Environment
Still clearing the krathongs – post Loy Krathong

PHOTO: Krathongs being cleared out of a lake at Saphan Hin in Phuket – Newshawk Phuket
The clean up is still underway in many parts of Thailand following Monday’s Loy Krathong. ‘Favourite’ waterways are still being cleared of the pre-loved Krathong floats. The good news, authorities say there was a lot more natural products used in this years’ krathongs following a wide campaign to encourage Thais to stop using polystyrene and steel pins in their floating, floral masterpieces.
In Chiang Mai, krathongs are still being collected from the Ping River, four days after the end of the festival. In parts of Chiang Mai the festival ran until the end of Tuesday.
The Nakhon Chiang Mai Municipality says volunteers were helping municipal staff remove the left-over krathongs from the river. Krathongs made of recyclable materials were also being separated for use as fertiliser and garden mulch. It’s expected the cleanup will be completed today.
Chiang Mai authorities estimate some 40 tonnes of floated krathongs will be collected this year. But they note that this is a drop from the 70 tonnes collected a few years ago. They believe this is probably because of the ‘One family, one krathong’ promotion the government ran in the weeks before the annual festival.
Meanwhile, over the border, nearly 5 million people flocked to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh during the three-day Water Festival holiday, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Tourism. The Khmer Times reports that the vast majority were Cambodians sprinkled with 31,446 foreigners.
SOURCES: The Nation | Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Thailand
Migrant workers risk losing their legal status, the Cabinet to extend work permit amnesty

Over 1.7 million migrant workers in Thailand are going to lose their legal working status because they can’t submit work permit renewal and a health certificate with Covid-19 test results in time. The Labour Ministry then proposes the cabinet will extend the registration period (amnesty) for migrant workers to help maintain their legal status. Migrant workers, including those illegal and unemployed workers, are required to register with authorities via the ministry’s website from January 15 until February 13.
According to the Labour Minister, every migrant worker to renew their work permit must receive a Covid-19 test at hospitals designated by the Public Health Ministry. The Department of Medical Sciences will be responsible for the testing costs.
Illegal and unemployed workers, who registered with the Ministry, will be allowed to stay in the Kingdom for 2 years without penalties. Only those migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are allowed to overstay their current visas, but are required to register with the provincial employment office in the area they work, as part of the amnesty.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Environment
Laos – the ‘battery’ of Asia and a ticking environmental time bomb

LAOS POWER FACTS:
Number of power plants soon to be completed by the end of 2020:53 hydropower plants under construction or in the planning stage, including those set to be completed this year; there will be more than 90 hydropower plants in Laos with a combined installed capacity of almost 14,000MW.
Transmission lines that connect with neighbouring countries: 14 carry power to Thailand, 2 to Vietnam, 1 to China, 2 to Cambodia, and 1 to Myanmar.
Trick question. What uses more power? Siam Paragon in Bangkok or the entire province of Mae Hong Son (with 250,000 residents in north-west Thailand)?
The astonishing answer is, of course, Siam Paragon. By a factor of DOUBLE the power consumption of the north-western Thai province near the Myanmar border. Siam Paragon consumes 123 GWh of electricity a year (in 2011), compared to the quarter-million inhabitants of Mae Hong Son Province, who over the same period, used 65 GWh.
So, whilst you trek across some ancient hills enjoying an old and proud culture in Thailand’s north-west you need to compare that with some of the opulent malls in central Bangkok which can easily compare with their counterparts in Singapore, New York or London.
The worlds of luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Tiffany and Cartier, and the power these shops consume, is an entirely different world from other parts of rural Thailand. But Siam Paragon is just one of half a dozen luxury malls sprawled along a 6 kilometre stretch of the city’s upscale Sukhumvit stretch. They all consume vast amounts of power along with a growing number of expensive condominium projects.
So, Thailand has turned to Laos and the hydro-electric potential along the Mekong to feed its growing electricity demand. Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams, currently under construction, are among the cornerstones of a dam-building bonanza by Laos to realise its aspiration to become the “Battery of Asia”. Thailand is one of Laos’ key partners and buyers of power. And the kingdom’s largest energy consumer is (no surprise here) Bangkok, with it’s sparkling lights and air-conditioning ticking over the electricity meters at rapid pace.
Many analysts worry the planned hydropower dams will devastate fish populations, harm agriculture and hurt culture and tourism along the fragile Mekong basin, threatening the livelihoods of 65 million people who rely on the river for income and food.
With 42 power plants now operational, Laos is poised to realise its electricity ambitions. With a current installed capacity of approximately 6,000MW, the Lao government expects to achieve 14,000MW by the end of this year.
Thailand is not on its own with massive development and expansion putting pressure on the older ways of life. But the disparity in the Kingdom between the power-hungry city life and the older-style agriculture is now sharply in focus with this new deal with the Laos power providers.
But a devastating collapse at a hydro dam in July 2018 shon the spotlight on Laos’ energy ambitions again. The devastation caused by the collapse of the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy dam in Attapeu province was sharp proof of the potential dangers in the Laotian government’s plans. The landlocked country sells much of its electricity abroad, which makes up 30-40% of its total exports.
The Lao PDR government is planning to double current energy production in the next 2 years. But environmental groups are warning of the project’s impact on the environment and the nations the river supports.
The movement of water, fish and sediment downstream has historically supported tens of millions of people along the Mekong, and efforts to constrain its flow are proving disastrous for the riverside communities.
For nearly 20 years, activists have called for action against the development of hydro-dams and water projects. But this month the campaign took the next step with plans to focus on taking action at the policy level.
It took 2 decades, but activists have now launched the “Mekong People’s Forum.” 200 people attended the forum including local villagers, conservationists, journalists, and representatives from the US and Australian embassies. The Chinese embassy, although invited, did not send anyone to attend the event. China is responsible for 11 dams along the Mekong.
This is the first time the many conservation groups and activists have come together with a single forum to tackle the many challenges for the river. Several dams have now been built upstream in Laos and China causing massive problems for the natural flow of the river downstream through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Cambodian PM tests negative for Covid-19 after meeting with Hungarian foreign minister

Cambodian PM Hun Sen says he tested negative for Covid-19, but he will be in self-quarantine for the next 14 days. On Tuesday, the prime minister met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijarto, who tested positive for Covid-19 while in Bangkok, Thai officials announced yesterday.
The Hungary delegation had a 1-day visit in Phnom Penh on Tuesday before travelling to Bangkok where the foreign minister tested positive for the virus. On Monday, before leaving Hungary and travelling to Cambodia, the Hungarian delegates had undergone testing and had medical certificates declaring that they were free from Covid-19.
Photos of show the Hungarian foreign minister not wearing a face mask when meeting with the Cambodian prime minister and other officials.
A number of Cambodian ministers and senior officials are quarantined after meeting with the Hungarian foreign minister. The prime minister says himself and 17 other at his home including his wife and bodyguards have all tested negative.
“Although I have not contracted Covid-19, I will self-quarantine for 14 days as advised by doctors.”
The Hungarian foreign minister and 12 delegates were tested on Tuesday upon arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The Hungarian foreign minister tested positive in the RT-PCR test. His infection was reconfirmed in a second test. Anutin says Peter was asymptomatic and taken to Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute where he was given the anti-viral drug Favirpiravir.
The delegates cancelled all appointments yesterday and flew back home on a private jet, according to Anutin. The foreign minister had been scheduled to meet with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.
SOURCE: Thai PBS| Associated Press | Phnom Penh Post
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Business2 days ago
The ‘office’ is SO last century. Say hello to the world of remote working.
- Crime4 days ago
2 shot dead at Phuket Bus Terminal Saturday night
- Business3 days ago
34.7% of Thai tourist businesses closed down
- Central Thailand4 days ago
50,000 to be tested for Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon, 198 new infections reported in Thailand today
- Crime4 days ago
29 arrested in Pattaya for smoking shisha above Indian restaurant
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
Czech ‘Covid’ sniffer dogs can detect Covid-19 with a 95% success rate
- Bangkok4 days ago
State Railway of Thailand furloughs 57 locals trains from Tuesday
- Crime4 days ago
Asia’s biggest drug kingpin arrested in Netherlands