THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Thursday 13 Feb 2020

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Chinese tourists seek extension of stay

By The Nation

 

 

Chinese tourists in Chiang Mai are asking for permission from the Immigration Office in the province to extend their stay in Thailand, out of concerns of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148034-chinese-tourists-seek-extension-of-stay/

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‘10,000 Thai tour guides out of jobs’

By The Nation

 

Wirote Sitaprasertnand

 

The Tourist Guide Association says over 10,000 Thai tour guides have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak choking off business from China and the government has to help them.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148026-‘10000-thai-tour-guides-out-of-jobs’/

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New sanitation measures introduced at bus terminals and airport to combat coronavirus

By Eakkapop Thongtub

 

An official demonstrating how the sanitation procedure will be conducted on the public buses. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

 

PHUKET:-- Local authorities have been instructed to upgrade sanitation efforts on selected public transport in an attempt to contain any possible spread of the coronavirus in Phuket.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148032-new-sanitation-measures-introduced-at-bus-terminals-and-airport-to-combat-coronavirus/

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Cambodia to allow cruise ship shunned over virus fears to dock

By James Pearson and Juarawee Kittisilpa

 

Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears, February 12, 2020. Maria Angus/Handout via REUTERS

 

HANOI/BANGKOK (Reuters) - Cambodia has agreed to let a cruise ship that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus dock and disembark its passengers, the Holland America Line said on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148075-cambodia-to-allow-westerdam-cruise-ship-shunned-over-virus-fears-to-dock/

 

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Army chief's reform pledge draws skepticism

By Wichit Chaitrong
The Nation

 

Army Chief General Apirat Kongsompong

 

Critics are skeptical of Army Chief General Apirat Kongsompong's pledge to reform the army, unless the military is open to be scrutinised by independence anti-graft organisations.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148076-army-chiefs-reform-pledge-draws-skepticism/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Five PAD leaders jailed and bailed pending appeal

By The Nation

 

Five former key members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were sentenced to prison on Tuesday (February 11) for leading a destructive raid on a National Broadcasting Services of Thailand station in Bangkok in 2008.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147955-former-pad-leaders-given-1-and-2-year-prison-sentences/?do=findComment&comment=15054956

 

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NATO to expand Iraq training mission in response to Trump

By Robin Emmott

 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a news conference following a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO defence ministers agreed on Wednesday to expand the Western alliance's training mission in Iraq, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, responding to a demand by U.S. President Donald Trump for NATO to do more in the Middle East.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148078-nato-to-expand-iraq-training-mission-in-response-to-trump/

 

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Democrats eye Nevada, South Carolina after Sanders wins in New Hampshire

By John Whitesides and Amanda Becker

 

FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders addresses supporters at his New Hampshire primary night rally in Manchester, N.H., U.S., February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar

 

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Democrats vying for the right to challenge U.S. President Donald Trump turned their focus on Wednesday to Nevada and South Carolina after Bernie Sanders solidified his front-runner status with a narrow victory in New Hampshire, with Pete Buttigieg close behind him.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148079-democrats-eye-nevada-south-carolina-after-sanders-wins-in-new-hampshire/

 

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Naras denies Daily Mail reports on Brit deported from Thai jail

By THE NATION

 

Naras Savestanan

 

Department of Corrections Director General Naras Savestanan today (February 12 )denied reports by the UK's Daily Mail newspaper on Mark Rumble, a British national who was detained in Thailand and was said to have contacted the coronavirus before being deported to the UK on January 27 to face class A drug supply charges.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148080-naras-denies-daily-mail-reports-on-brit-deported-from-thai-jail/

 

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Education Minister checks Bangkok junior schools for health shields

By The Nation

 

 

Taking a survey of elementary schools in Bangkok on Wednesday (February 12) to see how well they’re safeguarded against the coronavirus and PM2.5 dust pollution, Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan stressed that health is a crucial issue right now.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148081-education-minister-checks-bangkok-junior-schools-for-health-shields/

 

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TCC promotes new way of waste management

By THE NATION

 

 

The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) is promoting agricultural waste processing instead of burning and has collaborated with companies in its network to purchase the waste at Bt1,000 per tonnes, said president Kalin Sarasin.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148082-tcc-promotes-new-way-of-waste-management/

 

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State units' revenue 9% over target in January

By THE NATION

 

 

State enterprises and companies, in which the Finance Ministry holds lower than 50 per cent of shares, generated total revenue of Bt6.762 billion in January 2020, said Prapas Kong-Ied, director general of the State Enterprise Policy Office.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148083-state-units-revenue-9-over-target-in-january/

 

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Clean-up in Nakhon Ratchasima after mass-shooting

By The Nation

 

 

Residents of Nakhon Ratchasima joined forces for a clean-up of the city on Tuesday (February 11) after the mass shooting incident last week.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148084-clean-up-in-nakhon-ratchasima-after-mass-shooting/

 

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More stimulus measures on the way, says Somkid

By THE NATION

 

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak

 

The government will launch additional stimulus measures to prop up the declining economy, said Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak on Wednesday (February 12).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148085-more-stimulus-measures-on-the-way-says-somkid/

 

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Bid for light rail system in Chiang Mai expected next year

 

 

Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) is expected to call a bid for the development of the light rail system or Red Line tram (Nakornping Hospital-Mae-Hia Saman-Samakkee Intersection) in Chiang Mai next year.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148086-bid-for-light-rail-system-in-chiang-mai-expected-next-year/

 

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Officials assure virus screening of thousands of tourists as cruise liners come to Phuket

By The Phuket News

 

Cruise liner tourists arrive on shore in Patong on Jan 29. Photo: Patong Municipality PR

 

PHUKET: Phuket Marine Office Director Wiwat Chitchertwong has confirmed that at least 17 cruise ships will be coming to Phuket in the coming months, with four cruise ships filled with tourists coming to Phuket this week.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148087-officials-assure-virus-screening-of-thousands-of-tourists-as-cruise-liners-come-to-phuket/

 

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China's new coronavirus cases drop, world still scared

By Ryan Woo and John Geddie

 

FILE PHOTO: Workers operate a vehicle to carry out disinfection in Jianghan district, following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, China February 10, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS

 

BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China reported on Wednesday its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in two weeks, bolstering a forecast by Beijing's senior medical adviser for the outbreak there to end by April, but U.N. health authorities warned it could still "go in any direction".

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148089-chinas-new-coronavirus-cases-drop-world-still-scared/

 

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Amazon Catholics pledge to press on after Pope says no to married priests

By Gabriel Stargardter and Maria Cervantes

 

FILE PHOTO: A Catholic church is pictured as a fire burns a tract of Amazon jungle being cleared by loggers and farmers near Porto Velho, Brazil August 27, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

 

RIO DE JANEIRO/LIMA (Reuters) - Catholic communities across the Amazon said they would keep pushing for married men to be allowed to celebrate Mass in the remote rainforest region, after a papal decision on Wednesday blocked their path to the priesthood.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148090-amazon-catholics-pledge-to-press-on-after-pope-says-no-to-married-priests/

 

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Democrats demand probe of Trump role in Stone case; Republicans unmoved

By David Morgan and Susan Heavey

 

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to a question from a reporter following a signing ceremony for the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act inside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in Congress on Wednesday brushed aside calls to investigate possible political interference at the U.S. Justice Department after the agency asked for a lighter prison term for President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148091-democrats-demand-probe-of-trump-role-in-stone-case-republicans-unmoved/

 

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Plant a trillion trees: U.S. Republicans offer fossil fuel-friendly climate fix

By Valerie Volcovici

 

FILE PHOTO: People plant trees on a sand mine on the dried lake bed of Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China, December 11, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers on Wednesday proposed legislation setting a goal for the United States to plant a trillion trees by 2050 to fight global warming, a plan intended to address climate change by sucking carbon out of the air instead of by cutting emissions.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148092-plant-a-trillion-trees-us-republicans-offer-fossil-fuel-friendly-climate-fix/

 

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Martic shown early exit in Hua Hin

By THE NATION

 

Petra Martic of Croatia

 

Second seeded and world No 15 Petra Martic of Croatia was eliminated by Chinese Wang Xiyu from the first round of the US$275,000 GSB Thailand Open presented by E@ at True Arena on Tuesday (February 12).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148094-martic-shown-early-exit-in-hua-hin/

 

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Ukraine's Elina bounces back for second round spot of WTA Thailand Open

By Lerpong Amsa-ngiam
The Nation

 

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine

 

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, the World No 4, overcame a brief bout of nerves in the second set to beat Bibiane Schoos of the Netherlands 6-2 6-4 to book a second round spot of the US$275,000 GSB Thailand Open in Hua Hin on Wednesday

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148095-ukraines-elina-bounces-back-for-second-round-spot-of-wta-thailand-open/

 

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Weird goings on at Chiang Mai police station: Naked woman who speaks only English!

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Cops at the Chiang Mai police station were alerted to the fact that there was a naked woman in their midst.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148096-weird-goings-on-at-chiang-mai-police-station-naked-woman-who-speaks-only-english/

 

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Italian Senate lifts immunity of defiant Salvini over migrant boat

By Angelo Amante

 

Leader of Italy's far-right party Matteo Salvini is applauded as he speaks at the Senate ahead of a vote on whether to pursue an investigation against him that could give rise to a trial for alleged kidnapping of migrants, in Rome, Italy February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

 

ROME (Reuters) - Italian senators voted on Wednesday to lift immunity for far-right leader Matteo Salvini, opening the way for a potentially career-ending trial over accusations that he illegally detained migrants at sea last year.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148099-italian-senate-lifts-immunity-of-defiant-salvini-over-migrant-boat/

 

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Pattaya: German with "money troubles" saved from balcony leap by Thai rescuers

 

Thai caption: German man loses it

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported that police and rescue services were called to a South Pattaya hotel after a German tourist threatened to jump from the balcony around midday yesterday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148100-pattaya-german-with-money-troubles-saved-from-balcony-leap-by-thai-rescuers/

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Krabi: Thai man charged with attempted murder of Norwegian - but "drug taking tourists" take flak too

 

 

Krabi provincial police and officers from Ao Nang descended on a house in the southern Thai province where they arrested 22 year old samlor driver Kiatsak Bunrabiab for the attempted murder of a Norwegian tourist earlier this month.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148105-krabi-thai-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-of-norwegian-but-drug-taking-tourists-take-flak-too/

 

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Cruise ship shunned over coronavirus fears arrives in Cambodia

Prak Chan Thul

 

MS Westerdam, a cruise ship that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus, is seen arriving in Sihanoukville port in Cambodia February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer

 

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (Reuters) - A cruise ship which had spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus arrived in Cambodia on Thursday to the relief of passengers and the praise of global health officials.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148107-cruise-ship-shunned-over-coronavirus-fears-arrives-in-cambodia/

 

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Valentine's Day: Thais more concerned about STDs at "curtain hotels" than roses and chocolates

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Results of a poll announced on the eve of Valentine's Day showed that Thais are more concerned about getting sexually transmitted diseases than roses and chocolates.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148111-valentines-day-thais-more-concerned-about-stds-at-curtain-hotels-than-roses-and-chocolates/

 

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Myanmar man mangled after kicking lump of ice in the crushing machine

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

Thai media reported that Bang Sao Thong police in Samut Prakarn and a Ruam Katanyu Rescue team rushed to an ice factory after an 18 year old worker from Myanmar got his leg pulled into an ice crushing machine yesterday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148116-myanmar-man-mangled-after-kicking-lump-of-ice-in-the-crushing-machine/

 

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Loei: Tourist skywalk feels like it's shaking - not to worry, says Thai engineer

 

Thai caption: Skywalk feels like it's shaking - Why is that?

Picture: 77kaoded

 

Thai media posed a question that has been on everyone's lips in Loei in Thailand's Isaan region recently.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148119-loei-tourist-skywalk-feels-like-its-shaking-not-to-worry-says-thai-engineer/