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Electric cables, power lines on 48.7km roads in Bangkok moved underground (nationthailand.com)

Electric cables, power lines on 48.7km roads in Bangkok moved underground

NationalDec 13. 2020

By The Nation

Overhead electric cables on some of Bangkok’s busiest roads have been successfully moved underground, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) has said.

MEA, a state enterprise under the Ministry of Interior, said the project has covered 48.6 kilometres so far, including some areas of major roads, such as Silom, Sukhumvit, Phaholyothin, Phya Thai, Rama 1, Rama IV, Ratchadamri, Ratchawithi, Ratchaprarop, Sri Ayutthaya, Sawankhalok, Sathu Pradit, Sawang Arom, Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sawan.

The MEA said that as part of the government’s efforts to make Bangkok an Asean metropolis, the underground cables project has been continuously transformed into an underground electric cable system, accelerating the construction of a smart metro city for sufficiency and stability of the electrical system including improving the landscape in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakarn.

The MEA’s plan to shift aerial power lines underground has selected necessary routes according to the train construction, key utilities, main road, and business area. Important places were areas with high demand for electricity and rapid growth in demand for electricity, the MEA said.

The project is expected to cover a total distance of 167 kilometres.

Work is ongoing, covering a total distance of 128.2 kilometres in the Nonsi area, Rama III Road, Ratchadaphisek – Rama 9, Ratchadaphisek – Asoke, around Chitralada Royal Villa, Rama IV Road, Witthayu Road, inner-city area (Sathorn Road, Charoen Rat Road, Chidlom Road, Phetchaburi Road, Din Daeng Road), and Henri Dunant Road along the Blue Line, Light Green, Pink, and Yellow train routes.

The process is underway for recruiting contractors for 38.8 kilometres consisting of roads along the Orange Line, Green Line Extension and Purple Line trains (Arun Amarin Road – Borommaratchachonnani Road – Prannok Road – Thahan Road – Pracharat 1 Road and Samsen Road). The contractor is expected to be finalised before 2021.

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Warmer weather forecast for upper Thailand with fog in the morning (nationthailand.com)

Warmer weather forecast for upper Thailand with fog in the morning

NationalDec 13. 2020Bangkok enjoys a clear sky on Sunday morning. 

By The Nation

Rising temperature, as well as morning fog, thick in some areas, are forecast as a weak high-pressure system covers upper Thailand and the South China Sea. However, most of the North would be cool to cold, while mountaintops would be cold to very cold, the Thailand Meteorological Department said.

Isolated rain is expected in the Northeast, the Central and the East. All vehicles should exercise caution in the foggy areas, the department said.

Isolated rain is forecast for the South due to the weak northeast monsoon across the Gulf of Thailand.

From December 15-18, another rather strong high-pressure system from China would extend to upper Thailand with  temperatures falling by 2-3 degrees Celsius. Cool to cold weather with strong winds still cover the area. At the same time in the South, the northeast monsoon covering the Gulf will strengthen with more rain and some heavy downpour.

The forecast for the next 24 hours:

Bangkok: Morning fog and isolated light rain; minimum temperature 23-25 degrees Celsius, maximum 33-35°C;  northeasterly winds 10-20 kilometres per hour (kph).

North: Cool to cold with morning fog and isolated thick patches; minimum temperature 12-19°C, maximum 29-34°C; cold to very cold on mountaintops with minimum temperature 4-14°C;  northeasterly winds 10-20kph.

Northeast: Cool with morning fog and isolated thick patches; isolated light rain in the lower portion; minimum temperature 16-22°C, maximum 32-34°C; cold to very cold on  mountaintops with minimum temperature 8-12°C;  northeasterly winds at 10-20kph.

Central: Cool with morning fog and isolated light rain; minimum temperature 22-23°C, maximum 33-35°C;  northeasterly winds 15-20kph.

East: Morning fog and isolated light rain mostly in Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces; minimum temperature 23-25°C,  maximum 32-34°C;  northeasterly winds 15-30kph;  waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

South (east coast): Partly cloudy with isolated thundershowers mostly in Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces;  minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 31-33°C;  northeasterly winds 15-30kph;  waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres in thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with isolated thundershowers mostly in Phang-Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun provinces; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 31-33°C;  northeasterly winds 15-30kph;  waves about a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

Seven-day forecast:

From December 12-14, the high pressure system covering upper Thailand is weakening. A 1-3°C increase in temperature with fog and dense fog is forecast for the upper country, but mornings will be cool to cold in the North and the Northeast. The weak northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South, bringing less rain. From December 15-18, another high pressure from China will extend to cover upper Thailand. Cool to cold weather with strong winds and a 2-3°C drop in temperature is likely in upper Thailand while mountaintops will be cold to very cold. The northeast monsoon prevailing over the Gulf and the South will strengthen, so more rain with isolated heavy rain is likely. Winds in the Gulf of Thailand will strengthen, with waves rising about two metres and above two metres in thundershowers.

The department has urged people in upper Thailand to beware of poor visibility from

December 12-14. From December 15-18, people in upper Thailand should be careful of their health due to the variable weather. People in the South should beware of heavy rain. All ships in the Gulf of Thailand should proceed with caution, the department said.

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Border patrolling tightened in Narathiwat to prevent illegal migrants (nationthailand.com)

Border patrolling tightened in Narathiwat to prevent illegal migrants

NationalDec 12. 2020

By Narong Nualsakun

The Nation

Authorities in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat on Saturday beefed up patrolling of the border at over 70 natural trails in Tak Bai district, following the arrests of illegal foreign migrant workers last week.

The move is aimed at containing the risk of a Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand.

The authorities will also set up barbed wire fences at these natural channels to prevent illegal entry.

The authorities nabbed 14 foreign migrant workers — seven Vietnamese and seven Cambodians — who had sneaked in from Malaysia on Friday night,

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Nation Group extends helping hand to flood victims (nationthailand.com)

Nation Group extends helping hand to flood victims

NationalDec 12. 2020Photos by Charoon Thongnual 

By The Nation

Nation Group on Friday donated drinking water to flood victims in the Chaloem Phra Kiat district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

Even though the flood situation in many areas has returned to normal, people in downstream areas are still suffering from the inundation.

Meanwhile, many agencies handed out consumer goods, especially drinking water, to victims because large jars in which people had stored rainwater were destroyed by the floods.

On Saturday, Nation Group also handed out 1,500 bags of supplies to the flood victims.

Many people in the area are closely following the announcements of the Thailand Meteorological Department amid worries of a new wave of flash floods.

On Saturday, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation was reported as saying that 39,086 households in the provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla were still struggling with floods.

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Krungthai Bank ready to register new participants for second phase of shopping subsidy scheme (nationthailand.com)

Krungthai Bank ready to register new participants for second phase of shopping subsidy scheme

NationalDec 12. 2020

By The Nation

Registration for an additional 5 million beneficiaries under the second phase of the subsidised shopping scheme will open on December 16.

Intetested people can register from 6am to 11pm via website, Krungthai Bank said on Saturday.

The Cabinet approved the second phase of the Khon La Khrueng (Let’s Go Halves) subsidised shopping scheme on Tuesday.

The government’s co-payment stimulus scheme will be expanded to cover 15 million Thais from the original 10 million. Those who had registered previously do nit need to re-register for the extended scheme.

Until March 31, the government will pay 50 per cent of each shopper’s bill for food, drinks and general goods up to Bt150 per day. The cap on total subsidy per person for the whole period has been raised from Bt,3,000 to Bt3,500.

The total budget for both phases of the scheme is Bt22.5 billion, aiming to generate spending of Bt45 billion.

Each phase is designed to increase the country’s gross domestic product by 0.32 per cent by injecting up to Bt105 billion into the economy.

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No 14-day quarantine for visitors returning from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai (nationthailand.com)

No 14-day quarantine for visitors returning from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai

NationalDec 12. 2020Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin 

By The Nation

Tourists would not have to undergo 14 days quarantine after returning from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, clarified on Friday.

He made the remark in response to a question about some companies stating that tourists who have returned from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai must undergo self-isolation for 14 days.

“These companies made announcements in response to the discovery of new coronavirus cases, but we have not concluded on whether tourists must undergo 14 days quarantine or not,” he said.

“However, people who are travelling in these provinces must take care of themselves, such as by wearing a face mask and washing hands regularly,” he said.

As of Saturday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 4,192 (1,204 in state quarantine), 217 are in hospital, 3,915 have recovered and been discharged, while 60 have died.

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PM to ride Thailand’s first driverless train on Dec 16 (nationthailand.com)

PM to ride Thailand’s first driverless train on Dec 16

NationalDec 12. 2020(File Photo) 

By THE NATION

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the opening ceremony of the Skytrain Green Line extension (Mo Chit – Saphan Mai – Ku Kot) and the Gold Line monorail, which is linked to the Green Line at Krung Thon Buri station, on December 16.

“The prime minister will also board the first official driverless train from Krung Thon Buri Skytrain station to Khlong San District Office station along with members of the press,” Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Saturday.

“The Green Line extension and the Gold Line would seamlessly link the transport of people from three provinces — Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Samut Prakarn. Furthermore, the Gold Line also features Thailand’s first driverless monorail train, which should help in reducing pollution and saving energy,” he added.

The Green Line extension includes seven stations — Phahon Yothin 59, Sai Yud, Saphan Mai, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Yaek Kor Por Aor, and Khu Khot. The last station is the first Skytrain stop outside Bangkok.

With the extension, the Green Line is 68 kilometres long with 59 stops, and can accommodate up to 1.5 million passenger trips per day.

The Gold Line monorail in the first phase runs between three stations: Krung Thong Buri, Charoen Nakhon and Khlong San, covering a distance of 1.8 kilometres. The system is equipped with automated guideway transit and automated people mover, and can accommodate up to 42,000 passenger trips per day.

“Nine out of 14 projects to extend the Skytrain network in Bangkok and its perimeter have been completed so far with a total distance of over 553 kilometres,” said Anucha.

“In the coming years, more projects are expected to be opened, such as the Dark Red Line (Bang Sue – Rangsit) in 2021, the Pink Line (Khae Rai – Minburi) in 2022, and Light Red Line (Taling Chan – Siriraj) in 2024.”

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BMTA gets Cabinet nod to develop its lands for market, mixed-use projects (nationthailand.com)

BMTA gets Cabinet nod to develop its lands for market, mixed-use projects

NationalDec 12. 2020

By THE NATION

The Cabinet has approved in principle the amendment of the royal decree on the establishment of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), allowing it to conduct other businesses or make investments that are beneficial to the BMTA’s operations.

Deputy government spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul said on Friday that the amendment was a part of BMTA’s rehabilitation plan to reduce its overwhelming debt, as proposed by the Ministry of Transport.

“Earlier, the ministry had told the BMTA to study the possibility of developing its lands currently used as a bus garage for commercial uses,” a source from BMTA revealed.

“Two pieces of lands had been proposed for the project: The Minburi bus garage has 10 rai (1.6 hectare) available with market value of Bt347 million, and the Bang Khen bus garage, which has 11-1-93 rai available with market value of Bt1.14 billion.”

In 2017, BMTA hired Thammasat University Research and Consultancy Institute to conduct a feasibility study of the project. The institute concluded that the land at the Minburi bus garage should be developed into a market while the land at Bang Khen bus garage should be developed into a mixed-use project comprising shopping malls and upper class hotels.

“According to Thammasat’s estimation, BMTA can collect land usage fee at 30 per cent of market value from private partners who will engage in land development worth approximately Bt361 million, and can collect land rental fee throughout the 30-year contract worth Bt1.206 billion,” added the source. “However, the project was put on hold as commercial use of land does not comply with the objectives of establishing the BMTA as stated in the royal decree. Consequently, the Ministry of Transport proposed the amendment to the decree.”

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Former public health minister Mongkol dies at 79 (nationthailand.com)

Former public health minister Mongkol dies at 79

NationalDec 12. 2020Mongkol na Songkhla 

By THE NATION

Former minister of public health, Dr Mongkol na Songkhla, died on Friday. He was 79.He was undergoing treatment for cancer for a long time.Mongkol was a minister in the government of prime minister Surayut Chulanont from 2006 to 2008. He had also served as secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration, and was also permanent secretary at the Ministry of Public Health.His funeral will be held at Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkhram in Bangkok’s Rama III area.

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12 new Covid-19 cases found in quarantine (nationthailand.com)

12 new Covid-19 cases found in quarantine

NationalDec 12. 2020

By THE NATION

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Saturday reported 12 new cases in quarantine facilities.The new patients included nine Thai returnees and three foreigners.The Thai returnees included eight women and a man. Seven of the women, aged 23, 31, 33, 35, 39, 41 and 51, flew back from Bahrain. Another woman, 19, came from the UK, while the only male patient, 41, was from Germany.The foreigners consisted of a Swede, 37, an Indian, 35, and a Kuwaiti, 40, coming from their home countries.All the patients were asymptomatic, except a Thai national, 31, from Bahrain, and the Kuwaiti man.As of Saturday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 4,192 (1,204 in state quarantine), 217 are in hospital, 3,915 have recovered and been discharged, while 60 have died.According to Worldometer, as of Saturday morning the number of confirmed cases worldwide since the outbreak had risen to 71.43 million, 49.63 million of whom have recovered and 1.6 million have succumbed to the infection.Thailand ranks 151st globally, while the US has the most cases with 16.29 million, followed by India (9.82 million), Brazil (6.83 million), Russia (2.59 million) and France (2.35 million).