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The Meteorological Department will announce the start of winter early next week, about two weeks later than usual, as cool winds remain weak and temperatures are expected to be warmer than usual throughout the season.

Somkhuan Tonjan, head of the department’s central weather forecast sub-division, said rains would continue in the upper parts of the country until Sunday amid weakening cool winds. Easterly and southeasterly winds as well as high humidity would prevail in Greater Bangkok.

Moderately cold winds would blanket upper regions from Monday this week to Monday next week, he said, with cooler temperatures in the Northeast. As cooler winds arrive, rain will affect some areas before gradually declining.

The Meteorological Department was likely to announce the beginning of winter early next week, Mr Somkhuan said.

Winter in Thailand officially arrives when the lowest temperature remains under 23 degrees Celsius.

Apart from the delayed onset, Mr Somkhuan said this winter would be less cold than usual. The lowest average temperature would be 21-22 degrees Celsius, compared with 19.9 degrees Celsius on average.

Last year the average low temperature was 20.8 degrees Celsius, he said.

In the North and the Northeast, the lowest temperatures this winter will be 9-10 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, it will be 17-18 degrees Celsius in Bangkok and 15-16 degrees Celsius in adjacent provinces.

Temperatures will be lowest from early December to late January.

Cold weather and frost would be frequent on mountaintops and winter would end in late February, Mr Somkhuan said.

SONGKHLA: Twenty Myanmar migrant workers – 16 men and four women – were arrested in Hat Yai district on Saturday for illegal entry after fake entry stamps from the Suvarnabhumi airport immigration office were found in their passports.

They were rounded up for questioning by immigration police on patrol who found them sitting in a group by Chotiwithayakul 1 road in Hat Yai city at about 1.30pm.

When officers checked their passports, they found fake entry stamps from the Suvarnabhumi airport immigration office.

In subsequent enquiries, the migrants said they had each paid job brokers 120,000 baht for jobs in Malaysia.

The brokers took their passports to get them stamped for entry to Thailand, they said.

Led by a guide, they slipped across the border into Thailand via a natural crossing in Kanchanaburi. They proceeded to Bangkok and stayed at a resort.

On Friday afternoon, they took a bus to Hat Yai, Songkhla, where they were arrested on Saturday while waiting for a ride to the Malaysian border.

They were taken to the immigration office and charged with illegal entry, forgery and using fake entry stamps.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry on Sunday denounced the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations for showing a video clip of a foreign victim claimed to be Thai in the UN General Assembly meeting over the Israel-Hamas war.

The material was appalling to not only Thais but also people worldwide, the ministry said.

It described the presentation of the video as a failure to respect the dead and consider the feelings of the victim’s family.

The ministry was apparently referring to Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, who on Thursday played the video at the UN General Assembly and told delegates that it depicted a Hamas terrorist trying to decapitate an agricultural worker from Thailand.

In an apparent attempt to justify the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza that has left thousands dead, the ambassador played the video while expressing opposition to any ceasefire proposal in the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said it felt deep sorrow for the death of 32 Thais in the war, along with the injuries sustained by 19 others and the abduction of a further 19. 

MAE HONG SON: A camera trap caught a gaur in the Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary in this northern province bordering Myanmar on Oct 8. It is the first gaur seen there in 37 years, according to the chief of the sanctuary.

Arkhom Boonnontae, chief of the sanctuary, said footage from the camera trap showed the bull turning up at 3.01am. It was the first gaur seen in the Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary after 1986. The gaur is a wild animal that is very rarely seen in the North, he said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the gaur as an endangered species. The gaur is also a protected animal under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, Mr Arkhom said.

The Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary is the only “reserved” forest in the North where a gaur has been spotted, the chief said.

MAE HONG SON: A camera trap caught a gaur in the Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary in this northern province bordering Myanmar on Oct 8. It is the first gaur seen there in 37 years, according to the chief of the sanctuary.

Arkhom Boonnontae, chief of the sanctuary, said footage from the camera trap showed the bull turning up at 3.01am. It was the first gaur seen in the Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary after 1986. The gaur is a wild animal that is very rarely seen in the North, he said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the gaur as an endangered species. The gaur is also a protected animal under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, Mr Arkhom said.

The Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary is the only “reserved” forest in the North where a gaur has been spotted, the chief said.

MAE HONG SON: A camera trap caught a gaur in the Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary in this northern province bordering Myanmar on Oct 8. It is the first gaur seen there in 37 years, according to the chief of the sanctuary.

Arkhom Boonnontae, chief of the sanctuary, said footage from the camera trap showed the bull turning up at 3.01am. It was the first gaur seen in the Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary after 1986. The gaur is a wild animal that is very rarely seen in the North, he said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the gaur as an endangered species. The gaur is also a protected animal under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, Mr Arkhom said.

The Salwin Wildlife Sanctuary is the only “reserved” forest in the North where a gaur has been spotted, the chief said.

A majority of people are satisfied with Srettha Thavisin’s overseas trips as well as his overall performance as prime minister during his two months in office, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.

The poll was conducted on Oct 24-25 by telephone interviews with 1,310 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes throughout the country to compile their opinions on Mr Srettha’s visits to many countries after taking office.

Asked what they were particularly interested in from Mr Srettha’s overseas trips during the past two months, with the respondents allowed to pick more than one answer, the answers chosen by them were as follows:

• 39.01% said they had not followed news on his overseas trips at all
• 24.43% were interested in his meetings with leaders or important persons of other countries
• 21.83% his dress/clothes
• 19.69% his media interviews
• 19.08% his postures or body languages
• 10.31% reception by host countries
• 1.98% had no answer or were not interested

As for those who followed news on Mr Srettha’s overseas trips (799), when asked whether they were satisfied, a majority or 69.71% said “yes” – 46.31% moderately and 23.40% highly. On the other side, 20.27% were not satisfied and 9.37% not satisfied at all. The rest, 0.63%, had no answer or were not interested.

Asked whether they were satisfied with Mr Srettha’s overall performance as prime minister during the past two months, a majority or 55.27% said “yes” – 36.87% moderately and 18.40% highly. On the other side, 26.87% were not satisfied and 13.74% not satisfied at all. The rest, 4.12%, had no answer or were not interested.