Barkar Nash (Page 977)

Farm worker from Korat being treated for shrapnel wounds in Israeli hospital

A Thai farm worker has been reported injured following a rocket attack launched from the Gaza Strip amid fresh conflict between Israeli and Palestinian forces.

Kittana Srisuriya, a Thai minister-counsellor for labour based in Tel Aviv, said that Prakobsuk Saengsai, a 42-year-old Nakhon Ratchasima native working in Israel, was hit in the arm by shrapnel following a rocket attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday.

The injured worker was taken to Soroka Medical Center in the Israeli city of Be’er Sheva and is in stable condition, acting Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said on Saturday.

Israeli social security authorities have agreed to take on the injured man’s medical costs and compensate him for time off work, according to the minister, who instructed Mr Kittana to meet Mr Prakobsuk and offer assistance.

The Labour Ministry has confirmed that Mr Prakobsuk is registered with the Overseas Employment Assistance Fund.

Ministry officials are also visiting Mr Prakobsuk’s family in Nakhon Ratchasima province to inform them of assistance that they may access and offer encouragement.

Early on Saturday, Palestinian militants in Gaza resumed rocket fire on Israel after Israeli aircraft bombed Islamic Jihad targets in the enclave overnight, as fighting entered a fifth day.

Egypt has been trying to mediate a truce in the flare-up, which has so far left at least 33 Palestinians and one Israeli dead.

Islamic Jihad rejects coexistence with Israel and preaches its destruction. Top ministers of Israel’s religious nationalist government rule out accepting any state sought by Palestinians in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Israeli authorities have agreed to shoulder the cost of the injured Thai man’s medical care, said caretaker Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin.

Khon Kaen gets ready in the rain for voter turnout expected to reach 80%

KHON KAEN: Voters are cautioned not to wear clothes showing numbers that match those of candidates or parties when going to cast their ballots for Sunday’s general election.

Clothing bearing the names and/or logos of political parties is also not allowed under election rules, poll officials advise.

Interest in the election is running high in Khon Kaen, where authorities expect more than 80% of eligible voters to turn out.

Watchara Seesarn, director of the Election Commission office in the northeastern province, on Saturday morning led poll officials to distribute election materials and ballot boxes to staff at 178 polling stations in Constituency 1 covering Muang municipal area, tambon Phra Lab and tambon Muang Kao of Muang district amid heavy rain.

Mr Watchara said poll authorities for all 11 constituencies of Khon Kaen had already delivered election materials to all polling stations in the 26 districts of the province. Everything was now ready for Sunday’s election despite heavy downpours.

He told people wanting to exercise their voting rights not to wear clothes with numbers that were matched with those of candidates as doing so may be at risk of violating election rules.

Mr Watchara assured the public that every vote people cast would belong to the candidates and parties they voted for.

“People can be assured that every vote they cast for the general election will belong to the MP candidates and political parties they vote for,” he said.

“It’s good news that turnout for last week’s advance voting was more than 90%. Turnout for Sunday’s poll will certainly be over 80%.”

Nationwide, the Election Commission is predicting a turnout of up to 85% of the country’s 52.3 million voters, which would be a record. In 2019, voter turnout was 74.7%. 

Unofficial results should be known by 11pm on Sunday on the ECT Report website, according to the commission. It said reporting of the vote counts from each constituency should be faster than during the 2019 election.

Under the law, official election results of at least 95% of the constituencies must be announced no later than 60 days after voting day.

Staff members at a polling station in Khon Kaen check ballots and other equipment for Sunday’s general election. (Photo: Chakrapan Natanri)

Study reveals city’s drug-poverty links

More than 92,000 primary school-aged children are at risk of being exposed to narcotics, especially those who grow up in poor families with parents who take drugs, according to research by Mahidol University’s National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD).

The NICFD’s study, conducted on 1,309 families living in Bangkok slums who have at least one child up to the age of six years, showed that 6%, or 83 families, either have parents or guardians with a history of drug addiction, said the NICFD’s director-general, Dr Adisak Plitapolkarnpim.

The survey results said at least 154,800 impoverished families with no children or kids of primary school age may include parents or guardians with a history of drug addiction. It is estimated that such households could have 92,880 children in this age demographic.

For this study, the institute defined “poor families” as those that received a 600-baht-a-month subsidy for six years since their children were born.

The survey showed that parents from poor families are at least 2.4 times more likely to be exposed to narcotics and risk drug addiction than those that do not fit the criteria, while 60% tend to raise their kids using violence.

While gleaning such information about the subsidy is useful in planning how to rehabilitate the parents, Dr Adisak highlighted a problem in the form of siloed databases, meaning that the data about drug addiction and child support subsidies are often not linked.

The database containing details about who has received the subsidy includes 2.58 million people and shows that at least 16.32 billion baht was spent this year.

With these concerns in mind, Dr Adisak proposed that the next government prioritise investments in primary school-aged kids, such as psychological training to help them control their desire to experiment with drugs.

Panadda Thanasettakorn, a NICFD lecturer, said adults are responsible for building a suitable environment to nurture children in a non-violent way and shore up their emotional ability to withstand the desire to take narcotics.

Meanwhile, Dr Apichat Jitcharoen, NICFD deputy director-general, cited another study the department is conducting on the effects of cannabis on the foetus. He said this is a concern as more pregnant women are now smoking weed while carrying a child, especially in impoverished communities.

Using the time-honoured tradition of Vedic astrology to predict our next PM, writes Joydiip Mukkarji

In astrology, when making predictions about the future leaders of a country who are set to be chosen by the people, two things are most important (i) logical progression, and (ii) the current planetary transit positions.

At the time of my research, I was pleasantly surprised to note that ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was born in 1949, while the current prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, was born in 1954. These dates suggest it was a logical progression for them to become national leaders.

For this election, will Gen Prayut be able to overcome the challenges of other candidates, or will someone new take the helm? It is worth bearing in mind there has been a huge planetary transit happening since 2019-2020. Planet Shiva, the lord of recreation, regeneration and transformation, has moved into exaltation after almost 200 years.

I will first eliminate, using astrology, those candidates who have less chance of winning this election or leading the country. Keep in mind that I don’t know their exact time of birth, so my calculations are based on their date of birth as cited in Wikipedia.

PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA, the Pheu Thai Party’s No.1 prime ministerial candidate: Astrologically speaking, she has no chance of winning the election because she is too young as per the tenets of logical progression; secondly, the 7th house in her birth chart, which is most important to win over her opponents/enemies, is not that strong. Hence it will be difficult for her to get elected.

JURIN LAKSANAWISIT, the Democrat Party’s leader and prime ministerial candidate: He also has a slimmer chance of being elected to lead the country. His weak planet, Saturn, is currently in a weak position, and there is no positive transit happening. That would make clinching the role of prime minister very difficult.

GEN PRAYUT, the United Thai Nation Party’s PM candidate: His 7th house lord just moved to the 8th house, while his relatively weak 4th house is currently in transit. He, too, might not make it this time.

ANUTIN CHARNVIRAKUL, Bhumjaithai’s leader and PM candidate: He has a great chart, actually. He could become the potential winner. But astrologically, I would eliminate him as he was born on a “No Moon” day, which will make it difficult for him to cross the line.

That leaves the two candidates I feel have the highest chance of success.

PITA LIMJAROENRAT, the Move Forward Party’s leader and PM candidate: Planet Shiva moved to his 9th house of luck while Planet Brahma, the lord of creation, is also in a very strong position, which has given him a very high chance of winning the election.

Only Saturn is weak in his birth chart. It is in transit and currently in a state of debilitation, which could make it hard for him to win any major public event.

SRETTHA THAVISIN, Pheu Thai’s No.2 PM candidate: Astrologically speaking, the favourite contender is Mr Srettha. He has a fabulous chart. Right now, Jupiter is exalted and transiting in his 7th house, which indicates a win over competitors in the political field. Also, Planet Kubera, the lord of wealth, is coming to his 9th house of luck, and will stay there for the next four years. The strongest planet, Shiva, the lord of transformation and regeneration, is currently transiting in his 4th house, which indicates the country or place in which he stays.

These combinations make Mr Srettha the favourite to win the election.

In a world where uncertainties often dominate, astrology has garnered interest and application in predicting the outcomes of major competitions and events, ranging from sports and wars to politics. As the upcoming election approaches, the Bangkok Post is publishing below a thought-provoking analysis of Vedic astrology — a time-honoured tradition that traces its origins back thousands of years.

It is important to emphasise that this astrological perspective aims to provide insight into the potential outcomes based solely on astrological knowledge, devoid of any political analysis or influencing factors, without any intention of guiding or swaying voters’ decisions. Instead, readers are encouraged to exercise their discretion and judgement as they embark on this fascinating journey.

Using the time-honoured tradition of Vedic astrology to predict our next PM, writes Joydiip Mukkarji

In a world where uncertainties often dominate, astrology has garnered interest and application in predicting the outcomes of major competitions and events, ranging from sports and wars to politics. As the upcoming election approaches, the Bangkok Post is publishing below a thought-provoking analysis of Vedic astrology — a time-honoured tradition that traces its origins back thousands of years.

It is important to emphasise that this astrological perspective aims to provide insight into the potential outcomes based solely on astrological knowledge, devoid of any political analysis or influencing factors, without any intention of guiding or swaying voters’ decisions. Instead, readers are encouraged to exercise their discretion and judgement as they embark on this fascinating journey.

In astrology, when making predictions about the future leaders of a country who are set to be chosen by the people, two things are most important (i) logical progression, and (ii) the current planetary transit positions.

At the time of my research, I was pleasantly surprised to note that ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was born in 1949, while the current prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, was born in 1954. These dates suggest it was a logical progression for them to become national leaders.

For this election, will Gen Prayut be able to overcome the challenges of other candidates, or will someone new take the helm? It is worth bearing in mind there has been a huge planetary transit happening since 2019-2020. Planet Shiva, the lord of recreation, regeneration and transformation, has moved into exaltation after almost 200 years.

I will first eliminate, using astrology, those candidates who have less chance of winning this election or leading the country. Keep in mind that I don’t know their exact time of birth, so my calculations are based on their date of birth as cited in Wikipedia.

PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA, the Pheu Thai Party’s No.1 prime ministerial candidate: Astrologically speaking, she has no chance of winning the election because she is too young as per the tenets of logical progression; secondly, the 7th house in her birth chart, which is most important to win over her opponents/enemies, is not that strong. Hence it will be difficult for her to get elected.

JURIN LAKSANAWISIT, the Democrat Party’s leader and prime ministerial candidate: He also has a slimmer chance of being elected to lead the country. His weak planet, Saturn, is currently in a weak position, and there is no positive transit happening. That would make clinching the role of prime minister very difficult.

GEN PRAYUT, the United Thai Nation Party’s PM candidate: His 7th house lord just moved to the 8th house, while his relatively weak 4th house is currently in transit. He, too, might not make it this time.

ANUTIN CHARNVIRAKUL, Bhumjaithai’s leader and PM candidate: He has a great chart, actually. He could become the potential winner. But astrologically, I would eliminate him as he was born on a “No Moon” day, which will make it difficult for him to cross the line.

That leaves the two candidates I feel have the highest chance of success.

PITA LIMJAROENRAT, the Move Forward Party’s leader and PM candidate: Planet Shiva moved to his 9th house of luck while Planet Brahma, the lord of creation, is also in a very strong position, which has given him a very high chance of winning the election.

Only Saturn is weak in his birth chart. It is in transit and currently in a state of debilitation, which could make it hard for him to win any major public event.

SRETTHA THAVISIN, Pheu Thai’s No.2 PM candidate: Astrologically speaking, the favourite contender is Mr Srettha. He has a fabulous chart. Right now, Jupiter is exalted and transiting in his 7th house, which indicates a win over competitors in the political field. Also, Planet Kubera, the lord of wealth, is coming to his 9th house of luck, and will stay there for the next four years. The strongest planet, Shiva, the lord of transformation and regeneration, is currently transiting in his 4th house, which indicates the country or place in which he stays.

These combinations make Mr Srettha the favourite to win the election.