#Thailand - One more boy out, 3 on the way

Four more boys have reached Chamber 3 in Tham Luang -- past the narrow, treacherous passage near the T-junction that poses the greatest threat to the rescue operation, a source in the operation centre 
said on Monday. 

Another source said that one boy was brought all the way out of the cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach had been stranded for over two weeks, and airlifted to Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital, a military source said. 

The first source said the boys arrived at the chamber at 4pm after being rescued by foreign and Navy Seal divers from the ledge - called Nern Nom Sao.- where they had sheltered from floodwaters for more than a week.

They are the second batch to undertake the perilous journey out of Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai. The first four were successfully evacuated and taken to Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital in Muang district on Sunday. Divers took about four hours to escort the four from the ledge to the chamber, the source added. Chamber 3 is the operational base for rescuers inside the cave. It is about two kilometres from the entrance. 

Read Contine on BankokPost  

 

Sixth and seventh footballers emerge from cave, taken to hospital by chopper

Two more boys have emerged from the Tham Luang cave near Chiang Rai, exiting at about 7pm on Tuesday. They received medical examinations at a field hospital erected near the cave.

The young Mu Pa Academy footballers, whose name have not been revealed, were taken by ambulance from the cave in Mae Sai district before boarding a chopper to Chiangrai Prachanukraw hospital in Muang district.

They became the second and the third to come out of the cave on day two of the operation to evacuate the footballers and their assistant coach from the cave, where they were stranded 15 days ago.

On Monday, four of his team members were separately extracted from the cave and are receiving treatment at the hospital.

Source - TheNation

 

Thailand - World media moved back from cave as evacuation begins

Foreign media members on Sunday said they accepted an order by Thai authorities to move out of area outside the Tham Luang cave as evacuation of the footballers begins.

Foreign media are being evacuated four kilometres from the cave to ensure clear access. Journalists will be housed at the Tambon Pong Pha Administrative Organisation Office on Phaholyothin Road.

 The 12 teens and their football coach assistant have been trapped in the flooded cave since June 23, with experts from international allies joining with Thais to rescue the team in a race against water and time.

Local and international media have converged at the cave to keep the world up-to-date with the latest developments. 

Six days after the footballers were found safe deep in the cave network last Monday, authorities on Sunday launched the evacuation operation to bring them out.

Spanish television reporter Biel Calderon said he didn't mind the request that media move out of the way of officials and rescuers during the high-risk extraction.

Calderon agreed that a large group of media could harm the efficiency of the rescue operation and cause delays. He said he understood that there were reasons for such a request in the life-and-death situation and media needed to respect it.

 Russian TV reporter Andrey Pashin, who had been covering the story for the past four days from the cave entrance, said he felt positive about the authorities regulating the large number of media in the vicinity to ensure the rescuers are not blocked.

He hoped that, without a continuing media presence in the area, officials could work more efficiently and more quickly rescue the trapped youths.

 Pashin said he wasn't much worried much getting film for his news coverage, because he believed that officials were working to address the issue. He hoped that the Thai authorities would ensure all media have equal access to information and pictures and that any news and images obtained by journalists would be pooled and shared among all other media workers.

The Thai authorities on Saturday began limiting the media’s access at the front of the cave, but some journalists had ventured under the rope fence to report the news.

This led to an official order being issued at 7am on Sunday to reclaim the area outside cave. Media members, along with volunteers and officials not vital to the rescue efforts, were to be cleared from and kept way from the area by 9am.

Many reporters negotiated to remain, while others moved as ordered to crowd the Tambon Pong Pha Administrative Organisation Office area.

Source - TheNation 

.

Thailand - Historical ceremony begins

Bangkok at centre of the nation's attentions as mourners turn out to pay their final respects.

ALL ROADS LEAD to Bangkok today for the start of the Royal Cremation Ceremony for the much-revered HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. 

People have travelled by buses, private cars, trains and planes during the past days in the hope of getting as close as possible to the “Father of the Land” one last time. 

.

.

The late monarch reigned over Thailand for seven full decades until his passing last year. People have been mourning his departure and are now prepared to bid him a heartfelt farewell. 

As of press time last night, thousands of black-clad people were sitting or lying on footpaths near the nine entrances to the prime zones for members of the public to attend the Royal Cremation. They were to be opened today at 5am. 

.

 .

 Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek said officials had started clearing the areas last night before the reopening this morning.

.

.

 The Royal Cremation Ceremony will run from today until Sunday, with the actual cremation taking place tomorrow. 

“I took a van ride from Nakhon Sawan province to attend the ceremony this week,” Piyapas Saengkhieo, 46, said as she queued for a shuttle bus to Sanam Luang, where the Royal Crematorium now stands tall next to the glittering Grand Palace. 

Aree Kantasak, a 60-year-old farmer from Lamphun province, said she would stay at Sanam Luang until the Royal Cremation ceremonies end. 

“I am not sure how near I can be to the ceremonial ground, but at least, I hope, I will be here for him,” she said. 

Montha Kanha and six friends from the border province of Nong Khai took a train to Bangkok, bringing along food, clothes, umbrellas and medicines so they, too, would stand by their beloved late King one last time. “From my birth, I have seen a lot of his royal projects. His royal guidance, such as the sufficiency economy philosophy, can apply to all aspects of life,” the 58-year-old teacher said. “We wish to see him off to Heaven.” 

Wichitra Busaba, a 53-year-old teacher, flew from Loei province to Bangkok but was prepared to sleep on the streets near Sanam Luang over the next few days. 

“I am here to pay final farewell to the late King,” she said. 

The government has estimated that about 250,000 mourners will turn up in areas near Sanam Luang tomorrow. Others can place sandalwood flowers at 85 replicas of the Royal Crematorium and hundreds of temples across Thailand to pay their final respects to one of the greatest Thai kings. 

Mourners near Sanam Luang will have a chance to see the royal processions in honour of the late King with their own eyes. People in other areas, meanwhile, can watch on TV, as the ceremonies will be broadcast live. 

PM’s Office Minister Omsin Chiwaphruek yesterday advised mourners to lay prostrate when the royal processions passed them, adding that umbrellas should not be raised at the time. 

.

.

 “The royal processions and people along the way will be recorded and televised worldwide. Let’s act properly for the good image of the Royal Thai Kingdom,” he said.

#Thailand - 7.5m people pay respects to late King

People from all walks of life and from all over the country have visited Bangkok to pay their respects before the Royal Urn of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej inside the Grand Palace’s Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall.

The Bureau of Royal Household reported on Friday that 7,544,644 people had paid their respects before the Royal Urn in the past 219 days. During the same period, the public also donated more than Bt592 million towards merit-making for the late King.

.

 .

Source - TheNation

 

Bangkok - Changes to Sanam Luang mourners area

.

Some adjustments will be implemented from April 1 for people arriving at Sanam Luang to pay their respects before the royal urn of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej inside the Grand Palace’s Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall in Bangkok.

Following a meeting of the Peace and Order Maintaining Command on Friday, Deputy First Army Region commander Maj-General Pongsawat Pannachit said the adjustment was needed because Sanam Luang would be prepared as the ceremonial ground for the upcoming Royal Ploughing Ceremony.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Department of Public Work is currently preparing the southern area of Sanam Luang to support mourners, with an administrative tent and medical team set up there.

From April 1, officials and volunteers will provide snacks to visitors each morning, Pongsawat said.

Later each day, people can receive food from charity tents at two areas near the Mother Earth Squeezing Her Hair Statue and the old Government Lottery Office. 

Those visiting the "Yen Sira Phro Phra Boriban" exhibition building at Sanam Luang will have a tent especially for them at the area opposite the Appeals Court.

A shuttle bus service from the Grand Palace's Thevapirom Gate to the exhibition building will be available.

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony will be held in May on the Phuetcha Mongkhon holiday to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season.

The ceremony, rooted in Brahman belief, will involve two sacred oxen ploughing a furrow in the ceremonial ground while rice seeds are sown. 

After the ploughing, the oxen will be offered food such as rice, corn, green beans, sesame, fresh-cut grass, water and rice whisky.

There will be a prediction on whether the coming growing season will be bountiful based on what the oxen eat.

THAILAND - KINGDOM GRIEVES

.
PM urges loyalty to Rama X

.

 Prayut says people must always remember His Majesty the late King Bhumibol; plans special activities on Tuesday.

 .

.

 Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday urged Thais to show their allegiance to the next royal head of state while still remembering the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
“We have to do more good deeds in memory of His Majesty the King. I believe His Majesty is still with us somewhere – in the sky, in the water or on the land that he helped restore and preserve. I ask everyone to always remember His Majesty,” Prayut said.
“And also, we should show our allegiance to the next king, Rama X,” he added, referring to the 10th monarch of the Chakri Dynasty.
The prime minister was speaking to local residents and officials during his visit to Pathum Thani, where he inspected a royal project and the progress of a water management plan.
He said the Thais should also look outward in order to deal with global problems that have an impact on the country.
“The world has several issues involving the economy, terrorism, natural disasters, epidemics and changes. We need to look at the outside world, and not just at ourselves. I admire the way we deal with internal problems. We have achieved satisfactory success but I hope we will do better,” General Prayut said.
“We have to work together to overcome the obstacles,” he added.
Meanwhile, the government has called on all Thais to join nationwide activities to be held on Tuesday in memory of the late King.
Government House will be the main venue for the activity, to be led by PM Prayut. People from all over the country can take part at designated venues in their respective provinces, Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.
“The prime minister would lead his Cabinet members and government officials to sing the National Anthem at 8am on Tuesday. Then he will lead the participants to take an oath of allegiance in front of His Majesty’s portrait and sing the Royal Anthem,” said Sansern.
The spokesman said the event at Government House would be broadcast live from 6.30am. Thais living abroad can hold commemorative activities on Sunday or |any day of their convenience, he added.
Mourners heading to the Grand Palace to bid a final farewell to the monarch can also join the PM-led activity, as the city administration will arrange a venue for the participants, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said.
“The additional activity at Sanam Luang will not affect the mourners queuing to enter the Grand Palace,” Suwapan, who also serves as secretary of the government’s Command Centre for Monitoring Situations, told a press briefing yesterday.
Regarding traffic management, of the 27 roads around Sanam Luang that were closed on previous weekends, only eight will be closed today and tomorrow, Suwapan said. The decision came after the centre assessed traffic volume in the area and found no mass event being held near the Grand Palace this weekend which could obstruct transportation for the mourners, he explained.
Suwapan asked people not to park their vehicles along roads around Sanam Luang and instead use public transportation or free shuttle buses to travel to the Grand Palace.
Deputy national police spokesman Pol Maj-General Piyapan Pingmuang yesterday confirmed that only eight roads adjacent to the Grand Palace that were closed to traffic to accommodate mourners would stay off-limits for vehicles.
He said the lifting of 27 road-closures came as “things have fallen into place”.
Updates on the matter are available at the Traffic Police Division’s website, www.trafficpolice.go.th, and its hotline 1197, according to the spokesman. Suwapan yesterday said that in an attempt to manage long queues and the huge numbers of people heading to Sanam Luang, the centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society had finished developing an online reservation system for queue management.
The online system will be tested on December 1, he said, adding the implementation plan has not yet rolled out and is pending further discussion.
Regarding the issue of homeless people around Sanam Luang, Suwapan said their number has decreased due to the cooperation of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
According to the ministry statement issued yesterday, tactics used to tackle the homeless vary. These include sending them back to their original residence, to the ministry shelter Ban Mit Maitree for rehabilitation, or to related organisations for proper treatment.

.

Source: TheNation
.

OUR NEW #MAGAZINE

THAILAND - Thousands queue as Culture Ministry distributes free books commemorating late King

THOUSANDS of people started queuing at 3am to receive free copies of two books commemorating their much-beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, prompting the Culture Ministry to hand them out three hours early.

“We had planned to start the distribution in the afternoon,” Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said yesterday.
However, by 10am, the line had reached Pinklao Bridge, several kilometres away from the National Museum.
The books are “King Bhumibol Adulyadej”, a retrospection on the late monarch’s life and royal works, and “99 Royal Teachings”, an anthology of his teachings.
After His Majesty passed away at the age of 89 on October 13, memorabilia about him has been much sought after. When the Culture Ministry revealed the plan to hand out the free copies, people turned out in huge numbers to make sure they got a copy.
The ministry gave away 40,000 copies yesterday and will continue at that rate every day till its stock of 200,000 copies is gone.
The delivery times are 9am, noon, 3pm and 5pm each day.
The “99 Royal Teachings” was published as a pocketbook so that readers can carry it everywhere, making them feel like the much-loved monarch is always with them.
“We have prepared easy-to-understand contents…It makes clear why Thais love the late King so much,” he said.

Lessons for children
The two books also include well-printed royal portraits, including rare images.
The project was in response to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s instruction to immortalise His Majesty.
“I hope the two valuable books will benefit all the owners in that they can follow the late King’s teachings,” said Saimai Jobkolsuek, a member of the advisory staff for language, document and literature from the Royal Household Bureau.
Vira said his ministry plans more printings for free distribution if sponsors come forward.
The Government Saving Bank, for example, has already donated Bt5 million.
“We expect to publish up to 1 million copies for each book,” he said.
Saimai said all the King’s speeches were valuable with a great philosophy.
“They are very practical too,” he said.
Recipients of the commemorative books were overjoyed. “I will put the books on my altar at home. The royal teachings will guide my life,” said Natruja Sapchaloem, 49.
“I want to keep everything about the late King as much as I can because I really miss him.”
Jintana Pinjorn, 51, said she would read the books aloud to her children. “That way, they will know fully why I love the King so much.”
Orrawan Miangmook, 76, said she intended to preach the royal wisdom to her children.
A 57-year-old housewife from Bangkok, Waraporn Piangpairoon, said the books provided by the Culture Ministry were especially precious because they were something “money could not buy”.

Source: TheNation

Thailand - Hollywood star Steven Seagal pays respect to late King Bhumibol

.

Hollywood martial artist and director Steven Seagal met with PM Prayuth Chan-ocha and paid respect to the portrait of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Government House his morning.
.
Seagal, who is planning to shoot his next action movie "Attrition" in Thailand, expressed his condolences to Thailand for its loss and said he was moved by the late HM the King's hard work, according to Bangkok Post journalist Wassana Nanuam.

.

Seagal is best known for his actions movies, where he shows off a near-mastery of the Japanese martial art of Aikido, but he has also studied Muay Thai.
.
He noted that he has admired the work of the late king, who worked tirelessly to bring his citizens a better life. Seagal is a longtime practicing Buddhist.
.
Seagal said the movie “Attrition” was inspired by the U.S. government moving Thailand to Tier 3, the worst possible ranking for the trafficking of people in 2014. Therefore, Seagal said the lead character in his new film will hunt down a human trafficking ring with the Thai police.
.
Well, that's typical Seagal.
.
Thailand was moved to a Tier 2 ranking, which is slightly better, this past June.
.
Thai officials will facilitate Seagal in the filming of “Attrition,” which will reportedly take place in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and some of the Southern provinces.
.
Seagal is hoping to incorporate Muay Thai fighters into his movie, which will be released next year.
.
Seagal has shot several movies in Southeast Asia. In 2003, his action flick “Belly of the Beast” was shot in Thailand where Thai actress Sara Malakul Lane played his daughter.
Related:
.
Executive Decision: Steven Seagal plans to shoot two movies in Thailand
.
Source: Coconuts.co 

.

All entertainment in Thailand suspended for 30-days

.

Thailand shuts down

It has been announced there will be a public display of respect and mourning in Thailand for thirty-days.

There will be no entertainment programs on radio or television. No music, no comedy and no soap series. Every Thai channel will broadcast royal daily news continuously.

All entertainment events have been cancelled for thirty-days. There will be no concerts, live music, stage shows or competitions.

Many nightclubs and go go bars have already closed down and will remain closed as a mark of respect.

Some bars have been told to close for three-days, others have been shut down for seven days.

More information will be shared as it becomes available.

Report shared by BangkokJack News Team

.

. .

Honouring the dead for a better life

Mon residents help tow the boat from the temple to the river. 

 The Mon community in Sangkhla Buri on Thailand's border with Myanmar pay respect to their ancestors by sending off a boat laden with food.

 
A boat loaded with food is towed into the water where it begins its slow journey to the afterlife.

 According to traditional beliefs, the seventh month in the lunar calendar is when restless spirits roam the earth. That seventh month usually falls around August or September and all over Asia, communities mark the festival of the hungry ghost in their own fashion.

Chinese-speaking communities celebrated the festival last week, burning paper money and papier-mache iPhones so that these will travel to the afterworld where they can be used by the spirits, as well as offering boiled chicken and sweets to appease the hungry ghosts. The Khmer, too, killed chickens, leaving small portions of food at crossroads to feed the dead.

 Mon women light candles for the departed souls.

 The Mon people in the western district of Sangkhla Buri, however, organise a much more festive occasion in memory of departed souls. They build a boat and load it with food then celebrate for two nights before tossing it into the water. This Mon ceremony is very rare, and draws both the curious and the culture buff to Thailand's western frontier for the rite.

Known as the Mon Floating Boat Festival, this year's festival is being held over the weekend of September 26 to 28.

"The ritual is known to the Mon as Pohamord, which roughly translates as the Boat of Offerings," says Arunya Chareonhongsa, a Mon resident of Kanchanburi's Sangkhla Buri district, as she recounts the origins and purpose of the Mon Floating Boat Festival.

 A Mon woman carries a tray of offerings on her head.

 The annual event sees Mon communities towing a full-sized, hand-crafted boat laden with food to the river, The food is left out to sate the appetites of the departed. Once a private and deeply religious ritual, today the festival brings in much-needed tourist revenue to this quiet area.

Thousands of visitors turn out every year during the rite to witness the boat being built, decorated then towed to the water.

The Floating Boat Festival not only commemorates departed Mon pilgrims but also banishes evil and brings luck to those still living. It’s a ritual that dates back to the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom (1369-1539) and marks the journey of a high-ranking monk and several Buddhist pilgrims across the Bay of Bengal to fetch a set of Buddhist scriptures in Sri Lanka. On their return trip, one boat capsized in rough seas and the pilgrims inside it drowned.

Every year since, the Mon have built a large boat and piled it high with offerings before sending it out to sail on the river to feed those departed pilgrims.

For the Mon who live outside the district, the festival is a home-coming and a chance to mix with friends and relatives in one of the largest and most rustic Mon communities in Thailand.

On the first day locals and visitors surround the Chedi Phutthakhaya at Wat Wang Wiwekaram to watch as the men shape long bamboo poles into a boat, a process that usually takes a full day.

While the men are building the bamboo boat, the women busy themselves cooking and preparing the offerings, which mostly consist of popcorn, ripe bananas and boiled rice in banana leaves, candles, honey, water and sticks of sugarcane.

When the boat is ready and decorated with colourful paper flags, it is moved to the front of the huge pagoda where it serves as the centrepiece for the celebrations that follow on the next two nights.

The highlight is the series of cultural shows that showcase the distinctive ways of the Mon. Whether old or young, they dress in beautiful traditional attire - red sarongs and white shirts - and move towards the boat holding trays. Young men, with mouthfuls of chewy betel nut and winning smiles, try to lure the girls who carrying baskets of food on their heads.

"In the olden days, we also made a lantern and would load it with yellow string and the necessities for entering the monkhood before releasing it into the sky," Arunya explains. "Whoever got the monk set would be ordained.

"If a woman found it, she would make a great contribution to the Buddhist temple."

The ceremony culminates in the boat being towed to the riverbank and pushed out to the water where it begins its slow journey to the spiritual world.

IF YOU GO

n Sitting on the large reservoir created by the Khao Laem Dam, Sangkhla Buri is a home to one of Thailand's largest Mon communities as well as to Karenni and Bangladeshi populations that add to its ethnic diversity.

n It draws visitors for its Mon Wood Bridge and Mon temple with a bronze pyramid-shaped Chedi and is a good starting point a day trip to the Three Pagoda Check Point, where visitors, provided they bring a passport and photo, can get a day pass to Payathonsu inside Myanmar.

 The Mon Floating Boat Festival takes place around Chedi Phutthakhaya at Wat Wang Wiwekaram, Sangkhla Buri. 

Source: The Nation

*****

For the Best ‪#‎Hotels and ‪#‎Resorts
We help you with your ‪#‎Bookings 
BOOK NOW SIMPLE CLICK ON THIS LINK ON OR THE BANNER
http://planet-asian.blogspot.com/
https://asiabesthotels.wordpress.com/
https://europeanbesthotels.wordpress.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/Gerrit_Tienkamp

  .

.