Tuesday: new Covid cases lift total past 4,000 | Bangkok Post: learning
(Photo: Dusida Worrachaddejchai)A seven-month-old boy was among 10 new cases of Covid reported on Tuesday, raising the total to 4,008. The new Covid-19 cases were from the United States (3), Sudan (1), Russia (4) and Pakistan (2). The cases from the US were a 23-year-old American woman teacher, a 63-year-old Thai woman and a 65-year-old Thai man, both self-employed. The case from Sudan was a 50-year-old Thai housewife who arrived on Nov 24. The two cases from Pakistan were a 32-year-old Pakistani engineer, and a 30-year-old Pakistani housewife.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 01, 2020 05:48 UTC
No uniforms for first day of school | Bangkok Post: learning
Student protester volunteers manage traffic at a busy ‘Bad Student’ rally on Rama I road in front of Siam Paragon in Bangkok on Nov 21. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) has instructed all schools to not stop their students from wearing casual clothes to school on the first day of the second term. Obec secretary-general Amporn Pinasa said students should be allowed to wear casual clothes today, as students going to school to study is the best thing that could happen to society. However, Mr Amporn said that school dress codes will still apply, and each school will be required to inform parents of their dress codes. Mr Amporn said that Obec believes the Education Ministry's rule on student uniforms does not constitute a violation of student rights.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 01, 2020 02:48 UTC
Section 112's return adds fuel to protest fire
Section 112's return adds fuel to protest fireThe government's re-embracing of the lese majeste law has been marked by contention and dishonesty. Gen Prayut told reporters, however, that the King had told him not to use Section 112 of the criminal code against them. If that is the case, how should the latest series of lese majeste prosecutions be interpreted? Apparently trying to shield the monarchy from the political conflict, Mr Sulak slammed Gen Prayut for going against the King's instructions. The lese majeste law has always been criticised as "problematic" and known more as a tool to silence critics than a respectable and fair piece of legislation.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 30, 2020 19:52 UTC
TV debate puts protesters on the spot
TV debate puts protesters on the spotProtesters drop letters into mock postboxes placed on Ratchadamnoen Nai Avenue near the Grand Palace. Some even questioned her integrity for reminding Ms Rung during the debate about what she had "briefed" her before the debate. Prof Arnond provided a useful insight into the Crown Property Regulations Act, the King's personal property and crown property, which should clear up public misconceptions about the matter. According to the act, the King's personal property, or wealth inherited from previous monarchs, and crown property as such are separate but both fall under the supervision of the Crown Property Bureau. The idea of putting the two portions under the same roof was to make earnings from the pair taxable because crown property was previously tax-free.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 29, 2020 23:26 UTC
English tuition lags
However, a recent English proficiency ranking suggests Thailand needs a major and urgent revamp of its English education system. According to the annual English Proficiency Index released last week by the global language education company, EF Education First, Thailand's overall proficiency score has dropped for the third year in a row. The low score is no surprise, as the country lacks a clear strategy to improve English education in schools. There are many new-generation English teachers who are ready to help if the curriculum is reformed to support them. The issue must be on the national agenda as English proficiency is key to increasing the potential of the country's human capital.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 29, 2020 23:26 UTC
5 killed, 4 injured in pickup-SUV crash
5 killed, 4 injured in pickup-SUV crashA policeman assesses the damage of a sport unility vehicle after a crash with a pickup truck in Non Daeng district of Nakhon Ratchasima on Sunday. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Five members of a family, including one boy and two girls, were killed and four men injured in a violent collision between a pickup and a sport utility vehicle in Non Daeng district on Sunday morning. Two men also travelling in the SUV were seriously injured. Aside from the driver, the two other men who were travelling in the pick-up were also injured. The injured were separately admitted to Khong, Sida and Non Daeng hospitals, which are located along the Mitrapap highway.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 29, 2020 03:33 UTC
A good time to chill out and be cool
A good time to chill out and be coolIt was a strange week even by US President Donald Trump's standards. Not everyone liked greasy hair, however, and in 1962 there was even a song about it. Entitled "That Greasy Kid Stuff", Janie Grant sang about putting her fingers through her boyfriend's hair prompting the splendid lyrics:"Are you still using that greasy kid stuff? That icky sticky ooey gooey greasy kid stuff." Shortly after that, the Beatles surfaced with their mop-heads and greasy hair quickly lost its appeal.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 28, 2020 23:26 UTC
Thai critics need state protection
In 2018, Thai authorities issued another arrest warrant, this time for violating the 2016 Computer Crime Act. The United Nations has documented 80 cases of suspected enforced disappearance and torture in Thailand over the past 15 years. The gruesome findings have put the Thai state in hot water, yet it has never come clean about the issue. Thai authorities in Phnom Penh should do more in assisting Ms Sitanan find out exactly what happened to her brother. Although he is a critic of the Thai state, Mr Wanchalearm is a Thai citizen who has the right to state protection.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 28, 2020 23:26 UTC
4 minutes which changed football world
That match in Mexico is probably one of the most famous games in international football that was not a final. Commentating on the match for Spanish listeners was the respected Uruguayan broadcaster Victor Hugo Morales and his ecstatic reaction to Maradona's second goal is worth repeating. Thank you God, for football, for Maradona for these tears, for Argentina 2 England 0." That match left England fans in a state of mental anguish and confusion. They were furious at the handball but could not deny the excellence of the second goal.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 27, 2020 23:03 UTC
Woeful govt incapable of solving crisis
Woeful govt incapable of solving crisisSo, the Prayut Chan-o-cha regime is resorting to slapping the lese majeste law against protesters again. Admittedly, the "people's constitution" proposed by civil society group iLaw contains clauses that threaten several sections in the present charter that the government and its supporters hold dear. When asked what he would do to help usher the process along, Gen Prayut said it was a matter for parliament to consider. With the re-imposition of the lese majeste law, Gen Prayut has turned the heat up several notches. Gen Prayut can do us all a favour and resign and take his cabinet with him.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 27, 2020 23:03 UTC
Nail in coffin for Lao dam?
Nail in coffin for Lao dam? The government's new stance against the Sanakham Dam on the Mekong River in Laos may be a nail in the coffin of this hydro-powered project proposed by Chinese investors. Major commercial banks including Thailand's state Exim Bank and Krung Thai Bank, with the Finance Ministry as a major shareholder, have bankrolled dam projects. The Sanakham Dam, with a capacity of 684 megawatts, is just another example confirming the torrents of trouble surrounding water projects on the Mekong River. Yet, the state's concern over the Sanakham Dam and display of ethical courage should be praised.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 27, 2020 22:52 UTC
Friday: 19 more Covid-19 cases | Bangkok Post: learning
(Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Nineteen new cases of Covid-19 infection were reported on Friday, all quarantined arrivals and 14 of them Thais, raising the total to 3,961. Three cases were from the United States - Thai men aged 30 and 75 and an American man aged 61. Two cases were from Germany - Thai women aged 26 and 52. Two others were from the Republic of Georgia - a Thai masseuse, 30, and Thai businesswoman aged 37. Of the total 3,961 cases, 3,790 or 95.6% had recovered, including two new discharges over the previous 24 hours, and 111 were in hospital, the CCSA reported.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 27, 2020 05:15 UTC
Protesters' yellow-duck food coupons illegal | Bangkok Post: learning
Police were preparing to take action against those who used the coupons to buy food from stalls at the rally site on Wednesday night, a source said on Thursday. The yellow-duck coupons were handed out during the anti-government rally in front of SCB Park, the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank, in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district on Wednesday evening. Each coupon had a declared value of 10 baht and could be used when buying food or souvenirs at participating stalls. The yellow-duck food coupons distributed during Wednesday’s anti-government rally are illegal, according to police. (Photo by Arnun Chonmahatrakool)Click "play" to listen to Protesters' yellow-duck food coupons illegal and "Download" to keep this file for educational purpose.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 27, 2020 03:12 UTC
Thailand confirms return of Iranians held over 2012 bomb plot
Thailand confirms return of Iranians held over 2012 bomb plotIn this file photo, Saeid Moradi gestures in his wheelchair in front of Mohammad Khazaei while being escorted to a Bangkok court on Aug 22, 2013. (Bangkok Post file photo)Thailand confirmed on Thursday it had returned three Iranians jailed over a 2012 bomb plot in Bangkok, in an announcement that came after Tehran freed an Australian-British lecturer imprisoned for alleged spying. The trio freed by Thailand had all been jailed over a botched bomb plot that Israel linked to a spate of attacks on its diplomats around the world. In 2013 a Bangkok court jailed Moradi for life for attempted murder and sentenced Khazaei to 15 years for possession of explosives. Israel accused Tehran of waging a terror campaign over the plot, which emerged a day after bomb attacks on its diplomats in India and Georgia.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 26, 2020 11:48 UTC
TEST YOURSELF: Not just 'tall, light and skinny' | Bangkok Post: learning
As a young black woman modelling in Hong Kong, Harmony Anne-Marie Ilunga rarely saw anyone who looked like her in the magazines. "I would walk into an agency and they told me that they prefer white models to black models," Ilunga, who moved to Hong Kong as a child refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, told AFP. Ilunga said she has found male black models are more sought after, seen as "cool, much more stylish”. "At least there is a conversation," she said, describing how one parent thanked her for her work and the impact seeing a working young black model, had on her daughters. Male black models are more popular than females.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 26, 2020 08:48 UTC