Barkar Nash (Page 440)

Water rocket intended to carry wires over Moei river

TAK – A man was has been arrested beside the Moei river in Mae Sot district while allegedly stringing power and communications cables illegally across the river to Myanmar.

Equipment seized from him included a water rocket believed intended to carry the lines over the water.

Soldiers and police detained 30-year-old Jongrak Leela, from the northeastern province of Roi Et, beside the border river in Ban Mae Kid Mai village of tambon Mae Kasa on Sunday evening.

Officials said the suspect was arrested with 16 iron pipes, big rolls of wire and optical fibre cables, a water rocket, an air pump, pulleys, ropes and wrenches. 

Officials believed the man intended using the water rocket to carry the wiring and optical fibre cables across the Moei River, to supply power and internet services to users on the opposite side.

The suspect was taken to Mae Sot police station for questioning and  prosecution.

‘Independent’ chairman had backing from Palang Pracharath

Independent candidate Wiwat Nitikanchana was re-elected chairman of the Ratchaburi provincial administration organisation (PAO) on Sunday, defeating People’s Party challenger Chairath Sakissarapong.

Mr Wiwat received 242,297 votes and Mr Chairath 175,353 according to the unofficial result posted by the Ratchaburi PAO and Election Commission on Monday after counting 91% of the votes.

Voter turnout was said to be 67%. 

Mr Wiwat, the incumbent, ran as an independent but was believed to have received backing from the Palang Pracharath Party, which won three of the province’s five MP seats in the general election last year.

The poll was seen as a test of the popularity of the People’s Party in local elections. The party has fielded candidates in local government elections in several provinces. 

People’s Power heavyweights and Progressive Movement leaders, including Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, had campaigned in Ratchaburi, seeking suport for Mr Chairath.

They had called on supporters to convert their anger into votes in all polls after the party’s predecessor, the Move Forward Party, was disbanded by the Constitutional Court last month.

Mr Wiwat thanked all supporters after learning of the result and said the win was due to his past performance as chairman and his policy of continuing to meet people in the province.

Mr Chairath admitted defeat and said the party would learn from the result. 

Former Move Forward chief adviser Pita Limjaroenrat said in a Facebook post that the loss would not discourage the People’s Party. He hoped the party could win the contest in the province in the future.

SURAT THANI: An elderly Russian and a young Ukrainian man were arrested on Sunday for illegally offering vehcles for rent on Koh Phangan island.

Tourist police and local officials arrested the 60-year-old Russian man at an unregistered house, and impounded a Mazda CX-3 car, in Moo 1 village. The 18-year-old Ukrainian was apprehended at a hotel parking lot, and a motorcycle impounded. 

According to police, the Russian admitted offering the car for lease on the Telegram chat app and charging 15,000 baht per month. The car was registered in Surat Thani. His clients were Russians.

The Ukrainian said he was a student and wanted to generate income through renting out a Yamaha Xmax motorcycle registered in Lop Buri province. He also used the Telegram app. He charged clients from 399-10,000 baht, depending on the rental period.

Both were charged with working in Thailand without a permit.

The Ukrainian man is arrested with the rental motorcycle on Sunday. (Photo supplied)

Passengers can ride for free on the new electric buses of Bangkok’s newly upgraded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, re-launched yesterday, for two months, a transport official for the company said on Sunday.

The buses have replaced the old BRT buses which ran on natural gas for vehicles (NGV) and had been used for over 14 years, while two more stops have been added, one at Chan-Narathiwat intersection and the other at Ratchada-Narathiwat intersection.

The service, operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC), is available daily from 6am until 10pm.

BTSC, also the operator of the BTS Skytrain, won the bidding for the concession to operate the BRT system, stretching 15.9 kilometres from Sathon Road to Ratchaphruek Road.

The company won with the lowest price of 465 million baht and was awarded the concession to operate the new BRT system for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

The new buses have a universal design, which includes wheelchair access that makes it more convenient for passengers with disabilities, said the official.

Each of the EV buses is equipped with five security cameras and a GPS system.

The final fares for the new service will be decided on and announced later by the BMA.

However, early last month, deputy Bangkok governor Wisanu Subsompon said the BRT fare would likely be a flat rate of 15 baht per ride.

And if the upgraded BRT service proves popular among commuters, the BRT has already said that the route will be extended.

National parks chief Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn has expressed concern about an increase in land acquisitions on Koh Chang in Trat province by investors with suspected links to shady businesses.

Mr Chaiwat, who serves as the director of the National Parks Office under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Centre, said private investors have bought large areas of land from locals.

“Some investors are alleged to have links with shady businesses,” Mr Chaiwat said. “The government and local officials must keep an eye on them.”

He said large firms have been expanding their businesses on the island, affecting local enterprises which are gradually fading away. “Local consumers are turning to goods and services and modern conveniences offered by big businesses,” he said.

Regarding measures to combat encroachment on protected land in national parks, he said modern technologies and satellite images are used to monitor and deter land encroachment.

He said Koh Chang is largely covered in rainforests and mountains, which provide fresh water for residents on the island, compared to other islands which have to buy fresh water supplies from outside.

“Local communities and agencies should work together to protect and preserve the forests and the natural environment on the island to ensure sustainable water resources,” he said.

With development and tourism increasing on the island, it is also important for residents and businesses to retain cultural uniqueness and local identity to boost appeal to tourists, he said.

Asked to explain how to handle jet-skiing activities around the Koh Chang National Marine Park, he said the national marine park is made up of an archipelago of 52 islands covering 650 sqkm or more than 400,000 rai. Koh Chang is the largest island.

These islands are conservation areas where only limited tourism is allowed. They are off-limits to activities such as jet-skiing, he said.

“We have to consider where jet-skiing takes place — on private property or the national park’s areas. If people jet-ski in public reservoirs, they could be in trouble. But generally, jet-skiing is part of tourism activities,” he said.

Koh Chang, or “Elephant Island” because of its elephant-like shape, is Thailand’s third largest island after Phuket and Samui. It is located about 300km east of Bangkok, in Trat province, in the Gulf of Thailand.

Chaiwat: We must retain our local identity

National parks chief Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn has expressed concern about an increase in land acquisitions on Koh Chang in Trat province by investors with suspected links to shady businesses.

Mr Chaiwat, who serves as the director of the National Parks Office under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Centre, said private investors have bought large areas of land from locals.

“Some investors are alleged to have links with shady businesses,” Mr Chaiwat said. “The government and local officials must keep an eye on them.”

He said large firms have been expanding their businesses on the island, affecting local enterprises which are gradually fading away. “Local consumers are turning to goods and services and modern conveniences offered by big businesses,” he said.

Regarding measures to combat encroachment on protected land in national parks, he said modern technologies and satellite images are used to monitor and deter land encroachment.

He said Koh Chang is largely covered in rainforests and mountains, which provide fresh water for residents on the island, compared to other islands which have to buy fresh water supplies from outside.

“Local communities and agencies should work together to protect and preserve the forests and the natural environment on the island to ensure sustainable water resources,” he said.

With development and tourism increasing on the island, it is also important for residents and businesses to retain cultural uniqueness and local identity to boost appeal to tourists, he said.

Asked to explain how to handle jet-skiing activities around the Koh Chang National Marine Park, he said the national marine park is made up of an archipelago of 52 islands covering 650 sqkm or more than 400,000 rai. Koh Chang is the largest island.

These islands are conservation areas where only limited tourism is allowed. They are off-limits to activities such as jet-skiing, he said.

“We have to consider where jet-skiing takes place — on private property or the national park’s areas. If people jet-ski in public reservoirs, they could be in trouble. But generally, jet-skiing is part of tourism activities,” he said.

Koh Chang, or “Elephant Island” because of its elephant-like shape, is Thailand’s third largest island after Phuket and Samui. It is located about 300km east of Bangkok, in Trat province, in the Gulf of Thailand.

Chaiwat: We must retain our local identity

Six countries along the Mekong River — Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand — have committed to working together to tackle fake news and cybercrime and also better protect the young online through shared legislation.

Diplomats and journalists from six participating countries met recently at the “Lancang-Mekong International Video and Photography Week 2024” in Yushu, Qinghai Province of China.

Other attendees included local officials from Qinghai Province and observers from Canada and the United States.

Representatives from media agencies agreed on the need for cooperation to preserve nature and the environment and mitigate fake news in the region, and agreed that there should be more coordination in information gathering to combat fake news.

The media also agreed that cultural connections could be used to strengthen regional ties — one suggestion being to source water for the Songkran Festival from the Lancang-Mekong River,

Meanwhile, Thiri San San, third secretary of the Myanmar Embassy, spoke at the event, to call for the adoption of shared laws to protect the young from cybercrime and cyberbullying.

The event also highlighted China’s support for the five countries in the Lancang-Mekong basin through medical aid to Laos’s poor and contributions to Sihanoukville’s development in Cambodia.