No casualties as chemical container explodes at Army ordnance factory compound
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
A chemical container at the Royal Thai Army Ordnance Department in Ayutthaya province exploded on Friday noon, but there were no casualties, the top village official said.
The explosion took place in a courtyard near the Army’s explosives fuse factory as a chemical container was exposed to sunlight, Moo 2 village headman Manoch Chanket said.
“The chemical container was placed outdoors, as the factory is currently under renovation,” he said.
He said no one was injured, and the situation was currently under control.
Meanwhile Sali Sapmak, a 42-year-old mahout who witnessed the incident, said he heard an explosion three times and saw thick white smoke.
He added that his elephant panicked after hearing the explosion.
Ayutthaya Governor Niwat Rungsakorn rushed to the scene to investigate the incident.
Police get custody of rare supercar belonging to businessman accused by actress
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
A rare Lamborghini supercar belonging to Chaiwat Kajonboonthavorn, who has been accused of running illegal online gambling, was delivered to the police on Friday by his lawyer.
The lawyer, Phisit Chutipornphongchai, also assured that Chaiwat would turn himself in to the law next Thursday (February 16).
The 38-year-old Chaiwat, famously known by his car dealership nickname “Benz Daemon”, was accused of being one of the four suspects allegedly linked to the Macao 888 online gambling website.
Chaiwat is the eldest of four brothers who actress Arisara “Due” Thongborisut recently accused in a Facebook post of running an online gambling website. In her post, she hinted that all the brothers have nicknames starting with “B”.
Phisit said Chaiwat had instructed him to deliver the vehicle to the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) to facilitate their investigations. Chaiwat also had made clear that he had no intention to flee and would turn himself in on February 16, the lawyer said.
Phisit added that Chaiwat preferred not to answer the allegation by the actress that she was also physically abused by him.
Chaiwat’s Lamborghini Mad Bull Liberty Walk Aventador V2 was an extra rare limited edition with only 50 such cars in the world and this is the only one in Thailand. The vehicle is estimated to cost over 40 million baht, and is among several luxury and race cars that the CCIB police found during their search at Chaiwat’s warehouse in Bangkok earlier this week.
Phisit added that the rare vehicle was registered under Chaiwat’s name since the date of purchase and had never changed ownership.
On Friday, the Democrat Party announced that Chaiwat’s brother, Ekachai “Boss” Kajonboonthavorn — another person alleged by the actress as linked to online gambling — had left the party.
The Democrat Party, a government coalition member, said it has a clear policy of not supporting any illegal activities like online gambling, and maintained that the party does not accept financial support from those involved in underground businesses.
Phuket bus shooter kills himself during stand-off with police
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
The former army conscript who opened fire on a public bus in Phuket province on Friday morning, shot himself dead after a stand-off that lasted five hours, police said.
Nawin (surname withheld) injured two passengers when he began shooting shortly after the bus left Phuket’s bus terminal in Mueang district for Phatthalung province.
The bus stopped after the incident and its passengers rushed out of it. The injured were later sent to hospital. Nawin remained on the bus.
Police said they did not know why he fired his gun. He remained on the bus as more than 30 armed police officers surrounded it.
Police escorted his aunt and grandmother to the scene in an attempt to persuade him to surrender.
Five hours after he first opened fire, he turned his pistol on himself and fired his last shot.
A letter he wrote by hand was later found in his pocket. “Don’t worry. I will have a new life and will leave my future to chance. I will not come home again,” it read.
Nawin had been a conscript with the rank of private in the Third Infantry Battalion in the southern border province of Pattani.
He was discharged from military service in May last year after serving three years. He had served two years of compulsory service and an additional year voluntarily.
He was being treated for mental health problems, family members said.
10 Bangkok rescue experts join Thai quake-response mission in Turkey
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Bangkok has sent 10 rescue workers to join the USAR Thailand team’s search and rescue mission to help victims of the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks shook southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday morning, leaving over 21,000 people dead as of Friday and affecting millions more in both countries.
A Thai masseuse from Chaiyaphum was among the victims after her hotel workplace in the Turkish town of Iskenderun collapsed.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department on Thursday sent a group of 42 rescue workers to Turkey on a disaster-relief mission. The group includes a Thai urban search and rescue (USAR) team including medics and engineers, plus 10 rescue staff from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, said deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej.
The team departed Suvarnabhumi Airport on Thursday night on a Turkish Airlines flight. They took along rescue gear, medical supplies, satellite communication equipment, and two sniffer dogs.
Tavida said the USAR team and BMA rescuers are experts in search and rescue in urban areas. They have had extensive and regular training in disaster relief at national and international levels, she added.
For the latest updates on their search and rescue mission, visit facebook.com/DDPMNews and twitter @DDPMNews.
Senior cop suspended after Chuwit’s blistering Facebook post
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
The police officer alleged to be an owner of the biggest online gambling website in Thailand has been identified as Lt-Colonel Wasawat Mookarasakul by Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former politician and massage parlour tycoon turned whistleblower.
Wasawat has been “temporarily suspended from duty”, police said on Friday.
The Lt-Colonel’s alleged dual role in law enforcement and crime is having a “severe impact on police agencies”, Chuwit said.
“It is not good to have a police officer operating a criminal organisation,” he added.
He urged the police to investigate, adding that those involved in online gambling knew the officer as “Sua of Pentor Group”. Online gambling is illegal in Thailand.
“I have brought this case to the attention of National Police Chief General Damrongsak Kittiprapas,” Chuwit said.
Wasawat had been systematic in setting up a criminal organisation, Chuwit alleged.
Wasawat has stakes in 10 companies under the Pentor Group that are used for money laundering, Chuwit alleged.
According to Chuwit, they are:
1. Pentor Exchange: a foreign currency exchange business operator
2. PT Software: a computer software manufacturer and developer
3. Pentor Property: a residential and commercial property business operator
4. Pentor Entertainment: an entertainment venue operator (Tomorrow Land Exclusive Lounge and Dubai Luxury Club in Bangkok)
5. Snocko Technology: a computer industry personnel developer
How to get your Valentine wish granted at Bangkok’s Shrine of Love
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Thais and tourists began flocking to Bangkok’s Shrine of Love on Thursday to pray for romance ahead of Valentine’s Day, which falls on Tuesday.
The Trimurti Shrine in front of CentralWorld was packed as the mall ushered in the season of love with a special event held from 5.19pm to 6.19pm.
Among the devotees were female students desperate to reserve tickets for South Korean boyband NCT’s concert before they are snapped up.
The NCT Dream Tour’s “The Dream Show 2 in Bangkok” is due at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi from March 10 to 12.
The Trimurti is the divine trinity of Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities.
Both couples and singles worship at Bangkok’s Trimurti Shrine every February, as the trinity is also considered to be the Hindu deity of love.
People in search of love are advised to prepare one or all of the following items as offerings at the shrine:
Nine roses or one rose garland
Nine red incense sticks
One red candle (for singles) or one pair of red candles (for couples)
Thai quake victim’s devastated parents get just 15,000 baht compensation
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
The devastated parents of a Thai woman who was killed during Monday’s earthquake in Turkey have been told they are entitled to just 15,017 baht compensation for her death – barely enough to cover her funeral.
Chamaiporn Homsantia, 28, was reportedly sleeping when the 7.8 magnitude quake shook the southern Turkish town of Iskenderun, where she worked as a traditional Thai masseuse.
Her body was later retrieved from the rubble after the hotel collapsed along with many other buildings in the town.
Chamaiporn’s distraught mother, Boonchu, said the last time she talked to her daughter was on Saturday.
On Wednesday, she broke down when she was told that her daughter was among the thousands killed in the disaster.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks rumbled through southern Turkey and northern Syria, leaving over 21,000 people dead as of Friday and affecting millions more in both countries.
Chamaiporn was the main provider for the family, which includes two disabled members, said Boonchu. She added that her daughter had been working in Turkey for four years at a 10-storey hotel that collapsed during the earthquake.
However, Chaiyaphum social security office said Chamaiporn quit the social security fund in 2015 and had pending benefits of only 15,017 baht. The small sum has been paid to her family for funeral arrangements.
The Department of Labour said Chamaiporn went to work in Turkey by herself and was never a member of the department’s TOEA (Thailand Overseas Employment Administration) Fund, which provides compensation for Thai workers injured or killed overseas.
The Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it is coordinating with local authorities to bring Chamaiporn’s body back to Thailand for her funeral. The ministry also posted the following contact information for Thais who have been affected by the earthquake:
The Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara can be contacted by phone at +90 533 641 5698 (available 24/7) or on facebook.com/rteankara/
Department of Consular Affairs: (02) 572 8442 (available 24/7)
Emergency numbers for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria: 096 165 7120, 096 352 9015, 096 352 0513.
The embassy in Ankara is open as usual, but consular services have been suspended as officials have been deployed to assist Thais in the affected zones.
Thailand sends USAR team
A Thai urban search and rescue (USAR) team has joined disaster-relief efforts in Turkey after leaving Thailand on Thursday night.
The “Thailand for Turkey” team comprises 42 members, including medics and experts from the Engineering Institute of Thailand. On board with the team were two sniffer dogs.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said the team will establish an emergency centre as a search-and-rescue base as well as provide medical assistance. The team is fully equipped with rescue gear, medical supplies and satellite communication equipment, it added.
The CP Group has donated food and other necessities for the team to deliver to quake victims, said the department.
Malaysia PM vows to facilitate peace talks in restive southern Thailand
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged to “do whatever is required” to facilitate a peaceful solution to a long-simmering insurgency in southern Thailand, during an official visit to Bangkok on Thursday.
More than 7,300 people have been killed since 2004 in fighting between Thai forces and shadowy groups seeking independence for the predominantly Muslim and ethnically Malay provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and parts of Songkhla, which border Malaysia.
Anwar stressed the insurgency is an internal issue for Thailand but said Malaysia will do whatever it can to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
“It is our duty as good neighbours and family to do whatever is required and necessary to facilitate the process,” Anwar said.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said cooperation will help address the problems in the restive provinces, specifically greater economic development and improved connectivity between the two countries.
The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the main insurgent group involved in talks with the Thai government did not comment when contacted by Reuters.
Since 2013 Malaysia has helped facilitate peace talks between the separatists groups and Thai government but the process been disrupted. The latest round of talks resumed last year after a two-year suspension due to the pandemic.
Thai Red Cross donates to quake victims, asks public for help
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 09, 2023
The Thai Red Cross Society has promised to contribute 2 million baht (about US$60,000) to the relief efforts for victims of the earthquake that devastated large areas of Turkey and Syria on Monday.
Lt-General Dr Amnat Barlee, director of its Relief and Community Health Bureau, said on Thursday that the Thai Red Cross also welcomed donations from members of the public for the red crescent societies of Turkey and Syria, which are part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Donations can be transferred to the Thai Red Cross Society’s account at Siam Commercial Bank (045-3-04637-0).
Amnat said he attended a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as representatives from the Thai Red Cross Society’s foreign relations division to discuss preparations to send assistance to Turkey and Syria.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in southern Turkey and northern Syria, leaving over 15,000 people dead and affecting millions more in both countries.
As of Thursday afternoon, the number of dead had reached 15,865 – 12,873 in Turkey and 2,992 in Syria.
Thai life expectancy on the rise over the last three decades
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 09, 2023
There has been an increase in the longevity of Thai people over the past three decades, with men living six and a half years longer and women eight years more than in the 1980s, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
The latest census in 2018 showed that on average Thai men live to 72.2 years, compared to 65.6 in the 1980s, while Thai women on average live to 78.9 years, compared to 70.9 in the 1980s, the NESDC said.
However, the average period of good health is much lesser – 68 years for Thai men and 74 years for Thai women.
The main reasons for the loss of good health among Thais include road accidents, HIV and diabetes in younger people, and stroke, dementia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in older people, the NESDC said.
Between 2016 and 2019, deaths resulting from road accidents ranged from 23.8 to 30.2 per 100,000 population.
Non-communicable diseases caused about 320,000 deaths per year, or more than 75% of the population. Five diseases – cancer, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and high blood pressure – caused about 75,000 deaths per year.
Deaths from HIV, the virus that causes Aids, also increased from 12,863 in 2016 to 14,731 in 2017, or 22.5 per 100,000 population.
Meanwhile, drowning was the main cause of premature deaths of Thai children aged below 15, according to Public Health Ministry records. As many as 692 children aged under 15 were reported to have drowned between January 1 and September 2020.
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