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File Image Many parents are not taking their children to be vaccinated because they are concerned over the possible side effects, said Health Services Department Director-General Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai today (Sunday), citing the results of an opinion survey conducted by the department. The survey, on the topic “Parents’ confidence in vaccinationsfor children aged 5-11”, was conducted between April 22nd and May 11th. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe 54.1% of children, aged 5-11, have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and are about to receive their second. The poll shows that 77.2% of parents are worried that their children may develop serious side effects. 55.3% are not confident in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines and 37% are concerned that children who are not healthy, or who have underlying diseases, may develop serious side effects. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/concern-over-side-effects-means-parents-unwilling-to-vaccinate-young-children/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-16 - 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.

Thailand’s regional strategies revealed at the ASEAN-US summit Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, participates in the US-ASEAN Special Summit at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2022. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) Prime Minister Prayut Chan-cha, speaking at the special ASEAN-US summit, revealed Thailand’s regional strategies, which will promote peace and resilience in the post-pandemic era. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259714-thailand’s-regional-strategies-revealed-at-the-asean-us-summit/

Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, participates in the US-ASEAN Special Summit at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2022. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) Prime Minister Prayut Chan-cha, speaking at the special ASEAN-US summit, revealed Thailand’s regional strategies, which will promote peace and resilience in the post-pandemic era. He outlined three priorities for the region. First is the promotion of US constructive engagement with ASEAN and other key players in the region. He pointed out that it is important to create an environment of mutual trust, conducive to the post-COVID-19 recovery, between all countries, as is a shift towards humanitarian considerations, to alleviate the ramifications of unrest around the world. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Secondly, Prayut said that there is a need to accelerate economic recovery and to ensure and strengthen a resilient supply chain. To these ends, he invited US businesses to invest in and develop high technology sectors, such as electric vehicles. The US plans to announce the newly created Indo-Pacific Economic Framework at the upcoming Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) summit in Tokyo. A number of ASEAN members have expressed an interest in joining. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-regional-strategies-revealed-at-the-asean-us-summit/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-16 - 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 Monday 16 May 2022 https://aseannow.com/topic/1259713-thailand-live-monday-16-may-2022/

Getting a visa or passport to travel overseas may take longer by Michael Bridge file photos Now borders are opening, and there are more options for travel many are keen to get on a plane or train. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259712-getting-a-visa-or-passport-to-travel-overseas-may-take-longer/

file photos by Michael Bridge Now borders are opening, and there are more options for travel many are keen to get on a plane or train. However, because of this urge to travel, it has put enormous pressure on the visa and passport offices globally. One Dutch traveller wants to take his Thai wife to Holland but cannot book a flight, as the agency he must use in Thailand has already taken six weeks and still no visa approval. Another Thai wishes to fly to Quebec to visit her Canadian boyfriend, but although she applied in January she is still waiting. One reason they explained to her for the delay was there were swamped with processing many Ukraine refugees. UK Visa applications If you apply for a priority UK Visa, the processing through VFS Thailand normally takes from 3 to 5 days while Super Priority applicants can get their UK visa in one day. The British Embassy in Bangkok does not directly facilitate the visa application in Thailand. The VFS UK Thailand visa application center in Bangkok accepts applications for all visa categories and is officially authorized by the UK Visa and Immigration. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe file photo On their website, they state that if you apply for a priority UK Visa, the processing through VFS Thailand normally takes from 3 to 5 days, while Super Priority applicants can get their UK visa in one day. However, due to the ongoing impact of Covid and global travel restrictions, UK Visas & Immigration are experiencing unpredictable demand across all visa routes. Further information on current processing times for standard visit visas can be found here. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-decision-waiting-times-applications-outside-the-uk British passports renewal If you happened to be in the UK, the current processing times are up to ten weeks to receive your passport. They say there are different turnaround times if you're applying from another country. British nationals can apply or renew their British passports in Thailand. They need to book an appointment through [email protected] and apply in person once the appointment has been set. The cost of an Adult standard 32-page passport is 10,000 THB – this includes the cost of the passport & our service fee. The cost of an adult jumbo 48-page passport is 11,000 THB – this includes the cost of the passport & the service fee. Delays are likely Getting a visa or passport to travel out of Thailand could still be realistic, but as more and more people decide to travel especially during school holidays these agencies will need to take on more staff to cope with demand. In Singapore, the number of passport applications has surged. They are now receiving more than 7,000 applications a day, three times more than the 2,000 seen before Covid-19 and climbed to as high as 14,000. This prompted the authorities there to deploy more resources to deal with the crowds queuing around the ICA Building. Fare rises Flights are getting more expensive due to fuel rises and the added cost of avoiding Russian airspace when flying to Europe. Of course, if you are still waiting for a visa, it would be unwise to confirm a seat with an airline, even though booing later will mean some hefty fares to pay. It is going to be a tricky time for all companies and embassies overseeing visa and passport enquires so we should expect it to take longer than usual. If you have any up-to-date information on obtaining visas or passports, please do share your information here. It would be helpful for all our viewers for sure. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-16 - 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

moved to Thailand news /WF

Video: Looking for a lottery win? Look no further than these amorous water monitors! Sanook reported on a TikTok video that many netizens hope could pave the way to a lottery win in the upcoming draw on Monday. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259634-video-looking-for-a-lottery-win-look-no-further-than-these-amorous-water-monitors/

Sanook reported on a TikTok video that many netizens hope could pave the way to a lottery win in the upcoming draw on Monday. The em_chuck video showed two "tua ngern tua thong" or water monitors getting frisky next to a car. The registration plate was 9166 we think. So, play all four numbers or just go with 66 for the last two digit prize? This was the pressing concern for lottery hopefuls who commented in droves. One said 916 was also their house number. Another said they had already bought the ticket 336666, what a coincidence was that! Others wondered if the creatures were really in love. The poster of the clip just said "...let's all get lucky and rich." ASEAN NOW's cultural affairs correspondent notes an old Thai tradition. Using the polite name for water monitors - tua ngern tua thong (the silver and gold creature) leads to good luck while using the common name "tua hia" or "ai hia" (a swear word) leads to penury. Bear that in mind when living in Thailand - or playing the lottery! -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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 man poses as sexy woman online to trick boys into sending pics and video of their private parts Thai Rath reported on the activities of officers of the Consumer Protection Division regarding the use of sex avatar profiles on Facebook. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259631-thai-man-poses-as-sexy-woman-online-to-trick-boys-into-sending-pics-and-video-of-their-private-parts/

Thai Rath reported on the activities of officers of the Consumer Protection Division regarding the use of sex avatar profiles on Facebook. People use fake profiles to lure mostly boys into sending them pictures and video of their sex organs which are then sold on to others. At the end of last year many arrests were made now the police are following up their investigations. This led to the issuing of an arrest warrant under human trafficking laws for a man called Jittanarat or Nareudech, 29. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Police claim that he posed as an attractive women and got boys to send him pictures and video that he used to make money. The suspect was nabbed at a gas station in the Phasi Charoen area of Bangkok. He denied everything and was taken away for prosecution. Pol Maj-Gen Wiwat Khamchamnan said that investigations were continuing. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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

Memories of the Rocket Festival - a window into the crazier aspects of Thai culture! OPINION | by Rooster This weekend will see the resumption of the largest Bun Bang Fai or Rocket Festival in Thailand after a two year pandemic hiatus. It’s an incredible event that provides a window into some of the crazier aspects of Thai culture. One that this columnist will say “if you haven’t been to, you haven’t been to Thailand”. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259630-memories-of-the-rocket-festival-a-window-into-the-crazier-aspects-of-thai-culture/

OPINION | by Rooster This weekend will see the resumption of the largest Bun Bang Fai or Rocket Festival in Thailand after a two year pandemic hiatus. It’s an incredible event that provides a window into some of the crazier aspects of Thai culture. One that this columnist will say “if you haven’t been to, you haven’t been to Thailand”. Head to Phayathaen Park in Yasothon, NE Thailand, to see what I mean this weekend. Today, Saturday, there will be a huge parade of dances, cultural themes and floats with music volume cranked up to the max! Free booze is available (if not required) to tourists who smile.... But the real action will be on Sunday when the locals - in a spirit of friendly competition - ignite rockets on huge stands sending them high into the sky to remind the rain god - Phayathaen - to send precipitation for the planting season. The rockets vary in size from small ones to “Bang Fai Meun” the 10,000 rocket to “Bang Fai Saen” the 100,000 rocket - the latter being a PVC pipe with a long bamboo tail that takes up to 15 men to carry it. These literally shake the ground before rising majestically into the hot Isaan sky - or explode unceremoniously on the launchpad. Hopefully the police will be successful in getting people to stand back and the event will proceed without casualties. Over the years there have been many. If you miss this week’s frivolity, never mind. Next week one will be held in Kutwa Withaya school in Kalasin on the weekend of May 21st/22nd. Here circular rockets that spiral into the sky are the stars of the show. Rooster has been going to Yasothon since the 1990s. In 1998 I took a vanload of Thai and expatriate children (older ones I might add) from Harrow International. The kids - now 30 somethings - talk about it to this day. In order to get back to Bangkok on time we left a bit early - just before 4 people were killed in the crowd where we’d been standing. An errant rocket headed back into the vast throng rather than harmlessly up in the air to descend on deserted rice fields. Hundreds of pairs of shoes were abandoned in the panic. Driving back to Bangkok, we were blissfully unaware of what had happened back in Yasothon but the parents were frantic with worry after hearing the news first. The van broke down near Korat requiring an overnight stay there and then the 'khee' hit the 'phatlom' due to the fact that before I got to a phone nobody knew our whereabouts. I vowed to my headmaster to never take children again - only teachers! A granddaughter of Rama IV who was instrumental in getting Harrow off the ground called for Rooster to be sacked. My plummy but loyal head refused. In 2006 I took three dozen expatriate and Thai school teachers; they're more expendable than children. We were drunk before we got out of the soi in Don Muang. Fine upstanding “khru” that we were. This was the time of Thaksin and the excesses of the era. Shortly before the September coup that ousted him. The local district chief had decided to grovel to the PM by allowing a huge “Bung Fai Laan” - a million rocket - to be set off as a blockbuster showpiece. We waited on tenterhooks at a distance we deemed safe while the massive rocket packed with homemade gunpowder was tethered to the launch pad and then ignited electronically. It stalled on the pad before deciding to head over the crowd at a height of little more than a three story building. Out of sight of the shocked crowd it then went downtown and slammed into a “pa yang” or puncture repair hut at a gas station. The owner was fortunately in the loo at the time so no one was killed that year. Villagers compete in teams to make the best rockets. But if you fail then you are destined to be thrown in the mud. One of the funniest and craziest things I have ever seen in Thailand, where the elderly are still given great respect, was seeing an old grannie on a losing team being hurled into the mud amid much laughter (and drunkenness). An image in my mind that still reminds me how much I love my adopted homeland. Other smaller festivals go on in the amphers of Isaan if you are unable to make it to Yasothon or Kalasin - you’ll be glad you did! Cultural affairs in a busy week of news on ASEAN NOW were tame by comparison, but no less revealing in a country where the “Amazing Thailand” moniker is richly deserved. Top of the list was the continuing furor surrounding “Phra Bida” who Rooster got to call the “Holy Father” - anything to annoy religious zealots. This cult leader was advising that his disciples consume his pus, phlegm, urine, feces and skin scrapings. Mmm…yummy! A bit like Catholics and their blood and wafers. The reason? Good health rather than spiritual enlightenment. And a tidy profit on packaged products for the faithful. Vast vats of fermenting fish were found covered in maggots. What my dear departed mother-in-law would have called “saep iilee” (delicious). The Holy Father was arrested for encroachment then after being bailed he turned up in Phu Kradung, Loei. The district chief was determined that the “filthy faithful” leave his mountains. White bearded Phra Bida (real name Thawee Nanra, 74) is only the latest cultist loony. Years ago the sheeple stretched back for miles as they visited a boy they thought was holy. That went on for months as people continued to search for a lottery win…. Funny how it all boils down to money in the end. Anyway it made a change from the antics of “monks behaving badly”. One “camp” phra was filmed having sex in the toilets though it wasn’t in the temple. Thank goodness for that. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Others got busted for Yaba or died at the wheel of their pick-ups, seemingly not protected by their beliefs. The Thai media is obsessed with this nonsense. ASEAN NOW follows suit; we thank you for your clicks….. Ladyboys were in the news everywhere; post-pandemic it seemed almost comforting that they were robbing so many Indians in Pattaya (at least to the forum faithful who lap up such stories that admirably suit their Asian bashing agenda). Though I will concede that insurance scams might be more likely than the loss of their necklaces. Who could forget years ago when travellers’ check scams in India provided many westerners with funds to travel ever longer. Arrested in Bangkok were two ladyboys who had been drugging and robbing tourists in their hotel rooms after going back for a little “how’s yer father” (rather appropriate in their case). Back in March a Kuwaiti fireman who was with his ailing mother on medical tourism, had invited the pair back to his hotel before waking up minus 200,000 baht. One of the miscreants admitted to a string of other thefts including those of two Brits and a Chinese man. A thread on the forum entitled “Why do men like ladyboys?” quickly amassed hundreds of comments. I’d advise giving them a wide berth on the streets of tourist areas - there is a plague of dodgy ones on upper Sukhumvit. But be fair. They are not all thieves and there are some wonderful transgenders in all levels of Thai society. My local McDonald’s has a lovely one as manager. Efficient and caring - and drop dead gorgeous - though I think I’ll eschew rather than chew on a “Happy Meal”. One story suggested that foreigners who want to improve their golf should date a caddy. I’m still looking for a Scrabble groupie who’ll help me with my anagrams. in international news the jailbreak by US prison guard Vicky White - on her final day in the job - and murderer Casey White reached its denouement with the guard killing herself. She had sold all her things and told staff she was heading to the beach in retirement. Her lover faces execution. North Korea admitted their first Covid death and Bongbong Marcos won the presidential election in the Philippines calling for “unity” rather than more shoes for his mum. I wonder when a Shinawatra will be in charge in Thailand again? In sports news Australian golfing great Greg Norman tried to defend Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. He said that “everyone makes mistakes”. Disgraceful. Meanwhile, yet another brave and influential journo was shot - allegedly by Israeli security forces - in Gaza. Al Jazeeera’s Shireen Abu Akleh was a household name in the region. Hearing the name Gaza always takes Rooster back to the UK's Spitting Image. In a great spoof the Israeli leader at the time appeared on Mastermind and responded to his name. Then Magnus asked: Occupation? "West Bank and Gaza". Back in Thailand the press was full of stories as PM Prayuth and ASEAN leaders met Uncle Joe in the White House. Earlier Uncle Too had called his people gullible over the Holy Father affair. While that may be true of some, they are more clued into his 8 year antics than he thinks in his ivory tower. Health minister Anutin chimed in with crass jokes about mental health. Rooster used to crack one liners about “visiting Sri Thanya” as a means of distracting roadside cops from fining me for not having a licence. Years later I went to the famous mental hospital with my son; great, caring staff who helped me understand mental health issues better and stopped me talking about "loony bins". Maybe Anutin should pay a visit - they may be able to point him in the right direction. Anutin continued to bang on about the need to wear masks, slyly mentioning foreigners again and doing nothing, as is his wont. Please end the mask mandates now, get the bars and clubs fully reopened and prepare for the next high season. Enough is enough. I’m thinking of burning my mask, just like feminists used to burn their bras. The kids said they’d put me on TikTok making that personal statement. I declined. Another TikTok post - that should not be commented upon here - saw the armed forces tell soldiers not to have anything to do with Lazada after an alleged slight to handicapped people and a certain institution. Car seats for children under 6 will be mandatory in September. Funny but last week I had just taken mine out of the back of the Civic - my daughter can use a regular seatbelt and is 6 tomorrow. All children - and adults - should be properly secured in cars. If you can’t afford a car seat then you shouldn’t have children in a car. Period. I have always been strict about this. Whether the RTP enforces this remains to be seen. Sadly, I expect a watered down version if there is any enforcement at all. Now obsessed by car seats (Thais use those words from English) the Thai media jumped on the first "miracle" survival by a 5 year old who was not secured in one in a deadly smash that killed his father. It won’t be long before the first child in a car seat has a miracle escape - with the serial number of the seat used to win the lottery, of course. New car seats can be bought for as little as 2,000 baht (less second hand) but it is high time that foreign manufacturers are given tax relief on imports; expecting Thais to pay 20K up for the better ones that are a fraction of that cost in the west is nothing short of criminal. Or are the people just too gullible to care, Uncle? Methinks not. Rooster -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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

Wild elephant numbers increase 8% annually - measures underway to get them back in protected areas 77kaoded reported on continuing measures to deal with an large increase in the numbers of wild elephants fleeing wildlife areas looking for water and food and attacking members of the public as a result. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259628-wild-elephant-numbers-increase-8-annually-measures-underway-to-get-them-back-in-protected-areas/

Picture: 77kaoded 77kaoded reported on continuing measures to deal with an large increase in the numbers of wild elephants fleeing wildlife areas looking for water and food and attacking members of the public as a result. This follows a story yesterday in which a park employee who is also a cashew nut farmer was found by his wife literally torn apart by three rogue elephants. The media had suggested there had been many attacks on people recently in the area of the Khao Ang Rue Nai sanctuary in Chachoengsao. Phadet Laithong of the national parks department was in the area yesterday presenting a seminar about what is being done to help get wild elephants back in the sanctuaries and away from public areas in five eastern provinces. These are Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Sa Kaew that are all connected. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Picture: 77kaoded Phadet said that a survey of the Khao Ang Rue Nai sanctuary area in 2018 found there were 270 wild elephants. In the five provinces there were 423 in total in 2018 but this has now ballooned to between 470-480 elephants - an annual increase of 8%. Measures are underway to ensure that there is more water and feeding areas for the elephants within the sanctuary so that they do not need to leave to look for sustenance. Regarding the employee who was killed he said that compensation and benefits would be paid to the family even though the man was off duty at the time. He was tending his orchard in the area in the afternoon when he was killed. No figures were given for the number of attacks on people. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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

Pichate Satirachaval: Coalition rebel plants ‘time bomb’ under Prayut’s government By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk As the government sails towards another censure-debate storm, coalition MP Pichate Satirachaval is creating dangerous waves in the ruling Palang Pracharath Party – just months after joining it. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259626-pichate-satirachaval-coalition-rebel-plants-‘time-bomb’-under-prayut’s-government/

By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk As the government sails towards another censure-debate storm, coalition MP Pichate Satirachaval is creating dangerous waves in the ruling Palang Pracharath Party – just months after joining it. Pichate claims to have exposed irregularities in recent bidding for a 30-year concession to manage and operate a 25.6-billion-baht water pipeline project in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) special development zone. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe His main target is Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat, the Palang Pracharath secretary-general who is in charge of the Treasury Department. The department in March granted the concession to Vongsayam Korsang Co Ltd, which outbid current concessionaire Eastern Water Resources Development and Management Plc (East Water). However, the project’s contract signing has been suspended pending a Finance Ministry investigation into the allegations of irregularities. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/pichate-satirachaval-coalition-rebel-plants-time-bomb-under-prayuts-government/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-14 - 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.

Underage Thai girls being offered for sex on Twitter/Line in NE Thailand - female admin nabbed INN reported that Thailand's human trafficking police conducted a sting after becoming aware that a group was offering underage girls for sex online. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259625-underage-thai-girls-being-offered-for-sex-on-twitterline-in-ne-thailand-female-admin-nabbed/

INN reported that Thailand's human trafficking police conducted a sting after becoming aware that a group was offering underage girls for sex online. A Twitter post attracted their interest. It said (in Thai): "We have girls available for work in Kantharalak district (Sisaket). Take your pick, contact us on Line." Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The police did that and arranged to meet an agent with a 16 year old girl at a resort hotel in Nong Latya sub-district. At the sting Suthida, 28, was taken into custody and charged with prostituting girls aged over 16 but not yet 18. The fee was 1,500 baht for sex. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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

"Holy Father" latest: Weird cult leader was growing marijuana - 8 charges laid Daily News Thai Caption: Eight serious charges filed Daily News continued to report on the case of the week - that of a weird cult in Chaiyaphum headed by a self styled guru called Phra Bida or Holy Father. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259624-holy-father-latest-weird-cult-leader-was-growing-marijuana-8-charges-laid/

Daily News Thai Caption: Eight serious charges filed Daily News continued to report on the case of the week - that of a weird cult in Chaiyaphum headed by a self styled guru called Phra Bida or Holy Father. He advocated that his disciples should eat his body secretions as well as urine and feces for good health. He has since been bailed and the cult center shut down. Yesterday deputy provincial governor Charnchai Sornsriwichai along with police, forestry officials, vets and agricultural department staff went to the property again. Samples were taken of various fluids including fermented fish in jars and other ponds. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Picture: Daily News A large quantity of starving animals were found including cows, buffaloes, Rusa deer, chickens, ducks, dozens of dogs and cats, an iguana and 24 guinea pigs. Eight charges have been laid against the Holy Father - 74 year old Thawee Nanla, a mystic with straggly hair and a long white beard. Several charges have been added to those previously mentioned for trespass and illegally treating illnesses with prohibited subatances. These included charge #4 - growing marijuana. Others included having protected species in his possession and also having illegal logs. Picture: Daily News The sensational case started when 11 human bodies were found at the retreat. Subsequently police in the Phu Kradung area of Loei went where the now bailed Holy Father was holed up with dozens of his disciples. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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

P.E. teacher shot in her car in the south of Thailand - she gritted her teeth and drove off to seek help Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath reported that a female physical education teacher was shot in her car on the Lamphaya to Lammai Road in Muang district of Yala in the far south of Thailand yesterday morning. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259621-pe-teacher-shot-in-her-car-in-the-south-of-thailand-she-gritted-her-teeth-and-drove-off-to-seek-help/

Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath reported that a female physical education teacher was shot in her car on the Lamphaya to Lammai Road in Muang district of Yala in the far south of Thailand yesterday morning. After being shot through the window and door of her red plate (new) Suzuki Swift, Saraphan Maileuang had the presence of mind to drive on and seek help from a member of the public by the side of the road. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The 29 year old is a teacher at the Yala Provincial Physical Education College. She was on her way to Pattani where she is registered as living. Police, military and protection agencies at the scene found evidence of three shots through the left side window and door. The victim was hit in the arm and legs. It is not yet known if this was as a result of a personal dispute or is connected to the southern insurgency. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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

Commerce minister promises tough action on car seat manufacturers fleecing public - price help on the way Picture: Thai Rath Thai media continued to explore every angle after it was announced that car seats would be mandatory for children up to the age of 6 in Thailand from September. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1259617-commerce-minister-promises-tough-action-on-car-seat-manufacturers-fleecing-public-price-help-on-the-way/

Picture: Thai Rath Thai media continued to explore every angle after it was announced that car seats would be mandatory for children up to the age of 6 in Thailand from September. Yesterday political heavyweight Jarin Laksanavisit, the deputy prime minister, commerce minister and leader of the Democrat Party was at Central Plaza Rattanathibet in Bangkok addressing the issue. He said that car seats come in all shapes and sizes and are available in Thailand from 1,000 baht up to 30,000 baht, reported Thai Rath. He said that manufacturers and importers could register their products with the Department of Internal Trade so that discounts of 50-60% could be made to consumers under a discount scheme. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe So a 4,000 baht item could be purchased for under 2,000 baht. But he warned manufacturers and retailors that price gouging would not be tolerated and that inspections would take place at shops, department stores and on online platforms. He warned of 140,000 baht fines and 7 year jail terms for taking advantage of consumers. He urged consumers to call 1569 to report infractions. Changes to the law were announced this week; children will have to sit in car seats or booster seats after a 120 day waiting period following the announcement in the Government Gazette. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-14 - 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