Free services offered to people in Thailand during New Year

BANGKOK, December 28 (TNA) - The Thai Ministries of Transport and Public Health offer free services to the public during the New Year Festival 2017. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told journalists on Wednesday that, as a New Year gift, his ministry will offer 24-hour free rides to the public for all three mass electric train services in Bangkok and its peripheral areas, from noon on December 31 to noon on January 1, amid tight security measures in all areas. Arkhom said that the opening hours of all the three mass rail transit systems in the capital and surrounding areas, including the skytrain, the subway and the Airport Links systems, and even the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, will also be extended from the night of December 31 to 2am of January 1, 2017, aimed partly to support activities organised to pay tribute to late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, including mass countdown prayers in many areas. Arkhom noted that commuters will also offered free service at subway parking lots during the 24-hour period, while the Airport Link will, as well, increase its frequency of the trains from every 15 minutes to every 12 minutes instead. The minister revealed that the prepared security measures will be focused on five targets, including sufficient public transport services to meet public demand, reduced accidents and casualties during travels via public transport systems by 5 per cent, zero number of death toll during travels via public land, marine and air transport systems, total ban on alcohol consumption for employees of all public transport systems and zero death toll on motorways. In the southern Ranong Province, Governor Jatupoj Piyamputra told reporters, in the meantime, that his province and Myanmar's Kawthaung Township have agreed to launch joint marine security services for ferries running between the Thai and Myanmar marine border areas during the New Year Festival. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health also offer free health checkups as a New Year gift for people to screen non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for 73 per cent of deaths among Thai people. Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn announced at a press conference that hospitals under the Public Health Ministry will, thus, provide free health checkups to people nationwide from January 1 to 15, 2017, during which the public will also be given advice to change their eating habits and do more exercise to avoid the NCDs. In 2016, cerebrovascular diseases, one of the NCDs, have caused the highest deaths of 27,069, or three people were killed by the diseases every three hours. The minister advised people to eat less salty and sugary food, while also refraining from taking too many chemical medications, but herbal remedies instead as an alternative to cure common diseases. (TNA)