This week: Phuket pounded, new variants arrive, monk causes accident and rollerblader fined
Phuket flooding
The southern tourist province of Phuket bore the brunt of local storms this week, with flooding, blackouts and landslides.
The old neighbourhood in downtown Phuket was one of the worst affected.
Kathu district was hit by mudslides which toppled power poles, and strongly flowing flood water destroyed a bridge in tambon Sri Sunthorn.
Phuket international airport advised passengers to leave 3-4 hours earlier than their scheduled departures as roads around the airport were inundated.
Phuket's governor has asked for financial assistance from the government for those affected.
First BQ.1 case
Thailand's first case of Omicron's highly transmissible descendant BQ.1 has been detected in a 40-year-old foreign man who arrived from China.
BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are reported to be resistant to current antibody medications used to treat Covid-19 patients, and both variants are highly contagious.
Additionally, two people who recently arrived from abroad tested positive for yet another sub-variant, XBB.
However, there is no clinical proof that the new variants cause more severe infections and more fatalities than previous sub-variants.
Monk causes deadly road accident
A car driven by a monk struck a motorcycle on Sunday, killing a woman and injuring her younger brother.
The car driver was the 74-year-old abbot of a nearby temple.
The monk drove from a soi onto a main road and collided with the oncoming motorcycle.
Police said the abbot would be charged with reckless driving causing death and damage to property.
Canadian fined for rollerblading
A 37-year-old Canadian man seen rollerblading on Bangkok roads was charged by police with a misdemeanour.
The TikTok video of Jordan McIver rollerblading from Nana to On Nut on Sukhumvit road went viral, causing concern that he could have been hit by a vehicle or caused a road accident.
Officers pressed a charge related to traffic obstruction and road safety.
He was fined 1,000 baht.
Mr McIver said he was unaware he was violating Thai law and only wanted to see the city while exercising.
