Coronavirus (Covid-19)
President Trump claims China responsible for “mass worldwide killing”

In one of his notorious Twitter posts, US President Donald Trump once again raged against China over the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, blaming Beijing for a “mass worldwide killing.” The early morning tweet yesterday, which referred to an unidentified “wacko in China”, is the latest heated rhetoric from Washington, where Trump is making attacks on Beijing a central narrative as his attention turns to re-election.
“It was the ‘incompetence of China’, and nothing else, that did this mass worldwide killing.”
The virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December and spread rapidly around the world, killing more than 329,000 as of today, and triggering untold economic damage. The total number of worldwide cases pushed past the 5 million case milestone today.
Trump initially played down the seriousness of the threat and repeatedly announced he believed China was addressing the outbreak, even praising Beijing’s response. He later shifted to blaming China for allowing the virus to spread.
The White House has also suggested, without evidence, that the virus originated in a Wuhan laboratory and was accidentally released, and President Trump has made vague but repeated threats of retaliation against the chief economic rival of the US.
He has also threatened to permanently cease US funding of the World Health Organisation, over what he calls its assistance to China in covering up the extent of the outbreak.
The diplomatic rift is growing rapidly just weeks after Trump celebrated a “truce” in his trade war with China, and comes after months of effusive praise for his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Meanwhile tempers are fraying in China, where foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian angered Washington by promoting a conspiracy theory that the virus was brought to China by the US military.
Countering Trump’s WHO critcism, Zhao yesterday stressed what he called the “many mistakes and loopholes on the US side, their lies and rumours.”
“The US has seemingly forgotten that in the past, US leaders have repeatedly and publicly praised China’s anti-epidemic work.”
Zhao blamed US politicians “who want to shift the blame but can’t shift it away.”
During a phone call with Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, Xi appeared again to take a swipe at the US. State news agency Xinhua reports:
“Xi emphasised that China opposes actions that interfere with international anti-epidemic cooperation and harm the world’s, and especially developing countries’, efforts to fight the pandemic.”
“China is willing to continue to work with the international community, including Bangladesh, to support the WHO’s leadership role, promote international joint prevention and control cooperation, and safeguard global public health security.”
But US secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a news conference yesterday that the Covid-19 crisis has ended US illusions of close ties with China, saying “we greatly underestimated the degree to which Beijing is ideologically and politically hostile to free nations. China is led by a brutal, authoritarian regime.”
“The Chinese Communist Party’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan has accelerated our more realistic understanding of Communist China. Today, as we all sit here this morning, Beijing continues to deny investigators access to relevant facilities, to withhold live virus samples, to censor discussion on the pandemic within China and much, much more.”
Pompeo offered no evidence of his claim.
SOURCE: AFP
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Thailand
Government in control of Mor Chana app, says user data will be kept private

The Thai government is taking full control of the Mor Chana application, which is used to trace Covid-19 infections and alert users if they are in a high risk area. The Digital Economy and Society Minister says the government will still be working closely with the app developers, adding that users can be assured that their data will be kept private.
The Mor Chana Volunteer Team, the app developer, made a post on their Facebook page saying the Mor Chana contact tracing application will be 100% under government management and control from now. The team will be responsible only for the open source programme development. The post has prompted public comments about the reason behind the application handover to the government.
Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta says the government will take full responsibility for the application management and control measures, but the collaboration with the app developers will continue. The developer team’s announcement is just to inform the public about the app.
He also says some app functions will be redesigned and adjusted to be more friendly to use and won’t violate users’ data privacy. Personal information such as users’ names and mobile numbers for registration won’t be required anymore.
SOURCE: Post Today
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Visitors to Phuket from “highest risk” areas must show Covid-19 test results

People arriving Phuket from the “highest risk” areas are required to take a swab test by the staff at emergency operation centres (EOC) or show the test result document endorsed by the EOC staff made within 72 hours of their arrival. The revised order is effective from now until January 31, according to the Phuket Governor.
Those people who are on a brief business trip to Phuket need to show certificates from their employers describing the reason and necessity of their trips. If they want to leave their accommodations, they have to make a request to the EOC and clearly explain the reason as well as the time and destination. Visitors are also asked to avoid going to the community areas to avoid crowded gatherings.
It is noted that the revised order by the governor has not been officially promoted by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department. However, all visitors are still asked to register online via the Mor Chana contact tracing application and via www.gophuget.com according to the order re-issued on Friday.
SOURCE: Phuket News
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Thailand
High demand for health insurance due to Covid-19 worries, premiums expected to rise

With the increasing demands for health insurance due to people’s worries over Covid-19, health insurance premiums are expected to grow 1.59% this year, according to the Insurance Commission.
Commission secretary-general Suthipol Taweechaikarn says total premiums will see 101 billion baht revenues this year, an increase from 99 billion baht last year. He adds that the Covid-19 situation is a major factor in higher demand for health insurance policies as medical expenses are likely to increase every year.
Some insurance companies in Thailand have also found an increasing demand for health coverage policies among their customers, especially those with high purchasing power.
Deputy CEO of Tokio Marine Life Insurance Thailand says the company will offer annual premiums starting at 15,000 baht.
“The company aims to increase health insurance premiums to 50% this year from 40% last year.”
Cigna Insurance CEO says the company will use digital technology for product and service development to meet customers’ demands in the new normal lifestyle.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Clydel James
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 9:13 pm
Jack Burton how can you quote to the Thaiger readers “Pompeo offered no evidence of his claim”. Pompeo has pointed incident after incident and fact after fact, with example after example that CCP has sought to hide the origin of the COVID-19 virus and has refused to provide samples of the virus that they were researching for analysis.
India and Pakistan have also pointed out these facts. Are the Thaiger writers and editors going to continue blindly pumping out CCP propaganda? Do you not see how unethical and brutal the CCP is? How can you be so critical of western foreigners and yet so enamored with the CCP?
I hope you take note of the fact that not only is Trump raging against the actions of the CCP, most of the free world leaders, and even Russia are outraged by the CCP actions and inactions.
Michael Lewis
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 9:34 pm
The worlds greatest Court Jester never fails to keep us amused.
Jack Meoff
Friday, May 22, 2020 at 7:54 am
Spoken like a true Communist. China has room for you. The rest of the world does not
Russell John Watts
Sunday, May 24, 2020 at 12:25 pm
When is Trump and Pompeo going to man up and admit that America has a lab in Wuhan, China and that lab is used to do research on coronavirus and that lab has been operating since 2014 when the Obama administration approved and funded the National Institue of Health and a company called Ecohealth Alliance of New York. The lab was set up and managed by Dr Peter Daszak and it has operated and been fully financed by the American government until Donald Trump was elected as President and then through Trumps jealousy of everything that Obama did Trump slahed the funding to the health projects that Obama set up and this lab was one of them. So has this virus escaped from the AMERICAN lab because of Trumps jealousy of everything that Obama set up. Trump and Pompeo have claimed that this virus has escaped from a lab but neither of them have come up with the proof. Maybe because they would have to declare that the lab is a American lab. I know that there are a lot of people that do not care about the truth and just will continue to blame China and I feel sorry for those people. Here is a link to National Institute of Health project site https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_details.cfm?aid=8674931&icde=49588715