Thailand: Accident fatalities drop during New Year holiday
A total of 373 people died in 3,421 traffic accidents on roads in Thailand during the New Year holiday from December 22, 2019 to January 2, 2020, down 19.4 percent the same period last year.
Heavy traffic is seen in Nang Rong district of Buri Ram province as New Year revellers start to return to Bangkok. (Photo: Bangkok Post)Bangkok (VNA) – A total of 373 people died in 3,421 traffic accidents on roads in Thailand during the New Year holiday from December 22, 2019 to January 2, 2020, down 19.4 percent the same period last year.
This is the lowest death toll for the period over the past five years. The capital city of Bangkok had the highest New Year death toll with 15.
Drink driving and speeding are the two major causes of road accidents.
Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee said decreases were seen in both the number of road accidents and fatalities as well as in the number of injuries.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he was not satisfied with the decreases because the death toll remained high. He urged relevant agencies to seek measures to further reduce the number of persons killed in traffic accidents during the Songkran festival in April this year.
Thailand has one of the highest death tolls due to traffic accidents in ASEAN and the world, with an average 60 killed each day or over 21,000 a year./.
You should also see
Hanoi ceremony celebrates 70th anniversary of Geneva Agreement
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony in Hanoi on April 25 to mark 70 years since the signing of the Geneva Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam - an important milestone in the struggle for national liberation of the Vietnamese people and a great victory of the Vietnamese diplomatic sector.
See more
World
Laos speeds up granting licences to foreign workers
Laos's Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare plans to issue visas to illegal foreign workers and extend permits to legal ones so that they can continue to work in the country.
World
Argentinian scholar praises Vietnam’s April 30, 1975 victory
The complete reunification of Vietnam on April 30, 1975 was an extremely significant event in the history of the country and the world, opined a scholar from the Institute for International Relations at the National University of La Plata, Argentina.
World
Malaysia tackles food security challenges
Empowering local communities in the agriculture sector to attract young people to this field is one of the measures taken by Malaysia to address labour shortage while also contributing to tackling challenges in food security.
World
Danger warning issued for Thailand’s Bangkok as extreme heat bites
Thai authorities on April 24 issued an extreme heat warning for Bangkok, urging people to stay indoors for their safety as temperatures soared.
World
Schools in Philippines go online amid extreme heat
Record heat in the Philippines in April has forced schools to send children home for online classes.
