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Sacked cop ‘Joe Ferrari’ involved in seizure of 410 smuggled high-end cars The dismissed former police superintendent in Nakhon Sawan province, Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphol, had been involved in the seizure of 410 luxurious cars smuggled through into Thailand from Singapore and Malaysia during his service, with 270 of them reported to have been stolen abroad, according to Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Suchart Thiraswasdi. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234127-sacked-cop-‘joe-ferrari’-involved-in-seizure-of-410-smuggled-high-end-cars/

The dismissed former police superintendent in Nakhon Sawan province, Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphol, had been involved in the seizure of 410 luxurious cars smuggled through into Thailand from Singapore and Malaysia during his service, with 270 of them reported to have been stolen abroad, according to Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Suchart Thiraswasdi. Thitisan, aka “Joe Ferrari”, and his subordinates at Nakhon Sawan’s Muang district police station are accused of torturing a drug suspect in their custody to death, by covering his face with several layers of plastic bags. All are currently on remand pending the outcome of the investigation. Citing a report into Thitisan’s involvement in the seizure of the cars and suspected money laundering, Pol Gen Suchart said it was discovered that 101 of the smuggled cars were reported to have been stolen abroad, before they were seized in Thailand, and 169 were reported stolen after their seizure, leaving 140 cars, the provenance of which is still being investigated. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/sacked-cop-joe-ferrari-involved-in-seizure-of-410-smuggled-high-end-cars/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-10-05 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp hit by outage: tracker Facebook outage reports on Downdetector. (Photo by Tulip Naksompop Blauw) Major social media services including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were hit by a massive outage on Monday, tracking sites showed, impacting potentially tens of millions of users. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234126-facebook-instagram-whatsapp-hit-by-outage-tracker/

Facebook outage reports on Downdetector. (Photo by Tulip Naksompop Blauw) Major social media services including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were hit by a massive outage on Monday, tracking sites showed, impacting potentially tens of millions of users. Outage tracker Downdetector was showing outages in heavily populated areas like Washington and Paris, with problems being reported from around 1545 GMT. Users trying to access Facebook in affected areas were greeted with the message: “Something went wrong. We’re working on it and we’ll get it fixed as soon as we can.” Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-hit-by-outage-tracker/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-10-05 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

to continue: Thailand Live Tuesday 5 Oct 2021 https://aseannow.com/topic/1234125-thailand-live-tuesday-5-oct-2021/

Pandora Papers expose world leaders’ offshore entities, Thai tycoon families among listed More than a dozen heads of state and government, from Jordan to Azerbaijan, Kenya and the Czech Republic, have used offshore tax havens to hide assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a far-reaching new investigation by the ICIJ media consortium. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234042-pandora-papers-expose-world-leaders’-offshore-entities-thai-tycoon-families-among-listed/

Hospitals to Receive Partial Moderna Vaccine Delivery BANGKOK (TNA) – Hospitals will receive the partial delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna in the fourth quarter of this year and they will equally have 40% of their order. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234083-hospitals-to-receive-partial-moderna-vaccine-delivery/

Thailand in talks with Merck for 200,000 courses of pill for COVID-19 treatment FILE PHOTO: An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill called molnupiravir being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck & Co Inc and obtained by Reuters May 17, 2021. Merck & Co Inc/Handout via REUTERS BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's government is in talks with U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co to purchase 200,000 courses of the company's experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 treatment, a Thai official said on Monday. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234036-thailand-in-talks-with-merck-for-200000-courses-of-pill-for-covid-19-treatment/

Yikes! Family in Buriram spend the whole night sleeping with a snake Piture: Sanook Sanook reported that a mum and dad and their three children aged 4, 2 and five months spent the whole night in a large bed unaware they were sleeping with a snake. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234024-yikes-family-in-buriram-spend-the-whole-night-sleeping-with-a-snake/

Piture: Sanook Sanook reported that a mum and dad and their three children aged 4, 2 and five months spent the whole night in a large bed unaware they were sleeping with a snake. They woke in the morning and moved a pillow used by the five months old child to discover the serpent coiled up underneath. The parents at the house in Si Liam Noi, Buriram, north east Thailand managed to chase away the snake with the help of neighbors. It was a two meter long "ngu sing" commonly called a ratsnake. Mum Natwadee said it was not a venomous snake but she warned other householders living on the ground floor to watch out in the rainy season. She made merit to ward off any future harm. Meanwhile Sanook speculated that people would use the number of the house - 320 - to play the lottery as many do when snakes intrude into the lives of people in Thailand. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Residents in 6 northeastern Thai provinces warned to prepare forevacuation as Chi river rises Thailand’s National Water Directorate has issued an advisory,for riverside residents living in 28 districts in six north-eastern provinces, to move their valuables to higher ground and be ready for evacuation anytime between today (Monday) andOctober 15th due to possible flooding from the swollen Chi River. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234023-residents-in-6-northeastern-thai-provinces-warned-to-prepare-for-evacuation-as-chi-river-rises/

Thailand’s National Water Directorate has issued an advisory,for riverside residents living in 28 districts in six north-eastern provinces, to move their valuables to higher ground and be ready for evacuation anytime between today (Monday) andOctober 15th due to possible flooding from the swollen Chi River. According to the directorate, heavy rain, caused by Dianmudepression and monsoon trough on September 24th and 25th, has driven a substantial rise in the level of the Chi River, overflowing its banks and inundating the upper river basin in Chaiyaphum province. The water has flowed downstream to the Chonnabot Dam in Chonnabot district of Khon Kaen, raising the level of water in the reservoir to about 3.5 meters above the low-lying bank, resulting in flooding of low-lying areas in Kok Pochai, Wang Yai, Chonnabot, Ban Phai, Ban Haet and Phra Yuen districts of Khon Kaen province. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/residents-in-6-northeastern-thai-provinces-warned-to-prepare-forevacuation-as-chi-river-rises/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Phuket night time businesses say Sandbox has been a huge failure Picture: Sanook People who run restaurants, pubs and bars in Phuket's night life areas say that for them the much vaunted Sandbox has been an utter failure. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234021-phuket-night-time-businesses-say-sandbox-has-been-a-huge-failure/

Picture: Sanook People who run restaurants, pubs and bars in Phuket's night life areas say that for them the much vaunted Sandbox has been an utter failure. While the Thai PM and the Tourism Authorities have been proclaiming tens of thousands of tourists spending billions of baht, they haven't seen any benefit at all. The only people to have got money are the owners of big hotels. It hasn't filtered down to ordinary people at all. Now they are faced with the third "high season" in a row losing money. One manager told Sanook that when the Sandbox was announced their hopes were high. They followed all the regulations, got ready and had their staff double and triple vaxxed. Then they couldn't open. Picture: Sanook A restaurateur in the night life area said that with the alcohol ban it was pointless opening at all. "No booze, no point" they said as no one wanted to go out and not be able to drink. They had 100,000 in rent to find and staff salaries to pay - the designation of the Sandbox meant their staff had not even been eligible for state benefits leaving the onus on them to take care of their personnel. Others spoke of the three - four billion baht generated in the three months just going into the pockets of the big hotels. Tourists had stayed inside them as they catered to most of their needs. They had hardly left the big hotels at all. Even small hotels had received zero benefit from the Sandbox. Others the media spoke to said that the ridiculous hoops that foreign tourists had had to jump through and the onerous expenses they face put off the majority of real tourists who were not people just looking for a way back to resume a life in Thailand. They said that only if things are made easier for tourists - like in places opening up in Europe - will they come in any decent numbers. With 10 pm closing, no customers and little hope despite the lifting of the alcohol ban on October 1st, they said that this would be the third high season failure in a row. The Sanook report was a stark contrast to the big noises from the government and the TAT, notes ASEAN NOW. For the majority on the ground at least in the night time sector that was so big on the holiday island, it has been a complete failure. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

CoC presses for 400,000 illegal foreigners in Thailand to get vaccinated and solve labor shortage file photo: REUTERS Thai business media quoted the chief of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Sanan Angubonkul as assessing that there were 300,000 to 400,000 illegal foreign migrants in Thailand. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234019-coc-presses-for-400000-illegal-foreigners-in-thailand-to-get-vaccinated-and-solve-labor-shortage/

file photo: REUTERS Thai business media quoted the chief of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Sanan Angubonkul as assessing that there were 300,000 to 400,000 illegal foreign migrants in Thailand. He said the issue was raised at a recent meeting of the CCSA. Sanan wants to see these migrants made legal in the system so that they can be vaccinated. This would help to address the severe labor shortage caused by migrants who have gone back to neighboring countries. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Video: Motorcyclists narrowly escape trouble after elephant charge Picture: Daily News A video showed several park rangers alerting two men on a motorcycle to potential peril from a wild elephant. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234018-video-motorcyclists-narrowly-escape-trouble-after-elephant-charge/

Picture: Daily News A video showed several park rangers alerting two men on a motorcycle to potential peril from a wild elephant. The rangers advise them to make a run for it but they don't heed the warning and narrowly escape as the elephant charges. They are then told "mai pen rai". Daily News said that a well known vet online called Dr Lot said that such situations would be relatively common now that parks were opened up again to tourism post-pandemic. Picture: Daily News He said that motorcyclists with noisy exhausts and lights on would scare elephants. And that if people saw rangers dealing with problems they should stay at least 50 meters away or they could face serious danger. As shown in the video -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Bangkok Reinforces Floodwalls along Chao Phraya River By Suwit Rattiwan BANGKOK (NNT) - As Bangkok is getting ready to cope with runoffs from the North, communities near the banks of the Chao Phraya River are asked to prepare for possible overflow. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234016-bangkok-reinforces-floodwalls-along-chao-phraya-river/

By Suwit Rattiwan BANGKOK (NNT) - As Bangkok is getting ready to cope with runoffs from the North, communities near the banks of the Chao Phraya River are asked to prepare for possible overflow. On Sunday, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang checked the flood embankment along the Chao Phraya River and ordered the reinforcement of floodwalls that are running from Rama 7 Bridge to Bang Na, approximately 78.95 kilometers long. All the 97 water pumping stations along the riverbanks were also checked for readiness, with equipment and staff providing help 24 hours a day in case of an emergency. The governor urged residents living in seven districts outside the Chao Phraya River embankment to move belongings to a higher place to minimize damage. Those districts are Dusit, Phra Nakhon, Samphanthawong, Bang Kho Laem, Yannawa, Bangkok Noi and Khlong San. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has forecast heavy rains in 60% of areas in the northern, eastern and central regions. Meanwhile, the National Water Command Center said the volume of rain set to accumulate in the upper river and Pa Sak stream may gradually increase water levels in the Chao Phraya Dam between Oct 1 and 5, which may affect those who live outside of the river’s floodwalls. -- © Copyright NNT 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Registrations for AstraZeneca booster shots for those with 2 Sinovac jabs open Thursday The COVID-19 vaccination site at Bang Sue Grand station in Bangkok has announced that they will start providing AstraZeneca booster shots, for those who were already vaccinated with two doses of Sinovac before July 31st. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234014-registrations-for-astrazeneca-booster-shots-for-those-with-2-sinovac-jabs-open-thursday/

The COVID-19 vaccination site at Bang Sue Grand station in Bangkok has announced that they will start providing AstraZeneca booster shots, for those who were already vaccinated with two doses of Sinovac before July 31st. Registrations will be open from this Thursday (October 7th) at 9am through mobile phone providers, and the vaccinations will start from October 9th to 31st, from 9am to 5pm, free of charge. Walk-in appointments are not available. According to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, 54.86 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to date, with 31% of the entire population fully vaccinated with two doses, while 2.2% of the population have received third booster shots. 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/registrations-for-astrazeneca-booster-shots-for-those-with-2-sinovac-jabs-open-thursday/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

"Shameful" couple having sex against sacred rubber tree caused storm devastation, say Chiang Mai locals Picture: Daily News Locals in Chiang Mai claim convinced that the gods wrought havoc on Chiang Mai after two people recorded themselves having sex up against a sacred rubber tree. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234013-shameful-couple-having-sex-against-sacred-rubber-tree-caused-storm-devastation-say-chiang-mai-locals/

Picture: Daily News Locals in Chiang Mai claim convinced that the gods wrought havoc on Chiang Mai after two people recorded themselves having sex up against a sacred rubber tree. The clip was on OnlyFans and was recorded on the old Chiang Mai to Lamphun Road. Within three days a huge storm knocked down 10 sacred trees nearby, damaged 100 houses and brought down dozens of power poles and lampposts. This, claimed the locals, was a direct result of the outrageous behaviour. Daily News went to the area and pictured a man pointing to a tree where the deed apparently occurred. Chiang Mai cultural affairs chief Wallop Namuangphrom called it shameful and highly inauspicious. He said a "big bun" (large merit making ceremony) would be held to assuage the damage caused by the inappropriate act. The provincial police chief Pol Maj-Gen Thawatchai Pongwiwattanachai also took a dim view and said police were hunting those responsible. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-10-04 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

"New Look Phuket" can attract ONE MILLION foreign tourists spending 60 BILLION baht: Prayuth File photo: Thai government Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is the latest in Thailand to big up the prospects of tourism this coming "high season". Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1234011-new-look-phuket-can-attract-one-million-foreign-tourists-spending-60-billion-baht-prayuth/