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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023411

8th HTMS Sukhothai body found as rescuers suspect more trapped under wreckage

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022

Rescuers found another body in the Gulf of Thailand that they believe may be of a sailor from the sunken HTMS Sukhothai warship.

The body was sighted at about 8.30am on Saturday morning and retrieved shortly after 10am. The body has been taken to shore for autopsy and identification.

If confirmed, this will be the eighth victim from the warship’s sinking, with 21 Royal Thai Navy sailors still missing.

The Rattanakosin-class corvette, with 105 people on board, capsized on Sunday night some 20 nautical miles (32 kilometres) off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Bang Saphan district. It was patrolling the area in rough weather.

Rescuers believe there could be more bodies trapped in the warship’s wreckage.
Of the 76 crew who have been rescued, 19 are in hospitals while 57 have been allowed to go home.

The Navy has deployed an underwater SeaFox drone to examine the wreck with cameras ahead of a possible salvage mission.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023408

Bangkok Film Festival 2023: New showcase for Thai film industry

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022

Film buffs should not miss the Bangkok Film Festival, which will run from January 20-22 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

Deputy Bangkok governor Sanon Wangsrangboon said the three-day event is expected to boost the Thai film industry and related businesses, as well as bring world-class entertainment to locals and visitors.

“I hope the festival will also stimulate the exchange of ideas and opinions in art and culture, as well as boost public awareness on the use of soft power to strengthen the economy,” he said.

Sanon added that the Bangkok Film Festival is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s grand “Colourful Bangkok” campaign, which promises 12 art and culture festivals throughout the year.

Also present at the Friday press conference were partners of the festival and key entities from the film industry, such as film producer and director of the World Film Festival Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, director of the internationally acclaimed film “Blue Again” Thapanee Loosuwan, and Adisak Limparungpattanakij, special adviser to the Nation Group.

Apart from showing films that have won awards and accolades internationally, the Bangkok Film Festival also features a special seminar entitled “Bangkok: The Creative City”, a workshop on film directing, editing, and screenwriting by experts, and a competition of short documentary films under the theme “Connecting Bangkok 2030” with combined prize money of 200,000 baht.

Meanwhile, a Thai film will be shown daily in the open space in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and visitors can also pick up bargains from booths selling products unique to Bangkok’s 50 districts.

For more details of the fair and competition, visit www.pr-bangkok.com or facebook.com/prbangkok/

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023402

Khao San Road prepares for muted New Year celebrations amid prayers for Princess

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022

Khao San Road’s New Year countdown will be muted this year as the nation prays for the recovery of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha.

The December 31 event that usually brings raucous scenes of partying at Bangkok’s backpacker hub will be damped down amid a more sombre festive mood, said Khao San Road Business Association president Sa-nga Ruangwatthanasakul on Friday.

However, entertainment venues on the road will be open as usual, bar the New Year decorations and official countdown.

People ringing in the New Year at Khao San Road will still be able to take selfies with the giant balloons and watch live broadcasts of countdown events from other tourist hotspots around the country on a big screen.

Sa-nga pointed out this was still a “sensitive time” for Thais, as the nation prays for the speedy recovery of His Majesty the King’s eldest daughter. The Princess is being treated for a heart-related condition at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok after losing consciousness on December 14.

The government and judiciary have ordered their offices to cancel New Year celebrations as a show of respect. His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch has also instructed Thai temples at home and abroad to conduct daily prayers for the Princess.

Pattaya has also cancelled its New Year fireworks display – one of the country’s largest – scheduled for December 29-31 as part of its countdown event. However, concerts and fairs to ring in the New Year are still going ahead in the seaside city.

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Pattaya cancels New Year fireworks as nation prays for Princess

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023401

Thai Met Dept forecasts chilly days in North, choppy seas in South

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022

The temperature in upper Thailand will drop by 1 to 3 degrees Celsius from Saturday to Monday, the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) said.

It explained that the temperature will be dropping thanks to a strong high-pressure system from China that will cover upper Thailand and South China.

Apart from lower temperatures, the westerly wind will also hit the North and bring light rain to some areas.

Meanwhile, the Northeast monsoon over the Gulf of Thailand and the South is also strengthening, creating 2- to 3-metre-high waves in the lower Gulf of Thailand that become even higher in thundershowers.

Very high waves can also be expected in the upper Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

From Tuesday to Thursday, the moderate high-pressure system covering the upper Northeast and South China Sea will weaken, and though it should get warmer in the upper parts of the country, the weather will still be cool with light fog.

The westerly wind will continue covering the North with isolated light rain.

The Northeast monsoon over the Gulf of Thailand and the South will create up to 2-metre-high waves in the Gulf and the Andaman Sea.

TMD has urged people in upper Thailand to look after their health, and people on the East coast in southern Thailand to beware of choppy seas.

It also said ships in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea should proceed with caution throughout the period, while small boats in the lower Gulf should keep ashore from Saturday to Thursday.

Related stories

• Cool weather forecast for North and Northeast, rising waves in South
• Temperatures to fall, flash floods a risk in the South: forecast
• Heavy rain to hit Bangkok, 44 provinces on Saturday: Met Dept

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023400

More bodies likely trapped in wreck of HTMS Sukhothai: Navy

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022

Rescuers believe there could be more bodies trapped in the wreckage of the HTMS Sukhothai after retrieving the seventh victim from the warship’s sinking on Friday.

Twenty-two Royal Thai Navy sailors remain missing in the Gulf of Thailand after the ship went down off Prachuap Khiri Khan last Sunday.

The latest body was discovered by HTMS Bangrachan at around 4.15 on Friday afternoon as it searched the area around the capsized warship.

Capt Theerakiat Thong-Aram, deputy commander of the Bangrachan, said the body was found floating about 300 metres from where the warship sank. He said there could be more bodies trapped on the seabed in the ship.

The Navy’s Twitter account later confirmed the deceased sailor was from the Sukhothai. His identity has yet to be confirmed as the body had been floating in the water for several days and could not be identified by fingerprints.

Navy personnel and volunteers launched the search mission after the Sukhothai, a Rattanakosin-class corvette, capsized during stormy weather with 105 crew onboard on Sunday night.

The ship sank some 20 nautical miles (32 kilometres) off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Bang Saphan district.

So far, seven bodies of Sukhothai crewmen have been found, while 22 who were onboard the ship are still unaccounted for.

Of the 76 crew who have been rescued, 19 are being treated at hospitals while 57 have been allowed to go home.

The Navy has deployed an underwater SeaFox drone to examine the wreck with cameras ahead of a possible salvage mission.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023399

‘Responsibility, discipline, good deeds’ – Prayut’s motto for children next year

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022

“Know your responsibility, be disciplined and perform good deeds” is next year’s Children’s Day slogan as announced by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday.

Traditionally, the premier comes up with a slogan for the day and this is the ninth one Prayut has devised since 2015.

Thailand’s Children’s Day falls on the second Saturday of every January or January 14 next year.

Related Stories:

Prayut reveals Childrens Day slogan

Prayut reveals Children’s Day slogan

No Children’s Day fun allowed in ‘red’ provinces

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023398

Surplus supply still hurts property market in EEC provinces

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022

The property market in the three EEC provinces has stalled despite a slight increase in demand, according to the Government Housing Bank’s Real Estate Information Centre (REIC).

An REIC survey found that 54,116 housing units were offered for sale at a total price of 184.9 billion baht in the third quarter of this year in the Eastern Economic Corridor provinces of Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao. That was a decline of 9.9% in total supply from the second quarter.

The number of condominiums on sale saw a decline of 10.2% and the number of houses was down by 8.6% in the third quarter.

However, 4,117 new housing units were added to the market in the same period — an increase of 16.9% — at a total price of 12.5 billion baht.

Of the three EEC provinces, Chachoengsao saw more new real estate projects than Chonburi and Rayong, according to the REIC survey.
 

REIC acting director-general Vichai Viratkapan said that more condominiums were on sale in Chonburi while Rayong and Chachoengsao saw more new houses offered for sale.

Vichai noted that the EEC’s property market experienced a clear decline in demand in 2021 and the number of new housing units was at its record low post-Covid in the third quarter of this year.

He also said that new housing projects in the EEC provinces have been concentrated in their industrial zones.

Among the condo projects in the EEC, most unsold units — 5,742 units worth 29.1 billion baht — in the Jomtien Beach area of Chonburi’s Pattaya City, according to the REIC survey.

Pattaya’s Khao Phra Tamnak area came second, with 4,287 condo units worth 24.5 billion baht. Laem Chabang in Chonburi came third with 1,564 units worth 2.8 billion baht.

Among houses, the most unsold units are in the Amata City Eastern Industrial Estate in Rayong, with 5,247 units worth 10.5 billion baht. The Panthong Panat Nikhom Industrial Estate in Chonburi was second with 2,339 unsold units worth 5.4 billion baht, and Hemaraj Industrial Estate, also in Chonburi, was third with 2,274 units worth 5.6 billion baht.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023395

Alleged gambling den boss acquitted for lack of evidence

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022

The Criminal Court on Friday dismissed a case against a suspected gambling den boss on the eastern seaboard due to a lack of clinching evidence against him.

Somchai Jutikitdecha, aka Longjoo Somchai, and three others were accused of violating the gambling and money-laundering laws, as well as the emergency decree by allegedly operating illegal gambling dens in Rayong and Chonburi provinces between July 1 and August 17, 2020.

The court found on Friday that testimonies by prosecution witnesses contained several questionable points and could not confirm that the defendants had actually committed the alleged offences. Therefore, the court decided to drop the case against Somchai and the other defendants.

Somchai had been linked to a network of illegal gambling dens in the eastern seaboard, particularly in Rayong and Chonburi, that were found to be the source of several Covid-19 clusters in the first year of the global pandemic.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023393

Subsidies to blame for slump in Thai agriculture competitiveness: expert

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022

Populist policies like generous subsidies for farmers are being blamed for Thailand’s drop in global agricultural competitiveness for the first time in two decades.

Assoc Prof Witsanu Attavanich from Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Economics said Thailand is now lagging behind many Asian countries, including its neighbours, in terms of its agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP).

AGTFP, a key aspect of sustainable agricultural development, measures the agricultural output produced from the combination of land, labour, capital and material resources employed in farm produce.

Witsanu, who is an expert in climate change and agriculture, said Thailand’s AGTFP index fell below the global average for the first time in 2020, citing the US Department of Agriculture’s latest International Agricultural Productivity report released earlier this month.

He said that before 2020, Thailand’s AGTFP often exceeded the global average. Now, he said, countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, China and India have all outperformed Thailand.

The academic added that key reasons for Thailand’s poor performance were agricultural policies that focused on market intervention and unconditional financial aid for farmers.
“These policies are aimed at wooing voter support,” he added.

The populist policies, he said, included the rice price-pledging scheme, debt moratorium for farmers and compensation for lost income. He said these policies require more than 100 billion baht per year and have weakened the country’s agricultural productivity and output quality as there are no conditions for farmers to change their behaviour and improve their harvests. As a result, farmers continue to be poor with rising household debts.

The academic said the only way Thailand can improve its competitiveness sustainably is if it sets conditions for farmers to be eligible for government aid and subsidies. For instance, he said, to be eligible farmers can be told to follow good agricultural practices, refrain from burning farm waste and adopt digital technology.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023389

Salvaging sunken warship will cost 100 million, Navy says

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022

It will cost about 100 million baht to salvage the HTMS Sukhothai and a private contractor will have to be hired to do the job, according to the Royal Thai Navy.

Navy spokesman Adm Pokkrong Monthatphalin told a press on Friday that the navy lacks the expertise to salvage sunken ships, so it has to hire a private company to do the job.

It has budgeted 100 million baht to salvage the vessel and, as in any other government project, a contract will be awarded through a bidding process, Pokkrong said.

The HTMS Sukhothai corvette warship sank in the Gulf of Thailand on Sunday about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province after it was knocked over by four-metre waves and strong winds.

The vessel was carrying 105 military personnel. The bodies of six sailors have been recovered and 23 remain missing.

Search and rescue operations for the missing sailors remain active. The Royal Thai Air Force and volunteer diving teams are participating in the search.

The salvaging mission will be launched after the vessel’s missing crew members are located, Pokkrong said.

The ship has to be salvaged to prevent its oil from leaking, he said, adding that leaking oil would be disastrous for marine life.

“The ship went down to a depth of only 40 metres, so its wreckage could still block the path of other vessels,” Pokkrong said. By comparison, the Titanic sank to about 100 metres, he said.

The spokesman described the sinking of HTMS Sukhothai as a “historic loss” to the navy, with estimated damages of over 1 billion baht, excluding the cost of lost lives.

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