NATIONAL NEWS from Surf 102.5 FM - Monday 19 June 2023

The Pheu Thai party has decided to concede the position of House Speaker to the Move Forward Party, while securing the two deputy House Speaker posts for themselves. Initially, there was disagreement between the two parties regarding the allocation of these positions, The final negotiations on this issue will occur after the Election Commission officially endorses the MP candidates on June 21st.

Thailand's Foreign Minister organized a forum for representatives from ASEAN and other countries to hear from delegates of the Myanmar junta.

Several key Southeast Asian counterparts stayed away from the meeting that has drawn sharp criticism.     Thailand claims the purpose was to serve regional interests and was not an official ASEAN meeting. The forum aimed to update ASEAN member states on developments in Myanmar following the appointment of a new foreign minister. Thailand’s minister emphasized the need for dialogue with the Myanmar junta.

Three people are wanted by the police for allegedly extorting six suspects involved in an online gambling case. Two of them reportedly fled to a neighboring country on June 13th. The case gained public attention when six complaints were made to the chief of Chon Buri police and his team for demanding 140 million baht to avoid prosecution for operating an online gambling website. Deputy police chief Surachate said that at least 12 police officers were implicated in the scheme.

 2 Thai and 1 Cambodian nationals were arrested by officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division. They were caught smuggling 33 macaques and their carcasses in a Ford Ranger pickup truck. The monkeys, along with anesthetic darts and needles, were discovered when the vehicle was intercepted in Suphanburi. The cargo was headed for  the border with Cambodia, where it was to be delivered to customers.

Around the Region:

Myanmar: Pro-democracy activists and related forces have called for a general strike, by holding flowers today to mark the 78th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Flower strikes have been used to mark her two previous birthdays since the 2021 coup. Pictures are uploaded of people holding flowers and with similar hairstyle to Suu Kyi. 

A prominent protest leader said flowers and silent strikes are seen as a threat by the regime, which always tries to disrupt the movements through threats from  troops.

The weather:  Cloudy with thundershowers

Chiang Mai and the north: Cloudy with thundershowers  34C                    
Bangkok: Cloudy isolated thundershowers  32
Pattaya, Cloudy with thundershowers  31
Phuket and the south: Sunny partly cloudy DRY 31C                                                                                               
‘Hua Hin’ :Partly Cloudy, some rain  32
 

Credits: Bangkok Post, The Nation, Asean Now, Khaosod English,  Hua Hin Today, Royal Coast Review, Kulsawek Sawekwannakorn, Thainewsroom.com, The Pattaya News, Phuket News, Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times. The Irrawaddy. Windy.com. Wunderground.com

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