Thailand
Cabinet passes civil partnership bill for same-sex couples

If you’re at least 20 years old, and one of you has Thai nationality, then, as a same-sex couple, you will soon be able to marry in Thailand.
The cabinet has approved the civil partnership Bill, paving the way for Thailand to become the first country in Asia to endorse same-sex marriage.
The current Bill, approved by the Cabinet yesterday, allows same-sex couples to adopt children, according to Nathporn Chatusripitak, an adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The actual issue of children is not in the bill but is already covered in the country’s child adoption laws.
In terms of assets and property, the current Civil and Commercial Code applies, so will work in much the same way as with heterosexual couples. In terms of state welfare, the payments to government officials will also cover their spouses.
The Bill is poised to go before the National Legislative Assembly for a final decision. If passed it will be announced in the Royal Gazette and take effect 120 days after.
The NLA reports that they currently have a backlog 50 bills to be deliberated so the new civil partnership Bill may not be passed in the current session which finishes on February 15, a week before the general election.
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Thailand
Gambling crackdown continues, 400 slot machines seized in warehouse raid

In a nationwide crackdown on gambling, police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a warehouse and seized more than 400 slot machines.
Acting on a court warrant, police searched the warehouse in the Mueang district. The locks on the door had been changed and police had to break the locks to enter the warehouse. Inside, canvases covered 418 slot machines. Police say the machines were “plug and play” ready.
Officers say they believe the warehouse was linked to an illegal gambling den in the province. No arrests have been made and police are still investigating.
There have been numerous gambling-related busts and raids in recent weeks. A nationwide crackdown on gambling was launched after a cluster of Covid-19 cases was reported at a Rayong gambling den.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Thailand
Samut Sakhon governor remains on ventilator with serious lung infection after Covid-19

After nearly recovering from Covid-19, the Samut Sakhon governor was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his lungs and now remains on a ventilator after nearly a month of the breathing treatment. Doctors are now doing hourly checks to monitor governor Verasak Vichitsangsri’s condition.
While the 58 year old governor’s Covid-19 infection has subsided, the virus negatively affected his lung function, doctors say. The bacterial infection is now destroying some of his lung tissue. Verasak is also diagnosed with cerebrovascular disease, which affects blood flow to the brain. The governor’s brain function has been affected by the infection, according to dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, Prasit Watanapa. He did not go into detail about how the brain function was affected.
“All we have to do is administer antibiotics and remove mucus as much as possible to reduce infection in the body. As for the work of the brain, there has been an effect because the governor is older and has underlying cerebrovascular disease. The medical team is doing their best. “
The bacterial infection was resistant to the first round of antibiotics and doctors are now trying another antibiotic, according Prasit. Doctors will monitor the governor’s condition for the next 72 hours to see if his body responds to the medicine.
Verasak tested positive for Covid-19 last month reporting symptoms of a sore throat and cough. He was diagnosed with lung inflammation and put on a ventilator a few days later. Doctors treated him with the antiviral drug Favipiravir.
Last week, doctors announced Verasak’s condition was improving and he would be taken off the ventilator.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Economy
Shoppers disgruntled as registration for co-payment scheme fills up in 10 minutes

Social media users are up in arms after registration for the government’s Kon La Khreung (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme filled up within 10 minutes. The scheme, first introduced as an economic stimulus measure in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, gives shoppers 50% off the purchase of everyday items, up to 150 baht a day and capped at 3,500 baht for the duration of the scheme.
The third phase of registration had a quota of 1.34 million users, but interested parties had to be quick. Having lost their chance to register, many disgruntled people took to social media to complain, with the hashtag #คนละครึ่งเฟส3 (#Let’s Go Halves3) trending on Twitter.
Several netizens say they filled out the online registration form at exactly 6.01am but were then forced to wait for the one-time password to be delivered to their phones before they could complete the process. In many instances, by the time they received the OTP code, registration was full. Some say they had to wait over 5 minutes to receive the password, which caused them to miss the small window for registration.
According to a Nation Thailand report, one person has described the scheme as nothing more than a government PR stunt, pointing out that, despite being funded by taxpayers’ money, only some people can avail of it.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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