Thousands of jellyfish swarm to Trat’s coast near Ratchakarun beach in Muang district to feed on plankton swept in during the rainy season. PHRAISOHN SIRIPOOL
By Terry Fredrickson
Yesterday afternoon, seven activists, including Veera Somkwamkid, coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network, found out the five means five. That’s the limit on the number of people allowed in a politically-related gathering.
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5-year-old boy killed by jellyfish
Tourists are taken to see the colourful jellyfish off the coast of Muang district in Trat in October 2012. PHOTO: JAKKRIT WAEWKRAIHONG
The mass gatherings, or blooms, of box jellyfish in coastal areas around Thailand each year attract large groups of tourists, but they can also be very dangerous for swimmers.
Last Saturday, a five-year-old boy died after being stung by a box jellyfish on a popular beach on Ko Phangan, a resort island in Surat Thani.
Yongyos Thammawut of the provincial public health office in Surat Thani said the boy went into shock from stings from the poisonous tentacles of a box jellyfish while with his parents on Khuad beach Saturday. He died as his parents and a guide were taking him to Phangan hospital for treatment, Dr Yongyos added.
The boy became entangled in the box jellyfish's 20 cm-long tentacles.
As a result, Phangan acting district chief Kasitdet Thongchu on Monday asked local administrative authorities and beachside hotels to post signs warning of poisonous jellyfish and to prepare first aid in case swimmers are stung by them.
Fully grown box jellyfish, some of the most-poisonous animals on earth, can reach three meters long.
Adapted from a story by Supapong Chaolan
Vocabulary
acting: doing the work of the usual person in a particular job while they are not there, or until a new person starts - ที่รักษาการแทน
administrative: involving the plan, organising and running of a business, an institution, etc - เกี่ยวกับการบริหาร
attract: to cause someone to be interested in something - ดึงดูดความสนใจ
authority: a person or government agency who has the power to make decisions or enforce the law - เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจ
bloom: a rapid growth of a plankton population, jellyfish, etc. -
coastal: of an area of land beside the sea - แนวชายฝั่งทะเล
entangled: to twist someone or something up in something such as a wire or net, so that they are stuck and cannot easily be set free - พัน
first aid: simple medical treatment that is given to somebody before a doctor comes or before the person can be taken to a hospital - การปฐมพยาบาล
gathering: a large group of something; the process of collecting something - การรวบรวม
local: in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about - ท้องถิ่น
mass: large amounts or numbers - ปริมาณมาก จำนวนมาก
plankton: the very small forms of plant and animal life that live in water - แพลงก์ตอน, สิ่งมีชีวิตขนาดเล็กมากในน้ำ
poisonous: poisonous and harmful to people, animals or the environment - เป็นพิษ
popular: a situation in which someone or something is liked by many people - เป็นที่นิยม, เป็นที่ชื่นชอบ
shock: a serious medical condition, usually the result of injury in which a person has lost a lot of blood and they are extremely weak - ช็อก, อาการสั่นกระตุก,อาการเป็นลม,อาการแน่นิ่งไปอย่างกระทันหัน
sting: (past form: stung) (of an insect or a water animal like a jellyfish) to touch your skin or make a very small hole in it so that you feel a sharp pain - ต่อย
sting: a wound that is made when an insect, a creature or a plant stings you - แผลถูกต่อย
swarm: to go to a place in large numbers - แห่กันไป
swept (past form sweep): moved quickly through an area; moved with powerful force - เคลื่อนไปอย่างรวดเร็ว, พัดพาเอาไป
tentacle: a long thin part of the body of some creatures, such as squid, used for feeling or holding things, for moving or for getting food - อวัยวะของสัตว์ที่ยื่นยาวออกมา เช่น งวง หนวด
treatment: the process of providing medical care - การรักษา
warn: to make someone aware of a possible problem or danger - เตือน
