As he and other participants started running at 6.09am from the mouth of Betong Mongkolrit Tunnel with many members of the public gathered to give encouragement as well as flowers and cash donations. Artiwara was to finish the first day of the run at the Toh Kusae Bridge in Yala’s Than To district, covering 50.9km. The rock star aims to raise more than Bt700 million during the cross-country run to be donated to 11 hospitals, but the campaign has been criticised that it is only a short-term solution that will not tackle the fundamental financial problems facing hospitals. Prior to beginning the run, Artiwara said he respected everyone’s opinions regarding the campaign and related issues, while asking people who agreed with him to help with the cause. From Wednesday to December 25, Artiwara will run from Thailand’s southernmost point in Betong to the northernmost tip of the country in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 01, 2017 08:15 UTC