VIDEO: This Week's Top Stories | Bangkok Post: learning
The biggest story on Learning this week was the weather. Rain was very heavy, especially in the South, and several areas of Bangkok saw flooding. The head of a panel steering the economic recovery on Monday urged the government to reopen the country to prevent it from collapsing. "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused," Le Palais Hotel wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday. Wednesday saw the week's largest number of infected arrivals, with a total of 15 cases.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 11, 2020 03:11 UTC
The day the filming had to stop
The day the filming had to stopAn article headlined "The man, myth and legend" on Wednesday by Tatat Bunnag marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Thailand's biggest-ever film star, Mitr Chaibancha. The actor plunged to his death at the age of 36, while filming a helicopter scene at Jomtien for Insee Thong (Golden Eagle). I remember that day well, which is a bit alarming considering it was 50 years ago. Heaven sentGiven the Stairway to Heaven title, it was pity that the band weren't playing across the road at the larger and aptly named Thai Heaven. Although I never heard the Thai Heaven band play Stairway, they had a bash at songs like Sunshine of Your Love and Satisfaction with varying degrees of success.
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October 11, 2020 00:22 UTC
Cheerleading without fans
Cheerleading without fansIt seems like the Royal Thai Army can't catch a break lately. Now it has to defend itself against allegations that it was behind almost 1,000 "propagandist" Twitter accounts which spouted its praises to divert public attention from its shortcomings. Even after the recent change in command following the annual military reshuffle, the army's integrity is still being called into question by the public. Out of the 1,594 pages that Twitter took down in its latest sweep, 926 could be traced back to Thailand. While a study released by Stanford University's Internet Observatory noted the campaign was a "relatively unsophisticated social media information operation with limited reach" which amounted to little less than "cheerleading without fans", it exposes a more fatal flaw.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 11, 2020 00:11 UTC
Royal reform bid threatens rally turnout
Some Pheu Thai MPs were reportedly instrumental in mobilising the red-shirt supporters to join the last two protests held by the Free People group. He admitted that the UDD can only mobilise red-shirt supporters to join rallies it there are buses or pickup trucks laid on to transport them. Normally, Pheu Thai MPs do not want to quarrel with the red-shirt supporters who make up the support base of the party, Mr Anuwat said. Another problem is that the protest leaders have refused to meet for talks with police ahead of time, which has made crowd control planning difficult, he claimed. Police are also verifying whether the protest leaders have sought permission to hold the rally under the public assembly law, Pol Maj Gen Somprasong said.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 11, 2020 00:11 UTC
Post legend Bernard Trink dies at 89
For Bernard Trink, seen here in the Bangkok Post newsroom in 2010, the typewriter was always his word processor of choice. (Photo: Sayant Pornnantharat)Bernard Trink, one of the most memorable figures in the long history of the Bangkok Post, has passed away at the age of 89. Trink was best known for his Nite Owl column, a freewheeling weekly chronicle of the seamier side of the city’s vibrant nightlife scene. “Nite Owl” began life in the World as a three-page illustrated section that appeared every Friday afternoon. The end of “Nite Owl” finally came in December 2003, with no announcement or farewell party.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 10, 2020 12:11 UTC
Malaysia Airlines' survival in doubt, says CEO
(Reuters Photo)KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines will have to shut down if its lessors decide not to back its latest restructuring plan, the airline’s group chief executive was quoted as saying on Saturday. A group of leasing companies has rejected the airline’s restructuring plan, bringing the state carrier closer to a showdown over its future, Reuters reported on Friday. Malaysia Airlines group chief executive officer Izham Ismail said the group would have “no choice but to shut it down” if lessors decide against backing the restructuring plan. Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the airline’s parent company, did not immediately respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. He said Plan B could involve shifting Malaysia Airlines’ air operator’s certificate (AOC) to a new airline under a different name, or using the certificates of sister airlines Firefly and MASwings.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 10, 2020 10:00 UTC
Teen one step from becoming first millennial saint
Teen one step from becoming first millennial saintThe Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, who 15-year-old Carlo Acutis idolised. That leaves him just one miracle away from becoming the world's first millennial saint. Internet and computer-mad youngster Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, was placed on the path to sainthood after the Vatican ruled he had miraculously saved another boy's life. The Vatican claims he interceded from heaven in 2013 to cure a Brazilian boy suffering from a rare pancreatic disease. He will be beatified in Assisi, the home of his idol Saint Francis, who dedicated his life to the poor.
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October 10, 2020 03:33 UTC
DeChambeau defends 'skill' but loses lead despite eagles
DeChambeau defends 'skill' but loses lead despite eaglesBryson DeChambeau fired two eagles in a round of 67 on Friday at the PGA Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, then defended the skill of his long-driving style that brought a US Open title last monthLOS ANGELES - Bryson DeChambeau defended the skill of his long-driving attack style after firing two eagles on Friday but falling from the lead of the PGA Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Sixth-ranked DeChambeau drove the green 373 yards at the par-4 seventh and holed a 26-foot eagle putt. "Some of the places he hit it, and he's cutting corners, when he's on, there's no point is there? "It's not a skill to hit the ball a long way in my opinion," he added. I still think there is a lot of skill in that."
Source:Bangkok Post
October 10, 2020 01:07 UTC
Rally needs public support to succeed
Rally needs public support to succeedThe recent anti-dictatorship movement may have to encounter an inconvenient truth in its forthcoming rally on Wednesday if the number of protesters is not as big as it had hoped. Such figures, much fewer than what the movement leaders wanted to see, are not strong enough to bring back their momentum. By adding the demand for a reform of the kingdom's highest institution, the movement risks losing public support, and the movement leaders know it. To think the monarchy reform issue would be a magnet that draws more people to their rally is unrealistic. In addition, they should realise that their aspiration for monarchy reform, which causes a deep divide in the country, needs more time.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 10, 2020 00:00 UTC
'Kaem ling' still needed
'Kaem ling' still neededBangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang will be remembered as someone who has been quite active in implementing flood prevention measures. The idea stems from the kaem ling water management theory of storing resources for later usage. King Rama IX introduced kaem ling to facilitate better water management during both the rainy and dry seasons. A prime example is the 2012 plan to build six kaem ling in the upper and eastern parts of the city, covering about 1,000 rai of land. The result is that there are only two kaem ling -- the "Bueng Khubon Flood Catchment" in Kannayao district and the "Bang Chan Flood Catchment" in Min Buri district.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 10, 2020 00:00 UTC
Steer clear of royals, PM warns
Steer clear of royals, PM warnsPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned political protesters not to disrespect the monarchy during their rally on Wednesday, which also coincides with a royal merit-making ceremony. If they [protesters] do not disrespect the monarchy or slander anyone, no problem," he said. Can we allow what they have proposed, that they hate and disrespect the monarchy? Mr Arnon, however, affirmed that protesters will not obstruct the royal motorcade as it heads to Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram (Wat Phra Kaeo). Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat, deputy national police chief, said police would try negotiating with the protesters first to try and ensure maximum security for the royal motorcade.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 09, 2020 23:48 UTC
Michigan plot: US right-wing militias a growing threat
Michigan plot: US right-wing militias a growing threatMichael Null (L), one of those arrested in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, at an April 2020 rally against Covid-19 restrictionsWASHINGTON - The arrest of 13 men in a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan and "instigate a civil war" placed a fresh spotlight on the growth of armed, right-wing extremist "militias" under the administration of President Donald Trump. A subculture of armed right-wing groups with varied motivations has long existed in the United States. -'Domestic terror threat'Since 2019 the FBI has said that right wing extremists, sole actors and militia groups are the country's leading domestic terror threat. "It's not just a Michigan problem, it's an American problem," said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. During the debate he also told the violent armed Proud Boys group to "stand by."
Source:Bangkok Post
October 09, 2020 21:45 UTC
Friday: 6 new Covid-19 cases from abroad | Bangkok Post: learning
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said two of the cases are foreigners. The two cases from Myanmar are a Thai man, 43, and woman, 47, both company employees. The two cases from the US are both Thai, a woman student, 21, and man, 23. The case from Norway is a Lithuanian man, 29, who arrived last Saturday and was quarantined in Bangkok. Of the total 3,628 cases, 3,441 (94.85%) have recovered, including two discharged in Thursday, and 128 patients remain in hospitals.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 09, 2020 05:26 UTC
Tourist-free Phuket a 'ghost island'
Tourist-free Phuket a 'ghost island'A man walks along the empty beach at Patong, Phuket, seen through a torn sign telling people to wear a mask, on Oct 1. Last year, more than nine million tourists visited Phuket, the kingdom's second most popular destination after Bangkok. Nearly all the island's 3,000 hotels are closed and Patong is being described as a "ghost town". Phuket has been due to welcome Thailand's first foreign tourists since April in a cautious experiment by the kingdom, but their arrival keeps being pushed back. Before the pandemic, domestic holidaymakers only made up 30 percent of visitors to Phuket, prompting the local tourism industry to rethink its business model.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 09, 2020 05:16 UTC