Barkar Nash (Page 32)

Pongsri Woranuch, the first” Queen of Luk Thung” ( Thai country music ) and a National Artist in the Performing Arts ( folk singing ), died peacefully on Sunday at the age of 85.

Her demise marks the loss of an iconic figure in Thai music and society, leaving behind a legacy of timeless tracks and contributions to the Thai music business.

Born on June 5, 1938, Phongsri’s music journey began at the age of 15 when she started performing in a travelling opera ensemble.

From a younger woman serving in the band, she worked her way up to become a popular song and recorded her second one, Huajai Mai Mee Khrai Khrong, in 1955.

Her real breakthrough came when she joined Suraphol Sombatcharoen’s group, leading to her rise to stardom during the 1960s and 1970s. Suraphol was known as the King of Luk Thung.

With a special high-pitched words, Phongsri became known for hits like as Duang Phitsawas, Kod Mon Non Nao, and Nam Ta Mia Luang.

Over the years, she became a leader for adult folk musicians and influenced a generation of musicians, including the likes of Supaporn Srisuk, Pumpuang Duangjan, and Sunaree Ratchasima.

In 1992, Phongsri was honoured with the National Artist Award in acknowledgment of her efforts in the traditions music style.

She even established the Phongsri Woranuch Museum in Nakhon Pathom to keep her tradition and give a glimpse into her extraordinary job, which can be visited for free in the Phutthamonthon Sai 5 area.

Her funeral customs will get organised at Wat Rai King in Sam Phran city, Nakhon Pathom on April 17.

Pongsri: Battled heart cancers

The Bhumjaithai Party marked its 16th anniversary on Sunday by unveiling a fresh, all-blue brand, which its chief Anutin Charnvirakul said represented unity, commitment and the group’s dedication to political balance.

The group celebrated the breakthrough at its office on Sunday with a merit-making meeting led by Mr Anutin and gathering secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob. The meeting featured both Buddhist and Islamic festivals, which were meant to highlight the variety within the group.

Representatives from different events, including Pheu Thai, Chartthaipattana, United Thai Nation and Democrat events, also attended the event.

After the rites concluded, the bash kicked off its quarterly public assembly, during which group members discussed adjustments to domestic laws and formalised the adoption of the new all-blue brand.

Even before the all-blue logo was adopted, Bhumjaithai Party was often referred to as the” Blue Party” by the public and in media reports.

Mr Anutin said the colour symbolises the group’s devotion to Indian personality, loyalty, religious values and commitment to the king under a political system with the King as the head of state.

In his speech about the new logo, Mr Anutin also highlighted the party’s resilience over the past 16 years, whether as a governing party or an opposition party.

He emphasised the party’s commitment to serving the people, whether its members hold an official position or not.

Mr Anutin said blue represents many things, including peace, unity, strength, stability, boldness, wisdom and loyalty, which are qualities that define Bhumjaithai’s ideology.

In the speech, Mr Anutin called on all Bhumjaithai Party members to embrace the new logo and reaffirm the party’s commitment to democracy, national unity and readiness to face global challenges together with the people of Thailand.

Large equipment are increasingly being used to drill the dust of the fell State Audit Office tower and rescuers are likely to get more bodies as no more signs of life have been detected, Bangkok government Chadchart Sittipunt said on Sunday.

With chances of finding more victims faded, large systems are operating at full speed to remove the top of the dust pile and drill openings into its sides to achieve areas where bodies are likely to be located, the governor said.

The bottom layer of dust would be removed gradually for the protection of volunteers at the page of the collapsed fresh State Audit Office building in Chatuchak area, Bangkok.

When the top part is secured, heavy machines would dig into the sides of the rubble mountain to reach what used to be the stairways, passages and halls that construction workers used to enter the 30-storey building before it fell.

More body parts found

During the Myanmar earthquake on March 28 which shook the State Audit tower, construction personnel were likely trying to escape the high-rise through the passages, Mr Chadchart said.

Two bodies were found in passages on Saturday and body parts were spotted on Sunday morning, he said.

Whenever excavators reached a hole under the rubble, they would pave the way for rescuers and sniffer dogs to find more victims, the Bangkok governor said. He admitted the chance of still finding survivors was negligible.

” The situation improved as we began to remove unstable areas and gained better access. We expect to find more missing persons. However, realistically, the chances of survival are diminishing, and the number of fatalities is likely to increase”, the Bangkok governor said.

As of 8am on Sunday, 17 people were confirmed dead, 77 others were missing and nine had been rescued at the collapse site.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, disaster mitigation director of City Hall, said drones were used to look for victims while excavators were operated.

Deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej said that the removal of the rubble at the new State Audit Office would take about a month.

Previous law authors, medics and economic instructors have voiced strong opposition to the president’s game costs, saying it will ruin the nation and its people.

Fifty original authors of the 2007 law led by Prof Jarun Pakdeethanakul revealed an empty text to the legislature leader and members of the parliament on Sunday.

In the email, they said that the congress may reject the government’s leisure complex act that was put on the legislature’s agenda on Wednesday.

They said that the expenses– which includes the legalisation of casinos– was hardly a battle plan of the decision Pheu Thai Party and its coalition partners, but reflected the vision of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to the party, the act contradicts national development based on the validity market which is part of the national techniques and a royal command.

State estate

The act affects the qualities of the condition, the party said, because state-owned property may be turned into pleasure complexes. It is comparable to handing over state property for the private business to grow for its own advantage which is against the rules of condition property development.

The bill may solve the financial problems of the nation and the public, the group claimed, but may favour foreign groups of casino developers at the cost of the nation which may suffer crime and societal problems at all levels.

Twenty-seven doctors who graduated from Chiang Mai University in Class 15 also opposed the entertainment complex bill, saying that Thailand had valuable natural resources and cultures, and casinos would pose long-term problems for new generations.

Tuesday demonstration

Wirangrong Dabbaransi, head of the Network of Universities for Reform, invited opponents of the entertainment complex bill to gather at Chulalongkorn University on Tuesday to voice their opposition to the bill.

A group of economics lecturers at Thammasat University said on Sunday that casinos were actually the highlights of planned entertainment complexes and would cause widespread and long-term social problems, while their contribution to economic development would be short-lived.

Gambling would lead to crime and cause problems for families and children and ruin their future, the group said.

According to the group, entertainment complexes and casinos would allow criminals to launder their money conveniently.

If the government continues to push for the bill, it would not deserve to stay in power, the group said.

Thailand: A woman seriously hurt herself with a razor early Sunday night presumably due to great stress after losing to a call scam 800, 000 baht including a large sum she borrowed.

According to police, save workers found the 35-year-old person whose name was withheld with about 10 stab wounds in her chest, abdominal and wrist at her home in Arunothai 9 Road at 12.16am.

She received first aid and was rushed to doctor. At the home, authorities found a blood-stained lanyard knife.

A equivalent of the woman told police that about a year ago a telephone fraud group pretended to become Chon Buri policeman and told her that she had violated prostitution-related rules. The group told her that they had to confiscate her funds.

The person therefore transferred a full of 800, 000 ringgit to the group and the total included the cash she borrowed from relatives and friends.

After realising she was a hoax survivor, she filed a complaint with authorities. As she could not get the cash over the past month, she accumulated pressure and hurt herself.

Thailand: A woman seriously injured herself with a blade early Sunday night, presumably due to stress after losing 800, 000 ringgit to a contact scam.

According to authorities, save workers found the 35-year-old lady, whose name was withheld, with about 10 stab wounds in her chest, abdominal and wrist at her home in Arunothai 9 Road at 12.16am.

She received first aid and was rushed to doctor. At the home, authorities found a blood-stained lanyard knife.

A equivalent of the woman told police that about a year ago a telephone fraud group pretended to become Chon Buri policeman and told her that she had violated prostitution-related rules. The group told her that they had to confiscate her cash.

The person therefore transferred a full of 800, 000 ringgit to the group. The total included income she had borrowed from relatives and friends.

After realising she was a hoax survivor, she filed a complaint with authorities. As she could not get the funds over the past month, her stress rates rose and she ultimately hurt herself.