Face Mask Trend Opening Way To Attacks

[webfact]

Face mask trend opening way to attacks

By The Nation

Published on July 21, 2009

Taking advantage of the nationwide trend of wearing face mask thanks to the typeA (H1N1) influenza outbreak, three men - wearing masks - robbed a motorcycle shop in Bangkok and made off with more than Bt500,000 in cash.

Owner of the Sathu Charoen Yont shop, Somchai Chanthawatthanakij, and two of his relatives were badly injured during the attack at dawn yesterday. Somchai later told police that he suspected the attackers were not ordinary robbers, given that they had severely beaten him and his relatives.

According to Somchai and witnesses, the three men were dressed in factory workers' attire and brown jackets with hoods, and one did not have a mask. The robbers entered the shop, fired a warning shot before tying up all three victims and ransacking the shop. They fled with Bt500,000 in cash, a notebook computer and two mobile phones.

Meanwhile, the Gold Traders Association of Thailand warned all gold shops to beware of customers wearing face masks.

The head of a taxi cooperative also complained that taxi drivers wearing masks got hailed less often, because prospective passengers preferred drivers whose faces were fully visible. Withoon Naewphanich, chairman of the Siam Taxi Cooperative, called on the Transport Ministry to issue a statement saying that the ministry wanted all taxi drivers to wear masks.

-- The Nation 2009/07/21

[webfact]

The head of a taxi cooperative also complained that taxi drivers wearing masks got hailed less often, because prospective passengers preferred drivers whose faces were fully visible.

Thats a point!

[haybilly]

Face mask trend opening way to attacks

By The Nation

Published on July 21, 2009

Taking advantage of the nationwide trend of wearing face mask thanks to the typeA (H1N1) influenza outbreak, three men - wearing masks - robbed a motorcycle shop in Bangkok and made off with more than Bt500,000 in cash.

Owner of the Sathu Charoen Yont shop, Somchai Chanthawatthanakij, and two of his relatives were badly injured during the attack at dawn yesterday. Somchai later told police that he suspected the attackers were not ordinary robbers, given that they had severely beaten him and his relatives.

According to Somchai and witnesses, the three men were dressed in factory workers' attire and brown jackets with hoods, and one did not have a mask. The robbers entered the shop, fired a warning shot before tying up all three victims and ransacking the shop. They fled with Bt500,000 in cash, a notebook computer and two mobile phones.

Meanwhile, the Gold Traders Association of Thailand warned all gold shops to beware of customers wearing face masks.

The head of a taxi cooperative also complained that taxi drivers wearing masks got hailed less often, because prospective passengers preferred drivers whose faces were fully visible. Withoon Naewphanich, chairman of the Siam Taxi Cooperative, called on the Transport Ministry to issue a statement saying that the ministry wanted all taxi drivers to wear masks.

-- The Nation 2009/07/21

Robbing Gold shops--aahh, at last a sensible reason to wear those dam_n masks.

[Thailand]

From all accounts the standard are pretty much useless and probably a great harbor for germs unless changed regularly.

Funny to see so many people wearing them inside out, perhaps it's a new trend.