BIG BIRTHDAY
Fireworks on December 5 paint the night sky with colour and light over Sanam Luang in Bangkok, where the government held a major celebration to mark his Majesty the King’s 87th birthday.
FATAL DISTRACTION
Woman dies while telephoning
A 51-year-old woman died after being hit by a train in Kanchanaburi's Tha Maka district on the morning of December 5.
Witnesses told police they saw the woman, who was later identified as Phakjira Ngamsiriworakul, talking on a mobile phone while crossing rail tracks in Tha Rua Phra Thaen sub-district.
She was hit by the No. 909 tourist train from Hua Lamphong terminal in Bangkok bound for the Sai Yok waterfall in Kanchanaburi. While talking on the phone, she might have been distracted and not noticed the train, police said.
LESS CORRUPT
Thailand’s corruption improves
Thailand's global corruption ranking has improved this year to 85 out of a total of 175 countries and territories, as compared with a ranking of 102 last year.
The government hopes to have the country ranked among the top 50 least corrupt within the next three years. The latest Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released on December 3, ranks countries and territories on how corrupt their public sectors are perceived to be.
Thailand ranks 85th on the list with a score of 38 points out of a possible 100, where the higher the score, the less corrupt a country is seen as being. The country ranked 102nd with a score of 35 last year.
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
TERRIBLE SCENE
Southerner shot dead
A man was shot dead. It happened in Pattani’s Yarang on December 5. He was recently released from jail. Police said the motive could be related to a personal conflict.
Vocabulary
- distract (v): to take somebody’s attention away from what they are trying to do
territory (n): land that is under the control of a particular country or ruler
perceive (v): to understand or think of somebody or something in a particular way
motive (n): a reason for doing something
