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TOT staff turn firefighters to put out blaze (nationthailand.com)

TOT staff turn firefighters to put out blaze

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

TOT employees in Phitsanulok were in the right place at the right time to help extinguish flames that were engulfing an apartment.

On Monday morning, firefighters rushed to a student apartment block in Muang Phitsanulok after receiving reports of a blaze.

However, they arrived to find the fire had already been put out, even though most of the student residents were still in class.

Staff at a TOT office across the road from the apartment block said they spotted the smoke and broke into the residence to put out the fire just in time.

The cause of the blaze was traced to a faulty refrigerator which was found at the epicentre of the fire.

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Netizens say music festival shut down for pro-democracy content, not Covid (nationthailand.com)

Netizens say music festival shut down for pro-democracy content, not Covid

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

Netizens have questioned the order to shut down the weekend’s Big Mountain music festival, saying it may be linked to the government crackdown on pro-democracy activists.

On Sunday, Nakhon Ratchasima’s governor told the organisers to call off the festival, citing lax Covid-19 preventive measures. Wichian Chantaranothai said organisers had failed to limit the number of festival-goers or enforce mask-wearing, leading to shouting and singing among crowds which could transmit the virus.

However, less than an hour after organisers closed the show at 10pm, social media users began sharing footage of pro-democracy content at the festival. The content included protest songs, yellow rubber ducks, three-fingered salutes, and a fake corpse allegedly representing forcibly “disappeared” activists.

Pro-democracy netizens questioned whether government officials had pressured the Nakhon Ratchasima governor to shut down the event, using the Covid-19 plea as a cover.

Virus fears were sparked on Saturday when a 43-year-old Chiang Mai woman who travelled to the festival with seven friends was taken to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital with a fever and chest infection. Meanwhile photos of long queues and crowding at the festival on Saturday prompted some netizens to call for it to be cancelled to prevent Covid-19 transmission.

Tests on the 43-year-old woman and her seven friends came back negative for Covid-19 on Sunday, according to Disease Control Department chief Opas Karnkawinpong. However, an inspection by health officials found crowding in front of stages at the festival and many people not wearing masks. Opas said officials asked the festival organisers to fix the problems, but there was no response.

Governor Wichian said on Sunday the decision to close the event came after organisers failed to respond with adequate virus prevention measures. Organisers announced on Facebook they would refund the tickets of any fans who were unhappy with this year’s event.

Held at the Ocean Khao Yai Golf Club, Big Mountain has become one of Thailand’s biggest music and arts festivals over the past few years

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Ex-health minister succumbs to kidney problems (nationthailand.com)

Ex-health minister succumbs to kidney problems

NationalDec 14. 2020

By THE NATION

Former public health minister Chaiya Sasomsap succumbed to acute kidney injury on Monday. He was 68.

Chaiya began his political career in 1993 as a member of Solidarity Party and took over the Public Health Ministry in 2008 under the Samak Sundaravej government. He held the Transport portfolio from 1999 to 2001 under the government led by Chuan Leekpai, who is the current Parliament president.

Chaiya’s predecessor at the Public Health Ministry, Mongkol na Songkhla, 79, died of cancer on Friday.

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Thai start-up making ‘good progress’ on Covid vaccine (nationthailand.com)

Thai start-up making ‘good progress’ on Covid vaccine

NationalDec 14. 2020Thewin Wongwanich 

By The Nation

A Thai pharmaceutical start-up will today sign a deal to produce experimental doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for use in human trials.

Baiya Phytopharm is among several Thai organisations making progress towards a vaccine for the virus, said State Enterprise Development Planning Subcommittee chairman Thewin Wongwanich on Monday.

Thailand has already signed a Bt6 billion procurement deal for 26 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, but is also building up its own vaccine research programmes.

“One of those with a high success rate is Baiya Phytopharm, a Thai start-up founded by researchers from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences whose vaccine from plant leaves has passed tests on laboratory animals,” said Thewin, who is also the former CEO of PTT.

Baiya Phytopharm will today sign a deal to collaborate with the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and Kingen Biotech to produce vaccines and conduct tests on humans from April to June next year, he said.

He added that Baiya Phytopharm will launch a Bt500 million fundraising project on Friday (December 18).

“We would like to invite Thais to donate Bt500 each via CU Enterprise to support Thai researchers,” he said.

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Farmers struggle to sell rice salvaged from flooded farms (nationthailand.com)

Farmers struggle to sell rice salvaged from flooded farms

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

A farmer in Nakhon Ratchasima province is desperately attempting to sell rice that has mostly been damaged by the flood.

Yuang Prajongklang, 67, a resident of Phimai district, said that he had leased a 30-rai (4.8 hectares) land, at Bt1,500 per rai, to grow rice.

He had to pay Bt500 per rai for a machine to harvest the rice but the output from one rai could only earn Bt1,000, which was two times lower than the cost.

He said he had to salvage rice from the water and dry them in the sun in order to sell it and repay the debt.

Yuang said it was ironic that Thai farmers who grow rice are desperately in need of money to buy rice so that they could survive.

He said many other farmers were facing the same predicament.

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Floods present a new opportunity in Nakhon Si Thammarat (nationthailand.com)

Floods present a new opportunity in Nakhon Si Thammarat

NationalDec 14. 2020Photos by Charoon Thongnual 

By The Nation

Every crisis can be turned into an opportunity, and some locals in Nakhon Si Thammarat province are doing just that – catching the fish brought in by floods.

Many residents of Chalerm Phra Kiat district have been taking their boats to catch fish, which is then dried out in the sun and sold for Bt300.

Meanwhile, floods in many areas, apart from those downstream, have receded and life is returning to normal.

However, locals are concerned that heavy rains may return soon and are monitoring weather reports.

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Road accidents claim 67 lives during long weekend (nationthailand.com)

Road accidents claim 67 lives during long weekend

NationalDec 14. 2020(File Photo) 

By THE NATION

Sixty-seven people were killed and 388 injured in road accidents over the December 10-13 long holiday weekend, according to the Transport Ministry on Monday.

A total of 401 accidents were recorded over the three-day holiday, when roads were busy with people returning to their hometowns.

“The most common cause was speeding, with Bangkok seeing the largest number of accidents at 42,” the ministry announced.

As usual, most of the fatalities were motorcycle riders.

“The vehicle involved in the largest number of accidents was motorcycles, with 128 crashes, resulting in 41 deaths and 126 injured.”

Meanwhile, over 14 million vehicles travelled in and out of Bangkok during the long weekend, 36.63 per cent higher than the ministry’s estimate.

As for public transport, 9.84 million people used the services, 5.16 per cent lower than the ministry’s estimate.

There were no reports of accidents involving public buses, boats or aircraft on December 10-13.

“Responsible agencies enforced Covid-19 preventive measures on public transport to ensure the safety of all passengers,” it added.

The long holiday was in compensation for King Bhumibol’s December 5 birthday anniversary, which fell on a Saturday.

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NARIT captures Geminids meteor shower for Facebook slideshow (nationthailand.com)

NARIT captures Geminids meteor shower for Facebook slideshow

NationalDec 14. 2020Photo Credit: NARIT Facebook page 

By The Nation

The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) posted images of the Geminids meteor shower taken in Chiang Mai on its Facebook page on Monday.

Images of the meteor shower had been captured at the Huai Lan reservoir in San Kamphaeng district from 9pm on Sunday to the wee hours of Monday.

“As expected, the shower saw about 150 meteors falling per hour and we were able to capture clear images of fireball and bolide meteors,” NARIT said.

Photo Credit: NARIT Facebook page

The Geminids occur in December every year, when Earth passes through a dust trail from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a Palladian asteroid with a “rock comet” orbit.

This makes the Geminids, together with the Quadrantids, the only major meteor showers not originating from a comet.

Photo Credit: NARIT Facebook page

This year, the shower peaked from December 6 to 14, with it being particularly intense in the early hours of December 14.

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Students escape tragedy by the skin of their teeth after driver falls asleep (nationthailand.com)

Students escape tragedy by the skin of their teeth after driver falls asleep

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

A group of students from the Chiang Mai Rajabhat University were nearly killed in a road accident on Monday morning after the driver of their van fell asleep and crashed into a roadside tree at 6am.

Police and rescue staff arrived to help the 10 students, two of whom were severely injured and transferred to hospital.

Initial investigation showed they were returning from a camp in Nakhon Ratchasima province, and their driver fell asleep as they were passing through Lampang province.

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Pug-faced buffalo becomes a star in Uthai Thani (nationthailand.com)

Pug-faced buffalo becomes a star in Uthai Thani

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

A buffalo with a face that looks like that of a pug has become famous in Uthai Thani, with many farmers willing to pay Bt500,000 for it to improve their fortunes.

At a provincial festival on Monday, featuring parades, eateries, rides, souvenir stalls and livestock markets, the buffalo “Mumu” became an instant hit, with people arriving specifically to take selfies with it.

The owner, Ong-at Ketsin, said his business has flourished since he got Mumu and even though some people have offered Bt500,000 for the animal, he has decided to keep it for himself as it brings him good luck.