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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