THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Thursday 6 Apr 2017

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HOTEL DEALS: Book by April 10th to receive an extra 10% discount on our already great prices!

 

 

Book by April 10th for extra great discounts: Chinatown's very own Shanghai Mansion, the classy Burasari Resort in Patong, and Pattaya's amazing Cape Dara are the properties featured in this week's special deal.

 

Info: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/976915-hotel-deals-book-by-april-10th-to-receive-an-extra-10-discount-on-our-already-great-prices/

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UPDATE:

PM does U-turn as road safety rule postponed
By THE NATION

 

 

Prime Minister defers strict enforcement of rule until after the Songkran holidays.

 

BANGKOK: -- HOURS after the new strict road safety regulations were put in place under Article 44, the prime minister relaxed enforcement of a ban on travelling in the cargo bed of pickup trucks until after the Songkran break, although implementation of the seat belt rules began yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977115-prayut-postpones-new-road-safety-regulations/

 

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Thais continue to criticize government pick-up laws

 

Picture: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- Thais continued to slam the military government for what they saw as its heavy handed and inconsiderate rules about riding in the cargo bed and cab of pick-ups.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977128-thais-continue-to-criticize-government-pick-up-laws/

 

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"It's our way of life!" : Villagers in pick-ups beg police not to issue fines

 

Picture: Sanook

 

CHIANG MAI: -- Villagers in Chiang Mai had a clear message for police at roadblocks in Chiang Mai set up to fine people for riding in the back of pick-ups.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977129-its-our-way-of-life-villagers-in-pick-ups-beg-police-not-to-issue-fines/

 

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International criminals arrested in pre-Songkran security crackdown

 

Picture: Sanook

 

BANGKOK: -- The head of Thai immigration announced the arrest of five foreign nationals this week in what he called a nationwide pre-Songkran crackdown to help boost the security of Thais and foreign tourists.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977130-international-criminals-arrested-in-pre-songkran-security-crackdown/

 

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EDITORIAL

Resentment boils at each delay in justice
By The Nation

 

Shabby excuses and inexcusable leniency in the Vorayuth case are tearing at the social fabric

 

BANGKOK: -- Justified public outrage has greeted the latest delays in the legal prosecution of a wealthy young man from a prominent business family who ran over and killed a policeman with his luxury car in 2012.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977131-resentment-boils-at-each-delay-in-justice/

 

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OPINION

World’s most wired nation offers guide for Thailand 4.0
By Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

 

BANGKOK: -- If Thailand is serious about becoming a “4.0 nation”, there are valuable lessons to be learned from Estonia, a tiny country of 1.3 million people that has dramatically built itself into a digital wonderland. Estonia is a 5.0 nation while we are still groping for ways to hit 4.0.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977132-world’s-most-wired-nation-offers-guide-for-thailand-40/

 

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Groups upset over lack of details offered on BMA’s riverside promenade project
By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK: -- CONCERNED GROUPS yesterday demanded that they be allowed to participate in the Chao Phraya Riverside promenade project and claimed there has been no disclosure of plans, although construction is due to start in months.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977133-groups-upset-over-lack-of-details-offered-on-bma’s-riverside-promenade-project/

 

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Thai sues Jack Ma, Alibaba unit for alleged IP breaches
By KWANCHAI RUNGFAPAISARN
THE NATION

 

Phanawatnan shows his patented fire-extinguishing ball.

 

BANGKOK: -- ELIDE FIRE Ball Pro Company, manufacturer of a fire-extinguishing ball patented by a Thai inventor, is suing Hangzhou Alibaba Advertising Co and Jack Ma, the man behind online shopping websites Alibaba and AliExpress, for allegedly promoting the sale of counterfeit goods.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977134-thai-sues-jack-ma-alibaba-unit-for-alleged-ip-breaches/

 

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Junta orders ‘will continue to rein in citizens’ even if democracy returns
By PIYAPORN WONGRUANG,
WASAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK: -- POLITICS will see some positive signals in the coming months but citizens’ civil and political rights will remain leashed as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) continues to have a stranglehold on society, political experts said at a seminar paying tribute to late former premier and noted law scholar Sanya Dharmasakti at Thammasat University yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977135-junta-orders-‘will-continue-to-rein-in-citizens’-even-if-democracy-returns/

 

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Nine warrants out for killing of conscript
By THE NATION

 

 

Army vows to stay out of police probe into private’s brutal beating at camp

 

SURAT THANI: -- A MILITARY court has approved arrest warrants for nine soldiers for their alleged role in the fatal attack on a conscript at a military prison in the South. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977137-nine-warrants-out-for-killing-of-conscript-in-surat-thani/

 

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Prayut reassures investors on EEC
By THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday assured investors that his government was firmly committed to developing the Eastern Economic Corridor on a long-term and sustainable basis and would warmly welcome participation by the private sector.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977138-prayut-reassures-investors-on-eec/

 

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Health ministry dismisses state hospital financial rumours
By THE NATION

 

Dr. Piyasakol

 

BANGKOK: -- PUBLIC HEALTH Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn has dismissed widely circulated posts on social media that claim state hospitals are suffering from major cash flow problems.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977139-thai-health-min-dismisses-state-hospital-financial-rumours/

 

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UPDATE:

 

New transport order crashes into a mocking social media response
By The Nation

 

Dr Lab Panda

 

BANGKOK: -- Thailand remains the “land of smiles” despite the series of political upheavals and natural disasters the Kingdom has experienced in recent years. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977123-photos-social-media-reacts-to-thailands-new-rules-on-riding-in-a-pick-up/?do=findComment&comment=11774041

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72 Year-Old Swedish Man Injured after Passenger Bus Crashes into his SUV

 

SUTHAT THANI – Twenty-five people received minor injuries when a tour bus ran into the back of a seven-seat SUV on the Asian Highway in Phun Phin district early on Wednesday, police said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977140-72-year-old-swedish-man-injured-after-passenger-bus-crashes-into-his-suv-in-surat-thani/

 

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Bomb explodes in Bangkok's Ratchadamnoen Avenue, 2 injured

By Khaosod English

 

Investigators at the scene of a small bomb which exploded Wednesday on Bangkok's Ratchadamnoen Avenue.

 

BANGKOK — A small bomb struck Ratchadamnoen Avenue in Bangkok’s old quarter Wednesday night, wounding two street cleaners.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977141-bomb-explodes-in-bangkoks ratchadamnoen-avenue-2-injured/

 

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Phuket beach businesses cleared under guise of ‘Keep Phuket Clean’ campaign

 

 

PHUKET: Local police and officials from the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) took the launch of the “Keep Phuket Clean” campaign today (April 4) to heart by demolishing structures that were home to about 10 beachfront businesses deemed to be on public land.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/976941-phuket-beach-businesses-cleared-under-guise-of-‘keep-phuket-clean’-campaign/

 

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Trump drops Steve Bannon from National Security Council

By Steve Holland and John Walcott

REUTERS

 

Steve Bannon departs after a meeting about the American Health Care Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. March 23, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977143-trump-drops-steve-bannon-from-national-security-council/

 

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Trump says chemical attack in Syria crossed many lines

By Jeff Mason and Tom Perry

REUTERS

 

A man breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

 

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government of going "beyond a red line" with a poison gas attack on civilians and said his attitude toward Syria and Assad had changed, opening a rift with Moscow.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977144-trump-says-chemical-attack-in-syria-crossed-many-lines/

 

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South Africa's ANC rejects calls for Zuma to quit

By Mfuneko Toyana

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma reacts during the launch of a social housing project in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, April 1, 2017. REUTERS/Rogan Ward/File photo

 

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress "closed ranks" around President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the ruling party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977145-south-africas-anc-rejects-calls-for-zuma-to-quit/

 

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Europe regulator says airlines' tech ban may compromise safety

By Victoria Bryan and Tim Hepher

REUTERS
 

FILE PHOTO: A laptop is seen on the screen of an X-ray security scanner at Sarajevo International Airport in Sarajevo February 26, 2014. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

 

BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Europe's aviation regulator voiced concern on Wednesday over the risk of battery fires in the cargo holds of passenger planes after U.S. and British authorities banned certain electronics from passenger cabins despite U.S. assurances that its agency had been thoroughly briefed on the proper handling of electronics.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977147-europe-regulator-says-airlines-tech-ban-may-compromise-safety/

 

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Myanmar leader says no ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims - BBC

By Guy Faulconbridge

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar's National League for Democracy Party leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a news conference in Yangon November 5, 2015. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ethnic cleansing was too strong a term to describe what was happening in the Muslim-majority Rakhine region, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977150-myanmar-leader-says-no-ethnic-cleansing-of-rohingya-muslims-bbc/

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China may scrap divisive dam in Myanmar to advance other interests - sources

By Yimou Lee and Shwe Yee Saw Myint

REUTERS

 

Temporary residents are seen at Myitsone, at the confluence of the Mali and Nmai rivers, outside Myitkyina capital city of Kachin state, Myanmar March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - China has shifted its position in a lengthy dispute with Myanmar over the building of a $3.6 billion dam, seven sources said, signalling its willingness to abandon the project in exchange for other economic and strategic opportunities in Myanmar.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977152-china-may-scrap-divisive-dam-in-myanmar-to-advance-other-interests-sources/

 

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Pepsi pulls Kendall Jenner ad after social media backlash

By Scott Malone and Tim Baysinger

REUTERS

 

Pepsi bottles are seen on display in New York July 19, 2010. PepsiCo reports results for its second quarter on July 20. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/Files

 

(Reuters) - PepsiCo <PEP.N> pulled a commercial featuring model Kendall Jenner on Wednesday after the ad prompted outrage and ridicule from those who said it trivialized rights protests and public unrest in the United States.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977153-pepsi-pulls-kendall-jenner-ad-after-social-media-backlash/

 

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Stuffed menagerie, complete with lions, recovered from UK burglar
REUTERS

 

Jason Hopwood is seen after his arrest for stealing 18 stuffed animals during a burglary in Wimbledon, in an undated Metropolitan Police booking photograph handed out in London, Britain, April 5, 2017. Metropolitan Police handout via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - A British burglar who stole 18 stuffed animals including lions, a giraffe and a snarling chimpanzee in a top hat and tie has received a suspended jail sentence, police said on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977154-stuffed-menagerie-complete-with-lions-recovered-from-uk-burglar/

 

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For Trump, Mar-a-Lago is place to break the ice with China's Xi

By Steve Holland

REUTERS

 

The Mar-a-Lago estate owned by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has told visitors that his Mar-a-Lago retreat is set up perfectly for foreign visits, but the Chinese side was initially hesitant when word came that Trump would like to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping there, according to administration officials.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977155-for-trump-mar-a-lago-is-place-to-break-the-ice-with-chinas-xi/

 

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Emirates joins Etihad, Qatar in U.S. cabin laptop ban workaround

BY REUTERS 

 

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

 

DUBAI (Reuters) – Emirates airline said on Wednesday it would start lending first and business class passengers tablets in response to the U.S. ban on most personal electronic devices from passenger cabins of United States-bound flights.

 

Full story: http://tech.thaivisa.com/emirates-joins-etihad-qatar-in-u-s-cabin-laptop-ban-workaround/20825/

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Police crackdown on loan sharks; build list of 1,000 suspects

 

 

BANGKOK, April 6th, 2017 (NNT) - The Royal Thai Police force has put together a list of 1,000 suspects involved in loan sharking across the country and is moving to build evidence to seek warrants for their arrest. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977169-thai-police-crackdown-on-loan-sharks-build-list-of-1000-suspects/

 

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Japan PM Abe says he, Trump agree North Korea missile launch a 'serious threat'

By William Mallard

REUTERS

 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump pose for a photograph before attending dinner at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a telephone call that North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch was "a dangerous provocation and a serious threat."

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977174-japan-pm-abe-says-he-trump-agree-north-korea-missile-launch-a-serious-threat/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Pipe bomb at Bangkok old lotto office wounds 2

 

BANGKOK, 6 April 2017 (NNT) - A small bomb exploded on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok, wounding two people. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977141-bomb-explodes-in-bangkoks ratchadamnoen-avenue-2-injured/?do=findComment&comment=11774510