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This week: Typhoon Noru, beauty queen asylum, baht freefall and Chiang Mai wall collapse

Typhoon Noru hits Thailand
Typhoon Noru weakened to a tropical storm before hitting Thailand's Northeast on Thursday.
The typhoon tore roofs from homes and caused power outages across central Vietnam Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of people taking refuge after the storm claimed at least 10 lives in the Philippines.
More than 4,000 Ubon Ratchathani residents were evacuated Thursday after the Mun River burst its banks.
In Si Sa Ket, one person was killed and two injured when a large tree toppled by a strong wind fell onto the pick-up they were travelling in.
The storm is expected to downgrade further to a depression and low-pressure system as it crosses Thailand.

Myanmar beauty queen granted asylum
A Myanmar beauty queen who spoke out against military rule in her country and was detained at Suvarnabhumi airport, landed in Toronto on Wednesday after being granted asylum in Canada.
Han Lay made an impassioned pageant speech last year against the army's deadly suppression of anti-junta protests.
After spending the past year in Thailand, she was denied re-entry after a trip to Vietnam due to invalid travel documents and was held before being granted asylum overseas.

Baht freefall could hit 38
Economists forecast the value of the baht could plunge to 38 to the US dollar this year, mainly attributed to a stronger dollar.
Kasikorn Bank expects the baht to remain highly volatile, in line with money markets worldwide.
According to CIMB Thai Bank, the economy should continue to recover, despite a high inflation rate, largely thanks to a recovery in the tourism sector.
Outbound Thai travel is expected to stay subdued as a result of the weak baht, despite the reopening of Japan and Taiwan to tourists.

Chiang Mai city wall collapses
Persistent rain caused more damage as a section of the ancient wall at Chang Phuak Gate in Chiang Mai collapsed following days of downpours.
The collapsed section was built in 1957 to replace the earlier part of the wall that surrounds the central area of the city.
The original walls date back more than 700 years, but sections have been repaired or replaced since.

Vocabulary

  • ancient: very old - ที่เก่าแก่ ที่โบราณ
  • asylum: the right to stay in a country, given by a government to protect someone who has escaped from war or political trouble in their own country - การลี้ภัย
  • burst its banks (of a river): to flood; to have water go over the sides - ล้นตลิ่ง
  • depression: an area where the air pressure is low, often causing heavy rain - พายุดีเปรสชัน
  • evacuate: to cause to leave a place because it is not safe - เคลื่อนย้ายออกจาก
  • impassioned (adj): showing strong feelings about something - ซึ่งแสดงอารมณ์ความรู้สึกออกมา
  • inflation: a general rise in the prices of services and goods in a particular country, resulting in a fall in the value of money - เงินเฟ้อ
  • invalid: not able to be used legally - เป็นโมฆะ
  • outage: power cut - ช่วงเวลาที่ไม่มีกระแสไฟฟ้า
  • pageant: a competition to choose the most beautiful from a group of women - ประกวดนางงาม
  • persistent: continuing - อย่างต่อเนื่อง
  • plunge: to fall quickly from a high position - ดิ่งลงมาจากท้องฟ้า
  • refuge: a place where you go to protect yourself from something dangerous or threatening - ที่ลี้ภัย ที่หลบภัย
  • subdued: quiet and slightly sad or worried - ข่มอารมณ์, เงียบ
  • suppression: stopping opposition or protests using force or strict laws; crackdown - การใช้กำลังเข้าปราบปรามของเจ้าหน้าที่
  • topple: to cause to fall - คว่ำลงมา
  • tropical storm (noun): the first level of dangerous storm: "A tropical storm is an organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds between 34 knots (39 mph) and 64 knots (74 mph). (Source: Wikipedia) - พายุโซนร้อน, พายุดีเปรสชันที่มีกำลังแรงขึ้น เกิดขึ้นในเขตร้อน ความเร็วลมบริเวณใกล้ศูนย์กลางประมาณ 70-120 กิโลเมตรต่อชั่วโมง [พจนานุกรมศัพท์ สสวท.]
  • volatile: of something that may change suddenly or become more dangerous - ที่ปะทุได้ง่าย
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