[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Reuters-Dozens of Karen refugees fr

Subject: Reuters-Dozens of Karen refugees from Myanmar dead after Thai cold spell 

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_002E_01BF50BF.03576CE0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Dozens dead after Thai cold spell=20
05:43 a.m. Dec 27, 1999 Eastern=20
BANGKOK, Dec 27 (Reuters) - At least 33 people have died in Thailand in =
the last week as unusually cold weather has swept down from China and =
Mongolia, Thai officials said on Monday.=20

``Official figures are not yet available but initial reports show at =
least 33 Thais have already died from cold-related causes in the past =
five days,'' an official at Thailand's Social Welfare Department said.=20

At Thailand's coldest point at Loei in the northeast, the mercury dived =
to 2.9 degrees Celsius (37.2 degrees Fahrenheit), the Thai =
Meteorological Department said.=20

Twenty-two people were believed to have died from cold while 11 others =
either died from inhalation of carbon dioxide or were burned to death by =
stoves, the social welfare department official told Reuters without =
giving details.=20

The department said thousands of poor communities in rural areas lacked =
blankets and warm clothes to cope with the cold.=20

The authorities have said they would distribute blankets but in view of =
warmer weather on the way, that is likely to be the extent of their =
action. Meteorologists said they expected temperatures in the north and =
centre of Thailand to get warmer in the coming days.=20

Two female prisoners were found dead in their cell at a prison in Chiang =
Rai province, officials said.=20

In Mae Sot, on the Thai-Myanmar border, at least eight ethnic Karen =
refugees from Myanmar died of exposure in a camp in the past four days, =
local sources said.=20

The temperature in the capital, Bangkok, early on Monday morning was 18 =
degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), down from about 28 degrees =
Celsius a week ago.=20

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Bangkok was 10 degrees Celsius =
in 1975, a department official told Reuters.=20

Northern Thailand is usually cool in the winter months of December and =
January, but it is normally closer to 10 degrees Celsius.=20

Despite the colder weather, there is no sign of any change in the =
behaviour of Thai tourists and neither is there evidence of an impact on =
foreign tourism.=20





------=_NextPart_000_002E_01BF50BF.03576CE0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Dozens dead =
after Thai cold=20
spell</STRONG></FONT> <BR>05:43 a.m. Dec 27, 1999 Eastern=20
<P>BANGKOK, Dec 27 (Reuters) - At least 33 people have died in Thailand =
in the=20
last week as unusually cold weather has swept down from China and =
Mongolia, Thai=20
officials said on Monday.=20
<P>``Official figures are not yet available but initial reports show at =
least 33=20
Thais have already died from cold-related causes in the past five =
days,'' an=20
official at Thailand's Social Welfare Department said.=20
<P>At Thailand's coldest point at Loei in the northeast, the mercury =
dived to=20
2.9 degrees Celsius (37.2 degrees Fahrenheit), the Thai Meteorological=20
Department said.=20
<P>Twenty-two people were believed to have died from cold while 11 =
others either=20
died from inhalation of carbon dioxide or were burned to death by =
stoves, the=20
social welfare department official told Reuters without giving details.=20
<P>The department said thousands of poor communities in rural areas =
lacked=20
blankets and warm clothes to cope with the cold.=20
<P>The authorities have said they would distribute blankets but in view =
of=20
warmer weather on the way, that is likely to be the extent of their =
action.=20
Meteorologists said they expected temperatures in the north and centre =
of=20
Thailand to get warmer in the coming days.=20
<P>Two female prisoners were found dead in their cell at a prison in =
Chiang Rai=20
province, officials said.=20
<P>In Mae Sot, on the Thai-Myanmar border, at least eight ethnic Karen =
refugees=20
from Myanmar died of exposure in a camp in the past four days, local =
sources=20
said.=20
<P>The temperature in the capital, Bangkok, early on Monday morning was =
18=20
degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), down from about 28 degrees =
Celsius a=20
week ago.=20
<P>The lowest temperature ever recorded in Bangkok was 10 degrees =
Celsius in=20
1975, a department official told Reuters.=20
<P>Northern Thailand is usually cool in the winter months of December =
and=20
January, but it is normally closer to 10 degrees Celsius.=20
<P>Despite the colder weather, there is no sign of any change in the =
behaviour=20
of Thai tourists and neither is there evidence of an impact on foreign =
tourism.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_002E_01BF50BF.03576CE0--