Aid provided to cold snap victims in Thailand

BANGKOK, January 20 (TNA) - Several agencies have rendered assistance to people affected by the ongoing cold spell, especially those in the Thai North and Northeast, where temperatures are forecast to further drop by 2-4 degree Celsius later this week. In the Thai North, the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation under the Royal Patronage on Monday distributed 500 blankets to villagers in Mae Sai District of Chiang Rai Province, where all 18 districts have been declared cold-hit disaster zones for over one month. In the Thai Northeast, frost was spotted on early Monday morning on mountaintops in Phu Rue District of Loei Province for the sixth time since the beginning of the winter late last year. In Yasothorn Province, also in the Thai Northeast, people in nine districts are also suffering from the cold weather, prompting local students and teachers to spend their morning exercising outdoors before classes to keep themselves warm and healthy during the hard winter. In neighbouring Kalasin Province, students from Khon Kaen University’s Faculty of Nursing provided medical check-ups for villagers in Huay Meg District, free of charges, as part of their field health services. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department forecast that temperatures in Thailand's upper parts would further drop by 2-4 degree Celsius in the coming days, from January 21-23, influenced by a new high pressure mass from China.(TNA)