Barkar Nash (Page 443)

Caretaker deputy PM expects new-look government to start working in two weeks

The new-look coalition government will begin working to carry out its policies, including the digital money handout, within two weeks, according to Phumtham Wechayachai, the caretaker deputy prime minister.

He declined to say exactly when the revised cabinet line-up would be submitted for royal endorsement. He said he believed the nominations by all coalition parties had already been examined by the relevant organisations and forwarded to the Secretariat of the Cabinet and the Council of State, the government’s legal arm, for a final review.

Those two bodies would now decide when to move ahead with the process, Mr Phumtham said on Saturday.

He reiterated an earlier comment that all the procedures required before the government could take office should be completed within 15 days, with a three-day grace period before and after.

“What most people are looking forward to is the government starting to solve problems during this critical period while maintaining unity among coalition partners,” said Mr Phumtham, citing a recent opinion survey.

Some rumours have surfaced that the digital wallet scheme might eventually be excluded from the policy statement that the government will deliver in parliament, but Mr Phumtham insisted that the flagship economic stimulus policy of the Pheu Thai Party would continue.

The original policy called for 10,000 baht in digital money to be given to as many as 50 million eligible Thais over age 16. Many economists said the 500-billion-baht programme was too costly and would not deliver the economic lift envisioned by Pheu Thai.

In recent days, officials have indicated the programme could be revised. It now appears likely that money will be distributed first to about 15 million state welfare cardholders. When the new fiscal year begins on Oct 1, the government will decide whether and how to continue the handouts to another 35 million people.

On Friday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the new cabinet lineup was almost ready to go and only required verification of nominated ministers’ qualifications. This important process should take about a week to finish, she said.

“Will the list be submitted for royal endorsement next week? Well, as soon as the parties verifying it say so and send it back to us, we will try our best to get that done as fast as possible,” she said.

Thousands of Malaysians arrive in Songkhla and Yala to enjoy long weekend

A surge of Malaysian tourists to southern Thailand during the current Merdeka Day long weekend is expected to contribute about 100 million baht to the local economy.

More than 13,000 Malaysian tourists passed through the Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla on Saturday, and about 5,000 arrived via Betong in Yala to spend their National Day break in Thailand, according to local officials.

Two additional lanes at the Sadao checkpoint were opened to accommodate the large number of travellers. Many other tourists from Malaysia also entered the country via Padang Besar and Prakob, said local officials.

Songchai Mungprasitthichai, chairman of the Songkhla Tourism Promotion Association, estimated that Malaysian travellers would spend 7,000 to 8,000 baht per person, generating about 100 million baht for the local economy.

However, he noted a significant decline in tourist numbers overall, observing that the current number of visitors during Merdeka Day was as much as 10 times lower than a decade ago.

Witthaya Sae Lim, a local tour guide in Songkhla, said a large portion of Malaysian visitors were budget-conscious tourists who spent only as necessary and did not use guide services.

According to hotel operators in Betong district of Yala, about 95% of the more than 4,000 rooms were booked ahead of the holiday, and the influx of tourists was likely to bring tens of millions of baht to the community.

Thais in Singapore suggest adding mental healthcare as living abroad can be stressful

Telemedicine services covered by the universal healthcare programme are now available to Thai nationals living abroad, according to the National Health Security Office (NHSO).

The service was launched in January to ensure Thais living outside the country have access to primary healthcare, said Dr Atthaporn Limpanyalert, the deputy secretary-general of the NHSO.

The Thai embassy in Singapore recently invited NHSO officials to provide detailed information about the service to the 20,000-strong Thai community there.

The initiative aims to lower medical costs, reduce patients’ expenses and save time travelling to hospitals, said Dr Atthaporn.

NHSO officials also conducted a survey during a two-day visit on Aug 17-18 to assess the healthcare concerns of Thais in Singapore.

The findings showed that more than 60% of the respondents were over 50 years old. About 40% were employed as general workers, 17% as domestic workers and 9.3% in construction.

About 75% of the respondents reported experiencing minor or mild illnesses in the past 12 months. Only 61% said they had health insurance, and those without it seek treatment at clinics near their homes. Around 65% said their medical expenses accounted for less than 10% of their wages, while 13% reported that medical costs made up 20-30% of their salary.

While 39% decided not to seek treatment for some illnesses due to concerns about high costs, 64% said they faced communication problems when seeking healthcare services. As well, 13.6% said they were unable to access services due to long wait times.

Respondents suggested the telemedicine programme should include mental healthcare, as many Thais experience anxiety due to cultural differences or work-related stress.

Low-pressure area forming off Philippines likely to affect many parts of Thailand

A storm forming to the east of the Philippines is likely to lead to heavy rain in many parts of Thailand from Sunday through Tuesday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

Currently forecasters are seeing a strong low-pressure area that needs to be monitored, the department said on Saturday. As it develops, it is expected to affect the lower northern, the lower northeastern, the central region, including Bangkok and its adjacent provinces and the east from Sept 1-3.

Floods and runoff since Aug 16 have affected 23 provinces, notably including Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Nan, Lamphun, Lampang and Phrae, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

In total, 102 districts, 419 tambons and 2,266 villages were affected.

A total of 69,093 households have seen some impact, with 22 fatalities and 19 injuries reported so far.

As of Saturday, with 4,026 households across 19 districts in four provinces continue to be affected: 

• Chiang Rai: Flooding occurred in Mae Chan, Thoeng, Khun Tan, Muang, Chiang Khong, Phaya Mengrai districts, affecting 10 tambons, 20 villages and 451 households. Two deaths were reported.
• Sukhothai: Sri Satchanalai, Sawankhalok, Sri Samrong, Muang, Sri Nakhon and Kong Krailat districts were flooded, affecting 39 tambons and 104 villages with 3,483 households reporting damage. Water levels started to recede on Saturday.
• Phitsanulok: Flooding occurred in Phrom Phiram and Bang Rakam districts, affecting 3 tambons, 5 villages and 40 households. The water level is stable.
• Nong Khai: Flooding occurred in Ratana Wapi, Sri Chiang Mai, Sangkhom, Tha Bo and Muang districts, affecting 21 tambons, 100 villages and 52 households. The water level is still rising.

Water washes away 875-metre stretch of Highway 1195 in Sawankhalok district

A section of Highway 1195 in Sawankhalok district of Sukhothai has been closed to traffic as flooding, triggered by days of heavy rain, washed away part of the road on Saturday.

Floods eroded a section of the road between kilometre markers 12+725 and 13+600, said Sitthichok Leemingsawat, director of the Office of Highways 4.

Motorists wanting updated information about conditions of routes and traffic can contact local highways offices or the Department of Highways 1586 hotline around the clock.

On Saturday, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai led a team of ministers and officials to inspect the flooding in Sukhothai.

So far, floods have affected 65,409 rai of land in the northern province. Damage has been reported across 43,747 rai of farmland in 168 villages of 42 tambons in seven districts — Muang, Kong Kailat, Sri Satchanalai, Sri Samrong, Sawankhalok, Sri Nakhon and Khiri Mat — with 10,016 households affected.

The damaged section of Highway 1195 in Sawankhalok district of Sukhothai. (Photo: Office of Highways 4 Facebook)

Students get a graphic learning experience about staying calm in the face of danger

A wildlife volunteer had a close call with a snake while teaching children about reptiles at a school in Bueng Kan province.

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According to Nirut Chom-ngam, leader of the Asorapit Wittaya (serpentology) group, a staff member accidentally released a spitting cobra during a recent snake awareness session. The cobra quickly slithered up the trainer’s ankle and worked its way into his pants. 

The trainer remained calm, slowly removing his pants to avoid alarming the snake, resulting in a tense moment where any sudden movement could have led to a fatal bite, Mr Nirut wrote in a post on the Nick Wildlife Facebook page.

Nong Wave, the volunteer who eventually removed the cobra, called it an important learning experience and acknowledged that a small mistake could have had dire consequences.

Mr Nirut stressed the importance of remaining still when encountering snakes, as movement can provoke them.

When encountering a snake at close range, the first thing a person should do is remain still. Once the snake calms down, the person can slowly back away in a straight line, as moving side to side may increase its awareness.

“Snakes generally won’t attack unless they feel threatened, and they are more likely to flee due to their natural fear of humans,” he wrote.

Victim’s friend says incident happened after night of drinking

A South Korean man fell to his death from the 10th floor balcony of a hotel in Pattaya on Saturday morning.

Police were alerted to the incident at the 38-storey hotel in Bang Lamung district around 5am, said Pol Lt Puttharak Sonkhamhan of the Pattaya City police station.

At the scene, police and rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation found the body of Byung Yong Lee, a 62-year-old farmer, who reportedly fell from the 10th-floor balcony of his room and landed on a fifth-floor terrace.

There were no signs of physical assault, according to police.

Hotel staff reported that the deceased was part of a group of South Korean tourists who had checked in the day before the incident. One of his friends woke up in the middle of the night and noticed he was missing.

After calling the front desk for help, they found the man’s shoes still in the room. Looking over the balcony, they spotted what appeared to be a body below and called security, who then found the body in the garden of the fifth-floor terrace.

During questioning, a friend of the deceased, through an interpreter, said Byung Yong Lee and his friend had been together for over 30 years. After a night of drinking, they separated to return to their rooms. When Byung Yong Lee’s friend awoke and found him missing, he began searching, which led to the discovery of the body.

Pol Lt Puttharak said the man’s body was taken for forensic examination at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok.

The death was the latest in a series of similar incidents in Pattaya. On Thursday, a man from New Zealand fell to his death from a luxury hotel in this tourist city.

Other incidents included a Thai man who fell from a hotel on June 1, a Russian man from a condominium on June 3, an American man from a hotel on June 4, and a German man from a hotel on June 6.

Chinese suspects will be blacklisted

Fifteen alleged Chinese scammers have been arrested in Chon Buri province for defrauding fellow nationals in a fake investment scheme.

The arrests took place on Friday evening at a rented luxury home on a four-rai (1.58 acres) land plot in tambon Pong of Bang Lamung district, where immigration officers apprehended 14 men and one woman.

Authorities seized 18 computers and 90 mobile phones during the raid, led by Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, deputy chief of the Immigration Bureau.

The operation was conducted after reports indicated that the scammers were using the Work Puls application to lure more than 1,000 victims, resulting in losses over 100 million baht.

The suspects were initially charged with working without permission before being transferred to Nong Prue police station for further legal action and deportation.

Immigration authorities announced that they would revoke the suspects’ visas and permanently blacklist them.