Thailand News Today – Tuesday, May 5

Lack of social distancing at BTS stations in Bangkok

This morning with thousands of people heading off to work in Bangkok, they ended up stranded at BTS stations after services were hit by a “technical error”.

A post via twitter at 6am from BTS SkyTrain authorities, stated “there has been a technical error from on the rail line near National Stadium and Siam stations, the delay will take roughly 10 minutes. We are sorry for any inconvenience.”

Meanwhile travellers kept streaming onto the platforms and squashed into the area while waiting for the trains.

Netizens commented that ,contradicting the best intentions and attempts at social distancing, Bangkok’s public transport needs to find a better way.

SET falls amid renewed trade war fears

The Stock Exchange of Thailand index has opened this week on a bearish note as confidence remains low.

The region’s stock exchanges have been spooked by the US president’s comments questioning the origins of Covid 19 and fears of a renewed trade war with China.

The SET reacted to the news today, having been closed for the public holiday yesterday after steep losses were seen across the region yesterday.

The SET index ended the morning trading down 1.4% although it’s rebounding a bit this afternoon.

Obesity on the rise in the Land of Smiles

Thailand has a health problem. The World Health Organisation says nearly one third of the Thai population is now overweight and 9% of the country is obese.

Malaysia currently holds the dubious honour of having the highest obesity rate in Southeast Asia – but Thailand is now in second place.

In Thailand in particular, obesity is just as prevalent in children, with 1 in 10 children classed as overweight. And it’s believed that 50% of the nation’s monks are obese.

Thailand’s Covid-19 situation, May 5

The spokesman of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Administration has announced only 1 new case of the Covid-19 virus today.

The single case is a Thai male, a 45 year old in Narathiwat (southern Thailand ), who had just returned from Malaysia and is considered an “imported case”.

187 confirmed Covid-19 patients remain in hospital nationwide and the number of deaths remains at 54.

Meanwhile, a second test found all forty of the newly suspected Covid-19 cases in Yala on Sunday turned out to be false positives, as the Public Health Ministry has decided to run another test at its main lab to leave no room for doubt.

Officials are also investigating what went wrong at the Yala lab as controlled test equipment was found to be contaminated.

Bun Bang Fai suspended in Si Sa Ket province

Si Sa Ket provincial officials have officially suspended the “Bun Bang Fai”, or the rocket festival, because of lingering fears of Covid-19.

The Governor says “that every year rocket festivals are held in the northeastern provinces from April 20 to May 20, when people light rockets to appeal to Mother Nature for ample rainfall in the forthcoming wet season.”

Competing local teams build make-shift rockets and try and get their ‘rockets’ to reach as high as possible. And they drink a lot. So a crowd of drunk men, gather together to pack explosives into PVC tubing, light them and watch their hard work fly high into the sky. What could possibly go wrong?

On the other hand each province also turns on grand parades and parties to celebrate the arrival of the wet season.