Police officers at Samranrat Police Station and volunteers at Ruamkatanya Foundation nabbed a 59-year-old man who allegedly tried to set fire to the Democracy Monument in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district on Sunday evening.
A Ruamkatanyu Foundation volunteer said the man parked his pickup truck on the traffic island near the monument, poured gasoline on the monument’s base and started a fire.
“Police officers managed to nab the man before he poured the gasoline on himself,” a volunteer said.
As the man reportedly suffered from depression, police decided to contact his relatives to take him to receive mental treatment.
According to a report, the incident was not linked to the country’s political situation.
The baht opened at 30.82 to the US dollar on Monday, strengthening slightly from 30.84 at close on Friday.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.70 and 31.20 this week and 30.75 and 30.90 on Monday, Krungthai Bank market strategist Poon Panichpibool said.
He said the baht tends to fluctuate in line with the dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar is moving in tandem with the US Ten-Year Treasury yield, which has grown from the US recovery.
The relation between the yield and the currency pressured emerging market currencies, such as the baht, to weaken, the market strategist explained.
He advised investors to monitor foreign funds in the short term, especially in stocks, as they could flow out.
Poon predicted that exporters would sell dollars when the baht moves between 30.90 and 31 per US dollar. Also, the baht would weaken to 31.25 in case it reached 31.
Twenty people have been arrested after pro-democracy protesters and police clashed at Sanam Luang on Saturday night, Pol Maj-General Yingyot Thepjamnong, spokesman of the Royal Thai Police Office, said on Sunday.
The clash left 32 people injured, 12 of them police officers.
Redem, or Restart Democracy group, gathered on Saturday at 6pm at Sanam Luang to urge the authorities to release leaders of the Ratsadon protest group who had been arrested earlier and charged with sedition, illegal gathering, and lese majeste.
At around 7pm protesters pulled down the top container of the wall erected by police in front of the King’s Palace, while police responded by spraying high-pressure water at the protesters.
At 7.35pm crowd control officers came out from behind the containers and took control of the situation, seizing the area and arresting some of the protesters.
At 8.50pm, protesters dispersed from Sanam Luang and retreated to Khok Wua intersection near Democracy Monument, where plant pots were set on fire, while several police vehicles were reportedly damaged.
“Police have arrested 20 protesters and charged them with illegal gathering in violation of the Communicable Disease Control Act, gathering of more than 10 people to stage an uprising in city areas, using a weapon against police officers and resisting arrest,” said Yingyot. “Police are also investigating possible violation of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or lese majeste law, during Saturday’s protest.”
Yingyot urged people who had information about unknown individuals who were seen throwing giant firecrackers into the protest area several times on Saturday night to contact the police so that officials could track them down.
“The tactics that police used on Saturday night were in compliance with international practices for crowd control, and officials issued warnings every time before implementing any measure,” added Yingyot.
A three-year-old male barking deer was rescued from a hunter’s snare near Huay Sala Wildlife Sanctuary in Si Sa Ket province, Sathit Phanumas, chief of the sanctuary in Phusing district, said on Sunday.
“The left front leg of the barking deer, which is a protected animal, was found caught in a snare laid by local hunters at the coordinate 0418412E and 1600757N, which is roughly 700 metres outside the sanctuary border,” he said.
“It took the officials around 20 minutes to remove the snare and release the barking deer back into the forest unharmed.”
Sathit added that locals residing in the areas adjacent to the sanctuary border usually laid such snares to catch small animals for food or sale.
“Normally the barking deer will avoid going outside the sanctuary, but this year’s dry season has forced them to look in a wider area for food and water,” he said.
“Even outside the sanctuary, the hunting of barking deer is illegal. Officials will search for the persons who laid the snare and file charges.”
Sathit added that the sanctuary would send officials to nearby communities to make them aware about protected animals and forest conservation to prevent such incidents from happening.
Twenty-eight people were found to be infected with Covid-19 at a factory in the Rama II area of Bang Khun Thian district in Bangkok after officials traced the close contacts of two Covid-19 patients.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s public health office reported on Sunday that the first two patients had tested positive on March 19.
“So we began the tracing immediately,” said Chawin Sirinak, BMA deputy permanent secretary.
“So far, 28 people have tested positive from a total of 215 people who had close contact with the patients.”
Of the total 215 at risk, 37 people were classified as having high risk while 178 had low risk of infection.
“We have ordered all the people at risk to remain in self-quarantine and monitor their symptoms closely, while a cleaning team has been dispatched to the factory to clean up and disinfect the area,” added Chawin.
The BMA will also dispatch more mobile testing units to widen the tests to cover the communities around the factory.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Monday that a strong high-pressure system from China covers upper Thailand and the South China Sea, resulting in hot to very hot weather.
Summer storms, thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail are possible in some areas of the North, the Northeast, the Central including Bangkok and its vicinity, the East, and the upper South regions.
People should beware of severe conditions by keeping off open areas, big trees and unsecured billboards, the department said. Farmers were warned of damage to crop.
From March 22-25, the easterly winds prevailing over the South and the Gulf will strengthen, bringing more rains to the South with waves 1-2 metres high and about two metres high during thundershowers.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Hot to very hot day with thunderstorms in 30 per cent of the areas; gusty winds and hail are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 20-27 degrees Celsius, highs of 31-36°C.
Northeast: Hot day with thundershowers and gusty winds in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-26°C, highs of 36-39°C.
Central: Hot day with thunderstorms in 30 per cent of the areas; gusty winds and hail are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-24°C, highs of 33-45°C.
East: Thunderstorms in 40 per cent of the areas; gusty winds and hail are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 30-33°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-25°C, highs of 29-36°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-27°C, highs of 33-36°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers and gusty winds in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-27°C, highs of 32-34°C.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has scheduled 16 extra train services from Bangkok to the North and Northeast from April 9 to 15 to cover people travelling during the Songkran break.
This move is in line with the government’s decision to ease Covid-19 measures and extend the Songkran break from three to six days (April 10 to 15), SRT governor Nirut Maneepan said.
“We expect the extra train services to accommodate up to 100,000 passengers daily,” he said.
He added that SRT will cooperate with related agencies to ensure passengers’ safety.
“SRT officials will be tested for alcohol and drugs before they start work, while no sale of alcohol on trains will be allowed,” he said.
Nirut added that the SRT had implemented measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, such as setting up screening and hand-sanitising checkpoints. Passengers, meanwhile, will be required to wear masks and check-in via the ThaiChana app.
Call the SRT hotline at 1690 or visit the @pr.railway Facebook page for more information.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University (BSRU) held an event under the “One Tambon One University” project at the Song Khlong Wat Taling Chan Floating market on Sunday.
“The project’s mission is to create jobs for new graduates and improve their skills to reduce poverty and boost employment. This event is targeting people in Bangkok’s Taling Chan and Thonburi districts,” Bangkok’s deputy governor Kriangyot Sudlapa said.
The one-day event also featured performances as well as food and products from different parts of Bangkok.
“Since many people have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the government has been focusing on stimulating the local economy and helping communities become more self-sufficient,” he said.
Asked about what increased during the Covid-19 outbreak (multiple choice):
38.65 per cent said healthcare and medicine expenses;
22.59 per cent said food and beverage expenses;
22.49 per cent said credit card debt.
Asked about what decreased during the Covid-19 outbreak (multiple choice):
47.10 per cent said their savings;
36.40 per cent said clothes and beauty expenses;
26.39 per cent said daily travel expenses.
Regarding funding sources (multiple choice):
55.23 per cent said their savings;
42.57 per cent said borrowing cash from family members;
32.98 per cent said getting bank loans;
27.70 per cent said borrowing cash from friends;
26.56 per cent said using cash cards.
Regarding unemployment in Thailand (multiple choice):
65.94 per cent said they were worried;
61.51 per cent said it was due to prolonged economic slowdown;
60.30 per cent said it had led to more crimes/robberies;
59.25 per cent said it was due to the Covid-19 outbreak;
53.00 per cent said it had caused family problems.
Asked about what the government should do to tackle unemployment (multiple choice):
56.66 per cent said organise job training;
49.52 per cent said provide subsidies;
48.39 per cent said develop labour skills;
47.08 per cent said create jobs for locals;
46.30 per cent said offer part-time jobs.
Asst Prof Dr Prasat Niyom, a lecturer at Suan Dusit University’s Faculty of Management Science, said Thailand’s economic data were on the slide due to the decline in people’s income.
He pointed out that 14 million state welfare card holders had income less than Bt2,500 per month, while 86.6 per cent of Thai nationals had deposits of less than Bt50,000.
“Currently, unemployment in Thailand is likely to increase even more than the previous year, so the government and the private sector must create jobs and develop labour skills to deal with the problems” he said.
