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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
- Start date
https://www.volup2.com/articles-and...through-music-malinda-herman-by-luke-simonsen
A Journey Of Healing Through Music; Malinda Herman by Luke Simonsen Translated by Jordan Riviere
Photo: Malinda Herman Youtube ChannelThailand native, self proclaimed ‘hipster grandma’ Malinda Herman has had quite the spectacular journey and personal relationship with music. After going viral online from posting her cover of More Than I Can Say around 10 months ago she gained quite the following from her beautiful singing, guitar playing and her infectious pets. Every video she posts always has one of her three dogs or her cat either cuddled up or trying to sing with her in the background of her videos, which have melted hearts around the globe. Her Chihuahua “Jiw Jam” which roughly translates to “Small and Pretty” is especially fond of Malinda’s singing and is the pet cuddled up next to her in most of her videos. Malinda and her chihuahua have racked up 1.06 million subscribers and 38,921,883 views on her youtube channel as of June 2020.
Photo by Malinda Herman
Almost three years ago before adopting Jiw Jam she visited her Salon where some of the employees noticed her demeanor to be very sad at the time. They had a bunch of puppies they were giving up for adoption and offered her to pick one out because of the way she was feeling at the time. At first she picked out one of the puppies in the litter to take home but Jiw Jam would not stop following her and trying to love on her. Once she picked up Jiw Jam she knew it was a match made in heaven and their deep love for each has been eternal ever since. Because of their relationship she named her profile on Youtube หญิงชรา กะ หมาน้อย which translates to Old Lady with Dog, which is quite fitting.
However making this account and singing with Jiw Jam was never about going viral for the 69 year old Thai woman. Around 20 years prior to her internet fame, Malinda was involved in a tragic car accident and the left half of her face because of the crash became paralyzed. For about 2 years after the accident she did not let anyone see her face because she was ashamed of her troubles with talking and eating and appearance. The doctors told her that without undergoing surgery she would not be able to regain movement on the left side of her face, but that was not a route she wanted to take. However this did not mean she wasn’t yearning to recover some other way. So instead of surgery, after the accident she started doing some different daily vocal exercises to try to regain some movement in her face. These vocal exercises are very similar to the ones that I used to do in my own singing lessons when I was a kid. After practicing the boring basic vocal exercises for years her son bought her a guitar, knowing she loved to sing before the accident and when he was growing up.
Photo: Pet Lover BY Jerhigh / Facebook
Once she started playing guitar and actually singing instead of doing vocal exercises, Malinda could finally start to feel her facial muscles loosening up which also helped her mental health immensely. After starting to sing daily, Malinda started her Youtube channel in 2016, posting covers that she enjoyed singing and listening to. However one day, a couple years ago, she put Jiw Jam in her lap and started singing and playing guitar and Jiw Jam absolutely loved it and curled up in her lap and fell asleep. Ever since that moment, Jiw Jam always runs to Malinda and curls up in her lap every time she starts to sing, which then became a huge part of her videos.
Photo: Malinda Herman / Instagram
In late August of 2019 in an interview with Coconuts Bangkok she estimated her recovery at around 75% which has inspired so many people across the globe, especially those who don’t like partaking in surgery for personal reasons. She has been amazed and inspired by the response she has received with her videos and is blessed to entertain and heal others within her own journey of healing. In a comment under her first video that went viral, she says “If I sing and make you happy, I will keep singing. Thank you” and we all hope that she will for her sake and ours. Thank you for spreading your light Malinda.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Thai-rapper-s-arrest-amplifies-Southeast-Asian-political-hip-hop?utm_campaign=RN Subscriber newsletter&utm_medium=daily newsletter&utm_source=NAR Newsletter&utm_content=article link&del_type=1&pub_date=20200901190000&seq_num=13&si=44594
Thai rapper's arrest amplifies Southeast Asian political hip-hop
From Bangkok to Phnom Penh, lyricists get under authorities' skin
Thai rapper Dechathorn Bamrungmuang flashes the three-finger protest salute after being released on bail in Bangkok on Aug. 20. He still faces the possibility of years in prison. © EPA/Jiji
DAVID HUTT, Contributing writerSeptember 1, 2020 16:05 JST
PRAGUE/BANGKOK -- The song "Prathet Ku Mee," or "What My Country's Got," has been on the soundtrack of every major Thai protest since the hip-hop collective Rap Against Dictatorship released it in late 2018.
Some demonstrators want to rein in the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Others focus on opposing the military-backed government led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. There are also demands to end gender discrimination and corporal discipline in schools.
Whatever the beef, "What My Country's Got" has been the anthem, performed live by the collective at several of the youth-led demonstrations that have gripped Thailand over the past month or so.
This has clearly struck a nerve: Collective co-founder Dechathorn Bamrungmuang, 30, was swept up in a wave of activist arrests in August and now faces up to seven years in prison on sedition charges. Some, however, say attention from the authorities only highlights the power of rap to give a voice to public frustrations -- not only in Thailand but across Southeast Asia.
"I am happy that my song touches upon their feelings, and finally it creates the same feeling among groups of people -- the feeling of injustice in Thai society," Dechathorn told the Nikkei Asian Review after his release on bail.
Thai protesters make their point with a sign on Aug. 31. Songs like "What My Country's Got" have become anthems for demonstrators with different sets of grievances. © Reuters
When Rap Against Dictatorship first released the track on YouTube in October 2018, it clocked up almost 20 million views in a week. That is equivalent to over 25% of Thailand's population of 70 million. The lyrics pull no punches: "The country whose capital is turned into a killing field, Whose charter is written and erased by the army's boots, The country that points a gun at your throat, Where you must choose to eat the truth or bullets," goes one verse.
The national leadership was also listening. "Anyone who shows appreciation for the song must accept responsibility for what happens to the country in the future," Prayuth said at the time. The government even tried responding with its own commissioned rap song, "Thailand 4.0," which attracted far fewer viewers.
"It goes to show how strongly rap music, which is a form of art, moves people; so strong that the authorities feel threatened by it," said Putri Soeharto, an Indonesian rapper better known by her stage name Ramengvrl.
For Paul Chambers, a political analyst at the Center of ASEAN Community Studies at Thailand's Naresuan University, political rappers operating online are "an unprecedented new variable in Thai politics, something that could not have existed previously in contemporary Thai history."
Any genre can give rise to protest music, but hip-hop has many advantages. Unlike rock or pop, which generally consist of a handful of verses and repetitive choruses, rap songs rely far more on lyrics, allowing for greater complexity. Rap is also easier to create, in some respects. DIY producers can compose the beats on the cheapest of laptops, adding the vocals on top. There is no need to learn an instrument or secure expensive studio space; a makeshift, low-cost sound booth will do.
Indeed, rap has had a heavy element of social commentary stretching back to its origins in the U.S. -- from the Black power politics of Public Enemy in the late 1980s to N.W.A.'s controversial hit "F--- Tha Police" in the early 1990s.
The internet and social media only make it easier for rappers to give censors headaches.
Members of Rap Against Dictatorship perform in a Bangkok studio in December 2018. © Reuters
Not long after "What My Country's Got" was first uploaded, the Thai police warned that they would prosecute anyone who shared the video online. They reportedly planned to use the country's computer crime law, which carries a five-year prison sentence for spreading false information that damages national security or causes public panic. The authorities later walked back from this threat, although the police have frequently detained internet users for sharing politically contentious content in recent years.
Ramengvrl noted that shutting down rappers is not as straightforward as closing down actual street demonstrations. Rap music is digital and intangible, and "you can't censor what you can't see or touch," she said. "When the authorities bring one [song] down, new ones will come out."
The protest rap phenomenon has reached much of Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese rapper Nah was studying in the U.S. in 2015 when he released his less-than-subtly titled track "F--- Communism," which quickly went viral on YouTube. In the Philippines, artist-research collective Sandata spent two years interviewing people affected by President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly war on drugs for songs that went into the album "Kolateral," released last year.
The rising popularity of hip-hop among Southeast Asian youths, especially electronics-infused subgenres like "trap music," is not lost on international music executives.
In September of last year, Universal Music Group launched a new hip-hop-focused label division in the region, Def Jam South East Asia. Def Jam itself has represented some of the biggest names in the business, like Jay-Z and Kanye West. The Southeast Asian version went on to sign many of the region's most popular (albeit mostly apolitical) rappers, including Joe Flizzow of Malaysia, Daboyway of Thailand and Singapore's Yung Raja.
Some Southeast Asian hip-hop stars, like Malaysia's Joe Flizzow, have caught the attention of international music executives. © Getty Images
"I think the rap genre is quite trendy and that's why it receives massive acceptance among teenagers," said Dechathorn. "I can't deny that the song ["What My Country's Got"] helped attract more supporters and drew many supporters at the protests."
But Dechathorn and other outspoken artists have found it is not always possible to avoid legal trouble.
Malaysian rapper Wee Meng Chee, known as Namewee, has been hauled in by police multiple times, including over a song that was deemed blasphemous in the Muslim-majority nation. Cambodian rapper Chhun Dymey, known as Dymey-Cambo, was forced to pull some of his songs from social media platforms after his track "This Society" went viral early last year, earning the ire of his country's autocratic government.
"I will stop composing such songs and turn to write sentimental songs that encourage the younger generation to love and unite in solidarity with one another," he was quoted as saying by the Phnom Penh Post, a local newspaper, last year.
Speaking to the Nikkei Asian Review last week, Chhun Dymey said life as an artist is difficult because in the eyes of the authorities, "we can't do anything right."
"Politics is complex and very hard to understand. It's like a game for politicians," he added. "The message I want to send to my fans is to get them to love each other and follow their politics. I especially want them to love their country and their culture."
No one knows for sure how Thailand's protests will end. Analysts are pessimistic, as the authorities step up their clampdown. But Naresuan University's Chambers stressed, "Such a government response will not end online rappers, but will instead make them more radical in their music."
While out on bail, Dechathorn said he and his collective are still working on new songs. "We do not make a living with this job, so there is no rush," he said. "We need to crystallize the idea before writing it up."
Additional reporting by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat.
Lunch at a busy roadside stall selling chicken noodle with bitter gourd or kway-teow-gai-mara (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวไก่มะระ)
When arrive just take a sit someone will come take your order
When ready you will be called by the table number and then go collect your bowl of noodle
Then go to table and add your condiments as much as you like as its free flow
My 40 baht lunch with lots of chicken meat ($1,75)
My 10 baht longan drink (45 cents)
Mix around the noodle and makan
Hope you like the video
When arrive just take a sit someone will come take your order
When ready you will be called by the table number and then go collect your bowl of noodle
Then go to table and add your condiments as much as you like as its free flow
My 40 baht lunch with lots of chicken meat ($1,75)
My 10 baht longan drink (45 cents)
Mix around the noodle and makan
Hope you like the video
Are Sporean allow to apply?
Thailand plans to reopen tourism for long-stay visitors
from Europe to spend winter months
Thailand's devastated tourism and hospitality industry is struggling to survive after five months without foreign visitors.PHOTO: REUTERS
BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) - Thailand is finalising a plan that would make it possible for retired, sun-seeking Europeans to spend the upcoming winter months in the country, in an effort to save its ailing tourism industry.
Although the Asian nation's borders have been closed to most foreigners since late March to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the government is now planning to grant visas to foreigners who want to stay in Thailand for up to nine months, said Mr Boon Vanasin, chairman of Thonburi Healthcare Group, the nation's third-largest private hospital firm, which runs hospitals and retirement homes.
These long-term visitors will begin their stay with a mandatory 14-day quarantine and several virus tests in the tourist hot spot of Phuket.
After three weeks on the island and negative test results, they'd be free to travel to other Thai regions, according to Mr Boon, who said he has direct knowledge of the government's plan and expects the arrivals to begin before winter.
While the government has approved the plan in principle, it's still finalising measures to reduce the risk of virus infections, government spokesman Traisulee Traisoranakul said.
The opening-up is a lifeline to Thailand's devastated tourism and hospitality industry, which is struggling to survive after five months without foreign visitors.
Although Thailand has been one of the world's most successful countries in curbing Covid-19 - it's not had a locally transmitted case for three months - its tourism-reliant economy has been one of the worst-hit globally, projected to shrink by a record of 8.5 per cent this year.
On Saturday, the country reported one imported coronavirus infection diagnosed in a patient in state quarantine. The total case count is now 3,411, with 111 still hospitalised and fatalities at 58.
The move comes as economies dependent on tourism - from Bali in Indonesia, to Hawaii in the United States - grapple with the pandemic, which has brought global travel to a virtual halt.
Reopening to tourists has led to the resurgence of infection in some places like the Caribbean island of Aruba, and governments are fearful of striking the wrong balance between public health and economic help.
Thailand's new plan will make it possible for millions of seniors from European countries like Germany and Sweden, who usually spend their winter months in warmer Mediterranean countries, to consider the Asian nation instead, as it is safe from infection risk, said Mr Boon.
He said that his company has fielded queries from European retirement communities that could amount to 50,000 seniors making the journey to Thailand for the coming winter.
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He plans to partner with hotels to provide quarantine facilities and long-term accommodation for senior citizens and other long-stay visitors, who could arrive via chartered flights before winter begins.
Thai Airways International said it would operate at least two such flights a month starting late November to connect Phuket with countries like Denmark, Germany and Britain.
"Many seniors don't want to spend their time in a cold harsh winter. They want tropical weather," said Mr Boon.
Around 90 per cent of Thonburi's customers before the pandemic were international.
But it's unclear if the government intends to let so many foreigners in.
On Thursday (Aug 27), Thailand's deputy army chief said that the country was mulling plans to reopen to long-stay visitors and foreigners who own local property, but this would amount to only "hundreds" of people.
The economy is in desperate need of a boost.
Before the pandemic, European tourists would vacation in Phuket and the surrounding areas for between two weeks and two months, said Mr Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association.
More than 6.7 million Europeans visited Thailand in 2019 and contributed 461 billion baht (S$20.1 billion) to the Thai economy, according to the government data.
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They made up about 17 per cent of total foreign visitors and 24 per cent of total foreign spending.
"Phuket's economy needs foreign demand to bounce back but we also have to balance infection risks and the economy," said Mr Bhummikitti.
The Thai government has been trying to promote domestic tourism with a campaign to foot 40 per cent of travellers' hotel bills, but local spending alone can't compensate for a loss of foreigners.
In Phuket, foreign visitors accounted for two-thirds of overall tourists but contributed to 90 per cent of its tourism receipts.
"We'll allow a small number of foreign visitors into the country first to test our system," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Wednesday.
"We have to do something so that the situation doesn't get worse with businesses closing down and people losing jobs."
Search me.
Only in the cards for now.
No harm to inquire at Royal Thai Embassy later
King restores consort Sineenart's royal title, royal decorations
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 SEP 2020 AT 15:45
Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Pilaskalayanee represented His Majesty the King in attending the King’s volunteer spirit activities for community development in Khlong Prem Prachakorn canal Community in Pathum Thani province on Sept 24 last year. (File photo: Pongpat Wongyala)
His Majesty the King has issued a royal command reinstating all royal and military rank and titles to royal noble consort Sineenart Wongvajirapakdi, who was stripped of all titles in October last year.
An announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Aug 29, but seen only on Sept 2, states that Miss Sineenart's record is without blemish. The King had then issued a command to appoint her Chao Khun Phra Sineenart Pilaskalayanee, and a royal official with military rank.
She has been given all royal decorations. This is as if she was never stripped of her royal title and military ranks, and as if her royal decorations had never been recalled, according to the announcement, which was dated Aug 28.
Last October, the King issued a royal command stripping Chao Khun Phra Sineenart Pilaskalayanee of her royal title and military ranks, and recalling all of her royal decorations. The announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on Oct 21 last year.
According to a report in the German newspaper Bild on Aug 31, pictures of which were posted on social media, the royal consort has already arrived in Bavaria to rejoin His Majesty, who has been reported to be self-quarantining in a private hotel there.
(Photo: www.royaloffice.th)
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 SEP 2020 AT 15:45
Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Pilaskalayanee represented His Majesty the King in attending the King’s volunteer spirit activities for community development in Khlong Prem Prachakorn canal Community in Pathum Thani province on Sept 24 last year. (File photo: Pongpat Wongyala)
His Majesty the King has issued a royal command reinstating all royal and military rank and titles to royal noble consort Sineenart Wongvajirapakdi, who was stripped of all titles in October last year.
An announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Aug 29, but seen only on Sept 2, states that Miss Sineenart's record is without blemish. The King had then issued a command to appoint her Chao Khun Phra Sineenart Pilaskalayanee, and a royal official with military rank.
She has been given all royal decorations. This is as if she was never stripped of her royal title and military ranks, and as if her royal decorations had never been recalled, according to the announcement, which was dated Aug 28.
Last October, the King issued a royal command stripping Chao Khun Phra Sineenart Pilaskalayanee of her royal title and military ranks, and recalling all of her royal decorations. The announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on Oct 21 last year.
According to a report in the German newspaper Bild on Aug 31, pictures of which were posted on social media, the royal consort has already arrived in Bavaria to rejoin His Majesty, who has been reported to be self-quarantining in a private hotel there.
(Photo: www.royaloffice.th)
Haha if the PM kena coup then its poetic justicehttps://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Turbulent-Thailand/Rise-of-Thai-king-s-guard-erodes-Prayuth-s-sway-over-army?utm_campaign=RN Subscriber newsletter&utm_medium=daily newsletter&utm_source=NAR Newsletter&utm_content=article link&del_type=1&pub_date=20200828190000&seq_num=10&si=44594
Rise of Thai king's guard erodes Prayuth's sway over army
Military reshuffle comes as prime minister faces anti-government youth protests
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attends a photo session with new cabinet ministers at the Government House in Bangkok on Aug. 13 © Reuters
MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondentAugust 28, 2020 13:14 JST
BANGKOK -- Trusted military allies of Thailand's monarch have moved to extend their reach into the armed forces, the country's most powerful political institution, alienating Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha from a pillar he needs to prop up his government.
This jockeying for influence played out during the behind-the-scenes lobbying to finalize the promotion of commanders of the army, air force and navy by September, according to well-placed political sources and military insiders.
The annual reshuffle of flag officers takes on added political significance this year, since it comes as Prayuth, a former army chief himself, faces growing youth-led anti-government protests, the likes of which have not been witnessed since the ex-general grabbed power in a 2014 coup.
According to military insiders, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong, the hawkish army chief and palace favorite, lobbied for Gen. Narongphan Jitkaewthae, the assistant army chief, to succeed him in September as the new commander of the army, which has 335,000 active-duty troops.
Narongphan, the sources add, is trusted by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who began placing a stronger personal stamp on the military soon after his accession following his father's death in October 2016. Narongphan is due to hold the army commander's post till 2023, a three-year spell expected to further consolidate the realignment of palace-military ties.
In a country where demonstrations of loyalty to the monarchy are prized, both Apirat and Narongphan wear theirs around their neck -- special shirts with a red rim around the collar. The shirts show they have passed special training for soldiers in the elite Royal Command Guard, also known as Royal Guard 904, which answers only to the king.
The two generals also belong to the King's Guard, a Bangkok-based military faction with a rich army pedigree. The monarch himself served in the ranks of the Wongthewan, as the King's Guard is called in Thai, during military service in the 1970s while he was crown prince.
Prayuth had favored Gen. Natthapon Nakpanich, the deputy army chief, to be Apirat's successor. But the prime minister was unable to make headway against the choice of the monarch, who wields ultimate authority in this Southeast Asian kingdom, and of Apirat.
"Apirat doesn't like Natthapon. ... there is some bad blood between the two going back to competition as they rose through the ranks," said a military intelligence insider. "And he is close to the king and wanted to carry out the king's request."
Prayuth's bonds with Natthapon deepened after he was picked to serve on a government committee to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
"Prayuth wanted a dependable ally as the next army chief to deal with the rising political tension sparked by the protests," added the insider. "Narongphan does not have close ties with Prayuth, just a professional relationship. It is more likely he will listen to the king than to the prime minister."
A similar turn has shaped promotions in the air force, an increasing source of palace loyalists in the wake of former Air Chief Marshall Sathitpong Sukwimol serving as the influential private secretary to the king. Political insiders say that a U.S.-trained officer, Air Chief Marshall Airbull Suttiwan, has been eyed to command the air force, leapfrogging senior figures vying for the top post.
"This year's reshuffle shows how much say the king had in the promotions," said one insider. "Airbull has the king's backing."
Seasoned military analysts say that Prayuth will be on unfamiliar ground after the changing of the guard in September. Together with Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda -- both former army chiefs themselves -- Prayuth formed a powerful troika that staged the 2014 putsch to overthrow an elected government. They enjoyed unbroken rule, first in a junta and then as a military-leaning government after the controversial 2019 general election.
But while the trio of ex-generals had a firm grip on the government and the defense ministry, still packed with their allies, questions emerged over support they could command from the military since the 2016 reshuffle.
"The subtle schism between Prayuth-Prawit-Anupong on one side and the post-2016 army leadership on the other has increasingly intensified, especially with the ascension of the Wongthewan to senior army postings in 2018 and beyond," said Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai national security at Naresuan University in northern Thailand. "Especially since 2018, Prayuth has not been able to be assured of military backing."
Even among the colonels -- often deployed to lead troops in coups, of which Thailand has had 13 successful military interventions since absolute monarchy ended in 1932 -- there is growing discontent with the "saam paw," a reference within the ranks to the Prayuth-Prawit-Anupong troika.
The trio has been accused of "using the military to stay in power, especially in terms of relying on soldiers to bolster Palang Pracharath in power," said Chambers, referring to the new political party formed ahead of last year's election to serve as a vehicle for Prayuth and his military allies to rule the country. "Prawit has relied on military carrots and sticks to cajole coalition parties and Palang Pracharath factions to follow Prayuth's lead."
Other observers say military operations in Bangkok -- pivotal to launching or crushing coups -- are beyond Prayuth's control. A new military blueprint unveiled by the king has realigned troops in the capital under the Royal Guard 904, whose numbers have swelled to a well-trained force of 7,000 and are expected to double in the months ahead. Roped into such exclusive royal service are units from the 11th Infantry Regiment, the 4th Cavalry Battalion and the 1st Infantry Regiment, which has been in the vanguard of past coups.
But this redeployment -- which appears to rule out the prospect of the previous style of coups -- has not stopped rumors of another putsch. Bangkok-based diplomats heard talk of a possible coup attempt on the eve of the anti-government protests led by students in the capital's historic quarter on Aug. 16 -- a rally that drew over 20,000, the largest public outpouring of rage since the 2014 coup.
"The rumor was about Apirat being unhappy with the way the government was handling things regards the protests and was planning to step in to address it," an Asian diplomat confided.
A military intelligence source expects the rumor mill to churn through September, when youth leaders are planning a larger protest in the middle of the month.
"A coup will happen only if there is a confrontation during the protests and people try to kill each other," he said. "There are tense days ahead for the transition from Apirat to Narongphan."
The king is smarter than most give him credit for.
Seems he’s been consolidating power since his ascension. Kudos to him
King restores consort Sineenart's royal title, royal decorations
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 SEP 2020 AT 15:45
Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Pilaskalayanee represented His Majesty the King in attending the King’s volunteer spirit activities for community development in Khlong Prem Prachakorn canal Community in Pathum Thani province on Sept 24 last year. (File photo: Pongpat Wongyala)
His Majesty the King has issued a royal command reinstating all royal and military rank and titles to royal noble consort Sineenart Wongvajirapakdi, who was stripped of all titles in October last year.
An announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Aug 29, but seen only on Sept 2, states that Miss Sineenart's record is without blemish. The King had then issued a command to appoint her Chao Khun Phra Sineenart Pilaskalayanee, and a royal official with military rank.
She has been given all royal decorations. This is as if she was never stripped of her royal title and military ranks, and as if her royal decorations had never been recalled, according to the announcement, which was dated Aug 28.
Last October, the King issued a royal command stripping Chao Khun Phra Sineenart Pilaskalayanee of her royal title and military ranks, and recalling all of her royal decorations. The announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on Oct 21 last year.
According to a report in the German newspaper Bild on Aug 31, pictures of which were posted on social media, the royal consort has already arrived in Bavaria to rejoin His Majesty, who has been reported to be self-quarantining in a private hotel there.
(Photo: www.royaloffice.th)
Pussy power
Bet she swallows Royal sperm also
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1979391/prison-inmate-infected-with-covid-19
Prison inmate infected with Covid-19
PUBLISHED : 3 SEP 2020 AT 18:55
UPDATED: 4 SEP 2020 AT 12:33
A male inmate has tested positive for the coronavirus and has been moved from the prison to a hospital run by the Corrections Department.
Heath officials announced on Thursday evening that the infected man had until recently worked in Bangkok as a pub DJ and at First Cafe on Khao San Road.
People who had been close to him were being monitored, but no other infections had been detected to date. People who had no direct contact with the man were not in the "high risk" group.
Health officials were confident the situation was under control.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said earlier on Thursday the prisoner's first test for the Covid-19 virus returned positive.
The inmate, a 37-year-old man, was imprisoned at the Central Special Correctional Institution on drug charges on Aug 26 with 34 other prisoners and officials, according to the Disease Control Department.
The first test conducted by Mahidol University on Wednesday found he was infected with the virus and he was immediately transferred to the hospital that night.
The tests on the 34 others returned negative.
The Disease Control Department collected a sample from the patient on Thursday for a second test, to be done by the Department of Medical Science, for confirmation.
The new case ends the run of 100 days when Thailand had no local infections.
Walairat Chaifoo, the director of the Epidemiology Bureau, said the man showed symptoms on Tuesday but it was not clear whether it was Covid-19 until the test on Thursday.
Before being imprisoned, he lived at Ban Suan Thon condominium in Bang Mod area of Thung Kru district with five other family members. All have been quarantined. "They are a risk group," she said.
Dr Walailak said the man worked as a DJ at the 3 Days 2 Nights pub and restaurant on Rama III and Rama V branches. A press statement issued by the Disease Control Department said he also worked at a coffee shop on Khao San Road.
Dr Walailak said pubgoers who had no direct contact with the patient were not in the high risk group.
Officials are monitoring the conditions of about 20 people who were at the court with him, including his lawyer.
Department of Disease Control director-general Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said the new local infection was not the start of the second wave, and he was confident the situation could be kept under control.
"If we keep the situation under control, there will be no new outbreak," he said.
Dr Suwannachai called for calm and urged people not to lower their guard against the disease.
Prison inmate infected with Covid-19
PUBLISHED : 3 SEP 2020 AT 18:55
UPDATED: 4 SEP 2020 AT 12:33
A male inmate has tested positive for the coronavirus and has been moved from the prison to a hospital run by the Corrections Department.
Heath officials announced on Thursday evening that the infected man had until recently worked in Bangkok as a pub DJ and at First Cafe on Khao San Road.
People who had been close to him were being monitored, but no other infections had been detected to date. People who had no direct contact with the man were not in the "high risk" group.
Health officials were confident the situation was under control.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said earlier on Thursday the prisoner's first test for the Covid-19 virus returned positive.
The inmate, a 37-year-old man, was imprisoned at the Central Special Correctional Institution on drug charges on Aug 26 with 34 other prisoners and officials, according to the Disease Control Department.
The first test conducted by Mahidol University on Wednesday found he was infected with the virus and he was immediately transferred to the hospital that night.
The tests on the 34 others returned negative.
The Disease Control Department collected a sample from the patient on Thursday for a second test, to be done by the Department of Medical Science, for confirmation.
The new case ends the run of 100 days when Thailand had no local infections.
Walairat Chaifoo, the director of the Epidemiology Bureau, said the man showed symptoms on Tuesday but it was not clear whether it was Covid-19 until the test on Thursday.
Before being imprisoned, he lived at Ban Suan Thon condominium in Bang Mod area of Thung Kru district with five other family members. All have been quarantined. "They are a risk group," she said.
Dr Walailak said the man worked as a DJ at the 3 Days 2 Nights pub and restaurant on Rama III and Rama V branches. A press statement issued by the Disease Control Department said he also worked at a coffee shop on Khao San Road.
Dr Walailak said pubgoers who had no direct contact with the patient were not in the high risk group.
Officials are monitoring the conditions of about 20 people who were at the court with him, including his lawyer.
Department of Disease Control director-general Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said the new local infection was not the start of the second wave, and he was confident the situation could be kept under control.
"If we keep the situation under control, there will be no new outbreak," he said.
Dr Suwannachai called for calm and urged people not to lower their guard against the disease.
one obviously is bitter gourd the leafy is Thai basil or here we call horapha
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_basil
https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Pi...=1&pub_date=20200904190000&seq_num=4&si=44594
Thailand's protest leader vows to amend constitution despite arrest
Free People head vows bigger demonstration in October if demands unmet
Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree speaks to Nikkei Asian Review in Bangkok on Sept. 3. (Photo by Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 4, 2020 17:59 JST
BANGKOK -- When Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree was released from the Criminal Court in Bangkok on the evening of Aug. 26, he immediately violated the terms of his bail. Surrounded by his supporters, he vowed to stage another protest against the Prayuth government.
The 23-year-old had been detained at noon that day at his residence in Nonthaburi Province on the outskirts of Bangkok on charges of violating the emergency law and sedition after organizing the thousands-strong "Free Youth" protest on July 18. He was taken to a police station alongside Panumas Singprom, another Free Youth organizer. After a five-hour interrogation, the two were released on bail.
Eight days after his arrest, the first time he had been in custody, Tattep remained undaunted. "We are preparing a bigger protest, which is expected to be held in October because the government is unlikely to meet our demands by the end of September," he told the Nikkei Asian Review in an interview on Thursday.
He said the protest could take several forms, ranging from a massive march to small, coordinated protests across the country, to besieging government headquarters.
"We have not concluded how to conduct the protests, but it will be escalated," he said. The October protest "would create greater pressure on the government to react to our requests."
Dressed in a black T-shirt, similar to the one he wore the day he was arrested, he said the next protests would draw 100,000 people. A recent graduate of Chulalongkorn University, widely seen as the most prestigious university in the kingdom, Tattep is a key leader of the youth-led, anti-government movement Free People.
Initially called Free Youth, early demonstrations were mainly made up of students. The movement changed its moniker to Free People as people from other walks of life joined the movement. The last Free People protest, on Aug. 16, which drew more than 20,000 people, was the largest political gathering Thailand has seen since the military staged a coup in 2014.
Tattep and his allies, who remain mostly students from major universities across the country, form the core of Free People. In the Aug. 16 protest, Tattep and supporters of Free People presented their demands: dissolution of both chambers of parliament, a rewriting of contentious parts of the constitution and an end to official harassment prevents people from exercising their fundamental rights.
In response to the protests, the government led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former general, has added Tattep to a watchlist of 31 political activists, alongside Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, a 21-year-old student at Thammasat University. On Aug. 10, during an anti-government protest on the Thammasat campus, she risked prison to read a 10-point manifesto calling for reform the Thai monarchy, defying a decades-old taboo against openly discussing the royal family.
Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, a leader of the Free People movement, holds up a three-fingered salute, a symbol of resistance, at a safe house in Bangkok on Sept. 3. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
Tattep said Free People is an inclusive movement comprising various groups from every corner of the Thai society. Their common goal is to amend the constitution, he said. "However, each group is operated by different leaders, who have their own strategies."
"It's like we are the cars, moving toward the same destination of real democracy. However, each car is driven by different organizers, who have different ideas," he said, "That is why you saw Thammasat protesters appeal [for] monarchy reform, while we are still focused on constitutional amendment."
Tattep, who is also secretary-general of the Free Youth and Free People groups, said he still believes revising the charter is the key to all other reforms. "For me, you can reform anything you want if you have a fair constitution that is drafted by the people and allows people to reform everything, including the monarchy."
As of Thursday, police have issued arrest warrants for 31 protesters, including Tattep, who are on the watchlist. Some of them have been arrested three times.
Tattep insisted he must continue his fight because he wants to put an end to the inequality and injustice prevalent in Thai society. The only way to slash all problems is to create a "fair rule," or an amendment of the national charter to allow everybody to play in a "fair game," he said.
"We can't separate economic problems from political problems because they are the same thing," Tattep said. "If we have good politics that creates good state welfare for all Thais, we would finally get a good economy, too," he said, lamenting the inequality he experienced as a child.
Tattep grew up in the old-town, ethnic Chinese district of Bangrak in the center of Bangkok. He was the only child of a middle-class family. His mother played a major role in household finances, running a textile shop. When his mother died six years ago, his father was forced to find work as a driver to support the family and put Tattep through university.
Tattep at a safe house in Bangkok (Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
"That was when I found inequality and insufficient public welfare that affected my family," he said. His mother's death marked the end of the textile business, as his father has no idea about design and fashion trends. As a truck driver, Tattep's father earned less than 15,000 baht ($479) a month, roughly the minimum wage for university graduates.
"That raised doubts in my head," Tattep said. "People should not face any difficulty in earning a living [and] getting a good education if the government provides good social welfare."
Tattep, who first studied science and hoped to become a pharmacist, switched his major to political science because he wanted to reshape Thai society into one that he sees as free and fair.
His passion for politics and social justice intensified in 2016, when he saw first hand injustice and intimidation on a global scale in his home country. Tattep and a friend had organized a seminar on politics at Chulalongkorn University. One of the keynote speakers was Joshua Wong, a leader of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and the 2014 Umbrella Revolution that called for universal suffrage in the territory.
He went to meet Wong at the airport, but Wong was barred from entering Thailand by immigration authorities and immediately sent home with no clear reason given.
"By that time, I just realized that there is an injustice that keeps pressing on us and we need to fight against it, and that's why I wanted to work in the political firmament because I want to make a change," he said.
In 2018, Tattep joined the Future Forward Party, founded the same year by 41-year-old billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
After graduating from Chulalongkorn in February, Tattep began organizing anti-government protests. "I had strong support from my father. He always allows me to do whatever I want to do," Tattep said.
In the March 2019 general election, the pro-democracy party received 6.3 million votes, or 17.8% of the ballots cast, with strong support from first-time voters under 25. Future Forward won 81 out of 500 lower house seats only to be disbanded in February this year after a court ruling that it had taken illegal funding. But this did not quell Tattep's political activism.
On Jan. 12, he organized an early-morning race called "Run Against Dictatorship" in a Bangkok park, protesting against Prayuth and demanding more political freedom.
After a hiatus due to the coronavirus lockdown, Tattep and Parit Chiwarak, another protest leader, held another anti-government protest in Bangkok on June 24 to commemorate the "Siamese Revolution in 1932" that ousted King Rama VII resulted in the drafting of the country's first constitution.
On July 18, Tattep staged a big protest that led to his first arrest. "I am prepared for the second and third arrests. I am well prepared because I will not stop fighting," he said.
He vows to keep the protests peaceful, saying, "We have made it clear that we don't want any coup."
But should the government crackdown harder on the demonstrations planned for October, Tattep and his allies could face soldiers and tanks. "I and my supporters will confront them peacefully and I think they would not dare to shoot at us," Tattep said.
Thailand's protest leader vows to amend constitution despite arrest
Free People head vows bigger demonstration in October if demands unmet
Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree speaks to Nikkei Asian Review in Bangkok on Sept. 3. (Photo by Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 4, 2020 17:59 JST
BANGKOK -- When Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree was released from the Criminal Court in Bangkok on the evening of Aug. 26, he immediately violated the terms of his bail. Surrounded by his supporters, he vowed to stage another protest against the Prayuth government.
The 23-year-old had been detained at noon that day at his residence in Nonthaburi Province on the outskirts of Bangkok on charges of violating the emergency law and sedition after organizing the thousands-strong "Free Youth" protest on July 18. He was taken to a police station alongside Panumas Singprom, another Free Youth organizer. After a five-hour interrogation, the two were released on bail.
Eight days after his arrest, the first time he had been in custody, Tattep remained undaunted. "We are preparing a bigger protest, which is expected to be held in October because the government is unlikely to meet our demands by the end of September," he told the Nikkei Asian Review in an interview on Thursday.
He said the protest could take several forms, ranging from a massive march to small, coordinated protests across the country, to besieging government headquarters.
"We have not concluded how to conduct the protests, but it will be escalated," he said. The October protest "would create greater pressure on the government to react to our requests."
Dressed in a black T-shirt, similar to the one he wore the day he was arrested, he said the next protests would draw 100,000 people. A recent graduate of Chulalongkorn University, widely seen as the most prestigious university in the kingdom, Tattep is a key leader of the youth-led, anti-government movement Free People.
Initially called Free Youth, early demonstrations were mainly made up of students. The movement changed its moniker to Free People as people from other walks of life joined the movement. The last Free People protest, on Aug. 16, which drew more than 20,000 people, was the largest political gathering Thailand has seen since the military staged a coup in 2014.
Tattep and his allies, who remain mostly students from major universities across the country, form the core of Free People. In the Aug. 16 protest, Tattep and supporters of Free People presented their demands: dissolution of both chambers of parliament, a rewriting of contentious parts of the constitution and an end to official harassment prevents people from exercising their fundamental rights.
In response to the protests, the government led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former general, has added Tattep to a watchlist of 31 political activists, alongside Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, a 21-year-old student at Thammasat University. On Aug. 10, during an anti-government protest on the Thammasat campus, she risked prison to read a 10-point manifesto calling for reform the Thai monarchy, defying a decades-old taboo against openly discussing the royal family.
Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, a leader of the Free People movement, holds up a three-fingered salute, a symbol of resistance, at a safe house in Bangkok on Sept. 3. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
Tattep said Free People is an inclusive movement comprising various groups from every corner of the Thai society. Their common goal is to amend the constitution, he said. "However, each group is operated by different leaders, who have their own strategies."
"It's like we are the cars, moving toward the same destination of real democracy. However, each car is driven by different organizers, who have different ideas," he said, "That is why you saw Thammasat protesters appeal [for] monarchy reform, while we are still focused on constitutional amendment."
Tattep, who is also secretary-general of the Free Youth and Free People groups, said he still believes revising the charter is the key to all other reforms. "For me, you can reform anything you want if you have a fair constitution that is drafted by the people and allows people to reform everything, including the monarchy."
As of Thursday, police have issued arrest warrants for 31 protesters, including Tattep, who are on the watchlist. Some of them have been arrested three times.
Tattep insisted he must continue his fight because he wants to put an end to the inequality and injustice prevalent in Thai society. The only way to slash all problems is to create a "fair rule," or an amendment of the national charter to allow everybody to play in a "fair game," he said.
"We can't separate economic problems from political problems because they are the same thing," Tattep said. "If we have good politics that creates good state welfare for all Thais, we would finally get a good economy, too," he said, lamenting the inequality he experienced as a child.
Tattep grew up in the old-town, ethnic Chinese district of Bangrak in the center of Bangkok. He was the only child of a middle-class family. His mother played a major role in household finances, running a textile shop. When his mother died six years ago, his father was forced to find work as a driver to support the family and put Tattep through university.
Tattep at a safe house in Bangkok (Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
"That was when I found inequality and insufficient public welfare that affected my family," he said. His mother's death marked the end of the textile business, as his father has no idea about design and fashion trends. As a truck driver, Tattep's father earned less than 15,000 baht ($479) a month, roughly the minimum wage for university graduates.
"That raised doubts in my head," Tattep said. "People should not face any difficulty in earning a living [and] getting a good education if the government provides good social welfare."
Tattep, who first studied science and hoped to become a pharmacist, switched his major to political science because he wanted to reshape Thai society into one that he sees as free and fair.
His passion for politics and social justice intensified in 2016, when he saw first hand injustice and intimidation on a global scale in his home country. Tattep and a friend had organized a seminar on politics at Chulalongkorn University. One of the keynote speakers was Joshua Wong, a leader of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and the 2014 Umbrella Revolution that called for universal suffrage in the territory.
He went to meet Wong at the airport, but Wong was barred from entering Thailand by immigration authorities and immediately sent home with no clear reason given.
"By that time, I just realized that there is an injustice that keeps pressing on us and we need to fight against it, and that's why I wanted to work in the political firmament because I want to make a change," he said.
In 2018, Tattep joined the Future Forward Party, founded the same year by 41-year-old billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
After graduating from Chulalongkorn in February, Tattep began organizing anti-government protests. "I had strong support from my father. He always allows me to do whatever I want to do," Tattep said.
In the March 2019 general election, the pro-democracy party received 6.3 million votes, or 17.8% of the ballots cast, with strong support from first-time voters under 25. Future Forward won 81 out of 500 lower house seats only to be disbanded in February this year after a court ruling that it had taken illegal funding. But this did not quell Tattep's political activism.
On Jan. 12, he organized an early-morning race called "Run Against Dictatorship" in a Bangkok park, protesting against Prayuth and demanding more political freedom.
After a hiatus due to the coronavirus lockdown, Tattep and Parit Chiwarak, another protest leader, held another anti-government protest in Bangkok on June 24 to commemorate the "Siamese Revolution in 1932" that ousted King Rama VII resulted in the drafting of the country's first constitution.
On July 18, Tattep staged a big protest that led to his first arrest. "I am prepared for the second and third arrests. I am well prepared because I will not stop fighting," he said.
He vows to keep the protests peaceful, saying, "We have made it clear that we don't want any coup."
But should the government crackdown harder on the demonstrations planned for October, Tattep and his allies could face soldiers and tanks. "I and my supporters will confront them peacefully and I think they would not dare to shoot at us," Tattep said.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tr...1&pub_date=20200904190000&seq_num=13&si=44594
Mismanagement and graft brought down Thai Airways: panel
Purchase of 10 Airbus enriched politicians and others but incurred $2bn loss
Thai Airways filed a petition to rehabilitate under the bankruptcy court's supervision in May. The coronavirus dealt a final blow to the long-mismanaged flag carrier. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 4, 2020 12:00 JST
BANGKOK -- The financial troubles at Thai Airways International, which were so deep it needed court-supervised rehabilitation, were caused by the national flag carrier's own management and workers ripping the company off, an investigation panel commissioned by Thailand's Ministry of Transport has found.
The panel's findings will be considered during Thai Airways' rehabilitation proceedings at the country's bankruptcy court. The report and its findings were submitted on Tuesday to the Ministry of Finance, the biggest shareholder of the state-affiliated airline. According to Thai Airways, the ministry is a major creditor of the airline as well.
On Sept. 14, the Central Bankruptcy Court is scheduled to decide whether to allow Thai Airways' board members and consultancy firm EY Corporate Advisory Services to start writing its own rehabilitation plan. The carrier filed a petition to rehabilitate under the court's supervision in May.
If allowed, the plan is expected to be drawn up by early next year for approval by the court and Thai Airways' creditors. It needs the endorsement of holders of at least 50% of the airline's debt. The panel's findings should give a grounding for creditors, especially the Finance Ministry, on what should be endorsed in the rehabilitation plan.
"The main cause of this chronic issue is the procurement of 10 aircraft: [Airbus] A340-500s and A340-600s," said Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam. Thaworn worked with the investigation panel led by Chanthep Sesavej, the former commander of the country's Metropolitan Police.
"Once in operation, [Thai Airways] has been making losses [on these aircraft] since their inaugural Bangkok to New York flight in July 2005 up until their decommission in 2013 and [they] remain a burden for maintenance costs even today," he added.
Traditional Thai dancers perform in front of a new A340-500 during a ceremony at Bangkok airport in 2005. The purchase of this type of airplane later weighed on Thai Airways' business. © Reuters
The purchase, in the early 2000s, and operation of the aircraft led to losses of at least 62.8 billion baht ($2 billion), the report said. This indicates that the company had purchased new aircraft based on a weak earnings outlook or with no prospects of positive earnings.
The panel found signs of graft in connection with the purchase of the 10 aircraft. There was evidence of bribes of at least 2.6 billion baht paid to politicians, officials and Thai Airways' executives, according to the report.
Apart from the Airbus deal, a price discrepancy of as much as 589 million baht in operating leases on eight Boeing B787s was also seen. The panel believes that the price gap was used to funnel in some $7.2 billion in bribes paid by Rolls-Royce through middlemen to officials and airline executives for the purchase of engine parts and the payment of a flat rate for repair and maintenance services.
In addition, overprotected workers' rights resulted in their paychecks not being properly monitored. Two billion baht was registered in the 2019 financial results as overtime for repair and maintenance employees. One employee claimed 2.95 million baht ($94,000) for working 3,354 hours, or 419 days, of overtime. This is more than twice Thai Airways' overtime cap of 1,500 hours. There were 567 repair and maintenance employees who exceeded this cap in 2019.
Meanwhile, excessive compensation to executives cost the company 10 billion baht.
These are just some of the issues listed in the panel's findings. As a result of sloppy management, Thai Airways recorded net losses for seven of the past 10 years. The airline made a net loss of 28 billion baht for the first half of 2020, ballooning 4.4-fold from a year ago.
Further investigations will be necessary into nepotism and lack of competition, according to the report.
Relatives and other people close to company executives were hired without having proper knowledge or qualifications, and held good positions in the company, the report said. Materials used for in-flight catering and fuel supplies for aircraft were provided by just a handful of operators, creating a closed circle of oligopoly.
The panel admitted that the investigation was not thorough enough. "Our working group has yet to fully review information and facts of Thai Airways' subsidiaries and joint ventures," said the report. The performance of these entities significantly affects Thai Airways' revenue expenses and operating results, the committee said.
But the panel has only been given the authority to investigate the parent company, as a state enterprise. The company's subsidiaries and joint ventures were not directly state-owned, thus were not within the scope of this probe.
"[The committee] hopes that those with the legal authority will proceed with the results of these findings in order for Thai Airways to regain its strength and profit, to yield fair returns to employees, and to make it a national flag carrier that can be, forever, the pride of all Thais," the panel said in the report's conclusion.
Mismanagement and graft brought down Thai Airways: panel
Purchase of 10 Airbus enriched politicians and others but incurred $2bn loss
Thai Airways filed a petition to rehabilitate under the bankruptcy court's supervision in May. The coronavirus dealt a final blow to the long-mismanaged flag carrier. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 4, 2020 12:00 JST
BANGKOK -- The financial troubles at Thai Airways International, which were so deep it needed court-supervised rehabilitation, were caused by the national flag carrier's own management and workers ripping the company off, an investigation panel commissioned by Thailand's Ministry of Transport has found.
The panel's findings will be considered during Thai Airways' rehabilitation proceedings at the country's bankruptcy court. The report and its findings were submitted on Tuesday to the Ministry of Finance, the biggest shareholder of the state-affiliated airline. According to Thai Airways, the ministry is a major creditor of the airline as well.
On Sept. 14, the Central Bankruptcy Court is scheduled to decide whether to allow Thai Airways' board members and consultancy firm EY Corporate Advisory Services to start writing its own rehabilitation plan. The carrier filed a petition to rehabilitate under the court's supervision in May.
If allowed, the plan is expected to be drawn up by early next year for approval by the court and Thai Airways' creditors. It needs the endorsement of holders of at least 50% of the airline's debt. The panel's findings should give a grounding for creditors, especially the Finance Ministry, on what should be endorsed in the rehabilitation plan.
"The main cause of this chronic issue is the procurement of 10 aircraft: [Airbus] A340-500s and A340-600s," said Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam. Thaworn worked with the investigation panel led by Chanthep Sesavej, the former commander of the country's Metropolitan Police.
"Once in operation, [Thai Airways] has been making losses [on these aircraft] since their inaugural Bangkok to New York flight in July 2005 up until their decommission in 2013 and [they] remain a burden for maintenance costs even today," he added.
Traditional Thai dancers perform in front of a new A340-500 during a ceremony at Bangkok airport in 2005. The purchase of this type of airplane later weighed on Thai Airways' business. © Reuters
The purchase, in the early 2000s, and operation of the aircraft led to losses of at least 62.8 billion baht ($2 billion), the report said. This indicates that the company had purchased new aircraft based on a weak earnings outlook or with no prospects of positive earnings.
The panel found signs of graft in connection with the purchase of the 10 aircraft. There was evidence of bribes of at least 2.6 billion baht paid to politicians, officials and Thai Airways' executives, according to the report.
Apart from the Airbus deal, a price discrepancy of as much as 589 million baht in operating leases on eight Boeing B787s was also seen. The panel believes that the price gap was used to funnel in some $7.2 billion in bribes paid by Rolls-Royce through middlemen to officials and airline executives for the purchase of engine parts and the payment of a flat rate for repair and maintenance services.
In addition, overprotected workers' rights resulted in their paychecks not being properly monitored. Two billion baht was registered in the 2019 financial results as overtime for repair and maintenance employees. One employee claimed 2.95 million baht ($94,000) for working 3,354 hours, or 419 days, of overtime. This is more than twice Thai Airways' overtime cap of 1,500 hours. There were 567 repair and maintenance employees who exceeded this cap in 2019.
Meanwhile, excessive compensation to executives cost the company 10 billion baht.
These are just some of the issues listed in the panel's findings. As a result of sloppy management, Thai Airways recorded net losses for seven of the past 10 years. The airline made a net loss of 28 billion baht for the first half of 2020, ballooning 4.4-fold from a year ago.
Further investigations will be necessary into nepotism and lack of competition, according to the report.
Relatives and other people close to company executives were hired without having proper knowledge or qualifications, and held good positions in the company, the report said. Materials used for in-flight catering and fuel supplies for aircraft were provided by just a handful of operators, creating a closed circle of oligopoly.
The panel admitted that the investigation was not thorough enough. "Our working group has yet to fully review information and facts of Thai Airways' subsidiaries and joint ventures," said the report. The performance of these entities significantly affects Thai Airways' revenue expenses and operating results, the committee said.
But the panel has only been given the authority to investigate the parent company, as a state enterprise. The company's subsidiaries and joint ventures were not directly state-owned, thus were not within the scope of this probe.
"[The committee] hopes that those with the legal authority will proceed with the results of these findings in order for Thai Airways to regain its strength and profit, to yield fair returns to employees, and to make it a national flag carrier that can be, forever, the pride of all Thais," the panel said in the report's conclusion.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/s...ight-again-after-royal-consorts-reinstatement
Thai King's personal life in spotlight again after royal consort's reinstatement
Latest palace intrigue comes amid calls for transparency, reforms in royal institution
Ms Sineenat taking part in the royal cremation ceremony of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok in 2017.PHOTOS: REUTERS
News that Ms Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi is back in favour with Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn took citizens by surprise last Wednesday, but the development once again shone the spotlight on the King's personal life.
No one expected that Ms Sineenat would be back in the royal fold. Then again, no one could have predicted her swift fall from grace 10 months ago either, less than three months after being made royal noble consort.
The latest palace intrigue comes amid widespread protests across Thailand by pro-democracy groups calling for more transparency and reforms in the royal institution.
"(Sineenat's reinstatement) will add fire to the demonstrations and calls for reforms," Professor James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, told The Sunday Times.
The Royal Gazette in its announcement dated Aug 29 declared that Ms Sineenat, 35, had all her titles restored as she "is untainted".
The phrase became a top trending Twitter hashtag in Thailand on Thursday morning.
High school student group Bad Student, which organised a protest at the Education Ministry yesterday, declared on Friday that any student who does a three-finger salute "is untainted".
The three-finger salute has been used by anti-government protesters as a symbol against dictatorship.
The former royal bodyguard was stripped of her titles for "misbehaviour and disloyalty against the monarch" last October. She was also accused of seeking to sabotage Queen Suthida's appointment in a bid to take the position herself.
"(She) was acting out against the royal marriage and the appointment of the queen," said the Royal Gazette in a detailed condemnation of the disgraced consort.
Soon after, the King fired nearly a dozen palace officials - all of whom received harsh rebuke in the Royal Gazette - for reasons such as "extremely evil misconduct".
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Ms Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi at the Grand Palace in Bangkok in an undated handout photo. Ms Sineenat had been stripped of her titles last October for “misbehaviour and disloyalty”. PHOTOS: REUTERS
Following her royal excommunication, Ms Sineenat disappeared from public view and all mention of her in the palace website was scrubbed.
It is unclear why Ms Sineenat, who is believed to be in Germany now, is being reinstated.
The announcement once again shone the spotlight on the 68-year-old monarch's personal life, long a subject of speculation both in his homeland and abroad.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn - who ascended the throne in December 2016 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, two months earlier - spends most of his time abroad, especially in Germany, where he keeps a home.
In March, after an overseas Thai activist posted online about the King continuing to travel in Germany during the coronavirus pandemic, the Thai-language hashtag #whydoweneedaking became one of the top trending topics on Thailand's Twitter.
The government subsequently came out to warn citizens about online posts questioning the monarchy.
Thailand is strictly governed by lese majeste laws which punish those who insult or defame the monarchy with up to 15 years in jail.
Facebook has taken down content and groups that the government deemed to be insulting to the monarchy, the latest being a group with one million members that has criticised the King.
Although Thailand abolished absolute monarchy more than 80 years ago, the king still wields significant power.
Since he ascended the throne, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has consolidated his power by taking personal control of the multibillion-dollar assets of the Crown Property Bureau and two army units.
He also directed the government to rewrite parts of the Constitution that touched on the role of the king, including the procedure for appointing a regent in the king's absence and whether royal edicts should be countersigned by a government minister.
Since July, protesters have gathered in large numbers in the country calling for amendments to the military-backed Constitution, a fresh election and a democracy "with the monarch under the Constitution".
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been married four times.
His first wife was his cousin whom he divorced in 1991.
In 1994, he married actress Sujarinee Vivacharawongse.
She had been his steady companion since the late 1970s and gave birth to four sons and a daughter.
However, the marriage did not last long, with Ms Sujarinee fleeing to Britain in 1996 with her children.
She now lives with her sons in the United States, while her daughter returned to live with her father in Thailand.
The King in 2001 married Ms Srirasmi Suwadee - who had served as his "lady-in-waiting" in the 1990s - and they have a son together. The marriage ended abruptly and acrimoniously in 2014 when she was purged and stripped of all her titles while members of her family were jailed for insulting the monarchy.
He married Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya in May last year and raised eyebrows two months later when he anointed Ms Sineenat as "Chao Khun Phra" or noble consort, a title that was last used almost a century ago.
Born in the northern Thai province of Nan, Ms Sineenat, nicknamed Koi, is a trained pilot and a former nurse.
After the unexpected elevation of her status came the unprecedented release of a series of candid pictures featuring the new consort - from her in a crop top at the controls of a fighter jet, to her and the King dressed in combat fatigues, with royal poodle in arm - which drew so many visitors to the palace website that it crashed.
Those photos, along with her repute, were, however, effaced less than three months later.
Thai King's personal life in spotlight again after royal consort's reinstatement
Latest palace intrigue comes amid calls for transparency, reforms in royal institution
Ms Sineenat taking part in the royal cremation ceremony of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok in 2017.PHOTOS: REUTERS
News that Ms Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi is back in favour with Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn took citizens by surprise last Wednesday, but the development once again shone the spotlight on the King's personal life.
No one expected that Ms Sineenat would be back in the royal fold. Then again, no one could have predicted her swift fall from grace 10 months ago either, less than three months after being made royal noble consort.
The latest palace intrigue comes amid widespread protests across Thailand by pro-democracy groups calling for more transparency and reforms in the royal institution.
"(Sineenat's reinstatement) will add fire to the demonstrations and calls for reforms," Professor James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, told The Sunday Times.
The Royal Gazette in its announcement dated Aug 29 declared that Ms Sineenat, 35, had all her titles restored as she "is untainted".
The phrase became a top trending Twitter hashtag in Thailand on Thursday morning.
High school student group Bad Student, which organised a protest at the Education Ministry yesterday, declared on Friday that any student who does a three-finger salute "is untainted".
The three-finger salute has been used by anti-government protesters as a symbol against dictatorship.
The former royal bodyguard was stripped of her titles for "misbehaviour and disloyalty against the monarch" last October. She was also accused of seeking to sabotage Queen Suthida's appointment in a bid to take the position herself.
"(She) was acting out against the royal marriage and the appointment of the queen," said the Royal Gazette in a detailed condemnation of the disgraced consort.
Soon after, the King fired nearly a dozen palace officials - all of whom received harsh rebuke in the Royal Gazette - for reasons such as "extremely evil misconduct".
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Ms Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi at the Grand Palace in Bangkok in an undated handout photo. Ms Sineenat had been stripped of her titles last October for “misbehaviour and disloyalty”. PHOTOS: REUTERS
Following her royal excommunication, Ms Sineenat disappeared from public view and all mention of her in the palace website was scrubbed.
It is unclear why Ms Sineenat, who is believed to be in Germany now, is being reinstated.
The announcement once again shone the spotlight on the 68-year-old monarch's personal life, long a subject of speculation both in his homeland and abroad.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn - who ascended the throne in December 2016 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, two months earlier - spends most of his time abroad, especially in Germany, where he keeps a home.
In March, after an overseas Thai activist posted online about the King continuing to travel in Germany during the coronavirus pandemic, the Thai-language hashtag #whydoweneedaking became one of the top trending topics on Thailand's Twitter.
The government subsequently came out to warn citizens about online posts questioning the monarchy.
Thailand is strictly governed by lese majeste laws which punish those who insult or defame the monarchy with up to 15 years in jail.
Facebook has taken down content and groups that the government deemed to be insulting to the monarchy, the latest being a group with one million members that has criticised the King.
Although Thailand abolished absolute monarchy more than 80 years ago, the king still wields significant power.
Since he ascended the throne, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has consolidated his power by taking personal control of the multibillion-dollar assets of the Crown Property Bureau and two army units.
He also directed the government to rewrite parts of the Constitution that touched on the role of the king, including the procedure for appointing a regent in the king's absence and whether royal edicts should be countersigned by a government minister.
Since July, protesters have gathered in large numbers in the country calling for amendments to the military-backed Constitution, a fresh election and a democracy "with the monarch under the Constitution".
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been married four times.
His first wife was his cousin whom he divorced in 1991.
In 1994, he married actress Sujarinee Vivacharawongse.
She had been his steady companion since the late 1970s and gave birth to four sons and a daughter.
However, the marriage did not last long, with Ms Sujarinee fleeing to Britain in 1996 with her children.
She now lives with her sons in the United States, while her daughter returned to live with her father in Thailand.
The King in 2001 married Ms Srirasmi Suwadee - who had served as his "lady-in-waiting" in the 1990s - and they have a son together. The marriage ended abruptly and acrimoniously in 2014 when she was purged and stripped of all her titles while members of her family were jailed for insulting the monarchy.
He married Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya in May last year and raised eyebrows two months later when he anointed Ms Sineenat as "Chao Khun Phra" or noble consort, a title that was last used almost a century ago.
Born in the northern Thai province of Nan, Ms Sineenat, nicknamed Koi, is a trained pilot and a former nurse.
After the unexpected elevation of her status came the unprecedented release of a series of candid pictures featuring the new consort - from her in a crop top at the controls of a fighter jet, to her and the King dressed in combat fatigues, with royal poodle in arm - which drew so many visitors to the palace website that it crashed.
Those photos, along with her repute, were, however, effaced less than three months later.
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