Bus accident kills four on mountain
Si Sa Ket: Four people were killed and 34 others injured when their bus veered off a mountain road and overturned in Phu Sing district yesterday, police said.
The bus was taking participants of a Suranaree Trail Running competition back to the starting point when it lost its balance on a trip down Phanom Dongrak mountain.
The accident occurred near Phaya Kruepree cliff. The number of passengers on board had yet to be confirmed.
The trail run started at Wat Krai Pattana and ended at Talad Mai on the mountain with buses provided to take participants back to the start point. Police are investigating.
Exat extends toll discount to 2024
transport: The Expressway Authority of Thailand has extended toll fee reductions for Chalong Rat expressway for all types of vehicles until the end of this year.
Motorists entering Phra Ram 9-1 tollgate currently receive a 10-baht discount per trip until Dec 31 in line with the Transport Ministry’s policy to help reduce the cost of living. They can pay with cash or via an easy pass system.
Four-wheel vehicles pay 30 baht instead of 40 for their toll fee while six-to-10-wheel vehicles pay 50 instead of 60 baht. Larger vehicles pay 70 baht instead of 80 baht.
Stargazers in for evening treat
Astronomy: The Greatest Brilliancy — a phenomenon when Venus is at its brightest — will be visible this evening, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand.
Skywatchers can observe the dazzlingly bright planet from 7pm–9pm with the naked eye. When seen through telescopes, it will look like a crescent moon.
Narit says Venus will shine at magnitude -4.6. On the stellar magnitude scale, the higher the number, the fainter the object. The full moon shines at magnitude -12.
Those who miss today’s event will have a second chance on Sept 18 when Venus reaches its greatest illuminated extent in the early hours from 3.25am until sunrise.
Worker held for ‘B32m swindle’
Crime: A woman posing as a bank worker was arrested in Pathum Thani yesterday for swindling people out of 32 million baht, according to the CSD.
Natwarin, 33, was nabbed at Rangsit train station in Thanyaburi under an arrest warrant issued by Samut Sakhon provincial court. She was wanted for running fraudulent investment schemes with more than 100 victims, police say.
According to the CSD, the suspect used social media such as Facebook and the Line chat application to lure victims to invest in micro finance schemes from October 2019–April 2020.
The investments, which ranged from 2,000–5,000 baht per person, amounted to 32 million baht. When her clients could not contact her in April 2020, they filed complaints with police in several provinces.
Gold card care for city-dwellers
Health: More than 700,000 members of the universal healthcare coverage scheme, known as the gold card, who are working in Bangkok but registered in their home provinces are now allowed to receive medication at community clinics and healthcare centres under the NHSO.
It came after Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt and NHSO secretary-general Dr Jadet Thammathat-aree recently signed an MoU on the cooperation.
Mr Chadchart said these non-Bangkok members need not move their names to a house registration book in Bangkok. Instead, he urged them to register at the NHSO’s clinics and healthcare centres close to their houses in the capital under the 30-baht healthcare scheme.