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Kingdom unveils ‘Beyond Horizon’

King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have introduced a prototype of a luxury 25-seater rail carriage nicknamed “Beyond Horizon”, equipped with personal touch screens and facilities for those who travel with wheelchairs.

Somyot Kaitwanidvilai, dean of KMITL’s School of Engineering and the project manager of Beyond Horizon, said the project is part of the Transport Ministry’s innovative Thai First Policy.

It seeks to incorporate more homegrown hardware into the mass-transit network, using 40% of Thai-made materials throughout the production line. The aim is to prepare locally-made rail coaches for a spurt of upcoming nationwide network development.

In 20 years, Thailand will need at least 2,425 rail carriages to cater for railway network development. Each carriage could cost 50 million baht, or up to 100 billion baht in total.

During 2015–2018, rail carriages accounted for 80% of SRT’s import costs. This presents an opportunity for Thailand to become a manufacturer in its own right, using technology localisation to improve the country’s railway system, Mr Somyot said.

He said the Beyond Horizon project has received 32 million baht in funding, 25 million baht of which came from the Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness, while the rest came from the Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture.

“The design of the passenger coach was inspired by airlines’ business class and high-speed railways’ first class,” he said.

Each carriage consists of 25 seats, eight of them in the super luxury class and the rest luxury class.

All seats are provided with private screens for on-board entertainment and food orders, Mr Somyot said.

The passenger train’s lavatory is built in a vacuum system like the ones on commercial planes, while the train doors’ universal design is easy for people with disabilities.

Mr Somyot added the ticket price of Beyond Horizon will be similar to the price of the SRT’s sleeper train’s tickets.

Maethus Lertsethtakarn, executive of the Joint Venture Sinogen-Pin Petch company, said Thailand’s neighbours — Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia — are able to manufacture their own carriages for domestic use.

However, Thailand still orders production materials from abroad, costing the country over 6 billion baht, he said.

“The research team has developed every element of the train which gives us thorough insight into maintenance and upgrades,” he said.

“The budget for imports will be cut and our technical know-how will be available for entrepreneurs.”

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the project, saying it will help reduce costs by about 50% when compared to importing carriages.

The total number of people injured in road accidents on the first day of the long holiday reached almost 2,000 with 22 fatalities, according to the Royal Thai Police (RTP).

Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, deputy national police chief and commander of the RTP’s Traffic Police Operation Centre, said on Saturday his officers have been told remain on the lookout for traffic offences due to the high volume of journeys from towns and cities to the provinces during the July 28 to Aug 2 long holiday weekend.

With 1,871 injuries and 22 fatalities on Friday alone, Pol Gen Roy said the main cause of accidents had been speeding, followed by drowsiness, changing lanes and dangerous overtaking.

He advised drivers to check their vehicles and study the route before leaving home to avoid road accidents.

Police also reported that 157 drivers had been arrested for drunk driving on Friday.

Pol Lt Gen Nithithorn Chintakanon, commander of the RTP’s national police chief office, said the legal alcohol limit is 50 milligrammes per decilitre (mg/dL).

Anyone found to be over the limit when breathalysed will face a charge of drunk driving.

Also, drivers below the age of 20 who do not hold a valid driver’s licence when caught over the breath/alcohol limit of 20 mg/dL will be sentenced.

Pol Lt Gen Nithithorn said first-time offenders will face up to a year of jail time or 5,000-10,000 baht in fines.

Those who repeat the offence within two years of their first conviction will likely have to pay 50-100,000 baht in fines and contest the sentence in a new court appearance.

Meanwhile, the state-run Transport Co said that over 58,000 passengers had left Bangkok to take city-dwellers back to their hometowns on Friday aboard over l,000 cross-provincial buses.

Transport Co president Sanyalux Panwattanalikit said 3,964 journeys back to the capital have been laid on for Wednesday to cater for 50,735 passengers on 7,975 rides making 109,624 trips in total for both legs.

No passengers will be left stranded at bus or coach stops on their way back to the city, he said.

He said people would begin to travel back to the city on Aug 2-3 and the Transport Co has prepared its vans and buses to provide about 3,500 rides per day for an average of 35,000 passengers a day.

He said the Transport Co had sought help from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority and Taxi Association to offer connections at the capital’s five main bus terminals due to the high number of people travelling.

Questions remain over whether fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra will keep his promise to return to Thailand on Aug 10 after massage parlour tycoon-turned-whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit claimed the homecoming plan was cancelled.

On Friday, Mr Chuvit posted on Facebook, claiming that: “The game has changed. Thaksin stepped back and cancelled the plan to return to Thailand. The situation has changed. Signs of danger are beyond expectations.”

His remarks prompted a reaction from Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter and one of the Pheu Thai Party’s three prime minister candidates.

“Nonsense,” she commented on Facebook page of news presenter Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, which posted Mr Chuvit’s remarks. She stood by the Aug 10 date.

Mr Chuvit later said he had received information that Thaksin had delayed his return because the political situation in the country remained volatile.

He also said he believed a new prime minister still cannot be elected by a joint sitting of MPs and senators in the vote scheduled for Friday.

He added that Thakin would return once a deal has been struck in Bangkok. He gave no further details. In response to Ms Paetongtarn, Mr Chuvit said: “I understand that Ms Paetongtarn wants her father to return to Thailand, though she might not know all the conditions [for his return].”

However, a source who recently met Thaksin abroad said Thaksin’s homecoming plan remains unchanged. “He will return to Thailand as planned and there are no other factors that will make him cancel the plan,” the source said.

Jatuporn Prompan, former chairman of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said he did not believe Thaksin would return that day, as he has previously announced such homecoming plans 20 times but has not come back yet.

He said Thaksin’s latest homecoming plan was announced after the Move Forward Party stepped aside and let Pheu Thai take charge of forming a government. It is making slow progress.

“Don’t believe him until he appears at Don Mueang airport on Aug 10. Thaksin actually wants to return to Thailand without having to spend a single day in jail, which cannot happen,” Mr Jatuporn said.

On Wednesday, Thaksin’s 74th birthday, Ms Paetongtarn announced her father was due to arrive at Don Mueang airport on Aug 10.

It is the first time that Thaksin — who has spent 17 years saying he will come home — has set a date for his return.

Earlier, he said he would return before his birthday, only for his daughter to say it would be pushed back slightly due to political uncertainties.

CHON BURI: Plankton bloom is turning the sea off Ta Waen Beach on Koh Lan green; however marine experts say the phenomenon will only last a day or two.

The Facebook page “We Love Pattaya” yesterday posted pictures of unusually green seawater at Ta Waen Beach on Koh Lan which, although not harmful, is not recommended for swimming.

Sorasak Thongbongpetch, secretary of the Koh Lan community, said the bright green colour is the result of fresh water caused by storm run-off causing plankton to bloom.

The phenomenon usually takes place at the beginning of the rainy season, and lasts only a few days before returning the sea to its normal colour, Mr Sorasak said.

“Only Ta Waen and Ta Yai Beaches are affected by the plankton bloom. Koh Lan’s other beaches are reported to be fine.

“Tourists should remain calm and continue their trip,” he added.

Thanet Mannoi, director of the Marine and Coastal Resources Office Region 2, said the plankton had received a large amount of food and reproduced much more quickly than usual.

Once the oxygen in the seawater is used up, plankton dies equally rapidly, making the seawater turn green.

Mr Thanet said the office had sent researchers to collect samples to assess whether the bloom is harmful to humans.

“The plankton bloom causes the seawater to stink, resulting from the mass death of plankton. Some people can be allergic to that so it is not recommended to swim in the green seawater at the moment,” he said.

When asked if the phenomenon is related to the El Nino climatic changes, Mr Thanet said there is no indication that might be a cause.

Koh Lan is a popular destination in Chon Buri which can be reached via a ferry or speedboat from Pattaya.

A British mansion where King Prajadhipok once lived in the late 1930s following his abdication from the Thai throne has gone on the market for a sum of £5.5 million (or about 240 million baht).

Vane Court, a 27 ha property that dates back to 1419, is located near the village of Biddenden in Kent, 70 kilometres southeast of London, according to the listing posted by the upmarket real estate agent Savills.

“While for those looking for a house with history, Vane Court’s prior use as a royal residence has truly left a mark on the home,” says Will Peppitt, head of southeastern sales at Savills. “One can now sleep in what was once the King of Siam’s bedroom or spend sunny afternoons beside the King’s Pond.”

Savills says the 604-year-old mediaeval manor has been “thoughtfully restored” and features six bedrooms and four bathrooms. The timber-framed abode’s original entrance hall has been preserved on the ground floor, complete with an oak staircase and a south-facing drawing room with its own fireplace and wood burner.

The grounds contain formal gardens, a separate sunken rose garden, a tennis court and a large heated swimming pool. The aptly named King’s Pond has its own bridge.

“With transport links back into London conveniently nearby, we think that Vane Court will appeal to those looking for the perfect slice of country living in the garden of England,” said Mr Peppitt.

Tranquillity and peace were interrupted by the advent of World War II, and when Vane Court was requisitioned for war purposes, the royal couple moved to a rented house at Virginia Water in Surrey, where King Prajadhipok died of heart failure at age 47.

The Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) has pushed Chiang Rai and Suphan Buri to be listed as part of the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) this year, and the results are expected to be released in October.

Gp Capt Athikun Kongmee, Dasta’s director, said the Thai UCCN Experts Committee has nominated Chiang Rai for the City of Design category and Suphan Buri for the City of Music category in the 2023 UCCN Call for Applications.

Both cities were nominated based on their unique identities and the proficiency of their inhabitants in creativity in each category as well as their potential to become global creative cities as defined by Unesco, he said.

Dasta had also planned to nominate Nan for the City of Crafts and Folk Art categories this year but the idea was shelved by the Thai UCCN Experts Committee, he added.

Regarding preparations for Suphan Buri and Chiang Rai in the next five years, Gp Capt Athikun said Dasta is planning to promote Suphan Buri as a “City of Musical Creativity” because the city has a strong music tradition embedded in the lives of its people.

Suphan Buri has produced artists such as Yuenyong Opakul, also known as Aed Carabao, a popular band, and Kwanjit Sriprachan, who specialises in pleng puen bahn (folk music).

Dasta will also promote Chiang Rai as a City of Design and highlight its unique Lanna-inspired arts that display intelligence and culture, Gp Capt Athikun said.

UCCN is part of the Unesco network, aiming to promote cooperation among creative cities for sustainable urban development.

Of the nearly 300 cities in the network, five are in Thailand: Bangkok (City of Design), Phuket, Phetchaburi (Cities of Gastronomy), Chiang Mai and Sukhothai (Cities of Craft and Folk Art).

Unesco will announce the results of Thailand’s bid in October during the UCCN Annual Conferences in Istanbul, Gp Capt Athikun said.