Chiang Rai News
Chiang Rai Chumchon Ban Pong School Fortifies Earthquake Defences
Fixing the faults: Prof Pennung Warnitchai, head of the development program – Photo: Thanachai Saengjan
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CHIANG RAI – Three years ago, on May 5th, 2014 Chiang Rai Province experienced one of the most powerful earthquakes in Thailand’s recorded history.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook Phan district on May 5th, 2014, leaving several unreinforced buildings damaged, with some entirely demolished.
Three years later, a school building located approximately 50 kilometres from the epicentre of the 2014 quake now has reinforced pillars to ensure safety for its students and staff.
Fresh foundations: Students at school during the building’s opening ceremony on Thursday. – Photo Om Jotikasthira
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Chumchon Ban Pong School, located in tambon Ban Pong in Chiang Rai’s Mae Suai district, is one of four schools included in a non-profit project to create a safe environment for locals in areas in earthquake-prone areas.
The pro bono effort is being overseen and implemented by organisations from Thailand and Singapore. It aims to serve as a demonstration to government and private organisations that reinforcing buildings to withstand earthquakes can be done at a relatively low cost, said Assoc Prof Sutat Leelatavivat, head of the civil engineering department at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi.
An active member of the project, Mr Sutat said that the reinforcements mainly involved strengthening the school building’s pillars in order to minimise swaying in the case that a powerful earthquake occurs.
“The technology is not overly complicated, and can be replicated after the training [of engineers] has been conducted,” Mr Sutat said. “We hope that this structure will serve as a reference point for government and private organisations to make further developments.”
Holding up: Pilllars of Chumchon Ban Pong School during the construction process.
According to him, Chumchon Ban Pong School building’s structure is similar to that of several public schools in Thailand. He explained that if other organisations can see that these buildings can be reinforced to withstand earthquakes more efficiently, further reinforcements will be more likely in the future.
The remaining three schools under the development programme are located in Chiang Rai’s Mae Chan district and Chiang Mai’s Muang district (amounting to two in Chiang Rai and two in Chiang Mai in total). At present, the two schools in Chiang Mai are awaiting reinforcement.
As for the selection process of the project’s schools, Mr Sutat said that the project used research by the Thailand Research Fund to select the four schools based on their proximity to active fault lines and similarity in building structure.
Mr Sutat said that each school under the development programme will use around one to 1.5 million baht for construction and reinforcement.
Temasek Foundation International, a non-profit organisation under Temasek Holdings in Singapore, was the main sponsor in generating funds for the project.
According to Gerald Yeo, Temasek Foundation International’s director of programmes and partnerships, the foundation has spent an estimated US$430,000 on earthquake safety in Thailand. The expenses also include training programmes for 60 engineers in order to transfer know-how for the project’s development.
Statistics provided by the Department of Mineral Resources say that there are currently 14 areas in Thailand with active fault lines, with the majority situated in the North and West, located close to each other. Areas located over these fault lines, such as Chiang Rai, are more prone to earthquakes.
Starting small: A small-scale model of an earthquake-resistant school.- Photo:Thanachai Saengjan
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The development project’s head, Prof Pennung Warnitchai, said that the fault lines running under Thailand’s northern and western regions have the potential to cause more than 7-magnitude earthquakes. He has been studying earthquake patterns in the country for over 20 years, and is currently head of the civil and infrastructure engineering department at the Asian Institute of Technology.
He added that projects such as these are necessary for the safety of people in these areas. “We are under the wrong assumption that the buildings we construct can withstand earthquakes,” said Mr Pennung. “We used to think that disasters like the one in 2014 would not occur in Thailand, but public and local perspectives changed once the quake actually struck.”
Mr Sutat said that the locals in Ban Pong are currently living near the epicentre of the 2014 quake, adding that many are aware of the risk involved in living in the area.
A local at tambon Bang Pong, who has a grandchild currently enrolled in Chumchon Ban Pong School, recalled his experience of the quake three years ago. “The houses were shaking from side to side,” he said. “Some houses didn’t have cracks afterwards, but I remember feeling the actual quakes.”
However, he said that some locals are still unaware of the development programme.
“Of course the programme is good for us, but some locals aren’t exactly enthusiastic about it at the moment,” he said. “Some don’t see the project’s importance, but some understand its purpose.”
Organisations taking part in the project include the Asian Institute of Technology, Temasek Foundation International, Nanyang Technological University, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Chiang Mai University, the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning and the Thailand Research Fund.
Police in Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai Province have arrested a 50 year old man after the threatened to rape a 20 year-old woman and the proceeded to murder her 2 and half month old baby.
Police with doctors from Wiang Kaen Hospital and the Chao Luang Wiang Kaen Welfare Association were summoned to the scene of the incident to a 2-story cement house, Village No. 2, Tha Kham Subdistrict, Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai
On arrival they found Ms. Chanikarn, age 20, in a state of distress crying uncontrollably beside her 2 and a half month baby girl (Linlada) that was dead on the floor.
After calming Ms. Chanikarn, the child’s mother, said that at approximately 2:30 p.m she was out to collect diapers that had been dried in front of the house, while her 2 and a half month old daughter was sleep on the ground floor of the house.
She said she was suddenly approached by a Mr. Lee, about 40 years old, who lived on the opposite side of the road. He came towards her and grabbed her arm and threatened her saying if she didn’t sleeping with him he will go and kill his daughter.
Miss Chanikan refused and ran away, then Mr. Lee then walked into the house and grabbed Ms. Linlada’s leg, smashing the child’s head against the cement floor of the house. The infant died immediately.
Mr. Lee then just walked away and returned to his own home, leaving Miss Chanikan and her dead baby.
When police went to Mr. Lee’s home he immediately confessed killing the infant and was taken to Wiang Kaen Police Station for further questioning. Under caution he told police that he was sexually attracted to Miss Chanikan‘s and when her husband leave for work he took the opportunity to approach her.
He said when he saw her husband leave he crossed that road and found Miss Chanikan in the yard alone, he then threatened her to sleep with him, saying he would kill her child if she didn’t have sex with him. However when she refused he flew into a fit of rage walked into her home and murdered he baby. He said he was out of control with rage.
After killing the infant he walk across the street to his home and waited for the police to arrive. The police have charged him with premeditated murder and attempted rape. He is being held without bail at the local remand center.
Meanwhile, Miss Chanikan and her family were preparing a religious burial ceremony for the child.
Other Chiang Rai News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
CHIANG RAI: Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.
On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.
His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.
Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, Assigned Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabut, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Police/Deputy Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, has launched the operation ‘Bombing the Thieves’ Bridge’ in collaboration with the CAT Office, G., mobile phone network operators AIS DTAC TRUE NT, and local security agencies to cut the mobile phone signal and WiFi internet that criminals illegally use to deceive Thai citizens.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai stated that they will begin pressing the first action of the ‘Explosion of Thieves’ Bridge’ in Chiang Rai Province toward the thieves’ base of operations in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
The territory surrounding King Roman in Laos. King Roman is now a full-service entertainment destination with an airport that welcomes travelers from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, he explained.
According to Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai, this operation will have no influence on honest people along the Thai border, and it will only target cyber criminals.
They will also increase the arrest and prosecution of unlawful service towers, such as SIM booths, which allow gangs register SIM cards to swindle the people. Dealing with criminal organizations of foreigners and Thais who band together to deceive and damage Thais.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) suspended more than three million SIM cards on July 16 because the holders had not verified their identities with their mobile phone operators by the deadline, in accordance with the NBTC’s measures to combat alleged fraudsters’ mule accounts.
The names of the holders of 80 million mobile phone numbers used for mobile banking transactions did not match the names associated with the mobile banking accounts.
The NBTC would require mobile phone companies to authenticate SIM card holders and the names of their mobile banking accounts. The verification procedure is expected to be completed by the end of September this year.
In addition, the NBTC and Royal Thai Police have collaborated to combat illegal telecom towers throughout the country’s borders, disconnecting signals at 465 places, altering antenna direction at 470 towers, and dismantling antennas at 179 locations.
They are certain that the move will disrupt contact center gangs and other types of technology-based crime.
Other Chiang Rai News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
Police in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, shot and killed a 28-year-old man who allegedly attacked a police officer with a machete. The officer was slashed in the right leg with the machete.
According to police, the culprit, known only as Mr. Toon, had been harassing local villagers in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, threatening them with a knife and using violet insults.
The village headman arrived on the scene to try to calm Mr. Toon, but he was shouting hysterically and taking swipes at him with the machete, so he contacted the police.
When the responding officer arrived at the site about 9 p.m., he attempted to calm the man, but he instead assaulted the officer, slashing his right leg with the machete. In self-defense, the cop had to fire his gun at Mr. Toon, striking him in the chest.
Mr. Toon and the policeman were taken to Mae Chan Hospital, where Mr. Toon died of a gunshot wound. Pol Sgt. Sutthikiat Phanomphraisakul was released from the hospital after receiving numerous stitches for his injuries.
Local police received a tip around 9.30 p.m. yesterday that a guy was causing mayhem in the village. When authorities arrived, they discovered 28-year-old Toon strolling along a public road, holding a large knife and threatening people. Mae Chan district officials attempted to contain the incident.
During a search of Mr. Toon’s home, authorities discovered methamphetamine consumption equipment. Locals told authorities that the man was addicted to Yaba (Methamphetamine) and an alcoholic.
The authorities are conducting an inquiry to determine Toon’s motivations and whether any underlying issues contributed to his violent outburst.
Other related news:
Chiang Mai Police Offer Cash Reward After Officer Killed
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime/chiang-mai-police-offer-reward/
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