Thailand
Thai PM walkout, easing of covid restrictions | February 19

Thailand News Today
Police have arrested a man in Samut Prakan, southeast of central Bangkok, for allegedly possessing war weapons and attempting to sell assault rifles online through Instagram. The “dewaffen” Instagram page for “Oz John Woo” has an eclectic combination of cat photos and gun photos. The bio says “military support/ small arms import/export service. Life is limited, please crazy every day.”
Officers raided the man’s condominium in the Bang Phli district and seized 9 assault rifles and 12,000 rounds of ammunition as well as numerous gun accessories and 2 grenades. Police say they also found 5 grams of methamphetamine and related drug paraphernalia.
A 37 year old was arrested at the condominium and taken to the local police station for further questioning.
Got some Bitcoin? Soon you may able to spend it in Thailand. The country’s tourism officials want to draw in cryptocurrency holders and plan to first target tourists from Japan, the one of the world’s top holders of Bitcoin.
The TAT’s latest cunning plan is to draw in more high spending tourists. With the lack of foreign tourists due to the border closures, tourism officials have been discussing numerous ways to draw in visitors and boost the economy. They’ve been focusing on wealthy tourists, even launching “villa quarantine” and “golf quarantine” to help entice high spenders to visit Thailand. So far the grand plans haven’t put much pressure on Thailand’s beleaguered tourism infrastructure.
The TAT have discussed the idea of attracting cryptocurrency holders with the Thailand and Japan Technology Promotion Association and has now started a feasibility study on using the cryptocurrency at tourism destinations.
Locally, tourism officials still need to discuss the idea with the Bank of Thailand and measures need to be in place to prevent money laundering. TAT also plans to talk with businesses in the tourism industry to prepare for the potential use of cryptocurrency.
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has walked out of a parliamentary debate in an apparent huff that MPs were laughing at him instead of listening to him. Thai PBS World reports that the incident happened in parliament yesterday afternoon, while the PM was explaining the southern economic zone project as part of the censure debate. Accusing some of those present of not paying enough attention, he ended his speech abruptly and walked out.
He finished by saying… “I think I will stop here because no one is listening, but laughing. That is enough, thank you.”
The PM entered the debate after an accusation from an opposition MP who accused the Deputy Interior Minister of an abuse of power. He was accused of displacing villagers in the southern province of Songkhla by forcing them to sell their land to make way for developments in the southern economic zone project. He says this was done to further the Minister’s own interests and those in his immediate circle.
The PM then took to the floor to defend the project, pointing out that issues in the south of the country are complicated and saying the government is working to solve them and bring prosperity to the region. He has refuted the suggestion that no progress has been made on the project.
The government’s Covid-19 task force is set to meet this Sunday to discuss the easing of restrictions in Bangkok, a move which may include allowing alcohol in restaurants and re-opening boxing stadiums. The CCSA will review current restrictions and if any are lifted, that is expected to take effect immediately or early next week.
The move follows a general decline in new infections over the last week. However, they have not specifically mentioned if the easing of restrictions will apply to bars or other nightlife. Breweries and bar owners have expressed frustration with the ongoing closure, protesting outside the Health Ministry earlier this month. Since January, bars have been closed in the capital, and there is a ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants, following the cluster that broke out in Samut Sakhon, Rayong and Bangkok since December 20 last year.
The CCSA is also expected to discuss additional quarantine options for foreign arrivals, with an eye on international events such as the Jet Ski World Cup and Jet Ski Pro Tour, which Thailand hopes to host this year.
Up to 20,000 officers will be on duty for planned anti-government protests taking place outside parliament today and at other significant locations in Bangkok over the weekend. Tomorrow, MPs will vote in a no-confidence motion against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and 9 members of his administration. The “Mob Fest” Facebook page has been carrying messages of where protests are being held and urging people against using violence.
The United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, a division of the pro-democracy Ratsadon group, says that a rally will also be held tomorrow. As per usual the locations and exact timing are held back to the last minute, throwing police into confusion.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Anon Nampa is also calling on activists not to resort to violence against the authorities. Currently in custody and charged with various offences including lèse majesté, Anon has also been named as Time Magazine’s “100 Next” emerging leaders.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed that 12 companies of 1,800 officers will monitor protests at the weekend, and another 69 companies of 10,350 officers from 9 provincial police regions are being drafted in to support the local constabulary.
The Thaiger also has a special report about the resumption of protests after a few months of going quiet. You can catch that, along with heaps of new content, at The Thaiger YouTube channel.
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Thailand
Thailand News Today | Changes to quarantine, ‘adult content’ ban continues | March 5

Thailand’s Public Health Minister is chairing a meeting next Monday, where a vaccine passport scheme and potential travel bubbles is on the agenda. Anutin says those who’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be issued with a book to confirm their vaccination. It’s hoped this will make international travel easier, as well as boosting the public’s confidence and helping life return to some kind of normality.
In related news…. From next month, foreign visitors to the Kingdom will be able to experience the delights of “area quarantine”, after the government confirmed the scheme for 5 provinces. Following a meeting with the Public Health Ministry, the Tourism Minister confirmed that Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Surat Thani, which includes Koh Samui, have been chosen to pilot the scheme.
P**nhub and other adult websites are remaining blocked in Thailand as they apparently “conflict with good morals for upstanding citizens”. The Thai Government says the websites encourage “poor moral standpoints and can affect youth in a negative manner”.
The Acting Minister of Digital Economy and Society and current Minister of Culture says that the decision that was made by the previous office holder will be upheld. The decision also includes keeping other popular adult websites blocked as the Thai Government has labelled them to be “obscene”. But the move to ban adult content has brought protests with those disagreeing saying such sites are a part of freedom of expression.
A houseowner in the central province of Ang Thong, central Thailand, has discovered 3 skeletons on his land that are thought to be over 3,000 years old. 54 year old Somkiat Briboon says this most recent discovery isn’t the first, as the first lot of bones was found last year after preparing his 17 rai plot of land to be rented out for sugarcane farming.
The Thai PM says he’s ordered an investigation into allegations that the military has been using fraudulent social media accounts to aggravate the ongoing unrest in southern Thailand. Facebook has announced the removal of 185 accounts and groups that it has accused of “information-influencing”, targeting audiences in the deep south of the country, where Muslim insurgents continue to fight for independence. The PM says he’s tasked the Defence Ministry with looking into the matter and explaining it to the public.
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Thailand
Pro-democracy group to reach outskirts of Bangkok after almost 250 kilometre walk

A group of pro-democracy protestors, on an almost 250 kilometre walk, are expected to reach the outskirts of Bangkok today. The group has been walking for 17 days, starting from the Thao Suranaree statue in Korat province’s Muang district to protest the imprisonment of 9 pro-democracy demonstrators who are being denied bail.
The demonstrators imprisoned include 4 protest leaders from Ratsadon named Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk and Patiwat “Morlum Bank” Saraiyeam. The 247.5-kilometre march, named “Walk Through the Sky: Bring Back the People’s Power,” started on February 16. Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa, from the student-led protest group Ratsadon, is leading the walking protesters and says they have been held in jail without bail since February 9.
The 4 are facing charges under Article 112, which prohibits lese-majeste, or the defaming of the Thai Royal Monarchy. Lese-majeste carries a jail sentence of 3 to 15 years. They are also facing charges of sedition under Article 116 of the Criminal Code, which carries a jail term of 7 years, as they are accused of organising pro-democracy rallies.
“The ignition and the fuel for the walk is simple. They have started to incarcerate our friends while denying their bail requests, which made it impossible for us to do nothing.”
The court has denied the demonstrators bail requests 4 times now, citing that their release would create more unrest.
Pai said he emphathises with the detained protestors as he has been imprisoned for lese-majeste before. He says he spent 2 years and 6 months in prison for sharing a BBC Thai’s biography of the monarch on Facebook.
“When I was in jail, there were people outside who were protesting for my release so now that my friends are in jail by an unfair law while being denied their right to political expression, I must come out and do something.”
“A walk is a type of a fight against injustice and we choose to fight this way in order to peacefully spread the words about police brutality, the uses of various laws to silence dissidents, the plights of the poor and the mismanagement of the government’s covid-relief measures and natural resources.”
The walk-in protest group is expected to reach Zeer Rangsit in Pathumthani around 5:30 pm today and will camp out near the department store before marching at the Bang Khen intersection tomorrow. On Sunday, the march is expected to end at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.
SOURCE: Thai Enquirer
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
79 new cases today-COVID-19 Update

Today, the Thai government is reporting 79 new cases of Covid-19, with 65 locally-transmitted, and 14 imported, raising the total to 26,241 since the pandemic began. 1 new death has been reported, raising the total amount of deaths to 85. The new infections, which are now in the double-digits, shows Thailand’s Covid situation as improving according to the assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Panprapa Yongtrakul.
“The two-digit level of new cases found at hospitals and communities shows that the local Covid-19 situation is under control.”
The CCSA reports that 43 of the 65 local infections were found in communities with 22 of the 65 found in hospitals across 4 provinces.
Samut Sakhon province, the source of the second wave of Covid in the Kingdom, reported 77% of the new cases. Of the 50 cases found in the province, 38 were found in communities and 12 were found at hospitals.
Pathum Thani reported 8 new cases, with 3 being found at hospitals, and 5 in the community. Bangkok reported 6 new cases at hospitals and Chon Buri reported 1 infection found at a hospital. 12 of the 14 imported infections were quarantined arrivals from Russia, The United Arab Emirates, The United States, Slovenia, South Africa, Germany, Libya and Italy.
The other 2 imported cases were that of Thai women, who ellegedly returned from Myanmar illegally through a natural border crossing in Tak province, despite the government closing off natural border crossings after the February coup by the military in Myanmar.
Covid-19 cases rose worldwide by 446,747 over the past 24 hours to 116.21 million. The worldwide death toll rose by 9,955 to 2.58 million. The US still has the most cases at 29.53 million, rising by 68,321 over the past 24 hours, and the most deaths at 533,636, rising by 1,993 over the last 24 hours.
In light of the recent downturn in reported cases, Samut Sakhon has recently reopened 22 of its wet markets. However, the seafood market where the second wave of the Covid outbreak began, is not one of them, and it is not yet known when that might reopen.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Grumpy John
Friday, February 19, 2021 at 8:13 pm
I had to laugh myself at the PM walking out of parliament. Back home we would call that a “hissy fit”!
Modern folk would say he has retreated to his ‘safe place’.
funny coz its true
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 6:26 am
man child losing so much face
Toby Andrews
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 11:18 am
I’M GOING AND I’M TAKING MY BALL WITH ME, If you won’t let me be centre forward.
This PM should try prime minister’s question time in the UK parliament.
He would really have his feelings hurt.