Chiang Rai
Heavy rain forecast forcing rescuers to act, or wait

Outgoing Chiang Rai governor, Narongsak, at a media briefing held at midnight last night, has admitted that oxygen supply within the section of the cave where the 13 footballers are waiting, has become a major concern.
He also mentioned the threat from potential heavy rains in the next few days that is forcing the rescue teams to consider a premature extraction of the 13 survivors out of Tham Luang caves.
Thai PBS is reporting that Governor Narongsak didn’t detail exactly how the survivors could be evacuated from the cave but was clear that, one way or the other, they will have to dive their way out. The team has been getting a crash course in swimming and scuba diving – skills they need to learn quickly if the rescue is to be a success. Narongsak was talking to the media after hours of detailed meetings where officials and rescue units contemplated all their options in dealing with the situation.
TMD is forecasting heavy rains around Chiang Rai in the next few days which means more water will flow back into the caves, reversing all the good work by rescue teams this week to remove water levels from inside the caves.
The governor also says that the rescue teams are prepared to wait and leave the team inside until after the monsoon if that ends up the safest option. In the meantime the race is on to find a safe way to get them out before heavy rains return.
“But whatever course of action we are going take must carry minimum risks,” he stressed, adding that whether or not the young survivors will have to dive their way out depends on their state of health and their readiness.
The governor reported that rescue units have installed an air chute to pump in additional oxygen while more oxygen cylinders were also brought in to provide more breathable air for the survivors. He also said that two more British cave-diving experts were on their way to Thailand to assist with the difficult recovery mission.
SOURCE: Thai PBS
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Thailand
Thailand non-profit offers Zoom calls with Santa and his elephant friends

Santa Claus isn’t at the North Pole this year. He’s in Northern Thailand. And he’s not with elves. He’s mixing in with some of Thailand’s beloved elephants. Don’t believe it? Give him a Zoom call.
Zoom calls on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with “Santa & his Elves” are offered by the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort and the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.
Zoom calls with Santa and his elephant friends are limited, and pricey! The effort is intended to raise money for the program which ethically cares for elephants that were formerly in the entertainment business. The reservation for a 20 minute call requires a $2,500 USD donation.
Those interested in supporting the elephant program can make a donation. “Elephant trunk calls” are also available during the coming year, but Santa won’t be around after Christmas.
The resort’s director of sustainability and conservation, John Roberts, says it costs $18,000 USD a year to feed just 1 elephant. A $20 donation feeds an elephant for one day.
“Since the start of the national lockdown in Thailand in March, we have taken in three elephants and their mahouts. The COVID-19 elephant refugees, whose camps were unable to care for them and would ultimately have left them unfriended and unfed, are now matched with friendship groups and, of course, have their own diet plan.”
To make a donation to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, click HERE.
SOURCE: Travel and Leisure
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai officials insist province is now safe to visit

Officials in the northern province of Chiang Rai are assuring potential tourists from the rest of the Kingdom that it is safe to visit, saying the Covid-19 situation is under control. Chiang Rai hit the headlines in recent weeks, when a number of Thai nationals entered the province illegally from Myanmar. After bypassing health checks and quarantine, several subsequently tested positive for the virus, resulting in a handful of local infections.
Now deputy provincial governor, Worawit Chaisawat, is anxious to assure the rest of the country that the situation has been brought under control. He says the province has recorded no new local cases since the beginning of December. The only new infections in the province are imported cases brought in by those returning through the proper channels and entering state quarantine.
Around 180 Thai nationals are thought to have been employed at the 1G1-7 Hotel in the Burmese border town of Tachileik. Some media reports and claims from local residents say the 100 room, 4 storey hotel was used as a centre for prostitution. It became a hotbed of Covid-19 infections, causing much of its Thai workforce to flee, crossing back into Thailand illegally. Worawit says the resulting mini-outbreak of infections has now been brought under control and those who visit the province are not required to quarantine on their return home.
“We need to spread the word that there are no new infections in Chiang Rai. Visitors do not need to quarantine, and they are welcome to travel here. A flora festival is coming.”
The Bangkok Post reports that yesterday, the province recorded 6 new cases of the virus, all in state quarantine. All are believed to have arrived from Tachileik. Thailand recorded a total of 28 new cases yesterday, including 1 case of local transmission in a Bangkok nurse who had close contact with a Covid-19 patient.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Thailand
Returnees from Myanmar account for 9 of 17 new Covid infections today

Today, Thailand has reported 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus found in people entering Thailand from other countries, with 9 infected returnees coming from Myanmar through the Mae Sai district in northern Chiang Rai.
All 9 were women who had worked at nightspots in Tachilek, the Burmese border town, featuring the now infamous 1G1-7 Hotel, which was the site of a Covid-19 breakout. They returned to Thailand on Friday and tested positive on arrival. All returnees were sent to the Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital for treatment, as it has been designated as the go-to hospital for returnees from the area.
Meanwhile, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai authorities are axing the idea for a mandatory 14 day quarantine for touristswho have returned from those areas back to other parts of Thailand, after the spike in cases from the border town Tachilek in Myanmar brought 38 local cases of Covid.
Dr. Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital says the coronavirus currently circulating in Myanmaris a different strain and is being transmitted 20% faster than the one detected in Wuhan at the start of the pandemic.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
Thailand’s rich not eligible for 3,500 baht government handout
- Business4 days ago
Future of Thai department stores is being redefined
- Thailand3 days ago
Thailand to introduce 300 baht “tourism fee” to insure foreign visitors, manage tourist destinations
- Crime4 days ago
Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution
- Bangkok4 days ago
Bangkok condo prices expected to continue to fall this year
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
CCSA Update: 271 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths
- Pattaya4 days ago
Pattaya massage shop raided for allegedly violating closure order
- Air Pollution4 days ago
Air pollution at “unhealthy levels” in 64 areas in Bangkok