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Loei’s Phu Kradueng fires ‘under control’

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3,400 rai of forest destroyed by blaze..

A fire rips through Phu Kradueng from Sunday morning to early hours of Monday. (Photo from Phu Kradueng Facebook account)

A bushfire in Loei’s famous Phu Kradueng National Park was finally brought under control on Monday morning, after destroying about 3,400 rai of forest.

The fire was first reported at 8.30am on Sunday and raged for 18 hours before being brought under control at about 2am on Monday, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation director-general, Thanya Netithammakun, announced.

According to Mr Thanya, the fire began at the foot of a hill and rapidly spread up the mountain, fuelled by latex in the rubber sap.

“Strong winds also helped fan the blaze. The tough terrain made extinguishing the fire especially difficult, as some areas were completely inaccessible,” said Mr Thanya, who said the wildfire was “the worst fire in 17 years”.

It took 130 people — including local officials, villagers and even tourists — to bring it under control, according to Mr Thanya.

“Luckily, the fire was subdued before it spread to ecologically sensitive areas,” he said.

Sombat Pimprasit, head of Phu Kradueng National Park, said the forest fire is estimated to have damaged some 3,400 rai of pine forest and prairie grasslands, out of a total park area of 44,325 rai.

“Despite its severity, we were lucky it only damaged the outer rim of the national park,” he said.

“Luckily, the inner core of the national park, where wildlife such as chamois, tigers and elephants live and wild plants are concentrated, were not disturbed.”

While the fires have been subdued, Mr Sombat said there is a high risk of another blaze breaking out because of the dry weather.

At present, local officials, along with villagers and volunteers are rushing to create a two-kilometre buffer zone around the foothills of the mountains, in order to prevent new fires from spreading to ecologically sensitive areas in the park.

Mr Sombat said that he suspected the fire was started deliberately and accused some villagers of setting fire to the forest to help them collect wild animals and plants in the forest.

The park chief insisted that the park remains open to the public.

Phu Kradueng National Park is one of the most important national parks in the country, because of its unique ecology which encompasses a wide variety of different habitats within a relatively small area, which ranges from pine forests to grasslands.

Acts of arson have damaged numerous ecologically sensitive areas in the country, and Phu Kradueng is not the only victim.

Last week, about 13 rai of forest in Doi Pha Mueang Wildlife Sanctuary in Lampang was damaged by fire in a single day.

An ecological conservation area in Tham Pha Thai Park in the same province was also razed by fire last week, destroying some 7 rai of protected forest land.

Bangkok Post

 

 

‘Racist’ London attack on Thai

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A Thai working in the United Kingdom was physically assaulted in what he claimed was a racist attack linked to the current global coronavirus outbreak.

Pawat Silawattakun, a 24-year-old tax consultant, posted on his Facebook page on Feb 9 that two teenagers hurled abuse at him due to his race and snatched his headphones as he waited to cross the street in London.

“I heard a faint sound ‘Coronavirus.. haha.. coronavirus.. coronavirus..’ directed at me from my left, as I waited to cross the street,” he wrote.

According to Mr Pawat, as one of the teenagers repeatedly taunted him and filmed him, the other proceeded to snatch his headphones before running off.

Mr Pawat said he ran after the teenagers, but one of them suddenly turned around and punched him on the nose, knocking him to the ground.

He later sought treatment at a nearby hospital and reported the incident to the police.

“The climate of racism associated with the coronavirus provides validation to abuse people of East Asian ethnicity, even in the finest cities and institutions, and has become widespread,” Mr Pawat wrote.

“The shouting of ‘coronavirus’ may have been a distraction to steal my headphones, but nonetheless the intent was clear: I was targeted due to my race.”

Mr Pawat urged all people of East Asian descent to be more vigilant and avoid walking alone.

“The indirect damage that the fear and misunderstanding of the ‘coronavirus’ has caused far outweighs the direct damage that the virus has thus far inflicted upon our society,” Mr Pawat continued.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Thais can seek help from Thai embassies wherever they are, if they were involved in a similar incident.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Cherdkiat Atthakor, said that upon being informed of the attack, the Royal Thai Embassy in London had already contacted Mr Pawat and was following the case closely.

“If Thais are attacked abroad under any circumstances, please file police reports and contact the nearest Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate for help,” he told the Bangkok Post.

Mr Cherdkiat said while different countries have different measures to boost the safety of foreigners, he believed that the British “prioritise safety” and will take appropriate measures in response to the assault.

When asked what actions are needed to help curb the rise of racism during the outbreak, the spokesperson said Covid19 is a transnational health issue which can infect anyone, irregardless of their ethnicity or background.

“We must work together to resolve this crisis,” he added.

Bangkok Post

 

 

Thailand welcomes cruise ship shunned in Vietnam over virus fears

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German cruise ship AIDAvita has been welcomed in Thailand, days after it was blocked from docking in Vietnam due to fears of the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading across the region. Authorities in Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province, home to UNESCO world heritage site Ha Long Bay, barred passengers on the AIDAvita from disembarking on Thursday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Germany’s AIDA Cruises, the owner of the AIDAvita, did not respond to requests for comment. AIDA Cruises is a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp. The vessel, with some 1,100 passengers and 400 crew, docked early yesterday at the eastern Laem Chabang port, according to a Thai Maritime Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“This morning Department of Disease Control officials have monitored all the passengers and right now there has been no report of any patients inside. The situation on this ship is normal and officials have not found anyone with fever over 37.5 degrees.”

Stoking fears in countries that usually allow cruise ships to dock is the quarantine in Japan of the Diamond Princess, also managed by a unit of Carnival Corp. Of the 3,700 passengers and crew on that vessel, 335 have now tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The ship remains quarantined in Japan’s Yokohama port. Phuket recently allowed two cruise ships to dock after turning away the MS Westerdam, which was eventually allowed to dock in Cambodia.

The AIDAvita was scheduled to disembark in Phuket today. However, because of worries about the virus, AIDA says it will now send the Aidavita and another vessel, the AIDAbella, for tours in other parts of the world. Rerouting these ships away from Asia, in effect cancelling them, will affect some 3,300 passengers.

SOURCES: The Star | Reuters

 

 

Cooler weather forecast for North East Thailand

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The Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Monday (February 17) that another high-pressure system from China covers the Northeast of Thailand and the South China Sea while weak easterly winds prevail across the Gulf.

Cool to cold conditions in the morning continue in the North and the Northeast. The mercury in the North is likely to fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius in the North and 1-2°C in the Northeast, the Central and the East regions.The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:Northern region: Cool to cold weather in the morning; temperature lows of 13-19°C and highs of 32-37°C; temperature likely to drop to 4-14°C on hilltops.Northeastern region: Cool weather with strong winds; temperature lows of 15-20°C and highs of 35-37°C; temperature likely to drop to 11-15°C on hilltops.Central region: Partly cloudy and cool weather in the morning; temperature lows of 18-22°C, highs of 36-37°C.Eastern region: Partly cloudy; temperature lows of 21-26°C, highs of 32-37°C; waves a metre high.

Southern region (east coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; lows of 20-24°C, highs of 31-35°C; waves a metre high.Southern region (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 21-26°C, highs of 33-36°C; waves 1-2 metres high.Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 34-37°C.

Nation News

 

 

Donations for Korat shooting victims top B80m

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NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Public donations for victims of the shooting rampage that left 30 people killed and 58 injured have surged past 80 million baht, and more money may be allocated to the injured, governor Wichian Chantaranothai said on Sunday.

Residents in Nakhon Ratchasima on Saturday take part in a merit-making ceremony for the victims of the mass killing at the Terminal 21 shopping mall. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)

Speaking at Wat Pa Sattharum temple in Muang district, where nine people were gunned down on Feb 8, Mr Wichian said as of 8am on Sunday the donations totalled 80.1 million baht.

The families of the 27 people killed have been given 1 million baht each from the donations, while the families of 22 victims still hospitalised have received 100,000 baht each.

A total of 29.2 million baht has been paid out from the donated funds. The remaining amount, as of Sunday morning, was 50.9 million baht.

The governor said a meeting will be held today to consider giving more to the injured to meet the criteria set by the provincial health office and the Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.

Plans call for those permanenty disabled to receive 1 million baht each, those temporarily disabled to get up to 700,000 baht, those treated in intensive care 300,000 baht, those seriously injured but not requiring treatment in an ICU 200,000 baht, those with moderate injuries 100,000 baht, and those with slight injuries up to 30,000 baht.

Allocation of remaining donations will be determined by a committee, and may include continued payments to the families of those killed and injured as necessary, especially to raise the quality of life for the disabled, said the governor.

Bangkok Post

 

 

Coronavirus deaths pass 1600 but infection rate falls

By

New cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infection dropped for a third consecutive day today, as World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned it is “impossible” to predict how the outbreak will develop.

Concern remains high around the world about the spread of the virus, which emerged in China’s central Hubei province in December. The first death outside Asia was reported in France yesterday. An 80-year-old Chinese tourist was the fourth person outside of China to die from the virus, with the other deaths occurring in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The death toll climbed to 1,665 in mainland China today after 142 more deaths were reported. More than 68,000 people are now infected, but the number of new cases of the COVID-19 strain is falling. In Hubei, the number of new cases slowed for a third day and at 139, the number of deaths was equal to Saturday’s toll. The number of new cases in other parts of the country has dropped for twelve straight days.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was cautious, however. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he said:

“[It is] impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take. We ask all governments, companies, and news organisations to work with us to sound the appropriate level of alarm without fanning the flames of hysteria”

“China has bought the world time. We don’t know how much time.”

The UN health body has asked China for more details on how diagnoses are being made, after a spike in reported cases on Thursday when authorities in Hubei changed their “methodology for diagnosing the coronavirus,” retroactively adding thousands of new patients to their tally. Hubei added more than 14,000 cases in a single day after officials there started counting people clinically diagnosed through lung imaging, in addition to those with a positive lab test result.

Chinese authorities have placed around 56 million people in Hubei, and its capital Wuhan, under quarantine, virtually sealing off the province from the rest of the country and the world, in an unprecedented effort to contain the virus. Beijing’s municipal government has enacted a rule requiring all people coming to the capital to quarantine themselves for 14 days, warning that violators would be punished, according to state media.

The biggest cluster outside China is on a quarantined cruise ship off Japan, with 335 infections as of today. A US State Department spokesperson says Americans stranded on the vessel will be evacuated and face further quarantine of two weeks in the United States. Hong Kong also announced it will charter a flight for the city’s residents on the ship, who will stay at a quarantine centre for 14 days on their return. Several countries have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have cut services to the country.
With China’s government facing criticism over its handling of the crisis, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for tighter policing “to protect social stability.”

“[The government must] increase use of police force and strengthen the visible use of police to ensure stability during the crisis.”

China’s central bank says it will also banknotes with ultraviolet light or high temperatures and store them for up to 14 days before they are put back into circulation.

SOURCE: AFP