Prayut publicly asked his deputy prime minister and minister of public health Anutin Charnvirakul, to make a formal statement of loyalty to the ruling junta and, especially, to Prayut
Good morning children, it's another Saturday, the very last one before your sweetie demands proof of being a sweeting.
THAILAND POLITICS
Is Prayut in Trouble?
Oh, yeah, he is.
Is Prayut doomed? Well... it's complicated. Up to now, he has not incited his own Ceaușescu moment. But it seems increasingly likely that he will.
As they say in Canada:
We're in the third period with less than 10 minutes to go, and the score is Truckers 4, Trudeau 0.
https://www.westernjournal.com/truckers-win-trudeau-loses-4-canadian-provinces-roll-back-covid-mandates-freedom-convoy/
EXCEPT
Thailand's media supporters today lined up in full support of the military's designated 'prime minister' Prayut Chan-o-cha.
It looks like 'Prayut's last stand' as rumours increase of a disaster inside the alleged "government"
For starters, The Humiliation of Prayut Chan-o-cha
Prayut publicly asked his deputy prime minister and minister of public health Anutin Charnvirakul, to make a formal statement of loyalty to the ruling junta and, especially, to Prayut himself.
Anutin, who said last week he was ready to step up and become prime minister, said he'd think about it.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2262927/
Of course he did
Prayut denied infighting within the government...
https://bityl.co/AteQ
But,
As one newspaper put it on Saturday:
 Whisper it among yourselves but the politicians are winning against Prayut
'prime minister' ex-general Prayut Chan-ocha keeps insisting that he will be around until the end of his term in March 2023. Every day, this is less likely.
PHOTO: Anutin's Bhumjaithai party has nine members of parliament. It's not enough for an outright coup. But it's a start.
https://www.thaienquirer.com/37414/opinion-whisper-it-among-yourselves-but-the-politicians-are-winning-against-prayut/
CORONAVIRUS THAILAND TOURISM
The failure of the junta's shambolic 'Thailand Pass' and 'Test & Go' have the alleged 'government' scrambling for just one succesful programme.
The latest Big Idea is one of those 'travel bubbles' between India and Thailand.
The junta-directed Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) says it might probably maybe be possible to work a tourist arrangement with the sub-continent.
The ubiquitous but seldom-seen 'prime minister' and ex-army general Prayut Chan-o-cha approves of the proposed bubble.
PHOTO: Arrival and departure halls of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport are equally empty.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/air-travel-bubble-arrangement-between-thailand-and-india-in-the-works/
NOTE: On Friday, 183 arriving tourists and visitors tested positive for Chinese Covid-19.
CORONAVIRUS BANGKOK
The former police general appointed as governor of Bangkok announced Friday his alert minions are preparing fifteen (15) guarded "waiting centres".
The aim is to accommodate 1,591 Bangkokians who probably or might be infected with the Chinese Covid-19 virus.
All beds are cardboard.
Call the numbers below for help.
Call quickly! Beds are being booked as you read this, and the offer will expire on Tuesday.
https://tna.mcot.net/social-881344
Latest stats
As of Friday midnight:
9,909 new cases (188 from abroad)
22 deaths
86,473 in care
7,827 discharged from care
Fuel prices rising
All pump prices of all fuel in all of Thailand, gasoline and diesel included, are going up by half a baht per litre.
Effective immediately.
https://tna.mcot.net/business-881158
THAILAND CORONAVIRUS TESTS
Come March 1, The Government That Cares For You So Very, Very Much will reduce the cost of ATK (coronavirus test kids) from 80 baht to 55 baht.
If you're one of those persnickijties, head off to the hospital for an RT-PCR test and the extremely benevolent government will cut 300 baht off the cost, toi a mere 900 baht.
BUT THERE'S MORE
Effective immediately, Thailand's militar-controlled "government" has set aside a quarantine area to house all "foreign workers" (aka Cambodian, Lao, Vietnamese, Burmese) trying to return to work in Thailand.
They will be "quarantined" indefinitely, under armed guard.
https://tna.mcot.net/politics-881063
CRIMINALS SHOOTING PHUKET CANADA
 Police are now convinced that the spectacular caught-on-video shooting of a gangster leads the whole story back to Canada.
 On Friday, the cops dug the two handguns used to kill 'Slice' Sandhu from the Andaman Sea.
 Sandhu had numerous links to Canadian crime. And the two men who killed him probably flew in from Vancouver to do the dirty deed.
 Police on Friday said they are certain that both killers had left Thailand, on their way to Canada.
https://bityl.co/AteT
DRUGS TRAFFICKING METHAMPHETAMINE
Thailand's men-in-brown seized 6 million meth (yaa ba) tablets in just one raid in Ubon Ratchathai province.
Ubon, site of a former U.S. Air Force base, is close to Laos, where massive amounts of meth tablets originate.
... Under questioning, truck driver Kittisak Artsri and his passenger Peerapong Nontasingh said they were approached by a Lao national to deliver the drugs to Nakhon Ratchasima province. They were to be paid 400,000 baht - aka 15,572 loonies.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2262855/
NOT A JOKE
NOT APRIL 1
The alleged 'government' of Thailand has declared 2022 "The Year of Trusted News".
It will start quite soon.
NOTE: Link is Thai-language.
https://tna.mcot.net/latest-news-854241
CORONAVISUS WORLD
TAIWAN
169. Taiwan 19,376 cases, 851 deaths, Recovered: 17,257
On Friday, confirmed reports from Taiwan said there were two (2) cases of Chinese Covid-19 in Tainan City (pop 1.9 million).
TECHNOLOGY
Iphone 13 Pro easily outperforms Samsung’s latest Galaxy S22 in new benchmarks
https://9to5mac.com/2022/02/11/iphone-13-pro-vs-galaxy-s22-benchmarks/
== For all people who think they're safe under China's protection, here are a tiny handful of the headlines about China and Australia ==
China behind failed attempt to bankroll Labor candidates in federal election (ABC News Australia)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-11/china-accused-attempt-bankroll-labor-candidates-federal-election/100822512
Australia thwarts China plot to fund election candidates (Sydney Morning Herald)
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/chinese-spies-attempted-to-install-labor-candidates-in-federal-election-20220211-p59vmj.html
Chinese spies attempted to install Labor candidates in federal election (The Age, Melbourne)
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/chinese-spies-attempted-to-install-labor-candidates-in-federal-election-20220211-p59vmj.html
Australia thwarts Chinese plot to fund election candidates (Globe and Mail, Toronto)
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-australia-thwarts-chinese-plot-to-fund-election-candidates-media/
ASIO foils plot by China to interfere in election (9 News Australia)
Australia's domestic spy agency ASIO foils plot (7 News Australia)
https://7news.com.au/politics/asio-disrupts-spy-nest-and-election-plot-c-5635572
Australia thwarts China plot to fund election candidates (El-Telegraph, Australia)
https://el-telegraph.com/australia-thwarts-chinese-plot-to-fund-election-candidates/
Chinese spies attempted to install Labor candidates in federal election
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-australia-thwarts-chinese-plot-to-fund-election-candidates-media/
==
ECONOMY WORLD
THIS! is CNN.
Super Bowl 2022
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams
Monday, 6:30 a.m.
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California. (Formerly Hollywood Park Racetrack)
If you really, really must get that last-minute bet down, current odds are
 Rams are a 3.5-point favourite
 Over-under: 48.5 points
https://www.thelines.com/odds/super-bowl/#p23694.JoeBurrow
Interesting Reaction du jour
You can turn up the sound a little bit.
This is an elementary school in Las Vegas. The teacher (bottom left) explains that within two weeks, all students can remove and rubbish their masks.
