Thailand
Thailand News Today – Tuesday, April 28

Cabinet disagrees with the cancellation of Thai public holidays in May
Yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired a meeting about the postponement of Thai holidays in May. There were four public holidays coming up next month.
The matter was going to be presented to today’s cabinet meeting. The four holidays are…
Friday, May 1, Labour Day
Monday May 4, Coronation Day
Wednesday May 6, Visakha Puja Day
Monday, May 11, Plowing Day
But today’s cabinet meeting says they ‘disapprove’ of the postponement or cancellation of the national holidays in May.
But a spokesperson for the Cabinet has warned the public to stay at home and refrain from travelling out of their provinces. So take the national holidays, but enjoy them at home.
Cable and satellite provider True Visions faces backlash over “censorship officer”
Satellite and cable TV provider True Visions is in hot water after posting an advert seeking an “international news censor” on the biggest online jobs board in Thailand.
The ad, which appeared on the JobsDB site, said the right candidate would be required to scrutinise 17 foreign news channels and report any “inappropriate” content to supervisors.
This isn’t first time the use of “censors” at True Visions has come up. The company was monitoring content from BBC and Al Jazeera, after the BBC had found itself blocked in Thailand on a few occasions during the rule of the military junta.
Social media users have threatened not to renew their subscriptions. The job listing has been removed from the JobsDB site.
Thailand’s Attorney General calls for leniency towards charity food providers
Thailand’s Attorney General is urging prosecutors to go easy on the good samaritans who face charges of violating the current ban on social gatherings.
The current restrictions, in place under the Covid-19 emergency decree, have led to many Thai citizens losing their income and relying on charity food handouts. Now many of those providing free food and other essentials, are facing criminal proceedings for causing large groups of people to gather in public without adequate social distancing measures being put in place.
Now a spokesman for the Attorney General, is urging prosecutors to consider the circumstances of the alleged violations and exercise good judgment when instigating criminal charges.
He said “Charges should be filed in accordance with the spirit of the law.”
Phetchabun man lucky to be alive after bomb discovery
A man in Phetchabun province, central Thailand, has had a narrow escape after picking up an abandoned box, not realising it was actually a bomb.
The unnamed villager from Tha Phon district, was cycling back from a local temple when he spotted the box with a clock attached to it lying on the ground.
He took it back to his shop his employee said it was probably a bomb. The man quickly placed the box outside and called the police.
Police described the cardboard box with a digital clock taped to the front and connected with various wires and immediately alerted the Phetchabun Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team.
They placed a tire around the box, evacuated villagers from the area and used high-pressure water to defuse the bomb. They confirmed that the device was “a timed improvised explosive device.”
Its purpose or intended target has not been disclosed.
Indonesia’s death toll from Covid-19 is probably 2,200
A Reuters review of data from 16 of the Indonesia’s 34 provinces shows that more than 2,200 people have died with acute symptoms of Covid-19 but were not recorded as victims.
The data was collated by provincial agencies from figures provided by hospitals, clinics and burial records. Reuters obtained the data by checking websites, interviewing provincial officials and reviewing World Health Organisation reports.
A senior member of the Indonesian government’s Covid-19 taskforce, didn’t dispute the Reuters’ findings but declined to comment on the number of coronavirus victims he believes are to be found among the list of patients.
He says many of the nearly 20,000 suspected coronavirus patients in Indonesia have not been tested because of huge numbers of specimens awaiting processing at understaffed laboratories. He said some people die before their sample is analysed.
Last month Indonesian President Widodo said that some information was withheld from the public to prevent panic.
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Thailand
Disease control measures ease up in Samut Sakhon

Disease control restrictions are easing up in Samut Sakhon. The coastal fishing province that has been under “maximum control” since last month’s Covid-19 outbreak at a major seafood market in the province’s Mahachai area.
Salons and barber shops are now allowed to open from 6am to 9pm in all districts of Samut Sakhon, but services are limited to hair cutting, dressing, and washing. Manicures, pedicures and shaving services are still prohibited. Each customer can only stay in the shop for only 2 hours and no queuing is allowed inside the salon or barber shop.
Restaurants and cafes are allowed to open, except for those in some sub districts of Muang District…
- Thai Sai
- Mahachai
- Krok Krak
- Tha Chalom
- Nadee
- Bang Ya Phraek
- Khok Kham
- Tha Chin
Restaurants and cafes can offer customers the dine-in services from 6am to 9pm. Takeaway services are allowed after 9pm. Other businesses including sports complexes, playgrounds, educational institutions, boxing gyms, internet cafes, fishing ponds, and cinemas are still closed.
SOURCE: NNT
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Police say at least 2 people to be arrested in Bangkok bomb attack – UPDATE

Police say they will issue arrest warrants for at least 2 people in connection to yesterday’s bomb attackin Bangkok. According to Thai PBS World, the people are suspected of throwing a ping pong bomb into a group of police officers in front of the Chamchuri shopping centre that injured 3 policemen and 1 reporter. But previous reports by Khaosod English say the bomb attack saw only 2 policemen injured out of a total of 4.
Piya Tawichai, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, says it is believed that the perpetrators threw the bomb from a vehicle on the flyover heading towards Hua Lampong railway station. Police say they found nails, wire and black electrical tape at the scene of the explosion.
The attack occurred at 6pm, during a pro-democracy rally over the government’s enforcement of the lesé majeste law, which has seen over 43 people arrested, including students, since November. Just last week, a Thammsat University student was arrested in his dorm room over lese majeste charges. Ironically, the reason for his arrest was reportedly due to his calling for such a law to be abolished.
Earlier today, a group of pro-democracy protesters and Ratsadon guards rallied in front of the Internal Security Operations Command head office in Dusit district, demanding for the release one of the guards, who has been missing since last night.
ISOC spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng responded to the claims by saying that ISOC had nothing to do with Mongkol’s disappearance because it is “not responsible for maintaining peace and order in the city.”
Now, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights have reported that that Mongkol has been released in the Bangpoo area. Mongkol and his lawyer went to notify the police at the Muang district police station and say that Mongkol will be sent for a physical and psychological evaluation.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Thailand’s PM says he won’t let Thais become vaccine “guinea pigs”

Thailand’s PM is saying he won’t let Thai people become vaccine “guinea pigs” in his Facebook post today as he points to reports of serious negative side effects that some people have suffered after getting jabbed with the Covid-19 vaccine. Instead, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he will wait for more information from the experts about whether such side effects were attributed to the vaccine solely, or other factors.
“For Thai people, I decided not to take the risk and will not rush to inoculate with vaccines which have not been fully tested and will not let Thai people become guinea pigs.”
He says the National Vaccine Committee will advise the government and closely supervise the use of Covid-19 vaccines in the country once they are rolled out. As the vaccines are not yet available, he reiterated the importance of taking precautions such as wearing face masks when leaving home, practising social distancing and abstaining from gatherings, particularly political ones.
The government has reported 374 new cases of Covid-19 in the kingdom today, with all but 10 being locally-transmitted. Now, the total has risen to 12,000 cases since the pandemic began.
A government spokesman is also saying that PM Prayut is worried about people’s health as the weather has taken a turn for the cold. He also affirmed the importance of imposing measures under the Emergency Decree and Thailand’s Communicable Disease Act in order to help curb the recent Covid second wave. He is also reminding the public to download the Thai Chana and Mor Chana apps.
Thailand has ordered 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from a variety of sources, with the first shipment of 200,000 doses to arrive in February. Those vaccines are from China’s Sinovac Biotech. In March, another 800,000 doses are scheduled to arrive and another million by April.
The government has also pre-ordered 26 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca, using vaccine technology transfer to allow local production by Thailand’s local company, Siam Bio Science.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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