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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021236

Air pollution clinics offer advice on coping with pollution in Bangkok as PM2.5 rises to unsafe levels

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Five air pollution clinics across Bangkok and its surrounding areas are offering help to enable Bangkokians cope with air pollution, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said on Thursday.

The move follows slump in air quality in 12 areas around Bangkok and its vicinity to unsafe levels on Thursday morning.

PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) readings were in the range of 34-62 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). Thailand’s safe levels are 37.5 μg/m3 or lower.

The high pressure covering upper Thailand has caused a decline in temperature and air circulation, resulting in an increase in dust particles, BMA spokesperson Aekwanyu Amrapal said, citing a weather forecast by Thailand Meteorological Department.

He said the BMA has opened air pollution clinics at five hospitals under the Medical Service Department to give advice to people vulnerable to air pollution, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with underlying diseases.

The clinic also offers advice on how to take care of vulnerable persons, he added.

The five air pollution clinics are at:

• Klang Hospital, Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Tuesday and Friday from 8am to noon; Tel: 0 2220 8000 ext 10811
• Taksin Hospital, Khlong San district, Monday to Friday (except Wednesday and public holidays) from 9am to noon; Tel: 0 2437 0123 ext 1426 and 1430
• Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital, Bang Kho Laem district, Wednesday from 1pm to 3pm; Tel: 0 2289 7225
• Ratchaphiphat Hospital, Bang Khae district, Tuesday from 8am to 4pm; Tel: 0 2444 0163 ext 8946
• Sirindhorn Hospital, Prawet district, Tuesday from 1pm to 4pm; Tel: 0 2328 6901 ext 11434

Earlier, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the BMA’s taskforce on air pollution would meet this Friday to consider stricter measures on three main sources of PM2.5 – vehicles, factories and biomass burning.

“Currently the PM2.5 situation in Bangkok is not yet at the critical level. However, if more biomass burning takes place in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, we may need to establish additional monitoring stations to detect hotspots and rising levels of pollution in risky areas,” he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021224

Army collecting evidence on alleged graft in military housing project

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

The Army is collecting information relating to alleged graft in a military housing project and will submit the evidence to the Defence Ministry, Army Chief General Narongpan Jitkaewtae said on Thursday.

He made the remark after lawyer Paisarn Ruangrit and victims submitted a letter to the House of Representatives Committee on Political Development, Mass Communications and Public Participation on Wednesday, asking it to investigate alleged graft in the military housing project, which resulted in the Nakhon Ratchasima massacre of 2020.

A sergeant-major shot dead 29 people and injured 58 others in the province reportedly due to a conflict with an Army officer and others involved in the project, which allowed lower ranks to borrow money to purchase houses.

Paisarn claimed the Army had completed an investigation a long time ago.

General Narongpan advised victims to file complaints with the police. He added that they can lodge a complaint with the Army as well if they can identify officers involved in the case.

The victims have filed complaints with a host of organisations, such as the National Anti-Corruption Commission and even the court, he said.

“The Army is ready to provide information on the case,” he said, adding that it is responsible for punishing its officers if they are found guilty.

The Army had already punished a number of officers involved in the case, he pointed out.

Former Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong had put a stop to the housing project in 2021 before his retirement, Narongpan noted.

“Army officers have to borrow money from banks to buy houses,” he acknowledged.

Narongpan said it was essential to revise Army rules to meet with the current situation.

The Army will appoint a military unit responsible for the case if the House of Representatives Committee on Political Development, Mass Communications and Public Participation wants to summon the Army to clarify the case, he said.

“It is usual for any organisation to tackle issues that occur over time,” the general added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021223

Several houses, buildings in Chiang Mai develop cracks after mild quakes

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

A series of nine mild earthquakes hit Chiang Mai and Phrae provinces on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving cracks in several houses and buildings in Doi Saket district of Chiang Mai province.

The Mineral Resources Department explained during a press conference via Facebook Live late on Thursday morning that the series of eight quakes in Phrae and Chiang Mai were attributed to a moving fault.

Tinnakorn Thathong, director of the geological environment division of the department, said during the press conference that there were eight quakes measuring 1.5 to 3.9 magnitude in Phrae’s Long district on Wednesday and Tuesday.

Tinnakorn said the quakes were unleashed by a fault that lies from the direction of northeast to the southwest and moved horizontally to the left.

He said the quakes in Phrae were felt in Song, Sung Men, Wang Chin, Den Chai and Muang districts, and Tha Pla district of Uttaradit province with no reports of damage.

A 4.1-magnitude quake was recorded in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district at 4.36am on Thursday.

Tinnakorn said the quake in Chiang Mai was caused by the Mae Tha fault that moved horizontally to the right.

He said the tremors were felt in several districts of Chiang Mai and neighbouring Lamphun province.

Tinnakorn said the tremors caused cracks in the Mae Khue Witthaya School building.

Chiang Mai News reported that many people in Tambon Mae Khue in Doi Saket reported cracks in their houses and buildings following the quake.

The Centre for Excellence in Natural Disaster Management of Chiang Mai University said a larger quake of 5.1 magnitude was experienced in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district in December 2006 and a 4.1-magnitude quake was reported in the province on October 18, 2020.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021218

Chadchart targets vehicles, factories, biomass burning amid poor Bangkok air quality

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt aims to impose stricter measures on three main sources of PM2.5 in a bid to improve the capital’s air quality, although he insisted on Thursday that the city’s air is “not yet at a critical level”.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported on Thursday morning that air quality in 12 areas around Bangkok and its vicinity had descended to unsafe levels.

PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) readings were in the range of 34-62 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). Thailand’s safe levels are 37.5 μg/m3 or lower.

The governor said the BMA’s taskforce on air pollution will meet this Friday to consider stricter measures on three main sources of PM2.5 – vehicles, factories and biomass burning.

Bangkok has more than 6,000 factories pumping pollution into the air, while local officials have reported increasing incidents of biomass burning around the city as the cold season approaches, Chadchart pointed out.

“Currently the PM2.5 situation in Bangkok is not yet at the critical level. However, if more biomass burning takes place in Bangkok and surrounding provinces we may need to establish additional monitoring stations to detect hotspots and rising levels of pollution in risky areas,” he said.

Chadchart plans to approach Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn for tips in handling hotspots, which the northern province has been battling as farmers sneakily burn their crop stubble after harvesting.

Chadchart also said the city needs an efficient real-time weather forecast system to predict the direction of winds that could bring in dust particles from nearby provinces, so that it could issue a warning to people in time.

Read more Air quality in 12 areas around Bangkok, vicinity unsafe

The governor added that he has ordered the BMA Vocational School to manufacture DIY air purifiers from car engine fans and filter sheets for schools and households in the city.

Due to limited production capacity, the BMA Vocational School will submit prototype units along with a manufacturing guide to all vocational colleges in the metropolis so more of the DIY air purifiers can be manufactured and distributed.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021214

Southern Thailand on alert against heavy rain, flash floods

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

THE NATION

The rainy season runs between June and October in Thailand. The authorities have issued a warning of heavy rainfall and potential flash floods from Monday until Friday this week in southern provinces of the Southeast Asian country.

According to local media, the tourist island of Phuket is part of the region on alert. The island on Sunday suffered a major flooding, which led to traffic bottlenecks and inundated roads.

People wade through a flooded street in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Oct. 18, 2022.

A woman sits on a boat on a flooded street in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Oct. 18, 2022.

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2022 shows temples in a flooded area in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2022 shows a woman walks in floodwater in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

People wade through a flooded street in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Oct. 18, 2022.

A woman travels on a boat on a flooded street in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Oct. 18, 2022.

A girl sits over the floodwater outside a house in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Oct. 18, 2022.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021210

Flooding swamps Phuket’s Old Town again

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Phuket’s Old Town was hit by floods again on Thursday due to overflows from the Bangyai Canal that receives water from Kathu district before it’s channelled into the sea at Saphan Hin peninsular in Muang district.

The Old Town was submerged under a metre of floodwater last Sunday after heavy overnight rain.

On Wednesday afternoon provincial Governor Narong Woonciew reported that the flood situation in the area was actually easing after three days of high water levels.

On Wednesday night, however, overflows from the canal flooded the Old Town’s roads, namely Phang Nga, Rassada and Thalang, with 20-50cm high water, affecting several residential and commercial buildings.

Officials had to block roads and divert traffic away from flooded areas to prevent accidents and vehicle malfunctions. Pumps were installed to speed up water drainage to keep floodwaters from rising and prevent a repeat of Sunday’s flooding should there be more heavy rain.

On Wednesday Narong and his team inspected Kathu-Patong Highway 4029, which has been cut off about 200 metres by a mud slide due to heavy showers since Sunday.

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew

The governor said he is cooperating with the Phuket District Highway Office, which promised to restore traffic to normal within seven days – provided there is no more heavy rain or mud slides that could affect roadwork.

In the meantime, motorists heading to Patong subdistrict are advised to use highways 4028, 4025 or 4030 to bypass the mud slide.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021208

Actor-singer Tono makes final preparations for daring Mekong charity swim

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Actor and singer Phakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak and his team arrived in Nakhon Phanom on Wednesday to make final preparations for his “One Man & the River – One Man Swims, Many Donate” Mekong charity swim scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Phakin announced plans to raise funds for Nakhon Phanom Hospital and a Lao hospital in Thakhek, Khammouane province, in early September when he made a trip to the Thai northeastern province.

He plans to swim 15km across the Mekong River and back.

Upon arrival, Phakin headed to Nakhon Phanom Hospital first to visit patients and his fans, before travelling to city hall to discuss details of the event with provincial officers.

He and his team then embarked on a motorboat survey of the river while Nakhon Phanom birdwatching club members provided guidance.

Many of his fans and others have expressed concern that the actor might be washed away by the strong Mekong currents and that officials involved in organising the event might be blamed and held responsible.

However, Phakin attempted to quell any fears, saying on Wednesday after the survey: “To those who are worried about me, I will do the best I can in this charity event.”

He added that he had “practised extensively” and his “body is 100 per cent ready” for the daring swim.

“I don’t care about other people’s drama or political agenda. I just want to raise funds to buy medical equipment for the hospitals. It also does not matter how much I raise. It could be in the 10,000, 100,000 or a million baht range. My intention is to help doctors and nurses as much as I can,” the actor said.

Read more Hearththrob Tono’s ambitious bid to swim across Mekong for public good is not quite winning hearts

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021207

Air quality in 12 areas around Bangkok, vicinity unsafe

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Air quality in 12 areas around Bangkok and its vicinity descended to unsafe levels on Thursday morning, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported.

PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) readings were in the range of 34-62 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). Thailand’s safe levels are 37.5 μg/m3 or lower.

As of 7am, the polluted areas were Nong Khaem (62 μg/m3), Bang Sue (59 μg/m3), Samphanthawong (55 μg/m3) Prawet (55 μg/m3), Bang Phlat (54 μg/m3) Lat Krabang (54 μg/m3), Khlong Sam Wa (54 μg/m3), Thawi Watthana (53 μg/m3), Yannawa (53 μg/m3), Pathumwan (52 μg/m3), Taling Chan (52 μg/m3) and Pom Prap Sattru Phai (51 μg/m3).

Meanwhile, the air quality in 55 of 71 areas around Bangkok and its surroundings were at the moderate level, or 38-50 μg/m3.

People in the area where the air quality is bad have been advised to monitor their health and reduce the time they spend outdoors, or use protective equipment if they develop a cough, difficulty breathing or eye irritation.

Meanwhile, people undergoing special healthcare should also reduce the time they spend outdoors or use protective equipment. They must see a doctor immediately if they develop a cough, have difficulty breathing, encounter eye inflammation, a headache, an irregular heartbeat, experience nausea or feel fatigued.

The PM2.5 situation can be followed on Air4Thai.com or bangkokairquality.com websites, the CAPM Facebook page, or via Air4Thai and AirBKK smartphone applications.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021206

Narathiwat police chief transferred over suspicion of allegedly aiding drug/arms suspects

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Narathiwat’s police chief was reportedly transferred to an inactive position at Royal Thai Police (RTP) Headquarters over suspicion of allegedly aiding suspects dealing in drugs and weapons, a news source said on Wednesday.

The source cited an order by National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas on Wednesday instructing Narathiwat police chief Pol Maj-General Waesamae Salae to drop all his current duties. He has been stationed at the RTP’s operations centre in Bangkok until further notice.

The order reportedly said the transfer was to maintain the orderly and efficient operation of the police force.

Pol Maj-General Waesamae Salae

The source speculated that Waesamae was transferred to prepare for an investigation after lawyer Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, chairman of the Crime Victims Assistance Club, had on October 10 filed a complaint with the National Police chief.

Atchariya claimed the Narathiwat police chief had allegedly issued certificates allowing suspects involved in drugs and weapons dealing in the province to pass security checkpoints without undergoing screening.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021205

Mild quake reported in Chiang Mai, Phrae

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

A mild 4.1-magnitude earthquake was reported in the wee hours of Thursday in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district.

The Thai Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation Division said the quake occurred at 4.36am with its epicentre in Mae Kheu subdistrict at a depth of 2 kilometres.

The tremor could be felt by residents in Doi Saket, Muang, San Kamphaeng, San Sai and Mae Rim districts.

People in Lamphun’s Muang and Ban Thi districts and Phayao’s Dok Khamtai district also felt the quake, said the division.

Earlier, at 1.40am on Thursday, the division also reported a milder 3.7-magnitude quake in Long district of Phrae province at a depth of 3 kilometres. The tremor could be felt in Phrae’s Long, Sung Men, Wang Chin, Den Chai and Muang districts and Uttaradit’s Tha Pla district.

There have been no reports of damaged buildings or casualties so far, while officials are investigating affected areas to provide emergency assistance.

The Royal Irrigation Department ordered a quick inspection of dams in Chiang Mai and nearby provinces and found no impact on any of the structures.

For updates, check out the Meteorological Department’s website: http://www.earthquake.tmd.go.th/home.php.