Barkar Nash (Page 939)

NARATHIWAT: The death toll from the fireworks explosion at a warehouse in Sungai Kolok district on Saturday is now 12, with 121 injured and 292 houses damaged or totally destroyed, the province’s public relations office announced on its Facebook page on Sunday.

Of the 12 deaths, seven bodies had been taken by relatives for religious rites while the five others were still at Sungai Kolok Hospital, three of them identified and two unidentified.

Of the 121 injured, 111 had returned home. Ten were admitted to Sungai Kolok Hospital for treatment of injuries – with only one in a serious condition.

Sanan Pong-aksorn, the Narathiwat governor, examined the damage from the explosion which occurred at about 3pm on Saturday at the warehouse at Ban Muno, the Moo 1 village in tambon Muno.

He said the place was initally opened as a grocery shop. The owner then obtained permission to expand it to become a warehouse to store merchandise. The godown was believed to have been used to store fireworks without permission.

The warehouse owner had been identified and summoned to report to police to testify, Mr Sanan said.

The governor said the incident occurred while welding was taking place at Weerawat Panit shop to make shelves. The explosion was believed to have been caused by sparks from the welding work.

The huge blast damaged 292 houses nearby, totally destroying 50 of them.

Most of the residents nearby were unaware fireworks had been stored in the godown. The building doors had been closed most of the time, except when two trucks occasionally arrived to unload merchandise.

Wichitchat Udomlarpcharoenkit, a rescue leader from a charity foundation in Sungai Kolok, said when he led about 40 rescuers to the scene they saw only houses and shops ablaze with debris scattered over a wide area. Many vehicles had their tyres flattened by broken objects. Heavy equipment was used to break open the damaged houses to bring out the killed and injured, with help from soldiers and defence volunteers.

The Election Commission (EC) may take criminal and civil action against a Move Forward Party MP for running in the May 14 election despite having been previously convicted and jailed for theft, according to its chairman.

EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said the candidacy of Rayong MP Nakhonchai Khunnarong was actually barred by Section 98 of the constitution which set criteria for those running for parliament. The criteria include a court order for imprisonment.

If a candidate runs in a general election while knowing he is unqualified, he can be also considered as committing an offence in violation of Section 151 of the MP election law and held responsible for the election cost in accordance with Section 420 of the Civil and Commercial Code, Mr Ittiporn said.

He said that the EC was aware of the MP’s announcement that he would resign next week.

“There is the issue of a criminal offence under Section 151 of the organic law on MP election and there can also be a civil lawsuit to demand compensation for the organisation of a by-election,” Mr Ittiporn said.

Nakhonchai, aka Ice Rayong, announced his resignation on Thursday last week after admitting he had been convicted in a theft case and served 18 months in jail more than two decades ago.

The case dated back to October 1999, he said, when he was partying with a group of friends. He said he found a woman’s wristwatch but was arrested by police along with a friend who confessed to stealing it.

At the police station, he said he unknowingly signed a confession. He was sentenced to three years in jail, but the sentence was cut in half due to his confession.

PHUKET: The body of the Senegalese tourist who went missing after going swimming in the sea off Freedom beach in tambon Karon of Muang district on Friday was recovered on Sunday morning.

Lt Jadet Vachirasorn, the Tambon Karon Municipality mayor, said the body of Cheikhonuna Ba, 22, was recovered by a team of lifeguards at about 6.50am at Freedom beach where he went missing after being washed ashore.

Police and volunteers from the Kusoltham Phuket Foundation examined the spot and sent the body to Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy.

The search command centre, set up by the Tambon Karon Municipality, has been closed, said Lt Chadet.

Lifeguards operating at various beaches have been instructed to remain vigilant, particularly during a weather disturbance, for the safety of tourists, he added.

After the Senegalese tourist went missing on Friday, searchers from the Karon municipality and other agencies were deployed on Saturday. They expanded the search area to Patong beach to the north and Karon beach about two kilometres south of Freedom beach on the west coast of the tourist island, but to no avail.

Kingdom unveils ‘Beyond Horizon’

King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have introduced a prototype of a luxury 25-seater rail carriage nicknamed “Beyond Horizon”, equipped with personal touch screens and facilities for those who travel with wheelchairs.

Somyot Kaitwanidvilai, dean of KMITL’s School of Engineering and the project manager of Beyond Horizon, said the project is part of the Transport Ministry’s innovative Thai First Policy.

It seeks to incorporate more homegrown hardware into the mass-transit network, using 40% of Thai-made materials throughout the production line. The aim is to prepare locally-made rail coaches for a spurt of upcoming nationwide network development.

In 20 years, Thailand will need at least 2,425 rail carriages to cater for railway network development. Each carriage could cost 50 million baht, or up to 100 billion baht in total.

During 2015–2018, rail carriages accounted for 80% of SRT’s import costs. This presents an opportunity for Thailand to become a manufacturer in its own right, using technology localisation to improve the country’s railway system, Mr Somyot said.

He said the Beyond Horizon project has received 32 million baht in funding, 25 million baht of which came from the Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness, while the rest came from the Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture.

“The design of the passenger coach was inspired by airlines’ business class and high-speed railways’ first class,” he said.

Each carriage consists of 25 seats, eight of them in the super luxury class and the rest luxury class.

All seats are provided with private screens for on-board entertainment and food orders, Mr Somyot said.

The passenger train’s lavatory is built in a vacuum system like the ones on commercial planes, while the train doors’ universal design is easy for people with disabilities.

Mr Somyot added the ticket price of Beyond Horizon will be similar to the price of the SRT’s sleeper train’s tickets.

Maethus Lertsethtakarn, executive of the Joint Venture Sinogen-Pin Petch company, said Thailand’s neighbours — Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia — are able to manufacture their own carriages for domestic use.

However, Thailand still orders production materials from abroad, costing the country over 6 billion baht, he said.

“The research team has developed every element of the train which gives us thorough insight into maintenance and upgrades,” he said.

“The budget for imports will be cut and our technical know-how will be available for entrepreneurs.”

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the project, saying it will help reduce costs by about 50% when compared to importing carriages.

Kingdom unveils ‘Beyond Horizon’

King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have introduced a prototype of a luxury 25-seater rail carriage nicknamed “Beyond Horizon”, equipped with personal touch screens and facilities for those who travel with wheelchairs.

Somyot Kaitwanidvilai, dean of KMITL’s School of Engineering and the project manager of Beyond Horizon, said the project is part of the Transport Ministry’s innovative Thai First Policy.

It seeks to incorporate more homegrown hardware into the mass-transit network, using 40% of Thai-made materials throughout the production line. The aim is to prepare locally-made rail coaches for a spurt of upcoming nationwide network development.

In 20 years, Thailand will need at least 2,425 rail carriages to cater for railway network development. Each carriage could cost 50 million baht, or up to 100 billion baht in total.

During 2015–2018, rail carriages accounted for 80% of SRT’s import costs. This presents an opportunity for Thailand to become a manufacturer in its own right, using technology localisation to improve the country’s railway system, Mr Somyot said.

He said the Beyond Horizon project has received 32 million baht in funding, 25 million baht of which came from the Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness, while the rest came from the Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture.

“The design of the passenger coach was inspired by airlines’ business class and high-speed railways’ first class,” he said.

Each carriage consists of 25 seats, eight of them in the super luxury class and the rest luxury class.

All seats are provided with private screens for on-board entertainment and food orders, Mr Somyot said.

The passenger train’s lavatory is built in a vacuum system like the ones on commercial planes, while the train doors’ universal design is easy for people with disabilities.

Mr Somyot added the ticket price of Beyond Horizon will be similar to the price of the SRT’s sleeper train’s tickets.

Maethus Lertsethtakarn, executive of the Joint Venture Sinogen-Pin Petch company, said Thailand’s neighbours — Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia — are able to manufacture their own carriages for domestic use.

However, Thailand still orders production materials from abroad, costing the country over 6 billion baht, he said.

“The research team has developed every element of the train which gives us thorough insight into maintenance and upgrades,” he said.

“The budget for imports will be cut and our technical know-how will be available for entrepreneurs.”

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the project, saying it will help reduce costs by about 50% when compared to importing carriages.

The total number of people injured in road accidents on the first day of the long holiday reached almost 2,000 with 22 fatalities, according to the Royal Thai Police (RTP).

Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, deputy national police chief and commander of the RTP’s Traffic Police Operation Centre, said on Saturday his officers have been told remain on the lookout for traffic offences due to the high volume of journeys from towns and cities to the provinces during the July 28 to Aug 2 long holiday weekend.

With 1,871 injuries and 22 fatalities on Friday alone, Pol Gen Roy said the main cause of accidents had been speeding, followed by drowsiness, changing lanes and dangerous overtaking.

He advised drivers to check their vehicles and study the route before leaving home to avoid road accidents.

Police also reported that 157 drivers had been arrested for drunk driving on Friday.

Pol Lt Gen Nithithorn Chintakanon, commander of the RTP’s national police chief office, said the legal alcohol limit is 50 milligrammes per decilitre (mg/dL).

Anyone found to be over the limit when breathalysed will face a charge of drunk driving.

Also, drivers below the age of 20 who do not hold a valid driver’s licence when caught over the breath/alcohol limit of 20 mg/dL will be sentenced.

Pol Lt Gen Nithithorn said first-time offenders will face up to a year of jail time or 5,000-10,000 baht in fines.

Those who repeat the offence within two years of their first conviction will likely have to pay 50-100,000 baht in fines and contest the sentence in a new court appearance.

Meanwhile, the state-run Transport Co said that over 58,000 passengers had left Bangkok to take city-dwellers back to their hometowns on Friday aboard over l,000 cross-provincial buses.

Transport Co president Sanyalux Panwattanalikit said 3,964 journeys back to the capital have been laid on for Wednesday to cater for 50,735 passengers on 7,975 rides making 109,624 trips in total for both legs.

No passengers will be left stranded at bus or coach stops on their way back to the city, he said.

He said people would begin to travel back to the city on Aug 2-3 and the Transport Co has prepared its vans and buses to provide about 3,500 rides per day for an average of 35,000 passengers a day.

He said the Transport Co had sought help from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority and Taxi Association to offer connections at the capital’s five main bus terminals due to the high number of people travelling.

Questions remain over whether fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra will keep his promise to return to Thailand on Aug 10 after massage parlour tycoon-turned-whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit claimed the homecoming plan was cancelled.

On Friday, Mr Chuvit posted on Facebook, claiming that: “The game has changed. Thaksin stepped back and cancelled the plan to return to Thailand. The situation has changed. Signs of danger are beyond expectations.”

His remarks prompted a reaction from Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter and one of the Pheu Thai Party’s three prime minister candidates.

“Nonsense,” she commented on Facebook page of news presenter Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, which posted Mr Chuvit’s remarks. She stood by the Aug 10 date.

Mr Chuvit later said he had received information that Thaksin had delayed his return because the political situation in the country remained volatile.

He also said he believed a new prime minister still cannot be elected by a joint sitting of MPs and senators in the vote scheduled for Friday.

He added that Thakin would return once a deal has been struck in Bangkok. He gave no further details. In response to Ms Paetongtarn, Mr Chuvit said: “I understand that Ms Paetongtarn wants her father to return to Thailand, though she might not know all the conditions [for his return].”

However, a source who recently met Thaksin abroad said Thaksin’s homecoming plan remains unchanged. “He will return to Thailand as planned and there are no other factors that will make him cancel the plan,” the source said.

Jatuporn Prompan, former chairman of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said he did not believe Thaksin would return that day, as he has previously announced such homecoming plans 20 times but has not come back yet.

He said Thaksin’s latest homecoming plan was announced after the Move Forward Party stepped aside and let Pheu Thai take charge of forming a government. It is making slow progress.

“Don’t believe him until he appears at Don Mueang airport on Aug 10. Thaksin actually wants to return to Thailand without having to spend a single day in jail, which cannot happen,” Mr Jatuporn said.

On Wednesday, Thaksin’s 74th birthday, Ms Paetongtarn announced her father was due to arrive at Don Mueang airport on Aug 10.

It is the first time that Thaksin — who has spent 17 years saying he will come home — has set a date for his return.

Earlier, he said he would return before his birthday, only for his daughter to say it would be pushed back slightly due to political uncertainties.