Security to be beefed up in capital for New Year festivities

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Security to be beefed up in capital for New Year festivities

Angsuma Sridokkham

The Nation

Metropolitan police chief assures no terrorist threat; concern over traffic

BANGKOK:-- POLICE are beefing up security across the capital, especially at key venues, for New Year 2016 celebrations, with walk-through metal-detecting scanners being installed at all entrances.

After a meeting yesterday with police divisions responsible for traffic and security for Christmas parties and "countdown" events, acting Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Sanit Mahathaworn said all areas of Bangkok would become "safety zones".

Special attention would be given to major party venues to make sure they were free of weapons or illegal items.

Sanit affirmed, however, that there had been no detection of terrorist movements and Thailand wasn't the target for such groups.

Sanit said that national police chief assistant Pol General Dechnarong Sutticharnbancha had raised concerns over traffic jams. He has instructed all precinct superintendents to oversee personally the traffic accommodation work during the New Year holidays and tackle problems at the root.

Failing to do so could result in issuance of a "yellow card" or a punishment for precinct superintendents to direct traffic in front of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, he said.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration deputy permanent secretary Peerapong Saichuea, in his capacity as deputy chief of the Bangkok Internal Security Operations Command, yesterday presided over the command's launch of a monitoring centre for emergency incidents during December 31 until January 3.

The National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEMS), the Public Health Ministry and provincial authorities would identify at least five of the most-accident-risk spots per province to reduce the New Year road toll. A coordination centre would be set up to gather details for analysis and problem solving.

Last New Year's "seven dangerous days" period saw 2,997 accidents, killing 341 persons and wounding 3,117 others.

NIEMS secretary-general Anucha Setasaetien urged people not to make prank calls to its free hotline 1669 which has been receiving 300 false calls per day. Such calls could narrow emergency patients' chances of surviving, he said.

A Samrong Tai resident in Samut Prakan's Phra Pradaeng district, Kamolsak Charoj, shared his cousin's recent experience in which the cousin suffered a seizure and Kamolsak called for help.

"I called the 1669 hotline 20 times and I couldn't reach any official, while my cousin's condition got worse. So I called the police hotline 191 instead, but I was told to call 1669. I kept trying until I reached the 1669 official's answer and got help for my cousin," he said. He asked the official why it was so hard to reach them and was told the hotline often had prank calls - most of which were made by children. As for his cousin, the man succumbed to the illness about a week later in hospital and the family was told it was because he suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain.

"If he was helped in time, this wouldn't have happened," Kamolsak added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Security-to-be-beefed-up-in-capital-for-New-Year-f-30275565.html

-- The Nation 2015-12-24

[Stargeezr]

I really wish I could be around Thailand for New Years. I have always had a great time in Thailand,

during the New Years celebrations. Maybe Next year or in 2017 as I plan to get back to Thailand

for Christmas and New Years soon. Merry Christmas to All!

Good Luck for 2016. Have a drink for the Geezer and have a good time.

Stargeezer

Edited December 24, 2015 by Stargrazer9889

[buji]

New Years is in April. They should post as Farang New Years. Also any beefed up security will be only rich areas. Thais (love them) never spend more money than needed. A good example is an ambulance (with a dying person inside) with sirens blazing sitting stopped behind some cars at a hundred plus sec intersection.

Call 911, you get McDonalds or Pizza Hut. Call ambulance, estimate 10-40 minutes travel time depending on traffic or time of day, Bangkok....Christ! Better to just die in dignity.