Thailand News Today | Bangkok Airports Appeals for More Taxis

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An abducted Thai doctor was found unharmed in Mali, Thailand is monitoring all arrivals from Africa to prevent the spread of Ebola and Bangkok Airport appeals for more cabs, all that and more, coming right up on today’s program.

The Thai Ministry of Public Health has stepped up its monitoring of arrivals from African countries, especially Uganda, following an outbreak of Ebola in that country in September, said Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, director-general of the Disease Control Department today.

He said that, even though the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not yet issued a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) notice, he finds it necessary for Thailand to take the precaution, to prevent the disease from entering the country.

Citing Ebola as a dangerous infectious disease, Dr Tares said that all arrivals from Uganda are required to undergo health screening and to register their arrival at their port of entry before they will be allowed into the country.

Citing reports from the WHO and the Ministry of Public Health of Uganda on October 24th, 90 Ebola infections have been reported, 44 of whom have died, ….including 5 among 11 medical personnel who were infected.

The Ebola outbreak in Uganda has been identified as the Sudan strain, which has a mortality rate of 53%, compared to 68% for the Zaire strain.

Although the outbreak in Uganda remains on a limited scale, Dr Tares stressed the need for Thailand to increase its protection measures.

Symptoms of Ebola include intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhoea.

A YouTuber physician known for posting travel clips is reported to be safe after being held captive for 25 days in Mali, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Thani Saengrat, director-general of the Department of Information, said on Monday that Dr Nopparat Rattanawaraha, ….also known as หมอสอง and host of the หมอสองท่องโลก YouTube channel, was released after a 505 million baht or roughly around 150 thousand US dollars ransom was paid to kidnappers.

According to the ministry, the YouTuber arrived in Mali on Sept 28 and went missing after losing contact with his private local tour guide a day after.

Dr Nopparat’s family alerted the Thai embassy in Dakar, Senegal, about his disappearance.

After weeks of uncertainty, Dr Nopparat was found safe by local authorities in the city of Kemparana 25 days after being abducted, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, …terrorists had infiltrated Kemparana which is located on the border with Burkina Faso.

However, the ministry did not say which group was responsible for the kidnapping.

Mr Tanee also said Dr Nopparat, who produces travel content on his YouTube channel, is preparing to return to Thailand with the help of the ministry.

Meanwhile, Dr Nopparat, in an interview with Thairath TV, said he was safe.

The YouTuber said he was kidnapped while walking along a Kemparana street. He said he was chained up during his captivity. He said quote “I am safe right now. Sorry if I’ve given cause for people to be concerned” end quote.

From October 27th, women in Thailand in their 12th to 20th weeks of pregnancy can get an abortion legally at any of the 110 hospitals and clinics offering the services across the country, subject to prior consultation with experts.

The legal terminations are in line with an edict issued by the Ministry of Public Health regarding examinations and consultations. The change is intended to address the problem many women face when they feel they are not ready to have a child but do not have a channel through which they can seek consultation.

Dr Boonyarit Sookrat, director of the Bureau of Reproductive Health at the Department of Health, said that the Public Health Ministry’s edict on abortions had been approved by the Thai Medical Council and is in line with the constitutional principle that an individual has rights and liberties over their life and body.

He also pointed out that the doctors performing abortions within the new regulations will not be subject to legal action for performing a termination.

He also said that, even though abortions are to become legal, there are women who do not want their pregnancy because they are not ready, but are afraid of committing a sin, hence the need of prior consultation with experts.

The hospitals and clinics licensed to provide abortion services are in 39 provinces across the country. Women can use their gold health cards to receive services at state hospitals.

More details about abortion services can be found at the rsathai.org website or by calling the 1663 hotline.

Pro-choice advocate, Supicha Baothip, who has been campaigning for the legalisation of abortions in Thailand for more than 10 years, hailed the new abortion law as a big step forward in addressing the problem of unwanted pregnancies.

She also described the requirement for pregnant women to seek prior expert consultation as a reasonable approach.

Another abortion rights advocate, Sudarat Boonprasert, said she had a termination about five years ago and that, at that time, there were no channels through which she could seek consultation about her pregnancy.

Authorities at Suvarnabhumi airport are urging more taxis to register as official airport transport, in a bid to ease a shortage that has led to complaints about long lines at the airport’s taxi queue.

Many tourists arriving at Suvarnabhumi airports have posted pictures of the long lines at the airport’s taxi stands since the beginning of October.

However, the complaints reached a crescendo on Friday, at the start of the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day long weekend, leading to speculation that Bangkok’s main international gateway isn’t ready to welcome large numbers of visitors.

In response to the complaints, the airport’s administrators issued an announcement saying the long lines were the result of the sudden influx of out-of-town visitors arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport to celebrate the long weekend in the capital.

There simply weren’t enough cars available to serve all incoming passengers, as only taxis registered with the airport can pick up passengers from Suvarnabhumi’s taxi stands, they said.

Furthermore, they said, not all taxis which are permitted to pick up passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport were on standby at the stands, adding many drivers are choosing to pick up passengers elsewhere as the demand for rides from the airport has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

As such, the airport administrators are calling on more public taxi drivers to register with authorities so they can make up the shortfall. In a statement, the airport said it will be mobilising more staff to direct taxis to the airport.

It also urged arriving passengers to utilise other methods of transport, such as the Airport Rail Link train which is connected to the BTS Skytrain and MRT network. Moreover, there are limousines, vans and public buses available at the airport, the statement said.

Inquiries about airport services may be made via the AOT contact centre at 1722.

A refrigerator saved a young fisherman’s life when his boat sank off the coast of Krabi province, southern Thailand, on Sunday. He lay in the fridge and floated for six hours until he was rescued by a passing fishing boat.

On Sunday, 33-year-old Anat Massoyot from Village 3, หนองทะเล subdistrict, Mueang district took his long-tail boat out to fish near Ko Hong Island, alone.

Anat said the weather was good while he was fishing. Out of nowhere, his boat was hit by a big wave. Water slowly filled up the hull and the boat sank in the middle of the sea.

Luckily, Anat kept an old refrigerator in the boat where he kept his fish. He couldn’t see anything for miles, so he crawled into the fridge and prayed for rescue.

Six hours later, a local fisherman passed by Anat. He pulled Anat safely out of the fridge, up onto his boat, and took him ashore.

Anat is safe and thankful for his life. The whole incident is all just water under the fridge now.

However, Anat said he doesn’t know what to do now because the boat he used to make a living is gone.

The village chief of Village 3 Somsak Debut said he mobilized a team to search for Anat’s boat. Yesterday, the team went out to the spot Anat was rescued but no signs of his boat were found.

Somsak said he has contacted the local government to see if they can help raise funds for a new boat for Anat. Local philanthropists, friends, and family have also offered to chip in to get Anat back out at sea.

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