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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023352

Transport Ministry launches joint electric bus-boat card for Bangkok commuters

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

The Transport Ministry on Thursday launched one-fare electric cards for Bangkok commuters to save cost by riding electric buses and boats.

Chayatham Promsorn, permanent secretary at the Transport Ministry, launched the so-called Hop Card during the “Thai Smile Happy Gift: Start to Connect” event at the ministry.

Thai Smile Bus has provided electric buses and boats to operators who have received concessions to operate in Bangkok. Thai Smile Bus also provides electric ticketing platform on electric buses and boats.

Chayatham said the Hop Cards are available in two packages.

In the first package, passengers pay only 50 baht per day and can ride electric buses and boats of operators using Thai Smile Bus platform with unlimited trips.

In the second package, commuters pay 40 baht a day to ride electric buses in the Thai Smile Bus network in over 120 routes in Bangkok with unlimited trips.

Chayatham said so far there are 1,250 electric buses serving passengers on over 120 routes and the buses transport over 10,000 passengers a day.

The ministry aims to increase the number of electric buses in Bangkok and suburban areas to 3,500 next year, he added.

In the future, the ministry hopes to expand the link to electric railways as well, the permanent secretary said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023351

Religious rites held at Sattahip Naval Base for sailors who died at sea

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

The bodies of six sailors who lost their lives after their warship sank in a storm on Sunday night were taken to the Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri on Thursday for religious rites.

They were identified as Amnat Pimthee, Assa Kaewsuphan, and Somkiat Maichob – all chief petty officers first class – Petty Officer First Class Chakpong Poonpol, seaman Akkadet Phobat, and Lt Junior Samart Kaewphluek of the Royal Thai marines.

The sailors were part of the crew of the Royal Thai Navy’s corvette HTMS Sukhothai, which sank in the Gulf of Thailand about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan with 105 crew on board.

Bereaved family members claimed their bodies at a rescue foundation in Prachuap Khiri Khan on Thursday, where they were given belongings and personal items left by the deceased.
Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, commander of the First Naval Area Command, was on hand to offer support to the families.

The bodies were taken in six vans to the Wing 5 Air Force Base in Prachuap Khiri Khan before being flown on a C130 military plane to U-Tapao Airport, where a ceremony featuring guards of honour was held.

A three-day religious ceremony sponsored by His Majesty the King will be held at Sattahip Naval Base.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023346

Prachuap Khiri Kha rechecking the number of residents over 100 years old

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

The Prachaup Khiri Khan provincial administration is rechecking a preliminary report that said about 50 residents of the province are over 100 years old.

Provincial deputy governor Kittipong Sukphakphum said the preliminary report was filed by the provincial office of Poverty Eradication and Life Cycle Development.

“The provincial administration is checking the details about this. It’s quite exciting and heartening that they live so long,” the deputy governor said.

He said he has confirmed in person that four centenarians live in the province’s Thap Sakae district – one in Tambon Saeng Aroon, two in Tambon Ang Thong, and one in Tambon Na Hu Kwang.

Kittipong said he and officials from the Prachuap Khiri Khan social development and human security office, and the provincial office of the Senior Citizen Council of Thailand, had visited the four centenarians in the three tampons.

Kittipong said one of them is 112 years old.

The Prachuap Khiri Khan provincial administration will send officials to check the exact number of people who are over 100 years old, examine their living conditions, and determine whether they have any medical conditions.

Their villages may also be promoted as “old age villages” for tourists, the deputy governor added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023343

Public urged to wear face mask as air quality in 11 Bangkok districts at unsafe level

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

The air quality in 11 districts of Bangkok recorded unsafe levels of PM2.5 on Thursday (December 22), the Environment Department said.

The level of particulate matter 2.5 microns in diameter in the air ranged from 52 to 57 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre, higher than the acceptable limit, the department said.

Residents have been advised to take care of their health and wear masks.

Districts having PM2.5 levels above safe levels are:

1. Thawi Watthana

2. Nong Khaem

3. Bangna

4. Pathumwan

5. Prawet

6. Yannawa

7. Bang Khen

8. Khlong Sam Wa

9. Thonburi

10. Bang Khun Thian

11. Khlong San

The overall air quality level in 50 districts across Bangkok were found to be in the range of 28 to 57mcg per cubic metre, while the safety level over a 24-hour period should not to be more than 50mcg per cubic metre.

Cool weather and morning fog are forecast for Greater Bangkok with a 1-2 degrees Celsius rise in temperature as the moderate high-pressure system covering upper Thailand has weakened, according to the Environment Department.

The air quality in Bangkok should be monitored from December 23 evening when the weather is expected to be calm and windless, the department said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023342

Bhutan’s queen wishes a speedy recovery for Princess Bajrakitiyabha

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck of Bhutan on Thursday left a written message wishing a full recovery for HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

The visiting queen arrived at the hospital’s Bhumisiri Mangkhalanusorn Building shortly before 10am and was greeted by deputy principal private secretary Khunying Chantanee Thanarak and the hospital’s director Dr Chanchai Sittipunt.

Queen Jetsun Pema wrote her message on behalf of the Bhutanese people wishing that the Thai Princess recover from her illness and return to good health soon. She also presented a vase of flowers.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the daughter of His Majesty the King and HRH Princess Soamsawali, is being treated at the hospital for a heart-related health issue after fainting in Nakhon Ratchasima province last week, according to the Royal Household Bureau.

Queen Jetsun Pema is visiting Thailand from Wednesday to Friday as a special representative of Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that a special prayer was held at Pangri Zampa Monastery in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, on Monday at King Jigme’s command to pray for Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s speedy recovery.

The ceremony was attended by 70 Buddhist monks, members of the Bhutanese Royal Privy Council, senior officials from King Jigme’s Secretariat and Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as representatives of the Royal Thai Honorary Consulate-General in Thimpu.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023341

Global heating behind THB12.6tn flood damage, 2,000 Thai deaths: NESDC

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

Flooding driven by climate change has killed more than 2,000 people and cost 12.59 trillion baht over the past 30 years in Thailand, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

The finding confirms that Thailand is suffering serious social impacts from climate change, said the NESDC third-quarter report.

The country has suffered over 40,000 floods during the past 30 years, causing significant loss of life and severe economic damage, the report said. The devastation was worst during the national flood crisis of 2011, but last year’s inundation had cost 53 billion baht in damages, it added.

The NESDC noted that scientific studies over the past 20 years showed that worsening floods were the result of climate change caused by global heating from greenhouse gas and carbon emissions. It cited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 2021 findings that the Earth’s temperature has risen 1.09C since pre-industrial times. As a result, climatic changes and sea level rises are now virtually irreversible, the IPPC said.

The NESDC said global heating had triggered a higher frequency of natural disasters around the world, including forest fires in Australia and massive floods in Pakistan, China, and South Korea.

People born in 2020 will encounter three times as many natural disasters as those born in 1960, the NESDC report said.

Between 200 and 2019, the world suffered 7,348 major natural disasters, killing 1.23 million people, affecting 4.2 billion people, and causing economic damage worth US$2.97 trillion, said the report, citing data from last year’s UN Conference on Trade and Development.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023338

Volunteer rescue teams join Navy in search for missing HTMS Sukhothai crew members

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

A volunteer rescue team from Chumphon and Surat Thani provinces on Thursday joined the search for the missing crew members of the HTMS Sukhothai that capsized in the Gulf of Thailand.

The warship, a Rattanakosin-class corvette, went down on Sunday around 20 nautical miles off Prachuap Khiri Khan province after it was knocked over by four-metre waves and strong winds.

Of the 105 military personnel on board, the bodies of six have been pulled out of the water, while 23 personnel are still missing.

Chumphon Governor Wisa Poonsirirat on Thursday assembled a team of 35 volunteer divers and rescue staffers from several foundations in the province and in Surat Thani. They have joined the search and rescue mission that the Royal Thai Navy has launched since the ship went down.

Wisa said volunteer divers, led by Watcharin Sawaengkarn, a prominent diving instructor in Chumphon, will scour the coast and nearby islands to find the missing crew members, but will avoid going too far from the shore as the waves in the gulf are still strong.

The governor expected more volunteers to join the civilian team in the coming days.

On Thursday, the Navy resumed its search and rescue mission, deploying six ships, two amphibious aircraft, two rescue helicopters, and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The Royal Thai Air Force has also joined the search efforts, deploying a plane and a helicopter.

The Navy also plans to use a Seafox underwater drone to record seabed footage of the HTMS Sukhothai in the Gulf of Thailand to determine the cause of its sinking.

Related Stories

Navy sends Seafox drone to capture video of HTMS Sukhothai on seabed

Search for 23 HTMS Sukhothai sailors resumes after 6 bodies found

Navy ship sinks, rescue mission underway

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023336

Agriculture Ministry to establish ‘pineapple metropolis’ next year: Alongkorn

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

The Agriculture Ministry will establish a “pineapple metropolis” in Prachuap Khiri Khan next year to support growers of the spiky yellow fruit.

Alongkorn Ponlaboot, adviser to Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Srion, unveiled the plan at the 38th conference of the Sam Roi Yod pineapple farmers cooperative in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Sam Roi Yod district on Tuesday.

Alongkorn said the metropolis will also branch out to the pineapple-growing areas of Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi to bring farmers under the canopy of better government support.

Alongkorn said over 1.77 billion tonnes of pineapples have been harvested on 457,255 rai in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Phitsanulok and Rayong this year.

The wholesale price of pineapples has also been satisfactory for farmers since 2020, he added.

Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of fresh and canned pineapples with annual revenue of about 20 billion baht, constituting 32% of the global market, Alongkorn said.

As Prachuap Khiri Khan hosts the largest number of pineapple-canning factories in the country, it is already the de facto “pineapple metropolis”, said the agriculture minister.

The metropolis’s launch next year will also see the national pineapple policy committee, chaired by Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, adjust its five-year development plan (2023-2027). Agriculture Minister Chalermchai is deputy chair of the panel.

Alongkorn said the ministry will also draft a law next year to boost development of pineapples, durians and longans as cash crops.

The law will establish a fruit development fund to serve as the main mechanism for raising income of fruit growers.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023332

Navy sends Seafox drone to capture video of HTMS Sukhothai on seabed

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) will today use a Seafox underwater drone to record seabed footage of the HTMS Sukhothai in the Gulf of Thailand to determine the cause of sinking.

The warship went down on Sunday about 20 nautical miles off Prachuap Khiri Khan province after it was knocked over by four-metre waves and strong winds. The vessel suffered an engine malfunction as it took on water.

The US-made corvette, in use since 1987, was carrying 105 military personnel. So far, the bodies of six Navy sailors have been fished from the water and taken for autopsy, while the search for 23 missing crew from the Sukhothai continues.

On Thursday morning, the RTN said the drone will be launched later today if weather and sea conditions are optimal. It expected the unmanned machine to cover an area of 3-4 square nautical miles on the seabed, provided the water is not too muddy.

The RTN expects footage collected by the underwater drone to provide swift answers on why the warship sank.

The search and rescue mission resumed on Thursday, with the Navy dispatching six ships, two Dornier amphibious aircrafts, two rescue helicopters, and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to scour the area around the spot where the Sukhothai went down. The Royal Thai Air Force also joined the search efforts, deploying a plane and a helicopter.

Related Stories

Search for 23 HTMS Sukhothai sailors resumes after 6 bodies found

Bodies of 4 HTMS Sukhothai crew found, hunt on for remaining 25

Navy ship sinks, rescue mission underway

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023316

National museums and parks offer free access for New Year holidays

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2022

The Fine Arts Department is giving the public a New Year’s gift – free access to national museums and historical parks throughout the kingdom from December 30 to January 2, the department announced.

This includes the exhibit of ancient gold ornaments from the Ayutthaya period at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum in Ayutthaya, which opens on December 30, the department said.

In Bangkok, the exhibit of the auspicious Buddha image of the Front Palace (Phra Buddha Sihing) will open at the National Museum on December 28, from 9am to 4pm daily. Nine other Buddha images will also be displayed in the exhibit, the department said.

The department’s Office of Performing Arts will hold a free open-air Khon display from the Ramayana story in the compound of the National Museum Bangkok from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on December 25. Entrance is also free.

From December 30 to January 2, the National Museum Bangkok will hold Night @Museum activities from 4pm to 8pm.

These will include cooking demonstrations and the sale of discounted books on art and cultural themes.

The night activities aim to showcase the beauty of the ancient architecture of the Front Palace at night, the department said.

On December 22, the National Library of Thailand will hold a seminar on how to be happy in the New Year. An exhibition on New Year celebrations in Thailand will begin that day and run until April 22.