Security measures tightened for Thailand's New Year festival

BANGKOK, December 26 (TNA) - Thai police and soldiers have jointly stepped up security measures to protect important and crowded places nationwide during the New Year festival. Deputy metropolitan police chief Police Major General Auchai Lekbamrung said on Monday that the beefed-up security measures by Bangkok police, border patrol police and soldiers are aimed to ensure order during the forthcoming New Year celebrations. Crime Suppression Division Commander Police Major General Supisan Pakdinaruenat led 80 subordinates to clean areas in front of the CentralWorld shopping centre at Ratchaprasong Intersection, a main venue of a New Year countdown event in Bangkok, wiping out garbage piles where bombs could be hidden. Besides, the police officers get familiar with local people at the areas to facilitate their security measures and intelligence, as well as checked surveillance cameras to ensure their full-scale function and coverage. In the southernmost Yala Province, local internal trade officials inspected prices of New Year gift baskets to prevent profiteering or expiring products; while business operators acknowledged that their sales of New Year gift baskets have remained unchanged but the prices of boxed fruit juice and milk have risen due to recent flooding. In Nakhon Phanom Province, authorities, meanwhile, have set up checkpoints to block dog smuggling amid rising demand for Thai dogs for overseas consumption in the winter. About 940 dogs were earlier seized from smugglers and have remained at a provincial quarantine facility where they have been vaccinated to prevent respiratory diseases. (TNA)