Chiang Mai

Chiang Rai: Rescuers prepare to bring out the final five

Published

1 month ago

July 10, 2018

The Thaiger

PHOTO: VOA

Following last evening’s successful rescue of a further four members of the Mu Pa football team, bringing the total number safely out at 8, Thai and international divers are preparing to rescue at least another four today.

Mission control spokesperson Narongsak Osotthanakorn described the rescue operation, so far, as a success. Last night the first of the four emerged from the mouth of the Tham Luang cave around 5pm. Three others followed over the next three hours. Monday’s extraction of four footballers took two hours less than than Sunday – 9 hours in total, compared to 11 on Sunday.

“Some of them should start emerging from the flooded cave before tonight.”

Thai PBS reports that he says that the high-risk rescue operation today should be wrapped up faster than the previous two days.

The rescued young footballers haven’t been officially identified but were in a “good state of health,” according to Narongsak Osotthanakorn. They have all been brought to the Chiang Rai hospital where they are being observed for possible infections and kept in isolation before they can re-unite with their families.

He said that today’s rescues, if everything goes to plan, will be a repeat of the mission of the past two days. When asked about whether they would try and retrieve all five remaining team members today he didn’t answer.

We are waiting for a media briefing outside the Chiang Rai hospital where all eight evacuees have been recovering.

Chiang Mai

Nan, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai report damage from current floods

Published

2 days ago

August 18, 2018

The Thaiger & The Nation

Weather warnings remain current for 38 Thai provinces affected by tropical storm Bebinka which is currently hovering over northern Vietnam, moving west. Meanwhile its affects are already being felt in the north.

Moutain run-off has hit and washed away three sections of the main Chiang Rai-Chiang Mai road early today. The Doi Saket police station in Chiang Rai was alerted at 3am that the run-off had taken out sections of the highway No 118 making the road impassable. The police station issued an urgent warning for motorists to instead use the Chiang Rai-Prao-Chiang Mai route.

The Highway Department is currently trying to provide urgent temporary repairs to the highway.

Meanwhile, a community on the Nan River bank in the downtown of the northern province has been inundated after the river burst a flood levee.

Nan Governor Phaisarn Wimolrat and Muang Nan Municipality Mayor Surapol Thiansutr visited the Ban Suan Tan community shortly after the river burst its flood levee at 6.40am this morning and the water from the bloated river gushed into the community, flooding it. The community was quickly under 30 centimetre-high water, causing problems for small vehicles.

Officials have since said that water has started seeping into other communities along the river.

Surapol said the water level in the river has surpassed the crisis level to now reach 8.4 metres – the same level as during the 2006 “great flood”.

But Surapol said the damage this year could be less than in 2006, because flood levees have subsequently been built along the river banks and local residents have been warned in advance of possible flooding.

At 7.10am workers were using sandbags to build flood levees around the Nan Provincial Hospital. At 7.50am, hospital officials closed the bridge near the hospital.

PHOTO: Nan provincial administration’s PR office

SOURCE: The Nation

Chiang Mai

Malaysian tourist caught lying to Chiang Mai police

Published

3 days ago

August 17, 2018

The Thaiger & The Nation

PHOTO: Chiangmai News

A Malaysian tourist is in hot water after telling Chiang Mai police that he’d been robbed by a foreigner in the city centre this morning. He’s now been charged with filing a false police complaint.

20 year old Pravin Krishnan was charged early this morning (Friday) less than two hours after lodging the complaint. Police say that he admitted to lying but claimed he did so because he’d run out of money and wanted an excuse for his parents in Malaysia to send him more.

Krishnan’s original complaint was that a Western man with a blond beard robbed him at knifepoint while he was walking along Loi Kroh Road at 1am.

Police went to the scene, spoke to residents and a security guard, but found no witnesses. They returned to the station and confronted Krishnan. The Malaysian admitted he’d made up the story.

He wanted the police complaint document to convince his parents to give him more money and didn’t want to be get in trouble for exceeding his holiday allowance. He’s now got a lot more explaining to do to his parents.

SOURCE: The Nation

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep houses to be immediately vacated

Published

3 days ago

August 17, 2018

The Thaiger

PHOTO: The Nation

It’s time to go.

The Chiang Mai OrBorJor and protest groups opposing the Doi Suthep housing project for judges and officials have agreed that the 45 housing units for judges must be immediately vacated.

As those who still stay at a nine-unit condominium building, the meeting agreed that they must be moved too, to a smaller condo building within a set timeframe. The meeting agreed that if f the space in the four-unit building wasn’t adequate to accommodate the occupants, then more space should be arranged for them.

“The controversial housing units and the condo building must be returned to the Treasury Department as quick as possible.”

Despite the agreement, Thirasak Roopsuwan – a representative of the network of civic groups, says they will press ahead with their plan to hold a rally at Tha Pae city gate on August 26 to reaffirm their demand for the dismantling of all the construction structures of the Region 5 Appeals Court at Doi Suthep so that the area in question can be restored to its natural status.

The Office of the Judicial Affairs has asked for a new land plot at the plants research centre in Chiang Rai from the Agricultural Technique Department to be developed into a new home and office of the Region 5 Appeals Court.