An Ubon Ratchathani man has been arrested for allegedly transporting 12 illegal migrants from Laos in a pickup truck late on Friday.
The undocumented migrants comprised five males and seven females.
At 10pm on Friday, officers of Navy’s Mekong Patrol Operation Command arrested Pranee (last name withheld), a local of Ubon Ratchathani’s Sri Muang Mai district, near a border checkpoint in Na Pho Klang subdistrict, in Khong Chiam district, which shares a border with Laos.
One of the migrants reportedly said that they had travelled from several cities in Laos’ Champasak province, and had paid an agency in Thailand Bt4,000 to Bt5,000 per person to transport them to Bangkok to find jobs.
The suspect and the migrants were taken to Khong Chiam Police Station for questioning.
Members of Jana Ruk Thin Network camped out at the foot of Chamai Maru Chet Bridge on Rama V Road near Government House in Bangkok’s Dusit district for the second day on Friday.
An NGO dedicated to preserving Songkhla’s environment, the network has been urging the government to halt the plan to establish Jana Industrial Estate until a thorough strategic environmental assessment is carried out. It is also accusing the government of rushing the decision to approve the project to benefit a private company that had donated several millions of baht to Palang Pracharath Party, the key member of the ruling coalition.
Managed by TPI Polene and IRPC, Jana Industrial Estate will cover 16,700 rai (2,672 hectares) in three subdistricts of Jana district — Sakom, Taling Chan and Na Thap. It will be the largest industrial estate project in the South and therefore have significant impacts on surrounding communities, especially in environmental and marine resource aspects.
In a statement issued on Friday, the network said they would continue to camp out near Government House until they received a satisfying answer from the government.
The Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Saturday that a weak high-pressure system covers upper Thailand, resulting in temperatures rising by 1-3 degrees Celsius as well as morning fog, including dense fog in some areas. All vehicles should move with caution in foggy areas, the department said.
The department added that the weak northeast monsoon prevailing across the Gulf of Thailand and the South will bring less rain to the areas, while waves in the Gulf will rise about a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
During December 15-18, another high pressure cell from China will extend to cover upper Thailand, bringing cool to cold weather with strong winds and a 2-3°C drop in temperature over the upper country.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning and dense fog in some areas; minimum temperature 12-18 degrees Celsius, maximum 29-35°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-13°C.
Northeast: Cool weather with fog in the morning and dense fog in some areas; minimum temperature 16-22°C, maximum 31-33°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 8-12°C.
Central: Cool weather and fog in the morning; minimum temperature 19-22°C, maximum 32-35°C.
East: Cool weather in the morning; minimum temperature 24-25°C, maximum 32-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres off shore.
South (east coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 21-24°C, maximum 30-33°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 22-25°C, maximum 32-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Fog in the morning; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 32-34°C.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand are on the path to recovery due to the stimulus packages launched by the government, according to the Federation of Thai SME.The federation president, Chonrungsee Chalermchaikit, said that some SMEs had already recovered from the Covid-19 crisis. She added that the stimulus package “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) had helped in the recovery of grass-roots businesses, increasing the sales of SME products.However, she said that sales had not returned to their normal level. At the moment, sales were lower than the pre-pandemic levels by around 30 per cent.She added that sales of SMEs would gradually recover if the second wave of Covid-19 does not occur in Thailand.Chonrungsee said that SMEs in the tourism sector have still not recovered, especially the small ones. She explained that domestic tourists could not make up for the absence of foreigners, and the government should improve its tourism stimulus package for small entrepreneurs.As for the Covid-19 situation in the northern provinces of the country, Chonrungsee described it as an aggravation for tourism in the region, if the government is unable to control it.Next year, the president predicted that SME entrepreneurs would improve or adapt themselves in line with the post-coronavirus market situation. She predicted that entrepreneurs would adopt technologies for various parts of their businesses, whether production, management, marketing or even service. And tech startups would increase to tackle the technological need of businesses in the future.Chonrungsee said that a weak point of small companies was that the owners did everything by themselves, so there was not enough time for them to focus on digital improvement of their businesses.
Tourist attractions on Bangkok’s historical Rattanakosin Island were open Friday despite the continued presence of container and razor wire barricades erected by police to deal with a pro-democracy rally on Thursday.
Police set up the heavy fortifications after the Ratsadon pro-democracy group called a rally in front of the UN building on Thursday to urge the organisation to back efforts to repeal the draconian lese-majeste law, or Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
On Friday, tourists wishing to visit attractions such as the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) were advised to use routes behind the Supreme Court Office and Tai Wang intersection.
Police began dismantling the razor wire barricades on Friday afternoon.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has scheduled 12 extra train services between Bangkok and the North and Northeast to help people get home for the New Year holiday.
The move was made to meet travel demand after all tickets were booked up over the holiday period.
Six extra trains will run from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, to Ubon Ratchathani and to Udon Thani from December 30 to January 2. Six more will make the return journeys from December 31 to January 4.
The SRT is also speeding up maintenance work on bogies to support passengers on all routes from December 29 to January 4.
“With this plan the SRT will be able to support at least 100,000 passengers daily, so we can confirm no passengers will be left stranded in railway stations,” the SRT said.
Meanwhile the SRT has cancelled trains No 909/910 from Bangkok to Nam Tok (Kanchanaburi) and trains No 911/912 from Bangkok to Suan Son Pradiphat (Prachuap Khiri Khan) from December 31 to January 1.
Passengers can reserve tickets at www.railway.co.th or railway stations nationwide. Or they can call 1690 or visit the pr.railway Facebook page for more information.
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Company arrested a total of 14 Myanmar nationals caught sneaking across the border into Trat province on Friday.
An Army patrol in Mae Sot district arrested 11 Myanmar nationals, one male and 10 females, as they were crossing the Mei River to enter Thailand at Mae Ku subdistrict. The illegal migrants were sent to Tak public health office for Covid-19 tests and interrogation.
On the same day, a 4th Infantry rapid response team arrested three more Myanmar nationals trying to cross the border at Mae Tao district. Officials said the suspects, two males and one female, were caught carrying 46 packages of smuggled cigarettes.
They were sent to Tak police station for interrogation and Covid-19 tests.
One of the patrolling officers said the Covid-19 outbreak in Myanmar’s Myawaddy town, which shares a border with Tak, is getting worse with the number of infections growing. Thai officials have tightened security to prevent illegal crossings via natural channels, he said.
“Also, the economic recession in Myanmar has resulted in worsening unemployment, so more of its nationals are trying to enter Thailand to find jobs,” he added.
There are no unaccounted for Covid-19 cases in the seven provinces where newly infected persons travelled, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department said on Friday.
“So far, 49 cases have been found to be related to the people who crossed the border illegally from Myanmar. Of them, 30 have tested positive for Covid-19 in local state quarantine facilities, while the 17 who travelled to seven provinces before testing positive have infected two others so far.
“Health officials in the seven provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phichit, Ratchaburi, Singburi and Tak traced and tested more than 6,000 persons suspected of having close contact with the infected. Other than the two who contracted Covid-19 from the Tachilek arrivals, there are no unaccounted for cases or infections resulting from an unknown origin.
“This means that the seven provinces are safe,” Opas added. “No areas have been classified as risky, so people can travel locally without having to quarantine themselves when returning to their home province.
“However, people still need to use protect themselves by wearing face masks, washing their hands regularly, avoiding crowded areas and using the Thai Chana platform to record their movements.”
The British government has announced an ambitious new target to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.The new target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Climate Agreement – is among the highest in the world and commits the UK to cutting emissions at the fastest rate of any major economy so far.The new target is the first set by the UK following its departure from the EU.The UK was the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050.The announcement comes ahead of the UK co-hosting the Climate Ambition Summit on Saturday, which will coincide with the fifth anniversary of the historic Paris Agreement. The summit calls on countries around the world to submit ambitious NDCs or other climate plans in the run-up towards the UN COP26 climate talks, which the UK government is hosting in Glasgow next year.This new target meets the recommendation of experts at the independent Climate Change Committee who advise the government on emissions targets.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has chalked out a 10- point plan for a green industrial revolution, which will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs by 2030. The plan sets out ambitious policies and investment, with the potential to deliver over £40 billion of private investment by 2030, to develop innovative technologies and make significant strides in cutting emissions across energy, transport and buildings. It also provides a road map of further action the UK will be taking to reduce emissions in the coming decades, encouraging similar levels of ambition from businesses, organisations and nations around the world.Johnson said: “We have proven we can reduce our emissions and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process – uniting businesses, academics, NGOs and local communities in a common goal to go further and faster to tackle climate change.“Today, we are taking the lead with an ambitious new target to reduce our emissions by 2030, faster than any major economy, with our Ten Point Plan helping us on our path to reach it.“But this is a global effort, which is why the UK is urging world leaders as part of next week’s Climate Ambition Summit to bring forward their own ambitious plans to cut emissions and set net zero targets.”
A formal complaint will be filed against the “We Volunteer” pro-democracy guards for clashing with police officers who tried to stop them from removing barriers put up in Bangkok’s Thewes area to block nearby roads, as well as government and royal buildings.Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Piya Tawichai said on Friday morning that four police officers were slightly injured in the clash. He added that the volunteers will be charged for causing chaos and vandalism.The guards will also be charged for violating the Maintenance of Cleanliness and Orderliness Act for spraying paint on roads and shipping containers piled up outside the Transport Ministry.Charges will also be filed against the organisers of a rally on Thursday at the October 14 Memorial for violating regulations on public gatherings.
Photos by Korbphuk Phromrekha 
