NationalSep 16. 2020Photo Credit: Nation Photo by Tanachai Pramarnpanich
By The Nation
Miss Universe Thailand 2020 contestants wore regal Thai Chitralada costumes to pay their respects at two sacred sites in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Thirty of the most beautiful women in the land visited the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Bangkok City Pillar, hoping to gain some luck in their quest for the crown but also taking the precaution of face masks and temperature checks.
This year’s contest carries the theme “Real You, Real Universe” and concludes with the final round on October 10.
People can vote for their favourite contestant at the Miss Universe Thailand 2020 channel via the True ID smartphone app.
Prominent activist Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa refused to back down as he attended court over protest-related charges on Wednesday, instead confirming he would join Saturday’s anti-government rally.
Jatupat and 15 other activist-leaders reported themselves to an attorney at Dusit Kwaeng Court in Bangkok this morning after being charged with sedition and other offences for participating in the Free Youth rally on July 18.
Jatupat said the charges were designed to prevent activists from exercising their legal right to peaceful protest and were a form of state intimidation.
He also reiterated the protesters’ three core demands: to end state intimidation of critics, dissolve Parliament, and amend the Constitution.
Protesters plan to camp overnight at Thammasat University in Bangkok on Saturday before marching to Government House on Sunday. Organisers expect up to 100,000 people will join the rally, making it the largest protest since the 2014 coup.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sreeon has ordered the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) to be on high alert when tropical storm No Eul blows into Thailand this weekend.
The storm is forecast to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to the North, Northeast and East of the country from Friday to Sunday.
The RID has been ordered to set up teams to monitor flood-prone areas and cooperate with local authorities to solve flood problems as fast as possible.
“Also, the department has been instructed to improve storage capacity to conserve water for the upcoming drought season, because reservoirs nationwide are currently at a low level,” said Chalermchai, who spoke after presiding over a water management 2020-21 meeting at the Royal Irrigation Department’s Smart Water Operation Centre (SWOC).
RID chief Thongplew Kongjun said he has instructed his officials to prepare excavators, tractors and water pumps in flood-risk areas, as well as monitor dams, reservoirs and watergates, and clear waterways of obstructions.
Thailand currently had 36.76 billion cubic metres of water stored in large and medium-sized reservoirs nationwide, of which 12.94 billion cu/m was for irrigation, he said. Large and medium-sized reservoirs currently accounted for 48 per cent of total stored water, down from 65 per cent in the same period last year.
The Chao Phraya basin’s four dams, Bhumibol, Sirikit, Khwae Noi Bamrung Dan and Pasak Jolasid, were 41-per-cent full with a total 10.15 billion cu/m of water, of which 3.45 billion cu/m was for irrigation.
“We have used 3.33 billion cubic metres of water in Chao Phraya basin, accounting for 103 per cent of the water management plan [this year], but we can confirm that there is sufficient water for consumption, agriculture, and the environment to last through the rainy season,” Thongplew said.
The RID was conserving as much water as possible in line with the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister’s plan to reduce risks of shortage during the upcoming drought season, he added.
The Immigration Bureau has started making preparations for an influx of foreign tourists now that the government has started offering long-stay visas to stimulate the economy.
The bureau has said it will strictly follow the Public Health Ministry’s guidelines on curbing the spread of Covid-19 and will apply these measures on tourists arriving through all modes of transport.
Visitors planning to apply for this Special Tourist Visa are required to show proof of long-term accommodation and be willing to spend 14 days in quarantine.
The special visa begins with a 90-day stamp on the passport and then can be extended twice for 90 days each time.
Activists calling themselves “The People of Thailand” visited the US Embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday to demand assurances from President Donald Trump that his country would not meddle in Thai politics.
Former yellow shirt activist Pichit Chaimongkol was among the group who handed a letter to embassy staff. The activists thanked the US embassy for announcing previously that it had not supported anti-government protests in Thailand.
However, they demanded that Trump back up the Embassy’s position with a presidential statement.
Last week, the embassy dismissed allegations in certain sections of the Thai media that the US was supporting anti-government protests.
The allegations stem from photographs of student leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak meeting then-US ambassador Glyn Davies on a visit to the embassy in 2016.
The photographs were published on an English-language website called The Land Destroyer Report, which poses as a news outlet to disseminate stories alleging US influence in Thailand. The stories are regularly cited by right-wing Thai media to support their claims of “foreign meddling” in Thailand’s affairs. Land Destroyer Report and linked pages were banned by Facebook last year for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”.
Though Chiang Mai Zoo did not hold any special activities to mark the one-year anniversary of giant panda Chuang Chuang’s death on Wednesday (September 16), the beloved panda was remembered and missed nationwide.
The 19-year-old male panda, who the zoo said had died from heart failure, served as a symbol of Thailand’s friendship with China for 16 years.
However, the panda’s sudden death raised questions in China, which sent a panel of experts to determine the actual cause.
Pandas have been found to live up to 30 years in captivity.
Chuang Chuang and his mate Lin Hui, who lived in an airconditioned enclosure in the zoo, had been loaned to Thailand in 2003 as part of China’s “panda diplomacy”.
They became celebrities as people flocked to see them and media began covering their “love life”. The zoo even had them “married” in a ceremony in 2005.
Chuang Chuang was born on August 6, 2000 at the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas in Sichuan province. His parents were Bai Xue and Xin Xing.
Lin Hui was inseminated with Chuang Chuang’s seed, resulting in the birth of Lin Ping on May 27, 2009. Lin Ping, the world’s first panda to be born in a tropical climate, was sent back to China to look for a mate in 2013.
Lin Hui continues living on her own in Chiang Mai Zoo.
A pick-up truck packed with more than 20 students from Ubon Ratchathani’s Khemmarat Technical College flipped over on Wednesday (September 16) after it swerved to avoid a dog.
The accident injured many of the passengers, including three seriously.
Police arrived at around 9am to find the car and passengers lying on the side of the road. Three passengers with serious injuries were immediately sent to a local hospital, while rescue staff tended to those with minor injuries.
Parents later showed up to pick up their children, who were in a state of shock.
Driver Paiboon Manniew, 61, said he was trying to overtake another car but had to suddenly swerve when a dog jumped in front. That’s when he lost control and the car flipped over.
Though police found no traces of alcohol in Paiboon’s blood, he has still been charged with negligent driving resulting in the injury of others.
More than 200 “Korat No Padetkan” (Korat No Dictatorship) student activists in Nakhon Ratchasima province will join the anti-government rally in Bangkok on September 19 (Saturday), a member of the group announced on Wednesday.
Kittipong Pansungnoen told reporters that some Korat activists were arranging travel to Bangkok while others had already arrived.
The group would not hold a parallel rally in Nakhon Ratchasima since they feared turbulence, he added.
The Korat activists were travelling in several small groups, as a single big group could be easily blocked by officials, said Kittipong.
He also warned that the prime minister should not overlook the power of youngsters, who would not give up until they reached their goal.
The protesters are demanding an end to government intimidation of critics, dissolution of Parliament, and a new Constitution.
Anti-government protesters plan to camp overnight at Thammasat University on Saturday and march to Government House on Sunday. The protest is set to be the largest since the 2014 coup led by current premier Prayut Chan-o-cha, drawing an expected 50,000 to 100,000 people.
More than 6,000 people have been hit by dengue fever, four of whom have died, in four northeastern provinces in eight months.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Control 7 said the four deaths were among 6,024 patients in Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Mahasarakham and Roi Et. These statistics were collected from January 1 to August 29 and make the area the second worst for dengue.
Office director Dr Teerawat Valaisathien said dengue fever is being closely watched after constant rain in several parts of the country, increasing wet areas where carrier mosquitoes can reproduce.
The doctor warned people to keep their food and pets in a safe place before spraying rooms or homes to tackle mosquitoes. He also advised users to cover their noses and mouths and suggested that all windows be closed for 10 to 15 minutes to make the spraying effective.
Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Khiao police are investigating a case of a burnt six-wheel truck with a corpse inside, focusing on personal or business conflicts or even a mugging.
The truck, with the charred body of a 59-year-old man inside, was found yesterday (September 15).
After an autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the victim was identified as Saman Faesantia, a local resident. His Wang Nam Khiao employer recently went into the underground water business, which has several competitors.
The employer admitted this was a strange case because Saman could not drive and the truck was found 10 metres away from its usual parking spot, while the wheels were also locked.
The police are still not excluding the possibility of an accident from their theories and said they would try to solve the case as soon as possible.
Photo Credit: Nation Photo by Tanachai Pramarnpanich 
People can vote for their favourite contestant at the Miss Universe Thailand 2020 channel via the True ID smartphone app.
Chalermchai Sreeon 
