Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a war on drugs and aclampdown on gun control laws after a massacre at a daycare centre in northeastThailand sparked urgent calls for change on Thursday.///Although no traces of drugs were detected in his body, police say he had a historyof drug abuse, namely methamphetamine.The Royal Thai Police are wasting no time in meeting General Prayut’s demands,seizing 8.6 million methamphetamine pills from the streets of Lampang and Takprovinces in the space of three days.But with all three of Thailand’s mass shootings in recent years being committed bysoldiers and a former policeman, the crackdown on drugs needs to start fromwithin. PM Prayut ordered the national chief of police to proactively ensure theforce is free of drugs and takes strict criminal and disciplinary action against anyan officer who fails a drug test said government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri.Prayut has called on all government agencies to focus on three key measures:providing government rehabilitation facilities, using psychoactive plants formedicinal and business purposes only, and taking criminal action against drugtraffickers.General Prayut calls for stricter enforcement of gun control laws. Anyone buying afirearm needs to provide a medical certificate proving they have stable mentalhealthIn addition, government registrars should revoke the license of any gun owner whobehaves in a way that “threatens society” or “creates chaos” including policeofficers and soldiers.However, many people acquire firearms illegally, so the police need to crack downon the illicit sale of weapons and weapons smuggling too.Another prevention measure PM Prayut suggested is tightening security measuresin daycare centres, nurseries, and schools. Minister of Education TreenutThienthong said that secure door systems will be installed across the nation toscreen anyone coming in or out of educational settings.
Today, funerals will be held at Buddhist temples in Nong Bua Lamphu for the 37innocent lives were taken away on Thursday. May they rest in peace.
The tourism industry has been seeing signs of recovery after being hit hard by theCOVID-19 pandemic. The sector now expects around 11.7 million internationalvisitors this year and a revenue of 620 billion baht.///Tourism businesses are hoping to see a recovery following the country’s borderreopening to tourists. Mr Chamnan Srisawat, President of the Tourism Council ofThailand (TCT), said tourists from India will become key spenders, thanks to thepopulation size, their eagerness to travel abroad, and their high purchasing power.Around 600,000 tourists from India have visited Thailand so far this year, makingthem the second largest group of visitors to the kingdom, after Malaysia.To accommodate growth in the high-spending group, the TCT has proposed aa sustainable tourism development strategy that promotes a balance between keytourism destinations and lesser-known cities, enabling better income distribution toall corners.
As Bangkok and Pathum Thani prepare for the Chao Phraya river to overflow,officials warn people affected by floods to look out for poisonous snakes,scorpions, and centipedes.///
Water levels in the Chao Phraya river are reaching a breaking point in lowercentral Thailand. The river is teeming with snakes which will flood into urbanareas when the river overflows, warns Pathum Thani Provincial Organisation.A snake-catching team has caught 80 snakes so far this rainy season in PathumThani province alone – from pit vipers to cobras to pythons.Communities downstream, including Bangkok, are expected to flood as a largebody of water makes its way southward from the north. The Chao Praya barrage inChai Nat province – the main regulator of water from the north – increased itswater discharge to 3,113 cubic metres per second on Sunday. It is the highestmeasurement so far this year.Pathum Thani Provincial Organisation posted photos of the team capturing a snakewith the following message…“The municipality would like to warn residents affected by floods – please becareful of the danger presented by poisonous animals like snakes, centipedes, andscorpions that attempt to escape the water by hiding in dark corners of your home.If you get bitten or stung it could be life-threatening.”If you do get bitten by a poisonous snake, there’s a chance you will survive, butonly if you act fast.Monsoon season is expected to linger a little longer this year. Floods continue todisrupt life in central, north and northeast Thailand. In some parts of UbonIn Ratchathani province, houses are completely submerged.If you are affected by the flooding and need urgent assistance, contact the ThaiGovernment’s English-speaking Tourist Police, who can be reached nationwide bydialling 1155.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reported that the six-year-old Israeli girlwho suffered a cardiac arrest after being stung by a dangerous jellyfish is in seriousbut stable condition.///
The Israeli child’s heart stopped after she was stung by a poisonous box of jellyfishon a beach in Ko Pha Ngan on Sunday. She received first aid on the beach whichresuscitated her before she was flown by helicopter to Surat Thani Hospital.The Foreign Ministry reported yesterday that the little girl’s condition hasstabilized adding they are in contact with the child’s parents.Israel’s consul in Bangkok, Eli Senna, said it is “a miracle” the child survived theordeal.She said…“If they had not started treating the girl immediately from the moment she wasbitten, the situation would have been tragic. We are really happy that the eventended the way it did, we continue to accompany the family and help in all we can.”The box jellyfish, or sea wasp, is considered one of the deadliest species in theworld. Its tentacles can grow to about five meters long and each tentacle is coveredby nematocysts – tiny darts loaded with poison. The venom from the darts isbelieved to be among the most poisonous in the world. It causes intense pain,paralysis, cardiac arrest, and even death in some cases.The box jellyfish can be found all year in the Gulf of Thailand and the AndamanSea, but the venomous jellyfish are most prevalent from July to October, accordingto Sophon Golden of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resou
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) today apologised to the city’spassengers after a story of mushrooms growing out of a public bus seat went viralon Thai social media.
The picture of the mushroom-growing seat, posted by political activist Jatuporn“New” Saenueng, drew complaints from Thai netizens.The BMTA responded to the criticism on its official Facebook page yesterday. TheBMTA said…“The BMTA investigated the subject that was shared online and found that the seatbelongs to a non-air-conditioned No. 82 bus. The bus was sent to the BMTAmaintenance garage at 4 pm yesterday to get the seat changed. The BMTA wouldlike to apologise for the inconvenience and urge bus staff and relevant officers tocheck the buses before operating to make passengers confident in the service.”Some Thai netizens appreciated the quick response and work while others added itwas time to renew the old buses. One woman urged the BMTA to check everypublic bus because the mushrooms were not the only thing bothering passengers.They had to put up with broken windows and wet seats when it rained.
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