Brit expat charged for horrific Phuket accident

By Tavee Adam

 

The victim’s body was torn apart by the force of the impact. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

 

PHUKET: Police confirmed today (Oct 17) that British expat Paul John Mercer has been charged with reckless driving causing death.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063307-brit-expat-charged-for-horrific-phuket-accident/

JD Sports to open first store in Thailand at Iconsiam

By The Nation

 

 

JD Sports will open its first store in Thailand on November 9 at Iconsiam, with a wide range of sports apparel including leading brands Nike, adidas, North Face and Vans.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063326-jd-sports-to-open-first-store-in-thailand-at-iconsiam/

Spend more on the schools – and more wisely

By The Nation

 

 

Thailand will be in a precarious position if the educational system isn’t greatly improved soon

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063368-spend-more-on-the-schools-–-and-more-wisely-opinion/

 

Prayut plans ‘lively’ chats with public via Facebook Live

By THE NATION

 

 

PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha, who now calls himself Tuu Digital, will use live streaming as a way to reach out to people, Puttipong Punnakanta, deputy secretary-general to the premier, said yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063370-prayut-plans-‘lively’-chats-with-public-via-facebook-live/

 

Mental asylum best  place for ‘cracked’ anti-monarchists, says new Army chief 

By THE NATION

 

 

THAILAND may soon see anti-royalists being thrown into mental asylums instead of being put behind bars thanks to the new Army chief’s belief that most people criticising the monarchy are either “cracked or bizarre”. 

In his first press conference since taking the top post on October 1, General Apirat Kongsompong said yesterday that the Army was the servant of the monarchy and its duty was to protect this beloved institution. 

 

“Insult and disrespect mostly comes from people who have mental disorders,” he said. “Like recently, one person tried to petition [the King] and was later found to be a mental patient. So the authorities sent him to the [mental asylum at] Srithanya Hospital.” 

 

He added that anti-monarchists also included sound people with “strange thoughts” that would not be tolerated. 

“These people can’t be in Thailand,” he said. “We have always been protected by the monarchy, since the time of our ancestors. Why can’t they [the anti-monarchists] be grateful for that? Everybody is patriotic here. Governments change, but the monarch will always stay with Thailand. 

 

“I will protect the monarchy with everything I have, it’s the Army’s duty.”

 

Action against anti-monarchists in Thailand has always been the subject of debate. While rights advocates say freedom of expression should be respected, the government maintains the draconian lese majeste law, which makes any criticism of the monarchy a crime punishable by three to 15 years in jail.

 

Apart from the rights issue, the law is often used as a tool to both eliminate political rivals and also justify political actions. 

 

A number of political activists and critics have chosen to live in self-exile overseas after facing lese majeste charges, believing their chance of winning the case in court is very slim. Those who decide to stay and fight the case usually end up pleading guilty in the hope of receiving a short jail term. Yet recently the number of royal-defamation cases has been dropping. 

 

According to iLaw, 2018 has so far seen no lese majeste cases – an unprecedented development. Also, several defendants have either been acquitted or granted bail, when previously the conviction rate was almost 100 per cent. 

 

A source familiar with the matter said there could be a couple of reasons behind this. 

 

“One reason could be a change in the procedure to prevent the misuse of the law, while another could be that people are so afraid that they just don’t voice anti-monarchist sentiments anymore,” the source said. 

 

There is another theory floated by renowned social critic Sulak Sivaraksa, who himself has been charged with the crime.

In a recent interview with Asia Times, Sulak said that in a private audience with HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn, he learned that the King realised the law had previously been abused for political purposes. 

 

“I told the King that his father [King Rama IX] had clearly said – it’s on record – that anybody that makes the case of lese majeste harms him personally and undermines the monarchy,” Sulak said in the interview published on Tuesday on the Asia Times website. “And you can say publicly the King wrote personally to the Supreme Court and Attorney General, and since then there have been no new cases under [Article] 112.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30356661

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-18

BMA to give Khao San vendors footpath access from 6pm to midnight

By THE NATION

 

File photo: Khao San Road // The Nation Photo

 

BANGKOK CITY Hall on Wednesday relaxed its former plan to completely ban vendors from the footpaths of Khao San Road, by now allowing them to sell their wares from 6pm until midnight.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063371-bma-to-give-khao-san-vendors-footpath-access-from-6pm-to-midnight/

 

UPDATE:

 

Former jet-setting monk gets 16 years for raping underage girl

By KESINEE TAENGKHIEO 
THE NATION

 

Former monk Wirapol “Luang Pu Nenkham” Sukphol, 39, arrives at Ratchadapisek Criminal Court in Bangkok on Wednesday to hear the verdict in a case involving the rape of a 14-year-old girl from 2000 to mid-2001.

 

FORMER MONK Wirapol Sukphol, known as jet-setting Luang Pu Nenkham, was given another 16 years behind bars for taking a 14-year-old girl away from her parents and allegedly raping her for nearly two years almost two decades ago.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063298-jailed-thai-ex-monk-gets-further-16-years-for-child-rape-abduction/?do=findComment&comment=13469932

 

‘Vaccine denial’ behind measles deaths in South

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

 

Local Islamic teachers preaching vaccination ‘forbidden’ for Muslims.

 

THE “vaccine denial” common in some Muslim communities has contributed to the deaths of at least six patients, including children, during a measles outbreak in the far South.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063372-‘vaccine-denial’-behind-measles-deaths-in-south/

 

Thailand will improve care of migrant and stateless children: Prayut

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

THAILAND AND Unicef are planning to cooperate more closely for the better care of migrant and stateless children.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063373-thailand-will-improve-care-of-migrant-and-stateless-children-prayut/

 

Rajabhat teacher degree to be cut back to 4 years

By CHULARAT SAENGPASSA 
THE NATION 

 

File photo

 

Shorter course will not mean drop in quality, insists deputy education minister.

 

RAJABHAT universities will cut their teacher-training programmes from five to four years from next year. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063375-rajabhat-teacher-degree-to-be-cut-back-to-4-years/

 

NACC executive admits pulling gun on Bangkok cabbie

By NATTHAPAT PHROMKAEW, 
KHANATHIT SRIHIRUNDAJ 
THE NATION

 

 

THE NATIONAL Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has given a fact-finding committee 15 days to determine why its assistant secretary-general Piset Nakhaphan pulled a gun on a taxi driver at the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex in north Bangkok.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063376-nacc-executive-admits-pulling-gun-on-bangkok-cabbie/

 

Call to overturn ban on e-cigarettes in Thailand

Group calls for ban to be lifted and more regulations put in place as illegal market flourishes

By DUSITA MANEEMUANG 

 

While electronic cigarettes are banned in Thailand, debate continues about whether to legalize them so the government can regulate a market that has now gone underground.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063377-call-to-overturn-ban-on-e-cigarettes-in-thailand/

 

Calls to restrict foreign property purchases in Bangkok

By The Thaiger

 

 

Dr. Sopon Pornchockchai, the President of the Thailand Agency for Real Estate Affairs, is calling for controls to restrict foreign property buyers.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063378-calls-to-restrict-foreign-property-purchases-in-bangkok/

 

Deputy PM insists cyber security bill still subject to change

 

FILE photo

 

BANGKOK, 18 October 2018 (NNT) – Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs has spoken in an attempt to allay public concerns about the draft cyber security law, saying it is yet to be finalized. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063379-dpm-wissanu-insists-cyber-security-bill-still-subject-to-change/

 

Thailand's competitive ranking improves

 

FILE photo

 

BANGKOK, 18th October 2018 (NNT) - Thailand's global competitive rank this year has risen to 38 from 40 last year, according to the Global Competitiveness Index 4.0 by the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063380-thailands-competitive-ranking-improves/

 

May seeks to reassure EU leaders on Brexit deal

By Gabriela Baczynska and Daphne Psaledakis

 

British Prime Minister Theresa May is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ahead of the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May assured EU leaders in Brussels on Wednesday that she can still reach a Brexit deal, avoiding a showdown over stalled talks as Brussels stepped up planning for a failure of negotiations.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063381-may-seeks-to-reassure-eu-leaders-on-brexit-deal/

 

Teenager kills 19 in Crimea college shooting - Russian officials

By Polina Nikolskaya and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

 

Flowers are seen placed at a memorial by the Kremlin walls to commemorate the victims of a fatal attack on a college in the Crimean port city of Kerch, in Moscow, Russia October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least 19 people were killed and dozens injured at a college in the Black Sea region of Crimea on Wednesday when a student went through the building shooting at fellow pupils before killing himself, Russian law enforcement officials said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063383-teenager-kills-19-in crimea college-shooting-russian-officials/

 

Sober start as recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada

By Nichola Saminather and Julie Gordon

 

A customer enters the Natural Vibe store after legal recreational marijuana went on sale in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

 

TORONTO/VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canada became the first industrialized nation to legalize recreational cannabis on Wednesday, but a lawful buzz will be hard to come by in its biggest cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where stores are not yet open.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063384-sober-start-as-recreational-marijuana-becomes-legal-in-canada/

 

Trump reluctant to abandon Riyadh over missing journalist, wants evidence

By Leah Millis, Tulay Karadeniz and Steve Holland

 

Turkish police forensic experts arrive at the residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi in Istanbul, Turkey October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

 

ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he did not want to abandon close ally Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and government critic, and he needed to see evidence to prove Turkish claims he was killed by Saudi agents.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063385-trump-reluctant-to-abandon-riyadh-over-missing-journalist-wants-evidence/

 

At Facebook, public funds join push to remove Zuckerberg as chairman

By Arjun Panchadar and Ross Kerber

 

Facebook's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg reacts as he speaks at the Viva Tech start-up and technology summit in Paris, France, May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - Four major U.S. public funds that hold shares in Facebook Inc on Wednesday proposed removing Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg as chairman following several high-profile scandals and said they hoped to gain backing from larger asset managers.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063388-at-facebook-public-funds-join-push-to-remove-zuckerberg-as-chairman/

 

Noel Gallagher scoops two prizes at music Q Award

 

Musician Noel Gallagher poses for a portrait while promoting his upcoming album "Who Built The Moon?" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British rocker Noel Gallagher triumphed at the Q Awards in London on Wednesday, scooping two prizes at the annual ceremony hosted by UK music magazine Q.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063389-noel-gallagher-scoops-two-prizes-at-music-q-award/

 

Trump turns attention to budget cutting after slashing taxes

By Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump looks up as he holds a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, faced with a budget deficit at a six-year high, on Wednesday told his Cabinet to come up with proposals to cut spending by their agencies by 5 percent, but he suggested the military would be largely spared.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063390-trump-turns-attention-to-budget-cutting-after-slashing-taxes/

4 Thai prostitutes arrested in northern Taiwan, John cries foul over fake bra size

4 Thai sex workers arrested in northern Taiwan, John complains to cops about false advertising of woman's breast size

By Keoni Everington,Taiwan News, Staff Writer

 

Ad claiming woman had "D-cup" breasts. (Image from LINE)

 

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Police raided an apartment in the northern Taiwan city of Keelung, where they nabbed four Thai prostitutes and two Taiwanese customers, one of whom complained that he had been duped by false advertising about the sex worker's breast size, reported Apple Daily. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063392-4-thai-prostitutes-arrested in-northern-taiwan-john-cries-foul-over-fake-bra-size/

 

Trump to nominate former Air Force general as top Asia diplomat

By David Brunnstrom

 

U.S. President Donald Trump at the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump plans to nominate former Air Force General David Stilwell to be the State Department's top diplomat for East Asia, a post that has remained unfilled for more than a year despite major challenges in the region.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063393-trump-to-nominate-former-air-force-general-as-top-asia-diplomat/

 

McConnell says Senate Republicans might revisit Obamacare repeal

By David Morgan

 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an interview with Reuters in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans could try again to repeal Obamacare if they win enough seats in U.S. elections next month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday, calling a failed 2017 push to repeal the healthcare law a "disappointment."

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063394-mcconnell-says-senate-republicans-might-revisit-obamacare-repeal/

'After The Screaming Stops' films reunion of 1980s band Bros

 

British actor Luke Goss takes part in a panel discussion during the 2013 Winter Press Tour for the Television Critics Association in Pasadena, California, January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Gus Ruelas/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Last year, 1980s British pop band Bros took to the stage for the first time in more than 25 years, since singing twins Matt and Luke Goss went their separate ways.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063399-after-the-screaming-stops-films-reunion-of-1980s-band-bros/

 

Malaysian, Thai arrested in Samut Prakan for making fake-brand booze

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

A Malaysian man and a Thai man were arrested in Samut Prakan's Bang Plee district on Wednesday for allegedly making fake-brand liquor and beer.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063402-malaysian-thai-arrested-in-samut-prakan-for-making-fake-brand-booze/

 

Airports to test facial recognition technology

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

Deputy Transport Minister Pairin Chuchotethavorn has instructed the Airports Department to test facial recognition technology at the department's airports.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063403-thai-airports-to-test-facial-recognition-technology/

 

Krabi governor orders the best care for an injured rock-climber

By Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

 

The Krabi Governor has has instructed care-givers and hospital staff to provide good care for an injured tourist who fell off a cliff at Railey Bay in Krabi.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063404-krabi-governor-orders-the-best-care-for-an-injured-rock-climber/

 

Somkid plans moves to draw back Chinese tourists

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said on Thursday that he may have to hold talks with the Chinese government in Beijing to find ways to boost the number of Chinese tourists to the kingdom.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1063406-somkid-plans-moves-to-draw-back-chinese-tourists/