Thailand News Today | Opposition grills Thai govt on corruption
Day three of the no-confidence motion and parliamentary debates has revealed that then-General Prayut, the Commander in Chief of the Thai Army, was the brains and instigator behind the 2014 military coup that ousted the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
The Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was thrown under the political bus by his deputy PM, “right hand man” and stalwart Prawit Wongsuwan. He told parliament that Prayut was solely responsible for the 2014 coup and formation of the National Council for Peace and Order that ruled the country.
Whilst distancing himself from the May 2014 coup, the long-time army buddy of Prayut pointed towards the PM, who was standing next to him and said “Only the prime minister staged it. I didn’t even know when it was planned.”
Prayut, with a wry smile, raised his hand proudly to claim the accusation. An audible snigger arose from the parliamentary floor.
It was the first time that the prime minister had ever taken sole-responsibility for planning and executing the coup against the elected government in 2014.
The opposition were targeting Prawit, his role in the coup and the luxury watch affair, where he was accused of amassing an enormous luxury watch collection. At the time Prawit claimed they were all gifts or on loan. He also told the National Anti Corruption Commission that all the watches had been returned to their owner (even though he was dead at the time). No action was ever taken over the scandal.
Move Forward party-list MP Thiratchai Panthumat also alleged the Prawit interfered with the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Customs Department investigations in the expensive wristwatch scandal.
Then, for a bit of comic relief, another Move Forward Party MP Amarat Chok-P-Mit-Kul slammed the government over the fraudulent GT200 bomb detectors. The GT2000 bomb detectors were nothing more a black plastic box with a few wires. The army was conned into buying these so-called detectors 13 years ago. It then spent millions of baht in testing of the so-called ‘bomb detectors’ and came to the conclusion that they were, indeed, black plastic boxes with a few wires.
13 years later, the MP said the people who authorised the wasted money are still in power and “must still be held accountable”.
อมรัตน์ also accused the Prime Minister, who is also acting as defence minister, of turning a blind eye to the army’s numerous procurement and military-related construction projects “which are not transparent and wasteful”.
The MP also accused the PM of being “a tyrant, bent on undermining the democratic system”.
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A zoo in central Thailand’s province of Samut Prakan has been accused of mistreating its elephants. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation found 4 elephants in bad condition at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo. Now, the zoo’s management is liable to a fine of up to 40,000 baht.
Officials from the department found the elephants to be unusually thin. They were also living in unsanitary conditions, showing that the elephants’ living spaces were not regularly cleaned. The officials considered the zoo management to be violating the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Act, by failing to guarantee the elephants’ welfare.
The officials have now ordered the zoo management to feed the elephants enough grass for their weights, and give them dietary supplements. The officials also advised the zoo’s staff to not chain the elephants for too long. The department will determine later whether or not the zoo has improved its care for elephants.
Thailand has issues with its treatment of animals, and notably of its national animal, the elephant. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, 22 elephants at a camp in Chiang Mai died after the camp had trouble caring for and feeding them. It’s expensive to care for the gentle giants, as they eat 10 tonnes of food every day. With fewer staff and a lack of tourists volunteering at the camp, the poor animals were left without enough care.
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A series of earthquakes struck Myanmar’s Shan State and Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand through the night.
The earthquakes began at around 11:30 pm yesterday and as of 7am, a total of 47 tremors ranging in magnitude from 2.4 to 6.4..
No damage or injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes so far. However, damage near the epicentre is possible.
The tremors occurred during the night and many Chiang Rai residents posted on social media to say they were woken up by their beds shaking.
Thailand’s meteorological department says more earthquakes are expected today, with a maximum magnitude of 6.4, which could affect buildings near the epicentre and cause minor damage such as broken windows.
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A restaurant in Bangkok has been ranked in thirty-ninth place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022.
The restaurant, Sorn, which serves traditional southern Thai cuisine, has won 2 Michelin stars and is a hotspot for fine dining.
Sorn’s head chef, known as ‘Chef Ice’, received the award at a ceremony in London earlier this week. Chef Ice expressed his honour over winning the award, and his gratitude toward the restaurant’s team. He also gave a shout out to Thai farmers and fishermen who have consistently supplied him with top quality ingredients.
Sorn has a focus on serving old recipes that have been lost in the modern age. It also has a focus on “local culinary wisdom”, and ingredients are sustainably sourced from a trusted network of farmers and fishermen. According to Michelin Guide Most dishes are slow-cooked, and even the soup is double-boiled for 6 hours.
Sorn’s social media pages show photos of its colourful, elaborately arranged dishes. This includes red curries, and assortments of different vegetables and herbs served with meat, to name a few. The appetisers are served family style, spread out across several plates.
Sorn is located on Soi Sukhumvit 26 in Bangkok.
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A urological surgeon from Thailand insists there is no hard evidence to suggest a man’s penis will shrink if he gets Covid despite recent claims.
Dr Nantawat Siritanan, from Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital, in Bangkok, felt the urgency to assure men not to waste time worrying whether their manhood will shrivel if they catch the coronavirus.
Nantawat was responding to a Facebook post by a famous Thai medical technician, who shared a report that men in the US who contracted Covid had noticed their penises had shrunk by one to one-and-a-half inches. The Facebook post added that a coronavirus infection could also cause erectile dysfunction by causing the male sex organ to blood clot, and with a reduced blood flow, the penis could fail to reach its…full potential
The Facebook post received more than 36,000 reactions, over 46,000 comments and was shared over 27,000 times.
Nantawat said it was theoretically possible that Covid could cause male sex organ inflammation, resulting in blood clotting. But he added that there were very few cases throughout the world and there was no hard proof Covid caused a penis to shrink.
The urologist reckons the majority of the virus-infected patients were just paranoid.
Nantawat said there are other more probable causes for a penis to shrink, such as age, obesity, or…simply worry about it too much.
So for all of you out there who need some assurance. Just remember, it’s all in your head man…it’s all in your head…I believe in you.
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