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Cobra Gold 2022: Scaled-down and no cobra sacrifices A Thai Marine demonstrated how to handle a cobra to the US Marines during a jungle survival training as part of the Cobra Gold military exercise in Ban Chantaklem, Chantaburi in February 2020. (Photo by Royal Thai navy) Hosted by Thailand for the past four decades, the Indo-Pacific multination war games known as Cobra Gold make headlines every year – not just for military affairs but also for their history, politics and wildlife conservation. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250941-cobra-gold-2022-scaled-down-and-no-cobra-sacrifices/

A Thai Marine demonstrated how to handle a cobra to the US Marines during a jungle survival training as part of the Cobra Gold military exercise in Ban Chantaklem, Chantaburi in February 2020. (Photo by Royal Thai navy) Hosted by Thailand for the past four decades, the Indo-Pacific multination war games known as Cobra Gold make headlines every year – not just for military affairs but also for their history, politics and wildlife conservation. The upcoming Cobra Gold 2022 is in the news because it has been scaled down for a second year running and military-ruled Myanmar has been left out. Formally launched in 1982, these wargames have their roots in 1956 when the Thai Navy and the US Marines held a joint amphibious landing to forge military ties between the two countries. The exercises back then were known as “Operation Teamwork”. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cobra-gold-2022-scaled-down-and-no-cobra-sacrifices/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

Thailand’s hospitals and ‘hospitels’ half full again as COVID-19 continues to spread (Photo courtesy of Ramathibodi hospital) Almost half of the beds in general hospitals and ‘hospitels’ nationwide are now occupied, as the Medical Services Department urges cooperation from those with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 infections by getting treated at home or in community isolation facilities, to free up hospital beds for serious cases. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250939-thailand’s-hospitals-and-‘hospitels’-half-full-again-as-covid-19-continues-to-spread/

(Photo courtesy of Ramathibodi hospital) Almost half of the beds in general hospitals and ‘hospitels’ nationwide are now occupied, as the Medical Services Department urges cooperation from those with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 infections by getting treated at home or in community isolation facilities, to free up hospital beds for serious cases. Of the 174,029 beds in general hospitals and ‘hospitels’ throughout the country, with the exception of Bangkok, 80,756 are occupied. In Bangkok, 25,359 of the 55,369 beds are occupied. In some provinces, such as Nakhon Ratchasima, hospital beds designated for “green” patients are fully occupied, according to Dr. Somsak Akksilp, head of the Medical Services Department. He also said that there are more cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and gastrointestinal bleeding developing among those originally diagnosed as asymptomatic and who now need hospital beds. Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-hospitals-and-hospitels-half-full-again-as-covid-19-continues-to-spread/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

Cold weather forecast for most of Thailand until Tuesday Downtown Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) As a result of the arrival of a cold front from China, temperatures in Bangkok, central and eastern provinces are forecast to fall by 3-5oC and by 5-9oC in northern and north-eastern provinces until Tuesday, according to the Meteorological Department. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250938-cold-weather-forecast-for-most-of-thailand-until-tuesday/

Downtown Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) As a result of the arrival of a cold front from China, temperatures in Bangkok, central and eastern provinces are forecast to fall by 3-5oC and by 5-9oC in northern and north-eastern provinces until Tuesday, according to the Meteorological Department. Temperatures will start to drop, especially in northern and north-eastern provinces, from tomorrow and continue to fall by a further 5-9oC over the following 48 hours. The average temperatures will be 14-15oC. In Bangkok, its surroundings and in other central and eastern provinces, the average temperatures will be 20-21oC. There may be rain in the affected regions and this may make it feel even cooler. Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cold-weather-forecast-for-most-of-thailand-until-tuesday/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

Bangkok governor election: Candidates, their policies, and the daunting tasks awaiting winner A ballot box at a polling station for Bangkok governor on March 3, 2013. (Photo by Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP) Bangkok governor elections used to be held once every four years until the 2014 coup saw national and local votes suspended. Now, expectations are rising ahead of the first gubernatorial election in nine years, as voters scrutinize several strong contenders who have already announced their intentions to join the race. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250937-bangkok-governor-election-candidates-their-policies-and-the-daunting-tasks-awaiting-winner/

A ballot box at a polling station for Bangkok governor on March 3, 2013. (Photo by Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP) Bangkok governor elections used to be held once every four years until the 2014 coup saw national and local votes suspended. Now, expectations are rising ahead of the first gubernatorial election in nine years, as voters scrutinize several strong contenders who have already announced their intentions to join the race. The election is tentatively scheduled for May, according to Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam. Thai PBS World takes a look at the candidates, their campaign promises, and the challenges that lie ahead if they win the vote to become Bangkok’s most powerful official. Election policies of strong contenders Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt, who according to the latest public survey is the overwhelming favorite to win, has delivered a policy platform with four main pillars – people, technology, environment, and the economy. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bangkok-governor-election-candidates-their-policies-and-the-daunting-tasks-awaiting-winner/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

Thai Marine Department approves oil pipeline repair plan Thailand’s Marine Department has finally granted permission for Star Petroleum Refining Plc (SPRC) to start repairing the ruptured submarine oil pipeline at the offshore mooring platform off Rayong province.v Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250936-thai-marine-department-approves-oil-pipeline-repair-plan/

Thailand’s Marine Department has finally granted permission for Star Petroleum Refining Plc (SPRC) to start repairing the ruptured submarine oil pipeline at the offshore mooring platform off Rayong province. The decision, after several days’ delay, was reached during an urgent Zoom meeting today (Sunday), which was attended by representatives of the oil company, the Marine Department, the Council of Engineers of Thailand, the Engineering Institute of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, the Department of Pollution Control and Map Ta Phut police. The approved maintenance plan will consist of applying leak stopping compounds, pumping residual oil out of the pipeline and the use of special adhesive material wrapped around the two points of rupture in the pipeline. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-marine-department-approves-oil-pipeline-repair-plan/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

Thai virologist Dr. Yong predicts daily COVID-19 infections may reach 100,000 Respected virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan said Sunday that COVID-19 Omicron variant infections are on the steady rise across Thailand, averaging 25,000 cases a day and the number may surge to 100,000 cases a day in the future. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250935-thai-virologist-dr-yong-predicts-daily-covid-19-infections-may-reach-100000/

Respected virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan said Sunday that COVID-19 Omicron variant infections are on the steady rise across Thailand, averaging 25,000 cases a day and the number may surge to 100,000 cases a day in the future. Judging by the rapid transmissibility of the BA.2 sub variant of the Omicron variant reported in Singapore, where daily infections average about 15,000 in a population one tenth the size of Thailand’s, Japan’s or South Korea’s, he said that Thailand may soon fall into the same pattern. Dr. Yong, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University, pointed out that the current rate of infection is ten times that of the four previous waves in the country. “We saw a two-digit daily infection rate in the first wave, a three-digit rate in the second wave, a four-digit rate in the third wave and a five-digit daily infection rate in the fourth wave, which was dominated by the Delta variant,” he said, adding that “now, we are in the 5th wave and I am not sure whether infections will surge to six digits but I don’t want to see such figures.” Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-virologist-dr-yong-predicts-daily-covid-19-infections-may-reach-100000/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

to continue: Thailand Live Monday 21 Feb 2022 https://aseannow.com/topic/1250934-thailand-live-monday-21-feb-2022/

Can we ever rely on high season weather again? Here in Thailand, February has normally been one of the best months to enjoy no rain, with warm sunshine and cool breezes, all ideal for a great vacation. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250933-can-we-ever-rely-on-high-season-weather-again/

Here in Thailand, February has normally been one of the best months to enjoy no rain, with warm sunshine and cool breezes, all ideal for a great vacation. Almost like clockwork we got used to celebrating Songkran in mid-April, which signaled the start of the rainy season. Well, all that seems to have changed as Thailand is currently experiencing a change in seasons. In Pattaya, for the past week, we have woken up to find dark clouds and no sunshine. Then around mid-day, the heavens have opened, and it has been raining constantly for at least 4-5 hrs. Thunderstorms follow and today we have received a drenching before sunrise. The forecast for the next ten days predicts thunderstorms, rain mixed with a bit of sun but mainly cloudy. Changing patterns Apparently, Thailand has seen a marked increase in temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns over the past thirty years. Both changes have a significant effect on food production, particularly rice—the yields of which are essential to national food security. Thailand is exceptionally vulnerable to minor changes in climate: slightly warmer surface temperatures will destroy the rice crops. And it is common knowledge that a few centimeters of sea-level rise will submerge the capital city Bangkok and devastate coastal tourism. Climate Change Impacts The impacts of climate change are already evident around the world. Thailand, as part of the Mekong River Basin, is struggling to deal with these impacts, which result in part from ecological pressures introduced by large hydropower dams, deforestation, coastal erosion, and urbanization. In Southeast Asia, Jakarta and Bangkok are sinking fast. In fact, the capital of Indonesia is the fastest sinking city in the world—it is sinking at the rate of 6.7 inches per year. By 2050, 95% of North Jakarta will be submerged, according to researchers. The region has already sunk 2.5 meters in 10 years and almost half the city is below sea level, which is why they are creating a new capital city elsewhere. Meanwhile, Bangkok, located 0.5–2 metres above sea level, is sinking at a rate of 2–3 centimetres each year. It is predicted that a large part of the capital city will be underwater by 2030, 2050, or the conservative estimate of 2100. Are we already experiencing the worst? The effects of climate change, include higher surface temperatures, floods, droughts, severe storms, and sea level rises. The damage to agriculture, coastal tourism, and the capital city as consequences of climate change will have enormous economic, cultural, and environmental impacts on Thailand. Just one degree of warming will destroy the rice crops that are central to the economy, and a few centimeters of sea level rise will submerge the capital city and devastate coastal tourism. Thailand’s mitigation and adaptation efforts include a slow shift to organic agriculture, a tsunami warning system along the Andaman Sea, the construction of a flood prevention wall around Bangkok, and an Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and energy use. Is it enough though? And will the intrepid international vacationer still want to fly away from colder Western climates in the winter, just to arrive to find a lack of sunshine and February downpours in Thailand? Could be a great time to set up a shop selling wellington boots, rain capes, and umbrellas! -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-02-21 - Aetna 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

New Campaign Enhances Skills in Food Production By Natthaphon Sangpolsit BANGKOK (NNT) - The Department of Labor Protection and Welfare (DLPW) has launched a campaign with a food producer to improve workers’ skills, as well as promote workers’ rights and welfare. This campaign also aims to enhance the competitiveness of Thai industries at the international level. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250857-new-campaign-enhances-skills-in-food-production/

By Natthaphon Sangpolsit BANGKOK (NNT) - The Department of Labor Protection and Welfare (DLPW) has launched a campaign with a food producer to improve workers’ skills, as well as promote workers’ rights and welfare. This campaign also aims to enhance the competitiveness of Thai industries at the international level. The DLPW has therefore signed an agreement with Charoen Pokphand Foods to launch a skills promotion campaign. The campaign is expected to benefit the employers whose brands and products will be recognized as ethical and free from human trafficking and exploitation. DLPW Director-General Niyom Songkaew said improving workers’ living conditions will help boost confidence among trade partners and consumers, while also increasing the global competitiveness of Thai industries. Under the agreement, around 6,000 employees at some 200 Charoen Pokphand Foods’ facilities nationwide will have access to activities and resources provided by the DLPW. -- © Copyright NNT 2022-02-19 - Aetna 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

Government Urges Continuous Push for Export Growth By Natthaphon Sangpolsit BANGKOK (NNT) - The government has urged relevant agencies to continue promoting growth in the export sector this year. Shippers are expecting a higher value of maritime cargo due to the easing of global cargo shortages. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250856-government-urges-continuous-push-for-export-growth/

By Natthaphon Sangpolsit BANGKOK (NNT) - The government has urged relevant agencies to continue promoting growth in the export sector this year. Shippers are expecting a higher value of maritime cargo due to the easing of global cargo shortages. Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked agencies to maintain the positive momentum of the export sector. The sector is benefiting from the economic recovery of partner countries, as well as the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which came into effect at the beginning of this year. Maritime shipments have been seeing positive signs from increasing activity. According to the Port Authority of Thailand, shipment value at Laem Chabang Port and Bangkok Port in the first quarter of the fiscal 2022 saw 3,721 calls from cargo vessels for a 13.1% increase, with a total of 14.6 million tons of cargo processed through these facilities. The number of shipping containers passing through these ports during the same period was marked at 2.44 million TEU, a 5.78% increase. The port authority now expects maritime exports this year to grow 4%. -- © Copyright NNT 2022-02-19 - Aetna 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

The way to a Thai woman’s heart and putting a spell on the ladle - forget love, think money and food! The week got off to a particularly controversial start as Monday was Valentine’s Day. A day when newbies in Thailand think they can impress their Thai wives and girlfriends with flowers. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250855-the-way-to-a-thai-woman’s-heart-and-putting-a-spell-on-the-ladle-forget-love-think-money-and-food/

The week got off to a particularly controversial start as Monday was Valentine’s Day. A day when newbies in Thailand think they can impress their Thai wives and girlfriends with flowers. That may wash in Farangistan but has little merit in Thailand. No, the only way to truly impress a Thai wife is with cash, gold or both. Love is also quite unnecessary especially when compared to what the British refer to as “a good old rogering”. To wit, Rooster is always reminded of a scene in the wartime movie The Great Escape when the commandant finds it amusing that the POWs are planting flowers. The Nazi is reminded that these are potatoes and that “you can’t eat flowers, colonel”. Yes, the way to a Thai woman’s heart is either via the ATM or through something she can eat. And it is said that the way to a Thai husband’s heart is through a woman who can cook - if the proverb about putting a spell on the ladle is to be believed! (เสน่ห์ปลายจวักผัวรักจนตาย - saneh plai jawak phua rak jon tai - Put magic on the end of the ladle and hubby will love you to the end). In Bang Khun Thian the district chief decided to pull a publicity stunt by offering cute, non-legal certificates of marriage to LGBTQ+ couples, many of whom were outraged and pointed out it was time that legally binding marriages were offered to their community in Thailand. Too true. The way that gays and transgenders are portrayed on the soaps must make them mince, I mean wince. If you think that attitudes are liberal then you haven’t been in Thailand long enough to appreciate the official and cultural undercurrents to the contrary. One activist called the certificates a “waste of time”; the same could also be said of marriage. Valentine’s - except for a fence at the Grand National steeplechase - always reminds me of my first wedding back in July 1990. I’d woken bleary eyed to a phone call from a woman 12 years my senior who reminded me we were meant to be getting hitched that day. We raced off to the local district office on my Honda Rebel only to be told that all my meticulously prepared paperwork was not in order, we should try Bang Rak. We argued in the car park about who was to blame - not an auspicious start to a married life but par for the course after the two year courtship that we’d both endured as much as enjoyed. Then we belted off to the District of Love registry office, handily located near Patpong. Here we were at each other's throats again after being made to wait all day then being told at 4 pm the office was shutting. This was remedied with the sweetening effect of what we all used to call “a purple” that ensured the office remained open till 6. As the national anthem played and we stood, well apart, we clutched our “tabian somrots” and went for a McDonald’s (or I did) followed by a couple of photos on a bar hopping tout’s Polaroid at Superstar. Yes, with Rooster it is all about the romance. Doubtless such stories will be doing the rounds today when my grown children, from the union of a mean, Scrabble playing Brit and a schizophrenic Thai who falls asleep if given chili, arrive in Thailand. The nippers, aged 29 and 27 and based in London and Liverpool, have not set foot in their Asian homeland for 3 years because of Covid. And they nearly didn’t this time. They both had the same Thailand Pass application but while my son’s was approved my daughter’s was turned down because the zillion baht Covid insurance was in pounds not dollars. How petty and pedantic can you get? (A rhetorical question). They should scrap the whole thing, not just tweak it as they suggested this week. For goodness sake just insist on vaccinated travelers for now. It’s not that there will be many tourists - “high” season (oxymoron alert) is done and dusted. Scrap the need to even be vaxxed come next October when more people might be thinking of long haul again. Wednesday was Makha Bucha Day. Thailand insists on having alcohol bans whenever possible for no reason that I have ever been able to fathom. Fortunately Mrs Rooster - Mark 2 or should that be Mach 2 - has a convenient relationship with Buddha meaning that we both got absolutely paralytic without a sliver of guilt (something that Christians and Muslims seem to be weighed down by). Phuket continued to feature heavily in the news. The two foreign men who dispatched Jimi “The Slice” Singh the other week were named as Thai plod pretended they were going to nab them with help from the Canadians. Predictably everyone online made comparisons with Red Bull Boss whose name may well be a ‘tonic’ for clickathons on news sites but who this columnist has had a bellyful of. Also on the “Pearl of the Andaman”, tourist plod was jumping up and down in glee after a bunch of Thais helped a Russian tourist find her heirloom necklace in the surf. They clearly couldn’t find an honest taxi driver to give back half a million baht he found on the back seat. Oh the humanity! Tourism was saved and the good name of the kingdom restored to all its glory by the finding of a bit of sentimental Rusky tat. Rooster went to town putting the gushing praise of Thai officialdom into appropriately flowery English. Cue the predictable backlash of the resident Thai bashers on the forum and Facebook who wait by their keyboard with nothing better to do than pounce when the opportunity arises. Smell the roses guys, just don’t buy them for the missus. Yes, I’m guilty too, but my excuse is I get paid for ranting. Top crime of the week featured a 17 year old Toraphee - the ungrateful buffalo child of Ramakien fame. This one found out that her dear gran who had looked after her since the cradle actually had 100K in her account, discovered when the granddaughter went to the ATM to withdraw a lottery win. Unfortunately for gran the lottery of life was to disappoint her as the teen and her new online lover decided that she was worth more dead than alive so they connived to strangle her. Then wrap her up, bind her in a blanket, shove her in a plastic trash drum with compost and drive all the way from Korat to Suphanburi to find a suitable burial site. News of the body being found spooked them and they were arrested doing what Thai criminals always seem to do - going home to mother, the boyfriend's in this case. The sentence for the teen should reflect her young age - just 100 years please. Main drama of the week started with a request by the Royal Society to officially call Bangkok by the name all Thais use Krung Thep plus the Maha Nakhon bit for good measure. A surprising number of posters had barely heard of Krung Thep that some of us have been using in our Thai language for decades. The Thai press largely got it all wrong - leading ASEAN NOW to follow suit. The name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon - used officially for 21 years - was of course nothing new. It was all about punctuation, said the society, after an excrement storm from Thais and foreigners online fearful that Bangkok would disappear before global warming and flood waters do the trick in 2050. The old name was Krung Thep Maha Nakhon; Bangkok. The new one Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok). Brackets instead of a semi-colon. The society said that it didn’t really matter what name was used so long as people stopped calling them to complain. I really would encourage any non-Thai to learn the full name of the greatest city on earth that can stretch to 150 characters in English. Listen to the Asanee/Wasan song on YouTube a few dozen times to get the cadence and then enjoy how many free beers you get when performing your party-piece after a few beverages. Doing a party-piece at a restaurant was a Thai man out with his missus. CCTV showed him suddenly keel back and start gagging. I thought chicken bones and Heimlich maneuver until I read the headline. It was none other than that essential accompaniment to virtually any food - Wasabi. But as anyone should know, and the man involved now surely does, it should be consumed in moderation. Try having too much and compare it to a Covid nose swab and tell me which one is worse. In international news His Royal Horniness Andrew settled his civil underage sex case with a reported £12 million. No charities want to touch him with a barge-pole and tax payers are asking if their money was used in the settlement. The man formerly known as Prince should replace his name with some symbol. Might I humbly suggest an emoji pile of steaming plop….sir. Australia is opening up to fully vaxxed visitors next week, even if they play tennis. With all the negative stories coming out of Down Under over the last few years I think I’d prefer to go to North Korea, Victoria Bitter or no VB. In New Zealand the authorities came up with a novel idea to disperse crowds of protesters - Barry Manilow on loop on loudspeakers. This has given me an idea for the Thai police; time to get my Max Bygraves greatest hits album out. Just a few bars would have Penguin, Mike and Rung begging for mercy. In sports the Los Angeles Rams scored a late touchdown to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl 56. Eminem took time off from making chocolates to perform at halftime controversially ‘taking the knee’ towards the end of his performance. Lord’s announced that the annual cricket matches between Oxford and Cambridge and Eton and Harrow would end from next year. Yet more damning evidence that elitist Britain is becoming more damn egalitarian. Back in Thailand elephants were in the news almost daily. Two got married on Valentine’s Day at a camp in Chiang Mai (food featured heavily) while a video of an anti-vax pachyderm who hid underwater from a vet’s needle went viral. Monks also continued to make all the bad headlines. One behind the wheel lost control and killed two students in Surin while another was defrocked in Sattahip after doing a runner on his restaurant and booze bill. Top gut wrenching photo of the week featured a Thai driver “graaping” the feet of a deaf 82 year old “tuat”. The ‘graaper’ with his head to the tarmac had just killed the old man’s daughter and sent his great grandson to hospital hitting them as they cycled home in Udon Thani. Incredibly Nonwat was on his way to another province to pay a speeding fine. This was one of many accidents in the last seven days blamed on the unseasonal rain that sent temperatures in the kingdom plummeting to below 30C. Next week it’ll be back to faulty brakes again. Down in Pattaya a two year old boy tragically died in the swimming pool at a villa. As someone who nearly lost their precious child last year, I would urge all parents to teach their children to swim from the earliest age and even then never take your eyes off them around water. Drowning reportedly takes as many young lives as motorcycle accidents in Thailand and neither activity should be taken lightly. Some good news came at last on the green baize from Sheffield, England, where Thai cueist Nutcharat Wongharuthai won the women’s world snooker crown beating Belgium’s Wendy Hans 6-5 in the final. Mink will now get a tour card and a chance to play the men next season. I hope to interview her - and maybe get a game - when she returns to Thailand. On Friday another talented young Thai woman - Pol Lt Patarasaya or Lieutenant Viking - went online to slam conservatives in Thai society after pictures of her in a sexy swimsuit were posted. The RTP stunner, who is a police spokeswoman, reminded her detractors that this is 2022 and it’s not how you look but how well you do your job that matters. Good luck with that in beauty obsessed Thailand! Earlier, the comely lass - as Bangkok Post legend Bernard Trink used to refer to Thai bar girls in his weekly columns - had appeared at the mike in the case against Ferrari Joe. He has had his assets seized and many on the forum would like to do that to Ms Viking, if comments were anything to go by. Another charismatic cop - Lt-Gen Surachate Big Joke Hakparn - then appeared in Surat Thani. BJ is going after not just the procurers and madams for underage sex but the men who sleep with the victims. This is a worthwhile crusade and hopefully one that with the help of the high profile cop will see the arrest of influential men who prey on teen children. In this case a politician’s son and a doctor, among others, are facing arrest. Finally ASEAN NOW had a feature story asking the question: Could it be Covid safer to take the train rather than the plane? Unfortunately the article didn’t answer the question as to whether you were more likely to catch the dreaded lurgy on the railway or in the air. But Rooster for one would recommend the train over domestic flying any time. Get a good book, enjoy the view and the far superior food! You may get to your destination the next day - maybe 12 hours late but you can always get a sleeper bunk and thoroughly enjoy the journey. Letting the train take the Covid strain. Rooster -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-02-19 - Aetna 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

Mystery human skull found in the jungles of Korat Picture: INN INN reported that forestry officials working in Wang Nam Khiaw, Nakhon Ratchasima, found a mysterious human skull. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250853-mystery-human-skull-found-in-the-jungles-of-korat/

Picture: INN INN reported that forestry officials working in Wang Nam Khiaw, Nakhon Ratchasima, found a mysterious human skull. It was found in the Khao Phu Luang area of Marerng sub-district. Police said the skull was found fifty meters off a road and was full of soil having probably been there for 3-4 years. No other bones were found. It was thought that animals had brought the skull there from another location. Picture: INN The skull is being kept at the Wang Nam Khiaw police station ahead of an autopsy and forensic analysis to determine who it might have been. They plan to ask the locals if anyone went missing a few years ago though they said that up to now they had received no reports of a missing person. Long Stay Visa Health Insurance Plans -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-02-19 - Aetna 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

Thailand Tourism Festival 2022 opens in Bangkok’s Lumphini Park to great fanfare Taking place from 18 to 22 February, from 11:00 to 21:00 Hrs. Entrance is free. TAT Newsroom Bangkok, 18 February, 2022 – The 40th Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF), organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), officially opened and will run until Tuesday, 22 February, at Bangkok’s iconic Lumphini Park, which has been transformed into a mini-Thailand filled with outstanding landmarks, cultural heritage, and the best products from across the country, as well as the latest innovations in response to new normal travel style approach. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1250852-thailand-tourism-festival-2022-opens-in-bangkok’s-lumphini-park-to-great-fanfare/

Taking place from 18 to 22 February, from 11:00 to 21:00 Hrs. Entrance is free. TAT Newsroom Bangkok, 18 February, 2022 – The 40th Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF), organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), officially opened and will run until Tuesday, 22 February, at Bangkok’s iconic Lumphini Park, which has been transformed into a mini-Thailand filled with outstanding landmarks, cultural heritage, and the best products from across the country, as well as the latest innovations in response to new normal travel style approach. H.E. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Presiding over the opening ceremony, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, H.E. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, said, “This year Thailand Tourism Festival marks another significant step towards the Thai tourism recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The event plays pivotal roles in promoting the conservation of Thailand’s cultural and natural heritages, while introducing new normal tourism. I’d like to invite Thais, expatriates, and visiting tourists alike to join this event, to be inspired to once again to travel around Thailand in a safe and healthy way.” H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said, “The Thailand Tourism Festival 2022 forms part of the unprecedented efforts by all involved in the public and private sectors to revive the Thai economy through tourism, and return happiness to the Thai people around the country.” The five-day TTF 2022 features five uniquely-designed Thailand tourism villages representing the Central Region, East, North, Northeast, and South of Thailand, and a dedicated Bangkok Street Food zone. Visitors will also be offered tips for travelling more responsibly at the ‘Travel in Style with the New Normal’ zone. Meanwhile, cultural shows and music performances will take place throughout the five days at the ‘Centre Stage’ zone. Moreover, at the ‘Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters’ zone, TAT will offer insight into this year’s tourism marketing campaign, while introducing the latest in travel innovations and technology, including travel experiences in the Metaverse virtual world. The TTF 2022 is taking place in Lumphini Park, from 18 to 22 February, from 11:00 to 21:00 Hrs. Entrance is free. Visitors are encouraged to arrive via the BTS Sala Daeng Station or the Silom MRT underground station. Organised in accordance with health and safety measures stipulated by the Ministry of Public Health to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, all participants are asked to kindly abide by these measures at all times. Source: https://www.tatnews.org/2022/02/thailand-tourism-festival-2022-opens-in-bangkoks-lumphini-park-to-great-fanfare/ -- © Copyright TAT NEWS 2022-02-19 - Aetna 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