Satun Province Research Articles

On the Wind Resource Assessment along the Western Coast of Thailand

This paper presents a microscale wind resource mapping along the western coast of Thailand, i.e., Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun provinces. A coupled mesoscale atmospheric model and a microscale wind flow model are used along with the long-term Modern-Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) climatic database, a high resolution topography and the Land Cover Land Use (LCLU) digital data. The predicted wind speeds at height of 40 m and 80 m above ground level are validated. The observed wind speeds, obtained from met masts, are compared to the wind speeds predicted by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric modeling. While the validation shows that the measured wind speeds are higher than the predicted mean wind speeds, with an average percent mean relative error of 17%, the results nonetheless show that the wind map can be used to represent the wind resource along the western coast of Thailand. The potential sites for wind power development include Launnuea, Laun, Kamphuan, and Suksamran districts in Ranong province; Thugkhangok, Mueang, Phangnga districts in Phangnga province; Nakhao and Khaophanom districts in Krabi province; as well as Wangprachan and Khuandon districts in Satun province. It is found that the annual energy production that could be generated by a 10 MW wind power plant is approximately 23 GWh/year, 48 GWh/year, 51 GWh/year, 26 GWh/year and 32 GWh/year, respectively, for these provinces. The capacity factors of the wind power plants are above 25% for all sites. Finally, the economic assessment shows that Thailand’s Very Small Power Producer (VSPP) wind power plants at Kamphuan and Thungkhangok districts are viable.

Performance evaluation of community-based ecotourism: a case study in Satun province, Thailand

ABSTRACTThe objective of the study reported in this paper was to assess the performance of community-based ecotourism (CBET) management at tourist destinations in Thailand. The importance-performance analysis method was applied to evaluate tourists’ perceptions of the importance and performance of CBET management in Satun province. Analysis was based on data collected using a questionnaire administered to a sample of 530 visitors. Semi-structured and focus group interviews were also used to collect data from various key informants: executives of government agencies, local administrators, leaders of networks of community-based tourism, experts in tourism management, and local residents regarding four dimensions of ecotourism management: environmental area, management, activities and learning processes, and stakeholder participation. The findings indicate that the tourist destinations in the areas have an abundance of natural attractions and cultural traditions relating to the local Muslim lifestyle which have the potential to be exploited under CBET. However, a number of important aspects needed to be improved including management and participation. Additionally, it is necessary to enhance the economic benefits of local stakeholders which would encourage natural conservation and the participation of local communities in CBET management.

Prevalence and Health Effects of Intestinal Parasitic Infection in School Children in Satun Province, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Intestinal parasitic infection is a major health problem in the southern region of Thailand. Despite an established annual deworming program, many school age children still suffer from parasitic infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and health effects of intestinal parasitic infection in school children in Satun Province, Thailand. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in children aged of 3 to 15 years during the period December 2014 to January 2015. Body mass index and hematocrit measurements were performed. Stool samples were collected for parasite detection by direct examination and concentration technique. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 18.42%. B.hominis (29%), Giardia lamblia (13.3%), Trichuris trichiura (13.3%), and hookworm (13.3%) were the most commonly isolated parasites. School KY had the highest rate of intestinal parasitic infection, followed by schools RC, YT, and SD. Rate of soil-transmitted helminthic (STH) infection was highest at school RC, while the highest rate of protozoa infection was found at school KY. Only STH infection was significantly associated with anemia. No significant association was observed between weight status and parasitic infection. Conclusion: Intestinal parasitic infection continues to be a problem in school children in Satun Province, Thailand. STH infection was found to be significantly associated with anemia. The majority of parasite types detected at each school varied substantially, which may indicate distinctly different sanitation-related problems at each school. Therefore, improvement in personal sanitation and health education should be emphasized at every school in the area to prevent parasitic infection.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs and cats in Songkhla and Satun provinces, Thailand

To update the microfilaria infection in companion animals, this study determined the prevalence and risk factors of microfilaria infection in dogs and cats collected from eight districts in Songkhla and Satun provinces, southern Thailand. In total, 482 samples (394 dogs and 88 cats) were subjected to microscopic examination (ME), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing analysis. The overall prevalence of microfilaria infection in dogs and cats was 24.1% (95/394) and 36.4% (32/88) using PCR, respectively. Furthermore, the overall results were positive 7.7% (37/482) using ME compared to 26.3% (127/482) using PCR. Sequencing analysis of all positive PCR products identified the microfilaria as Dirofilaria immitis. D. immitis infection in each sampled district of Songkhla and Satun provinces was in the range 0–48% for dogs and in the range 15.4–75% for cats. Risk factor analysis showed that there was significantly higher D. immitis infection in dogs older than 2 yr. The study updated the prevalence of D. immitis infection in dogs and cats in two southern provinces of Thailand and there was a high D. immitis infection rate in old dogs (aged > 2 yr).

Three new species of Coecobrya (Collembola: Entomobryidae) from caves in the Thai Peninsula

Three new species of the genus Coecobrya are described from caves in the Thai Peninsula for the first time: C. cavicta sp. nov. and C. polychaeta sp. nov. from Satun Province, and C. chumphonensis sp. nov. from Chumphon Province. These species differ in antennal length, clypeal chaetae, labial palp, sublobal chaetae of maxillary outer lobe, labial and postlabial chaetae, claw, ventral tube, manubrial plaque, and dorsal cephalic and tergal chaetotaxy. They are similar to C. annulata Zhang, Bedos & Deharveng, 2016 but differ from the latter in the combination of antennal length, claw and dorsal chaetotaxy. DNA barcoding COI sequences are provided for two species and three populations and key to the Thai species is also given. One population, which exhibits a great genetic distance (0.219–0.239) and minor but stable morphological differences from C. polychaeta sp. nov., cannot be accepted as a full species as the evidence is insufficient.

The effects of happy Muslim family activities on reduction of domestic violence against Thai-Muslim spouses in Satun province

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of happy Muslim family activities on a decrease in domestic violence against Thai-Muslim spouses in Satun province, Thailand. This experimental study was conducted with 40 married Thai Muslim couples in Satun province, with 20 couples in the experimental group, and the other 20 in the control group. They were recruited using simple random sampling and randomized matching methods. The experimental group participated in happy Muslim family activities while the control group participated in normal community activities. The study employed a true control group pretest and posttest design and the data-collecting instrument was a screening questionnaire for domestic violence risk behaviors among Thai Muslim married couples. The data were analyzed using the mean, standard deviation, and t-test.The study found that before participation in the activities, significantly more subjects in the experimental group who participated in happy Muslim family activities had violent behaviors against their spouses than those in the control group who participated in normal community activities. However, after participating in the happy Muslim family activities, those in the experimental group used significantly less domestic violence against their spouses when compared with those in the control group.

1,3-β-glucan Content of Local Medicinal Mushrooms from the Southern Region of Thailand

Local medicinal mushrooms were collected from the Songkhla, Phatthalung, Trang, and Satun provinces during the rainy season. There were 13 specimens identified among the collected samples. Among the samples, one species belonged to the genus of Ganoderma and exhibited a value for 1,3-β-glucan content that was significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) from all other species of local medicinal mushrooms. The 1,3-β-glucan content was the highest in the strains of Ganoderma calidophilum (90.22 mg/g) and Amauroderma rugosum (89.24 mg/g). Some of the more efficacious compounds of Ganoderma were 1,6-branched 1,3-β-glucan, which have been reported to inhibit tumor growth by stimulating the immune system via the activation of macrophage, the balance of T helper cell populations, and subsequent effects on natural killer (NK) cells. Moreover, environmental factors, such as vegetation, soil characteristics, and forest stand, as well as microclimate, were found to be contributory to local medicinal mushroom habitats, and significantly accumulated with bioactive compounds or nutraceutical products, such as 1,3-β-glucan content.

A new species of long-legged terrestrial Terrapotamon Ng, 1986(Crustacea: Brachyura: Potamidae) from limestone formations in Satun, southern Thailand.

A new species of terrestrial potamid crab, Terrapotamon longitarsus, is described from limestone hills in Satun Province in southern Thailand. It is easily distinguished from other Terrapotamon species by its conspicuously long ambulatory legs (all congeners have proportionately short legs), relatively smooth dorsal surface of carapace, transversely narrow male thoracic sternites 1-4, and a characteristically structured male first gonopod.

Factors affecting domestic violence risk behaviors among Thai Muslim married couples in Satun province

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting domestic violence risk behaviors among Thai Muslim married couples in Satun Province. The data were collected from 1,920 wives as representatives of families, and analyzed using the R program to find out frequencies, percentages, chi-square test, odds ratios, and logistic coefficients. The results revealed that 34.3 percent of Thai Muslim married couples in Satun Province had domestic violence risk behaviors, and the factors affecting domestic risk behaviors with statistical significance consisted of six variables, namely jealous wives, suspicious wives, drinking husbands, drug abusive husbands, being not ready to have one's own family, and lack of time for discussions. Married couples who had high domestic violence risk behaviors were those with wives who were regularly jealous, and those with wives who were occasionally jealous were 3.70 times, and 3.43 times more likely to have risk behaviors than those with wives who were never jealous; those with wives who were regularly suspicious, and those with wives who were occasionally suspicious were 3.19 times, and 1.76 times more likely to have risk behaviors than those with wives who were never suspicious; those with husbands who regularly drank, and those with husbands who occasionally drank were 2.14 times, and 1.41 times more likely to have risk behaviors than those with husbands who never drank alcohol; those with husbands who regularly used drugs, and those with husbands who occasionally used drugs were 1.86 times, and 1.39 times more likely to have risk behaviors than those with husbands who never used drugs; married couples who were not ready, and those who were moderately ready to have their own families were 1.79 times, and 1.44 times more likely to have risk behaviors than those who were very ready to have a family, and married couples who did not have time for discussions, and those who moderately had time for discussions were 1.72 times, and 1.47 times more likely to have risk behaviors than those who had a lot of time for discussions.

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Causes of Domestic Violence between Thai Muslim Married Couples in Satun Province

The objectives of this qualitative study were to investigate causes of domestic violence between Thai Muslimmarried couples in Satun Province. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with three groups of keyinformants in Satun Province consisting of 1) twenty women facing domestic violence who were admitted inSatun Hospital through the One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC), 2) fifteen married husbands and wives usingdomestic violence recommended by the Community Mosque Committee, and 3) ten religious leaders. To analyzethe data, content analysis was performed using logical comparison with concepts, theories, and research coupledwith the context. It was found that domestic violence between Thai Muslim married couples in Satun Provincestemmed from five important causes. 1) jealousy and suspicions, 2) alcohol and drug abuse, 3) lack of physicaland mental readiness for building their own family, 4) lack of activities contributing to caring and understandingin the family, and 5) husbands’ values and belief in male dominance.

Evaluation of Three Main Tuberculosis Case Reporting Systems in Satun Province, Thailand, 2011

Three main tuberculosis (TB) reporting systems were operating in Thailand: notifiable disease surveillance (R506), TB registration and control in Bureau of Tuberculosis (BTB) and TB report for reimbursement in National Health Security Office (NHSO). A cross-sectional study was conducted in Satun Province in July 2011 to determine whether the three systems responded well to the objectives of TB surveillance. Patients diagnosed with TB and received anti-TB drugs at least once in 2010 from three hospitals were compared with TB cases reported in three systems. In the hospitals, 170 TB cases, including 95 new smear positive pulmonary TB cases, were reviewed. Coverage and positive predictive value were 73% and 83% for R506, 87% and 100% for BTB, and 79% and 99% for NHSO respectively. Success rate (82%) of all cases was lower than that was reported in BTB (96%). Median duration from diagnosis to reporting in R506, BTB and NHSO were six, 61 and two days respectively. All systems had sufficient budget, human resources and regular training. In addition, all systems had good capacity to achieve the major objectives of TB surveillance and their specific objectives. However, the systems had total 295 variables which resulted in high workload for reporting. Integrating three systems as one national TB reporting system was recommended to improve coverage, timeliness and success rate.

Challenges of Educators in the Context of Education Reform and Unrest: A Study of Southern Border Provinces in Thailand

This qualitative study aimed to identify challenges of educators faced with education reform and violent unrest that has taken place in five Southern provinces of Thailand, as well as leadership characteristics that emerged in this context. Participants were 21 educators from primary schools in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Satun provinces. A purposeful selection was employed for participant recruitment of the study. Data collection methods were semi-structured interviews and related official document analysis. The study revealed that challenges of educators related to education reform were managing curriculum, increasing students’ reading competency, coping with work overloads, and managing limited budgets. Challenges related to social unrest were dealing with instructional management, coping with feelings, and ensuring safety. Leadership characteristics that emerged in response to these challenges were becoming patient, dedicated, and adaptive; guiding changes in instructional methods; and building collaborations with related stakeholders.

Development of Screening Inventory for Thai Muslim Spouses at Risk of Domestic Violence Behaviors in Satun Province

The objective of this research was to develop a screening inventory for Thai Muslims spouses at risk of domestic violence behaviors in Satun Province. The study was conducted with the subject group of 1,140 households consisting of 2,280 people recruited through multi-stage sampling. The data were analyzed using the R program to find out the indexes of item-objective congruence, t-values, corrected item-total correlation coefficients, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, percentile rank scores, and the normalized t-scores.The results of the study revealed that the screening inventory for Thai Muslims spouses at risk of domestic violence behaviors in Satun Province consisted of 48 question items with the indexes of item-objective congruence (IOC) between 0.80-1.00, the t-values between 3.668-18.655, the corrected item-total correlation coefficients between .308-.823, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients (reliability) of .936, the percentile rank scores in the range 23.62-99.87, and the normalized t-scores in the range T23-T80.11.

Cyrtodactylus wangkulangkulae (Squamata: Gekkonidae), a new Bent-toed Gecko from Satun Province, southern Thailand.

We describe a new Cyrtodactylus from Manang District, Satun Province, southern Thailand, based on an adult female having a snout-vent length of 73.9 mm, a long tail (1.34 times snout-vent length), a complex blotched and banded dorsal pattern with four irregularly shaped dark bands between limbs insertions, bluish-grey iris, discontinuous series of enlarged poreless femoral and precloacal scales, 10 regularly arranged dorsal tubercle rows, 38 ventral scale rows between ventrolateral skin folds, transversely enlarged subcaudal plates, and no precloacal groove.

The Guideline Development for Sustainable Livelihood Indicators of Village Marginal Mangrove Forest in the Satun Province, Thailand

The study of guideline development for sustainable livelihood indicators of a village’s marginal mangrove forest in the Satun province has an aim to understand livelihood systems for guideline development of sustainable livelihood indicators in the community. The three villages, Houtang, Tanamkemtai, and Khokkphayom of the Satun province, were used as a study area. Qualitative methodology was mainly used because the local people had to recall most of the data, which significantly focused on the interrelationship of the parameters involving the roles of sustainable livelihood indicators via key informants, such as the village’s senior, headman, and fisherman. The tools for corrected data were applied form rapid rural appraisal (RRA). It found that mangrove forests in the Satun province are recovered forests because of government concession and villagers’ deforestation in the past. Almost all villagers are Muslims and can communicate in Pattani Malay, southern local and national languages. At present, villagers are formulating a group for the protection and conservation of mangrove forests, which a government organization supports. Villagers’ perceptions about mangrove forests’ benefits can be classified as both direct and indirect. The studies’ indicators were divided into four dimensions and 17 items: social (four items), natural resource (four items), economic (four items) and productivity (five items). However, this research merely developed indicators of sustainable livelihood in the community around the mangrove forest at the community level without generating a scale or score with which to weigh the indicators. Therefore, it is very significant to carry out further research and to apply the approach in other areas in order to check the completeness of the indicators and to develop suitable weights.

An Analysis of the Environmental Vulnerability Index of a Small Island: Lipe Island, Kho Sarai Sub-District, Mueang District, Satun Province, Thailand

Thailand is located in South East Asia and is a popular tourist destination. It is rich in both natural resources and culture. There are 691 islands in Thailand, and more than 214 of these islands are used for tourism. Koh Lipe is very Small Island of approximately 2 square kilometers, located in Talutao National Park in the southern part of Thailand. This research aims to assess the sensitivity of the Island in terms of tourism development by using the Environmental Vulnerability Index, or EVI. The results showed that the EVI of Lipe Island is approximately 5.7, which represents a very high vulnerability score. Particularly, the REI, the level of risk to hazard, which measures influences on the environment within the island (e.g., loss of forestry, tourist accommodation, waste water and solid waste) was approximately 6.2, while the EDI, the natural resilience of the state based on its native characteristics, (e.g. water resources, protected area, marine protected area, and law enforcement), was approximately 5.7. This is also a very important indicator of the vulnerability of the Island. Thus, to reduce the overall vulnerability of the island, all indicators included in the REI and the EDI must become management priorities. Over time, this will increase the immunity of the island to of the impact of tourism development.

Context-bound Islamic theodicies: The tsunami as supernatural retribution vs. natural catastrophe in Southern Thailand

After the tsunami of 26 December 2004, local discourses in the prevalently Muslim Satun province in Southern Thailand were characterized by religious interpretations of the disaster. The range of Islamic interpretations varied, and was far from homogeneous. Statements are framed in plural theodicies and ultimately impute disasters to human responsibility, in apparent contrast to both scientific explanations and other Islamic tenets. The aim of this article is to present the range of theodicies associated with the event and to analyze their use in relation to the specific socio-historical and ethno-political context, in the words of people belonging to the Islamic and Buddhist religious élites. In these examples religious discourses leave behind the theological universalistic explanations of the existence of suffering and evil to become context-bound commentaries on the state of morality of local communities, with the aim of defining social boundaries.

Muslim Midwives between Traditions and Modernities

This article portrays the life and activity of Muslim indigenous midwives in Satun province, Southern Thailand. Their art is transmitted almost exclusively through the maternal line and their traditional knowledge has been modified, transformed and reinvented but never abandoned, even as new biomedical information and techniques have been imparted during formal training. The indigenous midwives combine new knowledge with their more traditional practices such as use of incantations, ritual expertise, pre- and postpartum massages. They maintain their status in their communities thanks to their capacity to relate to both traditional and biomedical worlds. The reception of new equipment and the burden of bureaucratic control represent new elements in their lives and create a gap with the new generation of midwives.

Maintaining peace in a neighbourhood torn by separatism: the case of Satun province in southern Thailand

While separatist-related conflict has re-emerged in southern Thailand, there is one predominantly Muslim border province that has remained outside of the conflict. Satun province has been conspicuously unaffected by the Malay-Muslim separatist movement, despite its shared history and ethnic origins with the conflict-affected provinces. In contrast to Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, the process of state penetration in Satun was gradual and comparatively less coercive, leading to relative stability and encouraging political and economic integration. This comparative study analyzes the history of cooperative state–minority relations and political stability in Satun province, and draws important lessons directly applicable to the unrest in neighbouring provinces.