Bangkok woman hospitalised after she falls over and a cucumber ended up inside her

Thai politician and former chair of the Pheu Thai Party, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, has confirmed she plans to challenge the legality of the emergency decree in court. She joins a number of opposition MPs and other activists who are petitioning to have the decree lifted. Bangkok awoke to a state of emergency declared by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in the early hours of last Thursday, amid growing political unrest.

Posting on her Facebook page, Sudarat points to the PM himself, who she describes as, “the source of the problem”. She says the current political protests are a result of him using a military coup to take control from the people, and then drafting a charter that supported the transfer of power to Thailand’s military.

“Other politicians and I have followed the situation with concern and tried to prevent the government from applying their power. We had a discussion yesterday and agreed that we should use the right in the court to protect the protesters.”

Two MPs from the Pheu Thai Party have also expressed their intention to sue the PM for having invoked the emergency decree. Cholnan Srikaew and Jirayu Houngsub are calling on the Civil Court to rescind the state of emergency and guarantee the protection of anti-government activists.

Nation Thailand reports that former judge, Kasem Suphasit, and former Democrat MP, Watchara Petchthong, have also confirmed they are taking legal action against the PM, claiming the implementation of the emergency decree is unlawful.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

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A petition calling for the resignation of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, has been signed by up to 1,118 academics and delivered to Government House. The petition was created by the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights. Nation Thailand reports that a group of university lecturers and students have marched to Government House to deliver the letter. They include Anusorn Unno, anthropology lecturer at Thammasat University, and Thamrongsak Petchlertanan, a lecturer in Political Science at Rangsit University.

In the letter, academics slam the government’s clampdown on an October 16 rally in Bangkok, when police used water cannons, allegedly laced with blue-dyed chemical irritants, to disperse protesters at the Pathumwan intersection.

Anusorn claims the action injured several people and only served to ignite further anger at the government. He is calling on the administration to refrain from violence when dealing with protesters, to stop the gagging of government critics, put an end to laws that infringe on freedom of speech, and to cede to the protesters’ demands.

Those demands are outlined in a 10-point manifesto and include the PM’s resignation, the dissolution of parliament, and a call for fresh elections. The manifesto appeared at a protest in early August and has since provided a consistent ‘script’ for the protest movement. Protesters are also calling for a re-write of the 2017 Thai Charter (Constitution) and for reforms to the role of the Thai Monarchy.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

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Bangkok’s iconic Khao San Road now looks very different as Thailand emerges from the local coronavirus outbreak. Not only are the backpackers gone from the “backpacker mecca,” but the road in Bangkok’s Banglamphu neighbourhood has gone through a make-over. Now, Bangkok officials plan to hold events for “all ages” during the daytime during Halloween. Chaos can still be expected at night.

During the pandemic, 48.4 million baht was poured into a revamp of the “tatty” Khao San Road, improving the drainage system and levelling out the road and sidewalk. There’s now designated space reserved for emergency vehicles. While many bars have reopened, they now mostly cater to a local Thai customer base rather than foreign backpackers. Well, that’s for now anyway.

Now, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration wants to draw people to the popular street again and are holding a daytime Halloween event called “Sawasdee Khao San”. The event will start from as early as 9am on October 30 and 31 with activities like a drawing competition, Thai arts and music performances, an exhibition on Khao San Road and lots of food. A costume competition will also be held (or “helled”) on Halloween.

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang says in addition to encouraging tourism after the pandemic, they want to promote “Modern Thainess,” but he did not go into detail about what exactly that means. It doesn’t quite sound like Khao San’s earlier reputation as a “rite of passage” for backpackers with grungy bars and exotic street food like ‘scorpion on a stick’.

Since there aren’t many foreigners visiting Khao San Road at the moment, the vendors at the event will cater to local demands with famous Bangkok food. The BMA teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand along with private companies to hold the event. Events are planned to be held on the street once a month to attract visitors.

Khao San Road continues to evolve. It’s become less of a grungy party district for travellers on a shoestring budget and hoping to become more of a “cool” nightlife spot for locals, and tourists when they return.

Khao San continued to evolve, with bedbug-infested guesthouses replaced by boutique hotels, and downmarket TV bars showing pirated movies transformed into hip design bars peopled by flashpackers in designer threads. But the most interesting change has been in the way Thais see Khao San. Once written off as home to cheap, dirty fa·ràng kêe ngók (stingy foreigners), Banglamphu has become just about the coolest district in Bangkok – Lonely Planet

SOURCES: Bangkok Post | Lonely Planet

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