Thailand News Today | Chinese man overstays visa in Thailand for 7 years over ‘cult’ beliefs

Sattahip’s Mountain B pub renamed, reopened and is now closed

Sattahip’s Mountain B pub renamed, reopened and raided by police

Chon Buri police and local officials raided a pub last night (Saturday), which is

located on the same plot of land in Sattahip district as the Mountain B pub, the

scene of a deadly fire on August 5th which has, to date, claimed the lives of 26

people and left others in hospital to this day.

Police said that the new pub, named “Never Land”, opened for the first time last

night, offering food, drinks and live music. The Mountain B was ordered closed for

five years following the deadly blaze.

Pol Maj-Gen Nunthavut Suwanlaong, deputy commissioner of Second Region

Provincial Police Bureau, said they will invite the proprietor of the new pub to

come to Phlu Ta Luang police station to answer some questions.

He said police will check the land title deeds of “Never Land” and compare them

with the deeds for the Mountain B pub, adding that the new pub will have to close

if the venue is found to be located on the same plot.

Meanwhile, Pongsiri Panprasong, the owner of Mountain B, said in his Facebook

post today that his life has been ruined following the tragic incident and that his

life savings have been used up to compensate the injured and the families of the

dead.

He said that he needs to make a living to feed his family and begged for an

opportunity to reopen his business.

One injured victim said in his Facebook post that he has been discharged from

hospital, but still has to see doctors to treat his burns, which incurs expense.

Three mild tremors felt in Mae Hong Son Monday, no reports of damage Thailand ne

Three mild earthquakes, measured at 1.9, 2.3 and 3.8 magnitude on the Richter

scale, were reported in Thailand’s northern province of Mae Hong Son this

morning (Monday). There were no reports of damage

The Earthquake Observation division of the Meteorological Department said that

the first tremor, of 3.8 magnitude, was recorded at 7.40am at a depth of about

seven kilometres in Huai Pha sub-district of Mueang district. Two milder

earthquakes of 1.9 and 2.3 magnitude respectively, were recorded at 4.42am at a

depth of about one kilometre and at 5.28am at the depth of two kilometres

Residents in several sub-districts reported feeling the vibrations to the

Meteorological Department via its website.

Suvit Kuosuwan, a geological expert at the Department of Mineral Resources, told

Thai PBS that the earthquakes were caused by the Mae Hong Son fault line, which

extends for 29km through Pai, Mueang, Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang districts.

He said that similar mild earthquakes have been recorded before and are quite

normal for active an fault line, adding that there has not been a strong earthquake

from the Mae Hong Son fault line, of 5 or 6 magnitude on the Richter scale, in the

past ce

He advised the public not to panic, as he offered an assurancethat the tremors are

mild and do not signal the arrival of a stronger quake.

14 mild quakes, of 1 to 2.2 magnitude, were recorded betweenMay 4th and 7th this

year in Pai district of Ma. Thailand news

Two Thai women died hiking the Himalayas

High up in the Himalayas, two Thai women met their demise while hiking in the

extreme cold. The two women, aged 49 and 37, were part of a group hiking the

famous Annapurna trail in Nepal when they fell ill and died. They were reported

dead after descending to a base camp to the northwest of the Nepalese capital city

of Kathmandu.

The pair of Thai women began their trek at the base of the Annapurna trail on

November 11. They hiked up the Himalayas and on Thursday reached the world’s

highest lake. Lake Tilicho sits at an altitude of 4,919 metres above sea level.

The women were hiking as part of a group of 22 other trekkers making the

challenging ascent in freezing cold weather. This week, the temperature at the lake

nearly 5,000 metres up averaged between -6 and -9 degrees Celsius with winds

blowing up to 18 kilometres per hour.

Bangkok Post said that information was released by a Nepalese website called

Mount Everest Today. They reported that the women struggled with the high

altitude and severely cold weather on the hike. They made it back to the foot of the

mountains at the Mesokanto La Pass. They have been continuing their descent

from Manang to Mustang Village since they passed away.

The bodies of the two Thai women were airlifted out of the foot of the Himalayas.

It is assumed that they have been transported back to Thailand, though no

destination location was officially confirmed. Thailand news

Chinese man overstays visa in Thailand for 7 years over ‘cult’ beliefs Thailand news

Immigration police arrested a Chinese man at a condo in Bangkok this morning

who overstayed his visa by over seven years (2,662 days). He said he wanted to

stay in Thailand because his religious beliefs are not accepted in China.

In the early hours of this morning, plain-clothed immigration officials – one

wearing a “rasta baby” T-shirt – were patrolling the Bang Kapi area when they

came across a “suspicious-looking” Chinese man standing outside a condominium

building in Hua Mak subdistrict.

The officers inspected 35 year old Li Liang’s passport and found that he entered

Thailand on July 24, 2015, on a 15-day visa which expired on August 7, 2015.

Li told police that he fled China after he was persecuted for joining the Falun Gong

movement, a controversial spiritual movement considered a “heretical cult” by the

Chinese state.

China accepts five religions, and Falun Gong is not one of them. Falun Gong is an

offshoot of qigong and involves meditation, slow movements, and breathing

practices.

The Falun Gong movement was founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992. By the late

1990s, officials estimated the number of Falun Gong practitioners in China at 70

million nationwide – rivalling membership of the Chinese Communist Party

(CCP).

The CCP banned the practise of Falun Gong in China on July 20, 1999, stating that

it was “opposed to the Communist Party”, “preached superstition” and was a

“cult.” That year, security forces abducted and detained thousands of Falung Gong

practitioners who they deemed to be cult leaders.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs said the Falun Dafa Research Society was

“engaged in illegal activities, advocating superstition and spreading fallacies,

hoodwinking people, inciting and creating disturbances, and jeopardizing social

stability.”

Despite Falun Gong’s ban in China, it is estimated that between 7-20 million

people in China still practise in secret.

Li Liang said he joined the secret Falun Gong movement and was caught and

criminally charged. He said he was dissatisfied with both the Chinese state and

China’s ruling system so he fled to Thailand on a 15 day tourist visa and never

returned home in fear of persecution.

Immigration police charged Li with “being an alien who stayed in the kingdom

without permission” for a total of 2,662 days.

Police did not say what was next for Li but it is assumed he will be sent back to

China.

Li’s arrest comes after former Chief of Immigration Big Joke ordered the police

force to crackdown on foreigners who overstay their visas in Thailand. Thailand news

Pattaya International Fireworks Festival to be backdrop of new film Thailand news

The beloved Pattaya International Fireworks Festival coming up on November 25

(Friday) will be the backdrop of a new film. The big-budget film’s working title is

“All Men are Brothers.”

Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet met last week with the film’s producer, Peter-

Luis Myocchi. The film is a Thai-Chinese joint venture, and scenes will be shot on

Walking Street and around the city, Pattaya Mail reported.

The film’s producers and stars will attend a seminar tomorrow on Pattaya’s goal to

be designated as a UNESCO City of Film. The seminar will be hosted by

Thailand’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), at

the Dusit Thani Hotel.

DASTA’s director-general said back in May that the agency would team up with

12 organisations to meet the 5 year goal of making Pattaya a “City of Film.” The

director-general, Athikun Kongmee, said Pattaya had “cultural and tourism assets”,

and could easily welcome Thai and foreign film crews.

He added that in the past, DASTA successfully pushed for cities such as Sukhothai

and Phetchaburi to be included in the UNESCO network. The other 5 Thai cities in

the UCCN are Phuket, a City of Gastronomy, Chiang Mai, a City of Crafts and

Folk Arts, Bangkok, a Design City, Sukhothai, a City of Crafts and Folk Arts, and

Phetchaburi, a City of Gastronomy.

Pattaya may be known for its scandalous stories, but officials are determined to

turn the city into a film hub. Could the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival be

the ideal scenic backdrop to help make this happen?

The festival will be held from November 25-26 on Pattaya Beach, and the

fireworks will light up the entire city. Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches says

the festival will feature more than 600 street stalls selling all kinds of items. There

will be pyrotechnic teams from Belgium, Canada, Malaysia, and the Philippines all

in attendance.

City officials last month predicted that over 100,000 domestic and foreign tourists

would make their way to the festival. Thailand news

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