Protests
Bangkok police say over 1,000 officers to be deployed at MBK Skywalk rally today

The deputy chief of Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police says 1,085 police officers have been lined up to deal with today’s planned rally at the MBK Skywalk over the Pathumwan Intersection in the capital. Piya Tawichai says 7 companies of officers will be deployed to manage the 5pm gathering, which has been organised by pro-democracy group Ratsadon.
“3 of the companies will deal with crowd control, while the other 4 will come from Metropolitan Police divisions 5 and 6. The main mission of the officers is to ensure public safety and prevent the situation from escalating. Initially only 1 or 2 companies of crowd-control police will be deployed, while additional companies will stand ready in case the situation escalates.”
Ratsadon has called on its members to join the rally to demand the release of 4 pro-democracy activists whose bail applications have been denied. Parit Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, and Patiwat Saraiyam were all denied bail at a hearing at the Criminal Court in Bangkok yesterday.
They are charged with sedition and lèse majesté offences for having taken part in anti-government protests last year. Last night, members of the Ratsadon group gathered in the same location to call for the release of their fellow activists. The rally dispersed peacefully at 8pm.
Piya has pointed out that such gatherings are currently illegal under the Emergency Decree.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Tourism
Day trip to Bangkok’s closest island – Koh Si Chang | VIDEO

Ko Si Chang (or Koh Sichang) is a district of Chon Buri Province, Thailand. It consists of the island of Ko Si Chang and its adjoining islands. Ko Si Chang is in the Gulf of Thailand, 12 kilometres off the shore of the Si Racha District coastline. It’s the closest island to Bangkok and a popular weekend away for Bangkokians. Pangrum takes us on a quick visit to the island with today’s latest Thaiger Vlog.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thailand acknowledges wildlife markets could be dangerous to humans

The Thai Ministry of Public Health is being praised after seemingly doing an about face over whether Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market could be the source of Covid‐19. After health officials denied that the World Health Organisation was investigating the market, a recent Facebook live press conference saw the Ministry acknowledging that wildlife trades may endanger public health.
The recent investigation by the WHO of Wuhan, the province in China where Covid19 is thought to have originated, has concluded that the virus most likely did not come from a laboratory, and instead, came from animals supplied by Chinese wildlife breeding farms, or from infected animals traded somewhere in Southeast Asia. As Chatuchak Market is arguably the region’s largest illegal wildlife trade market, a Danish virologist on the WHO investigation team pointed towards the Bangkok market as a potential source of the Covid19 virus.
Now, the Thai Ministry of Public Health is going to collaborate with the Ministry of Environment and its Department of National Parks to closely inspect Chatuchak market, and roll out a joint plan to increase wildlife protection and stop the wild animal trade in markets.
Southeast Asia has historically supplied most of China’s wildlife trade, which the virologist sees as worrisome. As commercially traded animals can carry pathogens that could compromise a human’s immune system. For example, in 2019, zebras that were legally imported into Thailand, carried a small fly species that jumped to local horses, causing African Horse Sickness. The mortality rate was over 90%, causing over 600 horse deaths.
Some animals are especially susceptible to viruses hosted by bats, such as the SARS virus. That virus jumped from a civet cat that was infected by a bat. Other viruses that are thought to have jumped from bats to other animals include rabies and Ebola. Minks and Pangolins have also been discovered to carry a coronavirus and are still being commercially traded in Southeast Asia today.
In a spotcheck carried out by Freeland, a global nonprofit organisation, Chatuchak Market is still selling ferrets, coati, civets, polecats, mongoose, raccoons, meerkats, scarlet macaws, capybara, african gray parrots, cougars, multiple species of turtles, snakes, rodents and lizards from Latin America, Africa and Australia.
SOURCE: Freeland
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Health officials deny WHO investigation into Bangkok’s Chatuchak market as potential origin of Covid

Health officials in Thailand are denying reports that the World Health Organisation is investigating Chatuchak market in Bangkok in ongoing efforts to establish the origin of Covid-19. The reports have surfaced in Danish media, following a WHO visit to Wuhan last month, with doubt hanging over the theory that the pandemic started in the central Chinese city.
Nation Thailand reports that the Department of Disease Control has held a press briefing in which it refutes suggestions the virus could have come from wildlife traded at Chatuchak market. The market has previously come under fire from animal welfare and wildlife protection organisations. In 2016, research by wildlife protection group Traffic pointed to the market’s ongoing illegal trade in protected bird species, while an earlier report highlighted the market’s role in the illegal trade of freshwater turtles and tortoises.
Despite several conservation experts pointing to the risks associated with the wildlife trade, Chawetsan Namwat from the DDC denies the suggestion the WHO is investigating the market for potential links to Covid-19. He says the media reports are based on evidence that the Thai horseshow bat carries another SARS virus that shares over 91% of its genetic code with the Covid-19 virus. He adds that this virus cannot be transmitted to humans, saying the DDC’s advice continues to be that humans should not consume wild animals.
“This is just an academic assumption, not absolute truth. We are constantly monitoring the animal-trading zone in Chatuchak weekend market. Even if there is no clear evidence on the origin of this virus, we still need to be vigilant and maintain strong disease-prevention measures.”
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Toby Andrews
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Well the protesters should do a quick sidestep and protest at the Democracy monument instead.
Slugger
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 3:25 pm
The Police should stop pussyfooting around and crack some skulls.
Fred glue
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 4:09 pm
Slugger the tough guy… couldn’t even crack a egg on the ground.
Jesus Monroe
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 7:18 pm
You gotta admit Slugger Freds joke that was pretty corny and immature but sorta funny………
Pedro
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 5:57 pm
Slugger, have you read the UN Declaration on Human Rights? Are you aware of what the role of the police in a civilised society really should be? I will give you a clue, it is not to crack some skulls. The Military Junta that rules Thailand and is ruining your wonderful country need to realise that Government of the people should be by the people for the people. Repression will only breed resistance. Democracy and the people as well as the country as a whole are suffering under this military dictatorship.
Somchai_N
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 4:58 pm
If I remember correctly there was a democratic vote to approve the current constitution, which passed in a landslide just a few years ago to broad applause. Instead of protesting to undermined this democratic process, these pests should nominate a candidate to put up their ideas as the people at the next election and see how much support they truly have. That is how democracy works, like it or not.
Pedro
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:38 pm
A democracy behaving like a dictatorship, and that is one of the problems. According to Wikipedia, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) unveiled a draft constitution on 29 March 2016. In the run-up to the 7 August 2016 referendum on the new constitution, the army conducted a “grassroots information campaign.” There was no debate permitted on its merits.(Hardly democratic). Under the junta’s rules, “people who propagate information (they) deemed distorted, violent, aggressive, inciting or threatening so that voters do not vote or vote in a particular way” faced up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to 200,000 baht. The 105-page, 279-article proposed constitution was approved by 61.4 percent of Thai voters on 7 August 2016 with 59.4 percent of the public participating. Some suspected that with the new constitution the military wanted to hobble political parties in order to create disposable coalition governments. The military would then remain the real power, whatever the outcome of the referendum and the election. So it has turned out. Hardly a true democracy and hardly a landslide with less than two thirds of two thirds of the population voting to approve it, roughly 40% give or take. Means that 60% did not vote for it. If you are not allowed to discuss it, how can you understand it? I guess some thought they would get rid of the military junta by voting for it. Not so. So sad.
Bill
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 8:59 pm
Don’t the democracy demonstrators know that Thailand is already a democracy?!?!