Barkar Nash (Page 315)

The Transport Ministry urged SRT Electrified Train Co, which operates the Red Line, to expand its feeder network in an effort to boost the number of rail passengers in the capital.

Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote said SRT Electrified Train Co, in collaboration with the Department of Rail Transport, has drawn up plans for a feeder network that is connected to every electric train line across the city.

An efficient feeder network will help reduce travel time and commuting costs, he said.

One such feeder line is currently operating on a trial basis, linking Rangsit University with Lak Hok Station.

DRT director-general Pichet Kunadhamraks said the number of people using the feeder line has increased since the government introduced 20-baht fares on certain electric train lines, from 1,000 to about 1,500 daily.

Mr Surapong said three more feeder lines will be opened by the end of the year.

The first will link Future Park Rangsit with Rangsit Station, the second will run between Taling Chan Station, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand office and Salaya Station, while the third will connect Mahidol University and Salaya Station.

Both the ministry and the department acknowledged the impact the feeder lines might have on public transport service providers that run services along the route, so it will also be considered at the end of the trial period, he said.

Asked about the impact the 20-baht fare has on passenger numbers, Mr Surapong said they have increased. The number of passengers has grown from 24,945 to 27,941 per day on weekdays and 16,002 to 19,925 per day on weekends.

Income from fares, however, fell by 23.63% and 24.31% a day on weekdays and weekends, respectively.

Den Chai-Chiang Khong railway in the North to be running by 2028

The State Railway of Thailand is confident the 323.1-kilometre Den Chai-Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong double-track railway project will come into operation in 2028 as planned, with construction making good progress.

Approved by the cabinet on July 31, 2018, work started on Feb 15, 2022, and is about 3% done, slightly ahead of schedule, while the expropriation of land needed for the project is about 80% complete, according to SRT governor Nirut Maneephan.

There were 7,400 plots of land required to be expropriated at a cost of 10.6 billion baht, he said, adding that 80% have now been handed over to the contractor.

Some land was privately owned, and other plots held by various state agencies, including the Agricultural Land Reform Office, Royal Forest Department and Treasury Department, he said.

The compensation rate is 3.2% higher than the average land prices estimated and announced by the Treasury Department, he added.

“Work on the double-track rail route should be complete on Jan 14, 2028, and the new railway opened later that year,” he said.

On Nov 10, the SRT led a press tour to the site of a new 2.7km railway tunnel called Mae Ka Tunnel, which will stretch from a part of Lampang to neighbouring Phayao.

A bird’s-eye view of the site of the new 2.7km Mae Ka Tunnel, which will stretch from Lampang to neighbouring Phayao.

Work has been ongoing for eight months at this site, which will be one of the four railway tunnels to be built.

The workers are required to finish the work in 45 months.

The tunnels are designed to withstand the impact of an earthquake and are equipped with a modern flood prevention and drainage system, 11 cross passages for use in an evacuation in case of emergency and four passages leading to an equipment room.

The tunnels run through a number of mountains at an average height equivalent to that of a standard 20-storey building and have a combined length of 13.5km.

A second tunnel, which is to be built in Phrae’s Song district, is about 1.17km long, while the third tunnel in Ngao district of Lampang will be 6.24km, making it the longest in the country.

The fourth tunnel will be 3.4km long and built in Doi Luang district in Chiang Rai.

“This double-track railway project has been anticipated for a long time by those living along the route, so locals have responded well to requests for cooperation,” said Mr Nirut.

The railway route, which will be one of the country’s most scenic, will also benefit tourism, as well as serving as a link for the transport of cargo and passengers to and from China, he said.

A cluster of intermodal facilities is also planned for Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district to help cut logistics costs, he said, adding these facilities will be jointly operated by the SRT and the Customs Department.

Nirut: Making progress

Construction details

The work is split into three contracts, he said.

The first contract deals with the construction of a 103.7km section of the railway between Den Chai district in Phrae and Ngao district in Lampang, with the 26.56-billion-baht contract awarded to ITD-Nawarat Joint Venture.

The work is planned to take 71 months, from Feb 15, last year, until Jan 14, 2028.

In the second contract, a 132km section of the double-track railway will be built from Ngao district in Lampang to Muang district of Chiang Rai province by CKST-DC2 Joint Venture at a cost of 26.89 billion baht.

An 87km section will be built from Chiang Rai’s Muang district to Chiang Khong district of that province under the third contract, awarded to CKST-DC3 Joint Venture. The cost is 19.38 billion baht.

The Den Chai-Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong double-track railway project is a part of the government’s national transport infrastructure development strategy, said Mr Nirut.

This railway project is also a part of the country’s third phase of inter-city rail network development, which is aimed at enhancing rail transport for both goods and passengers to catch up with the growing demand for rail transport and logistics services, said Mr Nirut.

An effective railway network will bring about a significant decrease in road accidents, cargo transport costs, traffic emissions and energy consumption in the long run, he said.

Activist’s mother to receive nearly B2m

The Supreme Court has ordered the Royal Thai Army (RTA) to pay 2 million baht in compensation for the death of Lahu human rights activist Chaiyaphum Pasae, who was shot dead at a checkpoint in Chiang Mai province in 2017, the Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) said on Thursday.

Chaiyaphum: Shot at checkpoint

Writing on the CrCF’s fan page on Facebook, the court stated that the RTA took full responsibility for Chaiyaphum’s death and had to pay 120,000 baht for his funeral ceremony, a 50,000 baht lawyer’s fee, and another 1,952,400 baht to Chaiyaphum’s mother — or 2,072,400 baht in total.

The RTA was ordered to pay within 30 days.

The case was first filed in May 2019 by Napoi Pasae, Chaiyaphum’s mother, who sought compensation.

The officers claimed they found narcotics in Chaiyaphum’s car and had to shoot him because he resisted an attempted search and tried to throw a hand grenade at them.

However, a witness told local media that Chaiyaphum was dragged out of the car, beaten, and shot.

The Supreme Court verdict reversed the decisions made by both the Appeal Court in 2022 and a Civil Court in 2020 to dismiss the lawsuit.

The former, in its ruling, stated that the army did not have to pay compensation to Chaiyaphum’s family as it considered the M16 rifle that a soldier shot Chaiyaphum with was used in self-defence.

However, some human rights experts noted that none of the officers had received any penalties, and the compensation was just a civil liability for the RTA, according to the CrCF’s post.

Activist’s mother to receive nearly B2m

The Supreme Court has ordered the Royal Thai Army (RTA) to pay 2 million baht in compensation for the death of Lahu human rights activist Chaiyaphum Pasae, who was shot dead at a checkpoint in Chiang Mai province in 2017, the Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) said on Thursday.

Chaiyaphum: Shot at checkpoint

Writing on the CrCF’s fan page on Facebook, the court stated that the RTA took full responsibility for Chaiyaphum’s death and had to pay 120,000 baht for his funeral ceremony, a 50,000 baht lawyer’s fee, and another 1,952,400 baht to Chaiyaphum’s mother — or 2,072,400 baht in total.

The RTA was ordered to pay within 30 days.

The case was first filed in May 2019 by Napoi Pasae, Chaiyaphum’s mother, who sought compensation.

The officers claimed they found narcotics in Chaiyaphum’s car and had to shoot him because he resisted an attempted search and tried to throw a hand grenade at them.

However, a witness told local media that Chaiyaphum was dragged out of the car, beaten, and shot.

The Supreme Court verdict reversed the decisions made by both the Appeal Court in 2022 and a Civil Court in 2020 to dismiss the lawsuit.

The former, in its ruling, stated that the army did not have to pay compensation to Chaiyaphum’s family as it considered the M16 rifle that a soldier shot Chaiyaphum with was used in self-defence.

However, some human rights experts noted that none of the officers had received any penalties, and the compensation was just a civil liability for the RTA, according to the CrCF’s post.

A first group of 41 Thais, left stranded in northeastern Myanmar due to clashes between Myanmar soldiers and ethnic rebel groups, has been evacuated from Laukkaing to Kengtung in Shan state to await repatriation to Thailand.

According to a report from the Pha Muang Force of the 3rd Army Region, the 41 Thais — 23 men and 18 women — arrived in Kengtung around 10.30pm on Wednesday.

They are to be repatriated through the Myanmar border town of Tachilek into Mae Sai district in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

The Thais remained in Kengtung as of press time yesterday as a source at the Thai-Myanmar border said the planned repatriation had been delayed.

Moreover, a curfew is also imposed in Kengtung after 6pm, the source said.

Someone from the Immanuel Foundation, which coordinates the rescue of workers, speaking by phone, said the Myanmar authorities have yet to give the green light for the repatriation, though all 41 Thais are safe and hope to return home quickly.

But once the green light is given and all legal procedures are completed, they will proceed to the Mak Yang border checkpoint in Tachilek.

From Tachilek, they will be taken across the 2nd Friendship Bridge over the Mae Sai River into Mae Sai district.

They will then head to the 3rd Army Region’s Meng Rai Maharat military camp in Chiang Rai.

There, they would undergo screening for communicable diseases, complete immigration procedures and meet officials from the Social Development and Human Security Ministry.

They will also be allowed to meet with their relatives.

The army will continue collaborating with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and other relevant agencies to repatriate the remaining 246 Thais stranded in Laukkaing.

About 25 Thais in Gaza will be among the first 50 hostages released by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, likely within the next three to 10 days, according to the team of negotiators handling the situation.

Muk Sulaiman, the House speaker’s secretary who is acting as a representative of the House speaker for the negotiations in Israel, provided an update in parliament on Thursday on the progress of the talks.

“After hearing from the negotiating team, I was relieved to learn the Thai workers over there are all safe. The hostages have not been released, and they won’t be until the fighting ceases,” he said.

“Many countries and also Hamas are applying pressure on Israel to accept a [temporary] ceasefire.

“I urge all the Thai workers who are still working in Israel to revise their decision and return to Thailand for their own safety,” Mr Muk added.

Lerpong Sayed, president of the Thai-Iran Alumni Association, who is also acting as a representative of the negotiators, said the United Nations has called on Israel to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire for 72 hours to create a window during which the hostages can be given assistance.

After following up on the situation, the team received a report that Hamas was preparing to release 50 hostages.

The team called on the group to release all 25 Thai hostages, which they promised to do.

“I hope we will hear good news within three days at the earliest, or 10 days at the latest. The location where the hostages will be set free has not been confirmed yet, but the Iranian border is one option,” said Mr Lerpong.

He said the conflict keeps escalating as Israel is seemingly launching attacks on hospitals and other such venues without considering humanitarian principles.

Two US professors were named winners of this year’s Prince Mahidol Award in the fields of medicine and public health yesterday.

Among 92 candidates from 31 countries, this year’s Prince Mahidol Award in medicine went to Dr Napoleone Ferrara, a pathology professor and adjunct ophthalmology and pharmacology professor.

He is also a senior deputy director for basic science at Moores Cancer Center of the University of California San Diego.

Dr Ferrara discovered vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and made the first antibody against VEGF, which suppresses the growth of various tumours.

These findings helped develop the first clinically available angiogenesis inhibitor, bevacizumab (Avastin), which prevents the growth of new blood vessels into a solid tumour and has become part of standard treatment for various cancers.

Dr Ferrara’s work also led to the development of ranibizumab (Lucentis), a highly effective drug for preventing vision loss in intraocular neovascular disorders.

Another awardee in the field of public health is Dr Barry H Rumack, an emeritus professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics of the University of Colorado. He has a keen interest in pharmacology and acetaminophen drug poisoning, which mainly causes acute liver failure.

Dr Rumack collected 64 cases of patient data who overdosed on the drug to create a graph and invented an assessment tool which has been used worldwide in the assessment of acetaminophen overdose treatment.

He also developed Poisindex, one of the first commercial databases, which could retrieve diagnosis and treatment data for various poisonous substances.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will bestow the award on behalf of His Majesty the King at Chakri Maha Prasat on Jan 24 next year.