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By Editor Yesterday (31st May) the Kanchanaburi Provincial Court sentenced former Hua Hin resident Shane Kenneth Looker to 8 years imprisonment for murdering a 31 year old Thai woman, Laxami “Look” Manochat, in 2014. The court ordered Looker to pay a total of 12.5 million baht to Look’s family. The court initially sentenced the 51 year old British man from Stoke-on-Trent to 16 years imprisonment but cut the sentence in half because he confessed to the crime. Initially he had said he “categorically had absolutely nothing to do with this woman’s murder.” Looker was not present in court but listened to his sentence via video call from Kanchanaburi prison. Look’s mother and daughter were present at the court to hear the sentence, along with representatives from the British embassy. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The court heard that several witnesses had seen Looker and Look together on the night she was last seen in Bangkok and clear CCTV footage allowed police to quickly identify the murderer. In addition, DNA traces of were found in samples taken from Look’s fingernails. The pair were seen walking through a hotel together on Sukhumvit Soi 5 on November 1st 2014, after Looker picked her from a bar in the Nana area of Bangkok. Look was not seen again after that night. Police later discovered the body cut into pieces, still wearing black stilettos, a black dress and underwear. It is not clear how Look’s body ended up in Kanchanaburi. Police believe the murder took place on the night of November 1st, before Looker left Bangkok for Hua Hin where he owned a property. It is believed he spent weeks lying low in Hua Hin before crossing over into Malaysia by train. He then flew to Ibiza in Spain where he owned another holiday home. Kanchanaburi Provincial Court approved an arrest warrant on January 28th 2015, on charges of “murdering and hiding, moving or destroying a body in order to conceal the death or cause of death.” Looker was arrested in Spain in June 2017 and remanded in custody. After years of appeals, he was extradited from Spain and sent back to Thailand in July last year. Police met him at Suvarnabhumi Airport, handcuffed him and detained him. Thai authorities had reportedly offered assurances under EU law that he wouldn’t face the death penalty if found guilty. Source: https://royalcoastreview.com/2022/05/former-british-hua-hin-resident-sentenced-for-murder/ -- © Copyright Royal Coast Review 2022-06-01 - 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.

Prayut announced that Thailand is ‘financially secure,’ but opposition blame the PM for mishandling national budget By Erich Parpart Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said in parliament on Tuesday that the country is financially secure despite rising debt. He noted then that the first strategy for the 2023 fiscal budget year is to pursue “national stability.” Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261343-prayut-announced-that-thailand-is-‘financially-secure’-but-opposition-blame-the-pm-for-mishandling-national-budget/

By Erich Parpart Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said in parliament on Tuesday that the country is financially secure despite rising debt. He noted then that the first strategy for the 2023 fiscal budget year is to pursue “national stability.” However, opposition leader Chonlanan Srikaew, called him a “narcissist” who failed to recognise his inability to properly manage the country’s economy, fiscal budget, and claims Prayut is using part of the national budget to hold coalition parties ransom. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe “The overall financial system is stable, but the business and household sectors are increasingly fragile where some groups are facing problems from rising living and production costs,” Prayut said while reading out his speech to parliamentarians. “Especially groups that are still facing a shortage of income and high debt burdens.” Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/40555/prayut-announced-that-thailand-is-financially-secure-but-opposition-blame-the-pm-for-mishandling-national-budget/ -- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-06-01 - 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.

Thai Opposition not sure there are enough votes to scupper 2023 budget bill Opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng Opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng admitted yesterday (Tuesday) that he is not certain that opposition parties will be able to scupper the 2023 fiscal budget bill, deemed to be incorrectly proportioned by the Opposition and government critics, while government parties are confident that it will sail through its first reading in the Lower House. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261342-thai-opposition-not-sure-there-are-enough-votes-to-scupper-2023-budget-bill/

Opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng Opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng admitted yesterday (Tuesday) that he is not certain that opposition parties will be able to scupper the 2023 fiscal budget bill, deemed to be incorrectly proportioned by the Opposition and government critics, while government parties are confident that it will sail through its first reading in the Lower House. Suthin said that opposition parties are against the bill, but they need support from other MPs to derail the bill and “I am not sure whether they have the guts to raise their hands to support us.” Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha took to the floor this morning, the first day of the three-day debate, to present the budget bill to MPs. He was followed by opposition and Pheu Thai party leader Chonlanan Srikaew, who began the debate. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-opposition-not-sure-there-are-enough-votes-to-scupper-2023-budget-bill/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-01 - 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.

Opposition attacks budget bill prepared by ‘incompetent, visionless government’ Pheu Thai party leader Chonlanan Srikaew The opposition wasted no time yesterday (Tuesday), the first day of the three-day debate in the Lower House, in attacking the annual budget bill, which they describe as incorrectly proportioned and prepared by “incompetent, visionless” government. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261341-opposition-attacks-budget-bill-prepared-by-‘incompetent-visionless-government’/

Pheu Thai party leader Chonlanan Srikaew The opposition wasted no time yesterday (Tuesday), the first day of the three-day debate in the Lower House, in attacking the annual budget bill, which they describe as incorrectly proportioned and prepared by “incompetent, visionless” government. Taking to the floor to grill the government over the 3.18 trillion baht budget bill for the 2023 fiscal year, after its presentation by the prime minister, Chonlanan said that the opposition cannot accept the bill because there is no guarantee that it will address all the pressing problems confronted by the country caused by the government’s incompetence. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe He said that the budget bill had been prepared without taking into consideration the changing situation and alleged that there are indications of corruption and nepotism, citing, for instance, the budgets for both the Department of Highways and the Department of Rural Roads, which have increased substantially to over 130 billion baht, but were partially concealed in the budget as a logistics development plan. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/opposition-attacks-budget-bill-prepared-by-incompetent-visionless-government/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-01 - 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.

Chadchart officially becomes Bangkok’s new Governor Chadchart Sittipunt officially became the next Bangkok Governor yesterday (Tuesday) at 3pm, after the Election Commission (EC) finally certified the results of the Bangkok gubernatorial election, which the independent candidate won by a landslide on May 22. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261340-chadchart-officially-becomes-bangkok’s-new-governor/

Chadchart Sittipunt officially became the next Bangkok Governor yesterday (Tuesday) at 3pm, after the Election Commission (EC) finally certified the results of the Bangkok gubernatorial election, which the independent candidate won by a landslide on May 22. The announcement came after a delay, due to a complaint filed with the EC by political activist Srisuwan Janya. He had questioned whether Chadchart, a 56-year-old former transport minister, had a hidden agenda when he used a vinyl fabric in the making of his campaign posters and whether the fabric has been recycled into bags and aprons. Srisuwan also accused Chadchart of “insulting the bureaucratic system”. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The delay in the certification of Chadchart’s win drew much ire on social media, pushing the Thai hashtag asking what is wrong with the EC to a top trending hashtag since yesterday. The hashtag itself has attracted over 165,000 tweets so far. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/chadchart-officially-becomes-bangkoks-new-governor/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-01 - 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.

Car bomb builder sentenced to 46 years in prison by Yala court A car bomb maker was sentenced to a total of 46 years in prison yesterday (Tuesday) by the Yala provincial court after he was found guilty of involvement, with eight others, in stealing a van and turning it into a car bomb. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261339-car-bomb-builder-sentenced-to-46-years-in-prison-by-yala-court/

A car bomb maker was sentenced to a total of 46 years in prison yesterday (Tuesday) by the Yala provincial court after he was found guilty of involvement, with eight others, in stealing a van and turning it into a car bomb. The defendant and eight other people, who are still at large, stole a van belonging to the Kerry delivery service in Muang district of Thailand’s southern province of Yala on March 12th last year. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The van was later found behind the Raman district police office, in Raman district. There are many other households in the area. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/car-bomb-builder-sentenced-to-46-years-in-prison-by-yala-court/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-01 - 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.

to continue: Thailand Live Wednesday 1 June 2022 https://aseannow.com/topic/1261338-thailand-live-wednesday-1-june-2022/

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Thailand? ANALYSIS | by ASEAN NOW We all know that government departments like to announce predictions, however last week’s announcement that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has decided to readjust its figures for an estimate for foreign arrivals this year could be achievable. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261337-is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-for-thailand/

ANALYSIS | by ASEAN NOW We all know that government departments like to announce predictions, however last week’s announcement that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has decided to readjust its figures for an estimate for foreign arrivals this year could be achievable. The official number of tourists visiting Thailand had reached 1,016,103 people from January to May 2022. TAT said that June bookings had already reached one million by mid-May, attributed to the end of compulsory RT-PCR testing announced on May 1. Having originally hoped that Thailand would have one million travellers per month from October to December this year, these latest results have been encouraging. TAT is now hopeful that the overall number of international tourists this year could surpass at least eight million. Who knows but it would be good for the battered hospitality industry for sure? Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Where are they coming from? By mid-May the country had seen 1.1 million tourists. The most travellers, 86,420 came from India. This was followed by the UK (85,926), Germany (71,173), the US (61,788) and surprisingly Russia (59,591). Currently, the number of Thailand Pass registrations stood at 2.75 million. Pattaya is busier Living in Pattaya it is plain to see many Indian tourists wandering around town and even the buses are starting to return as well. That said it would seem that many of these tourists are staying in 2–3-star hotels and maybe on limited budgets, so not sure if the town’s nightlife establishments will benefit. Busy Weekends With many Thais still reluctant to wade through paperwork to travel overseas, the domestic travel market has increased especially at weekends when Thais leave Bangkok for some r&r. The number of domestic Thai tourists taking at least one trip had also increased to as high as 71,210,525 people during January-May, accountable for a 69 percent increase, stimulating income for the tourism industry. The government expected that domestic tourists will be encouraged to travel within the country by at least 160 million people (trips) by 2022, generating an income of at least 656 billion baht. Back in 2012 China had been taking the top spot as far as providing tourists to Thailand, ahead of Malaysia in second place. By 2019 over eleven million Chinese visitors arrived in the country, which amounted to 27.6 % of the total visitors. Then Covid struck and all predictions went out of the window. Therefore, estimating eight million total visitors in 2022 may not seem a lot, but it is a significant improvement on the past couple of years. The TAT thinks the Land of the Smiles will bounce back, meanwhile, it is down to domestic tourism to help take up some of the slack. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-01 - 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. Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Construction of Hua Hin Sky Walk at Khao Hin Lek Fai viewpoint moves closer to reality By Online Reporter Major plans to build a Sky Walk at the Khao Hin Lek Fai viewpoint have moved a step closer to reality after municipal officials approved the next phase of the planning process. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261284-construction-of-hua-hin-sky-walk-at-khao-hin-lek-fai-viewpoint-moves-closer-to-reality/

Thai government urged to reduce defence budget to fund welfare projects A lecturer in economics at Thammasat University is urging the government to scale down its defence spending and increase budgets to improve the livelihoods of the poor and pensioners and to stimulate the grass-root economy, in order to restore public trust and confidence, as the debate on the 3.18 trillion baht budget bill for the 2023 fiscal year begins today (Tuesday) in the Lower House. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261278-thai-government-urged-to-reduce-defence-budget-to-fund-welfare-projects/

A lecturer in economics at Thammasat University is urging the government to scale down its defence spending and increase budgets to improve the livelihoods of the poor and pensioners and to stimulate the grass-root economy, in order to restore public trust and confidence, as the debate on the 3.18 trillion baht budget bill for the 2023 fiscal year begins today (Tuesday) in the Lower House. Dr. Theepakorn Jithitikulchai, of the Faculty of Economics, said that the government still has the conventional mindset when preparing the national budget, which gives priority to permanent expenditure and defence spending, with scant attention paid to issues such as welfare for the vulnerable, students and the poor as well as investment. The public welfare budget, he said, accounts for just 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) compared to at least 8% in developed countries, while the investment budget amounts to just 15% of all public spending. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-government-urged-to-reduce-defence-budget-to-fund-welfare-projects/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-31 - 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.

Khon Kaen: "Kind" railway police offering free haircuts every Monday INN reported that local volunteers, state railway staff and "kind" railway police were offering free haircuts to males. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261277-khon-kaen-kind-railway-police-offering-free-haircuts-every-monday/

INN reported that local volunteers, state railway staff and "kind" railway police were offering free haircuts to males. A tent has been set up in the parking lot of Khon Kaen station. It says the haircuts are free. Haircutting expert Professor Michael Isaan said the joint collaboration was to help ease people's economic hardship. The railway authorities were chipping in with the location and free electricity. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe All Covid-19 protocols were being followed. He said that haircuts could cost up to 100 baht for children and 150 for adults but that 70 people each Monday had been turning up for the free service. Sometimes people were arriving on motorcycles with sidecars with up to five family members wanting a free cut. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-31 - 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. Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Thai government to sell ฿80 lottery tickets online to prevent overpricing To prevent unscrupulous lottery vendors from taking advantage of consumers by overcharging for lottery tickets, sometimes by as much as 50 baht per ticket, Thailand’s Government Lottery Office (GLO) will launch the online sale to the public of five million lottery tickets at the approved price of 80 baht each, through the “Pao Tang” application, on June 2nd. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261273-thai-government-to-sell-฿80-lottery-tickets-online-to-prevent-overpricing/

To prevent unscrupulous lottery vendors from taking advantage of consumers by overcharging for lottery tickets, sometimes by as much as 50 baht per ticket, Thailand’s Government Lottery Office (GLO) will launch the online sale to the public of five million lottery tickets at the approved price of 80 baht each, through the “Pao Tang” application, on June 2nd. According to Chairman of the Government Lottery Committee Lawaron Saengsanit, the June 2nd launch comes after the GLO has successfully tested the online sales system in the past two lottery prize drawings. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The five million lottery tickets are those from the lottery quotas withdrawn by the GLO from 10,000 vendors, after it was discovered that they were not selling the tickets to the public as required, but to unauthorised online lottery dealers instead. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-government-to-sell-80-lottery-tickets-online-to-prevent-overpricing/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-31 - 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.

Size matters! Illegal "Bang Fai" rockets under investigation by north eastern governor Picture: INN Authorities in Sisaket in Thailand's north east are investigating after villagers were found with oversized Bang Fai. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261272-size-matters-illegal-bang-fai-rockets-under-investigation-by-north-eastern-governor/

Picture: INN Authorities in Sisaket in Thailand's north east are investigating after villagers were found with oversized Bang Fai. These are rockets - usually comprising PVC pipes with bamboo tails packed with home made explosive - used in rocket festivals, traditional events held mostly in Isaan, notes ASEAN NOW. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The illegal rockets were found in the village of Jansaenchai when officials surrounded the area, reported INN. Provincial governor Wattana Phuthichart said that the size of rockets is regulated and permission must be sought before rocket festival events can be held. The events were stopped during the pandemic but are now back with a bang. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-31 - 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. Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

UPDATE: Pepsi Price Hike Delayed by 1 Month by Na-ark Rojanasuvan BANGKOK (NNT) - Suntory Pepsico Beverage Thailand has assured that the price of Pepsi will remain unchanged for the month of June. Its planned price hike for all sizes and packages by 1-2 baht will instead commence in July. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261259-dept-of-internal-trade-puts-brake-on-pepsi-price-rise/?do=findComment&comment=17390308

Tooled up and ready to rumble: Teams take part in SWAT Challenge Picture: Siam Rath Pol Lt-Gen Thanayuth Wutthijarasthamrong inspected the teams at the start of a five day long event called SWAT Challenge 2022. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1261269-tooled-up-and-ready-to-rumble-teams-take-part-in-swat-challenge/