THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Thursday 4 Apr 2019

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SURVEY: Expat motor vehicle ownership in Thailand

 

 

Thaivisa is trying to get a better understanding of car ownership amongst expats in Thailand.

 

If you own a car in Thailand or are thinking about buying a new car, please take a moment to complete the survey here: https://kwiksurveys.com/s/8bJ0w8mo

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Pathum Thani man arrested over sex drug and toys sales

By The Nation

 

 

Police have arrested a man in Pathum Thani and seized 2,500 aphrodisiac pills and sex toys for men and women costing over Bt1 million.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093202-pathum-thani-man-arrested-over-sex-drug-and-toys-sales/

 

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Model demands police protection to female revelers during Songkran

By Suriya Patathayo 
The Nation

 

 

Thai model Sirinya "Cindy" Bishop, founder of the "Don't tell me how to dress" campaign to stop assault-victim-blaming, urged police to implement measures to prevent sexual harassment during Songkran.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093235-model-demands-police-protection-to-female-revelers-during-songkran/

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Khao San’s Songkran entertainment axed for coronation preparation

By The Nation

 



 

Songkran revellers will be allowed water play on Bangkok’s Khao San Road, but there will be no stage or entertainment organised, said Khao San business operators' association head Piyabut Jiramonaikul.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093254-khao-san’s-songkran-entertainment-axed-for-coronation-preparation/

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‘Giving seats to smaller parties the only formula’

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

A FORMER MEMBER of the now-defunct Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) said yesterday that there was just one formula to calculate the number of party-list MPs – it is the one that gives Parliament seats to smaller parties despite them getting a significantly low share of votes. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093279-‘giving-seats-to-smaller-parties-the-only-formula’/

 

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Junta gets flak for sedition charge against Thanathorn

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

ILAW SAYS NCPO HAS A PATTERN OF GOING AFTER ITS POLITICAL OPPONENTS

 

RIGHTS advocates hit out at the junta yesterday after its legal officer filed a complaint against Future Forward Party (FWP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, accusing him of sedition.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093282-junta-gets-flak-for-sedition-charge-against-thanathorn/

 

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Asean ministers to consider greater use of local currencies 

By WICHIT CHAITRONG  
THE NATION 
CHIANG RAI 

 

Deputy Finance Minister Wisudhi Srisuphan (right), chairs Asean senior officials' meeting in Chiang Rai

 

THE UPCOMING meeting of Asean finance ministers will focus on giving local currencies a bigger role and further liberalising financial services, Lavaron Sangsnit, director-general of the Finance Ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office, said Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093283-asean-ministers-to-consider-greater-use-of-local-currencies/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Northern fires killing off wildlife, protected plants

By SAKAORAT SIRIMA 
THE NATION

 

A photo of a monkey that died earlier this week from a forest fire in the Doi Luang Chiang Dao area, posted on Facebook by the Chiang Maibased “Muanjai Natural Agriculture Group” on Monday evening.

 

BEYOND the harm done to human health by the smouldering blanket of forest fires in the North, concern has arisen for wildlife and rare plants on the slopes of Doi Luang Chiang Dao in Chiang Mai.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093200-northern-fires-killing-off-wildlife-protected-plants/?do=findComment&comment=14007298

 

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Hopes for change on hold

By The Nation Weekend

 

The Future Forward Party, which made an impressive debut, finishing as the third-most popular choice with more than 6.2 million votes and more than 80 House seats, is composed entirely of new faces. Photo/EPA

 

Electoral convolutions resulted in little actual political change – and even less room for claims of legitimacy

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093288-hopes-for-change-on-hold/

 

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Myanmar girls rescued from sex trade at Chiang Rai karaoke bar

By NATTHAWAT LAPING 
THE NATION

 

 

TWO CHILDREN from Myanmar, allegedly forced into prostitution at a karaoke bar in Chiang Rai’s Phan district, have been rescued and the 46-year-old bar owner taken in for questioning.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093289-myanmar-girls-rescued-from-sex-trade-at-chiang-rai-karaoke-bar/

 

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Court upholds 10-year jail for ‘Pacquiao of Thailand’

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

THE APPEALS Court yesterday upheld a 10-year jail sentence for the former president of Police United football club for using fake promissory notes to secure Bt2 billion in loans from the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Educational Personnel (OTEP).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093290-court-upholds-10-year-jail-for-‘pacquiao-of-thailand’/

 

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Air pollution surpasses measurable levels

By The Nation

 

Few trees remain after forest fires raged through tambon Bor Luang in Chiang Mai’s Hot district. Hotspots remain the main air polluters in the North. 

 

Soldiers join mission to tackle forest fires in North; army turns to US, Australia for training in handling hotspots

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093291-air-pollution-surpasses-measurable-levels/

 

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Trade war dampens mood as GDP growth view scaled back to 3.7%

By PHUWIT LIMVIPHUWAT 
THE NATION

 

 

CONCERNS over political uncertainty and the impact of the US-China trade war have prompted the nation’s peak private sector advisory grouping to cut its forecast for economic growth this year to as low as 3.7 per cent.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093292-trade-war-dampens-mood-as-gdp-growth-view-scaled-back-to-37/

 

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Extra incentives for players on Thailand’s top golf tour

By Lerpong Amsa-ngiam 
The Nation

 

Sponsors and organisers of this year’s ATGT events.

 

A total Bt36 million prize-money is up for grabs this season in 10 All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) events, with a minimum of five world ranking points for each winner.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093293-extra-incentives-for-players on-thailand’s-top-golf-tour/

 

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78% of Thais go cashless as confidence in digital payments grows: Visa

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

Four in five Thai consumers (78 per cent) tried going cashless in 2018, compared to only 50 per cent in the previous year, as confidence in digital payments grows, according to the 2018 Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes study.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093294-78-of-thais-go-cashless-as-confidence-in-digital-payments-grows-visa/

 

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Election brings not democracy but more violence

By The Nation

 

 

Attacks on critics of the junta and Election Commission are a clear sign we’re not out of the woods of repression yet

 

The 2014 military coup did indeed bring to an end the street mayhem among warring political factions, which was one of the generals’ stated goals. But the intervention also came with the promise that democracy would quickly be restored. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093295-election-brings-not-democracy-but-more-violence/

 

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Ex-charter writer insists there is only one formula to calculate party-list seats

 

 

A former constitution writer and election commissioner said today that there is only one formula for the calculation of the party-list seat allocation and that it is stipulated in the law on the election of members of parliament.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093296-ex-charter-writer-insists-there-is-only-one-formula-to-calculate-party-list-seats/

 

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Police claim they have sufficient evidence against Thanathorn

 

 

Deputy national police chief has claimed that police have sufficient evidence to support the sedition charge filed against Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093297-police-claim-they-have-sufficient-evidence-against-thanathorn/

 

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Kamala officials defend canal water released onto beach

By Waranya Prompinpiras

 

The channel runs across Kamala Beach. Photo: Kamala OrBorTor

 

PHUKET: Officials in Kamala have defended their efforts to clear the black wastewater in the Pak Bang Canal from being released across the beach, saying that the water is now “better” and “clearer”, but admit that contaminants still line the waterway as it crosses the sand.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093298-kamala-officials-defend-canal-water-released-onto-beach/

 

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Labour's Corbyn says Theresa May has not moved enough on Brexit

By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James

 

British Prime Minister Theresa May gives a news conference after a cabinet meeting following yesterday's alternative Brexit options vote, outside Downing Street, London, Britain April 2, 2019. Jack Taylor/Pool via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Theresa May had not moved far enough in a first round of crisis talks aimed at breaking the domestic deadlock over Britain's exit from the European Union.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093300-labours-corbyn-says-theresa-may-has-not-moved-enough-on brexit/

 

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Ex-U.S. Vice President Biden, facing questions about touching women, says he'll respect 'personal space'

By James Oliphant

 

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Washington, U.S., January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Responding to complaints that he made some women uncomfortable by touching them at political events, former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday released a video in which he pledged to be “more mindful about respecting personal space in the future.”

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093301-ex-us-vice-president-biden-facing-questions-about-touching-women-says-hell-respect-personal-space/

 

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One in five deaths worldwide linked to unhealthy diet

By Kate Kelland

 

Fruits and vegetables for sale are seen on a stall in London, Britain April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Rachel Hartigan

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Eleven million deaths worldwide in 2017 were linked to people eating poor diets high in sugar, salt and processed meat that contributed to heart disease, cancer and diabetes, a global study found.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093303-one-in-five-deaths-worldwide-linked-to-unhealthy-diet/

 

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Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin warned about discussing U.S. college scam with their kids

By Nate Raymond

 

Actor Felicity Huffman, facing charges in a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme, enters federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

 

BOSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday warned parents charged in the largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, to avoid discussing the case with their children, who are potential witnesses.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093304-felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-warned-about-discussing-us-college-scam-with-their-kids/

 

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U.S. House committee seeks Trump tax returns from IRS

By David Morgan

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic head of a powerful U.S. House committee asked the Internal Revenue Service for six years of President Donald Trump's personal and business tax returns on Wednesday, in a long-awaited move widely expected to lead to a long court battle with the White House.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093308-us-house-committee-seeks-trump-tax-returns-from-irs/

 

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Some in Mueller's team see report as more damaging to Trump than Barr summary: New York Times

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General William Barr's signature is seen at the end of his four-page letter to U.S. congressional leaders on the conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election after the letter was released by the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, U.S. March 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Bourg/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators have told associates that the findings of their probe are more damaging for President Donald Trumpthan Attorney General William Barr indicated in his four-page summary, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093311-some-in-muellers-team-see-report-as-more-damaging-to-trump-than-barr-summary-new-york-times/

 

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U.S. Democrats question Mar-a-Lago security after Chinese intruder

By Mark Hosenball and Susan Cornwell

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats raised questions on Wednesday about security at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after a Chinese woman carrying electronic devices bluffed her way through security checks last weekend.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093313-us-democrats-question-mar-a-lago-security-after-chinese-intruder/

 

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U.S. House condemns Trump's courtroom efforts to end Obamacare

By Susan Cornwell

 

FILE PHOTO: A bill repealing Obamacare sits on a desk after being signed by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 7, 2016. . REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Calling it an effort to take away Americans' healthcare, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to condemn the Trump administration's courtroom bid to eliminate Obamacare.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093314-us-house-condemns trumps-courtroom-efforts-to-end-obamacare/

 

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What a dodgy draft dodger! Pattaya lady boy turns up with wig and silicone

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Thai social media went ballistic at a man who turned up at an army conscription event in a wig and silicone falsies then boasted about dodging the draft online. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093323-what-a-dodgy-draft-dodger-pattaya-lady-boy-turns-up-with-wig-and-silicone/

 

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Swedish man found dead sitting on the toilet in his home in Udon

 

Caption: My friend is a corpse

 

Police called to a house in Udon found a 74 year old Swedish man sitting on the toilet  dressed only in black shorts. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093330-swedish-man-found-dead-sitting-on-the-toilet-in-his-home-in-udon/

 

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Minivan full of Myanmar workers survive after vomiting and passing out

 

Caption: They escaped death

 

An investigation is underway after a dozen Myanmar workers in a minivan started vomiting and passing out.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1093332-minivan-full-of-myanmar-workers-survive-after-vomiting-and-passing-out/