Northern Thailand
1 person dead, 4 remain missing after boat capsize on reservoir near Laos border

One person has drowned whilst four others remain missing, presumed dead, after their boat struck an obstacle, probably a tree stump, that was submerged under the surface. The boat capsized on Sirikit Reservoir in Thailand’s northern province of Uttradit, near the Laos border.
Rescue workers have been able to retrieve five other passengers and the boat’s captain from the reservoir, but 4 are still missing. One body has been recovered from the water as a result of the search.
The boat was travelling from the Ban Huay Ta village in Tha Pla district, carrying 10 passengers and a vehicle. It was headed for Ban Tha Rua when it hit the submerged tree stump as it approaching some small islands in the middle of the reservoir.
Authorities report that the water levels in the dam have dropped substantially. The director of Phrae provincial marine office speculated that the boat skipper might have lost track of the normal navigational track across the dam due to the changing landscape.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Chiang Mai night markets reopening tomorrow

Night markets in Chiang Mai will be reopened tomorrow after the province went 6 consecutive days with no new Covid-19 cases.
According to Chiang Mai Governor, Charoenrit Sanguansat, the province and the provincial disease control committee agreed to ease up restrictions on social and business activities after the number of infections continually dropped and no new infections were reported during the past week.
As a result, flea markets, night markets, and walking streets across the province will be reopened tomorrow onwards.
However, the governor still reiterates that marketplaces and visitors must follow the disease control measures strictly.
Since the start of the second wave of Covid-19 in mid-December, Chiang Mai has tightened restrictions to prevent the virus spread in the province, with the order to close all markets and social activities for 14 days on January 6.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Thailand
Wildfires hit Mae Hong Son’s Pai district

Several wildfires have broken out in Mae Hong Son’s Pai district in Northern Thailand. The governor says he believes that several blazes happening in the area are a result of the dry season arriving earlier than usual.
Using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer system, the local forest fire control centre detected 155 so-called “heat points” in the Pai district from January 1 to 12. Last year’s dry season only 96 heat points were detected.
There are no reports of property damages, injuries, or deaths.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Crime
Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution

3 people, including 2 brothers, have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking, accused of sending women to Brunei for prostitution purposes. Brothers Somchai Sukson, 55 years of age, and 49 year old Rachen Suksorn, were detained under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, charged with a sex trafficking operation involving over 3 people. Following the arrest of the first suspect, the Pattaya News reports that Somchai was arrested in the northern province of Chiang Rai, with his brother taken into custody in the neighbouring province of Nan. They are charged with sending Thai women to Brunei for the purpose of prostitution, conning the women with promises of well-paid masseuse work.
The allegations against the traffickers came to light when a couple of their alleged victims reported to the Thai Embassy in Brunei to file a complaint. The women say the men lured them to Brunei with promises of masseuse work, saying they could earn between 100,000 – 200,000 bath per month, as well as being provided with free food and accommodation.
However, the victims say once they arrived in the independent sultanate on the island of Borneo, they were forced to work as prostitutes and the salary and living conditions were not as described. The women say they were not allowed to return to Thailand and were forced to work in unhealthy conditions, until they managed to notify the Thai Embassy of their plight. The embassy subsequently coordinated with police in Thailand to arrest the first suspect, who is now being held in Klong Prem prison in Bangkok. The 2 brothers were arrested shortly after. All 3 deny the charges against them.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
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