In a Facebook post on Friday, Phu Kradueng National Park advised tourists to delay their trips as continuous, heavy rainfall brought by tropical storm Molave has made travelling up or down the mountain difficult.
However, the adventurous types who insist on visiting have been told to bring along protective equipment and move with caution.
People have also been advised to study the latest information posted on the national park’s Facebook page @PKDnationalpark before travelling.
Molave brought heavy rains and strong winds to the western part of Isaan, but has been weakening since Thursday.
Palang Pracharat MP fumbles his way through debate, later ‘warns panelist’
NationalOct 30. 2020Paiboon Nititawan, right, Nantapong Panmas, left
By The NationA Palang Pracharat party-list MP was mocked by pro-democracy protesters after he failed to address criticisms during a TV debate.
Party-list MP Paiboon Nititawan failed to address the lack of a party-list order during a debate on Thairath TV.
On Thursday, the ruling party MP was invited to a debate hosted by Jomquan Laopetch with a left-wing activist Nantapong Panmas, who had been arrested for his campaign to vote “no” in the referendum on the 2017 Constitution.
They began the debate with the issue of rewriting the charter and an iLaw draft to amend it according to the demands of the people. Paiboon, however, did not want to discuss the issue.
Nantapong said Palang Pracharat had no sincerity about making the amendment, but the protesters would continue to make their three demands: resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, rewriting of the charter and reform of the monarchy.
Nantapong recounted a period when Paiboon had joined a protest against the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra, which led to a coup and paved the way for the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to seize power. In comparison, the anti-government protesters in 2020 were being subjected to violent crackdowns.
Paiboon, however, insisted that Palang Pracharat had come to power as it had more votes than the opposition parties, and therefore Prayut had to listen to those voices, not the pro-democracy ones.
Nantapong then raised the topic of the referendum on the 2017 Constitution. He said the NCPO tried to silence people who did not agree with the draft written by the military junta by arresting people who acknowledged the flaws in it, including Nantapong himself.
He later questioned why Paiboon had dissolved the People Reform Party to join the Palang Pracharat Party without having a clear order in the party-list. He also questioned the suspicious electoral system organised by the NCPO that allowed senators to have influence in electing the premier.
The MP called that a “nonsense claim” and harped on Palang Pracharat being the party with the most seats in Parliament.
The footage of the debate later went viral on the Internet among pro-democracy supporters who made fun of the suspicious process that had made him a Palang Pracharat MP.
Nantapong later posted a message on his Facebook account, saying he was told by Paiboon to be careful after the debate ended.
By The NationA funeral in Suphanburi province turned into a joyous affair on Thursday when the dead man’s wish for a performance by Coyote dancers came true.
Road accident victim Kritsana Wongkasem’s friends said he loved hanging out with women, especially sexy dancers, and had once told them that he would like to have them dancing at his funeral.
The victim’s mother said she was grateful her son had friends who would do anything for his happiness.
A Prachuap Khiri Khan resident, whose favourite pastime was catching monitor lizards and going on motorbike rides with them tied to the passenger seat, was arrested on Friday for animal abuse charges.
Officials from Kui Buri National Park and a team of special-unit officers showed up at the man’s house after he posted photographs of his antics on Facebook.
The suspect, who goes by the name Chaowalit, confessed that he has been doing this for four months now and often posted photographs on a Facebook page run by wildlife hunters.
He was charged with catching or harming protected wildlife and violating Articles 12 and 89 of the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act.
The offender was taken to Ban Yang Police Station for legal action and could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to Bt1 million.
Rushing water from Mun River breached sandbag barriers and flooded residential areas in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Thursday.
More than 40 households in Phimai district have suffered from the metre-high floodwaters that inundated the area on Thursday night and got worse early on Friday.
Onrat Phimpru, a village headwoman of Jabok village, said that the water came from Lam Ta Khong dam after Typhoon Molave raised the water level.
The water from Lam Phra Phloeng dam also overflowed into Mun River, resulting in the higher floodwaters which could not be contained by the sandbag walls, he said.
Police have launched a manhunt for the person who allegedly hit and killed a police officer on Ratchaphruek Road in Bangkok’s Thonburi district on Thursday night.
The body of Pol Sub-Lieutenant Peeradet Phaosri, from Phasi Charoen Police Station, was found at around 10.30pm. His face was mangled from a high-impact crash on the road surface and his body was drenched from the rain.
Rescuers and a paramedic team from Siriraj Hospital were not able to revive the victim, who is believed to have died on the spot.
The victim’s motorcycle was also spotted nearby. He is survived by his wife and son.
Police are calling people in the area who may have CCTV footage of the accident to submit it to police for further investigation.
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has fired 245 police officers for misconduct since January, while 53 were discharged and 44 were suspended from services, RTP spokesman Pol Maj-General Yingyos Thepjamnong told the press after a meeting at the police headquarters in Bangkok on Thursday.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Yingyos said the meeting discussed general issues related to police work as well as statistics on punishment of police officers who have been found guilty of misconduct.
“In October, 23 police officers were punished, 15 were fired, four were discharged while four were suspended,” he said.
“Statistics from January until now indicates that so far 342 police officers have been punished for misconduct, 245 were fired, 53 were discharged and 44 were suspended.
“The prime minister also discussed the welfare and benefits for police officers and law enforcement during the political protests,” added Yingyos. “However, the appointment of senior officers at deputy commander and inspector levels for this year was not discussed at the meeting.”
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 12 new cases in state quarantine facilities over a 24-hour period on Friday.
The cases included:
• A 32-year-old Brazilian engineer who arrived from Philippines on October 22 and tested positive on October 27 at a Bangkok alternative state quarantine hotel. He was asymptomatic.
• A 34-year-old Thai businesswoman who returned from the US and Taiwan on October 23 and was put up in a quarantine facility in Chonburi. She tested positive on October 28 and was asymptomatic.
• Three people travelling from India tested positive. Mainly a 31-year-old Thai masseuse who stayed in Chonburi state quarantine, 32-year-old Indian man who works here, and a 45-year-old Indian woman. All three were put up in a Bangkok alternative state quarantine hotel and tested positive on October 28. The Thai woman’s infection history traced back to September 28.
• Four Thai returnees from the United Arab Emirates, namely a 26-year-old spa operator, a 30-year-old woman, 42-year-old restaurant employee and 52-year-old male office worker, arrived on October 23-24 and tested positive while quarantined in a Chonburi state facility on October 27-28.
• A 30-year-old Myanmar national who travelled from Myanmar on October 28 to be treated for other ailments tested positive on October 29 at an alternative hospital quarantine in Bangkok. Her health history shows she had been infected on September 28.
• A 43-year-old medical tourist who arrived from Ethiopia on October 28 tested positive on the same day at an alternative hospital quarantine facility in Bangkok.
• A 25-year-old Thai male student who arrived from Jordan on October 27 and had the sniffles tested positive during the screening process at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Meanwhile, 15 patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,775 (827 in state quarantine), 131 of whom are in hospital and 3,585 have been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 59.
As of 10am on Friday according to Worldometer, the total number of confirmed cases worldwide had risen to 45.31 million (up by 545,903). Of them 32.99 million have recovered, while 11.14 million are active cases (82,228 in severe condition) and 1.18 million have died (up by 7,172).
Thailand ranks 147th in most cases in the world, while US tops the list with 9.21 million, followed by India at 8 million, Brazil 5.49 million, Russia 1.58 million and France 1.28 million.
By THE NATIONThe State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans to adjust the commercial use of its lands leased under 10 contracts that would expire this year to generate additional revenue besides the fares from its train services, said Ake Sitthiwekin, SRT deputy governor of the Asset Management Business division.
“Currently SRT has about 30,000 rai [4,800 hectares] of land and we aim to maximise the profit from commercial use of those lands,” he said. “There are 10 land contracts that are about to expire within this year, such as the land at Or Tor Kor Market, Chatuchak Fish Market, and the plot next to Saphan Khwai BTS station. These lands have higher earning potential than their current usage, so we plan to put them up for auction for different purposes when the contract expires to attract new investors, or extend the contract with current tenants but with different rental rates.”
Ake added that his division would propose the plan for new usage of the lands to the SRT board when it meets on November 12.
“SRT had recently established an asset management subsidiary, but it would take time before it could be fully operational, therefore in the mean time the Asset Management Business division would be responsible for maximising the earning potential of existing assets to ensure uninterrupted revenue generation for SRT,” he added. “The plan that we propose, either to extend the contracts or re-auction the lands, would be under short-term contracts to ensure smooth transition when the subsidiary becomes ready to take over the whole asset management operations.
“As for the big lot lands such as at Mae Nam, Km11, and Bang Sue stations, the Asset Management Business division would not adjust the terms of commercial use in the contracts but would let the asset management subsidiary handle it when it becomes ready,” he added.
A source from the SRT revealed that the previous board meeting on October 15 had decided to appoint a chief executive officer for SRT’s asset management subsidiary as soon as possible, while its registration as a state enterprise, nomination of board members and recruitment of staff must be completed before the end of this year.
The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has approved setting up two new industrial estates in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), expected to bring in over Bt70 billion investment and create nearly 20,000 jobs.
IEAT governor Somjin Piluek said that the IEAT board met on October 14 and gave the nod for the establishment of two new industrial estates in the EEC to support the S-Curve and New S-Curve industries.
“The two projects would be invested in and developed by private partners over a total area of 2,806 rai [449 hectares],” she said.
“The first project is the Rojana Nong Yai Industrial Estate in Hang Sung subdistrict, Nong Yai district, and in Nong Phai Kaew subdistrict, in the Bang Beung district of Chonburi province, covering an area of 1,987 rai,” she added. “Rojana Industrial Park Plc will be responsible for developing an industrial zone of 1,501 rai while the rest 486 rai will be reserved for infrastructure and buffer areas. The industrial estate is less than 100 kilometres from Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut ports and about 137km from Suvarnabhumi Airport.”
The Rojana Nong Yai Industrial Estate is expected to open in the next three years and bring in Bt60.05 billion investment as well as create 15,014 jobs in the fields of electronics, electrical appliances, automotive parts, as well as research and development industries.
“The second project is the Egco Rayong Industrial Estate to be located on 621 rai of land in Huay Pong subdistrict of Rayong’s Muang district,” Somjin added. “Electricity Generating Pcl will be responsible for the development of 421 rai of industrial zone and 200 rai of infrastructure and buffer areas. The industrial estate will be only 12km from Map Ta Phut port, 50km from Laem Chabang port, 28km from U-Tapao International Airport and 140km from Suvarnabhumi Airport.”
Egco Rayong Industrial Estate is expected to be operational within two years and bring in Bt16.84 billion investment as well as create 4,210 jobs in the fields of processed agricultural products, infrastructure services and innovation development.
“The establishment of the two industrial estates would be under the eco-industrial town concept to ensure that there were green buffer areas around the projects as well as effective energy conservation and wastewater treatment in the projects,” added Somjin.
Paiboon Nititawan, right, Nantapong Panmas, left 
