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file photo for reference only OPINION | by Michael Bridge Back in January 2019, we posted a viewer’s comments (known as Village farang) on the balance of choosing to live in Bangkok against the country. It has become one of our most viewed topics with over 91,000 views and 634 replies. Here is a brief extract…. I lived in Bangkok for thirty years and before that in the suburbs of a university town and then in Hawaii on the windward coast. I used to debate with a cousin of mine about whether it was better to live in the city and visit the countryside or live in the countryside and visit the city. Looking back, I see that my being single had a lot to do with my city preference. After being married for nearly ten years, traveling a lot as a married couple and me getting older and feeling the need for a homestead of my own, my preference switched to country living and visiting the city. After thirty years in the city, I wanted some toys and hobbies other than my squash racquets and club memberships. I wanted land, views, pets, cars, motorcycle, bicycles, hiking, waterfalls, reservoirs, rivers, mountains, and beautiful sunsets shared with my wife and our pets. I suppose I brought with me my city sensibilities and was looking for nature, beauty, and comfort, not how to make a living from the land. I now am eleven years into my country living and I am still enjoying it. I find a drive into town every few days, an occasional flight to Bangkok or an impromptu road trip only helps to reinforce my attachment to country living. It is always so very nice to return home. The Dynamics have changed Now, this was posted just before the Covid pandemic reared its ugly face, and perhaps the dynamics have changed. The balance between say existing in Bangkok or up in the hills or beside a beach has been eased by our ability to exist and to communicate online. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe If the reason you might have said no to the country before may have been because of work, however, most companies have accepted that staff can be just as productive working from home as sitting in a high-rise office. In fact, many companies can save millions in expensive city rents if a large percentage work from home. Thailand’s countrywide internet has also greatly improved now which helps of course. Quality of life is now so vital for everyone and continually breathing in toxic fumes from the cars and buses plus the daily pollution in Bangkok is not good for anyone’s health. file photo for reference only Again, so living high in the hills around Chiang Mai or perhaps beside the sea in Bang Saray away from the fumes makes sense. However, perhaps the biggest decision confronting city dwellers now is the alarming cost of living due to the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. Food has to be delivered by gas-guzzling trucks into the Bangkok supermarkets so inevitably prices are rising. Staying in the country not only do you have space to grow your own fruit and veg, but you can shop at local markets at a fraction of the cost. And it is fresh!!! Finally, the largest chunk of our monthly overheads is rent, so moving further out will be great news for your bank balance. Of course, if you miss the razzle-dazzle of the big mango, you can always take a weekend break there especially at the moment with the low hotel rates online. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-09 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Flash floods wreak havoc in Surat Thani, more rain forecast Photo Courtesy of Office for Prevention and Mitigation, Surat Thani Flash floods have wrought havoc in three districts of Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani in the past 24 hours, as the Meteorological Department warned today of more rain, some of it heavy in southern provinces, as a result of a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, which is intensifying into cyclone storm. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258955-flash-floods-wreak-havoc-in-surat-thani-more-rain-forecast/

Photo Courtesy of Office for Prevention and Mitigation, Surat Thani Flash floods have wrought havoc in three districts of Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani in the past 24 hours, as the Meteorological Department warned today of more rain, some of it heavy in southern provinces, as a result of a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, which is intensifying into cyclone storm. According to the public disaster prevention and mitigation office in Surat Thani, flash flooding struck three sub-districts in Vibhavadi, Chaiya and Tha Chang districts yesterday, wrecking seven houses and partially damaging 18 more, 25 roads and 18 bridges. One motorcyclist was swept away and went missing. Motorists have been warned not to try to use the heavily-flooded roads for their own safety. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Relax! Thailand is just as safe (or dangerous) as it’s always been OPINION | by Rooster It was a week in which many posters on the ASEAN NOW forum were convinced that crime in Thailand was out of control. Added to the appalling carnage on the roads they contend that the country is getting unsafer by the day. Tourists visit at their peril, they burble. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258953-relax-thailand-is-just-as-safe-or-dangerous-as-it’s-always-been/

OPINION | by Rooster It was a week in which many posters on the ASEAN NOW forum were convinced that crime in Thailand was out of control. Added to the appalling carnage on the roads they contend that the country is getting unsafer by the day. Tourists visit at their peril, they burble. Rooster begs to differ. In my opinion it’s always been like this - safe or not it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Commenting on the ghastly story of a man who blasted away a couple and their 5 year old son in Pathum Thani in revenge for his mum being ratted on and jailed for 25 years, frequent poster Ezzra said: “The alarming number of cases we read lately of people going berserk and shooting and knifing everything and everybody without thinking first is getting to…worrying heights and out of control”. Other posters are convinced of crime sprees caused by desperate people with no money due to the pandemic. I’m saying: “Relax people, it’s always been like this!” When I arrived in Thailand in the early eighties and was desperate to learn Thai I bought piles of “Aatyaagam” (crime) and “191” magazines. I devoured the stories and learned to read. It was an eye opener as all the tourist literature said Thailand was a safe country with Thais known for their forbearance, stoicism and politeness. I pored over the reading material and kept the back copies under my bed, like a teen with Playboy or Penthouse. My secret, naughty stash. The grisly pictures of crime and accident victims only added to the sense that Thailand was a dangerous place to live. So why did my daily life seem so safe? Sure, friends had run-ins with crazies, some were assaulted with clubs, even robbed in the streets. Others certainly had guns pointed at them in road rage incidents long before RR became a thing. So why did I always feel safe. Perhaps having already trained as a journalist in the UK I was inured; journalists more than most will advise against overreacting to what you read in the papers! Fast forward about 35 years and I became a translator for Thaivisa. Here were those stories again - all lined up and ready to be put into English from Thai Rath, Daily News, Sanook and the like. The editorial team at the time had taken the decision to include more crime news, more stories that weren’t just about visas, immigration and tourism. It started slowly with many posters suggesting there was an emerging crime explosion. It was just because they had never read the stories in Thai - now they were being presented on a very ugly plate in English! More recently it would appear that crime and accidents are reaching new heights. There are two principal reasons for this misconception. The first is that deciding what to have translated is the subjective choice of an editor. Basically, if he or she likes crime and accidents that’s what you get with Rooster’s extra twist. Secondly, the modern era with video clips, CCTV and news instantly in your face 24/7 on social media means going online puts the reader directly in contact with crime. Albeit vicariously. Far more so than in the 1980s and 1990s when such media didn’t exist, when the only publications available in English - like the Bangkok Post - generally avoided crime anyway unless it was particularly special or related to foreigners. In those intervening decades when there was only dust under my bed not magazines and I read nothing much of crime in the kingdom, I knew it had not gone away. Personally, though I have no crime stats from the police and no clear up rates (try getting them!), I am of the opinion that violent crime is no more prevalent than before. If I had to bet I’d say serious crime has gone down. CCTV helps plod resolve much of it quickly, aided and abetted by those “admissions” in custody where the perp can get half off their sentences. That’s always been the case. Apropos, a few years ago a survey in the UK asked people how many abductions of children by strangers there had been in the previous year. Respondents were convinced the crime was rampant - fueled by high profile cases. There was a reason the cases were high profile. They were the only ones. Conservative respondents said it must be dozens of cases at the very least, some thought it must be hundreds. No one thought it was four. Four in the whole of the United Kingdom in 12 months. Parents were mistakenly getting fearful for their children, and wouldn't let them even go and play on the swings alone or go to the shops to buy sweets. Yet the danger was almost nil. Far better to give your children freedom than worry about a virtually non-existent threat. The modern media landscape has got a lot to answer for in how they report the news, but the public need to think and not get wrapped up in the hype. That’ll help you to appreciate that Thailand is safer than most places, especially for foreigners. That comes from someone who sees murder, mayhem and mischief from the moment he wakes up to when I start my afternoon Scrabble practice! Each and every day. I ignore it on a personal level. So please take care out there, but don’t overthink things. Relax and enjoy Thailand. In the last seven days it certainly appeared that Thailand was getting busier again. And I'm not just talking about the TAT rhetoric after the scrapping of Test and Go. I’m talking about the Svensen’s test… I take my nippers about once a week for ice-cream. Throughout much of the last year we were the only customers, always outnumbered by staff. This week there was a waiting list and we had to do some shopping before a table became available. In a sense it was nice that so many people were out. The shopping center was heaving. However, I missed the quiet of the pandemic. Is that sad or what!? Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The shopping center was full of the most stunningly attractive Thai women - mostly with their gawky boyfriends, making me think behind my mask “that is going out with that?!” I’m hoping that when the masks are eventually ditched that some of those people might smile at me again; I promise to smile back and try not to leer too much! I’m worried that the Thais have been so good with their mask-wearing that the authorities may stick to the protocols, take advantage of their compliance. They are already annoying and past their usefulness. (the authorities as well as the masks…) Please end the mask mandates completely now and let us get back to a semblance of normality. In Phuket the authorities were on the verge of declaring the virus endemic. A move that irked the central powers. But then Bangkok followed. And where Bangkok goes others follow. The city and its residents led the way in vaccinations and Covid protocol compliance. I’m proud of my hometown but enough is enough. Tourism authorities were buoyant about there being more visitors both foreign and domestic and far more flights, though the absurdity continued with one source suggesting 20 million arrivals in the fourth quarter or 20 million for the year - both nonsensical numbers. People have tons of money; another misnomer is that everyone is poor now post-pandemic. Rubbish. People in work have never had such disposable income after enforced saving. And there are three jobs for every applicant. There is no excuse not to be in employment. People are desperate to spend and willing to pay inflated prices. This is driving record inflation in Thailand and worldwide leading to rises in interest rates. The US surprised the world in leading the way in that. The war in Ukraine is exacerbating economic woes especially in terms of uncertainty, fuel costs and availability of agricultural products. Inflation worldwide is now like it was in the 1970s when I was a kid. My only hope is that an expected rise in interest rates for savings will put some more money in Rooster’s back pocket! After seeing a tray of eggs for 160 baht at Big C this week, I need it! PM Prayuth - still grimly hanging onto power - said that the 300 baht tourist fee would be delayed for now. This is a sensible decision but they should have just added it onto airline fees and there would have been little fuss. They are clueless, always making a rod for their own backs. Top videos of the week were real doozies. One featured a motorcyclist in Yala trying to duck under a railway barrier with predictable consequences while the second featured an angry motorcyclist who was caught on tape defecating in the cab of a Minburi authority pick-up after they stopped him for riding on the sidewalk in Bangkok. Both are worth a look! In international news a leaked Supreme Court draft ruling in the US suggested that the landmark Roe vs Wade decision might result in universal access to abortion being denied. This is a very grave moment and highlights the political meddling in the court system in the States by presidents like Trump installing out of touch judges in the highest court in the land. If the nutty evangelists get their way they won’t stop with abortion - contraception and gay marriage will be next on their loony radar. Followed by enforced creationism and effigies of Darwin being attacked with rotten tomatoes in the stocks, I shouldn’t wonder, in America. The idea that aborting an embryo is murder is utterly absurd. Taking it further to stop contraception is even more bonkers. Subject to some obvious parameters about the time of abortion, women should have the right to do as they please with their bodies. To me that’s the sign of a civilized, developed society. Religious people want to spoil our world and take us back to medieval times. And the US - with an incredible 50% believing in god - threatens to lead the way! I’m glad I’m a devout atheist with humanitarian values. I think churches and temples should be converted into flats and religious people who think the earth is 6,000 years old be forced to watch videos about the size and age of the cosmos until they repent!! The WHO reported that the real death toll from the pandemic and related deaths was nearly 15 million. This was based on deaths above the norm. In India the toll made up a third of that, something the Indian government didn’t like of course. In the Philippines Bongbong Marcos continued his campaign to resurrect the dictator’s family fortunes. The Filipinos are weird people even more obsessed with celebrity than the Thais. They’ll get what they deserve. In sports news, Diego Maradona’s famous shirt that he wore in 1986 when he scored the “hand of god goal” and “goal of the century” in the same match against England came up for auction. It fetched 7.1 million quid - a record for an item of sports memorabilia, according to the BBC. The shirt had been swapped with the now deceased Argentine legend by Steve Hodge in the tunnel after the match that ended in a 2-1 defeat for England in the World Cup finals. Final international news was related to Thailand. This was the death of Gene Lahrkamp in a plane crash in Ontario. He was the second person wanted for the murder of gangland figure Jimi Sandhu in Phuket earlier this year. There is a strong temptation to say “well done Thai plod” in this case. Until one realizes that they actually had plenty of time to get the suspects before they left Thailand; if they’d been sufficiently on the ball. The other shooter is in custody in Canada. Back in Thailand the murder of a French man and his Thai wife at a cold cuts business in Sukhumvit Soi 49 grabbed the attention. It appeared the couple brought the gun. After arguments over money it seems to have been grabbed. A chef was shot in the side but did he also shoot the couple dead? My sources in the French community agree with that assessment. ASEAN NOW posed the question Friday “Are children getting a fair deal in Thailand?” as 35,000 schools prepare to resume onsite learning on May 17th. Barring a few months of segregated, mask wearing ‘half classes’ my kids have been off school for two years. Two years for goodness sake! We’ve had about 20-25% of fees refunded, a token gesture. I just can’t wait until they go back - without masks - and us parents as well as our offspring can all start to get our lives back on track. My thanks to the many posters who offered their condolences to my family on the death of my mother-in-law, a subject I visited last week. My wife told me that just a few days before “yai’s” demise my children - aged 9 and 5 - had bathed her amid much joy and laughter. It was so touching that they managed to spend this valuable time with her. Mrs R said that during the bathing the adults thought they saw lottery numbers in the suds on the old lady’s chest. They played their hunch and won 4,000 baht with the first three numbers. Makes a change from weird shaped banana trees, visits of snakes and number plates of accident survivors that usually provide the winning numbers. Finally, I got a call out of the blue from an unknown number on Thursday. The recorded message in Thai said I was named in a criminal case and needed to press #9 to get the details. Smiling slightly after writing literally hundreds of stories over the years about call center gangs preying on the gullible and elderly, I pressed ‘end call’ instead. Doing my bit to keep those crime stats down…. Rooster -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Shock closure of Promenada shopping center in Chiang Mai - deputy gov indicates good news to follow Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath reported on the surprise closure of a major shopping center in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258952-shock-closure-of-promenada-shopping-center-in-chiang-mai-deputy-gov-indicates-good-news-to-follow/

Picture: Thai Rath Thai Rath reported on the surprise closure of a major shopping center in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. Promenada Chiang Mai in Muang district - home to a hundred outlets and hundreds of employees - has temporarily shut down from May 5th until further notice. A Filipino senior executive at Promenada said that the 42 employees had not lost their jobs, they were working from home for now. Employees in the 100 outlets were mostly from big chains that could absorb staff in other branches. Cashflow and the effect of the pandemic over the last two years has been blamed. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Deputy governor Weeraphan Dee-orn was meeting with officials from the Labour Ministry to work out how to help staff affected by the temporary closure. He didn't deny suggestions from sources that the shopping center had had their utilities cut off due to non-payment. He said it was incumbent on everyone to make sure they paid their bills on time. But he added that talks with the firm and its investors indicated that there would soon be good news on the way regarding the reopening of the shopping center. The center was built with a huge investment from abroad, said the media. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Video: "Amazing" Thai policeman moves bees' nest - with his bare hands! Daily News Thai Caption: Moving a bees' nest by hand Daily News reported that Thai netizens were having an online giggle about the never ending capabilities of the Royal Thai Police. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258950-video-amazing-thai-policeman-moves-bees-nest-with-his-bare-hands/

Daily News Thai Caption: Moving a bees' nest by hand Daily News reported that Thai netizens were having an online giggle about the never ending capabilities of the Royal Thai Police. Now the long arm of the law was involved in moving bees' nests! With bare hands! Cops in Khao Khor were called to a big nest and started filming. Netizens wondered if the Thai police had "magic powers", putting some spell on the bees to ensure their compliance. The bees' 'arrest' was accomplished with aplomb! Daily News found out that the man in the video was none other than Pol Sub-Lt Narin Srimorakotmongkhol at Khao Khor police station in Phetchabun, North Central Thailand. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe He has a coffee and organic fruit plantation in the area. He said he'd been on patrol with colleagues. A resort owner had asked for help after the nest was found by a room at the property. They feared tourists would be stung if it was not removed. "I didn't have any equipment with me at the time so I used my bare hands to transfer the bees into a container. A colleague started filming so they could show his skills to their chief, but now the clip was going viral on the internet. Picture: Daily News Asked if he was scared or had put a special spell on the bees Narin took the mild ribbing in good spirits. "No, no special skills or spells. The trick is in not showing fear," he suggested. "They can smell fear and will then sting". He said he'd helped the public many times before using his bare hands in this way. He gathers the bees and uses them on his own property to make organic honey. He suggested that if people want to know more they should visit his farm, "Officer Narin's Coffee Plantation" or "Rai Kaafae Jaa Narin" in Thai. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Family almost wiped out on way to a wedding - "lap nai" blamed again as three die, one critical Naew Na Thai Caption: Three dead two injured - Severe damage as pick-up hits lamppost Naew Na reported on an accident involving adults and children who were inside a pick-up that slammed into a kilometer marker then a lamppost in the north east of Thailand. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258949-family-almost-wiped-out-on-way-to-a-wedding-lap-nai-blamed-again-as-three-die-one-critical/

Naew Na Thai Caption: Three dead two injured - Severe damage as pick-up hits lamppost Naew Na reported on an accident involving adults and children who were inside a pick-up that slammed into a kilometer marker then a lamppost in the north east of Thailand. It happened around 1.30 pm yesterday on the Chokechai - Decha-Udom Road in Kalasin. A single family was inside the pick-up. Police believe the driver had a "microsleep - lap nai in Thai. This is responsible for many accidents in Thailand with signage up all over the kingdom warning drivers to beware of dropping off behind the wheel due to drowsiness, notes ASEAN NOW. Phrai Bueng district police attended the scene finding a severly damaged Nissan pick-up off the road. Local man Kariangdech, 28, was dead at the scene. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Picture: Naew Na Four people had been taken to the local hospital. These were a man called Somchalao, 51, Khamta, a woman, and two children, a girl called Suphata, 3, and a five year old boy called Thanakrit. Somchalao and the boy subsequently died. Khamta was transferred to Sisaket Hospital in a critical condition. Police said that Kariangdech had been driving from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani with his parents and two children. They were going to his younger sister's wedding. The three year old was only slightly injured. With no other vehicles involved the police suggested microsleep as a possible contributory factor in the accident. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

"Moment of execution" - one dead and two injured as shots fired in Bang Bua Thong Naew Na Thai Caption: Terrifying moment - Shots fired at rival in Bang Bua Thong. Put in the pic of the pointing at the booth too please. Naew Na reported on a late night incident at the Bang Bua Thong market in Nonthaburi when a rival group fired shots killing a man and injuring two seriously. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258947-moment-of-execution-one-dead-and-two-injured-as-shots-fired-in-bang-bua-thong/

Naew Na Thai Caption: Terrifying moment - Shots fired at rival in Bang Bua Thong. Put in the pic of the pointing at the booth too please. Naew Na reported on a late night incident at the Bang Bua Thong market in Nonthaburi when a rival group fired shots killing a man and injuring two seriously. They termed it "the moment of execution". The incident happened as two rival groups of hoodlums on motorcycles met by chance. Some one was heard to shout: "Do you fuc@ers know Offline Bang Bua Thong?" Then the guns came out. Picture: Naew Na It happened on the Bang Kruay - Sai Noi road in front of Thessaban Wat Laharn school at 1 am yesterday, Friday. A local noodle vendor called Baitong, 52, told reporters there were quite a lot of customers in his shop at the time. "Me and my customers had to run and hide fearing we'd be struck by stray bullets," he said. No policeman was in the booth nearby. So he called the cops and waited for rescue services for the three injured people, one of whom later died. He reported continual trouble in the area. In a recent stabbing incident the CCTV was found to not be working. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Picture: Naew Na Taxi driver Sompong, 65, said his cab was hit by gunfire and he had given evidence to the police. He'd stopped for some late night noodles. He said he was forced to take cover behind his vehicle. Two shots smashed the driver's window and another one hit his cab too. Bang Bua Thong police said that "Off" who was attacked was a local gangster who thought he was a Mr Big in the area. He appeared to be the man in the "offline" statement, made after he removed his helmet as the rival group arrived. He died in the incident. Police are preparing evidence and arrest warrants. One man was seen pointing at a bullet hole apparently in the unmanned police booth. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Video: Angry motorcyclist stopped for parking on sidewalk decides to defecate inside local authority pick-up Thai Rath reported on an extraordinary incident involving a motorcyclist and several staff from the Minburi local authority at the end of Ramkhamhaeng Soi 190 yesterday afternoon. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258945-video-angry-motorcyclist-stopped-for-parking-on-sidewalk-decides-to-defecate-inside-local-authority-pick-up/

Thai Rath reported on an extraordinary incident involving a motorcyclist and several staff from the Minburi local authority at the end of Ramkhamhaeng Soi 190 yesterday afternoon. A video clip - published on Facebook and on Sanook - showed the officials stopping a man in a full face helmet from driving away. They wanted to confiscate his bike and put it in the back of the authority pick-up. At this point the motorcyclist gets off his bike, undoes his trousers, drops his pants, opens the door to the pick-up and drops his load on the seat inside. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Thai Rath said he was angry at being stopped. Sanook called it a "yellow bomb". They went with a slightly different angle claiming that the rider had told the officials he needed the loo urgently, but they didn't listen. The absurdity of doing that inside a vehicle and not just poohing by the side of the road was not explored by the media, notes ASEAN NOW. There was no getting out of the disgusting behavior. Naew Na reported "NO ESCAPE!" in banner headlines. The authority fined him a total of 7,000 baht for parking on the sidewalk AND anti-social and annoying behavior. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Video: Motorcyclist tries to duck as barrier at level crossing descends - OUCH! Daily News Thai Caption: An example of.....ducking A video from the PR department of the State Railways of Thailand was going viral on Facebook, reported Daily News. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258943-video-motorcyclist-tries-to-duck-as-barrier-at-level-crossing-descends-ouch/

Daily News Thai Caption: An example of.....ducking A video from the PR department of the State Railways of Thailand was going viral on Facebook, reported Daily News. The five second clip may have been short but it might remind people to slow down and stop at railway barriers....it might! A motorcyclist without helmet was approaching at high speed. As the barrier descended he thought he could duck and make it through. He couldn't. He comes off and his bike goes flying. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The SRT said he had a nasty headache. In addition damage was done to state property. They reminded people of the importance of slowing down and stopping when they see barriers coming down - for everyone's safety. The incident happened in Yala province in the far south of the country near the station of Raman in Raman district. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Child falls down drain at Pattaya hotel - execs tell the press to stop filming to prevent loss of face Picture: Siam Rath Siam Rath reported on an incident last night in which a 12 year old girl got stuck in a drain at a hotel near the dolphin roundabout in North Pattaya. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258938-child-falls-down-drain-at-pattaya-hotel-execs-tell-the-press-to-stop-filming-to-prevent-loss-of-face/

Picture: Siam Rath Siam Rath reported on an incident last night in which a 12 year old girl got stuck in a drain at a hotel near the dolphin roundabout in North Pattaya. They said that hotel executives tried to stop them filming and taking pictures as they were so worried about being exposed and losing face. Sawang Boriboon rescue were called around 7.30 pm after hospital staff were unable to get B's left leg out of the drain that had a heavy three and a half inch cover. Cutting equipment was needed and it took five minutes before she was safely removed. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Her lower left leg had an injury and abrasions and after first aid she was taken to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. Her aunt Jutharat, 39, said she had been walking in the gardens with B when she heard her scream up ahead. Staff were called but couldn't resolve the matter so rescue services were needed. Not surprisingly in defamation crazy Thailand, Siam Rath did not name the hotel in their article. But they made a point in both their headline and in the body of their story at how hotel officials had tried to hush up the incident. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

Seven ways to move from pandemic to endemic - Thai MoPH official indicates Covid future from July Picture: Thai Rath Assistant minister to the Ministry of Public Health Sathit Pitutecha spoke at the 2022 general meeting of the Private Health Association, reported Thai Rath. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258934-seven-ways-to-move-from-pandemic-to-endemic-thai-moph-official-indicates-covid-future-from-july/

Picture: Thai Rath Assistant minister to the Ministry of Public Health Sathit Pitutecha spoke at the 2022 general meeting of the Private Health Association, reported Thai Rath. He gave a seven point watchlist of how Thailand will move from treating Covid-19 as a pandemic to treating it as endemic. Pandemic means an infectious disease that has spread across a wide area or worldwide. Endemic means it is found among a specific people or in a specific area. Sathit said that Thailand had handled the pandemic well and the private sector had played their part particularly in providing hospital beds and treatment. He noted that cases of the virus, people in hospital and deaths were all showing downward trends. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe Picture: Thai Rath Things were less clear regarding mutations with the WHO themselves unclear but July this year was the target for declaring the disease endemic in Thailand. For this to happen and be sustained the following needs to happen: 1. Digital platforms and data collection needs to be developed into a single national strategy. 7 billion baht will be spent on this to ensure it is top notch and safe. 2. Preparations to deal with possible subsequent outbreaks and develop interdisciplinary personnel for both common diseases, chronic non-communicable diseases, long Covid and MIS-C. 3. Attention must be given to vulnerable people and access to treatment. 4.Develop and raise the level of self-reliance in regard to vaccines, medicines and medical supplies. 5. Handle Covid-19 waste correctly. In the past permission has been gained to just burn it, this needs to be reassessed. 6. Develop data integration strategies to better inform decision making. 7. Find, record and publish good examples including important lessons learned from the pandemic. Sathit closed by saying that now was the time to get the economy back on track, people back into work and raise tax collection.. As far as mask wearing goes, removing the mandate to wear them depends on where and in what situation, he said. The key is to move on, learn to live with Covid with understanding and get the economy moving. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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

COVID-19 - May 7: Thailand reports 8,450 new coronavirus cases, 12,224 recoveries, 58 deaths file photo Thailand on Saturday (May 7) reported 8,450 new COVID-19 cases, 12,224 recoveries and 58 additional deaths over the past 24 hours. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258933-covid-19-may-7-thailand-reports-8450-new-coronavirus-cases-12224-recoveries-58-deaths/ //CLOSED// /Admin

COVID-19 - May 7: Thailand reports 8,450 new coronavirus cases, 12,224 recoveries, 58 deaths file photo Thailand on Saturday (May 7) reported 8,450 new COVID-19 cases, 12,224 recoveries and 58 additional deaths over the past 24 hours. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1258933-covid-19-may-7-thailand-reports-8450-new-coronavirus-cases-12224-recoveries-58-deaths/

file photo Thailand on Saturday (May 7) reported 8,450 new COVID-19 cases, 12,224 recoveries and 58 additional deaths over the past 24 hours. Saturday’s cases bring the total number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand to 4,316,769 with 29,034 deaths. Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-05-07 - 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. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 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