Traffic congestion arrives early as motorists try to avoid New Year jams
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
Traffic turned to a crawl on Mittraphap Road in Saraburi province on Sunday as Bangkok residents returned from New Year visits to their hometowns early, expecting to avoid congestion on the main roads and highways leading to the capital.
There were so many motorists attempting to avoid traffic jams that they ended up stuck on the roads, traffic police said.
Vehicles on the road between Muak Lek and Kaeng Khoi districts were almost at a standstill in the afternoon, and the situation was expected to worsen, police said.
Highway police are opening an expressway to reduce traffic congestion.
Train travel to and from Malaysia resumes after tracks damaged by blast repaired
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
The State Railway of Thailand has reopened the route between Khlong Ngae Station in Songkhla province to Padang Besar in Malaysia after it was closed by an explosion in early December last year in Songkhla’s Sadao district.
Aekkarat Sriarayanpong, the agency’s public relations director, said the severely damaged tracks had been repaired.
“Officials have already finished checks to ensure safe operations,” he said.
Train travel opened today with three trains using the only rail link between Thailand and Malaysia:
Special express train no 45/46 from Bangkok to Padang Besar
Express train no 947/948 from Hat Yai junction to Padang Besar
Express train no 949/950 from Hat Yai junction to Padang Besar
Train No 707 was travelling from Songkhla’s Hat Yai district to Padang Besar in Malaysia when a bomb blast derailed it as it approached Khlong Ngae Station at 12.50pm on December 3.
Eleven of its 20 containers derailed. The rail line’s tracks were also severely damaged. No one was injured in the initial blast.
‘Chauffeur for diplomats’ arrested at airport for stealing military bus
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
A man believed to be suffering from drug-induced mental illness was arrested on Friday night after stealing a bus from a Royal Thai Armed Forces compound in eastern Bangkok and driving it to Suvarnabhumi International Airport where he told airport staff that he was picking up diplomats arriving on a flight from an unknown country.
Police identified the suspect as Sarawut Thepsila, 35. He was apprehended by airport security officials after parking the stolen bus in an area where parking was prohibited and quarreling with airport officials at Gate 10 at about 11pm, they said.
He told airport security that he was waiting to pick up diplomats from a country he did not identify. He was unable to provide details of the flight they were arriving on, police said.
Airport security subsequently handed him over to police.
Earlier Friday night, members of the Support Services Department of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, filed a complaint at Romklao police station saying a Hino bus that had been parked inside a military housing compound in Lat Krabang district had disappeared.
Police reviewed security camera footage in the area and found that the bus had been driven out of the compound around noon on Friday.
Sarawut told police that while he walked past the bus he saw its door was open and its keys were near the driver’s seat. He interpreted this as an invitation to drive it away.
His first destination was Don Mueng International Airport, police said. He subsequently drove the bus to Suvarnabhumi International Airport to pick up the unknown diplomats, police said.
Police said the suspect was previously arrested on drug-related charges six times.
The Bangkok City Pillar Shrine and Wat Phra Kaew drew crowds of faithful on Sunday morning to pray for an auspicious New Year.
They began arriving at the city’s shrine on Lak Muang Road in Phra Nakhon before sunrise to place colourful clothes around the Buddha images corresponding with the day of their birth, and refilled the lamps near the images of the Buddha.
An official at Bangkok City Pillar Shrine said the area around it had been crowded since New Year’s Eve, while others arrived before it opened at 5am this morning. The official added that the shrine remained open an extra hour – till 6pm – on New Year’s Eve.
“I have never seen such large crowds for the New Year as this year,” the official said.
Large numbers of Buddhists were also observed at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha on New Year’s Day, and at Chao Pho Suea Shrine on Tanao Road in Phra Nakhon district. The latter is a Chinese temple where believers perform rites to ward off bad luck.
Death toll rises to 146 in first three days of deadly road-accident week
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
Almost 50 people a day were killed in vehicle accidents during the first three of the so-called “seven dangerous days”, the Road Safety Centre announced at a press conference on Sunday.
Another 1,182 people were injured in the 1,183 accidents reported over the three days, an average of about 400 injuries a day, the centre said.
The press conference was held at the office of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, and led by its chief, Chotenarin Kerdsom, who is also deputy permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry.
Chotenarin reminded reporters that road accidents surge during the seven days from December 29 to January 4.
The number of deaths rose to 59 on Saturday, he said. An additional 467 people were injured in the 466 road accidents reported that day, he said. On Friday, 48 people were killed and 363 were injured in 366 accidents, Chotenarin said.
The two major causes of accidents are speeding and drunk driving, according to the centre’s data. Chotenarin released the following statistics for Saturday.
466 road accidents, 467 injuries, and 59 deaths
Major causes of accidents: speeding (36.70%) and drunk driving (30.04%)
Percentage of motorcycles involved in accidents: 82.56%
Percentage of accidents on straight sections of roads: 80.90%
Hour with the highest rate of accidents: 6pm to 7pm (7.74%)
Age of victims most likely to be involved in an accident: 20 to 29 years old (19.39%)
Chotenarin said the high number of accidents occurred despite increased monitoring of roads.
On Saturday, 56,205 officials from several agencies manned 1,878 checkpoints around the country and stopped 424,745 vehicles.
Legal action was taken against 67,203 motorists and motorcyclists, Chotenarin said, adding: 18,964 were charged with driving without a license, 18,116 were charged for riding a motorcycle without a helmet, and 8,497 were charged with speeding.
Surat Thani province recorded the highest number of accidents and victims. Twenty people were injured in 19 accidents in the province on Saturday. Chiang Rai had the highest death toll from road accidents on Saturday, with seven people killed.
After three days of the deadliest week for road accidents, only 18 of Thailand’s 77 provinces reported no deaths. Surat Thani had the most accidents (42), Sakon Nakhon reported the most injuries (46), and Chiang Rai had the highest number of deaths (10).
New Year festivals are making Thailand fun again, minister says
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
The New Year countdowns held across Thailand are inspiring confidence among tourists and reinvigorating the kingdom’s reputation as a destination for festivities, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said.
He made the comments during the “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2023 @Hatyai” in Songkhla on Sunday.
Phiphat said the countdowns are stimulating domestic travel and drawing international tourists, especially from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
At least 50,000 domestic and foreign tourists will visit Songkhla and adjacent provinces for the New Year festival and they will generate more than 1 billion baht in revenue, he said.
“The countdowns across Thailand will help raise the country’s image and increase confidence among tourists,” Phiphat said.
He reiterated his ministry’s forecast that 25 million international tourists will visit Thailand this year and they will generate at least 2.38 trillion baht in revenue.
Countdowns were held at Bangkok’s Iconsiam and Wat Pho Pier, and in other locations nationwide, including in Chonburi’s Pattaya City and at Chiang Mai’s Tha Phae Gate.
Air force chief expects US to decide on sale of fighter jets to Thailand by mid-year
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
The Royal Thai Air Force will know by the middle of this year whether or not Washington will approve the sale of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets to Thailand, its Commander-in-Chief, ACM Alongkorn Wannarot.
Alongkorn said the air force was negotiating preparations for the purchase of the jets but the sale has yet to be approved by the US government. US officials are inspecting areas where the F-35A fleet will be stationed, he said.
“If everything goes according to the plan, I expect the deal will be cleared by the middle of the year,” Alongkorn said. He said the procurement was an internal matter for the air force, but expected the Foreign Ministry would assist in negotiations with the US government.
The jets are part of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II series of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft. Washington only approves their sale to close allies. In the Asia Pacific region, only Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have been able to purchase F-35A jets.
Last month, Alongkorn said the Royal Thai Air Force had informed the US government that it wanted to buy F-35A aircraft to replace its ageing F-16s, which are nearing decommission. He said the planned procurement is part of the air force’s plan to modernise.
According to its latest “white paper” upgrades to equipment, including jets, are due this year.
Alongkorn said the air force is also considering the purchase of a new radar system to replace its current 10-year-old Erieye radar system. The Erieye is an Airborne Early Warning and Control System developed by Sweden’s Saab Electronic Defence Systems.
Tourists gather on a sacred mountain in Ubon for New Year sunrise
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
Scores of visitors climbed the sacred mountain Pha Taem National Park is named after on Saturday afternoon to witness this year’s first sunrise from a cliff top overlooking the Mekong River in Ubon Ratchathani’s Khong Chiam district on Sunday morning.
Although the temperature was cool, both foreign and Thai tourists waited overnight on the mountain in the national park, which stretches along the Mekong River opposite a protected forest in Laos.
Local musicians began playing traditional instruments, including the khene, at 4.30am as visitors waited for the sun to rise above the mountain range in Laos’ Phou Xieng Thong National Protected Area.
Pha Taem National Park is known for its dipterocarp forest cover and prehistoric rock paintings. It also attracts tourists for the first sunrise of the year. Besides the spectacular view, many visitors believe that witnessing the sunrise from the sacred mountain will bring prosperity – for at least one lifetime.
New Year countdown in Pattani marred by insurgency attacks
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
Pattani in the South of Thailand was hit by five simultaneous attacks just before the arrival of the New Year on Saturday.
Police believe insurgents were behind the attacks and the aim was to create unrest. There were no reports of injuries or casualties.
The attacks included shooting at Talo subdistrict protection team’s base at Pao Pumae Moo 2 village in Yarin district. Nobody was injured.
Insurgents also burned a tyre and sprayed the “Patani Medeka” or independence for Pattani in Malay, on a road in Nong Chik district and another in Panare district.
The attackers also burned down a checkpoint at La-Nga village in Mayo district and set fire to tyres on a Narathiwat-Pattani highway in Mayo district.
Phetchabun hilltop temple heaves with devotees on New Year’s Eve
SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew in Phetchabun’s Khao Kho district attracted thousands of devotees, who wanted to pray for a successful 2023.
Freelance photographer Ekachai Kesakorn said crowds began building from early morning on New Year’s Eve, with most of them being Myanmar migrant workers.
“The temple was very crowded,” he said, adding that everybody was instructed to wear a mask to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, also known as Wat Phra That Pha Son Kaeo, is set on an 830-metre peak between Phitsanulok and Phetchabun provinces.
The temple features a main pagoda and surrounding buildings adorned with over 5 million colourful mosaic tiles and pottery items and five bright white sitting Buddha statues.
Apart from Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, Phetchabura Buddhist Park, Sridit Waterfall and Wat Pa Phu Thapboek were also very popular among tourists.
His first destination was Don Mueng International Airport, police said. He subsequently drove the bus to Suvarnabhumi International Airport to pick up the unknown diplomats, police said.
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