Thais in heavy snow-hit Japan assisted

BANGKOK, February 17 (TNA) - The Thai Embassy in Tokyo has been prepared to assist Thai nationals in heavy snow-hit Japan currently. Sek Wannamethee, Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Information, told journalists of the update on Monday, in the wake of a snowstorm which hit the central and northern parts of Japan's Honshu Island last weeken, with high layers of snow accumulated in many areas and blocked traffic on inter-city highways in Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures. Sek said staffs of the Thai Embassy in Tokyo have advised Thai people in Japan not to travel long distances by air and road this week, while also opening a hotline number ++81 90 4435 7812 around the clock to facilitate assistance for Thai people who need it. Sek cited Japan's weather agency as forecasting that another snowstorm is likely to occur in Japan on February 19-20. The senior Thai official acknowledged that he does not have an exact figure of Thai tourists left stranded in Japan for the time being, as Thai tourists have now formed the lion's share of foreign tourists in Japan, especially after Tokyo recently exempted visas for Thai tourists, with about 450,000 Thais visiting Japan last year alone. In Thailand, severe drought is, meanwhile, affecting agriculture and wildlife. In Baan Mae Wang of Chiang Mai Province in the Thai North, locals are using about 100 pumps to draw water from a public water source. Some villagers laid pipes farther than two kilometers long to keep their longan orchards outside irrigated areas. In Bang Rakam Sub-district of Phitsanulok Province in the Lower Thai North, the Yom River has dried up over a distance of more than one kilometer and tens of thousands of local egrets have migrated to feed elsewhere. In the Northeast, workers of Na Kaeo Municipality in Phon Na Kaeo District of Sakon Nakhon Province are distributing tens of thousand liters of water daily to help local villagers. Drought is, however, relatively severe this year and existing artesian wells must be drilled 40-50 meters deep to reach underground water, while local farmers were asked to reduce their cultivation areas and water consumption. Naval officers guarding the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom Province, which borders Laos, are working harder because the river has been shallow enough to facilitate smugglers of drugs, rosewood and stolen vehicles.(TNA)