Si Sa Ket farmers see hopes of salvaging their dying rice crop, as tropical storm “Noul” brought rains to relieve them from a severe drought.
On Friday rain began falling in the province since morning, and though the storm did not hit as hard as expected the continuous rainfall is giving the farmers some hope.
The Provincial Office Disaster Prevention and Mitigation agreed that the storm would be beneficial to local farmers.
A meteorological report showed that about one or two tropical storms could reach the province until October and it could result in flooding if there were more than 30 millimetres of rain.
Si Sa Ket has two dams and 16 reservoirs, which are expected to be full after the storms and would resolve the drought problem, helping the farmers to continue growing rice, an official of the provincial irrigation agency said.
National Police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda has urged police officers nationwide to prepare to deal with heavy rain and flash floods due to tropical storm Noul, Pol Colonel Krisana Pattanajaroen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, said on Friday.
He said police officers have been ordered to cooperate with other related agencies in mitigating flood problems and transporting victims.
“Police commanders and superintendents have been instructed to survey areas and establish special units to help victims, repair damaged residences, facilitate traffic and prevent crimes,” he said.
“Also, they [police commanders and superintendents] have been instructed to check whether retailers are trying to hoard products to take advantage of consumers.”
He added that the National Police chief had ordered police officers to allow people to stay at police stations and provide necessities for them if their residences are damaged from floods, as well as implement the Public Health Ministry’s measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“The National Police chief also has warned people to beware of dangers from this disaster by following weather forecasts and warnings closely,” he added.
A van with a defective engine caught fire on Bangkok’s Kanchanapisek Road on Friday (September 18) as it was being driven to a garage for repairs.
Police arrived to find the Toyota Commuter van in flames in front of an Esso petrol station and managed to put out the fire in 10 minutes.
Nongyao Sitthiyot, 55, told police that she was heading from Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district to a garage in Bangkok’s Bang Khae district. She said as soon as she saw signs of the vehicle’s engine having problems, she parked to ask people for help.
However, the van burst into flames before anything could be done.
The Department of Health has instructed public health centres across the country to stock up on basic necessities to help people affected by the tropical storm Noul.
The Meteorological Department reported on Friday (September 18) that the category 3 storm is due in the middle of South China Sea and will make landfall over Da Nang in central Vietnam before moving to Mukdahan province in the Northeast of Thailand.
The storm will then head towards Myanmar through the North of Thailand. At the same time, the southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea will intensify and lash Thailand with more rain.
Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn, the Department of Health’s director general, said public health centres nationwide have been told to be ready to deal with water-borne infections and have medical personnel along with necessary equipment on standby.
Panpimol also warned people to beware of poisonous insects and advised them to turn off the circuit breaker at home in case of flooding.
She also advised people to have food, medication and other necessities ready and place them in high areas so they do not get washed away in floods.
Thammasat University has ordered its personnel to leave the university premises on Friday before 8pm.
Tha Phrachan Office Administration Division of Thammasat University issued the “most urgent” letter on Thursday, asking for cooperation from personnel handling traffic and locations in the area of Thammasat University Tha Prachan campus, Bangkok.
The announcement came in view of the United Front of Thammasat and a demonstration group insisting on using the Thammasat University for a political rally despite the university previously issuing a statement prohibiting them entry since September 10.
The gathering will start on Saturday at 2pm
The announcement asked for cooperation from all personnel to protect the university’s property and issued the following instructions: All personnel must leave the university before 8pm on September 18; personal cars or motorcycles cannot be parked in the university overnight.
Meanwhile, six opposition parties also issued a letter on Thursday, encouraging the government and authorised persons to support the protest according to human rights, while urging the public to back the students’ demand to amend the Constitution.
The Thai Chamber of Commerce Confidence Index for August saw its first rise in 12 month, moving up to 32.6, from 31.8 in July, said Thanawat Polvichai, the director of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting.
“The centre surveyed 364 presidents and vice presidents of chambers of commerce nationwide,” he said. “The positive factor contributing to increasing confidence index is the rising prices of agricultural produce such as oil palm, rubber, rice and corn, which have resulted in increasing investment in agricultural tools by farmers, such as pickup trucks and electrical appliances.”
“The majority of the respondents believed that the Thai economy had already passed its lowest point — in the second quarter of 2020 — and will start to slowly recover, thanks to the government’s easing of lockdown measures during the Covid-19 situation,” he added.
Thanawat added that the negative factors that affected the chambers of commerce’s confidence are the National Economic and Social Development Council’s forecast of a 12.2 per cent contraction in GDP in second quarter, as well as the worry about the second wave of Covid-19, and the political protests by the young generation. “However, the private sector is still hopeful that the government’s stimulus package would help improve several industries, especially tourism. That’s why some have agreed to hold off on laying off employees until the first quarter of 2021, as they believe the economic situation would be better by then.”
Thanawat said the survey respondents wanted the government to focus on promoting cross-border trading, especially with Cambodia and Laos, that have been hit by the outbreak and affected other related industries such as agriculture and tourism.
The chambers of commerce also expect that the government’s “Let’s Go Halves” campaign, which aims to promote the purchase of consumer products by subsidising 50 per cent of product prices, with a budget of Bt30 billion, and the handing out of an additional Bt1,500 to holders of state welfare cards, with a budget of Bt21 billion, would help inject up to Bt150-Bt200 billion into the economy in the next three months. “These two measures should help lessen the contraction of fourth quarter GDP by 2-3 per cent,” he said. “We estimate that 2020 GDP should be at minus 7.5 to minus 8.5 per cent and will improve by 0-2 per cent by the end of the first quarter of 2021.”
“As for the protest scheduled for September 19, it should pose no serious impact to the economy if the protest does not drag on for more than one day,” he added.
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has eased fears of a delay in the disbursement of a Bt400-billion economic stimulus package due to the Covid-19 situation, saying the Cabinet had already approved the first portion of the budget of Bt50 billion.
Danucha Pichayanan, NESDC deputy secretary-general, said that the money should be injected into the economy from October onwards.
“The budget came from several sources, including a loan from the Central Budget Act and fiscal 2021 budget that should be ready by October,” he said.
“The NESDC is carefully planning the use of the budget for select campaigns, as we must take into account the possibility of a second wave of the virus outbreak. If we spend the entire budget in the early phase, we won’t have any reserve in case the second wave really happens.”
Danucha added that Bt45 billion of the Bt1-trillion stimulus that the government had passed would be earmarked for buying medical supplies and equipment “to make sure that our public health staff is ready if the outbreak escalates. So far, Bt4 billion of this budget has been disbursed”.
A prisoner who had disguised himself as a prison guard to escape from Phetchabun Provincial Prison on Thursday was captured later the same day from an abandoned house in Muang district.
Police at Muang Phetchabun Station on Thursday (September 17) arrested Wutthichai Dechasitthanwat, 35, who was serving a prison term after conviction in a burglary case. He reportedly has a long criminal record of similar offences.
According to the prison report, Wutthichai allegedly disguised himself in a prison guard’s clothes, wore a face mask and a hat before walking out the front gate, while security officers thought he was a fellow prison guard.
Witnesses reportedly alerted officials that they had seen a suspicious-looking man riding on a black Honda PCX motorcycle away from the prison. Police tracked the bike down to a corn plantation near an abandoned house, where they found Wutthichai hiding.
Hundreds of goods transporters have been queuing up at the Mae Sai border checkpoint in Chiang Rai province to deliver their products to Tachileik town in Myanmar after authorities in the neighbouring country tightened cross-border movement because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Myanmar is allowing only six goods transport trucks per day from each side.
Phakamas Vierra, president of Mae Sai Chamber of Commerce, said on Thursday (September 17) that over 600 trucks were stranded in Mae Sai district, on the Myanmar border.
Previously the Chiang Rai communicable disease committee had decided to allow up to 168 goods transport trucks from Thailand to enter Myanmar per day to facilitate cross-border trading amid the Covid-19 outbreak. However, after a sudden escalation in cases at home, the Myanmar government reduced the quota to only six trucks to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Limiting transport to only six trucks per day from each side has created a huge chokepoint on the border. On the Thailand side alone, more than 300 trucks per day need to transport their products to destinations in Myanmar,” she said. “Most of these trucks carry fuel, consumer products and agricultural produce. Some have started to sell their products on roadside in front of 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, as they are afraid that their products will get spoilt before they are allowed to pass.”
Cross-border trade between Thailand and Myanmar through the Mae Sai border from October 2019 to August 2020 was valued at Bt12.2 billion, with Bt10.8 billion from export of consumer products, fuel, liquor, cement, beverages, electrical appliances, cosmetics, steel products and diapers. Imports were valued at Bt1.4 billion, mostly from processed agricultural products, manganese, scrap metal and aluminium. The Mea Sai Customs Office has collected up to Bt23.7 million in tariff and taxes during the 11-month period.
The category 3 tropical storm, “Noul”, is due in the middle of the South China Sea and will make landfall over Da Nang, in central Vietnam and then move to Mukdahan in northeastern Thailand, the Thailand Meteorological Department said at 4am on Friday (September 18).
On September 19-20, the storm will move through the northern region into Myanmar. Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand will intensify and bring more rain over the country. Torrential rains with strong winds are possible. People in risky areas should beware of the severe conditions that may cause flash floods and water runoffs.
In the upper portion of the Andaman Sea and the Gulf, winds will be stronger and waves will rise 2-4 metres high and above four metres during thundershowers. All ships have been advised to keep ashore.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:
North: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 24-26 degrees Celsius, maximum 31-34°C.
Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy to very heavy rain as well as gusty winds; minimum temperature l23-25°C, maximum 27-32°C.
Central: Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 24-26°C, maximum 33-34°C.
East: Cloudy with thundershowers in 80 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy to very heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-26°C, maximum 29-32°C; waves 2-4 metres high and over four metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 30-33°C; waves two metres high and over four metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 29-32°C; waves 2-4 metres high and over four metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 25-26°C, maximum 33-35°C.
Pol Colonel Krisana Pattanajaroen 
Thanawat Polvichai 
