Thailand News Today | Activist wants to “cancel” new Bangkok governor
A political activist is trying to derail Chadchart Sittipunt’s Bangkok Governor election victory.
The 56 year old politician claimed a landslide victory in the first election for governor held in the city since 2013, winning almost 52% of the vote. But, following a complaint by Srisuwan Janya, the Election Commission has postponed the endorsement of the election result until this afternoon pending an investigation.
Srisuwan has questioned whether Chadchart had a hidden agenda when he used vinyl fabric in the making of his campaign posters so that, after the election, people can recycle the fabric into bags and aprons. It is alleged that using recyclable election signs could be proven as election fraud, because you know, using disposable plastic is the patriotic thing to do.
The EC say they had to investigate whether Chadchart’s recycling could make his election win dishonest and be seen as bribery.
Chadchart says he is not worried about the complaint, and is ready to explain to the EC if required to do so.
The EC will reconvene today at 1:30pm to reconsider the matter before officially announcing the result of the name of the new Bangkok Governor.
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Prosecutors have ordered the indictment of 6 suspects in relation to the death of Thai actress Tangmo, who drowned in the Chao Phraya river in February during a boat trip with her friends. All 5 people on board the boat have been charged with “recklessness causing death.”
Yesterday, superintendent of Muang Nonthaburi Police Station reported that the prosecutors in Tangmo’s case have ordered the indictment of 6 suspects in relation to the actress’s death.
Police ruled out that Tangmo was murdered, and concluded that she died from “recklessness,” but not her own…
The suspects include 5 of Tangmo’s friends who were on board the boat with her and a man who allegedly coached them.
The suspects are accused of various charges, the most serious and punishable being “recklessness causing death.”
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Following a campaign to replace Thai numbers on official documents to Arabic numerals, Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said the practice must be kept to maintain Thai uniqueness.
A Thai man launched a campaign on Change.org urging government departments to use Arabic numerals, claiming that he worked in the digital sector and saw that using Arabic numerals would be more international and convenient for people. He added that the Arabic numbers would also be better for the digital document processing by a computer too as the Thai numerals were difficult for computers and the internet to understand.
The campaign creator also gave an example of the awkward use of Thai numbers like a website URL, such as the following you see on the screen here.
www.๑๒๑๒occ.com, ๕G (5G), and Windows ๑๐ (Windows 10). <<< พี่หนุ่ม/วิชัยรบกวนโชว์กราฟฟิกนี้ระหว่างที่ผมพูดเรื่อง website URL นะครับ ขอบคุณครับ
The change.org target supporters was set at 5,000, and the campaign now received more than 3,000 supporters. Many Thai netizens shared the campaign on social media, saying they agreed because the Thai numerals were hard to read and Arabic numbers were more familiar.
Deputy PM Wissanu said he agreed that the Arabic numerals were better for the digital documents, and that the use of Thai numbers might make things more complicated, but he says we should sometimes let things be complicated to keep our uniqueness.
Not only is preserving Thai numerals complicated, it serves as another great tool to rip off the very tourists the country says it desperately needs.
Case in point, Thai netizens shared a picture of a sign in front of a tourist attraction, where the entrance fee for Thai people is written with Thai numbers stating one price, while also stating a more expensive fee for foreigners written with Arabic numerals.
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Thai healthcare bosses have dismissed claims by some private hospitals that they have foreign doctors on staff to help with patient care and surgery.
According to a Bangkok Post report, the Medical Council of Thailand says there is a limit on the number of foreign doctors allowed to practice in the kingdom.
Addressing claims made by some private hospitals, the MCT’s secretary-general, Dr อิทธพร คณะเจริญ, says the few foreign doctors given the go-ahead to practice in Thailand must first obtain permission from the MCT. Such medics are only approved to work in state programmes, in order to mitigate liability risks.
Doctors applying for such approval are required to provide proof of employment from state agencies and will have their qualifications scrutinised as part of the process. They will also need a visa that allows them to work and, in the case of some, will require insurance.
According to Ittaporn, the medical council reviews all applications for foreign doctors every month. It is a temporary permit renewable every year, for state-run hospitals only.
Ittaporn added that Thai doctors who have graduated abroad are required to have a licence to practice, similar to those who graduate locally. He goes on to say that any foreign doctors found to be practising in Thailand without a Thai licence and a permit from the medical council will face prosecution.
He did concede that the system could change in the future, in order to allow overseas specialists to practise in private hospitals in areas like the Eastern Economic Corridor. Meanwhile, the Department of Health Service Support has warned private hospitals that they must comply with the law.
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Thai Airways has entered into an agreement with Warner Brothers Discover – or to provide flights to support the production of ‘The Meg 2: The Trench,’ a sequel to the 2018 film ‘The Meg.’
The airline will provide direct flights from various locations around the world and take special care in transporting film production equipment.
Thai Airways say the collaboration with Warner Brothers is an important step in promoting Thailand as a prime location in the film production industry.
According to Thai Airways, Thailand is “the centre of the film industry in southeast Asia.” The film will stimulate Thailand’s economy, attract tourists and strengthen relations with many foreign countries.
The 2018 film ‘The Meg’ was primarily filmed in Auckland, New Zealand. It is rumoured the sequel has begun filming in London, UK and will also film in southern Thailand.
Coconuts reported that Krabi province rejected the request for the sequel to be filmed in the province due to environmental concerns. Provincial governor พุฒิพงศ์ ศิริมาตย์ said the helicopter and jet ski scenes, and a 400 person strong film crew, would harm the environment at locations such as Railay, ต้นไทร and พระนาง beaches.
However, Thai PBS said some members of the provincial committee were supportive of the film being shot in Krabi, citing the transformative impact of the 2000 film ‘The Beach.’
So while it is confirmed ‘The Meg 2’ will be filmed in Thailand, the exact filming locations are not yet confirmed.
