Bombing rocks Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2022
Two bombs exploded near the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge just over the border from Mae Sot district, Tak on Saturday night.
The first bomb detonated at the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border checkpoint at 7.20pm, causing damage to one car.
The second bomb exploded soon after at Bayinnaung Market, about 1 kilometre from the Myawaddy-Mae Sot checkpoint.
Security officials in Mae Sot said improvised explosive devices were used in the attacks. There were no reports of casualties.
Thai officials said the bombs were likely planted by a group opposing Myanmar’s military regime. The country has descended into civil war since the military staged a coup in February last year.
This is the second bombing on the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border so far this year. The first incident happened on April 23 when a car bomb planted at the foot of the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge near the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border checkpoint exploded, damaging a four-storey building and shops nearby.
Google Maps adds EV charging stations as searches surge in Thailand
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
The updated Google Maps app has a new feature that directs motorists to the nearest electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Thailand.
To use it, EV drivers simply need to hit the “More” button under the search bar, then look for “Electric vehicle charging” under the “Services” category.
Google Maps has added the feature in response to rising EV ownership in Thailand over the past few years coupled with an expanding network of charging stations.
The new feature enables EV drivers to better plan long trips where charging is required during the journey.
Google Maps reported in April that searches for EV charging stations in Thailand had surged by 357 per cent over the past year.
New Omicron XBB named variant of concern in Thailand
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
The new Covid-19 Omicron subvariant XBB has become a cause of concern for health authorities after three people from Thailand tested positive in Hong Kong last week.
Random tests are being conducted at Thai airports on passengers with respiratory symptoms from Hong Kong and Singapore to see if they may be carrying XBB.
The subvariant, also known as BA.2.10, is reportedly a combination of Omicron’s BA.2.75 and BJ.1 variants and was first detected in Singapore and the United States in August. So far, 260 XBB cases have been reported globally.
Dr Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, said recently that XBB spreads quickly and evades immunity more than other subvariants.
However, he said, no cases of this new subvariant have been reported in Thailand, where the dominant Omicron subvariant is BA.5.
He suggested that people should get Covid-19 vaccines and continue wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands regularly to protect themselves.
Prof Dr Thira Woratanarat, from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, said in a Facebook post last week that the XBB subvariant is worrisome because of its tolerance to immunity.
“XBB, which derives from the BA.2 subvariant, was found to be more tolerant to immunity than other subvariants,” he said, citing results of a Peking University study.
“New cases of XBB have been on the rise and it has become a subvariant of interest globally,” Thira said.
The doctor added on Saturday that Singapore authorities believe an XBB outbreak will likely be worse than previous Covid-19 waves.
He also advised people to stay away from crowded places and wear masks if they need to be there.
Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, Disease Control Department’s deputy director-general, advised people travelling overseas to follow recommendations for travellers to those countries. He also suggested that people take preventive measures and get Covid-19 jabs to cut down on severe symptoms.
Egg discovery scotches fear that turtles have abandoned Ao Siam National Park
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Staff at Ao Siam National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan have found the first sea turtle nest this year – much later than expected.
A joint patrol by staff from the park and the Siam Marine Rehabilitation Foundation found traces of the nest while searching a beach at the tip of Koh Thalu on Wednesday. The turtle nesting season in the Gulf of Thailand usually lasts from May to July, prompting concern that the sea creatures may have abandoned the park this year.
Those fears evaporated at 8.30am on Wednesday when the patrol discovered a 66-centimetre imprint in the sand left by a mother turtle. The nearby nest was measured at 38cm wide and 32cm deep.
Staff uncovered the nest and found 137 eggs, only one of which was broken. They moved the eggs to the foundation nursery to prevent them from being washed away by waves.
Foundation staff will monitor the eggs around the clock until they are ready to hatch.
Upstream runoffs, dams discharge keep Ayutthaya and its historical ruins swamped
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Ayutthaya’s Bang Ban district has been submerged for nearly a week now that upstream Chao Phraya and Pasak Jolasid increased their discharge rates to prepare for heavy rain.
Most of Thailand has been hit by heavy downpours brought by tropical storms since August.
The historical city of Ayutthaya and its ancient ruins are most at risk because both Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers run through it and often overflow.
Though Pasak Jolasid Dam has reduced its discharge rate, many areas of Ayutthaya are still inundated. All 16 subdistricts of Bang Ban are flooded with more than 8,000 households in 110 villages badly affected.
Overall, 14 of Ayutthaya’s 16 districts have reported flooding, with more than 66,000 households in 963 villages badly affected. The flooding has reportedly damaged more than 13,000 rai of farmland.
Ayutthaya villagers plead for floods to be redirected after weeks underwater
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Villagers in Ayutthaya are pleading with authorities to redirect floodwaters to other areas after spending weeks underwater.
Mackerel vendor Laddawan told Reuters on Thursday that her house in Bang Ban district has been flooded for over a month, and she and her family have been suffering annual inundations for years.
Bang Ban is located in the Chao Phraya river basin and is prone to flooding every year following seasonal monsoon rains. Runoff flowing downriver from the north of the country is diverted into the area to protect the historic ruins of Ayutthaya, a Unesco world heritage site and world-famous tourism destination.
“I want to plead for sympathy and for those in dry areas to share some of our burden too,” said Laddawan. “Those of us living in the basin area cannot take it anymore. Please release water to other areas too. We can cope with a minor flood, where we can still travel around on the roads.”
Village headman Natthawut Mondopyai said Bang Ban locals are having to travel 3-4 kilometres by boat to reach the nearest highway.
According to the Interior Ministry, 27 provinces in the North, Northeast and Central Region have faced intermittent flooding since storm Noru swept through Thailand last month, swamping 224,687 households and killing four people.
While this year’s seasonal flooding is less severe than the 2011 natural disaster that left large parts of Thailand underwater, the government has prepared 23 billion baht for assistance and rehabilitation.
Thai military mulls scrapping conscription after sharp rise in voluntary recruits
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
The Royal Thai Army hopes that the higher number of soldiers joining up voluntarily this year means it can end conscription in 2023.
The Army is aiming to boost voluntary recruitment by using the incentive of promotions. The move is part of a reform plan announced earlier by Army chief Narongphan Jitkaewtae.
The plan calls for reductions in unit sizes, expenses and officer numbers over the next three years. Meanwhile, reserve troops will be utilised more efficiently to maintain Thailand’s military readiness in line with the current global situation, Narongphan said.
The incentives for voluntary recruits would be introduced slowly to avoid affecting the military’s efficiency in war readiness, protecting sovereignty, and other missions.
Under the new plan, those who apply voluntarily to become Army privates can choose their unit. They can also take exams to become non-commissioned officers or study at the Army Non-Commissioned Officer School after they have completed their service.
Army assistant spokeswoman Lt-Colonel Patcharin Chan-arsa said the Army recruited 58,330 regular troops this year, with 6,101 applying online through the website.
She said 21,046 Thais applied voluntarily on the conscription dates, leaving only 30,646 troops to be conscripted. The number of conscripts dropped by 18,749 from last year, she added.
This is the third year of the Army’s online voluntary recruitment programme, which runs from August 29, 2022, to January 29, 2023.
This year, the number of personnel recruited by the Thai military fell by 10 per cent or 12,000 soldiers.
The military usually recruits 80,000 to 100,000 soldiers per year, depending on the annual birth rate. Of these, 70,000 go to the Army, 13,000 to the Air Force, 6,000 to the Navy, 1,900 to Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters and the rest to the Defence Ministry.
The proportion of voluntary recruits rose steadily from 22 per cent in 2010, before doubling between 2021 and this this year to 75 per cent. Ninety per cent of the voluntary recruits this year are between 18 and 20 years old.
Voluntary applications in the 2nd and 4th Army Areas (Northeast and South) have risen by 118 and 134 per cent, respectively.
The Army blamed criticism from politicians for suppressing military recruitment in previous years but said Narongsak’s reform policy could lead to completely voluntary recruitment in the future.
Thai airports checking S’pore, Hong Kong travellers for new XXB strain
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Thai airports have tightened screening of foreign arrivals from Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries where the new Covid-19 XBB subvariant has been reported.
The Disease Control Department (DDC) said the decision to increase the surveillance level came after Hong Kong’s health department said it detected 29 imported XBB cases on Wednesday.
Three of those cases had travelled from Thailand.
Another 13 arrived from Singapore, five from India, two each from the UK and Indonesia, and one each from the US, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Czech Republic.
The DDC has contacted Hong Kong health authorities to get information and travel histories for the three Covid cases that arrived from Thailand.
“Reports indicate Covid-19 is not more severe in patients infected with XBB subvariant,” said DDC acting director-general Dr Thares Krainairawiwong.
Dr Sopon Iamsirithaworn, DDC deputy director-general, said XBB is not spreading yet in Thailand, where most new cases were infected with the Omicron variant.
“Health officials at all airports have been instructed to increase surveillance for respiratory symptoms in foreign arrivals, especially those from Singapore, Hong Kong, and other countries with reports of XBB subvariant,” he said.
The Department of Medical Sciences will perform random tests on people seeking treatment for respiratory symptoms at public and private hospitals, especially in tourism provinces,” he added.
Sopon also advised those planning overseas trips to remain vigilant and follow the health advice while wearing face masks in public places, maintaining social distance, and washing their hands regularly. He said a booster shot was also defence against severe symptoms, adding that people could call the DDC hotline at 1422 for information on Covid-19.
Researchers at Peking University say the XBB variant originates from the highly infectious BA.2 subvariant.
THB10,000 fine for blocking Bangkok canals as city braces for floods
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Bangkokians caught dumping large items of garbage in canals or rivers will be fined up to 10,000 baht, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has warned.
The BMA issued the warning via Facebook in a bid to keep Bangkok’s main flood defences – its network of canals – free of garbage that prevents drainage. Satellite provinces of the capital were inundated this week as river levels rose, threatening a return of floods that paralysed parts of Bangkok last month.
City Hall said all oversized garbage must be dumped at designated areas only.
The normal fine for people dumping garbage outside these areas is 2,000 baht. However, those caught tipping oversize trash into waterways will be hit with a 10,000-baht penalty as punishment for obstructing drainage, one of the main causes of flooding. Members of the public who give information used to catch a dumper will be rewarded with part of the fine money, the BMA said.
It added that city residents can drop their oversized garbage at selected BMA refuse points free of charge every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to noon. Locations of the oversize refuse points can be found at http://www.prbangkok.com or by scanning the QR code.
Alternatively, residents can call their district office to pick up oversized garbage at their homes for a fee starting from 150 baht.
The BMA also advised people to wear gloves, face masks and follow Covid-19 preventive measures when dumping large items of garbage.
Heavy rain, flash floods for Northeast and South on Saturday: Met Dept
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Tropical storm Sonca will bring heavy rain, strong winds and possible flash floods to 12 provinces in the Northeast on Saturday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.
Meanwhile, residents of the South were warned of isolated monsoon showers that could also cause flash floods and overflows, especially near waterways, foothills and in low-lying areas.
Saturday’s forecast said Sonca made landfall over Quang Ngai, Vietnam at 4am on Saturday. With winds of 65 kilometre per hour, the storm is moving west at a speed about 20km/hr and is expected to weaken into a tropical depression and then an active low-pressure cell. Sonca will bring more rainfall to the Northeast, East, and Central Region including Bangkok.
The warning of isolated heavy rain, strong wind and possible flooding covers the Northeast provinces of Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Kalasin, Mukdahan, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Buri Ram, Surin, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani.
People in these areas should beware of severe condition that may cause flash floods and overflows, especially in foothills near waterways and lowlands, the department warned.
Meanwhile, the lower Gulf of Thailand will see waves of 1-2 metres, rising to over 2 metres in thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution.
