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True to his word, new Bangkok governor presses for end of mask wearing outside Sanook Thai Caption: The situation has generally improved New Bangkok governor Chadchart Suttipunt has followed up on previous comments earlier in the week that he would press to end mask wearing in open public spaces in the Thai capital where social distancing was possible. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262226-true-to-his-word-new-bangkok-governor-presses-for-end-of-mask-wearing-outside/

Sanook Thai Caption: The situation has generally improved New Bangkok governor Chadchart Suttipunt has followed up on previous comments earlier in the week that he would press to end mask wearing in open public spaces in the Thai capital where social distancing was possible. It would be up to the public whether to wear a face covering or not. ASEAN NOW notes that many people are doing that already, but there is still confusion about the official advice. At a meeting yesterday Chadchart proposed the change to areas in public where people could safely be a meter apart as the Covid-19 situation had shown an improvement. However, it's still not official, noted Sanook, who said that the CCSA (Covid steering committee) would be meeting on June 17th when they would further discuss the matter and it was not certain that the governor's wishes would be followed immediately. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more! 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

Migrant smugglers thought the military would be watching the football - WRONG! Picture: Siam Rath Thais smuggling a group of Myanmar migrants in the back of a converted pick-up made to look like a delivery van chose last night to make an illegal run from the border to Sawee in Chumphon, southern Thailand. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262225-migrant-smugglers-thought-the-military-would-be-watching-the-football-wrong/

Picture: Siam Rath Thais smuggling a group of Myanmar migrants in the back of a converted pick-up made to look like a delivery van chose last night to make an illegal run from the border to Sawee in Chumphon, southern Thailand. They were convinced that the military would be watching the Thailand vs Maldives AFC Asian Cup match. But they were wrong. The military had received a tip and were ready and waiting, reported Siam Rath. Picture: Siam Rath Though the 27 migrants packed into the back managed to flee they were soon picked up hiding in a 50 meter radius in the bamboo thickets. Two Thais were arrested as well. Thailand won the match 3-0, notes ASEAN NOW. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more! 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

Former ganja user hangs a dozen bongs in front of his house to stop youth getting high! Daily News Thai Caption: He's hanging bongs in front of his house Daily News reporters went to visit a Thai man at a house in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi in south/central Thailand after discovering that he had hung a dozen bamboo bongs on a tree in front of his house. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262224-former-ganja-user-hangs-a-dozen-bongs-in-front-of-his-house-to-stop-youth-getting-high/

Daily News Thai Caption: He's hanging bongs in front of his house Daily News reporters went to visit a Thai man at a house in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi in south/central Thailand after discovering that he had hung a dozen bamboo bongs on a tree in front of his house. Today is the day when marijuana in some forms becomes fully legal after a three month waiting period for it to be removed from the Class 5 narcotics list. The "mobile" contains bongs that can't actually be used - they have snails shells and CDs dangling from holes. Phot Khamdee, 53, said he hoped that the area's youth would come in and ask him why he was doing this. He had plenty of advice based on his experiences and was more than willing to share this with reporters. He said that when he was a student his friends invited him to smoke ganja using bamboo bongs and he got very stoned. Picture: Daily News But he claimed that it made his brain slow down and led him to neglect his studies. If he didn't smoke it he'd fly into a temper and be easily irritable, he further claimed. In addition it made him try other substances and develop a strong antipathy towards drugs. When he had recovered he vowed to himself that he would warn others and become a good example. That's where his "bong mobile" came in. If anyone contacted him he would tell them his feelings about drugs. He said that he was in favor of the plant being used for medicinal purposes and was generally in favor of the law changes though he wanted clarity. He thought that young people were bound to take it up recreationally and he further feared that drivers would smoke it, their reaction times would slow down and there would be even more accidents on the roads. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more! 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

Thailand’s Cannabis and Hemp Bill sails through 1st reading in Lower House The Lower House overwhelmingly passed the first reading of the Bhumjaithai party’s Cannabis and Hemp Bill yesterday (Wednesday), which will legalise the controlled use, production, sale, import and export of cannabis, hemp and their extracts. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262223-thailand’s-cannabis-and-hemp-bill-sails-through-1st-reading-in-lower-house/

The Lower House overwhelmingly passed the first reading of the Bhumjaithai party’s Cannabis and Hemp Bill yesterday (Wednesday), which will legalise the controlled use, production, sale, import and export of cannabis, hemp and their extracts. 373 MPs voted in support of the bill, with 7 against. 23 MPs abstained. The vote comes as Thailand’s decriminalisation of cannabis and hemp came into effect today (Thursday), by which the plants, except for the extracts with THC content exceeding 0.2%, are removed from Category 5 narcotics list. A 25-member scrutiny committee was set up to vet the bill within 15 days, when the Bill is to be returned for its second and third readings. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-cannabis-and-hemp-bill-sails-through-1st-reading-in-lower-house/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more!

Hundreds of students in Hua Hin given CPR training in bid to prevent drowning deaths By Online Reporter More than three hundred grade 5 and 6 students in Hua Hin are now more confident in how to deal with a serious medical emergency after learning some potentially life-saving first aid skills. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262220-hundreds-of-students-in-hua-hin-given-cpr-training-in-bid-to-prevent-drowning-deaths/

By Online Reporter More than three hundred grade 5 and 6 students in Hua Hin are now more confident in how to deal with a serious medical emergency after learning some potentially life-saving first aid skills. On Wednesday (June 8th), Hua Hin Mayor Nopporn Wutthikul formally launched the municipality’s annual Merit Maker project aimed at preventing drowning deaths among children. The project sees students from schools in Hua Hin Municipality learn about drowning prevention and water safety. As part of the training, a total of 360 students were given hands-on training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, and the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator). Full story: https://www.huahintoday.com/hua-hin-news/hundreds-of-students-in-hua-hin-given-cpr-training-in-bid-to-prevent-drowning-deaths/ -- © Copyright Hua Hin Today 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more!

American with monkeypox flees Mexican hospital A US citizen with monkeypox escaped from a hospital in a Mexican resort and fled the country, local health authorities said Wednesday. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262219-american-with-monkeypox-flees-mexican-hospital/

A US citizen with monkeypox escaped from a hospital in a Mexican resort and fled the country, local health authorities said Wednesday. The 48-year-old man, originally from Texas, fled the hospital in Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific coast last weekend despite having been told by medical staff that he should be tested for monkeypox and kept in isolation, the state health department said in a statement. When he arrived at the hospital, the patient had symptoms of “cough, chills, muscle pain and pustule-like lesions on his face, neck and trunk,” the agency said. After fleeing the medical facility, the Texan then went to the hotel where he was staying with his partner and caught a flight out of Puerto Vallarta on June 4, before authorities were able to locate him. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/american-with-monkeypox-flees-mexican-hospital/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more!

How can people live like this? Landlady finds filthy flat of "professor at famous university" Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath went to Khon Kaen after a a video clip was posted of a flat in an appallingly filthy state on a site that translates in part as "So You Wanna Be Famous". Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262218-how-can-people-live-like-this-landlady-finds-filthy-flat-of-professor-at-famous-university/

Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath went to Khon Kaen after a a video clip was posted of a flat in an appallingly filthy state on a site that translates in part as "So You Wanna Be Famous". Well she is now, even if her name was not used. The flat was being rented by a woman who just graduated and become a professor at a "well known university" in the NE Thai city. She left owing two months rent and the landlady at the block had been unable to contact her by phone or Line text. So she decided to break in and found trash and sanitary towels everywhere. And the furniture was all damaged. The woman had been renting for ten years at 4,400 baht a month. When reporters arrived the trash had been put into 20 bin bags and all that was left was a TV, Fridge and water heater - all damaged. External video click HERE There was still fungus growing on the fridge, dead jingjoks inside and cobwebs on the ceiling inside and out on the balcony. Today the block's janitor was due to make a further assessment of the damage. The owner said the renter had got her degree and she'd seen a post on Facebook of her being accepted onto the faculty staff at the uni. She was just a normal woman who she'd usually just see at weekends. Picture: Thai Rath But towards the end of last year she started getting behind with the rent though after being contacted she would always transfer the money promptly. However contact had ceased in the last two months. The landlady wanted her to vacate the room because there were a lot of new students who wanted a place. She was promised a new room. The landlady said she was not reporting the matter to the police but wants the 8,800 baht due and the damage to be paid for. She hoped that the shaming online would get her to contact her again. She lamented how people can live in such a mess saying that tenants had a responsibility as well as landlords. She warned other landlords. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more! 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

Former police inspector loses his entire retirement savings to call center gang posing as "fake cops" Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath reported that a former inspector of police in the north of Thailand had lost his entire life savings from three accounts after he was conned by a call center gang posing as police. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262212-former-police-inspector-loses-his-entire-retirement-savings-to-call-center-gang-posing-as-fake-cops/

Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath reported that a former inspector of police in the north of Thailand had lost his entire life savings from three accounts after he was conned by a call center gang posing as police. They emptied three accounts of 1.8 million baht - all his retirement money - using apps and tricks that bemused the ex cop who admitted that online stuff was not his strong point. He thought that he'd be safer NOT installing banking apps - now he has nothing and is demanding action from former colleagues. Thai Rath said the victim was the former police crime suppression inspector of the Sop Prap station in Lampang in the north of Thailand. He lives in Koh Kha district. He told reporters that on June 1st this year he got a call from the number +69766 9 14097150 and spoke to someone who said they were from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. They said that the cop's number had been used in online crime and they wanted him to file a police complaint online to get it sorted out and to prevent him from being prosecuted. He pressed #9 and then was instructed to add the Line group of what he believed to be the Muang Chiang Rai police where he chatted with a man claiming to be police lieutenant Somsak. He was then transferred to someone else and was instructed to follow the instructions on a Teamviewer app. This app enables call center gangs to take control of a victim's mobile phone screen, clearly something that the former inspector was not aware of. He was told to load a banking app called "Next" for his Krung Thai accounts at two branches. Unbeknownst to him 1.3 million in one account was emptied and 300,000 in another. To make matters worse he was then asked if he had any other accounts and said that he had one at the Government Savings Bank. He loaded up their app called Mymo and had a further 200,000 baht siphoned off. In all he lost 1.8 million baht, his entire retirement savings. Feeling that it all sounded suspicious he went to the banks and discovered he had been conned. The money had been transferred to a "Mr Phachorn" with a Kiatnakin bank account and a Mr Rattanaphon with a Bangkok Bank account. Police are preparing summonses for those people who are believed to be people who allowed their accounts to be used by the gang. The inspector said that before all this he had had no banking apps on his phone. He was not familiar with the technology and thought it would be safer not to have them. Now he has lost everything and the matter is in the hands of investigators. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more! 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

Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. by CRAIG KEATING India, the world’s largest exporter of rice, has no plans to join any cartel, the type of which Thailand has tried repeatedly to set up (CGIAR Climate/Flickr) In response to worldwide supply chain issues caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – who between them previously accounted for nearly one-third of global wheat supplies – the Thai government, headed by 2014 coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, is seeking to profit from the 45 per cent increase in the cost of the staple crop. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262208-thailand-seeking-to-profit from-a-global-food-crisis/

India, the world’s largest exporter of rice, has no plans to join any cartel, the type of which Thailand has tried repeatedly to set up (CGIAR Climate/Flickr) The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. by CRAIG KEATING In response to worldwide supply chain issues caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – who between them previously accounted for nearly one-third of global wheat supplies – the Thai government, headed by 2014 coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, is seeking to profit from the 45 per cent increase in the cost of the staple crop. On 27 May, a government spokesman said Bangkok was talking with Vietnam to “raise rice prices … and increase bargaining power in the global market” – in other words, create a cartel. Thailand and Vietnam are, respectively, the world’s second and third biggest rice exporters after India. It could not have come at a worse time for the world’s poor. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of heightened hunger and food insecurity in the wake of the wheat price rises. The Food and Agriculture Organisation says “historically high” food and energy prices put “the global harvest at risk”. Full story: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/thailand-seeking-profit-global-food-crisis -- © Copyright LOWY INSTITUTE 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more!

Nightlife Venues Start Hiring After Covid Relaxation by Na-ark Rojanasuvan BANGKOK (NNT) - Since the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) approved the reopening of nightlife entertainment venues in 31 provinces from June 1st, employment at these venues is reportedly starting to pick up. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262207-nightlife-venues-start-hiring-after-covid-relaxation/

by Na-ark Rojanasuvan BANGKOK (NNT) - Since the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) approved the reopening of nightlife entertainment venues in 31 provinces from June 1st, employment at these venues is reportedly starting to pick up. These establishments include pubs, bars, karaoke bars, massage parlors, and other nightlife venues. They are allowed to operate until midnight. Nonetheless, several businesses are still under renovation, as former employees have switched occupations after their employment was terminated, due to the economic slump from the COVID-19 pandemic. Establishments that are able to hire former employees are still in the preparation period. However, these business operators must strictly follow the Public Health Ministry’s Covid-free setting measures and close by midnight. They are also asked not to hold promotional events in order to avoid overcrowding that could lead to new Covid-19 infection clusters. Meanwhile, entertainment businesses have urged the government and the CCSA to consider extending the operating time to 2 AM. They reasoned that the current operating time limit is too constrained for their customers who normally arrive from 9 PM - 11 PM. The extension will also give businesses more time to earn income. -- © Copyright NNT 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more!

Historic bill to liberalise Thailand’s liquor industry passes its first reading The opposition Move Forward party’s Progressive Liquor Bill, which seeks to break the oligopoly of corporate brewers and provide business opportunities for small-scale, community based entrepreneurs, sailed through its first reading in the Lower House last night (Wednesday), by 178 votes to 137, with 15 abstentions. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262204-historic-bill-to-liberalise-thailand’s-liquor-industry-passes-its-first-reading/

The opposition Move Forward party’s Progressive Liquor Bill, which seeks to break the oligopoly of corporate brewers and provide business opportunities for small-scale, community based entrepreneurs, sailed through its first reading in the Lower House last night (Wednesday), by 178 votes to 137, with 15 abstentions. A 25-member committee was set up to scrutinise the bill over the next seven days, before it is resubmitted for its second and final readings in the House of Representatives. The 178 MPs who voted for the bill included a number from the government camp, including 23 Democrat MPs, 9 from Bhumjaithai and two from the Palang Pracharath party. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/historic-bill-to-liberalise-thailands-liquor-industry-passes-its-first-reading/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more!

Thirteen students injured on way home from school - janitor in tatty old truck was behind the wheel Daily News Thai Caption: Wheels pointing skywards Daily News reported on a nasty accident involving a faulty old truck with a school janitor behind the wheel. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1262203-thirteen-students-injured-on-way-home-from-school-janitor-in-tatty-old-truck-was-behind-the-wheel/

Daily News Thai Caption: Wheels pointing skywards Daily News reported on a nasty accident involving a faulty old truck with a school janitor behind the wheel. ASEAN NOW asks today: Is this the level of care that innocent school children can expect in Thailand? Thirteen students on their way home were taken to hospital after it overturned in the North East. Pol Capt Karun Jandork along with medics and Wang Krut Rescue were on the scene on the Satuek to Sanamchai Road. They found the six wheel Isuzu overturned in the undergrowth. Picture: Daily News The desperate and anguished cries of the children could be heard coming from the battered old truck. It was clearly completely unroadworthy. All the children wanted to do was get home and get on with their homework. Instead it was a trip to Sateuk Hospital for the four boys and 9 girls of Som Samed Withaya school in Buriram. Picture: Picture: Daily News School janitor Kingkaew Phimin, 51, said his front axle fell off and he lost control of the wheels. He had the temerity to say it was "lucky" he wasn't going fast and the children were not badly hurt. Police charged him with negligent driving and took the truck into evidence. But today we ask, is this the best that the nation's children can expect from those who should protect them? Who is responsible for the maintenance of the truck? The janitor? The director? Who will pay the price for what happens to innocent kids on their way to and from school? A scapegoat? Or those higher up? Or the whole rotten system that almost daily lets down children being driven by incompetent drivers in unsuitable and old vehicles. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-06-09 - 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. Easiest way to own or rent a car in Thailand - click here to find out more! 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