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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023620

Southern train route most popular for Bangkok residents heading home for New Year

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022

More than 2.2 million people used Thailand’s train services on Thursday and Friday, almost 70,000 or 3.26% higher than an earlier estimate, Department of Rail Transport director-general Pichet Kunadhamraks said on Saturday.

The South route had the largest share of passengers among trains departing from Bangkok Railway Station. Routes heading to the Northeast and North were second and third, respectively.

The capital’s annual New Year exodus began on Thursday as many city residents left for their home provinces.

Interprovincial train services provided by the State Railway of Thailand saw 175,474 passengers on Thursday and Friday, with 98,571 of them leaving Bangkok and 76,903 arriving in the capital, Pichet said.

Those traveling to or from the South were the most numerous: 53,764 (28,635 outbound and 25,129 inbound).

They were followed by people travelling to or from the Northeast, which saw 47,968 passengers (28,909 outbound and 19,059 inbound). The route connecting Bangkok and the North saw 39,266 passengers (22,293 outbound and 16,973 inbound).

The East route saw 21,530 passengers/trips (11,663 outbound and 9,867 inbound) while the Western route (Mahachai-Mae Klong) was the least popular, with 12,946 passengers in total on Thursday and Friday (7,071 outbound and 5,875 inbound).

Commuter trains covering Bangkok and its satellite provinces saw 2,026,162 cumulative passengers over the two days, Pichet said.

The Airport Rail Link, which connects Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport with the city’s centre, had 100,325 passengers, while SRT’s Red Line had 28,683.

The MRT Purple Line had 62,342 passengers, the Blue Line 562,575, and the Bangkok Mass Transit System’s Green and Gold lines transported 1,272,237 passengers on Thursday and Friday.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023619

Supreme Patriarch extends New Year greetings, wishes for global peace

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022

Thailand’s Supreme Patriarch offered blessings to the kingdom’s people and expressed his wish for global peace in his New Year greeting on Saturday.

“In the new year of 2023, I wish you who are firm with Dharma progress and happiness, both for yourself and for society as a whole,” the top Buddhist monk wrote.

As Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana is the head of the order of Buddhist monks in Thailand.

In his handwritten New Year greeting he wrote in Pali, “People who like Dharma are civilized.” The note also included a translation in Thai.

The senior monk, 95, also leads the Supreme Sangha Council, which is the governing body of the Thai Buddhist clergy.

In his greeting card, the Supreme Patriarch offered his blessings to Their Majesties the King and Queen, and other members of the Thai Royal family. Also, he wished for happiness and unity for the people of Thailand in the new year.

The monk also wrote that the practice of offering good wishes in the New Year is laudable as it reflects the civilisation of humanity.

“This goodwill can help maintain peace in the social circles of people, which in turn can be a factor to promote peace at the national and global levels,” he wrote.

“Human nature, different opinions, and individual egos can lead to clashes and chaos, or even physical assault. This is something nobody likes or looks for. Surprisingly, despite this knowledge, people opt not to do good deeds that bring positive results and progress to themselves and others,” he wrote.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023617

Driver crashes new BMW at temple while seeking abbot’s blessing

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022

A car owner accidentally rammed his white BMW into three vehicles parked inside a Bangkok temple in Bangkok while he was on his way to seek the abbot’s blessing for the newly purchased car.

The incident took place at Wat Sarod in Bangkok’s Rat Burana district on Saturday morning.
Police were alerted about the crash at 7.30am.

The 53-year-old driver in question, identified as “Chatchai”, told police that he had purchased the car on Friday and visited the temple to seek the abbot’s blessing.

The man said that he stopped to ask for directions to the abbot’s room. The BMW’s brakes malfunctioned after he resumed driving the vehicle, he said.

After the breaks failed, he steered the vehicle away from people, Chatchai said.

The vehicle hit a pickup truck and two sedans, before finally crashing into an altar near the entrance of a hall.

“Luckily, the car didn’t crash into the hall, or things could have been worse,” the driver said.

Police summoned Chatchai and the owners of the damaged vehicles for questioning.

No injuries were reported.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023616

Govt issues stark warning to drunk drivers as their number surges

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022

If you drive while you are drunk you risk 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht, deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek warned on Saturday, as the number of motorists arrested for drunk driving on Thursday and Friday surged 95.9% over the same two-day period last year.

Her warning was timed with the surge in arrests on the first two days of what are called the seven dangerous days for road travel.

The Department of Probation said on Saturday that 1,433 motorists were put under court-ordered probation for driving under the influence on Thursday and Friday.

Weerakit Harnpariphan, the department’s director-general, said the number of drunk driving cases on the first two days of the deadliest week for traffic accidents in Thailand rose by 858 – or 95.9% – from 575 on the same two days last year.

The two days are the beginning of what is referred to as the “7 dangerous days” for driving in Thailand. They run from December 29 to January 4. Every year, road accidents and fatalities peak during the seven days, and hospital emergency wards fill up with accident victims.

The number of drivers put under probation for drunk driving on Thursday and Friday represents 95% of all 1,507 drivers put under court-ordered probation on the two days. Two drivers were put on probation for careless driving and 72 were put on probation for driving under the influence of drugs.

Nonthaburi saw 120 drunk driving cases one the first two days of the deadly week, the highest nationwide, followed by 105 in Samut Prakan and 92 in Bangkok, Department of Probation records showed.

Rachada said that under the Land Traffic Act No 13 of 2022, motorists arrested for drunk driving for the first time risk imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of between 5,000 and 20,000 baht.

Those who commit the same crime within two years of the first will see their jail term increase to up to two years and the fine to between 50,000 and 100,000 baht. The court can also suspend their driving licenses for at least one year or revoke them entirely, she said.

Drunk drivers who cause injuries or death risk 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000. Their driving licenses will be revoked.

Suspected drunk drivers who refuse to take breath tests will be regarded as being drunk, Rachada said.

Adult motorists with more than 50 mg% of alcohol in their blood are classified as drunk drivers. Those below 20 years of age or using a temporary license are classified as drunk if their blood alcohol count exceeds 20 mg%.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023614

Navy scours Chumphon waters for last 5 HTMS Sukhothai crew

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) dispatched 28 Navy Seals and 53 divers on Saturday to hunt for the still missing five HTMS Sukhothai crew members.

The team will focus on seven islets and Makham Bay in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Chumphon province.

Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, commander of the First Naval Area Command, said it is believed the strong waves may have taken the bodies to these spots.

Meanwhile, five RTN ships, two helicopters and an aerial drone will continue circling around the wreckage site off Prachuap Khiri Khan and the Chumphon coast for signs of the missing crew.

The ill-fated warship sank some 20 nautical miles (32 kilometres) off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Bang Saphan district on December 18 amid stormy weather with 105 crew onboard.

Seventy-six sailors were rescued and taken safely to shore, while 24 bodies have been found so far. No new bodies have been uncovered since Thursday.

Troops under the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division and RTN Marine Corps have also been scouring the beaches of Chumphon for sightings of bodies.

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