Thailand News Today | PM declares war on drugs to prevent mass shootings in Thailand

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a war on drugs and a
clampdown on gun control laws after a massacre at a daycare centre in northeast
Thailand sparked urgent calls for change on Thursday.///
Although no traces of drugs were detected in his body, police say he had a history
of drug abuse, namely methamphetamine.
The Royal Thai Police are wasting no time in meeting General Prayut’s demands,
seizing 8.6 million methamphetamine pills from the streets of Lampang and Tak
provinces in the space of three days.
But with all three of Thailand’s mass shootings in recent years being committed by
soldiers and a former policeman, the crackdown on drugs needs to start from
within. PM Prayut ordered the national chief of police to proactively ensure the
force is free of drugs and takes strict criminal and disciplinary action against any
an officer who fails a drug test said government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri.
Prayut has called on all government agencies to focus on three key measures:
providing government rehabilitation facilities, using psychoactive plants for
medicinal and business purposes only, and taking criminal action against drug
traffickers.
General Prayut calls for stricter enforcement of gun control laws. Anyone buying a
firearm needs to provide a medical certificate proving they have stable mental
health
In addition, government registrars should revoke the license of any gun owner who
behaves in a way that “threatens society” or “creates chaos” including police
officers and soldiers.
However, many people acquire firearms illegally, so the police need to crack down
on the illicit sale of weapons and weapons smuggling too.
Another prevention measure PM Prayut suggested is tightening security measures
in daycare centres, nurseries, and schools. Minister of Education Treenut
Thienthong said that secure door systems will be installed across the nation to
screen anyone coming in or out of educational settings.

Today, funerals will be held at Buddhist temples in Nong Bua Lamphu for the 37
innocent lives were taken away on Thursday. May they rest in peace.

The tourism industry has been seeing signs of recovery after being hit hard by the
COVID-19 pandemic. The sector now expects around 11.7 million international
visitors this year and a revenue of 620 billion baht.///
Tourism businesses are hoping to see a recovery following the country’s border
reopening to tourists. Mr Chamnan Srisawat, President of the Tourism Council of
Thailand (TCT), said tourists from India will become key spenders, thanks to the
population size, their eagerness to travel abroad, and their high purchasing power.
Around 600,000 tourists from India have visited Thailand so far this year, making
them the second largest group of visitors to the kingdom, after Malaysia.
To accommodate growth in the high-spending group, the TCT has proposed a
a sustainable tourism development strategy that promotes a balance between key
tourism destinations and lesser-known cities, enabling better income distribution to
all corners.

As Bangkok and Pathum Thani prepare for the Chao Phraya river to overflow,
officials warn people affected by floods to look out for poisonous snakes,
scorpions, and centipedes.///

Water levels in the Chao Phraya river are reaching a breaking point in lower
central Thailand. The river is teeming with snakes which will flood into urban
areas when the river overflows, warns Pathum Thani Provincial Organisation.
A snake-catching team has caught 80 snakes so far this rainy season in Pathum
Thani province alone – from pit vipers to cobras to pythons.
Communities downstream, including Bangkok, are expected to flood as a large
body of water makes its way southward from the north. The Chao Praya barrage in
Chai Nat province – the main regulator of water from the north – increased its
water discharge to 3,113 cubic metres per second on Sunday. It is the highest
measurement so far this year.
Pathum Thani Provincial Organisation posted photos of the team capturing a snake
with the following message…
“The municipality would like to warn residents affected by floods – please be
careful of the danger presented by poisonous animals like snakes, centipedes, and
scorpions that attempt to escape the water by hiding in dark corners of your home.
If you get bitten or stung it could be life-threatening.”
If you do get bitten by a poisonous snake, there’s a chance you will survive, but
only if you act fast.
Monsoon season is expected to linger a little longer this year. Floods continue to
disrupt life in central, north and northeast Thailand. In some parts of Ubon
In Ratchathani province, houses are completely submerged.
If you are affected by the flooding and need urgent assistance, contact the Thai
Government’s English-speaking Tourist Police, who can be reached nationwide by
dialling 1155.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reported that the six-year-old Israeli girl
who suffered a cardiac arrest after being stung by a dangerous jellyfish is in serious
but stable condition.///

The Israeli child’s heart stopped after she was stung by a poisonous box of jellyfish
on a beach in Ko Pha Ngan on Sunday. She received first aid on the beach which
resuscitated her before she was flown by helicopter to Surat Thani Hospital.
The Foreign Ministry reported yesterday that the little girl’s condition has
stabilized adding they are in contact with the child’s parents.
Israel’s consul in Bangkok, Eli Senna, said it is “a miracle” the child survived the
ordeal.
She said…
“If they had not started treating the girl immediately from the moment she was
bitten, the situation would have been tragic. We are really happy that the event
ended the way it did, we continue to accompany the family and help in all we can.”
The box jellyfish, or sea wasp, is considered one of the deadliest species in the
world. Its tentacles can grow to about five meters long and each tentacle is covered
by nematocysts – tiny darts loaded with poison. The venom from the darts is
believed to be among the most poisonous in the world. It causes intense pain,
paralysis, cardiac arrest, and even death in some cases.
The box jellyfish can be found all year in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman
Sea, but the venomous jellyfish are most prevalent from July to October, according
to Sophon Golden of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resou

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) today apologised to the city’s
passengers after a story of mushrooms growing out of a public bus seat went viral
on Thai social media.

The picture of the mushroom-growing seat, posted by political activist Jatuporn
“New” Saenueng, drew complaints from Thai netizens.
The BMTA responded to the criticism on its official Facebook page yesterday. The
BMTA said…
“The BMTA investigated the subject that was shared online and found that the seat
belongs to a non-air-conditioned No. 82 bus. The bus was sent to the BMTA
maintenance garage at 4 pm yesterday to get the seat changed. The BMTA would
like to apologise for the inconvenience and urge bus staff and relevant officers to
check the buses before operating to make passengers confident in the service.”
Some Thai netizens appreciated the quick response and work while others added it
was time to renew the old buses. One woman urged the BMTA to check every
public bus because the mushrooms were not the only thing bothering passengers.
They had to put up with broken windows and wet seats when it rained.