The declaration of a “serious” state of emergency in Bangkok was approved on Friday at a special Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government intends to enforce emergency rule for 30 days from October 15.
The emergency was announced on Thursday to control escalating pro-democracy protests, and must be approved by Cabinet within three days of its declaration. The state of emergency allows authorities to detain suspects for up to 30 days without charges and bans gatherings of more than five.
Prayut also said the government might consider imposing a curfew if the protests escalate further but said the situation did not warrant martial law.
He dismissed protesters’ demand for him to resign.
Amanda Charlene Obdam, a Thai-Canadian model and newly crowned Miss Universe Thailand, has finally shared her thoughts on democracy.
In an Instagram message on Friday, the beauty queen said: “Sorry I’m late. I’ve been really busy with the media and wanted to catch with the situation before saying anything. I want to say that I support democracy, human rights, anti-violence movements, freedom of speech and equality”.
She ended the post with “be safe everyone”.
She is the second Miss Universe crown holder to speak on political matters, after former beauty queen Maria Lynn Ehren or Maria Poonlertlarp voiced support for pro-democracy protests.
Less than a week after a bus was hit by a train in Chachoengsao province, a car and a train collided in Phetchaburi on Thursday night killing one and injuring two others.
Officers from Khao Yoi Police Station collected the body of a 21-year-old woman who was driving the car, and took the two male passengers who were seriously injured to hospital.
Initial investigation showed that the victims worked at a factory in Samut Songkhram province and had gone to Khao Yoi district for a meal.
They were heading home when they got hit by a train while crossing a railway track.
Five days ago, a train hit a bus killing 18 people, which sparked criticism over the safety of Thailand’s railway system.
Ekkachai Hongkangwan, an activist who was reportedly part of a group protesting as a royal motorcade passed by on Wednesday, was arrested on Friday for allegedly harming the “liberty of the Queen”.
Another activist Boonkueanoon Paothong, who faces the same charges under Section 110 of the Criminal Code, turned himself in at the Dusit Police Station.
Based on this law, the two activists could face 16 to 20 years or even life in prison for allegedly violating the Queen’s liberty.
Police are gathering evidence, including photographs and videos, to prosecute another group of five protesters who had gathered in the route the motorcade had taken.
A mother in Ayutthaya province is demanding to know why her month-old baby died immediately after he was injected with an antibiotic for diarrhoea.
The mother filed a complaint at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station on Wednesday saying that a doctor at the hospital where her baby was admitted claimed the child had died from choking on milk.
She later travelled to Thammasat University Hospital in Pathum Thani to deliver her child’s body for autopsy to determine the real cause of death.
She said the doctor said her baby, who was suffering from serious diarrhoea, had an infection and had to be admitted to hospital for at least a week to be given a course of antibiotics.
The mother said a nurse gave the baby his first antibiotic injection while he was feeding and within a minute he went into spasms and died. The medical staff said the boy had died from choking on milk.
The authorities’ recent decision to temporarily close Similan Islands due to storms, unpredictable weather and high waves has left a group of travellers heartbroken.
The group comprising some 500 people learned at the Ban Thap Lamu Pier in Phang Nga’s Thai Muang district on Friday that their bookings for trips around the Similan archipelago had been cancelled.
This group alone would have generated more than Bt120,000 in just entry fees.
The Meteorological Department has warned that the southwest monsoon is hovering over the Andaman Sea and will bring continuous rain to the South.
The stormy weather will also cause waves to rise as high as 3 metres, while fishermen have been advised to stay on land.
Four new Covid-19 cases were reported under state quarantine over a 24-period on Friday.
The new cases include a 36-year-old woman who returned from Nigeria on October 9 and a 46-year-old male freelancer who arrived from Singapore on the same day. Both are Thai nationals. They tested positive in the Chonburi state quarantine facility on October 13 and October 14 respectively. Both are asymptomatic. The man is a repeat patient as he had tested positive for Covid-19 in Singapore in June.
Also included is a 19-year-old Thai girl who returned from the United Kingdom on October 12 and tested positive that very day at a Bangkok state quarantine facility. She said she had a runny nose and had lost her sense of smell since September 29, but did not test positive for the virus.
A 37-year-old Ethiopian medical tourist landed in the Thailand on October 12 and tested positive on October 14 while being quarantined at a hospital. She had no symptoms.
Meanwhile, four Covid patients have recovered and discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,669 (728 in state quarantine), of whom 143 are in hospital and 3,467 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 59.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am, the total number of confirmed cases worldwide had risen to 39.17 million (increased by 399,073). Of them, 29.37 million have recovered, while 8.69 million are active cases (70,898 in severe condition) and 1.1 million have died (up by 6,113).
Thailand ranks 142nd in terms of cases, while the US tops the list with 8.21 million, followed by India 7.36 million, Brazil 5.17 million, Russia 1.35 million and Spain 972,958.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Finance Ministry to publicise the “Kon La Khreung” (Let’s Go Halves) economic stimulus package so more people use the scheme, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said on Friday.
Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith
He said just over 3.5 million people have registered for it so far, though the target is 10 million.
“Hence, we have to advertise so more people can participate. We need to continue working on this despite the political unrest,” he said.
This is the first day that the government has allowed Thais over the age of 18 who do not hold a state welfare card to register for daily discounts on food, drink and other necessities of up to Bt150, capped at Bt3,000 per person via the website.
Registrants are required fill a form on the website, wait for a confirmation SMS and install the Paotang smartphone application. After completing the process, they can use their privileges at participating retailers from October 23 to December 31.
However, privileges will be cancelled if the first transaction is recorded within 14 days of registration. Also, people who have registered for the “Kon La Khreung” package cannot register for the “Shop Dee Mee Kuen” (Shop and Payback) scheme.
The Korat region is bracing for heavy floods after the Lam Phra Phloeng Dam, part of Mun River catchment in Nakhon Ratchasima province, overflowed at 3am on Friday.
The volume of water in the Lam Phra Ploeng river basin continues to rise amid continuing rains, while the dam still has to speed up release of water to prepare for an oncoming storm which will bring more rains and hamper water management.
Water from the Lam Phra Phloeng River, which flows through Chokchai district, Nakhon Ratchasima province began to overflow the banks and flood agricultural areas. In particular, farmers’ rice fields were affected widely in many subdistricts, such as Tha Lat Khao, Phlappla, Kratok, Chokchai and Dan Kwian.
At full capacity, Lam Phra Ploeng Dam can store 155 million cubic metres with approximately 10 million cubic metres of water flowing in and more to come.
The irrigation department has urged people living near the river to gather their belongings and move to a higher place.
Officials of the Phlapphla Subdistrict Administrative Organisation hurried to arrange sandbag barriers throughout the day to prevent water from flooding the Kok Wiitaya School, where water from Mun River and its tributary converge. Heavy rainfall is forecast in the area in 1-2 days and could make the situation worse.
Nakhon Ratchasima has faced the heaviest rain in the past five years with the downtown area road inundated with 50 centimetres of water on Thursday.
Local officials have drawn up plans to catch more than 160 wild boar that have become a menace for the residents of Muang district in Chumphon province.
Provincial livestock department officers, the local national park chief and other local government representatives are collaborating to solve the problem of the high population of wild boar in the city.
They are planning to catch all 160 boar and release them in a new habitat. Somsak Chumphol, Moo Pad village headman, has been tasked with finding people who would like to adopt the boar.
The scavenger habits of the boar have led to the city suffering from unpleasant odour and pollution of water, which is affecting fisheries in the area.
The animals are also causing accidents and traffic jams as they are usually running around in the city searching for food.
Ekkachai Hongkangwan, right 
