THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Tuesday 4 Feb 2020

[webfact]

Thai Roads: Yet more carnage as "microsleep" blamed again

 

Picture: Daily News

 

A totally innocent man was killed early yesterday morning after a deliveryman who had been driving for nine hours without a break fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into the back of his pick-up. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146614-thai-roads-yet-more-carnage-as-microsleep-blamed-again/

 

[webfact]

Officials give blanket assurances over impact of virus in Phuket

By The Phuket News

 

Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong at the 'daily update' meeting yesterday (Feb 3). Photo: PR Dept

 

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana yesterday (Feb 3) at Phuket Provincial Hall told a meeting of key figures in Phuket’s tourism industry that the government was already supporting the local businesses by implementing control measures to curtail the spread of the virus and apparently by still promoting tourism to Phuket.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146615-officials-give-blanket-assurances-over-impact-of-virus-in-phuket/

 

[webfact]

Coronavirus: Thai tourism ministry admits Chinese tourism now down 80% - losses in the billions

 

Thai caption: Less Chinese visitors due to coronavirus

Image: BECTERO

 

BECTERO reported that a spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports said that Chinese government action to stop tour groups and independent travellers from going abroad has hit Thailand hard. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146620-coronavirus-thai-tourism-ministry admits-chinese-tourism-now-down-80-losses-in-the-billions/

 

[webfact]

MPs: The time is right to build a bridge from the mainland to Koh Samui

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Two Palang Pracharat MPs for Nakhon Sri Thammarat are urging the government to study the possibility of building a bridge from Khanom on the mainland to Koh Samui, the main tourist attraction in the province of Surat Thani. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146624-mps-the-time-is-right-to-build-a-bridge-from-the-mainland-to-koh-samui/

 

[webfact]

No clarity yet on exact number of Thais who will fly back from Wuhan: Don

By THE NATION

 

 

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Tuesday (February 4) that the exact number of Thai people who would return from Wuhan city was not known yet, and it would not be easy to evacuate all of them.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146626-no-clarity-yet-on-exact-number-of-thais-who-will-fly-back-from-wuhan-don/

 

[webfact]

3,000 tour guides in Phuket out of work as Chinese arrivals plunge

By The Phuket News

 

A Tourist Assistance Centre official assess a small queue of travellers at Phuket International Airport. Photo; TAC

 

PHUKET: Some 3,000 Chinese-speaking tour guides in Phuket are out of work and need financial assistance to pay their living expenses, Phuket Professional Guide Association Deputy Chief Natthakorn Ruengrote revealed yesterday (Feb 3).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146627-3000-tour-guides-in-phuket-out-of-work-as-chinese-arrivals-plunge/

 

[webfact]

Anutin not flying to Wuhan 

By The Nation

 

Anutin Charnvirakul

 

Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul has pulled out of the team flying to Wuhan on Tuesday to extricate Thai people stranded in the Chinese city, citing procedural difficulties.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146630-thai-health-minister-anutin-not-flying-to-wuhan/

 

[webfact]

Thalang Hospital pharmacist seriously injured as car hits power pole

By Eakkapop Thongtub

 

The driver, Patiwet Boonchoo, 31, was pulled from the wreck unconscious and is now in the ICU at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Photo: Thalang Police

 

PHUKET: A pharmacist working at Thalang Hospital suffered serious injuries after his car slammed into a road-side power pole on Thepkrasattri Rd in Mai Khao while driving home from a party early this morning (Feb 4).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146633-thalang-hospital-pharmacist-seriously-injured-as-car-hits-power-pole/

 

[webfact]

BREAKING

 

South Korean woman tests positive for coronavirus after Thailand visit

 

FILE PHOTO: Test tube with Corona virus name label is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

 

A South Korean woman has tested positive for coronavirus after visiting Thailand, South Korean officials said on Tuesday, the first foreign tourist reported to have been infected after a visit to the southeast Asian nation.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146650-south-korean-woman-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-after-thailand-visit/

 

 

[webfact]

Flight leaves Don Mueang this morning to evacuate 142 Thais from Wuhan

 

 

A group of Thai medics left Don Mueang international airport this morning for the Chinese city of Wuhan, on a flight chartered from Thai Air Asia, to evacuate 142 Thais stranded there after a lock-down, imposed on January 23rd by the Chinese government, to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146672-flight-leaves-don-mueang-this-morning-to-evacuate-142-thais-from-wuhan/

 

[webfact]

Thailand may lose $65 million in first-quarter exports to China amid virus scare - shippers

 

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Port of Bangkok, Thailand, March 25, 2016. Picture taken March 25, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand may lose 2 billion baht ($64.6 million) in exports to China in the first quarter, as the impact of coronavirus on supply chains weighed, a Thai shipping association said on Tuesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146673-thailand may-lose-65-million-in-first-quarter-exports-to-china-amid-virus-scare-shippers/

 

[webfact]

OPINION

 

The knock-on effect. Coronavirus hits Phuket hotels.

ByThe Thaiger

 

PHOTO: Some of the island's traditional hotspots are very quiet at a time when they should be very busy - Pinterest

 

The Thaiger’s occasional Phuket hotel management contributor is back with some inside knowledge of the current situation for hoteliers on the holiday island. That the coronavirus situation is affecting hotel bookings, is an understatement, he says. Here’s some of the current thinking as Phuket hoteliers stand around the water-cooler and mull the situation. Our writer has asked to remain anonymous…

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146674-the-knock-on-effect-coronavirus-hits-phuket-hotels/

 

[webfact]

UPDATE:

Two Australians killed in bike accident

By The Nation

 

 

Two Australians were killed when their motorbike was involved in a crash with a pickup truck in front of the entrance to the hot springs in Klong Thom district, police in Krabi province were informed on Tuesday (February 4) .

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146581-tourists-on-a-motorcycle-australian-couple killed-in-horror-collision-in-krabi/?do=findComment&comment=15023795

 

[webfact]

Sansara to sponsor local children and coaches to learn at the Black Mountain Hua Hin Football Academy

 

Sansara has signed a deal to sponsor ten children and two coaches from the local community to train and learn at the Black Mountain Hua Hin Football Academy (BMHHFA). The players are all pupils at Wang Bost and Nong Hieng Schools.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146677-sansara-to-sponsor-local-children-and-coaches-to-learn-at-the-black-mountain-hua-hin-football-academy/

 

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thailand confirms six new cases of coronavirus, including four Thais - health ministry

 

People ware mask as they go out at shopping mall in Bangkok Thailand January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand confirmed six new cases of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, four of them Thai nationals and two Chinese.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146686-thailand-confirms-six-new-cases-of-coronavirus-including-four-thais-health-ministry/

 

[snoop1130]

Livestock Department has hawk’s eye on H5N1 virus

By THE NATION

 

 

The Department of Livestock Development is seriously monitoring and aiming to prevent any spread of H5N1 virus in response to this type of influenza originating in China’s Hunan province, director-general Sorawit Thanito said today (February 4).

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146693-livestock-department-has-hawk’s-eye-on-h5n1-virus/

 

[snoop1130]

Virologist says measures must be implemented for one year to address coronavirus

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The emergence of the new coronavirus was reported in December last year, with the first cases turning up at a seafood market in the city of Wuhan, China. It is less deadly than the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146697-virologist-says-measures-must-be-implemented-for-one-year-to-address-coronavirus/

 

[snoop1130]

Health officials debunk reports of ‘100 suspected virus patients’ in Krabi

By The Phuket News

 

Health officials denied reports that 100 people suspected of being infected with the Wuhan coronavirus were under observation in Krabi. There are only five, they said. Photo: PR Dept / Krabi

 

PHUKET:-- The Krabi Provincial Public Health Office (KPHO) has denied reports that 100 people in Krabi are being held in isolation on suspicion of being infected with the Wuhan coronavirus.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146698-health-officials-debunk-reports-of-‘100-suspected-virus-patients’-in-krabi/

 

[snoop1130]

Thai export products pile up as transportation in China comes to temporary standstill

By THE NATION

 

 

The prolonged holidays in China, as well as the coronavirus situation in Wuhan, have caused numerous products to pile up, affecting perishable items.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146673-thailand may-lose-65-million-in-first-quarter-exports-to-china-amid-virus-scare-shippers/?do=findComment&comment=15024350

 

[snoop1130]

Exclusive: As virus fallout widens, China readies more measures to stabilize economy - sources

By Kevin Yao

 

FILE PHOTO: Security personnel wearing masks cross a road at the Financial Street in central Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese policymakers are readying measures to support an economy jolted by a coronavirus outbreak that is expected to have a devastating impact on first-quarter growth, policy sources said.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146700-exclusive-as-virus-fallout-widens-china-readies-more-measures-to-stabilize-economy-sources/

 

[snoop1130]

Democrats' bid to challenge Trump off to a messy start in Iowa

By Jarrett Renshaw, Ginger Gibson

 

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters at his rally in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

 

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The Democratic Party’s effort to choose an election challenger to Republican U.S. President Donald Trump got off to a chaotic start in Iowa, with officials blaming “inconsistencies” for an indefinite delay in the state’s caucus results.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146701-democrats-bid-to-challenge-trump-off-to-a-messy-start-in-iowa/

 

[snoop1130]

FDA to hold public meeting on testing for asbestos in talc

By Chad Terhune, Lisa Girion

 

FILE PHOTO: A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder is seen in a photo illustration taken in New York, February 24, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/Illustration/File Photo

 

SILVER SPRING, Md. (Reuters) - For the first time in nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will examine asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics at a hearing on Tuesday.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146702-fda-to-hold-public-meeting-on-testing-for-asbestos-in-talc/

 

[snoop1130]

Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen Covered During Super Bowl Halftime Show

By DAVE LIFTON

 

Hulton Archive / Maddie Meyer / Mike Coppola, Getty Images

 

Snippets of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." were performed during the halftime show of last night's Super Bowl, held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146703-led-zeppelin-bruce-springsteen-covered-during-super-bowl-halftime-show/

 

[snoop1130]

Parasite’s Song Kang-ho: ‘When you’re rich, it’s much easier to be generous’

By Alexandra Pollard

 

Song Kang-ho in ‘Parasite’ ( Courtesy of Curzon )

 

One of the most important exchanges in Parasite could easily be missed on first viewing.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146704-parasite’s-song-kang-ho-‘when-you’re-rich-it’s-much-easier-to-be-generous’/

 

[snoop1130]

Google's Super Bowl advert left everyone in tears

by Darren Richman

 

Google

 

Advertising slots during the Super Bowl are seen as the Holy Grail for those with something to promote and no expense is spared when it comes to producing commercials of genuine quality.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146705-googles-super-bowl-advert-left-everyone-in-tears/

 

[snoop1130]

UK most popular educational destination for Thai students, says British Council, points out Thai teachers are poor in English

By The Nation

 

 

The United Kingdom is the number one destination for Thai higher education students, representing 6,785 or 43 per cent of the total Thai students choosing to study abroad, with the top five subjects being business and management, engineering and technology, social studies, law, and creative arts and design, the British Council said today (February 4).

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146712-uk-most-popular-educational-destination-for-thai-students-says-british-council-points-out-thai-teachers-are-poor-in-english/

 

[snoop1130]

RTP commissioner-general's promotion of son followed law, regulations, police personnel director insists

By The Nation

 

 

Following complaints against the Royal Thai Police commissioner-general's “unfair promotion” of his son, Personnel Division Police director Decha Kalayawuttipong held a press conference today (February 4) to state that commanders found Chanon Chaijinda – who was promoted from sub-inspector to company commander – trustworthy and skilled, which led to his promotion.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146713-rtp-commissioner-generals-promotion-of-son-followed-law-regulations-police-personnel-director-insists/

 

[snoop1130]

Rules on power banks come into effect

By The Nation

 

 

The cabinet has approved draft ministerial regulations subjecting all portable backup batteries (power bank) to the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) standard, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul on Tuesday (February 4).

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146714-rules-on-power-banks-come-into-effect/

 

[snoop1130]

Cabinet okays extension for filing income tax returns, loans for tourism businesses, jet fuel tax reduction

By THE NATION

 

Finance Ministry spokesman Lavaron Sangsnit, right

 

The cabinet on Tuesday (February 4) approved the Finance Ministry’s proposed measures to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak and global uncertainties on the tourism sector, said Finance Ministry spokesman Lavaron Sangsnit.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146715-cabinet-okays-extension-for-filing-income-tax-returns-loans-for-tourism-businesses-jet-fuel-tax-reduction/

 

[snoop1130]

Coronavirus sends Asia's social media censors into overdrive

By Matthew Tostevin, John Geddie

 

Security personell attempt to prevent the photographer from taking pictures at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China, February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

 

BANGKOK/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Deluged by misinformation about the new coronavirus on social media, some Asian governments are fighting back with arrests, fines and fake news laws - something free speech advocates fear will entrench measures that can also silence dissent.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1146721-coronavirus-sends-asias-social-media-censors-into-overdrive/