Thai tourism minister extends condolences for death of inter-continental cyclist

BANGKOK, February 23 (TNA) - Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkun has extended her condolences for the death of an inter-continental cyclist from a road accident in Thailand last weekend, vowing that her ministry will work out solutions to prevent such the incident from recurring, as the government is promoting cycling nationwide. Kobkarn told journalists on Monday that she is concerned after the 48-year-old Chilean was killed in a collision by a pickup truck on the Mitrapharp Highway in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in the Thai Northeast on February 21. Kobkarn said she will call for the traffic accident investigation and improved road safety measures. Kobkarn assured her ministry will, in a few days, pay 300,000 baht in compensation for the death and up to 100,000 baht for the medical treatment of the injured. The Thai tourism minister responded to the death of Juan Francisco Guillermo, who was trying to set a world record by cycling 250,000 kilometers long in five continents in five years, but his bicycle and carriage of his 40-year-old Singaporean wife Ng-Poh Leng and his two-year-old son Lucas were hit by a pickup truck on the Mitrapharp Highway in Nakhon Ratchasima last Saturday, killing him at the scene, while his wife and son were injured and were admitted to a nearby hospital. The Thai tourism minister has sent her ministry's officials to visit the victims at the hospital and to gather information from them. The Thai Ministry of Tourism has also sent official condolences to Chile and the families of the victims. The Thai tourism minister also asked local tourist police and concerned officials to serve the relatives of the victims well. The tourism minister acknowledged that concerned authorities have to review road safety measures and accident causes because it was not the first, but the second incident, in a few years in which a foreign cyclist was killed by a road accident in Thailand. (TNA)