Thailand
Thai and Chinese officials come together for Chinese New Year

Thai and Chinese officials are coming together to celebrate the Chinese New Year by marking 46 years of diplomatic relations with each other. The ceremony in Bangkok was led by Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports and China’s Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand.
The ceremony also included other high-ranking government officials who took part in celebrating the “Year of the Ox” while wishing happiness, health and prosperity for both countries. Thailand has been organising such Chinese New Year festivities, however, this year their anniversary of diplomatic relations fell on the new year holiday.
However, this year, Covid-19 has shown its face once again as the impact of the virus has been apparent in normally vibrant tourist areas like Phuket. Now, Phuketis noticeably quieter with much less decorations adorning the streets and visitors to the Chinese temples.
Many Thai-Chinese residents blamed the financial burden that the Covid pandemic brought on for not allowing them to travel back home to celebrate the holiday with their families. A noticeable decrease in red attire was also attributed to people not wanting to spend money on the customary and auspicious red clothing. Phuket officials say even domestic tourism was down from last year as their hopes of seeing a boost from such tourism over the holiday was dashed.
Meanwhile, China has caused waves internationally as its government has yanked the BBC World Newsfrom airing after an investigative story revealed alleged harsh treatment, including torture of China’s Muslim Uighur minority groups in camps. China responded to the move, which was heavily criticised by the international community, by saying the story and witness accounts were false. The government says the BBC violated reporting guidelines which included minimising harm to the country.
China also responded to placing such minorities in camps by saying they were in vocational training centres, a statement that the US, Britain and Australian governments refute.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
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Events
Phuket Monopoly game creators need your help with token designs

Phuket is set to get its own version of the popular game MONOPOLY and its creators want your help with ideas for the specialised tokens. ‘MONOPOLY: Phuket Edition’ was announced last month which will see the street art on the board game replaced with that of famous places around Thailand’s famous tourist destination. Such art will include beaches, hotels, shops, markets and other popular attractions.
Jennifer Lau from Winning Moves UK, is producing the game under official license from Monopoly brand owners, Hasbro. Lau says the tokens will feature a holiday theme. The token’s departure from the original theme of wheelbarrows, boots, iron, and thimbles as well as popular sports cars and hats.
“We have had a wealth of emails and suggestions coming in for Phuket, so thank you for each and every single one of them! We are taking them all into consideration whilst putting together the design of the game.”
“We wanted to change the tokens so that they would be more suitable for an island like Phuket, where so many people like to go on holiday to.”
“There will be six themed tokens that replace the original and we want to hear your suggestions for what these tokens should be!”
Bangkok has already been featured in the Monopoly game as it came out for purchase back in 2018.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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Events
Thai police officer gets slap down after trying to marry mistress

A Thai policeman is making headlines after getting a slap down from his own mother after he attempted to marry his mistress. The man went as far as scheduling a wedding, with monks present to bless the union, but his mom and real wife of 16 years, along with their kids, aged 5 and 15, crashed the party.
Nipapan Peuchpen, his legal wife, brought her marriage license to the nuptuals that took place in Chai Nat province, arguing that her husband had no right to marry another woman.
“This is our marriage license. I don’t know how they can go through with this.”
The policeman told his wife that the monks were already here, and that she wasn’t a guest and to go home. Then the man’s mother showed up and slapped him in the head. According to Khaosod English, the mother issued a statement to Amarin TV.
“I always taught him to not mess around with adultery. I warned him so many times. Now he has to reap what he sowed. At first, I understood that being adulterous to some extent was normal for men. But I didn’t think he would go this far.”
“I want this to be a lesson to all women! If you know a man already has a family, don’t be a homewrecker. I don’t understand why the bride got married to him, knowing that he was already married.”
Nipapan and her lawyer filed a legal complaint to the Chai Nai Juvenile and Family Court against the policeman’s girlfriend, asking for compensation for trying to marry her husband when he was already married.
Thailand has always been a culture where adultery has somewhat been tolerated, as many Thai men have lovers on the side, called a Mia Noi. But, legally, only 1 marriage can be registered at a time.
SOURCE: Khaosod English
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Events
Australians wake up to Facebook news blackout

Facebook is under fire as Australians accuse the social media giant of censoring news along with emergency services in an apparent blackout. This morning, residents logged in, saying they weren’t able to post links to news articles or view the Facebook pages of any news outlets worldwide.
The move that has essentially blocked Australia from being in the loop, comes after its government proposed laws that would make social media outlets pay for news content to be shared onto their sites. But Facebook’s retaliation efforts also created chaos as fire, meteorological and health services nationwide began to experience problems with their pages, even during several public emergencies.
In response to the angry backlash, a Facebook spokesperson said official government pages shouldn’t have been affected by the announcement this morning, and that the company would fix any pages that were inadvertently impacted.
Human Rights Watch Australia director Elaine Pearson, however, is concerned as she says the block has also impacted Indigenous community pages, charities, and even Facebook’s own page. Pearson described the move as an “alarming and dangerous turn of events.”
“Facebook is severely restricting and censoring the flow of information to Australians. Cutting off access to vital information to an entire country in the dead of the night is unconscionable.”
Despite being unable to access news organisations’ pages on the site, misinformation pages and fact-checking pages are still within reach, prompting many to call into question the role that journalists play in news gathering. The big question that critics have is how media organisations that employ qualified journalists, who go through a fact-checking process, are being blocked from the site, yet misinformation campaign pages and well-known conspiracy pages are allowed to be displayed.
Facebook’s manager for Australia and New Zealand, William Easton, says the proposed law, however, “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content.”
Easton says Facebook could either try to comply with a law that ignores the reality of such a relationship, or stop allowing news content on its services in Australia.
“With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.”
Easton says the numbers don’t add up and favor news publishers heavily as they reap hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue by having Facebook disseminate their stories. He points to the proposed law as penalizing the social media platform for content that it “did not take or ask for.”
On the contrary, Australia’s watchdog for competition has revealed consistently that the breakdown for every $100 spent on online advertising deprives media outlets of revenue that is needed to support journalism. Google captures $53 of the $100, while Facebook captures $28. The rest is divided amongst others.
Australia isn’t alone in the push to even out the playing field, as other countries are mulling such moves to make tech platforms share revenues with news media outlets. But the choice to block the news before a decision is made by the courts could set a dangerous precedent.
The legislation put forth by the Australian government has already passed the House of Representatives in recent days, and is now on its way to being considered by the Senate.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Toby Andrews
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 3:46 pm
The BBC did their upmost not offend the Chinese, but were still banned.
However an atrocity is an atrocity, and cannot be ignored – not in the West anyway.
These Orientals might rule their part of the world, and can suppress the truth.
They don’t rule the West and the West will reveal and expose them.
Gosport
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 4:18 pm
BBC News has no markets around the world. It has been the fake news outlet. The occidental can rule their part of the world. Idiocy is Idiocy, let it stay put in the west.
Slugger
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 5:13 pm
BBC – Does it matter any more? Not really. PC for the great unwashed.
Jim kelly
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 11:51 pm
Chinese? Famous for…?? let me think…hmmmmmm?
Ken HOM and his Wok. A big wall that can be seen from space. soy sauce….ummmm? fake copies of just about everything and anything….errrr?? some silly little book that was ‘red’ apparently!
HMMMMM? Struggling a bit now. I’m sure ‘others’ will add a few more…maybe?
It’s sad that such a large nation isn’t famous for anything reeeaaallly important. such is life.
Ian
Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 2:52 am
Chinese famous in uk for great food
Chinese famous for covid
Ian
Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 2:54 am
Chinese and thailand come together so China can take over Thailand please please I beg Thailand do not let this happen the west is on your side
Andy W
Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3:59 pm
I assume it’s just another meeting to allow the Thai officials to collect their money and receive their new orders.
Richard
Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 8:03 pm
Sounds about right