Exclusive offer for Thaivisa readers - 500B discount coupon for SuperSports

 

 

Find out more:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1019624-exclusive-offer-for-thaivisa-readers-500b-discount-coupon-for-supersports/

Two Tragic Deaths on Mountain Road

by CityNews

 

 

CityNews – Two dead following two fatal crashes on mountain roads.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022562-two-tragic-deaths-on-mountain-road/

 

Phuket dive tour boat banned from Phi Phi for coral damage

The Phuket News

 

 

PHUKET:-- National park officials have banned a tour speedboat from re-entering a section of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park near Phi Phi Island after it allowed a group of divers hold a sign congratulating a Japanese diver for completing 200 dives on a coral head off the popular tourist island on Friday (Jan 26).

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022568-phuket-dive-tour-boat-banned-from-phi-phi-for-coral-damage/

PM denies role in ban on Prawit poll results

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

CONCERNS GROW FOR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AS POLLSTER QUITS AND ACADEMICS SUMMONED
 

AMID CONCERNS that intimidation of academics is growing, Prime Minister and junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha claimed yesterday that his government was not behind the self-censorship by a university that refused to publish an opinion poll.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022595-pm-denies-role-in-ban-on-prawit-poll-results/

 

Video: The morning after - pick-up crash site looks more like an airline accident

 

Picture: Wang Jaroen Suphot

 

Villagers surveying the scene of a pick-up crash on Saturday morning found utter and complete carnage.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022596-video-the-morning-after-pick-up-crash-site-looks-more-like-an-airline-accident/

 

 

Meet the "Most Holy German in Thailand" - the first foreigner to pass high level Buddhist exams

 

Picture: Sanook

 

A German who has lived most of his adult life in Thailand's north east studying Buddhism is being hailed as the most holy German in Thailand.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022597-meet-the-most-holy-german-in-thailand-the-first-foreigner-to-pass-high-level-buddhist-exams/

 

UPDATE:

 

‘Nothing changed’ in election plan and govt still popular, says Prayut

By The Nation

 

 

POSTPONEMENT of the enforcement of the MPs election bill by 90 days will not affect the government’s popularity, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022554-pm-doesn’t-expect-latest-election-delay-to-dent-govt-popularity/?do=findComment&comment=12663336

 

UPDATE:

 

Court rejects Yingluck’s request to block Bt35-bn rice-pledging compensation

By The Nation

 

 

Authorities can now seize assets of|fugitive EX-PM over rice-pledging scheme

 

THE ADMINISTRATIVE Court yesterday rejected former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s request for an injunction against a government order for her to pay Bt35 billion in compensation for damages allegedly stemming from her government’s rice-pledging scheme – a decision that in effect allows authorities to resume the seizure of her assets.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022550-court-rejects-yingluck’s-request-to-block-bt35-bn-rice-pledging-compensation/?do=findComment&comment=12663338

 

Court dismisses referendum charges against activists, reporter

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

THE PROVINCIAL Court of Ratchaburi yesterday dismissed a case against four student activists and a reporter accused of violating the law during the 2016 constitutional-draft referendum.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022599-court-dismisses-referendum-charges-against-activists-reporter/

 

Thai woman, French boyfriend blame each other for Italian’s murder

By Sayan Chucham, 
Thanisara Chaowalitroj 
The Nation 

 

Rujira Eiumlamai, 38, right is seen after being apprehended at a longan plantation in Tak province yesterday, while her French boyfriend, Rigaux Amaury, 34, left was arrested at a forest area five kilometres away on Sunday night.

 

A THAI woman and her French boyfriend have turned on each other after their arrests, with each blaming the other for the murder of the woman’s Italian ex-husband.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022600-thai-woman-french-boyfriend-blame-each-other-for-italian’s-murder/

 

AMLO targets bitcoin as crime networks turn to crypto-currencies

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

THE ANTI-MONEY Laundering Organisation (AMLO) is drafting an amendment to legislation covering bitcoin and other crypto-currencies used in money laundering and other illegal activities to facilitate enforcement of the law in cases in which ill-gotten funds are converted into digital currencies.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022601-amlo-targets-bitcoin-as-crime-networks-turn-to-crypto-currencies/

 

Hospitals to ‘soon’ learn their share of Toon charity-run proceeds

By The Nation

 

 

The 11 public hospitals to receive donations from rock star Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai’s cross-country charity run have been invited to meet to discuss their share of the fundraising proceeds, said Maj-General Nimit Samothan, president of Phramongkutklao Hospital Foundation.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022602-hospitals-to-‘soon’-learn-their-share-of-toon-charity-run-proceeds/

 

BMA denies promise to save Mahakan houses

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation 

 

Workers tear down the wall of one of 18 houses that had previously been designated as |“preserved” in the Mahakan Fort Community |yesterday.

 

TWO MORE wooden houses in Bangkok’s historic quarter of Mahakan Fort Community were dismantled yesterday, sparking strong protests that this violated an agreement between the authorities and the community.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022603-bma-denies-promise-to-save-mahakan-houses/

 

Officer under investigation for extortion charged over drugs in police raid

By Kittipong Maneerit 
The Nation

 

 

A traffic policeman in Bangkok’s Lumphini precinct, who allegedly forced a bogus drug charge against a Canadian national in attempt to extort money from the victim, has been dismissed from the civil service and faces a serious disciplinary probe in addition to a criminal investigation.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022604-bangkok-police-officer-under-investigation-for-trying-to-extort-money-from-canadian-teacher/ 

 

Economic growth to continue this year

By WICHIT CHAITRONG 
THE NATION

 

 

THAILAND’S Finance Ministry has projected higher economic growth for this year, predicting a growth rate of 4.2 per cent and upgrading its economic forecast to 4 per cent for 2017.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022606-economic-growth-to-continue-this-year/

 

EDITORIAL

‘SLAPP’ given junta critics carries a sting

By The Nation

 

By denying scholars free speech, the government is only hurting itself – and further damaging Thailand’s reputation

 

The ruling military junta is using a tactic known as “SLAPP” (“Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation”) to gag intellectuals and prominent public figures. Basically, it drops them into legal quicksand that consumes all the time and energy they might otherwise devote to criticising the dearth of democratic freedoms.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022607-‘slapp’-given-junta-critics-carries-a-sting/

 

Thai Police Report Foreigner Found Dead on Rayong Beach Was Australian Tourist

 

RAYONG -Pol Maj Sakol Khamyingyong of Phe police station in Rayong has reported that the body of a foreign man found on a Rayong beach at the weekend has been identified as an Australian national.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022609-thai-police-report-foreigner-found-dead-on-rayong-beach-was-australian-tourist/

 

Labour ministry to propose Wage Committee’s new minimum wage rate to the cabinet for consideration on Tuesday

By Thai PBS

 

 

The Ministry of Labour will not bow to the demand of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee for a single minimum wage rate to be applicable nationwide and will propose to the Cabinet on Tuesday the tri-partite Wage Committee’s decision on January 17 to increase the wage rate by 5-22 baht a day.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022610-labour-ministry-to-propose-wage-committee’s-new-minimum-wage-rate-to-the-cabinet-for-consideration-on-tuesday/

 

FBI's No. 2 official McCabe, blasted by Trump, steps down

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

FILE PHOTO: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe pauses while testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in Washington, U.S., June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Files

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, criticized by President Donald Trump and other Republicans for alleged bias against him and in favour of his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, has stepped down, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022612-fbis-no-2-official-mccabe-blasted-by-trump-steps-down/

 

Kremlin calls U.S. sanctions move attempt to influence Russian elections

 

Men walk past a board, which advertises the campaign of Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the upcoming presidential election, in a street in Tula, south of Moscow, Russia January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that a new U.S. sanctions report expected to be released imminently was an attempt to influence Russia's presidential election in March, but predicted it would fail to impact the vote.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022613-kremlin-calls-us-sanctions-move-attempt-to-influence-russian-elections/

 

Ireland to hold abortion referendum at the end of May

By Padraic Halpin

 

FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo

 

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's government on Monday proposed holding a referendum to liberalise the country's abortion regime at the end of May, offering voters the first opportunity in 35 years to overhaul some of the world's strictest laws.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022615-ireland-to-hold-abortion-referendum-at-the-end-of-may/

 

Trump says to address trade, immigration in State of the Union speech

 

U.S. President Donald Trump departs after the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Monday he will address his proposed immigration overhaul in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday and will seek Democratic support for it.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022616-trump-says-to-address-trade-immigration-in-state-of-the-union-speech/

 

Trump rejects peace talks with Taliban in departure from Afghan strategy

By Roberta Rampton and Jonathan Landay

 

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after participating in the swearing-in ceremony for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday rejected the idea of talks with the Taliban after a series of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, in an apparent contradiction of his own strategy to end America's longest foreign war.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022617-trump-rejects-peace-talks-with-taliban-in-departure-from-afghan-strategy/

 

BBC women denounce unequal pay as heat rises for broadcaster

By Estelle Shirbon

 

The main entrance to the BBC headquarters and studios in Portland Place, London, Britain, July 16, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Women working for the BBC have complained they were paid less than men in equivalent jobs and have accused managers of misleading them about their pay to hide widespread gender discrimination at the public broadcaster.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022623-bbc-women-denounce-unequal-pay-as-heat-rises-for-broadcaster/

 

EU offers Brexit transition, but UK must 'accept rules'

By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald

 

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier attends a meeting of European Union Home/European affairs ministers in Brussels, Belgium January 29, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union offered on Monday to let Britain keep its membership benefits for 21 months after Brexit to help businesses adapt but it rejected the idea that London could block new EU laws during the transition.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022624-eu-offers-brexit-transition-but-uk-must-accept-rules/

 

Apple to halve iPhone X production

BY REUTERS

 

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Files

 

Apple shares skid on report of iPhone X production cut

 

(Reuters) – Apple Inc will halve its iPhone X production target for the first three months of the year to around 20 million units, Nikkei reported on Monday, sending its shares down 1.6 percent.

 

Full story: https://tech.thaivisa.com/apple-halve-iphone-x-production/26902/

Video: Facebook to publish privacy principles for the first time

BY REUTERS

 

REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

 

Facebook makes privacy push ahead of strict EU law

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Facebook said on Monday it was publishing its privacy principles for the first time and rolling out educational videos to help users control who has access to their information, as it prepares for the start of a tough new EU data protection law.

 

Full story: https://tech.thaivisa.com/video-facebook-publish-privacy-principles-first-time/26904/

Facebook to promote local news in latest update

BY REUTERS

 

REUTERS/Toby Melville

 

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday the social media website would focus on promoting local news in its latest update.

 

Full story: https://tech.thaivisa.com/facebook-promote-local-news-latest-update/26906/

Police chief touts reuse of uniforms by poor farmers

By Suriya Patathayo 
The Nation

 

File photo: National police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda

 

A National police boss has come up with an idea, calling for policemen to donate their old and unused uniforms of the royally-granted khaki shade known as “Sor Nor Wor 01” to be dyed a different colour and given to either poor farmers for use when working in the fields or to those hit by a disaster.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022626-police-chief-touts-reuse-of-uniforms-by-poor-farmers/

 

U.S. to resume refugee admissions from 11 'high-risk' countries

By Yeganeh Torbati

 

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee on "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/Files

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will resume admissions for refugees from 11 countries identified as presenting a high security risk, but with extra vetting for these mostly Middle Eastern and African nations, senior U.S. officials said on Monday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1022627-us-to-resume-refugee-admissions-from-11-high-risk-countries/