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Thai Excise Officials Arrested for Allegedly Abducting Phone Shop Worker for Ransom PHOTO: Sanook Thai Police arrested two excise officials and another suspect for allegedly kidnapping a worker from a Chinese-run phone shop in Samut Prakan on Wednesday, January 18th. The suspects allegedly demanded a ransom of 300,000 baht in exchange for the worker’s freedom. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1284009-thai-excise-officials-arrested-for-allegedly-abducting-phone-shop-worker-for-ransom/

PHOTO: Sanook Thai Police arrested two excise officials and another suspect for allegedly kidnapping a worker from a Chinese-run phone shop in Samut Prakan on Wednesday, January 18th. The suspects allegedly demanded a ransom of 300,000 baht in exchange for the worker’s freedom. Police officers from the Samut Prakan police station conducted an investigation after the owner of a phone shop, Mr. Wu Yiwen, a 31-year-old Chinese national, came to report the case yesterday at 3:30 PM. Mr. Yiwen told police that 7-8 men, who claimed to be officers from the Excise Department, showed up at his shop located in Soi U-Thong in the Mueang district around noon. The men entered the store to look around but then allegedly forced his employee, Ms. Monthira Jaiprom, 21, into their vehicle and drove away. Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/01/19/thai-excise-officials-arrested-for-allegedly-abducting-phone-shop-worker-for-ransom/ -- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-01-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Workers in Pattaya Receive Covid-19 Booster Doses 400 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to workers in many businesses in Pattaya. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1284008-workers-in-pattaya-receive-covid-19-booster-doses/

400 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to workers in many businesses in Pattaya. The booster recipients were mostly from in and around the Tree Town market in Pattaya. They came to get the booster jab administered by medical staff from Pattaya City Hospital yesterday, January 18th, said Mr. Pornchai Sankhaiad, assistant district officer of the Banglamung District Office. Pornchai said the booster dose would protect workers from the most harmful symptoms of the coronavirus when they got infected. Some workers had to get in close contact with customers, such as a motorcycle taxi rider or a masseuse, so they had to get an additional jab regularly. Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/01/19/workers-in-pattaya-receive-covid-19-booster-doses/ -- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-01-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Man Crossing Road in the Dark Hit and Killed in Pattaya A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car when he tried to cross a poorly lit road in Pattaya on Wednesday, January 18th. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1284007-man-crossing-road-in-the-dark-hit-and-killed-in-pattaya/

A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car when he tried to cross a poorly lit road in Pattaya on Wednesday, January 18th. Banglamung Police were notified of the fatal crash that happened on Sukhumvit Road in front of Soi Banglamung 12 in Banglamung district, Chonburi, at 9 PM yesterday. Thai authorities responded immediately to the accident with Sawang Boriboon emergency responders. The victim, identified as Mr. Paiboon Tongmo, 46, was found dead on the road. He was a Loei province native, according to police. Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/01/19/man-crossing-road-in-the-dark-hit-and-killed-in-pattaya/ -- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-01-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Bangkok Film Festival to Kick Off This Week BANGKOK (NNT) - The Bangkok Film Festival 2023 is set to take place at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center on Rama I Road in Pathumwan district from January 20 to 22. The festival, which is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) "Colorful Bangkok" campaign, aims to promote the city as a creative destination. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1284006-bangkok-film-festival-to-kick-off-this-week/

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Bangkok Film Festival 2023 is set to take place at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center on Rama I Road in Pathumwan district from January 20 to 22. The festival, which is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) "Colorful Bangkok" campaign, aims to promote the city as a creative destination. The highlight of the festival will be daily screenings of three award-winning films – "Legend of Suriyothai," "Bad Genius," and "Blue Again" – at the open-air style theater in front of the center. In addition to film screenings, the festival will also include a seminar titled "Bangkok: The Creative City," a workshop on film directing, editing, and screenwriting led by experts, and a competition for short documentary films with the theme "Connecting Bangkok 2030." Prizes for the competition total 200,000 baht. Film enthusiasts can also enjoy live music performances by six youth bands and a shopping bonanza featuring unique products from each of Bangkok’s 50 districts. The festival runs from 10 am to 10 pm each day. For more information on the festival, visit www.pr-bangkok.com and the BMA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/prbangkok. Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230119113225587 -- © Copyright NNT 2023-01-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Flickr/shankar s. Tourism operators in Phuket say they’re not concerned about so-called “zero dollar” package tours, as Chinese visitors return to the island. Instead, they cite expensive airfares and an insufficient number of direct flights from China as being the major challenges to tourism recovery at the moment. Thai PBS World reports that Phuket businesses expect recovery to be slow, given the limited number of direct flights, and they don’t expect to see pre-pandemic arrival numbers anytime soon, certainly a return of any sort of mass tourism from China is not on the horizon. Rangsiman Kingkaew from the Phuket Tourist Association says the fact that many passengers have to first land in Bangkok before taking a connecting flight to the island may prove a deterrent, although there are some direct flights to Phuket being introduced. When asked about the potential return of cheap package tours, Rangsiman says operators are less worried about this. He points out that many package tour operators in China have yet to recover from the financial fallout of Covid-19 and the return of zero-dollar tourism may not happen again for a few years. His words are echoed by deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn, who says most people arriving from China at the moment are families, single travellers, or groups of friends. Their purchasing power is high and they are likely to spend a lot more than the zero-dollar package tourists of pre-pandemic times. Surachate has also called on all tour operators and other tourism businesses to protect visiting tourists, pointing out that Thailand is competing with neighbouring countries and must safeguard its reputation and protect its tourism sector. Source: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-news/phuket-businesses-unfazed-by-idea-of-zero-dollar-tourism-as-chinese-return/ -- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-01-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Sick wild elephant being treated in Chachoengsao Wildlife officials and veterinarians used a tranquiliser shot to sedate a sick wild elephant before they could treat the animal in a forest in the Tha Takiap district of Chachoengsao Province on Wednesday. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1284003-sick-wild-elephant-being-treated-in-chachoengsao/

Wildlife officials and veterinarians used a tranquiliser shot to sedate a sick wild elephant before they could treat the animal in a forest in the Tha Takiap district of Chachoengsao Province on Wednesday. Two elephants were found wandering in Ang Toei forest on Tuesday, but one of them had a bad wound on the left front leg and appeared to be suffering from rectal prolapse. After sedating the animal, the veterinarians quickly applied medication to the wound on the leg and then dealt with the prolapse with stitches. Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/sick-wild-elephant-being-treated-in-chachoengsao/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-01-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Thai tourism officials are proposing that the current extension of the 30 day visa exemption program, available for arrivals from over 50 countries, could be extended up to the end of this year. The visa exemption program is also known as the ‘visa waiver’. On October 1, 2022, the Thai government announced that it would extend the 30 day visa exemption to 45 days. Recipients could also apply for an extension for another 30 days if they visited an immigration office, completed the paperwork and paid 1,900 baht. An extension was also granted for passengers able to apply for visa-on-arrival. Usually they were granted 15 days but that was also extended, to 30 days, and could then apply for an additional 15 days if they visited a Thai immigration office before their first 30 day visa lapsed. Both extension were due to finish on March 31 this year. But both the Tourism and Sports minister and the TAT are proposing that the extended stays should be continued until at least the end of this year. The matter should be discussed at next Tuesday’s cabinet meeting and would have a lot of support from the Thai tourism and hospitality industry. Here’s a list of countries that can have current visa exemption rights in Thailand, and can arrive, up to March 31, and be granted an automatic stay of 45 days. Source: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/national-news/proposal-to-extend-thai-visa-exemptions-and-visa-on-arrival-until-the-end-of-the-year/ -- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-01-18 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Cannabis Bill second reading House meeting collapses again on Wednesday A Palang Pracharath Party MP said Wednesday that there is no chance that the Cannabis Bill will ever pass its second reading in the House, because of stiff opposition to it from the Democrat, Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1283917-cannabis-bill-second-reading-house-meeting-collapses-again-on-wednesday/

A Palang Pracharath Party MP said Wednesday that there is no chance that the Cannabis Bill will ever pass its second reading in the House, because of stiff opposition to it from the Democrat, Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties. The MP, Pichet Sathirachaval, said that, even within the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, some MPs do not agree with the bill, due to stiff resistance from Muslim communities and parent groups. Personally, he said he would prefer MPs to vote in support of the bill in the second reading and to reject the bill in the final reading and then let the next government decide whether it should be revived or dropped. Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cannabis-bill-second-reading-house-meeting-collapses-again-on-wednesday/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-01-18 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

People run drills to respond to potential Covid-19 outbreaks by re-activating a field hospital in HCMC, January 17, 2023. Photo courtesy of the HCMC Department of Health The Ho Chi Minh City Health Department performed drills on Tuesday to prepare for potential Covid-19 outbreaks amid the emergence of more contagious Omicron subvariants. The city’s Department of Health prepared the drills by re-activating a local field hospital. The drill was to prepare for the hypothetical scenario in which the XBB and the XBB.1.5, two highly infectious Omicron subvariants, were to circulate during the Tet holiday. Full Story: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/saigon-runs-drill-to-prepare-for-potential-tet-covid-outbreaks-4561299.html -- © Copyright VN Express 2023-01-18

Police and rescuers arrive at a Circle K store in HCMC's District 4 after its first-floor storage collapsed on January 18, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van A teenage girl died after the storage of a Circle K store in HCMC's District 4 crumbled down from the first floor Wednesday morning. The accident happened at around 9 a.m. at the 40-sq.m Circle K store on Vinh Hoi Street of Ward 4 when there were nine employees and customers on the ground floor. They were trapped under goods, bricks and steel frames. Full Story: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/multiple-people-trapped-as-circle-k-store-collapses-in-hcmc-4561440.html -- © Copyright VN Express 2023-01-18

People dance on the walking streets around the Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter in Hanoi, March 18, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy Hanoi will allow vehicles on its walking-only streets in Hoan Kiem District during Tet to facilitate "ease of movement." The district people's committee said Tuesday the streets, mostly near Hoan Kiem Lake, would remain open to vehicles between January 20 and February 3, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The walking streets are pedestrian-only from Friday night and through the weekend, and a popular destination for both locals and tourists. Full Story: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/hanoi-to-shut-down-walking-streets-for-tet-4561320.html -- © Copyright VN Express 2023-01-18

The passenger bus flips after crashing four motorbikes in Hoa Binh Province, January 18, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Dong A passenger bus crashed into four motorbikes before flipping over on National Highway 6 in the northern Hoa Binh Province early Wednesday, killing three people. The accident took place in the Thung Khe Pass in Mai Chau District's Tong Dau Commune. At around 2 a.m. Nguyen Dinh Luc, 42, was driving the bus from Hanoi to Son La Province when he plowed into the motorbikes from behind. Full Story: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/3-killed-as-bus-rams-motorbikes-on-northern-vietnam-highway-4561454.html -- © Copyright VN Express 2023-01-18

Former officials of Phu Bai Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province stand trial for taking bribes, January 16, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Van An Former officials of an airport in central Vietnam have been jailed for taking a VND6.2 billion ($264,560) bribe from taxi firms to let them operate at a fee lower than the bidding price. A court on Monday sentenced Do Chi Thanh, 61, former director of the Phu Bai International Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province, to 15.5 years in prison for "taking bribes." Also found guilty of taking bribes, Tran Xuan Long, former chief of staff-cum-accountant of the airport, received 15.5 years in jail, Le Van Loc, former deputy director, received a sentence of nine years, Le Quoc Cuong, head of the security department, was given 2.5 years and former Deputy Director Phung Tuan Duong was given three years probation. Full Story: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/airport-officials-jailed-for-taking-bribes-from-taxi-operators-4561534.html -- © Copyright VN Express 2023-01-18

Suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag attends the preliminary investigation for the murder case of broadcaster Percy Lapid at the Department of Justice on December 5, 2022. STAR / KJ Rosales MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice has dismissed suspended Corrections chief Gerald Bantag’s motion to inhibit the department itself and the panel of prosecutors handling the murder cases he is facing over the killings of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid and alleged middleman, inmate Jun Villamor. “Wherefore, premises considered, the instant motion is hereby denied for lack of merit,” the order dated January 17 and signed by the prosecution panel reads. With this, the preliminary investigation into complaints against Bantag and his co-respondents will continue on January 24 with their submission of counter-affidavits. Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/18/2238488/preliminary-probe-vs-bantag-continue-prosecution-panel-junks-motion-inhibit -- © Copyright Philstar 2023-01-18

Various human rights groups and progressive including Karapatan held protests on March 7 at the Commission on Human Rights compound to condemn the Bloody Sunday raids in Calabarzon region that resulted in nine deaths and six arrests. Karapatan / released MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice dismissed the murder complaints filed against 17 police officers over the killing of labor leader Manny Asuncion, one of the activists slain in the Bloody Sunday raids in 2021. The DOJ panel of prosecutors, in a resolution released only on Tuesday night, dismissed the complaint for murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code against the cops for “insufficiency of evidence.” “We lament the demise of Emmanuel Asuncion. However, complainant and the evidence she submitted failed to discharge the obligation to prove the existence of a crime and identify the perpetrators thereof. In the absence of proof, there could be no probable cause to charge the respondents,” the resolution said. Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/18/2238451/doj-junks-murder-raps-vs-police-officers-over-killing-labor-leader-bloody-sunday-raids -- © Copyright Philstar 2023-01-18

Candle-light protest for Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha on January 16, 2023 University of the Philippines Cebu MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday condemned the apparent abduction of Cebu-based development workers as the commission stressed that enforced disappearance is a grave human rights violation. In a statement, the CHR said it is investigating the abduction of Arman Dayoha and Dyan Gumanao. Dayoha is the coordinator of the Alliance of Health Workers in Cebu, while Gumanao is a volunteer coordinator of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers in Central Visayas. A video first published by publication Tug-ani showed men in plainclothes shoving the two activists into a vehicle at the Cebu City port, while people in the area were heard asking for help. The men supposedly introduced themselves as policemen. Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/18/2238474/chr-condemns-abduction-cebu-development-workers-launches-investigation -- © Copyright Philstar 2023-01-18

Phivolcs said there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines following the magnitude 7.3 quake that struck Wednesday afternoon near Indonesia, but warned of aftershocks and damage. Released / Phivolcs MANILA, Philippines — Phivolcs said there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines following the magnitude 7.3 quake that struck Wednesday afternoon near Indonesia, but warned of aftershocks and damage. The Philippines’ volcanology and seismology service said the tectonic tremor, which was located 352 kilometers off Sarangani, Davao Occidental, struck at 2:06 p.m. with a depth of 64 kilometers. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that an offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit near eastern Indonesia's Maluku islands, triggering a tsunami warning. Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/18/2238489/phivolcs-no-tsunami-threat-philippines-strong-indonesia-quake -- © Copyright Philstar 2023-01-18

Passengers crowd the departure lobby while others set up camp inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Monday midnight, Jan. 2, 2023 as the influx of passengers still builds up despite announcements made by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista that the airport is back to normal operations around 5:50 PM on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. Nu-merous flights were canceled earlier due to a technical glitch and the power outage at the Air Traffic Management Center of the NAIA. The STAR / Miguel de Guzman MANILA, Philippines — Only one thing was clear after five grueling hours of often repetitive questions from lawmakers part of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation: No one still knows what actually caused the New Year’s day airspace outage. Transportation officials present during the hearing on Wednesday said they were still waiting for the interagency panel investigating the outage to wrap up its probe. They reiterated that they are still waiting for government cybersecurity officials to finish their forensic examination of the circuit breaker that supposedly failed, causing the system failure that affected at least 56,000 passengers rushing to get home after the holidays. Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/18/2238502/five-hour-house-hearing-airspace-outage-ends-without-finding-root-cause -- © Copyright Philstar 2023-01-18

Nan Secures Funding for Major Reservoir Project BANGKOK (NNT) - The Cabinet has approved a budget of 6.2 billion baht for the Royal Irrigation Department to construct a new multi-purpose reservoir in the northern province of Nan. Full Story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1283897-nan-secures-funding-for-major-reservoir-project/