The Meteorological Department issued its seventh and last weather update on Storm Tembin yesterday stating that a strong cold wind had degraded the severity of the storm into a low-pressure area covering the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday afternoon.

At its full strength, Tembin caused the deaths of more than 200 people in the Philippines last week.

Despite its diminished severity, the department still warned people along the east coast of the southern region, especially in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani and Samui Island, to be wary of heavy rain and rough sea conditions in the Gulf of Thailand.

The low-pressure area in the Gulf of Thailand also contributed to high waves of up to four metres, so owners of small boats were warned against going out to sea.

Meanwhile, temperatures have been getting colder since Tuesday across the rest of the country due to the effect of cold winds originating from China.

According to the Meteorological Department’s weather prediction, |temperatures in areas excluding the |South will drop by another 2 to 4 |degrees Celsius during the New Year |holidays, while high waves in the Gulf of Thailand and heavy rain in the South will persist.

As the new cold snap began, the people in Bangkok faced light rain and colder weather yesterday with temperatures around 20C to 22C, while in the mountainous northern region temperatures plunged to 12C.

Risk of accidents

Westerly winds from Myanmar are also expected to cause light rain across Thailand, especially in the North, until Saturday. Authorities cautioned that wet roads would increase the risk of accidents, so motorists should take extra caution when driving.

There have already been reports of accidents due to weather conditions in the North.

In Lampang, a pickup truck transporting a group of monks to a monastery in Utai Thani overturned, injuring all five passengers, after the driver lost control of the car on a slippery road.

Another accident was reported in Chiang Rai when a school minivan was involved in an accident on a slippery |road yesterday morning as the driver Yongyuth Thonggon was transporting 19 students from Chiang Saen district to school.

Yongyuth said his van slipped on the wet road as he was driving into a curve. One student suffered severe injuries, while the rest of the passengers escaped with minor injuries

In response to the accidents, Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Sosotthanakorn ordered authorities to strictly enforce traffic rules bearing in mind the hazardous conditions.

National Legislative Assembly (NLA) vice president Surachai Liengboonlertchai revealed that statistic yesterday as he was speaking in his capacity as chair of the NLA committee on emergency response days ahead of the “seven dangerous days” associated with traffic hazards during New Year celebrations.

Authorities have designated the seven days as dangerous for the festive season as millions of people hit the road resulting in a spike in road accidents and casualties.

“We are preparing staff to respond to medical emergencies during the upcoming period,” Surachai said.

He added that necessary equipment was also being prepared, including automated external defibrillators at 10 major airports, various BTS and MRT stations, and bus stations.

The standards mentioned by Surachai refer to an announcement issued by the National Institute of Emergency Medicine (NIEMS) on November 15, which was due to take effect 180 days later.

Under the new rule, medical emergency responders must have completed at least 40 hours of training – not just 24 hours. Additional training is also necessary for medical rescuers who wish to renew their three-year licences.

The new rule also specified new colours associated with medical emergency vehicles.

NIEMS secretary-general Dr Atchariya Pangma said earlier this year that the new rule would raise standards for medical emergency responders.

Units providing help in events of medical emergencies can continue with their operations, but new units established after the announcement of the new rule will have to comply with the new stipulations.

Atchariya added that although the new colour for medical emergency vehicles would be lemon yellow, vehicles already used in medical emergencies did not need to be repainted.

“But if they are interested, they can just plaster their vehicle with lemon-hued stickers,” he added. Atchariya dismissed concerns that the new rule might have hampered charitable foundations’ efforts to help people.

“The new rule will not restrict efforts to save lives in any way, because even ordinary people can provide first aid to those in need,” he said.

There are now more than 10,000 units responding to medical emergencies across the country, Atchariya said, including about 39,470 medical volunteers as well as state officials.

Special Branch Police Division 3 commander Pol Maj-General Ekarak Limsangkas said yesterday that he had ordered that all motorists involved in accidents be subjected to blood alcohol tests.

“They will face charges of drunk driving, if their blood alcohol level is above legal limits,” he said. “If they are drunk driving, insurance firms will not provide coverage for damage and casualties. They will have to take full responsibility.”

He added that blood alcohol content could be checked at hospitals if motorists are hospitalised.

Employment Department director-general Anurak Tossarat said yesterday that Adul expected the centres to work faster and provide greater convenience to service users.

Provincial employment offices under the department’s supervision are in charge of the centres.

There are nine nationality verification centres for Myanmar workers in Thailand. Two of them are located in Samut Sakhon province, and the others are in Samut Prakan, Tak, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Sawan, Ranong and Songkhla provinces. There are also two mobile units at Imperial World Samrong in Samut Prakan province.

For Cambodian workers, there are three verification centres in Thailand in Bangkok, Rayong and Songkhla provinces.

Laotians, meanwhile, can have their nationality verified at IT Square shopping complex in Bangkok’s Lak Si district.

“To speed up the process, we have improved the queuing system and set up signs to inform service users at every step,” Anurak said.

He said that nearly 2 million Myanmar, Cambodian and Laotian workers were waiting for nationality verification.

Last month, the former labour minister, General Sirichai Distakul, resigned along with senior ministry staff after a dispute that appeared to be associated with the slow rate of enrolling foreign workers.

Several stipulations in the labour law governing foreign workers have been suspended until the end of this year. During the grace period, workers and their employers have been urgently trying to ensure that their employment is legal.

After the end of the suspension, the law will involve harsher punishments for people employing illegal workers.

People who employ foreigners illegally will face fines of between Bt400,000 and Bt800,000 for each illegal worker. Foreigners found working without a work permit face fines of between Bt2,000 and Bt100,000, or imprisonment of up to five years.

Thailand’s southernmost provinces abutting Malaysia have been in the grip of a low-level but bloody insurgency since 2004 and nearly 7,000 people have died.

The majority of the victims are civilians — both Muslim and Buddhist — caught up in near-daily bomb attacks and shootings.

Some 235 people died in 2017 as a result of clashes between the Muslim-Malay insurgents and Thai troops and police, according to figures collected by conflict analysts Deep South Watch.

That compares to 309 in 2016, continuing a downward trend since 2014 and a sharp drop on the peak of 892 deaths in 2007.

“We have seen the incidents going down for the past three years. And this year’s death toll is the lowest ever if no significant incidents  happen in the coming days,” a Deep South Watch spokeswoman told AFP.

Thailand, which colonised the culturally distinct south roughly a century ago, has for decades been confronted by ethnic Malay fighters seeking more autonomy, but the conflict flared up into its bloodiest phase in 2004.

Rights groups have accused both the insurgents and security forces of widespread human rights abuses.

The junta which seized power in 2014 has continued peace talks but they appear to have made little headway.

Discussions to set up so-called “safety zones” have been held with an umbrella group that claims to represent the rebels, but no agreement has been made public.

Deep South Watch said the reduced death toll may be linked to continuing talks and government development schemes.

Don Pathan, a Thailand-based independent analyst, speculated the reduction was likely a combination of factors, including more government informants on the ground, a tighter security operation and more targeted strikes by insurgents.

“The bombs are bigger and more intense,” he said, adding that militants were essentially being told to “make it count” and be more careful to avoid collateral damage.//AFP

This festive season, many people are planning to hang out at one of the popular countdown parties around town. But Thapanat Thongprasit is preparing to visit a Bangkok temple, where chanting is his mission.

“I have been chanting at a temple on New Year’s Eve for the past five years, after getting so bored hanging out and drinking for years,” a 33-year-old IT salesman said.

Former journalist Pensri Chaleekul does the same thing.

“I was sick of hangovers, I wanted to change my life. So I persuaded my gang to chant at a temple,” said Pensri, also 33.

“At first you might need friends to come along. When you’ve practised more, you can do it at home.”

They both agreed that chanting creates a means of directly accessing higher states of consciousness, and that it is good to enter the year with a peaceful mind.

Chanting in the New Year has become a trend among urban people, thanks in part to promotion from the Culture Ministry.

Culture Minister Vira Rojpoj-chanarat said the campaign kicked off in 2005.

“Since then, more and more people have joined each year,” he said. “We aim to encourage the young generation to join these religious activities. Instead of going out for a party and drinking alcohol, let’s go to the temple and chant to welcome the New year with a peaceful spirit and mind.”

Vira said that the chants were for the monarchy and nation, and for devout Buddhists themselves.

He added that the campaign also aimed to reduce the number of accidents caused by drunk partygoers, as Thailand now tops the road-death list on the World Atlas website. The leading causes of accidents every year are drunk driving and speeding.

In 2017, nearly 20 million devotees chanted in the New Year at 23,577 temples and 879 non-Buddhist monasteries throughout the Kingdom and abroad, according to the Culture Ministry.

This year the ministry, along with more than 20 religious institutes, will host New Year chanting throughout the Kingdom. In Bangkok, the ministry will host the campaign called “Wai Phra 10 Wats” or “Make Merit at 10 Temples”.

The 10 royal temples are under the patronage of the Chakri Dynasty from King Rama I to King RamaX. They are Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Ratcha Orasaram, Wat Benchamabophit, Wat Bowonniwet, Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Suthat, Wat Benchamabophit, Wat Phra Ram 9 Kanchanaphisek and Wat Wachiratham Sathit.

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will provide free buses to take people from temple to temple on December 31 and January 1 from 8am to 4.30pm.

The Culture Ministry will host the official chanting at Wat Arun on the Chao Praya River. However, most temples in Bangkok and main temples in rural areas will also preserve the tradition.

During the New Year Festival, the National Museum in Bangkok will display 10 ancient Buddha statues to allow people to pay their respects. Other national museums throughout the Kingdom will also showcase rare Buddha statues with exhibitions running from Saturday to January 31, 2018.

Cooperation on religion

Since the campaign began, the ministry has extended its religious cooperation into the rest of Asia.

More than 100 Thai temples around the globe, along with a dozen other Buddhist temples in Asia, will join the religious activities. Among them are Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda, Indonesia’s Borobudur Temple, Malaysia’s Wat Match-imawat, Phra That Luang Temple in Lao, Japan’s Asakusa Temple, the Royal Thai Monastery in Nepal, Sri Lanka’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and China’s White Horse Temple.

Early this month, Vira and Phra Sophonvachirabhorn, the vice rector for Foreign Affairs at Mahachula-longkongrajavidyalaya University, went to Cambodia to call for cooperation on religion, especially in regards Buddhism.

They met Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, Minister of Culture and Religion Him Chhem, Supreme Patriarch of the Thammayut order Samdech Preah Sanghareach Bour

Kry and the venerable monk Sumedhadhipati Non Nget.

“Following Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, we persuaded Buddhist monks in Cambodia to join our religious campaign of chanting in the New Year,” Vira said.

“We will ask our monks to join with the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh for chanting. Reciting is a kind of dhamma practice. The more we chant, the more we practise dhamma,” venerable monk Sumedhadhipati Non Nget, abbot of Wat Botumvatey in Phnom Penh, told The Nation.

The measure was adopted a few years ago and had been proven to prevent accidents, he said.

File photo

The Army became involved in traffic control by the order of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha under Article 44.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to leave Bangkok to return to their home provinces during the holiday period.

Under the measures, the vehicles will be kept in the province where drivers were arrested. The drivers, who will also be fined, will be allowed to get their vehicles back after the New Year holiday.

File photo

Chalermchai said soldiers would set up checkpoints in main and secondary roads during the festival that will start this weekend. They would cooperate with local authorities to facilitate traffic and provide safety for people.

Chalermchai said any vehicles seized would be parked in areas covered by security cameras to make sure they are there when the drivers return to retrieve them.

“Lessening the number of accidents does not depend on how strict the measures are, but instead relies on cooperation from the public. Families should warn their loved ones to be careful when they drive,” the Army chief said.

Soldiers will also be assigned to provide safety at sites where people celebrate the New Year.

The deceased, Kamjorn Tanma, 35, a native of Chiang Mai province, was scheduled to wed his girlfriend on Thursday.

A bathing ceremony for Kamjorn was held at Bangnara Temple in Narathiwat’s Muang district, presided over by the Fourth Corps Commander Lt-General Kuekoon Innachak.

Kamjon and another paramilitary soldier, Wissanau Chamnanna, were riding with two regular Army soldiers in a pickup to buy supplies at a market in Sisakhon district when a group of heavily-armed militants opened fire on them from the roadside, injuring all four.

The three other injured soldiers are still receiving treatment in hospital.

The funeral was attended by senior Narathiwat officials while Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan and other senior officials sent wreaths to the event.

Kamjon’s family is entitled to receive compensation of Bt500,000 from the Compensation Centre in Narathiwat and a further Bt2,230,723 from paramilitary authorities. Total compensation for his family will be about Bt3 million.

After the bathing ceremony, his body was transported to his native province of Chiang Mai in a military aircraft and he will receive royal cremation on Saturday.

Meanwhile, paramilitary commander Colonel Charoon Jaturong said four suspects, including two women, had been summoned for interrogation on suspicion that they had been involved in Tuesday’s attack.

The constructions of four escalators, worth about Bt16 million, was almost complete and they would be finished in time to go into service on January 1, he said.

Bejapon was speaking after inspecting construction progress at the office, which operates immigration services for the Klong Luek international border checkpoint.

“The escalators are a New Year present for tourists and people coming in and out of Thailand. The project is partly promoting tourism,” he said.

About 10,000 people pass through the border checkpoint each day, he said.

The Meteorological Department issued a weather update on Wednesday stating that Tembin had degraded into a low-pressure area covering the Gulf of Thailand by Tuesday afternoon. However, the department still warned the people in the South to expect heavy rain.

In the seventh warning for Storm Tembin, people in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani and Samui Island were told to brace for heavy rain and flash floods during the course of this week.

The low-pressure area in the Gulf of Thailand also contributed to high waves of up to four metres, so owners of small boats were warned against going out to sea.

Meanwhile, due to the effect of cold winds from China and westerly winds from Myanmar, the rest of Thailand, especially the North, will have light rain causing a greater risk of road accidents, so motorists should take extra caution when driving.

The weather in Bangkok was rainy and cool on Wednesday with the temperature around 20 to 22 degrees Celsius.

Farmers, senior citizens, disabled people, families with newborns and small vendors are among those entitled to benefit as the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Government Housing Bank (GHB) and the state-owned pawn shop, among others, distribute interest refunds on farm loans, housing loans and other giveaways.

Holidaymakers will get a tax deduction on hotel, food and package tour expenses for trips to a total of 55 provinces designated as “secondary” for tourism.

The measure is aimed at promoting tourism in provinces that are not highly popular destinations.

The provinces affected in the first stage of the scheme are:

lIn the North: Chiang Rai, Kamphaeng Phet, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phayao, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Uttaradit and Phetchabun.

lIn the Northeast: Amnat Charoen, Bung Kan, Buri Ram, Chaiyaphum, Kalasin, Loei, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Nong Khai, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and Yasothon.

lIn the Central region: Ang Thong, Chai Nat, Lop Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Sawan, Samut Songkhram, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaew and Uthai Thani.

lIn the East: Chantha Buri and Trat.

lIn the West: Ratcha Buri.

lIn the South: Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Phatthalung, Ranong, Satun, Trang and Yala.

Finance Minister Apisak Tantiworawong said the Tourism and Sports Ministry could later propose the expansion of the tax incentives to some or all of the other 22 provinces not covered in the first batch.

He said the tax incentive, effective from January 1 to December 31, 2018, was expected to boost the provincial economy and redistribute tourism income into communities in these secondary destinations as both individuals and companies would get the tax deductions using receipts on related expenses.

Regarding farmers’ loans, the BAAC said it would refund 30 per cent of interest paid for people registered as low-income earners, while the GHB will give a Bt1,000 refund to every customer with a good repayment record.

Senior citizens aged 100 and over will each get a Bt1,000 gift, while families of babies born on New Year’s Day will also get Bt1,000, according to the announcement.

In addition, a total of 200 disabled people nationwide will each get a Bt10,000 gift voucher, although how they would be selected was unclear.