Thailand
MP caught looking at nude photo during budget meeting

A member of parliament was caught looking at photo of a naked woman on his phone while he was at a House meeting yesterday. He claims the incident was set up rival politician. Speaker Chuan Leekpai says the parliment can’t punish the MP because it’s considered a “personal matter.”
Reporters saw Ronnathep Anuwat, the Palang Pracharath Party MP for Chon Buri, glancing at a photo of a nude woman while he was at a House meeting on the government budget. Ronnathep says he believes he was targeted by a rival politician who wanted to ruin his reputation, adding that he has many political opponents. The MP says he opened messages that were asking for help and the photos popped up.
“At first, messages came in asking for help, so I asked what they wanted … They said they had some problems, and then these pictures just suddenly popped up.”
He says the person who messaged him asked for money. Ronnathep deleted the photos, he says. Khaosod English says reporters saw him messaging the person for about 10 minutes.
Chuan says he views the incident as a personal matter. The parliment will get involved if a complaint is filed and will look into whether the MP breached the code of ethics, he says.
Apparently, Chaun says he told MPs in the past to be careful what they do because the media is watching them.
SOURCES: Bangkok Post | Khaosod English
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Transport
Thailand aims for only electric vehicles by 2035

Thailand has announced an ambitious plan to move to only sell zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035 as it aims to be at the forefront of the electric car market. Right now in Thailand, less than 1% of the vehicles on the road are electric but an advisor to the Energy Ministry’s national policy committee said that it’s clear the world is heading that way and Thailand should grab hold of that market to help recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The country already has a stable supply chain and strong production of conventional automobiles, so it is hoped that the transition to zero-emission vehicles will be successful.
The automotive industry brings in about 10% of Thailand’s economy and supports about 850, 000 employees. Other industries such as plastic, steel, iron, and petrochemicals are all heavily supported by the automotive industry. And 50% of cars produced in Thailand are exported around Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
The ambitious plan to make Thailand an electric vehicle country by 2035 has equally ambitious benchmarks along the way. A previous target of 30% of all vehicles registered to be electric vehicles has been upgraded to 50% by the end of this decade. But phasing out traditional gas guzzlers will require facilitation by the government to make the transition. Creating the appropriate infrastructure, developing regulations for EV manufacturing, and offering both tax incentives to manufacturers and consumer incentives to purchase electric cars will be necessary to push the public and the manufacturing sector to achieve this goal.
The Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand pointed out that letting the transition occur naturally with the growing popularity of electric vehicles may take too long, and that an ambitious target such as this is a good way to attract investors in these new technologies and manufacturing sectors. While zero-emission vehicle adoption is still low in Thailand with only about 1% of vehicles on the road being electric, the EV market has handled the economic ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic much better than the traditional automotive market. Gas-hungry traditional cars saw depressed sales down 26% in 2020, but zero-emission electric vehicles recorded an increase of 1.4% during that same period. With the right implementation and incentivisation, Thailand’s dream of becoming Southeast Asia’s electronic vehicle production hub may be possible.
SOURCE: Bloomburg
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Thailand
New Covid-19 wave could cause the Thai economy to lose 100 billion baht per month

With more than 18,000 Covid-19 cases in 22 days, the new wave of infections may have a dramatic impact on the Thai economy… possibly a 100 billion baht loss per month, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
They say the outbreak is likely to primarily impact the service sector and the number of workers is expected to drop. With pay cuts and layoffs due to the outbreak, household debt could rise to 92% of GDP, according to the university president Thanavath Phonvichai. At the end of 2020, debt hit a record high of 89.3% of GDP.
Thanavath says gross domestic profit is expected to drop by 1.2% to 1.8%, but with economic stimulus measures, the economy could grow 1.2% to 1.6% this year.
“If there will be economic stimulus measures, the economy may grow 1.2% to 1.6% this year.”
The number of active cases making up a third of Thailand’s total reported cases since the start of the pandemic last year. The new wave of cases is expected to be under control within the next 2 to 3 months.
SOURCE: Reuters
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Thailand
37 inmates at Chiang Mai prison test positive for Covid-19

At least 37 new inmates at Chiang Mai Central Prison have tested positive for Covid-19 in routine testing during the quarantine period for new inmates before they enter the general prison population. Provincial public health chief Jatchuchai Maeerat said the inmates who tested positive for the virus were sent to a field hospital at the prison in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district.
The Chiang Mai public health office is now urging other prisons in the area, particularly the Chiang Mai Women Correctional Institution and the Fang District Prison, to follow similar protocols as the Central Prison to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among the general prison population and the staff, Jatchuchai says.
“We test new inmates after they have been monitored for symptoms during a 14-day quarantine and then sent to the inner zone… All infected prisoners are separated and sent to a field hospital within the prison.”
Since April 1, there have been 2,448 Covid-19 cases reported in Chiang Mai. So far, 134 patients have recovered and have been released from the hospital. The Chiang Mai public health department has 16,000 tablets of the antiviral medication Favipiravir. He says it’s enough to treat the patients in Chiang Mai.
Earlier this month, there was a Covid-19 outbreak at a prison in the southern province Narathawit. The outbreak prompted prison officials to cancel visits to contain the virus.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Perceville Smithers
Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 2:44 pm
I’m careful about where I am when looking at videos and pics sent to me. Especially when in public places in muslim countries.
Toby Andrews
Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 11:35 pm
What is this highly paid MP doing looking at his smart phone anyway during a budget meeting?
This shows a distinct lack of respect for parliment matters.
And what does the speaker Leepai say? Basically – don’t get caught.
James Pate
Friday, September 18, 2020 at 6:23 am
Budget meeting or porn. Glad he’s got his priorities straight.