Thailand News Today | Thai army trim the Generals, sugar making Thais fat | March 8

71 new Covid cases in Thailand today, the generals are being told they’re going to face pay cuts and a Thai doctors has issued a warning about the link between Thai’s love for sugary sweets and life-threatening diseases… there goes my afternoon donut. And don’t worry, I’m not going to sing my way through the news today, it’s just nice and cool in my home studio so you can enjoy the cool with me. We’ve also got a new segment at the end of the news today… you’ll see that soon enough.

71 new coronavirus cases have been announced today, 31 of them from the hotzone of Samut Sakhon, just south of Bangkok. This beings the total number of confirmed cases in Thailand to 26,441.

The death toll remains at 85 people.

The Thai Army, Navy and Air Force are aiming to trim the number of generals in the ranks by 25% by 2029. But plenty of critics say the plan is probably just more words and won’t ever happen.

A Thai doctor is reminding Thais about the clear links between eating sugary foods and the risk of various life-threatening diseases, including cancer. The doctor warns that high consumption of sugar can trigger everything from fatty liver, clogged arteries and liver cancer. 4 million Thais have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Hotels in the northern province of Chiang Mai have been forced to slash rates by up to 90%, desperately trying to attract more local tourists. The northern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, claims, with tourists mainly favouring the southern beach destinations over the past month month, hotel operators in the north are now planning for low season.

Anti-government activists gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument yesterday. Although the anti-government protests have kicked off again after a 2 month hiatus, the numbers are well down on last years crowds, now measuring more in the hundreds than the thousands.

Meanwhile the protest leader Panusaya aka “Rung”, has been hit with a fine of nearly 6 million baht. Her crime? Allegedly removing plants at the Democracy Monument. Panusaya and 5 other activists have been charged with removing plants placed as decoration around the monument, during a political rally back on February 13.

Various groups, including Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Committee, continue to criticise the Thai government’s use of the country’s lèse majesté laws, with Amnesty International describing it as an attempt to silence dissent.