PM opens Chalong Underpass, visits Yamil and Navy Area 3, Phuket
The Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, arrived at the PPAO Muang Phuket School in Rawai this morning to conduct the official opening of the Chalong Underpass, after 4 years of prolonged construction.
Phuket officials the Rawai Mayor, Aroon Solos and Chalong Mayor, Samran Jindapon, welcomed Gen Prayuth who was accompanied by the PM Office team from Bangkok.
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Locals from Chalong and Rawai gathered in front of the school starting from 6am waiting to meet and greet the PM but their best intentions initially failed as the PM’s security team blocked the area until later in the morning.
Some were claiming that they had donated their land as a contribution to the public infrastructure and deserved to be a part of the ceremony. Following discussions with the local Mayors, they were finally allowed in before the PM finished his speech and opening ceremony for the Chalong Underpass. The PM walked through the crowd who were reaching out to hug him, shake hands and take pictures with him.
Before noon, the PM visited ‘Yamil’, the rescued baby dugong at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre . He talked to the staff who was taking care of the baby dugong and fed him some milk before wishing Yamil to ‘get well soon and grow up to be a strong dugong.’
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The baby dugong washed ashore at Bo Muang Beach in Krabi on July 1 and was named by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya as ‘Yamil’ last Friday. The name means ‘handsome man of the sea’ in the Yawi language. The HRH Princess Sirivannavari also took Yamil under the wing of her Coral and Marine Lives project.
Marine veterinarians revealed that Yamil is now about 3-4 months old and is stronger after the constant care. He is already drinking milk and eat seagrass.
In the afternoon, the PM and his team visited the Thai Royal Navy Area 3 at Phuket Deep Sea Port to inspect the marine security measures. The PM then checked out Phuket Vachira Hospital’s smart ambulance system, followed by a IDMEx2019 Tsunami drill, which included evacuation and rescue procedures, shelter management, victims’ database with DNA collection.
At the end, the PM gave a speech to the crowd, who were mainly military officers and volunteers, emphasising the importance of evacuation and rescue during tsunami as well as other kinds of natural disaster and thanked everyone for their hard work.
