ไปสัปดาห์หนังสือแห่งชาติมา

ช่วงนี้กำลังมีงาน สัปดาห์หนังสือแห่งชาติอยู่ บางปีผมก็ไม่ได้ไป แต่ปีนี้ตัดสินใจไป อาจจะเป็นปีสุดท้ายที่ผมไปก็ได้ ใครจะไปรู้ รู้สึกว่าผมไม่ค่อยอยากอ่านหนังสือที่เป็นแนวหลักในตลาด สาเหตุที่ไปก็เพราะจะไปเช็คว่า มีอะไรใหม่จากสำนักพิม์บางแห่งที่ผมสนใจหรือไม่
ก็ปรากฎว่าไปได้หนังสือมาหลายเล่ม จากสำนักพิมพ์เช่น มูลนิธิโกมลคีมทอง สำนักพิม์คบไฟ สำนักพิมพ์สวนเงินมีมา สำนักพิมพ์เกษตรกรรมธรรมชาติเป็นต้น
หนังสือที่ซื้อ ถ้าไม่ใช่แนวปรัชญา ก็มักเป็น แนวพุทธในทัศนะชาวตะวันตก นอกนั้นก็เป็นเรื่องเกษตร

Royal Thai Navy rescued stranded tourists from islands in the south

From the news, task forces from Royal Thai Navy were sent to rescue stranded tourists on islands (such as Koh Tai and Koh Samui) in the gulf of Thailand, and islands in the Andaman sea.  See link above.

VDO of model of high speed railway from China to Lao

I have been to Northern Laos by car recently and it has a serene atmosphere which I enjoyed. So after I heard the news about the high speed railway project from China to Lao, and then to continue to Bangkok in the next few years, I was interested in how the model would fit into the rugged mountainous area of Northern Laos.

I have a nagging feeling that there might be an uncertainty on the construction of the high speed train in Thailand. Thai politicians in the past have shown their capability of delay things. Prime example is  Suvarnabhumi airport, which was eventually built some 40 years after its land redemption law was passed.

High speed train from China to Bangkok by the end of 2016 ?

I think, on one aspect, this is a positive sign for improved regional communication and trade between Southeast Asia and south China after 2016. On the other hand, however, I can't avoid worry about adversed impacts on small Thai agricultural farms and Thai small industries. I think they will be struggling with the flood of lower cost products from China that will come with the train. And Thailand will surely experience more trade deficits with China.

Solar power electricity generation in Thailand

(See link above for news in Thai)

Thailand has opened its first solar electricity generating farm, currently the largest in Asean countries. The "Solar Farm Korat 1", located in Tambon Don Chompoo, Amphor Nonsoong, Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeast Thailand has around 30,000 solar panels installed in an area of more than 100 Rais (>40 acres). Solar Power Co., Ltd, has invested over 700 million Baht for this farm. It plans to invest up to 2.4 billion Bahts for a total of 34 solar farms in 9 provinces in the noreast by the year B.E. 2556 (2013).  For this particular farm, it has a capacity of 6 Megawatts, and is expected to generate income around 430,000 Baht per day by feeding electricity into the provincial grid of the Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The feeding has been started since April B.E. 2553 (2010). Additional farms are in Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Panom and have been started generating electricity last month and this month as well.