Barkar Nash (Page 45)

The Royal Irrigation Department ( RID ) confirmed the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has not affected the structural stability of dams in Thailand.

Following the earthquake, which occurred at a level of 10 miles on Friday, with its centre in Myanmar, the RID inspected the balance of its rivers to evaluate any possible effects on Thailand.

Media sources say the department measured ground acceleration ( seismic shaking intensity ) at its dams of measuring between 0.00505 and 0.01647 g.

These numbers are below the 0.2 g style standard set by the RID and the International Commission on Big Dams.

Thus, the earthquake poses no risk to the fundamental stability of the rivers, the publications said.

The RID has designed all its reservoirs to resist tectonic activity at the highest level of possible danger in Thailand.

The office monitors and analyses geological motion data to assess disaster impacts and probable risks to pond security to ensure the safety of communities in the area, sources said.

The director-general of RID has also ordered tools to handle any additional situations. Residents in the north, northern regions including Bangkok are advised to be diligent and carefully observe details from authorities agencies, said the source.

The National Housing Authority ( NHA ) governor Taweepong Wichaidit also provided an update on building structures in NHA projects after the earthquake, saying engineers would inspect tall buildings, especially in Din Daeng and Bang Khunthian.

In municipal places, he said initial reports confirmed the institutions, columns and beams of NHA housing initiative structures remained solid, although some breaks due to the spasms were found.

Repairs would be expedited and additional inspections of elevators would be carried out. Most residents had returned to their homes, though safe areas were provided for those still feeling uneasy.

Culture Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol ordered agencies to assess damage to government buildings, cultural and religious sites and historical landmarks nationwide.

Restoration efforts would follow accordingly if damages were confirmed, she said.

Vital signs of 15 people trapped in the fell State Audit Office building in Chatuchak city were detected Saturday, raising hope that volunteers may keep them within 72 hours.

The death toll from the tower decline stands at nine, while 78 people remain missing and their names unsubstantiated, said the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Suriyan Rawiwan, chairman of the Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department, said on Saturday volunteers have detected vital signs for 15 people trapped in the 30-storey tower, still under development when it came down. Heavy equipment has been deployed to clear dust and getting rescue teams to the sufferers.

” Rescue time is set at 72 hours, as]starvation ] and dehydration are possible. Patients risk horror and dying if save takes longer”, Mr Suriyan said. The division aims to do the recovery operation within 48 hours. Important indications were detected for trapped people who were in groups of three to seven under the wreckage.

Water and food products have not yet reached the regions where signs of life were detected, as they are about three feet deep, Mr Suriyan said.

Bangkok government Chadchart Sittipunt inspected the collapse page on Saturday night and said that crane trucks did lift dirt and practical segments from the webpage.

The building, located on an 11-rai page on Kamphaeng Phet Road in Chatuchak area, came crashing down following a 7.7-magnitude disaster in Myanmar on Friday evening. Job began on the 2.1-billion-baht tower in 2020, and the building had reached its highest surface.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is sending 130 charity professionals to assess high-rise properties in the money. About 200 complexes need to be assessed, especially in Din Daeng and Huai Khwang regions. Two condominium complexes in D Phrao may become evacuated due to safety concerns, said Mr Chadchart.

100 civil society organizations say draft laws intentionally left vague

A community of about 100 civil society institutions has vowed to take legal action against the proposed entertainment complex-casino act recently approved in principle by the government, citing the several possible implications of legalising games.

In a subsequent statement, the community condemned the commission’s decision to approve the expenses on Thursday, only one day after the prime minister survived a no-confidence conversation in parliament. Some critics say government approved the bill so rapidly because the conversation had distracted officials and was now suddenly over, so it ciould choose.

The group said approval of the bill disregards opposition from MPs, academics and the public, and comes despite assurances the issue would be carefully reviewed.

Their key concerns include a lack of clear guidelines on the number of entertainment-casino complexes to be built, their locations, sizes or target audiences.

The government has intentionally left it unclear how many of such complexes will be allowed to emerge after the bill is passed into law, it said.

There are also concerns about unchecked authoritative power over licensing, taxation and regulations, ambiguous legal loopholes– which could facilitate money laundering and financial misconduct, amid existing political and bureaucratic corruption– and too many privileges for foreign investors.

The bill also disregards public opinion, excludes local authorities and lacks measures to address social and economic consequences, the network said.

The network, which included religious, youth, family and education organisations, also urged political parties to take a clear stance and be accountable for supporting the legislation.

The group also called on the Senate to lead the move to organise more public hearings on the bill to allow all parties concerned to have their voice heard before finalising any decisions.

The group also accused the government of rushing the parliament’s deliberation of the bill by pushing for the House of Representatives to begin deliberating the draft law before the parliamentary session ends on April 11.

The rush came while several possible loopholes in the bill sparked concerns about the outcome of the bill deliberation, the group said in the same statement.

” We will try every possible legal channel to oppose this bill and work together to advocate for ethical and sustainable economic policies”, it said.

Four Thai staff people detained by Myanmar authorities since November next year arrived in Ranong state on Saturday afternoon.

Ras Chaleechan, vice minister for foreign affairs, led a Thai delegation, including representatives from the Thailand-Myanmar Township Border Committee ( TBC ) and senior officials from relevant agencies, on a speedboat to Kawthaung province, Myanmar, to receive the crew members.

Their launch came after a reprimand granted by the Burmese government following political discussions. Mr Ras thanked the Myanmar authorities for granting mercy.

Upon their returning to Ranong, the squad members were warmly welcomed by their people.

The four team members were identified as boat captain Sunan Mongkuthong, 68, Sompong Wiwat, 61, Thavorn Promimit, 64, and Wiroj Saphanthong Na Nakhon, 69.

The Thai sailors were detained by Myanmar on Nov 30 after their fish boats were alleged to have intruded into disputed waters. Following a weapon assault on the vessels by Myanmar police boats, one staff member jumped into the water and died.

On Jan 4, the Burmese authorities released 151 Thai captives. When back in Thailand, they underwent a screening process to ascertain who were survivors deceived into the functions and who were active users of online gaming or call center fraud groups.

The short message service (SMS) alerts warning people about Friday’s earthquake in Myanmar should have been sent out more promptly to everyone and should have provided more useful information relevant to such an emergency, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Saturday.

She was speaking at a meeting with state agencies involved in the government’s response to the aftermath of the 7.7-magnitude quake. The meeting was held at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) in Bangkok.

Shortly after the quake struck at 1.20pm on Friday, the most urgent information people needed was confirmation of what had happened, what actions they should take next, and where to go for safety, the prime minister said.

In response, Passakorn Boonyalak, director-general of the DDPM, stated that his agency had sent the first text message to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) for dissemination at 2.42pm. The message informed recipients that it was safe to return to buildings to collect their belongings.

Trairat Wiriyasirikul, acting secretary-general of the NBTC, told the prime minster that the message was broadcast at 2.44pm to about 10 million mobile phone numbers, in batches of 200,000 at a time, across Bangkok and three surrounding provinces.

The same message was later resent to recipients in all 76 provinces, he added.

“The problem is that it took far too long for these text messages to reach people, not everyone received them, and the information provided was not particularly useful,” the premier said.

She instructed both agencies to find a way to overcome the technical limitation that currently restricts each broadcast to a maximum of 200,000 recipients at a time. She urged them to increase this capacity to 1 million recipients per broadcast while awaiting the full implementation of the NBTC’s cell broadcast technology, expected between June and July.

Another key issue requiring attention was whether foreign nationals using SIM cards registered in Thailand should also receive earthquake alerts in English, she said.

The NBTC and DDPM needed to work more closely to resolve these issues and report back to her, as the public deserved an explanation as to why the emergency alerts were not sent promptly — despite her having ordered the agencies to issue them at around 2pm on Friday.

The state-run NBT TV channel was able to broadcast an emergency update within five minutes of receiving her directive, she noted.

All rail transport services — except for the Yellow and Pink monorail lines — resumed operations yesterday after being promptly suspended following Friday’s quake, said Chayatan Phromsorn, permanent secretary for transport.

The Yellow and Pink lines required an additional day for safety inspections, he said.

Capt Thamanat Prompow, deputy adviser to the alliance Kla Dharma Party, on Saturday dismissed speculations that his younger brother, Akara Prompow, may lose his position as assistant secretary of Agriculture and Cooperatives to a part of the Thai Sang Thai Party.

In response to speculation about an impending cabinet reshuffle — suggesting that his younger sibling might become replaced as part of a “betrayal deal” — Capt Thamanat said that he had never heard such speculations and was not involved in decisions made by the ruling Pheu Thai Party, to which his nephew belongs.

He said the Kla Dharma Party has no part in Pheu Thai’s domestic politics, and any government changes would be at Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s choice.

He even rejected claims of vote-buying in the new no-confidence conversation, asserting that such practices are unnecessary as the state now has robust support.

” Events have the right to work with the government based on their intellectual stance”, he added.

Regarding the future by-election in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Constituency 8, Capt Thamanat said that Kla Dharma has prepared a member but is awaiting a final selection from the coalition government.

” If the state agrees not to field a participant, we will respect that determination and refrain from opposing, but if any alliance group decides to attend, we are ready to enter the race”, said the former agriculture minister.

When asked about the possibility of the partnership Bhumjaithai Party contesting the chair, he expressed confidence in Kla Dharma’s member and added that the competition do not change the coalition government’s unity.

He also outlined the party’s long-term goals, particularly its preparations for the 2025 general election. He said that the party is establishing branches across the country and recruiting candidates to strengthen its position.

To be treated royally by injured patients

Following a 7.7-magnitude disaster that caused extensive damage, Thai army will been dispatched to Myanmar to help with recovery and treatment efforts.

Deputy Defense Minister Gen Nattapol Nakpanich said on Saturday that Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had given Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai instructions to think about mobilizing military forces to help with disaster relief in Myanmar.

On Sunday, a search and rescue team made up of 49 members of the Thai military will be flown aboard a C-130 plane of the Thai heat pressure along with medical staff and supplies.

The Myanmar government will evaluate the president’s needs for additional support in addition to the original assistance. Gen Nattapol stated that the Thai government is looking into potential solutions to Myanmar’s assistance calls.

Over 1, 000 people have been confirmed dying in Myanmar places so much as a result of the disaster on Friday. The spasms were strong enough to erupt in many areas of Thailand, also toppling a high-rise creating there.

However, their majesties the King and Queen have accompanied patients who have been injured in Thailand as a result of the earthquake under imperial support.

On Prime Minister Paetongtarn’s Twitter page, a edict was posted stating that those who were affected by the crisis would get spectacularly sponsored treatment.

Asean is “ready” to assist.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean ) is prepared to support recovery efforts and acknowledges the urgent need for humanitarian assistance for Myanmar following the earthquake, according to its foreign ministers on Saturday.

The Southeast Asian bloc’s foreign ministers issued a joint statement, stating that” Asean affirms its unity and will work closely to integrate humanitarian support, support and help comfort operations, and ensure proper and effective humanitarian response.”

No assistance in Myanmar

Hazard response teams from Russia, China, Singapore, and India will be arriving on Saturday in Myanmar in a unique request for foreign assistance.

Rights activists raised concerns that help may never reach those on the floor because the government has a record of preventing help from reaching areas of the nation controlled by opposition groups.

In a blog on X, previously Online, Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, claimed that the government’s response to a recent hurricane and typhoon demonstrated its “willingness to destroy aid in the midst of natural disasters.”

By urging researchers to refrain from gathering data about poverty, the junta intimidated aid organizations and suppressed knowledge about a severe food crises gripping the nation.

Residents of Mandalay who spoke with Reuters spoke with them for the first time about receiving any help from military officials.

One rescuer claimed on Saturday that they had taken out tools from companies to comb through the rubble. He claimed they had nothing from the military authorities, but he refrained from giving any more details out of concern for vengeance.

On Twitter, some users were making appeals for technology.

One of the commentators claimed that their loved ones had been crushed beneath a mosque and that” we desperately want to restore their systems.”

” To eliminate the large concrete blocks, we need to hire a crane.” Please get in touch with us if you know where to book one, they wrote.