Huge waves continue battering Thailand's southern coast

BANGKOK, December 26 (TNA) - Huge waves have continued ravaging Thailand's southern coastline facing the Gulf of Thailand; while the winter's cold spell, with a further drop in temperatures, has hit the Thai North and Northeast. The big waves, as high as 3-4 metres, have kept eroding the coastline of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, for instance, especially in Thap Sakae District, gutting the coastline over 50 metres deep inland for a distance of over one kilometre along a beach and approaching local villages. In Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, the huge waves crossing seaside Pak Phanang-Hua Sai Road have destroyed nearby communities, including a fishermen’s village in Laem Talumphuk locality, where at least 10 houses were damaged. Locals said the waves were stronger several folds than usual, forcing children and the elderly to be evacuated, with affected areas including Tha Sala, Sichon and Khanom Districts. In Songkhla, some 20 seaside households in Ranot District, next to Hua Sai District of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, have left the area due to strong winds and waves; while people in the Kao Seng community of Muang District have taken turns to watch out for more strong waves and have totally shunned swimming along local beaches. The winter's cold spell, meanwhile, has become more severe in the northernmost Chiang Rai Province, having heavily affected people's health, as many as 2,000 children and the elderly have sought treatment for respiratory illnesses at local hospitals daily, with the number having on the rise amid falling temperatures in plain areas, to some 12 degrees Celsius now, and insufficient winter clothes for over 280,000 local people. Temperatures have kept falling in Phichit Province in the lower Thai North as well, with thick mist covering local urban areas and people now delaying their routines to wait for sunlight to keep themselves warm. (TNA)