A 22-wheeler crashed into a school van in Suphanburi province on Tuesday morning killing two students and severely injuring seven.
Police were notified that around 7.30am that a school van travelling from Kanchanaburi had been hit by a 22-wheeler at the Thanon Phlapphla Chai junction.
Nine students were severely injured and sent to Uthong Hospital, but two succumbed to their injuries soon after.
Surveillance camera footage shows that all traffic lights at the junction were red and the road was wet with rain when the van arrived at the junction.
The huge truck, which was being driven in another lane, then slid across the wet road and hit the van on the side.
A police team is investigating the alleged murder of the top Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand (ZPOT) official, Suriya Saengpong, last week, as well as the case of a missing albino barking deer from Songkhla Zoo.
The director-general of the ZPOT was shot dead while investigating the case of the missing deer by a senior official, who allegedly also shot himself.
The deer went missing in February but the zoo’s director had claimed it was swallowed by a python.
Police Maj-General Damrat Wiriyakul, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 9, said on Tuesday that the investigation team has called for the wildlife records of the past 10 years after it was found that 11 macaw parrots, stolen by two teenagers, had been sold to businessmen. Later, Songkhla Provincial Police arrested the culprits and returned two of the parrots in 2014.
The ZPOT has also called for an audit of rhinos imported for zoos nationwide. They also urged police to investigate the disappearance of steel bird cages, as they suspected zookeepers may be involved in stealing them.
Arkom Maneekulbok, a board member of ZPOT, will temporarily take over the management of Songkhla Zoo.
Long-stay visa holders will be the first group of tourists to visit Thailand since the Covid-19 pandemic that led to lockdowns worldwide.
Experts believe that though the virus situation seems to be getting better, surveillance measures still need to be taken, along with the development of a quarantine system to strike an economic balance without increasing the risk of infections.
Wellness Quarantine is one of the new plans being pursued before considering a reduction in the quarantine period.
The medical hub board committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, made an important resolution related to entry of foreigners into Thailand, by opening four more airports — Samui, Chiang Mai, Phuket and U-Tapao — to foreign direct flights.
The plan was approved by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) subcommittee.
Wellness Quarantine, or quarantine areas in the health sector, will be open to people who come to receive treatments, to medical spas, wellness retreats, and long-term care in the health business. They will not be allowed to leave the designated area for at least 14 days. This form of quarantine is divided into two phases: Phase 1 is medical spa quarantine and long-term quarantine, while Phase 2 will be golf quarantine and spa quarantine.
The Department of Health Service Support has to develop guidelines and criteria for the development of quarantine facilities in the health business, such as defining an area as a quarantine area such as clinics, hotels, restaurants, activity areas, and home area.
A pathway system is a path for the patients to visit the doctor at the clinic for Covid-19 tests at the specified point, which will be separated from the normal system. Establishments must provide a device to track customers, such as a watch or wristband, as well as involve the surrounding communities, online shopping or restaurants, products, raw materials, tourist attractions in the area, etc.
Some 5,000 arrivals are expected by the end of December 2020, generating an income of approximately Bt195 million.
However, all these detention facilities are still primarily aimed at foreign tourists with high ability to pay, which can generate income for the country at one level but may not yet meet the needs of economic recovery
Anutin admitted that staying in the quarantine area for up to 14 days could be difficult. Ordinary tourists would not decide to visit. What is needed is a large number of travellers to help generate income for the tourism sector, he said. He has assigned health officers to figure out ways to reduce quarantine from 14 days to a lesser but appropriate and safe period.
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has approved a proposal to improve the Bt30 healthcare scheme to enable people to receive medical treatment anywhere.
The approval came during the 11th committee meeting presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, while the committee will improve four options:
1. People can receive medical treatment at primary care units in Bangkok and its vicinity under the scheme from November 1. The Ministry of Public Health and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will expand the network of primary care units and enable people to check their eligibility and authenticate themselves by using their ID card.
2. In-patients in the scheme can receive medical treatment at hospitals by using only their ID card instead of the patient transfer form that previously caused trouble when the patient transfer form expired. This scheme will be piloted in Nakhon Ratchasima province from November 1, and in Bangkok and its vicinity from January 1 next year before expanding to other provinces.
3. Cancer patients can receive treatment in hospitals specialising in providing cancer treatment protocol, telehealth, telepharmacy, and home chemotherapy nationwide from January 1 next year. As methods to transfer cancer patients in the scheme may hinder them from receiving treatment quickly, the NHSO will grant a certificate and medical history for cancer patients to receive medical treatment at the said hospitals via three channels: NHSO hotline 1330, NHSO application, or contact the hospital directly.
4. People can change the primary care unit they would like to receive medical treatment from nationwide without waiting for 15 days via NHSO application from January 1 next year, in which primary care units can check eligibility and claim treatment fees by using the patients’ ID card.
The country’s violent history should never repeat itself, Pannika Wanich, prominent person of the Progressive Movement, said on Tuesday on the 44th anniversary of the 1976 massacre.
She made her remarks to the press before arriving for the commemoration event at Thammasat University, where the tragedy occurred on October 6, 1976.
Pannika, a former MP and spokesperson of the dissolved Future Forward Party, said that people had been alert to the risk of violence for some time. And the reason why young people of today were interested to know about the massacre was because of its relevance in the context of the present situation in Thai society and politics.
She asked why people in the past had decided to attack, or even kill, other people who thought differently from them. Was it because of instructions from the government of that time or via several kinds of media?
“Even in this day, people with different opinions were being rejected by society as unbearable,” she said, adding, “Are we expecting history to repeat itself, and which way can we go to prevent a repeat of violence?”
Pannika said that the national education should provide more facts about October 6, 1976, instead of a few short sentences in a history book.
In 1976, police launched a violent crackdown on leftist protesters who had occupied Thammasat University on that day.
The number of casualties in the 1976 event remains disputed, with the official count at 46 dead, 67 wounded and 3,000 arrested. Others claim more than 100 died at the hands of the military, police and paramilitary forces after exit routes were first blocked. Some protesters and others were hanged by ultranationalist counter-protesters.
A lecture was organised at the Army headquarters’ Kittikachorn building on Tuesday to educate new soldiers on the “correct” usage of social media.
Army spokesperson Lt-General Santiphong Thampiya said new Army chief General Narongphan Jitkaewtae’s policy is that military units be able to communicate via several channels, especially through online media to improve work and keep up to date with ongoing situations.
“Social media has a great influence on society and is part of people’s daily lives, so it is necessary to create awareness of its correct usage among military officers, especially during rescue operations and in relation to communication between commanders and their subordinates,” he said.
Prominent human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa said the October 14 protest should signify the beginning of a continuous fight for democracy.
After accepting the Jarupong Thongsin for Democracy Award on Tuesday, Arnon said he hoped the October 14 protest marks a turning point and starts a fight for democracy that will be passed down generations.
He said the protest will no longer just be a political expression with the sole purpose of pressuring PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to step down and demand amendments to the Constitution, but will bring Thais together so they speak up in one voice.
Panupong Jadnok, an activist leader who was also given the award, said he did not need any medals but wanted to live in a true democracy, adding that he was proud their movement had raised awareness.
He added that protesters should see the October 6, 1976 massacre as a lesson and make sure it is never repeated.
Panupong said the fault lies with Prayut as he has failed to lead the country, but should now listen to the people’s demands and solve the issues peacefully.
Netizens are closely monitoring the story of a woman who developed a bad rash after her tattoo of a green viper was “fixed”.
The story of Suphannee Ruang-on, 32, went viral after she recounted her experience with a tattoo she got from a shop in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
She said she wanted a tattoo of the mythical snake Phaya Naga, but ended up with one that looked like a green viper with a mohawk.
Upon returning, she visited a tattooist in Bangkok, who promised to fix her tattoo. However, on Tuesday she said she has developed a rash on the “fixed” tattoo, and her condition hasn’t improved even after taking pills.
Thai netizens waiting for updates on Suphannee’s story to see if she will take legal action against the tattoo artist.
A schoolgirl in Pathumthani province who lost mobility for two months after being told to do 100 squat jumps is now able to move her legs again.
Supattra Inroop, 42, said that her 15-year-old daughter had inflammation in her knees stemming from the squat jumps that her teacher forced her to do as a punishment.
She said health coverage from Samkhok School’s director was not enough to treat her daughter. On October 4, her husband took the daughter to Pol Lt-General Khamronwit Thoopkrachang’s foundation which treats patients using acupuncture.
The girl’s condition has improved and the parents are planning to move their kid to another school, as they claimed the present school did not show enough responsibility.
Khamronwit said that the blood could not flow regularly resulting in inflammation, but the girl could now bend her knees and it would take some time before she could walk again.
A Bangkok resident attacked his former girlfriend with a long knife leaving her with 10 deep wounds, and also tried run her current boyfriend over with his car in a fit of jealousy.
On Monday, Bangmod Police Station learned that two people had been injured in Chaikul Village in the capital’s Chom Thong district.
Officers arrived to find a motorcycle hit by a Toyota car and chunks of hair and bloodstains near a spirit house.
The attacker’s former girlfriend, who had sustained cuts to her neck, body and arm, had been taken to hospital before the police arrived. The 21-year-old victim’s name is being concealed for privacy.
Her boyfriend, Natthapol Yoosri, 22, told police he was heading to the house to pick up his girlfriend, when her former boyfriend Puwadol Sisee, 28, hit his motorbike before dashing into the house to attack the woman with a long knife.
Puwadol fled when neighbours showed up at the scene and later surrendered to police and handed over the knife.
The attacker faces charges of intention to murder, damaging other people’s asset and carrying a weapon without permission in public.
Natthapol said his girlfriend had left Puwadol because he frequently hit her and reasoned that he had attacked her out of jealousy.
Lt-General Santiphong Thampiya 
