen, he said.

In such circumstances, the temperature inside the vehicle rises significantly and reaches an unbearable level within just five minutes, he said, adding that bodily functions falter within 10 minutes and, within half an hour, children’s blood turns acidic, pushing them into shock and causing their brains to swell.

Soon after, a child will stop breathing and it is this sequence of events that leads to death, rather than a lack of oxygen, he explained.

“So, I would like to strongly advise parents, teachers and school-bus drivers to acutely remember the danger of leaving children inside locked vehicles and to take the following precautions:

“First, they must count the number of children going into and leaving the vehicle under their supervision.

“Second, they must look around the vehicle before locking it.

“Third, they must not be complacent. Don’t think they can leave children inside a locked vehicle alone for [even] a short while,” Suwannachai said.

He said adults must be particularly careful if children under their care are still of kindergarten or nursery age.

His department discovered that of 106 children known to have been left behind inside locked vehicles between 2014 and 2018, five of them had died as a result.

The deceased were all between three and six years old, he said.

Suwannachai said teachers and parents should also teach young children how to call for help if they find themselves left inside a locked vehicle. “Teach them how to honk [the vehicle’s horn],” he added.

He also emphasised that if anyone notices that a child has been left inside a locked vehicle, they should immediately look for the parents or guardians.

“The door must be opened quickly. If you can’t find the car owner very quickly, make sure you ask people around you to help the child,” he said.

He added that people could also call Hotline 1669 or 1422 for help.

The insurance policy must offer up to Bt40,000 coverage for outpatient treatment and up to Bt400,000 for inpatient treatment.

This is one of the measures the government has introduced to ease the financial burden placed on state hospitals by foreigners, many of whom have not paid for treatment.

“The Cabinet has already approved the new rule,” Health Service Support Department director-general Nattawuth Prasert-siripong revealed yesterday.

According to Nattawuth, the new rule applies to both new applicants for the non-immigrant visa (O-A), which offers a stay of up to one year, and those wishing to renew their visa. Each renewal is valid for one year.

Overseas policies okay too

“Such health insurance is good for foreigners too,” Nattawuth said.

Foreigners can buy valid health insurance from longstay.tgia.org or if they wish to use health insurance that they bought overseas, they must ensure that the coverage amount is no less than what is required by the rule. “We are going to discuss with relevant authorities on to how to check the validity of health insurance bought from overseas,” Nattawuth said.

Asked about foreigners who cannot buy health insurance because their health risks are considered too high, Nattawuth said relevant authorities might consider requiring them to have higher deposits in bank accounts so as to make sure that they have enough to live in Thailand.

PATIENTS who need to use marijuana for medical conditions have until May 21 to register for an amnesty, or they may face legal action.

The newly amended narcotics law, which has been in effect since mid-February, exempts some groups of people if they report within the 90-day amnesty period.

These pat-ients can also register online via a platform set up by Chulalongkorn Hospital, in collaboration with the Red Cross.

Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, from Chulalongkorn Hospital’s Medicine Department, said patients who |have reported their possession of marijuana through other channels, those who have not reported, as |well as those who do not have medical certificates confirming their need for marijuana can all register online.

All information gathered will be classified and nobody will face legal action for possessing marijuana, provided they are honest.

Dr Thiravat said the reports will help physicians understand to what extent the herb will help deal with certain diseases, as well as help them plan for future production and allow for studies for medical purposes.

He added that all the work should be undertaken under one integrated system.

Dr Tares Karasnairaviwong, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration, said that once patients have registered online, the Red Cross will then forward the information to the FDA.

He added that patients would still need to later contact the FDA and report their possession of marijuana with proof and associated documents.

He said the option of registering online would facilitate many patients, as the amnesty period was very close to ending.

Vital information to be gathered

Dr Tares also agreed patients’ report on their need for marijuana-based medication would also be vital to introducing marijuana to the medical sector in the future.

Meanwhile, the government |has reiterated its call for marijuana users to register for amnesty by May 21 and has rejected reports circulating online that those who have |medical certificates will be allowed to grow cannabis for their own personal use.

The probe will determine whether Krairat Weerapattana, a chief justice at the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 8, has committed a disciplinary offence.

A viral video clip shows Krairat telling a junior policeman that he was a chief justice and that he was “Choke’s friend”.

It is believed that “Choke” here refers to Pol Colonel Chokedee Rakwattapong, who heads the Thung Yai Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

The incident took place on May 2. The following day, Lance Corporal Ekapon Juisongkaew, who asked to see Krairat’s driving licence and recorded the incident, was transferred out of patrol duty.

However, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha intervened and reinstated Ekapon.

“We will check the results of the probe,” the Judicial Commission’s secretary Sarawut Benjakul said yesterday, adding that the investigation had been ordered even after Krairat provided an explanation of the incident.

In a related development, Nakhon Si Thammarat’s police chief Pol Maj-General Thakoon Netpukkana also ordered an investigation into the incident. Members of the fact-finding panel showed up at Thung Yai district without any prior notice yesterday.

Ekapon, meanwhile, was thankful for the public support he had received on Facebook and also thanked the director of his alma mater, Boonkong Upakan School, for sending him flowers as moral support.

The junior policeman, however, did not comment on the investigation that has kicked off both in the police force and the judiciary.

Many people posted comments saying, “Hinoki Land should not be included in the list, as it merely copies a Japanese tourist spot of the same name.”

The ministry’s Cultural Promotion Office recently announced the top 10 cultural destinations for people to visit.

Hinoki Land // Photo from: HinokiLand’s Facebook fanpage

The destinations were selected from popular places nationwide, ranging from a botanical garden to an architectural museum and an agricultural farm to a nightlife theatre.

Besides Hinoki Land in Chiang Mai’s Chaiya Prakan district, the other places are Chiang Rai’s Doi Tung, Jim Thompson Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima province, the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chon Buri, the Buffalo Village in Suphan Buri, Woodland Muangmai in Nakhon Pathom province, Ancient City in Samut Prakan, the Siam Niramit theatre in Bangkok and the Phuket Fantasy theatre.

According to the announcement, the ministry selected these places in order to honour them for their cultural heritage.

The ministry also aims to encourage the general public to promote cultural heritage at both local and national levels.

Criteria not known

However, the ministry did not mention the criteria for its selection, which led the public to wonder about the choices.

A Chiang Mai cultural promotion officer said her office had not nominated Hinoki Land, |but it that was done by the headquarters in Bangkok.

Hinoki Land // Photo from: HinokiLand’s Facebook fanpage

Meanwhile, when contacted by The Nation, the Cultural Ministry declined to explain the criteria for selection, saying its officers were in a meeting to discuss the issue and would reveal the criteria today.

“I’m surprised that the Culture Ministry nominated Hinoki Land, which imitates Japan’s popular destination,” Phakkhanan Winitchai, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Chiang Mai Office, said.

“The ministry should reveal the selection criteria. If the criteria claims to be based on Thai culture, it may not be credible. However, if the place was selected for its international value, it may pass.”

It is likely that the redesign will see the road improved only in critical sections, while the rest is left with a compacted dirt surface to support local ecological systems.

Sasin Chalermlarp, chairman of Seub Nakhasathien Foundation and the park’s advisory committee member who visited the area last week, said the National Parks Department’s executives had agreed to adjust the original design to facilitate concerns raised by conservation groups.

The 21-kilometre road section from the park’s popular Ban Krang bird camp to the iconic Phanoen Thung was once paved with asphalt for 18km of its length and the rest being dirt compacted, but its asphalt surface deteriorated over the years, resulting in the roadway becoming almost inaccessible.

Incidents were reported from time to time, prompting the park’s executives to invest in a workforce to keep the road accessible, thus compromising the park’s protection forces.

Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Mana Phermpool, in consultation with the park’s advisory committee, decided to proceed with the road’s improvement.

Some conservation groups, however, viewed that the overall planned improvement would do more harm than good to the park’s fragile ecosystems, as the road runs deep into the heart of the park and more visitors would be easily able to access it as a result of the improvements.

The National Parks Department late last year therefore decided to hold a consultation with parties opposed to the original plans.

As a result, agreement was reached that only some critical parts of the road would be improved, in order to ensure there was little impact on the park’s ecosystems.

Sasin was told by Mana that after the park had consulted with the department’s engineering division, he and his executives agreed that it would be viable to improve only some critical parts, including the steep slopes.

The remainder of the road would have a compacted dirt surface to ensure facilitation of the area’s ecosytems and wildlife.

“From what I was told, they had listened to other voices,” said Sasin, adding that the new design may be the best way out.

Mana said on Monday that in principle, engineers held the view that the whole road section should be improved, but he as the park chief needed to manage conflicting issues and opposition in regard to the plans.

No less critical is contract management, so as to ensure the work is efficient while the budget is spent appropriately, he added.

The park’s chief said he was as yet unable to confirm when the improvement project would resume, as it depended on the final form of the new design.

However, he hopes it can go ahead with the minimum delay and the tourism burden that he and his officers are shouldering can be relieved soon, he said.

Chawin Sirinak, director of the BMA’s Health Department, said the 1,550 patients, who had caught the virus between January 6 and April 27, were aged between five and 14.

Chawin said the 50 BMA district offices and 68 community clinics will continue campaigning for the eradication of mosquito breeding grounds throughout the year. The first such campaign was held in February, an another two are scheduled for August and November.

As parts of the campaign, the residents of 4,067 communities, 1,547 schools, 452 temples, 992 hospitals and clinics and some 30,000 to 40,000 work places will be informed to stay alert of a possible dengue outbreak and to get rid of stored water.

He said the district offices will also urge residents to regularly use mosquito-killing spray, as well as ensure there are no mosquito larvae in water-storage receptacles.