Crudely made temple statues have recently become social-media sensations for their simplicity and ridiculousness, though some netizens wonder if they are the result of corruption.However, many have put these creatures down to unskilled monks or workmen trying their hand at sculpture.The beautifully modelled mythical creatures gracing Thai temples have always featured in photography, but now this “naïve art” has also become a subject of art, much to the confusion of resident monks.Temples attracting camera-toting tourists include Wat Chaiyaphum Karam in Ubon Ratchathani, Phra That Kham Kaen in Khon Kaen and Wat Mak Rangsarit in Nakhon Sawan.
Miss Thailand contestants stopped off in Lampang province on Sunday as part of their publicity trip to the North.
There they visited the Mae Moh Mine Museum to learn how electricity arrived in Thailand and checked out a field of Mexican sunflowers nearby.
They also visited Wat Phra That Lampang Luang Temple and the Elephant Conservation Centre in Ko Kha district, where they checked out the elephant hospital and even helped out at feeding time.
The operation and maintenance (O&M) project of M6 Motorway (Bangpa-In – Nakhon Ratchasima) for a distance of 196 kilometres, and the M9 Motorway (Bangyai – Kanchanaburi) for a distance of 96km are currently undergoing plan adjustment, the Department of Highways said.
The department’s director-general, Sarawut Songwilai, said the updated plans would be submitted to the Cabinet by January 2021.
“The reasons we need to adjust the plans are due to changes in the bidding process, as the project had been initiated back in 2012 and there have been changes in the geographic condition of the construction areas,” he said.
“Also, on the routes that run through such facilities as irrigation canals, the height of bridges would need to be increased and therefore require a corresponding budget.”
Sarawut added that the department had estimated the cost of construction of the M6 Motorway at Bt70 billion, while the price offered by the bidder was Bt60 billion.
“We estimate that the plan adjustment would require an additional Bt6.8 billion from the Bt10 billion that we have left,” he said.
“The updated plan should be finished within this month, and after it is approved by the Minister of Transport it would be proposed to the Cabinet by January next year.”
The Bangpa-In – Nakhon Ratchasima Motorway will start the test run period around the end of 2022. Currently, 92 per cent of construction has been completed.
The O&M project will be handled by bid winner BGSR Consortium, which consists of BTS Group Holding, Gulf Energy Development, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction and Ratch Group, for 30 years after it opens for public use.
BGSR offered Bt21.3 billion, lower than the estimated Bt33.25 billion cost of the O&M project.
Construction of the Bangyai-Kanchanaburi Motorway is now 40 per cent complete. BGSR is also the bid winner for the O&M project.
It is expected to open for public use within 2023.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 21 new cases in state quarantine facility over a 24-hour period on Monday.
The cases includenine Thais aged between 21 and 44 who returned from Tachilek city in Myanmar on December 4 and tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day. They were immediately sent to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital for treatment.
Four Thais aged 25 to 45 returned from the United Kingdom on November 30 and checked into a state quarantine facility in Chonburi where they tested positive on December 4.
An American woman, 47, and a seven-year-old boy who travelled from the US on December 4 tested positive on the same day at an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
A Thai ship crew member, 23, and a mechanic, 33, who arrived from Singapore on November 30 and checked into a state quarantine facility in Bangkok, tested positive on December 5.
An Estonian man, 61, who arrived on November 28 and checked into an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok, tested positive on December 3.
An Indian man, 40, who arrived on November 28 tested positive on December 3 at a quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
A German man, 61, who landed on November 21 was found to be positive on December 3 at a quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
A Nigerian medical tourist, 20, who arrived from the United Arab Emirates on December 4 was found to positive on the same day. She is at an alternative hospital quarantine hotel.
Meanwhile, 15 patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 4,107 (1,125 in state quarantine), of whom 179 are in hospital and 3,868 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 60.
According to the Worldometer, as of 10 am, the total number of confirmed cases worldwide has risen to 67.39 million (up by 534,942). Of them, 46.58 million have recovered, while 19.27 million are active cases (106,139 in severe condition) and 1.54 million have died (up by 7,537).
Thailand ranks 151st for most cases in the world, while the US tops the list with 15.16 million, followed by India 9.67 million, Brazil 6.6 million, Russia 2.46 million and France 2.29 million.
Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, general communicable diseases director at the Department of Disease Control, told the press that there are so many cases from Tachilek because though the 1G1 hotel, where many of them work, was closed on November 24 due to the outbreak, infections spread because people lived in airconditioned surroundings without wearing a mask. So far, at least 36 patients have been linked to this location.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) resolved on Monday to reduce the fuel tariff (Ft) from January to April 2021 by 2.89 satang per unit, or charge Ft at 15.32 satang per unit. As a result, the average electricity bill will be reduced to Bt3.61 per unit from the current average electricity cost of Bt3.63 per unit (excluding value-added tax).
The move is intended as a New Year’s gift to alleviate the cost of living for the people.
More than 100 Thais in Myanmar’s Tachileik town have contacted officials to return to their country, while some young women are still trying to sneak in through natural channels, an official said.
After the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in Tachileik, which borders Mae Sai district in Tak province, many Thai people who had been working in entertainment venues in the Myanmar town have been wanting to return home.
Recently, 84 Thai people returned to Thailand through the permanent border checkpoint at the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge.
In addition, there are also those who coordinate through The Border Consortium of Thai-Myanmar (TBC) to return across the border.
TBC said 121 people will return to Thailand by crossing the border on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
It is estimated that hundreds of Thais are still staying back in Tachileik. Thai security officials are trying to find those crossing over illegally across the border to bring them into the normal system quickly to prevent further risk of the pandemic spreading.
TBC of Thailand and Myanmar are working together to bring the stranded Thais back more conveniently, an official said. All Thais will be brought into the quarantine system through quarantine accommodation or state local quarantine at Mae Sai district.
However, there are still a number of young Thai women who are unable to return with normal coordination or do not have access to information, but they are attempting to return to Thailand through natural channels. As the entertainment venue in Tachileik has been shut down due to the outbreak, living there has become difficult. The number of Covid-19 cases in Chiang Rai as of December 6 has increased to 20.
In a suspected case of hypothermia, a motor mechanic was found dead on Sunday in Bueng Kan province.Police believe the man had possibly died from the cold weather in the night.On Sunday, Loaw Loang Police Station in Bueng Khong Long district was informed that a mechanic, Sutthirak Satipa, 44, was found dead in a garage office.Police, together with rescue staff and doctors from Bueang Khong Long Hospital, went to the garage and found the dead man wearing a red shorts and a blue shirt. He had only a very thin blanket over him.No wound was found on the body. Officials speculated that he had been dead for around 10 hours.The dead man’s daughter, 9, informed that she had slept in this office with her father last night. But her father did not awaken in the morning as usual.Officials believe that the sharp fall in temperature at night had caused his death.
The Department of Trade Negotiations has received approval from Parliament for its draft on agricultural products quotas for export to the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) after Britain left the EU, also known as Brexit.
“From January 1 onwards, 30 Thai agricultural products would receive import quotas from both the EU and the UK, while six additional products would receive special quota and would not have to compete with other exporting countries,” said Auramon Supthaweethum, the department’s director-general. “The department has adjusted the quotas based on export volume to each territory. For example, products that the UK has imported more than the EU will have a bigger UK quota, and vice versa. However, the quotas for both territories will not be lower than previous quotas Thailand received before Brexit.”
Six products that Thailand can export to the UK and the EU without any competitors are: salted chicken, cooked chicken, processed chicken, cooked duck, processed duck and processed sardine.
“Under the new quota, Thai exporters would pay Bt2.1 billion less in tariff per year,” she added.
Thailand has been exporting more than 30 agricultural products to the EU and the UK, including white rice, brown rice, frozen chicken and duck, tapioca, tapioca flour, processed fish, frozen prawn, pasta and biscuit.
In 2019, trade volume between Thailand and the EU totalled Bt1.15 trillion, 14 per cent of which, or Bt230 billion, was from trading with the UK.
In the first 10 months of 2020, the trade volume with the EU was Bt983 billion, while Bt127 billion came from trading with the UK.
Key non-agricultural exports to the EU are computer components and equipments, gems and jewellery and air conditioners, while key non-agricultural exports to the UK are car and motorcycle components and electrical circuit boards.
The Udon Thani Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is planning campaigns to promote tourism in three northeastern provinces during the cold season towards the year-end and early 2021.
The campaigns will promote Udon Thani, Nong Khai and Bueng Kan provinces, TAT’s director of the office, Phawana Prajit, said.
“The primary campaign called “More Cool Isaan”, aims to present interesting tourist attractions in each province, such as the Red Lotus Sea in Udon Thani, the sea of mist in Nong Khai, and the Naga Cave in Bueng Kan to different target groups ranging from senior citizens, business travellers and general public,” she said.
“We are also planning to organise activities in cities that have no tourist attractions, such as healthy food festivals and sport events to attract Gen-Y travellers and sport enthusiasts.
“TAT also will promote travel during weekdays by offering special room packages and complementary meals to alleviate crowding and traffic jams that usually occur at tourist attractions during weekends and holidays,” she added.
Udon Thani’s signature attraction is the Nong Han Lake, better known as the Red Lotus Sea, in Kumphawapi district. The lake covers an area of 22,500 rai (3,600 hectares), featuring countless red lotuses that will bloom from mid-December until early March.
Nong Khai is rich with historical attractions dating back to the Lan Xang Empire in the 13th to 17th centuries. It also has several mountains, such as Phu Pha Dak, Phu Nong and Phu Huai Isaan in Sri Chiang Mai district where tourists can camp out on mountaintops and witness the sea of mist in the morning.
Located in Phu Langka National Park, Bueng Kan’s Naga Cave has recently become famous as an adventurous trekking route that is more challenging than the notorious Phu Kradueng in Loei province. Only 350 travellers per day are allowed to take the route, which culminates at one of the most beautiful caves in Thailand.
More than 20 million Thais took part in Buddhist chanting ceremonies held at over 42,000 temples nationwide to commemorate the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great on Saturday, which is also celebrated as National Day and Father’s Day, said Anucha Nakasai, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The ceremony was hosted by the government through the National Office of Buddhism.
“The ceremony in Bangkok was held at Wat Bovoranives Vihara in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district, while in the other provinces it was held at the central temple in each district in cooperation with the Provincial Office of Buddhism and Provincial Administrative Organisation,” he said.
“We have been organising the chanting ceremony every Saturday since November 7 and will continue until December 26 to commemorate the late King Rama IX,” he said.
Illustration credit: Kun-gee 
