THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Wednesday 9 Dec 2020

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Anutin dismisses rumour of epidemic, backs plan to sue illegal border crossers

By The Nation

 

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul

 

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the press on Tuesday that the Covid-19 situation in Thailand has not reached the epidemic level yet.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195880-anutin-dismisses-rumour-of-epidemic-backs-plan-to-sue-illegal-border-crossers/

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One swerve and all fall down

By THE NATION

 

 

In a bizarre accident early on Tuesday, some 34 parked motorcycles were knocked down like dominoes by a Honda SUV, which swerved after rear-ending a pick-up truck.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195893-one-swerve-and-all-fall-down/

 

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Covid-19 strain in Myanmar spreads 20% faster, says Mahidol University dean

 

 

Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, said on Tuesday that Covid-19 has spread a lot faster in Myanmar because there are no effective measures in place to track people and the virus strain is different.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195900-covid-19-strain-in-myanmar-spreads-20-faster-says-mahidol-university-dean/

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Foreign inflows to brighten Thai investment climate through next year: SET strategy chief

By THE NATION

 

 

Foreign funds will continue to flow into the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) into next year as the Covid-19 crisis abates, said the SET’s head of corporate strategy on Tuesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195933-foreign-inflows-to-brighten-thai-investment-climate-through-next-year-set-strategy-chief/

 

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Progress on EV public transport blueprint

By The Nation

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob

 

The Transport Ministry has reportedly asked the Office of Transport and Public Policy and Planning to study the plan to promote electric vehicles in public transport.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195934-progress-on-ev-public-transport-blueprint/

 

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BAM expects to recover more cash next year after Covid hits its debt collections this year

By The Nation

 

 

Bangkok Commercial Asset Management (BAM) believes it will be able to collect Bt15 billion and Bt16 billion in outstanding debts next year, chief of BAM’s investor relations Rathanon Fookiat said.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195935-bam-expects-to-recover-more-cash-next-year-after-covid-hits-its-debt-collections-this-year/

 

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Gulf’s Sarath richest Thai stockholder for second year in a row

By The Nation

 

Sarath Ratanavadi, CEO of Gulf Energy Development Plc

 

Sarath Ratanavadi, CEO of Gulf Energy Development Plc, is the wealthiest Thai stockholder for the second consecutive year with Bt115.29 billion, according to rankings compiled by Money & Banking magazine and Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195936-gulf’s-sarath-richest-thai-stockholder-for-second-year-in-a-row/

 

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Pesticide tests on Thai fruit show red grapes, dates high in chemical contamination

By The Nation

 

 

The Department of Agriculture has ordered an investigation after tests by the Thai Pesticide Alert Network (ThaiPAN) found worrying levels of chemical contamination in fruits and vegetables on sale in markets and malls.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195937-pesticide-tests-on-thai-fruit-show-red-grapes-dates-high-in-chemical-contamination/

 

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Sudarat’s new party will cut ties to Thaksin: Watana

By The Nation

 

 

The new party being set up by former Pheu Thai politicians will not be overshadowed by any powerful figure, insists ex-Pheu Thai member Watana Muangsook.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195938-sudarat’s-new-party-will-cut-ties-to-thaksin-watana/

 

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Repatriation of Thais in Thachilek discussed by Thai-Myanmar border committee

 

 

Local officials, on the Thai-Myanmar border committee in Chiang Rai province and Myanmar’s Thachilek township, held their first meeting of the year today (Tuesday), to discuss the orderly repatriation of Thai nationals working in Myanmar, and human smuggling, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Thailand.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195939-repatriation-of-thais-in-thachilek-discussed-by-thai-myanmar-border-committee/

 

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Lazio sneak into last 16 after nail-biting finale

 

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group F - Lazio v Club Brugge - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - December 8, 2020 Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in action with Club Brugge's Charles De Ketelaere REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

 

ROME (Reuters) - Lazio enjoyed the luckiest of escapes as they sneaked into the Champions League last 16 for the first time in more than 20 years on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home by Club Brugge who played the entire second half with 10 men.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195940-lazio-sneak-into-last-16-after-nail-biting-finale/

 

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Millwall fans applaud anti-racist banner

 

Soccer Football - Championship - Millwall v Queens Park Rangers - The Den, London, Britain - December 8, 2020 The players hold up a 'United for Change' banner before the match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Millwall fans, heavily criticised for booing their players who 'took the knee' on Saturday, applauded as their team and visitors Queens Park Rangers stood by an anti-racist banner in their Championship match on Tuesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195941-millwall-fans-applaud-anti-racist-banner/

 

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Dortmund clinch top spot with 2-1 win at Zenit

 

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group F - Zenit Saint Petersburg v Borussia Dortmund - Gazprom Arena, Saint Petersburg, Russia - December 8, 2020 Borussia Dortmund's Axel Witsel scores their second goal REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

 

(Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund struck twice in the space of 11 second-half minutes to seal a 2-1 victory at Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on Tuesday and clinch top spot in Group F.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195942-dortmund-clinch-top-spot-with-2-1-win-at-zenit/

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Texas asks U.S. Supreme Court to help Trump upend election in long-shot lawsuit

By Makini Brice

 

FILE PHOTO: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses reporters on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court after the court took up a major abortion case focusing on whether a Texas law that imposes strict regulations on abortion doctors and clinic buildings interferes with the constitutional right of a woman to end her pregnancy in Washington March 2, 2016. At right is Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The state of Texas on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the voting results in four other states in a long-shot legal gambit intended to help President Donald Trump upend his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195945-texas-asks-us-supreme-court-to-help-trump-upend-election-in-long-shot-lawsuit/

 

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Basaksehir and PSG walk off after alleged racism by a match official

By Julien Pretot

 

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group H - Paris St Germain v Istanbul Basaksehir F.K. - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - December 8, 2020 Referee Ovidiu Hategan with Istanbul Basaksehir's Demba Ba as the match is interrupted REUTERS/Charles Platiau

 

PARIS (Reuters) - Istanbul Basaksehir's players, closely followed by their opponents Paris St Germain, left the pitch during a Champions League game on Tuesday after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195946-basaksehir-and-psg-walk-off-after-alleged-racism-by-a-match-official/

 

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With vaccine drawing closer, U.S. tops 15 million coronavirus cases

By Maria Caspani and Daniel Trotta

 

FILE PHOTO: A small shopping basket filled with vials labeled "COVID-19 - Coronavirus Vaccine" and medical syringes are placed on a U.S. flag in this illustration taken November 29, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. coronavirus cases crossed the 15 million mark on Tuesday as regulators moved a step closer to approving a COVID-19 vaccine and Britain started inoculating people, offering hope of slowing a pandemic that killed 15,000 Americans in the last week alone.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195947-with-vaccine-drawing-closer-us-tops-15-million-coronavirus-cases/

 

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Intensely private, Biden's pick for defense secretary is thrust into eligibility battle

By Phil Stewart, Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina

 

FILE PHOTO: Iraq's acting defence minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi (R) greets Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Lloyd Austin during a meeting in Baghdad May 11, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ask anyone who knows retired Army General Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden's pick for defense secretary, and two descriptions come up again and again - intensely private and razor-sharp.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195950-intensely-private-bidens-pick-for-defense-secretary-is-thrust-into-eligibility-battle/

 

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Rudy Giuliani, diagnosed with COVID-19, says will leave hospital soon

By Jarrett Renshaw and Jason Lange

 

FILE PHOTO: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, personal attorney to U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks after media announced that Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 U.S. presidential election, in, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

 

(Reuters) -President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday said he is feeling better after contracting COVID-19 and expects to leave the hospital on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195951-rudy-giuliani-diagnosed-with-covid-19-says-will-leave-hospital-soon/

 

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Special Tourist Visa: Thailand opens to the world - But will the tourists really come?

 

Reuters file photo for reference only
 

In a massive U-turn after few people turned up as part of the government's STV (special tourist visa) scheme Thailand has decided to open up to the whole world irrespective of Covid conditions.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195955-special-tourist-visa-thailand-opens-to-the-world-but-will-the-tourists-really-come/

 

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Gang in custody after Chinese woman abducted for ransom in busy Bangkok Soi popular with expats

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported that their sources suggested that a Chinese woman was abducted from a soi in Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok and a ransom of 15 million baht was demanded for her release. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195960-gang-in-custody-after-chinese-woman-abducted-for-ransom-in-busy-bangkok-soi-popular-with-expats/

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Man, 30, killed after his car slams into barrier, falls off Burapha Withi Expressway

By THE NATION

 

 

A man was killed after his car hit a barrier at high speed and careened off Burapha Withi Expressway, also known as Bang Na Expressway, crashing onto the road below early on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195963-man-30-killed-after-his-car-slams-into-barrier-falls-off-burapha-withi-expressway/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Tourists from any country can now apply for Special Tourist Visa

By THE NATION

 

 

The Cabinet has done away with restrictions on nationality for long-stay tourists and tourists who travel on yachts as well as their crews who are allowed to enter Thailand under the Special Tourist Visa (STV), the government’s deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said on Tuesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195955-special-tourist-visa-thailand-opens-to-the-world-but-will-the-tourists-really-come/page/2/?tab=comments#elControls_16066449_menu

 

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Golf quarantine: Latest government plan gets green light

 

File photo for reference only
 

Plans for 14 day quarantine at Thailand's many golf courses have been given the green light.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195968-golf-quarantine-latest-government-plan-gets-green-light/

 

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Up to SEVEN million foreign tourists will visit Thailand next year, says leading Thai bank

 

 

Thai business media has reported that the Kasikorn Research Center predicts that between 4.5 and 7 million foreign tourists will visit Thailand next year, 2021.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195969-up-to-seven-million-foreign-tourists-will-visit-thailand-next-year-says-leading-thai-bank/

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Singapore 'cruise-to-nowhere' turns back after COVID-19 case aboard

By John Geddie

 

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship docks at Marina Bay Cruise Center after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a cruise to nowhere, in Singapore, December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su

 

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A passenger aboard a Royal Caribbean 'cruise-to-nowhere' from Singapore has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing around 2,000 guests to be quarantined in their cabins and the Quantum of the Seas ship to return to dock on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195971-singapore-cruise-to-nowhere-turns-back-after-covid-19-case-aboard/

 

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New look Koh Larn coming along well, says Pattaya's mayor

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

Thai media 77kaoded reported that Pattaya's mayor Sontaya Khunpluem expressed satisfaction after a visit to Koh Larn.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195972-new-look-koh-larn-coming-along-well-says-pattayas-mayor/

 

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Zambian and Thai woman arrested after "cash in parcel" scam nets 1.2 million baht

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Thailand's immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang - called Big Oud by Thai media Naew Na - announced the arrest of a Thai woman and a Zambian man ripping people off as part of an online money transfer scam. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195975-zambian-and-thai-woman-arrested-after-cash-in-parcel-scam-nets-12-million-baht/

 

 

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U.S. Supreme Court rejects Republican challenge to Biden's Pennsylvania win

By Lawrence Hurley

 

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announces nominees and appointees to serve on his health and coronavirus response teams during a news conference at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a defeat to Republicans seeking to throw out up to 2.5 million mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania as they try to undo President Donald Trump's election loss, with the justices refusing to block the state from formalizing President-elect Joe Biden's victory there.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195979-us-supreme-court-rejects-republican-challenge-to-bidens-pennsylvania-win/

 

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Egat earmarks Bt70 billion for three projects under ERC sandbox campaign

By THE NATION

 

 

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) has applied to participate in the Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand’s (ERC) sandbox campaign to test run new technology and innovations in energy, Egat Research and Innovation director Somchai Chokmawiroj said.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195980-egat-earmarks-bt70-billion-for-three-projects-under-erc-sandbox-campaign/

 

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Popular ex-police chief Chakthip gunning to become Bangkok governor

 

 

Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda has never held a political post let alone contested for one. Yet, his entry in the upcoming Bangkok governor’s race – if confirmed – will send a chill down the spines of any seasoned politician interested in contesting the same election.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1195981-popular-ex-police-chief-chakthip-gunning-to-become-bangkok-governor/