A ten year old boy out admiring the New Year lights in Nakhon Phanom was lucky to live after being electrocuted on the banks of the Mekong River. 

Thai Rath reported that the youngster is recovering in Nakhon Phanom hospital.

The family called on the authorities in the city to check electrical installations such as fancy lights.

Provincial governor Siam Sirimongkhon ordered his minions to carry out inspections.

And he reminded the public not to let their children wander off into restricted areas.

Source: Thai Rath

The family of a 14 year boy who died after a police chase intend to sue the police in Nakhon Phanom.

Thanawut died after hitting a tree. He had been chased by a traffic policeman attached to the Muang district police in the north eastern Thai city.

He was chased because he was not wearing a helmet and refused to stop.

His father Chalao, 52, and mother Nitaya, 45, and relatives have gone to the press for help in their fight for justice. Chaleo is an assistant to the phu yai ban in his village.  And today armed with video footage they were planning to take their grievances up with the police.

Thanawut was on his way home from Muang district to Ban Don Yang Nang on Monday 19th.  The parents said their son became scared and fled. He lost control of his Honda Wave near the Nakhon Phanom University and hit a tree.

After this they alleged that the traffic policeman – Number 618 – pulled his body in a cruel manner. They claim he should have been helping their son get to hospital.  Locals filmed this part of the incident. After a while the locals and the police got the boy to hospital.

But he was already dead – Sanook said he was dead immediately after the accident.

The parents are claiming that their son experienced worse treatment than if he had been a thief or a murderer.

They accept he was not wearing a helmet but they claim the policeman’s response was over the top.

A cremation was held on Saturday and now the family’s attention has turned to getting compensation from the police.

Source: Sanook

BANGKOK — After a two year hiatus, the river lantern festival of Loy Krathong is making a comeback in its blazing glory this evening.

Vendors countrywide are busy sewing banana leafs into krathongs, festivities are planned and even junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha will personally float his krathong at a canal next to Government House later today, according to officials.

Up north in Chiang Mai province, the local variation of Loy Krathong kicked off last night. Called Yi Peng festival, it involved floating krathongs in rivers and releasing lit lantern balloons into the night sky.

A total of 148 flights were either canceled or rescheduled to avoid coming in contact with these lanterns.

In Bangkok, up to 30 parks will be opened to Loy Krathong revellers tonight.

Revelers at Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai.

Temple-goers sew krathongs at a temple in Prachinburi province

An early Loy Krathong celebration in Khon Kaen province.

A police officer shows illegal firecrackers confiscated in Korat. Police have banned unsanctioned use of fireworks during Loy Krathong.

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Pictures: Chiang Mai News

Tourism operators were putting a brave face on prospects for high season in the northern Thai capital. 

But a brief report by Chiang Mai News painted a stark picture that really had one clear message: Tourism in Chiang Mai has been decimated by the downturn in Chinese arrivals.

Some were hoping that more Western tourists would fill their place especially during the next few months.

A hotel operator in the Prapokklao area said that her business had been terrible the last few months. 

She was now forced to offer rooms by the month at discounts. These traditionally might attract more Westerners on longer stays.

Food vendors all over the city said that since the Chinese stopped coming in greater numbers there are few customers. They rely on passing trade and office workers.

It used to be vibrant but not any more, they said.

Ek Namjit, 30, said that the situation was as bad as Phuket – that is to say terrible.

Low prices for hotel rooms meant that some people would go out of business. He was forced to do two jobs to make ends meet.

The high season may provide some respite with the arrival of farangs but the overriding message was that the tourism business was in a bad situation.

Chiang Mai News quoted operators as saying that negative incidents and the resulting adverse social media comment had affected the Chinese tourism market considerably.

Source: Chiang Mai News

A 28-year-old Dutchman has reportedly completed a 17,900-kilometre cross-continent bicycle ride from the Netherlands to visit his 58-year-old father, who lives in Thailand.

The 10-month and four-day journey, which began in mid-February, ended for William Coniris as he arrived his father Paul Coniris’s home in Suphan Buri’s Mueang district on Monday, after three years of not having seen each other.

Having worked in the field of meteorology in his home country, the man said the journey passing through 28 countries had exposed him to new things and different scenes that would be inspiring for his work when he returned home.

The Dutch cyclist recalled that he had stayed overnight along the way in a tent and spent about five to six hours cycling every day. He said the most frequently occurring issue was a shortage of drinking water and food, as some countries did not have many shops on their roads.

In Thailand, however, there are so many shops and people are friendly, he added with a smile.

Coniris will travel back home on November 27, after what has been his third visit to the Kingdom.

Source: The Nation