Thailand News Today | Opposition to extending nightlife to 4am
Supporters of the current proposal to allow nightlife venues to operate til 4am think it will increase revenue. Meanwhile, opposition to the proposal worries that it will also increase crime and deaths.
The Centre of Alcohol Studies of Mahasarakham University Faculty of Pharmacy believes that the increase in drinking will also see a rise in injuries and deaths due to alcohol and is voicing opposition to the plan to allow entertainment venues to stay open an extra two hours each night.
The deputy director of the centre points out that the WHO recommends alcohol curfews to prevent booze-related violence, injuries, and death, while drunk driving is predicted to increase.
Recent real-life examples were cited as the deputy director mentioned the effects of extending alcohol sales for just one hour in Iceland and the resulting surge in road accident rates. Physical abuse rates increased 16% in a study in Norway after they added an extra hour to their alcohol sales curfew.
Still, Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn recently voiced his support for the measure while visiting the massive tourist revenue-producing Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan this weekend and vowed to get the proposal in front of the Cabinet and Interior Ministry.
If approved, the proposal is expected to go into effect in October and allow 4am closing times for nightlife venues in Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket, Chiang Mai, as well as several key tourist cities like Pattaya, Koh Samui, and Hua Hin.
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The country is yet to recover from the sloppy and asinine execution of the green plant decriminalisation, and now The Thai Narcotics wants to throw another wrench into the poop show by announcing that it wants to start selling magic mushrooms.
The board announced yesterday it will develop medicine from hallucinogenic magic mushrooms to help cure the nation’s depressed citizens.
The Justice Minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, informed the media that the Narcotics Control Board joined hands with Khon Kaen University in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen to study the benefits of magic mushrooms.
Magic mushrooms, or psilocybin mushrooms, have been popular among the younger generations for decades. But apparently, the Category 5 narcotic is not just good for enjoying a trip into the unknown but it is also effective in combating cluster headaches, anxiety, anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and various forms of substance abuse.
The minister made it known that a number of organisations in foreign countries are studying the medical benefits of magic mushrooms. Many reports reveal that the mushroom’s psilocybin chemical could help deal with symptoms of depression, and help treat patients with alcoholism, and insomnia.
Somsak added that huge medical companies in the US and UK have already registered a patent with the World Medical Association to do more research on magic mushrooms, and Thailand will join them.
The Narcotics Control Board will use specific areas in Khon Kaen to farm the magic mushrooms for the studies and will invite other universities in other parts of Thailand to join the research.
Somsak said that like Kratom, magic mushrooms will be removed from the Narcotics Category 5 list if the studies are successful. The minister added it would open the door to economic advancement, providing Thai people with an opportunity to legally farm and earn more money.
Seems like a great idea, but as we’ve all seen with the green plant, Thai bureaucracy is where dreams come to die.
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The daughter of two Bangkok garbage collectors now wears a dazzling crown adorned with diamonds.
This year’s Miss Universe Thailand Anna Suea Ngam-iam grew up playing with toys that her parents collected and repaired on their rounds working as garbage collectors for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. She was later adopted by her grandmother, a white-robed Buddhist nun who Anna said taught her the values that have helped her strive forward to get to where she is today.
After competing in several beauty pageants, Anna fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming Miss Universe Thailand at 23 years old and will go on to represent Thailand at the global competition of Miss Universe 2022.
Anna has since met with Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt to discuss how to tackle social and environmental issues in the capital, according to her Instagram post captioned…
“I will use all of my efforts and assets to help you and our city be a better place. United, we stand.”
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A popular waterfall on Doi Suthep mountain in the northern province of Chiang Mai is brimming with E. coli bacteria.
Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a Green Globe conservationist and professor of cardiology at Chiang Mai University, warns against drinking or washing your face in the waterfall.
The doctor says the results are hardly surprising because there is a large community higher up on the mountain around Wat Phra Doi Suthep temple, which facilitates tens of thousands of visitors every day. There is no proper waste management system and sewage is dumped into natural waterways.
- coli is a bacteria that can cause severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhoea, colitis, and vomiting. Sometimes, the infection can cause fever and kidney failure.
Dr Rungsrit asks the public not to be fooled by the waterfall’s beautiful appearance because the water contains dangerous bacteria. The doctor is not sure which agency is responsible for correcting the problem, which he says has been going on for a long time.
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The foreigner seen parrot fishing at a national park is facing a five-year prison sentence and a 20,000 baht fine.
A TikTok video clip of the man emerged on social media yesterday with three parrotfishes, one moray eel, and two other unidentified fish in Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in Krabi province, causing outrage among Thai netizens who demanded he is severely punished.
Netizens slammed the foreigner stating his actions are against the law and were destroying the marine ecosystem.
He has been caught and detained by police in Phuket and faces legal action. The man was identified as Roslan Benedia of Dutch nationality and confused about renting the long tail boat and a speargun to hunt fish in Koh Phi Phi Leh. He claims he did not know the area was a national park.
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