Krabi tourism operators appeal indefinite closure of Maya Bay

By Sitthichai Sikhawat 
The Nation

 

This undated handout photo distributed by the Thai National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department on October 3, 2018 shows the beach on Maya Bay closed to visitors on the southern Thai island of Koh Phi Phi. // AFP PHOTO

 

Krabi Tourism Association president Wattana Rerngsamut is appealing the indefinite closure of popular destinations Maya Bay and nearby Loh Samah Bay in an order made on Tuesday by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060191-krabi-tourism-operators-appeal-indefinite-closure-of-maya-bay/

Aswin comes clean on Bangkok flooding

By The Nation

 

 

Bangkok Governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang has admitted that the 20cm-deep flooding at Bang Khen roundabout on Monday that took two hours to drain was because city officials could not get the key to turn on water pumps.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060136-governor-aswin-comes-clean-on-bangkok-flooding/

Five vehicles involved in Krabi traffic light pile up

By Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

 

A driver has escaped serious injury after colliding with other vehicles at a traffic light in Krabi today, setting off a chain of other damage to the cars in front.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060182-five-vehicles-involved-in-krabi-traffic-light-pile-up/

Offer VAT refunds in malls, says retail body

By THE NATION

 

 

THE THAI Retailers Association (TRA) is to appeal to the Revenue Department to reconsider five locations it has proposed for value-added tax (VAT) refunds to foreign tourists other than at airports, TRA president Worawut Oonjai said yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060206-offer-vat-refunds-in-malls-says-thai-retail-body/

 

Upstream dams a threat to tomatoes, farmers

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation 
Bueng Kan 

 

 

THAILAND’S finest tomato production areas along Mekong River in the northeastern region have suffered serious impacts from dams in the lower Mekong River Basin, causing financial distress for the local farmers and threatening their livelihoods.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060207-upstream-dams-a-threat-to-tomatoes-farmers/

 

It's the season to be wary, says Marquez 

By Lerpong Amsa-ngiam 
The Nation

 

Marc Marquez plays with a traditional Thai puppet named Hanuman from Ramayana epic poem at Wat Ratchanatdaram temple in Bangkok. Photo by Tanachai Pramarnpanich

 

In-form world champ says ‘anything can happen’ if it rains.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060209-thailand-motogp-its-the-season-to-be-wary-says-marquez /

 

UPDATE:

 

Election still set for Feb 24: Prawit

By The Nation

 

Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan

 

Key government leaders maintained on Wednesday that the next general election would be held on February 24, dismissing speculation of possible postponement until late April.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060138-thailand will-stick-to-2019-date-for-general-election-deputy-pm-prawit-says/?do=findComment&comment=13424758

 

Crime victims club lodges complaint against lawyer Sittha over ‘bribe’

By The Nation

 

 

THE HELP Crime Victims Club yesterday lodged a complaint with police against a high-profile lawyer for allegedly demanding Bt500,000 from a couple as a bribe.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060210-crime-victims-club-lodges-complaint-against-lawyer-sittha-over-‘bribe’/

 

Helping only the poor may hurt all in the end, seminar hears

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation

 

 

SEVERAL ECONOMISTS have cautioned Thailand against falling into the trap of delivering state help to low-income earners only.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060211-helping-only-the-poor-may-hurt-all-in-the-end-seminar-hears/

 

Hospitals close to collapse: official

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

Health permanent secretary reveals efforts to improve service.
 

PUBLIC HEALTH Ministry permanent secretary Dr Sukhum Kanchanapimai yesterday admitted that the country's hospitals were overwhelmed, following an outspoken doctor's comment that the condition was "close to collapse".

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060212-hospitals-close-to-collapse-thai-official/

 

Amulets prove lucky for tech startup

By JIRAPAN BOONNOON 
THE NATION

 

Members of the World Amulet 3D team enjoy the limelight on stage as winners of the Young Technopreneur award.

 

THE WORLD Amulet 3D team has won the top prize in the Young Technopreneur category in the Samart Innovation Awards. The first runner-up award was handed to ActiveBoost and the second runner-up award was won by Kitteung, the latter in the automobile application services field.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060213-amulets-prove-lucky-for-tech-startup/

 

The GT200 debacle: gullibility or criminality?

By The Nation

 

 

Thailand wasn’t the only country that bought the dowsing rod sold as a bomb detector, but it bought the most and defended it the longest

 

A Bangkok court has convicted Thai firm Ava Satcom Co and its top executive of fraud for supplying GT200 devices to the Royal Aide-de-Camp Department.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060214-the-gt200-debacle-gullibility-or-criminality-editorial/

 

On World Animal Day, it’s time to end elephant polo

By Jason Baker 
Special to The Nation

 

 

World Animal Day falls today, October 4, and while it’s hard to know which animal rights issue will go viral over the next few hours, PETA Asia’s efforts to persuade the Minor Hotel Group to stop organising the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Thailand have already garnered worldwide attention.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060215-on-world-animal-day-it’s-time-to-end-elephant-polo/

 

Mixed reactions to Finance Ministry’s cigarette tax hike  proposal

 

 

The Finance Ministry’s plan to seek the Cabinet’s approval on a new rise in excise taxes that will result in the retail prices of cigarette being raised by 2 baht per pack has drawn mixed reactions.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060216-mixed-reactions-to-finance-ministry’s-cigarette-tax-hike -proposal/

 

New Commando Unit To Monitor ‘Threats’ To Monarchy

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

Police commandos conduct a raid on a suspected drug dealer home in Bangkok on June 1, 2016.

 

BANGKOK — The government on Monday announced the formation of a new police force tasked with protecting the monarchy.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060217-new-commando-unit-to-monitor-‘threats’-to-monarchy/

 

Bangkok Hotel Features Hitler Hotel Room
"We expect that Thai authorities will move swiftly to either close the establishment," Cooper added, "or demand that such a room be redesigned immediately."
BY TAMAR BEERI  
 

Hitler-themed hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, 2018. (photo credit: SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTRE)

 

A hotel located in Bangkok features a room dedicated entirely to Nazi leader and mass murderer Adolf Hitler.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060218-bangkok-hotel-features-hitler-hotel-room/

 

Senate moderates criticise Trump for mocking Kavanaugh accuser

By Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump addresses supporters during a Make America Great Again rally in Southaven, Mississippi, U.S. October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three moderate Republicans who could be pivotal in determining whether the Senate confirms U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh criticized President Donald Trump on Wednesday for mocking a woman who has accused the judge of sexual assault.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060219-senate-moderates-criticise-trump-for-mocking-kavanaugh-accuser/

 

Putin calls poisoned ex-spy Skripal a scumbag and traitor

By Dmitry Zhdannikov and Denis Pinchuk

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the Russian Energy Week international forum in Moscow, Russia October 3, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent poisoned in Britain, a scumbag who had betrayed Russia.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060220-putin-calls-poisoned-ex-spy-skripal-a-scumbag-and-traitor/

 

Peru annuls ex-leader Fujimori's pardon and orders his capture

 

FILE PHOTO: Former President of Peru Alberto Fujimori attends a trial as a witness at the navy base in Callao, Peru March 15, 2018. Picture taken through a window. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo/ File Photo

 

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's former authoritarian president Alberto Fujimori was transported by ambulance to a local clinic on Wednesday after a judge annulled a pardon granted to him last year and ordered his immediate capture and return to prison.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060221-peru-annuls-ex-leader-fujimoris-pardon-and-orders-his-capture/

 

French police recapture 'jailbreak king' after months on the run

By Emmanuel Jarry

 

FILE PHOTO: A special police officer stands guard in front the jail of Sequedin near Lille, northern France April 14, 2013. Redoine Faid, an inmate, used explosives and took hostages to escape out of jail on Saturday morning, local media reported. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

 

PARIS (Reuters) - A gangster who escaped from a French prison by helicopter with the help of an armed commando team was captured by police in a tower-block apartment early on Wednesday, ending another chapter in the life of a criminal known as the "jailbreak king".

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060222-french-police-recapture-jailbreak-king-after-months-on-the-run/

 

U.S. withdraws from international accords, says U.N. world court 'politicised'

By Roberta Rampton, Lesley Wroughton and Stephanie van den Berg

 

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton answers a question from a reporter about how he refers to Palestine during a news conference in the White House briefing room in Washington, U.S., October 3, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Wednesday pulled out of two international agreements after Iran and the Palestinians complained to the International Court of Justice about U.S. policies, the latest withdrawal by Washington from multilateral accords.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060223-us-withdraws-from-international-accords-says-un-world-court-politicised/

 

End divisions or put Brexit at risk, Britain's May tells party

By Elizabeth Piper, William James and Kylie MacLellan

 

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May walks through the conference centre on the third day of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Britain, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

 

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May appealed to her Conservative Party on Wednesday to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, warning critics their arguments could put Brexit in jeopardy.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060224-end-divisions-or-put-brexit-at-risk-britains may tells-party/

 

At least five police officers shot in South Carolina: local media

 

(Reuters) - At least five law enforcement officers were shot in Florence, South Carolina, on Wednesday, an ABC News affiliate reported, citing the local sheriff's office, and there were media reports that one of the officers was dead.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060226-at-least-five-police-officers-shot-in-south-carolina-local-media/

 

Trio wins chemistry Nobel for work on antibody drugs, smart enzymes

By Daniel Dickson and Ben Hirschler

 

Pictures of the 2018 Nobel Prize laureates for chemistry: Frances H. Arnold of the United States, George P. Smith of the United States and Gregory P. Winter of Britain are displayed on a screen during the announcement at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in Stockholm, Sweden, October 3, 2018. Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency/via REUTERS

 

STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) - Two Americans and a Briton won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry on Wednesday for harnessing the power of evolution to generate novel proteins used in everything from environmentally friendly detergents to cancer drugs.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060230-trio-wins-chemistry-nobel-for-work-on-antibody-drugs-smart-enzymes/

 

UPDATE:

 

South Carolina shooting leaves one officer dead, four injured: local media

 

Emergency personnel are seen on site in the aftermath of a shooting in Florence, South Carolina, U.S. October 3, 2018, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Derek Lowe/via REUTERS

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060226-at-least-five-police-officers-shot-in-south-carolina-local-media/?do=findComment&comment=13425095

 

DPM Wissanu dismisses reports of delayed general election

 

FILE photo

 

BANGKOK, 4th October 2018 (NNT) -- A deputy prime minister in charge of legal affairs has rejected reports that the general election could be delayed by a few months from the originally planned schedule. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060232-dpm-wissanu-dismisses-reports-of-delayed-general-election/

 

ONWR says rainy season coming to an end despite reports of flooding

 

 

MAE HONG SON, 4 October 2018 (NNT) – The assessment of the National Water Resources (ONWR) office, is that rainfall is now easing in the country, and that close management of Bhumibol and Sirikit dams is needed to ensure that water supplies last through the dry season. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060236-onwr-says-rainy-season-coming-to-an-end-despite-reports-of-flooding/

 

Pompeo optimistic Pyongyang trip will yield U.S.-North Korea progress

By Lesley Wroughton and David Brunnstrom

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the State Department in Washington, U.S., October 3, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he was optimistic his planned visit to Pyongyang this weekend would bring progress toward a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and in building a path to North Korea's denuclearization.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060238-pompeo-optimistic-pyongyang-trip-will-yield-us-north-korea-progress/

 

PM visits Lamphun to promote secondary destination tourism campaign

 

 

BANGKOK, 4 October 2018, (NNT) - The Prime Minister has visited the northern province of Lamphun, as part of the government's campaign to promote secondary destinations. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060240-pm-prayut-visits-lamphun-to-promote-secondary-destination-tourism-campaign/

 

Burmese man drowns trying to rescue monkey

By Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

 

Three male Myanmar citizens did the right thing and jumped into a lagoon in Koh Kaew last night trying to rescue a monkey. But one of them drowned during his efforts to save the distressed monkey.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1060252-burmese-man-drowns-trying-to-rescue-monkey/