Local News

Foam floats frowned upon

Green alternatives encouraged for Loy Krathong

On October 19, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said people who celebrate Loy Krathong in city parks should use environmentally friendly floats, such as those made from banana wood and bread.

Governor Apirak�s decision is in contrast to that of his predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, who encouraged the use of Styrofoam floats. The new governor dismissed Samak�s contention that natural materials would only rot and pollute the water. City cleaners will clear all floats right after the festival, Apirak said.

Last year, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) collected 203,200 floats from city parks after last year�s festival, with 124,650 made from styrofoam.

Apirak conceded there are no laws banning the use of Styrofoam materials. The best he could do was to ask for the cooperation of all city revellers and traders.

Apirak also said boisterous activities and sales of food, floats and other products would not be allowed within the parks to ensure the grounds remained clean and tidy. The governor said the city will also inspect fireworks stores for illegal crackers as part of measures to ensure the safety of festival revellers.

Move to curb vocational violence

New uniform rules should ease tensions

A plan requiring all vocational schools to wear the same uniforms will be forwarded to Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik to help stop clashes between students from rival schools.

The committee in charge of solving gang violence between rival students agreed on October 8 to the change. The planned new rules will require students at all vocational schools to wear the same uniforms and stop wearing pins and belt buckles with their school insignia, Surathep Tanprasert, Private Education Promotion Office director said.

The committee of representatives from the office and from the Vocational Education Commission will propose that Adisai amends the ministry�s regulations.

If the change is given the go-ahead, all private and public vocational school students will be allowed to wear plain short or long-sleeved shirts of �appropriate� colours and black or dark blue trousers or skirts. Their workshop uniforms will be replaced with T-shirts without school logos, Surathep said.

He admitted that by wearing different uniforms, students risked being attacked by those from rival schools.

Tusk tragedy avoided

Doctors in northern Thailand saved the life of an elephant by removing an infected tusk. The elephant, named Kamsaen, had been sick and in pain for four months since its owner cut off too much of its right tusk. The life-saving surgery was performed at the elephant hospital in Lampang. The elephant�s owner had previously cut about three inches from Kamsaen�s tusk.

Dressing down

Students from Ubol Ratchathani Kindergarten pose in dresses made from recycled materials. � Asian Honda Motor Company

Vocabulary

infected (adj): containing harmful bacteria
tusk (n): either of the long curved teeth that stick out of the mouth of elephants and some other animals
frown upon (phrasal v): to disapprove of somebody/something
green (adj): in this use, environmentally friendly
contrast (n): a difference between two or more people or things that you can see clearly when they are compared or put close together
predecessor (n): a person who did a job before somebody else
Styrofoam (proper n): an artificial substance used to make packaging, etc.
dismiss (v): to decide that somebody or something is not important and not worth thinking or talking about
contention (n): happy and satisfied with what you have
concede (v): to admit that something is true, logical, etc.
reveller (n): a person who is having fun in a noisy way, usually with a group of other people and often after drinking alcohol
boisterous (adj): (of people, animals or behaviour) noisy and full of life and energy