Barkar Nash (Page 912)

The Praboromarajchanok Institute (PI), under the Ministry of Public Health, is planning to establish a faculty of medicine to address a national shortage of doctors and nurses.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday said after meeting the ministry’s executive officials that the PI has proposed its policy to boost medical personnel numbers.

The policy will also aim to provide comprehensive health care services in villages and tambon promotion hospitals to mitigate patient congestion at bigger hospitals.

Doctors and nurses will also help train health volunteers as practical nurses in each tambon and local area. The PI’s faculty of medicine will help develop other public health personnel in the future, Mr Anutin said.

Meanwhile, Dr Soranit Siltharm, subcommittee chairman with the Consortium of Thai Medical Schools (CTMS), said the 18 institutes under the CTMS are ready for an intake of a total of 2,380 new students in medicine, dental surgery, veterinary medicine and pharmacy programmes next year.

Dr Soranit said the criteria for applicants remains the same but the CTMS has allowed students who graduated from other fields outside science to enrol in the doctor of dental surgery programme.

The exam registration for CTMS’ Thailand Professional Aptitude Test 1 will open from Sept 1-20 for an 800 baht fee.

The exam will take place on Dec 16.

Dr Soranit said the doctor shortage stems from a distribution problem, as most doctors are in the city.

He said recruiting more doctors is not a solution as the number of students accepted into medical programmes is calculated with the proportion of the population in mind.

NARATHIWAT: The Social Security Office (SSO) has been ordered to compensate victims of the July 29 fireworks warehouse explosion in Sungai Kolok district, which killed 12 people, injured 121 and damaged 292 houses in tambon Muno.

Out of the 121 people hurt in the incident, nine reported moderate injuries while one person was severely injured. As of yesterday, 101 have been discharged from hospital.

SSO secretary-general Boonsong Thapchaiyut said the SSO will distribute compensation to survivors, and other benefits owed to those who were killed to their next of kin.

He assured the fund would compensate all subscribers affected by the blast and their registered dependants, though he stopped short of saying how much the SSO will have to spend on the compensation.

Narathiwat’s SSO branch began distributing compensation to victims’ families yesterday, with SSO inspector Sakdinat Sonthisakyothin and acting director-general of the province’s SSO presenting 1.142 million baht to the family of Hafiz Abdullah, one of the 12 people killed by the blast.

The fund would cover Hafiz’s funeral expenses, which came up to 50,000 baht. The rest was meant for his descendants.

The Move Forward Party (MFP) has submitted nine more bills to parliament as the reformist party pushes for changes it promised supporters while campaigning for the May 14 general election.

The bills are in three sets, the first concerning local administration, the second corruption prevention and the rest are about diversity, according to list-MP  Parit Wacharasindhu, who is behind the move. 

The party on July 18 submitted two sets of bills, seven in total, to parliament relating to reforms to the armed forces and preventing business monopolies.

The bills about local administrations seek to decentralise planning, regulate land expropriation by the government, clarify rules on land acquisition, and bring improvements to land transport and roads, he said.

There are also two bills meant to help prevent corruption – one on public information and the other to streamline the process of getting permits from state agencies, the MFP MP said.

The last three bills are meant to boost inclusivity and diversity in society – a proposd amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code to allow same-sex marriage, a bill on gender certification and protection of gender diversity, and a bill to promote the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous people.

Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, an MFP list-MP who proposed the marriage equality bill, said the MFP’s previous push for marriage equality is at risk of being dropped, so a new bill on marriage equality is needed.

The old bill, presented to the previous parliament, will automatically lapse if the new parliament does not take it up again for deliberation by early next month, she said.

MFP list-MP Manop Keereepuwadol, who chairs MFP’s network of ethnic minorities and indigenous people, said a similar push to protect the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous people was rejected by the previous parliament. The bill had been adjusted and re-submitted for consideration, he said.

Two of the seven bills submitted on July 18 have since been found to require preliminary approval by caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as they concern state finances, Mr Parit said.

One bill seeks to end mandatory military conscription and the other seeks to dissolve the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), he said, and asked Gen Prayut to consider approving both of them.

A man accused of sexually molesting seven schoolgirls at different locations in Bangkok last month has been arrested.

Police detained Jirayut Phomhom, alias Jack, 35, in front of a house in tambon Nong Din Daeng in Muang district of Nakhon Pathom on Tuesday, Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thamsuthee, investigation chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said on Wednesday.

Mr Jirayut was wanted on four arrest warrants, issued by the Criminal Court, the Bangkok South Criminal Court and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Kwaeng Court on charges of molesting girls aged 15 years or less and related offences.

Police launched a hunt for the suspect following complaints alleging he had molested girls on their way to schools in Nang Loeng, Bang Rak, Samran Rat and Pathumwan areas last month. Mr Jirayut was accused of approaching them and then groping their crotches.

He was accused of seven offences. The first was around 6.25am on July 6 behind Rommaneenat public park (in Samran Rat area), and then again about 6.45am and 6.50am on the same day on Nakhon Thai Road (in Bang Rak area), about 7.20am on July 18 in front of a coffee shop at Wan Chart intersection and about 7.41am that day at a bus stop near Wan Chart intersection (in Nang Loeng area), and about 9.15am on July 26 near the gate of Triam Udom Suksa School (in Pathumwan), said Pol Maj Gen Theeradet.

During questioning, Mr Jirayut allegedly admitted to all charges. He said he was consumed by sexual desire when standing near schoolgirls on crowded buses. He allegedly admitting using his fingers to penetrate the girls’ privates before fleeing.

The suspect claimed he was mentally ill and had not received needed medical treatment.

He was handed over to Nang Loeng police for legal action, Pol Maj Gen Theeradet said.

The Pheu Thai Party has brought six more political parties into its alliance to form a coalition government, lifting the total number of House seats in the group to 238.

Key members of Pheu Thai and the six new parties announced their alliance at parliament on Wednesday. The other parties are – Prachachart (9 House seats), Pheu Thai Ruam Palang (2), Charthaipattanakla (2), Seri Ruam Thai  (1), Palang Sangkhom Mai (1) and The Thongtee Thai  Party (The Party of Thai Counties), which has one MP and was formed by former village chiefs, health volunteers and other civil servants. 

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said his party had now secured 238 House seats in its bid to form a Pheu Thai-led coalition government.

Pheu Thai and all its coalition partners were hopeful they could ease political tensions and would seek support from all sides, elected MPs and appointed senators, for its candidate for prime minister, Dr Cholnan said.

Also present at the announcement were Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai, Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong, Seri Ram Thai leader Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, Charthaipattanakla chairman Suwat Limtapanlop, Prachachart secretary-general Tawee Sodsong and representatives of the other parties.

On Monday, the leaders of the Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai parties announced they would be the core of a bid to form a new coalition government. The two parties have 212 seats in total in the House of Representatives. The six new parties bring another 16 seats.

Pheu Thai came second in the May 14 general election with 141 House seats, followed by Bhumjaithai with 71.

On Aug 2, Pheu Thai dumped the election-winning Move Forward Party (MFP) and pulled out of the agreement signed with the seven other original alllies seeking to form a coalition government. The party said it would form its own coalition because the MFP insisted on amending Section 112 of the Criminal code, known as the lese majeste law, which many other MPs and most of the military appointed senators oppose.

Pheu Thai said it would nominate its own candidate for prime minister, Srettha Thavisin.

MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed to win parliament’s backing when nominated for prime minister on July 13.

More use of boats to ‘ease road traffic’

The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) will submit plans to develop existing and new canal routes to promote passenger boat transportation in a bid to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

OTP director Punya Chupanit on Tuesday revealed the OTP had carried out a feasibility study on maritime travel development in Bangkok and its adjacent provinces from this year to 2032 to expand waterway routes from a total of 131.2km to 196.6km.

The plan will be submitted to the Transport Ministry for consideration and is expected to require a budget of around 9.32 billion baht, Mr Punya said.

From that figure, 1.32 billion baht would be needed to develop piers and facilities for the 65.4-km existing waterway routes along the Chao Phraya River and Phadung Krung Kasem and Prawet Buri Rom canals.

The rest would fund the four new canal routes from this year to 2027.

The first project is the Sai Mai-Phra Khanong route on the Lat Phrao Canal. The route will be 25.7km long and will have 23 piers. The project will need a budget of 1.44 billion baht.

About 3.24 billion baht would be needed to develop the Saen Saep Canal route. The project will have three parts.

The first part is 12km long from Wat Si Bunrueang to Suwinthawong Road. The project will have 16 piers and is expected to be completed in three years’ time. The second section is 17.3km long, from Phan Pha Lilat Bridge to Wat Si Bunrueang, and it will have 28 piers. The third part will be 1.5km long from Phan Pha Lilat Bridge to Phra Sumen Fort and will have three piers. The OTP expects the extension of passenger boat services along the Saen Saep Canal to be completed in 2027.

The third route will be an expansion of the Mahasawat-Bangkok Noi canals. The route will be 17.1km long with 18 piers. It will link Pratu Nam Chimphli to Sirirat Hospital. The project budget is expected to be 397.53 million baht and will be completed within two years.

The last route is 28km long on Mahasawat Canal, which will have 13 piers connecting Pratu Nam Mahasawat to Wat Chaiyaphrueksamal. The project’s budget is expected to be 219.93 million baht, and it will be completed in 2025.

The OTP also has a long-term plan (2028-2032), Mr Punya said. The OTP will need about 2.69 billion baht to develop three projects to extend boat services to people living in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok.

The first route will develop along the Prem Prachakon Canal. The OTP expects to have piers for passenger boat services connecting Wat Rangsit in Pathum Thani to the Bang Sue area in Bangkok.

The second route will be an extension along the Chao Phraya River from Pak Kret pier in Nonthaburi to Muang district in Pathum Thani.

The third route will be an extension route of the Prawet Buri Rom Canal on the section of Iam Sombat Market to Wat Sangkaracha.

The OTP is confident the plan will be approved and sent to the new cabinet for further approval this year as it is a major investment to alleviate traffic congestion in the capital and adjacent provinces, Mr Punya said.

Heavy downpours have brought on landslides and flash floods, damaging roads in Nan and Mae Hong Son in the North and Tak and Kanchanaburi in the West.

Continuous rains have pummeled Pua and Bo Kluea districts in Nan province, with mountain slopes unable to absorb rainwater resulting in three landslides along Highway 1256 and four along Highway 1081, blocking traffic.

The Highway Department of Bo Kluea district has ordered a maintenance and construction team in Phichit to install a prefabricated Bailey bridge at those parts of the highways hit by landslides. It is estimated it will take a few days before traffic can resume.

On Tuesday, Nan provincial governor Wiboon Waewbandit and local officials visited Bo Kluea district to inspect damage from the heavy rains and landslides. Officials said Ban Bo Luang School is being used as a temporary shelter for locals from 14 households at risk of being hit by landslides.

Meanwhile, in Tak, continuing rain has caused subsidence on roads and flash floods damaging both Mae Sot district of Tak and the neighbouring Myawaddy township in Myanmar.

Heavy rains have inundated the main road connecting Myawaddy to Hpa-An township in Karen State. Households in Myawaddy were also flooded, and traffic and transport were suspended.

On Tuesday, subsidence occurred on Highway 105 in Tha Song Yang district of Tak, causing a five-metre deep and 60-metre-long crack along the road, which halted traffic.

Tak Highway District 2 (Mae Sot Office) has built an emergency road diversion and it plans to install a Bailey bridge on damaged roads.

The Geohazards Operation Centre has warned that the provinces of Mae Hong Son and Nan in the North and Tak and Kanchanaburi in the West will see flash floods until tomorrow.

The Thai Meteorological Department’s forecasts from Tuesday till Friday indicated that a moderate southern monsoon will lie across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

At the same time, a low-pressure trough will cover southern China and northern Vietnam, resulting in heavy rains across Thailand’s North.

At the weekend, the moderate trough will move past the North and Northeast of Thailand and Laos to join the low-pressure trough covering northern Vietnam.