Central Thailand
Man smashes coffee cup on policeman’s head after being told to wear a mask

A man has smashed a ceramic cup on a police officer’s head after he was told to wear a face mask yesterday in a province outside Bangkok. The officer, Thai media reports as 41 year old ‘Saroch’, was doing a routine check for coronavirus prevention, making sure vendors and business owners are abiding by emergency regulations. The Bang Nang Buat police officer issues warnings to those who don’t follow the rules in the Supanburi province.
When the officer walked into the cafe yesterday where Chaloey sells lottery tickets. The officer approached the man, 59 year old Chaloey, about not wearing a face mask. Chaloey got angry. He grabbed the officer by the throat and smashed a ceramic cup full of hot coffee on the officer’s head. The officer ended up with 2 stitches from the assault.
Chaloey told police that the officer threatened him with jail time for not wearing a mask.
It has not been reported whether it was a latte or cappuccino.
SOURCE: Thai Residents
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Sumut Sakhon’s Central Prawn Market to reopen at the end of January

Samut Sakhon Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of the latest wave of Covid-19, is ready to reopen by the end of January after a big clean up. The reopening is considered “important” to the province’s economy, according to the province’s deputy governor. It will also be a new beginning for the workers, mostly migrant workers, who have been so profoundly affected by the cluster.
The Market has been shut since December 20 after more than 500 cases of Covid-19 were detected, following nearly 7 months of single digit daily infection reports.
The Samut Sakhon deputy governor says all infected persons from the market have been sent to the field hospital for treatment and 14 day quarantine and since been released after tests showed they are free of the virus. He added that 1,200 people living near the market will have to undergo another test although previously testing negative.
“This is to make sure that the market is completely free of the virus.”
The market manager also says that he urges vendors to follow the disease preventive measures strictly when the market opens back up again.
Samut Sakhon has 4,921 accumulative cases… 1,045 are Thais and 3,876 are migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar. Some 331 are currently in hospital. 1,332 are in quarantine. 3,257 have either been cured or have tested negative after quarantine. Only 1 death was reported.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Environment
Thailand on fire – NASA satellite website tracks the country’s farm fires

Thailand is burning. The burning off of harvested crop plantations is lighting up the agricultural areas. The truth is starkly revealed in the live NASA satellite feeds which track the fires around the world.
CHART: Fires in the past 10 days around parts of Thailand – Firms.Modaps
Concentrations of the current fires can be seen in Central Thailand, north of Bangkok, parts of Isaan, north east of Bangkok, and around Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Notably the concentration of fires in northern Cambodia and across the north-western border in Myanmar, is also causing plenty of problems as the foreign smoke drifts across the borders. No matter what Thai officials do to enforce the rice, sugar and corn plantation burn-offs, there is little they can do about the haze drifting across the borders.
Bangkok, so close to clusters of fires, is in for a bad air pollution day anytime the light winds of the start of the year blow from the north or the east. The lack of rain adds to the problem, the annual problem, that engulfs Thailand’s capital during days between December and April, with the worst month, statistically, being March.
The alternative method of preparing for the next harvest, mechanical removal of the refuse and waste after harvesting, is both unpopular in Thailand and economically unviable for the small farmers whose margins remain thin with the multi-national buyers of their produce pushing for lower and lower prices every year.
In Chiang Mai, from January to the end of March, the locals even call it the ‘burning season’. Coupled with the hot season, the farmers in northern Thailand burn their fields to prepare land for the next harvest and also to get rid of biowastes like corn that can’t be sold in the market. It’s officially illegal to do the burn offs but the lack of enforcement leaves the problem unresolved and the smog and haze remain as predictable as the annual wet season.
Chiang Mai also has a local geographic problem which exacerbates the bad smoke pollution. The city is in a valley, surrounded by hills, trapping in the smoke and helping block any breezes that could otherwise blow it away.
For today, Bangkok’s air pollution is better than the past two days but still registering as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ with city readings mostly between 140 – 170. Parts of the city, mostly south-east and south west, were registering readings above 300 in the past few days.
SOURCE: IQair.com
Watch this video for some more information about Bangkok’s smog…
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Crime
Nonthaburi gamblers given jail sentences

Following a raid on an illegal gambling den in the central province of Nonthaburi, 41 people have been handed jail sentences at Nonthaburi Provincial Court. Somjit Hinkerd and Sorasak Janthamanee were convicted of running a gambling den in the Bang Bua Thong district and sentenced to 3 months and 15 days’ imprisonment. The other gamblers were sentenced to 15 days’ imprisonment, suspended for 1 year, and a 10,000 baht fine each.
The gamblers were all arrested during a raid on Thursday night, which caught them playing a card game known as Dragon-Tiger. Nation Thailand reports that the property is owned by Sorasak and it’s understood the gambling was organised by Somjit. The operation took the form of a “moving casino”, in that it would regularly change location to avoid being caught.
Illegal gambling dens are thought to have played a significant role in the resurgence of Covid-19 in Thailand. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has appealed for the public’s help in identifying such operations, saying the government needs citizens’ cooperation to shut them down.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Ed
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 11:04 am
“Funny” ending, to a half-finished story about assault resulting in hospital treatment? Then I was stunned to see that a native speaker produced this level of English writing.
Lou Mulkern
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 11:34 am
could’ve left out the smarm at the end.. pretty unprofessional….
me!
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 12:04 pm
it was a maschiatto.
Dushyant
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 12:19 pm
“It has not been reported whether it was a latte or cappuccino.” — Its only serious news if white people are affected, otherwise its just plain funny… right Caitlin?
Glenn
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 2:07 pm
I believe the saying is Sum-Num-Na… 😉
sam thompson
Friday, May 22, 2020 at 11:26 am
Your half story ending with a feeble attempt at humour seems to have missed out one of the more important points of the need to make this newsworthy i.e. presumably the man was arrested however you do not see fit to enlighten us about this part
Bill White
Friday, May 22, 2020 at 12:17 pm
It goes without saying assault and battery particularly an attack on a police officer performing his duty is jail time. As for the coffee, I can only hope it was a cappuccino with a cube of sugar!
Sam Thompson
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 11:10 am
Really? Is that gleaned from your law degree or just an opinion
Dick
Friday, May 22, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Seems to me the police are using this emergency decree to do and say what they want. I imagine I would be rightly lidded off if I was sitting in a coffee shop drinking my coffee and some cop came in threatening me with jail for not wearing a mask. How the heck can you drink your coffee wearing a mask?
There needs to be some guidelines the government should make that the police can follow and the public is aware of to cease this type of activity from police men. It’s bad enough the pointless curfew and social distancing and other measures that every country is attempting. Control measures that take away what little freedom to privacy while still having a life. Now we have to worry about coppers going into a restaurant making demands or threads about masks and jail and fines while you are there eating or drinking.
Marcus
Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 2:23 am
I enjoyed the witty comment but was also wondering if the policeman was injured and what was the final outcome too. More research required in this story.