JP Morgan upgrades Thai equities on rebound in Chinese tourism
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023
Visitors to Thailand from China could rebound to two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels and contribute to tourism receipts worth 6 % of Thai GDP in 2023, the bank says
J.P. Morgan has upgraded its rating of Thailand’s stock markets to “overweight” from “neutral” on the prospect of a return of Chinese visitors to the country, the firm said on the sidelines of the annual J.P. Morgan Thailand Conference held in Bangkok this week.
According to the bank, a recovery in Chinese tourism for Thailand – which was the most popular destination for Chinese outbound travellers after Hong Kong and Macau in 2019 – will have a positive impact on local business sentiment and consumer confidence, as well as offset the effects of a global economic slowdown.
“China’s earlier-than-expected reopening is a key catalyst to our bull-case scenario for Thailand equities,” said Marco Sucharitkul, Senior Country Officer of J.P. Morgan Thailand. “With about 11 million tourists in 2019, China accounted for around 29 % of Thailand’s incoming visitors before the pandemic. We now forecast up to 26 million Chinese tourists arriving in Thailand in 2023, which is 65 % of 2019 levels and slightly higher than the government projection of 25 million.”
“This would translate into US$ 39 billion worth of tourism receipts this year, doubling the amount in 2022 and equivalent to 6 % of the country’s GDP,” Sucharitkul added.
The pickup in non-resident spending will in turn boost consumer confidence, which remains at “way below” the long-term average levels, the bank says. “In addition, the government recently approved the ‘Shop Dee Mee Khuen’ tax rebate scheme – which offers up to 40,000 baht in tax deductions for goods and services purchased between Jan 1 and Feb 15, 2023 – will further boost spending in the short term,” said Kae Pornpunnarath, head of Thai equity research for J.P. Morgan.
J.P Morgan has a base target of 590 for MSCI Thailand and a 1,800 target for the SET (Stock Exchange of Thailand) in 2023. In terms of sectors, the bank remains overweight on Thai consumer staples, consumer discretionary, and healthcare.
“We think there is significant pent-up demand for outbound travel from the Chinese population,” said Sucharitkul. “Our baseline forecast expects the resumption of cross-border travel with the rest of the world to start by the late first quarter, and resumption of large-scale international travel to start around mid-year and international flights steadily recovering to 50 % of the pre-pandemic level going through the second half of 2023.”
Cooling inflation, baht and elections boost
Aside from a boon provided by Chinese tourists, J.P. Morgan expects other factors to bolster Thai stock markets’ performance in 2023, including slowing inflation due to lower energy prices and tame wage growth that could improve profit margins for Thai corporates.
To head off rising inflation, the Bank of Thailand has raised interest rates by 75 basis points since August 2022, bringing the benchmark rate to 1.25 %. J.P. Morgan expects two more 25 basis-point hikes this quarter, bringing the terminal rate to 1.75 %.
As result, inflation has begun to cool, with J.P. Morgan expecting the headline consumer price index to fall to 3.3 % by the end of 2023 from 6.3 % in 2022. “The falling input costs are expected to particularly help Thailand’s food and beverage producers and utility companies, which had limited avenues in 2022 to pass through rising costs,” said Sucharitkul.
Meanwhile, the strength in the Thai baht – supported by an improvement in tourism receipts and reduced freight costs that helped Thailand’s current account move into surplus last year – is expected to continue in tandem with a recovery in tourism. “Our view is that strong currency should enhance returns for equity investors,” said Pornpunnarath.
According to J.P. Morgan, Thailand’s general elections in May could provide a short-term boost to the stock markets. Based on the bank’s historical analysis, median returns for Thai equities in the three-month run-up during the past 12 Thai elections were approximately 5 %, with the electronics, energy, food & beverage and commerce sectors tending to outperform the broader market. However, the gains have tended to normalize in the medium term.
First Look: InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping ushers in a new era of luxury
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
A new discovery of Chiang Mai’s heritage and Lanna culture
Bangkok – 9 November 2022: As the first hotel to open as part of a strategic partnership between IHG Hotels & Resorts and Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real-estate group, Asset World Corporation (AWC), InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping will start welcoming travellers from mid- 2023.
A contemporary escape in the heart of Chiang Mai’s historic district, InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping seamlessly blends tradition and modernity to offer a guest experience steeped in true luxury and imbued with a sense of discovery. To bring the stories of Chiang Mai’s artistic heritage to life, design team of PIA Interior Company Limited drew on the city’s Lanna heritage, resulting in spaces that are vibrant, layered and engaging.
Surrounded by Chiang Mai’s iconic landscapes, InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping offers guests connectivity to nature while cocooning them into an inviting scenery that provides a sense of resort in the city. Thanks to the hotel’s central location, travellers will find a host of iconic landmarks right on their doorstep, including Chiang Mai’s walking streets, the buzzing night bazaar and the historic Tha-Pae Gate dating back to the 13th century.
When the first phase of renovations is completed, the nature-ensconced hotel will feature 240 elegant rooms and suites overlooking the charming alleyways of the old city or the jungle-clad Doi Suthep mountain. The stately guest rooms will feature stunning Lanna-inspired décor showcasing such traditional crafts as lacquering and metal beating, and spacious zen bathrooms with a plunge bathtub and separate shower.
To further immerse guests into the indigenous Lanna culture, the hotel will curate bespoke culture-centric activities. From traditional toy and umbrella-making classes to pottery workshops.
InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping will offer travellers numerous ways to explore the bounty of regional crafts and contemporary artworks created by the thriving community of artists living and working in Chiang Mai. For the young explorers, a variety of children’s activities will be made available through the brand’s signature Planet Trekkers programme, keeping things engaging throughout the stay.
From a sophisticated rooftop bar and authentic Chinese dining with a modern twist to an elegant lobby lounge and a market-themed all-day-dining venue, the five restaurants and bars at InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping are carefully designed to help guests discover and savour northern Thailand’s unique flavours.
Meanwhile, a collection of glamorous event venues at InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping promises to be the backdrop to some of its guests’ most iconic and celebrated moments, with options ranging from the grand ballroom to a secluded central lawn set within the temple grounds for one-of-a-kind celebrations in the heart of Chiang Mai’s old town. An oasis of serenity at the heart of the hotel, the manicured lawn encloses Wat Chang Kong, a 600-year-old stupa nestled in the shadow of a centuries-old tree. While available for private functions, the calming green space will be a cultural hub for the local community and guests to meet over rotating art exhibitions and music events.
A conversion of the prestigious Imperial Mae Ping Hotel that had long been in the forefront of Chiang Mai’s hospitality scene for more than 30 years of operations, InterContinental Chiang Mai Mae Ping is blessed with a storied past.
Thais can enjoy AFF final match on big LED screens
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
THE NATION
The AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup final will be broadcast on 60 large LED screens across Bangkok and 8 in other major cities on Monday, January 16, at 7.30 pm thanks to the collaboration between the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), the Football Association of Thailand under the Patronage of His Majesty the King (FA Thailand), and Plan B Media.
Being held in Vietnam’s Dinh National Stadium, the first leg ended in a 2-2 draw, with the defending champion having the advantage of two away goals.
The War Elephant will be a record-extending seventh champion in the regional championship if they can win the second match that took place at Thailand’s Thammasat Stadium.
SAT and FA Thailand are providing 60 big LED screens across Bangkok and eight in other major cities for Thai fans to watch their footballers taking on Vietnam in a final round.
Other 8 major cities with the LED screens include – Central Festival Chiangmai – Central Festival Hat Yai – Central Festival Phuketa – Central Plaza Suratthani – Central Festival Samui – CentralPlaza KhonKaen – Mittraphap Road’s intersection – Central Westgate
The match will be also broadcasted on MCOT HD and T Sport 7 channels.
Thais can enjoy AFF final match on big LED screens
Vietnam ready to face Thailand at AFF Cup second leg final
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
The Vietnamese national football team is ready to face Thailand at the AFF Cup’s second leg final at the Thammasat Stadium tonight, knowing they face a tough task to be crowned winners.
After the first leg at the My Dình National Stadium finished 2-2, Vietnam must win or achieve a high-scoring draw at Thammasat to lift the trophy.
Coach Park Hang-seo said: “Vietnam will have one last game. It will not be an easy match with Thailand having a home advantage. I hope our team will be focused, disciplined and determined.
“We are the national team, representing the Vietnamese people. This is the time when we all need to unite for the colour of the national flag to bring glory to the country.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai said that the Vietnamese team will be at their very best in tonight’s decider.
“The 2-2 draw in the first leg final against Thailand is a valuable lesson for the Vietnamese team to review,” Hai said.
“In the second leg, the whole team needs to be more focused at all times,”
Striker Nguyen Tien Linh is in top form with six goals in the competition, equal to Teerasil Dangda of Thailand.
Linh has had 19 goals for the national team, surpassing former footballer Nguyen Hong Son to rank third on the list of best scorers. Huynh Duc (21 goals) is second and Cong Vinh (51 goals) is out in front as the country’s top scorer.
Linh, who plays for Binh Duong Club is determined to all out for a decisive victory in Thailand, to bring joy to Vietnamese fans.
Former national team coach Henrique Calisto, who helped Vietnam beat Thailand in the finals to win the AFF Cup in 2008, also said that Vietnam is a formidable team and can beat Thailand if the players play confidently.
The referee who won the best referee award of the J.League 1 2021, Jumpei Lida from Japan, will officiate the match.
Lida became a FIFA referee in 2011 and has refereed in many major tournaments such as the Asian Cup qualifiers, Asian World Cup qualifiers, AFC Champions League and AFC Cup.
Meanwhile, Thai midfielder Weerathep Pomphan is determined to join the Thai team to overcome Vietnam to successfully defend their AFF Cup title at home.
“We have to win the next match after drawing in the first leg. As for the away goal, I don’t think it is too important. In the last game at home, we will play our best for the fans. I believe that we can win and gain the championship,” Khaosod newspaper quoted Pomphan as saying.
Thailand head into AFF Cup final second leg with edge over Vietnam
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
Defending champions Thailand will go into the second leg of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup as the favourites after a thrilling 2-2 draw at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Friday evening in front of 38,000 people.
The match was played at an electrifying pace and saw some spectacular goals from both sides. Theerathon stood out for Thailand with his playmaking.
Hosts Vietnam took the lead through a spectacular diving header by Nguyen Tien Linh from the top of the six-yard box in the 24th minute, capitalising on a long pass. It was Nguyen’s sixth goal of the tournament, tying him at the top with Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda.
Vietnam held on to the lead until half-time before Poramet Arjvirai struck the equaliser for Thailand in the 48th minute, seizing a long pass in the box, dribbling past a defender and beating the Vietnamese keeper with a right footer.
Thailand went ahead in the 63rd minute through another fine finish, this time by Sarach Yooyen who was put through by Theerathon Bunmathan with a clinical pass, and shot to the far right of the keeper. Theerathon had earlier seen his spectacular free kick break through the Vietnamese wall but crash into the crossbar.
Vietnam equalised in the 88th minute after Vu Van Thanh took a short pass and fired home from the top of the box following a corner.
Thailand will host the second leg of the final at Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok on January 16.
Jakkaphong unveils strategy to grow Miss Universe brand after ‘THB1.2bn debut’
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
Nongluck Ajanapanya
The new Thai owner of Miss Universe has hailed the success of the 71st pageant after R’Bonney Gabriel of the US was crowned in New Orleans on Saturday night.
JKN Global Group CEO Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip said revenue this year was projected at a satisfactory 1.2 billion baht after the pageant was beamed live to viewers in 121 countries around the world.
About 70% of revenue came from contest-related fees for franchises, licensing, hosting, production, broadcast, ticket sales, and sponsorship, she said.
Jakkaphong made headlines as the first transgender owner of the Miss Universe brand when JKN purchased the organisation for US$20 million (657 million baht) last October.
The remaining 30% of revenue was from non-contest-related channels such as licensing & merchandising, sales of goods or services, and copyright to produce goods or services under Miss Universe brands or trademarks, she added.
Jakkaphong was speaking at a post-pageant event in New Orleans on Saturday night (Sunday, Thai time) held to unveil JKN’s growth strategy for the brand for its franchise holders across the globe.
She revealed nine business strategies aimed at making more money from licensing & merchandising, selling products or services, and MUO copyright on consumer goods and services ranging from natural mineral water to fashion products such as bags – both of which have already been launched.
“Many more consumer and fashion items are on the way. Our goal is to increase the proportion of non-contest-related income to 35-40% of this business group’s revenue. This excludes future expansion of the spa, restaurant, academy, and hotel businesses,” she said.
Jakkaphong also expressed optimism for the upcoming 72nd Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador in December.
Rescue operation resumes at Yeti Airlines crash site in western Nepal
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
The crash on Sunday is the second in less than a year, highlighting the country’s consistently poor air safety record, analysts say.
Rescuers are having a tough time retrieving the remaining bodies from the Yeti Airlines aircraft crash site in Pokhara of Kaski district in western Nepal.
They resumed their attempts to pull bodies spotted on Seti River Gorge on Monday morning. The rescue efforts were put off till this morning.
According to Tek Bahadur KC, Kaski Chief District Officer, security personnel from Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police and locals are attempting to pull bodies.
KC said the recovered bodies have been taken to the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, adding that the bodies of the identified deceased will be handed over to relatives after post-mortem.
“A hearse and an ambulance are on standby to hand over the bodies. The bodies of foreigners, deceased from Kathmandu and unidentified bodies will be sent to Kathmandu,” said KC.
Nepal saw its worst domestic air disaster on Sunday morning when Yeti Airlines flight NYT 691 from Kathmandu to Pokhara crashed a few minutes before landing at the new international airport.
The plane carried 72 persons, including passengers and crew, and 68 had been confirmed dead as of Sunday evening, the country’s civil aviation regulator said in a statement.
Rescue efforts have been suspended for Sunday.
The last communication from the aircraft to the air traffic controller was at 10:50 am from the Seti River Gorge just west of the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stated. “Then it crashed.”
Part of the fuselage of the ATR-72 turboprop could be seen on the hillside while more wreckage was strewn over the Seti River Gorge. A massive crowd had gathered as rescuers were recovering charred bodies from the crash site.
Mobile video footage showed the aircraft bearing registration number 9N-ANC banking steeply to the left a few seconds before crashing.
The Yeti Airlines crash is the first involving an ATR aircraft in Nepal. The model, manufactured by Avions De Transport Regional (ATR), a joint venture of France and Italy, was introduced in Nepal in July 2010.
This is Nepal’s third deadliest air accident and the worst in domestic aviation. More than four million passengers fly domestic carriers annually.
The disaster is the second in under a year, highlighting the country’s consistently poor air safety record, analysts said.
Among the passengers were three infants, three children and 62 adults. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the passengers included 53 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, two Koreans, one Irish, one Australian, one Argentinian, and one French.
A five-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the disaster. Officials had no further information.
“The probe committee will dig out the truth. There is something wrong here,” said aviation analyst Hemant Arjyal.
“This is a terrible disaster. If a plane goes down in clear weather for no apparent reason, there is obviously something wrong. We have to wait for the probe report.”
The Kathmandu-Pokhara flight is a 25-minute hop. Analysts say a whole bunch of questions remain unanswered.
“Obviously, we are surprised. That’s a shocking crash,” said an ATR instructor pilot who flies to Pokhara regularly.
“It can be anything. Bird strike, engine failure or something else,” he told the Post, asking not to be identified as the investigation had already started. “Whatever the reason might be, the issue is serious.”
The runway of Pokhara International Airport is 45 metres wide and 2,500 metres long, and its designation is 12-30.
The ill-fated plane commanded by Captain Kamal KC, an instructor pilot, made the first contact with Pokhara control tower from nearly 110 kilometres away.
“The weather was clear. We allocated Runway 30 which is the eastern end. Everything was fine,” said Anup Joshi, spokesperson for Pokhara International Airport. He added that no problems had been reported.
The flight captain later asked for permission to switch to Runway 12 which is the western end. “We were not sure why. Permission was granted, and accordingly, the aircraft started its descent,” said Joshi who is also a senior air traffic controller.
According to Nepal’s civil aviation body, 914 people have died in air crashes in the country since the first disaster was recorded in August 1955. The Yeti Airlines tragedy in Pokhara on Sunday is the 104th crash in Nepali skies and the third biggest in terms of casualties.
The first big air accident occurred on September 28, 1992, when an Airbus A310 belonging to Pakistan International Airlines slammed into a hillside at Bhattedanda near Kathmandu Valley, killing 167 people on board.
Before that, on July 31, 1992, an Airbus A310 of Thai Airways crashed in Ghyangphedi, killing 113 on board.
The Post reported in August last year that aeroplane pilots were finding out about bird hazards in Pokhara the hard way.
The tourist hotspot lies between two rivers, the Bijayapur and the Seti, which makes it a perfect habitat for birds. Excellent for sightseers, of course, but a terror for pilots.
Nepal took out a $215.96 million soft loan from China EXIM Bank in March 2016 to build the international airport in Pokhara. The project was implemented on an engineering procurement and construction model.
Some experts told the Post that the civil aviation regulator did not follow safety protocols and allowed the plane to land from the western end of the runway.
“When the civil aviation regulator is focused on airport development and expanding business, the nation and public have to pay the cost,” said one retired chief of the civil aviation body.
“For your information, the airport was hastily inaugurated and operated without adequate preparations to meet the January 1 project deadline. Flight calibration, which tests all pieces of equipment at the new airport, has not recommended landing from the west.”
He added, “The flight procedure has not been published. Airlines have very little information about airport procedures and data.”
Experts have also pointed out some serious lapses at the new airport.
“An evaluation as required by the ‘safety management system’ was not carried out, neither by the civil aviation regulator, as a service provider of the airport, nor by the airlines,” the former chief said.
“The civil aviation body has misused its regulator role to operate the airport neglecting safety requirements. This is a serious crime and mass murder, and subject to the criminal investigation.”
Officials say that the flight procedure and flight data are not available as they have not been published in the Aeronautical Information Publication yet.
A senior captain of Buddha Air, who also flies an ATR-72, admits that flight data is not available, but it is not related to flight operation under visual flight rules (VFR), a set of rules pilots use to fly using visual references outside the cockpit.
“For VFR flights, airlines develop their own rules and procedures. We, however, are not allowed to go to the west end of the runway under instrument flight rules (IFR), guided by the instruments in the cockpit.”
But the pilot said the aircraft abruptly made a tilt which shows that there were serious hitches. “As a result of the tilt, the plane stalled and plunged,” he said.
“There was no black magic. It looks like the plane suffered a serious technical glitch. The probe report will tell this.”
President Bidya Devi Bhandari tweeted, “I am speechless about the crash of Yeti Airlines’ ATR-72 aircraft. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the passengers and the crew members who lost their lives.”
Aviation analyst Arjyal says the problem lies in Nepal’s system. “Nepal has been in the bad books of the European Union for the last decade. The message is clear, if you don’t improve, you will face the consequences.”
Global aviation watchdogs have questioned the civil aviation body’s dual role and urged Nepal to split the organisation into two entities—service provider and regulator—to enhance the safety of flyers. But the government has shown no interest in doing so, and Nepal’s aviation industry is suffering the consequences.
Several unnamed experts told the Post that the civil aviation body has been misusing its authority, but no one wants to speak against it for fear of retribution.
“Obviously, the government is not bothered to see what’s going on in the civil aviation system,” said Sanjiv Gautam, former director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. “It’s a shame that one government tables civil aviation bills and another government withdraws them.”
Nepali experts say the civil aviation body has offered no strong logic why it doesn’t want this functional separation.
On March 1, 2022, the Parliament Secretariat included two aviation bills in the agenda for a meeting of the lower house scheduled for March 2.
But on March 2, the then tourism minister Prem Ale suddenly requested the Parliament Secretariat to hold back the bills, explaining that some employees of the aviation regulator were opposed to the planned fragmentation of their office.
Parliament was subsequently prorogued, and the proposed pieces of legislation were once again put in deep storage.
In August, the then tourism minister Jeevan Ram Shrestha said that Nepal would not immediately accept the condition the European Commission has put forward to separate Nepal’s civil aviation into regulatory and service-providing organisations.
United Nations aviation watchdog International Civil Aviation Organisation has also formally asked Nepal to split the civil aviation body into two entities—service provider and regulator. The separation is a crucial organisational reform agenda which has been a work in progress for the last one and a half decades.
The civil aviation body has not made the report public.
“Money making seems to be more important than passenger safety. Furthermore, this will also impact our tourism sector and compound Nepal’s chequered aviation history,” lawmaker and Nepali Congress leader Udaya Shumsher Rana tweeted.
“Parliament needs to conduct serious deliberation on fast-tracking the two bills regarding air safety regulations—the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and the Air Service Authority of Nepal Bill. CAAN urgently needs to split the civil aviation body into two entities—service provider & regulator.”
The existing system allows the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority to issue tenders for multi-billion-dollar projects.
The same person also has the plum job of overseeing compliance with the project and the aviation regulations governing the issuance of licences to airlines and crews.
“No one wants to lose this scope and power. That’s why, despite intense pressure, it has become hard to split the civil aviation body for a long time,” insiders say.
Following the September 2012 crash of Sita Air Flight 601 at the Manohara River which killed 19 people, including seven British citizens, the European Commission imposed a blanket ban on Nepali airlines from flying into the 27-nation bloc in December 2013.
The European Commission has said that there are no grounds for amending the list of air carriers which are subject to an operating ban within the Union with respect to air carriers from Nepal.
“The problem lies in the aviation system, not in the planes or pilots,” said Arjyal. “The government is not serious. Really not serious to improve safety despite the multiple requests of global aviation watchdogs.”
Norway naval officer goes on trial over oil tanker collision
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
A Norwegian naval officer will be standing trial on Monday accused of negligence that led to the 2018 collision between a warship he commanded and an oil tanker in which the military vessel sank.
Building a replacement for the lost Helge Ingstad frigate would cost up to 13 billion crowns ($1.3 billion), the armed forces estimated in a 2019 report.
The early-morning crash between the Ingstad and the fully loaded Sola TS crude carrier near a major North Sea oil export terminal also triggered shutdowns of parts of Norway’s petroleum production. There was no leak from the oil tanker.
Members of the 137-strong Ingstad crew described waking up in the middle of the night as water poured into their cabins and alarms went off as they tried in vain to save the ship, although they suffered only minor injuries.
The defendant was the officer in charge of the bridge of Ingstad at the time.
“He did not display caution and did not take the precautions that safe navigation requires,” prosecutor Magne Kvamme Sylta said in the charges.
The defendant believes he was unfairly singled out for blame and will plead not guilty, his lawyer, Christian Lundin, told Norwegian news agency NTB.
Recordings of communication between the two vessels showed the slow-moving Sola several times asking the faster Ingstad to alter its course or face collision, but the request was declined by the navy ship, which feared getting too close to shore.
A commission investigating the collision later said the brightly lit Sola TS may have been difficult to distinguish from the nearby terminal from where it had set off, confusing the Ingstad crew.
A video recording from the tanker showed sparks flying as the two collided, tearing a gash in the side of the warship, which was later recycled as scrap metal. The tanker suffered only minor damage.
The collision exposed safety gaps in the Norwegian navy, including inadequate training and risk assessment systems. The defence ministry later paid a fine of 10 million crowns.
Latvian town on high alert as icy water threatens to breach dam
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
Residents of a Latvian town were on high alert on Saturday as a mass of ice slowly moving along a local river threatened to flood a dam built to protect their homes.
Officials have been warning of the creeping threat for several days in Jekabpils, a town about 120km southeast of the capital Riga on the Daugava river with around 21,000 residents.
The river usually freezes over in winter until spring, but instead has produced an icy mass which is pushing water levels up as well as putting pressure on the dam.
The situation is stable but still dangerous, local officials said on Sunday (January 15). On Saturday, residents watched the ice slowly move downstream from a walkway on top of the dam.
“I won’t deny it is very worrying”, said businessman Martins Lauva, who had returned to the town to encourage his family to move to a safer location.
He pointed to climate change as the cause of the phenomenon, which weather experts have also said was caused by swings in temperature. “Here we are – in January, endangered by floods. This is the most definitely an anomaly of nature.”
Latvia was among several European countries seeing record-high January temperatures at the start of the month. January 1 saw a high of 11.7 degrees Celsius (53 degrees Fahrenheit) according to the LSM news portal run by Latvia’s public broadcaster.
Some outlying areas upstream of the town have already flooded, as they are not protected by the dam.
Residents have been advised to evacuate if they can, and a shelter has been opened in a local school for those who choose to do so.
Emergency services and Latvia’s Home Guard have been called in to help pump water away from flooded areas and shore up the dam with sandbags.
Jekabpils mayor Raivis Ragainis said he feared what would happen if the dam broke and the ice flowed into the town, saying it would be a wave that “goes like a bulldozer and wipes away everything”.
“It is not about whether we hide on the second floor or we live on the ground floor, or we managed to escape, it would just push away the houses”, Ragainis said.
Water levels had dropped on Sunday but remain critically high, at 30 centimetres (12 inches) above the level considered dangerous, LSM reported. Latvia’s government held a crisis meeting on Sunday morning to discuss the situation.
Carpet of lilies lures visitors to Nong Han lake in Udon Thani
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
Pink lilies that blanket Nong Han lake in Kumphawapi district of Udon Thani province are in full bloom to welcome visitors until March this year.
The lake has seen a surge in visitors after CNN included it on its list of the 15 strangest lakes of the world in 2014.
The lake covers more than 22,500 rai (3,600 hectares) and is the second-largest freshwater lake in the Northeast. The lake also is a nurturing habitat for a range of fish, birds and aquatic plants.
Pink lilies at Nong Han lake are usually in full bloom during the cool season from December to February before gradually declining in March.
Visitors are advised to visit the sea of pink lilies in the morning as the sun can be overwhelming after 11am.
Pontoons and long-tail boats, which can support six visitors and two visitors respectively, are available at the lake. The charter fare for a pontoon is 500 baht and 200 baht for a long-tail boat ride.
For more information about pontoons and long-tail boats, contact the lake’s tourism boat enterprise chairman, Paisit Sukrome: 089 3950 087 and 083 349 5673.
Thais can enjoy AFF final match on big LED screens
SootinClaimon.Com 