Thailand's harshest (and goofiest) groups of pro-monarchy, pro-junta just got lucky
Please calm down, boys and girls, etc. It is Sunday, February 13.
Back to the 1970s
NOTE: As of Sunday, this newspaper story was ratio'd 36-395. The newspaper's timorous editors removed all comments.
Members of Thailand's harshest (and goofiest) groups of pro-monarchy, pro-junta get their wish to throw out Amnesty International and ban its publications.
Seksakol Atthawong, self-identified as a "vice-minister in the office of prime minister" Prayut, said he has a petition with 1.2 million signatures of Thais who want AI booted.
"This organisation destroys the security of the country, it supports groups that want to topple the monarchy, it lacks impartiality and sided with an anti-government movement that is anti-constitutional monarchy," claimed Seksakol, a former red-shirt rabble-rouser known as "Rambo Isan", told Reuters.
Back in November, Prayut ordered an investigation into Amnesty. He has not commented publicly on the petition.
[Just spit-ballin'... but maybe these super-expert armed virus testers believed the seven victims were caused by bats, coughing on them?]
PHOTO: Activists are joined by lion dancers as they march along Silom Road seeking support to ban Amnesty International Thailand.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2262883/
CAVE NAKHON PHANOM
When a party of tourists and guides emerged from the Nakee Cave in Nakhon Phanom (NKP) province last week, an extremely efficient, no-nonsense team of Chinese Covid-19 testers met them.
They found seven tourists and guides had Covid-19, and whisked them away to an unknown future in isolation.
This story is so utterly packed with fake news that newspaper editors and readers believe it.
In any case, the cave is closed until Thursday.
But wait! There's more stupid stuff just waiting your click.
PHOTO: Attractive Nakee Cave in Ban Phaeng district of Nakhon Phanom is closed until Thursday.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2262875/
HONK HONK
Trending in Canada
Just spit-ballin' but it seems obvious.
The prime minister of Canada, who is absolutely not the sprog of Fidel Castro, hopes that the Ottawa Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and all legal and illegal police officers and deputies treat every trucker and every one of their supporters like Roseanne Boyland.
Prove me wrong.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/police-beating-of-unconscious-rosanne-boyland-was-objectively-reasonable-department-rules_4267104.html
https://www.allsides.com/news/2022-01-10-1002/videos-shed-light-death-rosanne-boyland-us-capitol-jan-6
Related?
Choose one. Or both. Or neither.
Is this story by Reuters (a former news agency)
• o the dumbest story even on hijab bans?
• o the dumbest story ever?
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2263199/
THAILAND CORONAVIRUS
Official statistics about Saturday:
16,330 confirmed new cases and
8,354 probable cases.
25 deaths on Saturday.
150 cases were from abroad and
131 from prisons.
Out of 118,493 patients, 56,099 are in hospital
If you are in America, it's Super Bowl Sunday. In or out of that country, here's the dealio.
Super Bowl 2022
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams
Kickoff: 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
THAILAND MYANMAR DICTATORSHIP
PTT Pcl, Thailand's state-controlled energy company, is bidding to take control of Myanmar's Yadana gas field after TotalEnergies SE and Chevron Corp. exited the country to protest against the junta's continued violence against civilians.
Trivial, random news about foreign tourists, Covid, etc:
Top 10 Provinces with Covid-19 Cases: Bangkok (1,391)
Covid-19 Vaccination Update: 216,538 people yesterday
Total Number of Incoming Travellers in February: 30,218
Top 10 Inbound Air Travellers in February: Russia (2,573)
9,909 new Covid cases (188 from abroad)
22 deaths
Cambodia reopens the border with Thailand after two years to flatten the curve.
Migrant workers began flowing into Thailand by the thousands as the country reopened its borders after two years, desperate to fill a labour shortage estimated at 800,000 people
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501017532/cambodians-flow-into-thailand-as-country-reopens-to-migrant-workers
SPECIAL REPORT TOURISM
Pearl loses its lustre
String of murders, taxi fare rip-offs and thefts sully Phuket's image
[NOTE: To be honest I do not remember when the words "Phuket" and "pearl" appeared in the same sentence. Apart from that, though...]
Since the middle of last month negative publicity has been hitting the headlines, ranging from the overcharging of taxi fares, the €5,000 around 200,000 baht) theft against a family of Greek tourists, and a call-centre scam that preyed on a Swiss man who lost 57,000 baht.
But Phuket's image as a safe tourist paradise was dealt an even bigger blow two weeks ago when an Indian gangster, Jimi Singh Sandhu, also known as Mandeep Singh, was shot dead in front of his villa on Rawai Beach on February 4.
His body was discovered the next morning
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2263375/
PHOTO: SUNNIER DAYS: Tourists sunbathe on Nai Han Beach.
One big problem: It's not fake news. It's absolutely accurate.
... However... That darned internet...
Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, chairman of the Thai Hotel Association, Southern Chapter, has expressed concern about the province’s [Phuket's] overall image. Stories about the taxi fare fiasco and local murders have played out in social media.
He said the expensive taxi fares were hard to tackle.
Driver picking up customers at the airport argue they must charge twice the normal fare because, coming from the city, they are permitted only to drop off customers at the airport but not pick up new ones from there.
Kongsak said some webpages sensationalised stories about Phuket transport to whip up hype. Some even invent incidents to try to drive a wedge between Phuket taxi drivers and tourists.
THAILAND POLITICS
The single biggest political issue at the moment is the refusal of many Members of Parliament to show up for House sessions.
On Saturday, the junta-friendly Super Poll claimed that more than 94% of Thais blame "irresponsibility" foir the frequent collapse of House sessions.
Some 94.3% of respondents said the problem was caused by MPs lacking discipline, morals and responsibility, and showing a disregard for the ublic interest.
Slightly fewer (93.8%) saw the frequent collapse of House sessions as a reflection of the failure of the democratic system, while only fractionally less (93.7%) than that said politicians had become preoccupied with their own political gain rather than trying to solve people’s problems.
WE SUPPORT PRAYUT
Is Prayut in trouble? Well... as the best-known philosopher of Alaska put it: "You betcha!"
'Rambo Isan' believes he has a new shelter for Prayut.
Ruam Thai Sang Chart [Uniting Thais to Build the Nation] could serve as Prayut's new 'home' if he leaves PPRP
Ruam Thai Sang Chart, the party which has pledged to nominate ex-army general Prayut Chan-o-cha as its sole prime ministerial candidate in the next elections, promises to be a magnet of big names in politics, said PM’s close aide Seksakol "Rambo Isan" Atthawong.
The party reported a new development yesterday when Mr Seksakol said the party will announce its board next month and that it will be joined by high-profile politicians.
... Small parties with prominent politicians are also looking to band together with Ruam Thai Sang Chart.
They include the Thai Local Power Party led by Chatchawal Kong-udom and a group belonging to Col Suchart Chantharachotikul, who were Prayut’s classmates at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.
The Suchart group earlier defected from the PPRP to the Kla Party and has planned to be part of Ruam Thai Sang Chart.
"It is a coming together of those whose stand is to support Prayut to carry on as prime minister," Seksakol said.
OIL SPILL II
Sludge seen along beach in Rayong
Sludge from the second oil leak in two weeks has washed ashore in Rayong province's Mae Ramphueng beach.
Lying authorities insisted they had it under control.
Star Petroleum Refining Public Co. Ltd. (SPRC) admitted the second spill - 5,000 litres of crude oil from their underwater pipeline.
21 Thais arrested in Cambodia on fraud charges
Twenty-one Thais working for fraud gangs in Cambodia were to be deported to Thailand via Sa Kaeo province Saturday, following raids in Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk province on Friday.
Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, deputy national police chief and director of the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), said a combined team of Thai and Cambodian police officers stormed three locations in Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk on Friday morning.
They worked for gangs organised by Chinese to cheat Thai tourists in Ponzi and other money scams.
PHOTO: ACCUSED OF COLLUSION: Thirteen suspected gang members — led by Chinese nationals — are lined up after raids on three locations in Cambodia. A total of 21 Thai nationals were arrested.
Halal exports are the new stars
Thailand is eyeing a substantial increase in exports to Saudi Arabia, to be driven by agriculture, industry and the service sectors, says the Commerce Ministry.
The so-called 'minister of commerce', Jurin Laksanawisit said Saturday the normalisation of diplomatic ties has opened the way to opportunities, adding the ministry has set a goal of 6.2% growth in exports to Saudi Arabia, up from last year’s export value of 51.5 billion baht.
The ministry’s analysis has identified three key export drivers. One is farm products, which have strong potential for entering the Saudi market including rice, chicken, fruit, fish and coffee, in addition to Halal foods. Industrial goods likewise are considered to have key export potential.
These include cars and car accessories, air conditioners, refrigerators, electrical appliances and jewellery. The third key driver, the service industry, includes medical tourism, a potential big earner.
Mr Jurin said rice is the commodity with the brightest export potential since Saudi Arabia does not grow the crop.
The country buys at least 1.2 million tonnes of rice a year, 80% of which is from India.
THAILAND ECONOMY INFLATION
Get It While It Lasts
Thailand's ministry of agriculture has opened a shop at Or Tor Kor Market near the Weekend Market in northern Bangkok, to sell pork at a discount. from an outlet opened by the Agriculture Ministry at Or Tor Kor market
The price of pork on sale, up to 140 baht (5.43 loonies) per kilogramme, is lower than in most supermarkets.
Each customer is allowed to buy up to five kilogrammes.
You have to wonder: Is she being set up?
Kamala Harris is being sent to Munich for a security conference to save Europe from The Edge of War.
Are we allowed to say the words Neville "Appeasement" Chamberlain?
VALENTINE'S DAY SIGNIFICANCE
I have never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor, veteran of nine marriages
