Thai PM vows action on guns after deadly mall shooting

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday vowed "preventive measures" after a shooting at a Bangkok shopping mall left two people dead and raised fresh questions about the kingdom's gun control.

Shoppers returned in dribs and drabs as the Siam Paragon mall reopened less than 24 hours after the shooting -- Thailand's third high-profile deadly gun attack in four years.

The shooting at one of Bangkok's biggest, most upmarket malls will come as a fresh blow to Thailand's efforts to rebuild its vital tourism industry after the pandemic.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin joined a minute's silence at the mall before offering the government's condolences to the families of the two female victims -- one Chinese and one from Myanmar.

"I am confident Siam Paragon and government officials did their best to minimize the casualties and damage," he said.

"Let this be the only time this happens. My government insists we will give priority to preventive measures," he added, without giving details.

The victim from Myanmar was named by her country's foreign ministry as 31-year-old Moe Myint.

Police have charged a 14-year-old suspect with premeditated murder, attempted murder, carrying and firing a gun in a public place and owning an unlicensed firearm.

Police Major General Nakarin Sukontawit said the boy, a student at a $4,000-a-term private school just metres from Siam Paragon, was undergoing psychiatric tests to see if he would be fit to stand trial.

Investigators said Tuesday the boy had been undergoing treatment for mental illness but had stopped taking his medication and reported hearing voices telling him to shoot people.

UNICEF Thailand deputy representative Severine Leonardi said the incident should accelerate efforts to improve the kingdom's youth mental health services.

- Past promises -

Samran Nuanma, Assistant National Police Chief, told a news conference on Wednesday that the weapon used in the attack was a blank-firing pistol.

"But the barrel was modified for live shooting," Samran said.

"We will increase regulations and laws to control the use of firearms."

But past promises of tightening gun laws have not prevented tragedies.

The Siam Paragon shooting came just days before the anniversary of a massacre at a nursery in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead.

And in 2020, a former army officer gunned down 29 people in a rampage at a mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

By one estimate, Thailand has 10 million guns in circulation -- one for every seven citizens, and one of the highest rates of ownership in the region.

Many firearms are smuggled into the country, but Kritsanapong Phutrakul, a former police officer and now academic, said internet sales were becoming a problem.

"Only a small number of police officers have the knowledge, capabilities and experience to track the gun market online," he told AFP.

After talks with the PM, National Police Chief Torsak Sukwimol said he had ordered specialist officers to investigate online gun sales.

- Tourism impact -

Thailand is desperate to rebuild its tourism sector after travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic saw visitors dwindle.

China -- which sent around 10 million visitors a year to the kingdom before the pandemic -- is a crucial market, but numbers are not returning as fast as Thai officials would wish.

This is partly because of fears in China about whether Thailand is safe, and the fact that one of the mall shooting victims was Chinese is unlikely to improve this situation.

Srettha spoke to the Chinese ambassador Tuesday and issued a statement saying the government would implement "the highest safety measures" for tourists.

At Siam Paragon on Wednesday, AFP reporters saw that security was stepped up in some places, with bags being searched -- but not on all entrances to the sprawling mall.

Russian tourist Alexander Samylin, 35, told AFP he was not worried about safety.

"It's very safe here in Thailand, this could happen anywhere," he said at the mall.

Agence France-Presse

Thai experts eye boosters as 618 medIcal workers infected despite Sinovac jabs

BANGKOK - Thailand's health ministry said on Sunday more than 600 medical workers who received two doses of China's Sinovac vaccine have been infected with COVID-19, as authorities weigh giving booster doses to raise immunity.

Of the 677,348 medical personnel who received two doses of Sinovac, 618 became infected, health ministry data from April to July showed. A nurse has died and another medical worker is in critical condition.

An expert panel has recommended a third dose to trigger immunity for medical workers who are at risk, senior health official Sopon Iamsirithawon, told a news briefing on Sunday.

"This will be a different vaccine, either viral vector AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine, which Thailand will be receiving in the near term," he said, adding that the recommendation will be considered on Monday.

The announcement comes as the Southeast Asian country reported a record high of 9,418 community infections on Sunday. On Saturday authorities reported a record of 91 new daily coronavirus fatalities.

Thailand has reported a total of 336,371 confirmed infections and 2,711 fatalities since the pandemic began last year.

The majority of Thailand's medical and frontline workers were given Sinovac's shots after February with the viral vector vaccine from AstraZeneca arriving in June.

Thailand is expecting a donation of 1.5 million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from the United States later this month and has ordered 20 million doses that will be delivered after October.

Neighbouring Indonesia, which has also heavily relied on Sinovac, said on Friday it would give the Moderna vaccine as boosters to medical workers. 

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

-reuters

Thailand hits new daily record COVID-19 deaths

BANGKOK - Thailand on Tuesday reported 15 new coronavirus deaths, setting a daily record for the third time in four days in its worst-outbreak yet, as an expert warned of big problems ahead from insufficient testing.

"If we are not screening people who can quietly spread the virus, there will be subsequent outbreaks and mutations, rendering immunization ineffective," Thiravat Hemachudha, head of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Centre wrote on Facebook.

His comments comes amid public criticism of the government for its slow response to the latest outbreak and delayed vaccine roll-out, with some calling for the health minister's resignation.

Thailand has reported more than half of its 59,687 COVID-19 cases this month alone, and 69 of its total 163 fatalities. It has closed parks, gyms, cinemas and schools in the outbreak epicenter Bangkok, but malls and restaurants remain open.

It has also introduced a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($635) for not wearing masks in public, which even the prime minister fell foul of. Three new cases were reported among Government House staff on Tuesday.

The new outbreak coincides also with the detection locally of the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant blamed for big jumps in infections in many countries.

Thiravat earlier told Reuters that Thailand's third wave comes from the saturation of undetected cases accumulated since last year. The roughly 10-20 cases per day prior to the new outbreak were because testing was insufficient, he said.

Thailand has not conducted mass-testing but uses a targeted testing approach. Reliable testing data has been difficult to obtain.

Labs are currently processing around 40,000 to 50,000 samples daily, the health ministry said.

"Real proactive surveillance means everyone needs to be tested, with or without symptoms and in all areas," Thiravat added.

Testing in Thailand is free only if an individual has had potential exposure and presents flu-like symptoms. Private hospitals offer drive-through testing for 2,500 baht to 5,000 baht ($80 to $160). 

-reuters

Scared but desperate, Thai sex workers forced to the street

BANGKOK — A shutdown to contain the coronavirus has killed Thailand’s party scene and forced sex workers like Pim out of bars and onto desolate streets. She’s scared but desperately needs customers to pay her rent.

Red-light districts from Bangkok to Pattaya have gone quiet with night clubs and massage parlors closed and tourists blocked from entering the country.


That has left an estimated 300,000 sex workers out of a job, pressing some onto the streets where the risks are sharpened by the pandemic.

“I’m afraid of the virus but I need to find customers so I can pay for my room and food,” Pim, a 32-year-old transgender sex worker, told AFP in an area of Bangkok where previously bawdy neon-lit bars and brothels have gone dark.

Since Friday Thais have been under a 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew. Bars and eat-in restaurants closed several days earlier.

Many of Bangkok’s sex workers had jobs in the relative safety of bars, working for tips and willing to go home with customers.

When their workplaces suddenly closed most returned home to wait out the crisis.

Others like Pim went to work on the streets.

The government said it is ready to enforce a 24-hour curfew if necessary to control a virus that has infected more than 2,000 people and killed 20, according to official figures.

Pim is paying a heavy price for the movement restrictions – she has not had a customer for 10 days and the bills are stacking up.

Her friend Alice, another transgender sex worker, has also been forced to move from a go-go bar to the roadside.

“I used to make decent money sometimes $300-600 a week,” Alice said.

“But when businesses shut down my income stopped too. We are doing this because we’re poor. If we can’t pay our hotel they will kick us out.”

High risk

The occasional tourist loiters near clusters of sex workers, before a furtive negotiation and a quick march to a nearby hotel, one of the few still open on Bangkok’s main tourist drag.

The already high risks of sex work have rocketed as the virus spreads.

Sex workers have flocked back to homes across the country in anticipation of several weeks of virtual lockdown before Thailand’s night economy comes back to life.

There were fears the malaise could last for months, yanking billions of tourist dollars from the economy and leaving those working in the informal sector destitute.

They include sex workers – an illegal but widely accepted part of Thailand’s nightlife.

There were concerns that a Thai government emergency scheme to give 5,000 baht ($150) to millions of newly jobless over the next three months will exclude sex workers because they cannot prove formal employment.

The Empower Foundation, an advocacy group for the kingdom’s sex workers, said entertainment venues make around $6.4 billion a year, many of them selling sex in some form.

Women are suffering the most from the virus measures, it said. Many are mothers and their family’s main income earner, forced into sex work by lack of opportunities or low graduate salaries.

The group has written an open letter to the government urging it to “find a way to provide assistance to all workers who have lost their earnings”.

As the 10 pm curfew looms, Pim and Alice prepared for a final forlorn patrol for customers.

“I think the government has been really slow. They don’t care about people like us who work in the sex industry,” Alice said.

“We’re more afraid of having nothing to eat than the virus.”

Agence France-Presse

All beaches in Phuket closed indefinitely

BANGKOK — All beaches in the world famous tourist destination Phuket will be closed indefinitely, provincial Governor Phakkhaphong Thawiphat and president of Phuket Communicable Disease Committee have decided.

The closures extend to zoos and all venues of animal shows for tourists.


The Bangla walking street in Kathu district is also closed.

“The decision is part of an effort to better control and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus,” he said. “By the governor’s authority under sections 22 and 35 of Communicable Disease Act BE 2558, these places will be closed temporarily until further notice.

Those who violate the order could be jailed for up to one year, fined up to Bt100,000, or both, the governor said in a statement.

All nine airlines have suspended their flights while most hotels in the province have closed for service and they will not receive new tourists.

The governor sought cooperation from both Thais and foreigners staying in Phuket to remain indoors from 8pm to 3am from March 28 until further notice, except in cases of emergency.

Meanwhile, the Public Health authorities reported 143 new cases in the past 24 hours on Sunday, bringing the total Covid-19 cases in Thailand to 1,388. One more patient died, bringing total deaths to seven nationwide.

Earlier on Tuesday (March 24), the Phuket committee had approved a proposal to close all high-risk places in the province from Sunday until March 31 in order to prevent people contracting Covid-19. The places the province has closed are: malls, pharmacies, shops, entertainment venues, spas, restaurants, amulet markets, golf clubs, pet-service shops, beauty clinics, barber and tattoo shops, and swimming pools of both government and private organizations.

As of Sunday (March 29), confirmed infections in Phuket reached 53, the highest among southern provinces. Seven of them have recovered and returned to their homes, 46 are under treatment with no serious cases. Test results are awaited of 97 persons.

A total of 944 people are under scrutiny while 794 have tested negative, according to the Phuket provincial health authority.

Asia News Network

Thai immigration officers at Bangkok airport diagnosed with COVID-19

BANGKOK, Thailand — Two immigration officers at Bangkok's main airport have coronavirus and may have handled the passports of visitors to Thailand, a health official said Wednesday.

The men, both working at Suvarnabhumi airport, fell ill on March 7 and 8 respectively and potentially came into contact with arriving passengers in the days before their diagnosis.


One of the officers was among a team leading health screenings of Thai returnees from South Korea—which has reported the second most COVID-19 infections in Asia after China.

"They were not working at the same spots," Sopon Iamsirithaworn of the Disease Control Department said.

"There is a chance they came into contact with foreigners or touched passports," he added.

Thailand's Interior Minister said Wednesday it will suspend visa-free arrivals from South Korea, Hong Kong and Italy, as well as visa-on-arrival from 18 countries—including China and India.

All affected visitors must apply for visas at Thai embassies in their own countries and present a medical certificate.

Thailand's economy is heavily reliant on tourism.


The deadly virus has hammered the sector costing the country billions of dollars, mainly after Chinese tourists were quarantined on the mainland or stayed at home.

Many western visitors have also canceled holidays or deferred bookings as Thai authorities issue a baffling barrage of advice.

After days drip-feeding conflicting information to holidaymakers, health authorities said on Friday there will be no compulsory quarantine for people from countries hardest hit by the virus.

Thailand has reported 59 cases of the new coronavirus, but there are concerns the low figure may be a reflection of very limited testing program.

Flag carrier Thai Airways said from Friday it will suspend all flights to Italy, where over 630 people have died with around 10,000 infected so far.

Agence France-Presse

3rd mission underway, aims to rescue all left at Thai cave

MAE SAI, Thailand — Divers have begun the third phase of the rescue of a youth soccer team trapped more than two weeks in a flooded cave in northern Thailand and aim to bring out the last four boys and their coach Tuesday, the top rescue official said.

The eight boys brought out by divers over the previous two days are in “high spirits” and have strong immune systems because they are soccer players, a senior health official said. Doctors were being cautious because of the infection risk and were isolating the boys in the hospital.

Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Tuesday’s rescue operation began at 10:08 a.m. and involves 19 divers. A medic and three Thai Navy SEALs who have stayed with the boys on a small, dry shelf deep in the flooded cave will also come out, he said.


“We expect that if there is no unusual condition … the four boys, one coach, the doctor, and 3 SEALs who have been with the boys since the first day will come out today,” he told a press conference to loud cheering.

Nargonsak said this phase may take longer than the previous two rescue missions, which both lasted several hours.

At a news conference, Jesada Chokdumrongsuk, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said the first four boys rescued, aged 12 to 16, are now able to eat normal food. Two of them possibly have a lung infection but all eight are generally “healthy and smiling,” he said.

“The kids are footballers so they have high immune systems,” Jesada said. “Everyone is in high spirits and are happy to get out. But we will have a psychiatrist to evaluate them.”

It could be at least seven days before they can be released from hospital, Jesada told a news conference.

Family members have seen at least some of the boys from behind a glass isolation barrier, and Jesada said doctors might let the boys walk around their beds Tuesday.

It was clear doctors were taking a cautious approach. Jesada said they were uncertain what type of infections the boys could face “because we have never experienced this kind of issue from a deep cave.”

The second group of four boys rescued Monday are aged 12 to 14. Four more boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach remain deep in the cave, an ordeal that has lasted more than two weeks after they were trapped inside by floods.


Four ambulances and a convoy of other vehicles arrived at the cave site Tuesday morning as rains hit the region.

Monday’s rescue effort took about nine hours, two fewer than the day before, in a sign of growing confidence and expertise. A pair of divers guided each of the rescued boys through the dark, winding cave.  /kga

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Miss Universe draws record-high 34M tweets; Thailand, PH bets most mentioned

The recently concluded Miss Universe peageant in Manila which saw the Philippines’ own Pia Wurtzbach relinquishing her crown to Iris Mittenaere of France generated a record-breaking number of tweets, Twitter said on Tuesday.

Twitter said a total of 34.6 million Miss Universe-related tweets were recorded during the live event—the highest tweet volume for an entertainment event during a live show.

The most mentioned contestants during the pageant were Chalita Suansane of Thailand (Top 6), Philippine bet Maxine Medina (Top 6), and Raissa Santana of Brazil (Top 9).

It was also Thailand’s Suansane who won the Miss Universe online voting, which earned her a spot in the Top 13.

The most talked about moments were the end of the evening gown competition, end of the interview round, Miss Kenya being asked about United States President Donald Trump, end of the swimsuit segment, and the announcement of Top 6 contestants.

Despite Medina’s loss, Twitter noted that Filipino users tweeted out “big support” to the Philippine representative.

Here are the top Twitter moments on the 65th Miss Universe pageant: https://twitter.com/i/moments/825598159409647616

source: technology.inquirer.net

Gay parents fight for custody with surrogate in Thailand

BANGKOK — An American-Spanish same-sex couple opened a high-profile custody battle in Thailand on Wednesday for a baby girl born to a surrogate mother, who decided she wanted to keep the child when she found out they were gay.

The case is complicated by the fact that Thai law does not recognize same-sex marriages and also by a new law that bans commercial surrogacy, which took effect after baby Carmen’s birth.

The couple — American Gordon Lake and Spaniard Manuel Santos, both 41 — have been stuck in Thailand since launching their legal battle after Carmen was born in January 2015.

“It’s the day we’ve been waiting for — for a long, long time. Today is one of the most important days of our lives,” Lake said outside Bangkok’s Juvenile and Family Court. “The court should give us custody of Carmen because it’s the right thing to do.”

Lake is the biological father of baby Carmen, who is now 14 months old, while the egg came from an anonymous donor, not the Thai surrogate, Patidta Kusolsang.

When Carmen was born, Patidta handed over the baby to Lake and Santos, who left the hospital with the infant. But they say Patidta then changed her mind and refused to sign the documents to allow Carmen to get a passport so they could leave Thailand.

Lake and Santos were told she had thought they were an “ordinary family and that she worried for Carmen’s upbringing,” according to a message Lake posted on a crowd funding site that has raised $36,000 to help cover the costs of the trial and staying in Thailand.

Patidta’s lawyer declined to speak to reporters at the court Wednesday. Testimony from both sides is scheduled to end March 31.

Lake has said he doesn’t know why the surrogate says she didn’t know he was gay. He says he was clear about that from the start with their surrogacy agency, called New Life, which has branches in several countries.

The Bangkok-based New Life office has closed since commercial surrogacy was outlawed in Thailand in July 2015, following several high-profile scandals. There was a grace period provided for parents whose babies were already on the way, and Lake says he hopes the judge is sympathetic to them.

“It was always known it was a surrogacy agreement. We’re the intended parents. We’re the people that wanted to have a child,” said Lake, who is originally from New Jersey. “We just want to go home and we just want to be a family. A normal boring family.”

Carmen has lived with the couple since her birth, and they carried her into the court on Wednesday.

The couple’s lawyer, Rachapol Sirikulchit, says he is confident they will be awarded custody and take the baby with them to Spain, where they live.

“Baby Carmen has the right to be with her biological father, who supports her financially and has cared for her since she was born,” Rachapol said. “The priority is to consider the benefit for children and that they have the right to live with their biological parent.”

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

3 dead, 17 injured in Thai building collapse–police

BANGKOK– At least three workers died and 17 others were injured when a six-story building under construction collapsed just outside Bangkok, police said Monday, as rescuers searched for an unknown number of missing people.

The planned student accommodation block crashed down at around 4.30 p.m. (0930 GMT) in Pathum Thani province, north of the capital, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.


“Three construction workers were found dead and 17 injured were rescued,” said the officer.

Rescue workers and police were using cranes to search for any people trapped inside the debris late Monday.

“We can’t say how many are trapped inside but we are working hard to rescue them,” the officer said, adding that police would launch an investigation into why the building collapsed.

Labor groups have warned about lax safety standards and low wages at Thai construction sites, especially for migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, who are often paid below the country’s minimum daily wage.

The nation has seen a building boom in recent years as the property market has soared.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Old bomb explodes in Bangkok scrap shop, killing 7

BANGKOK, Thailand—Police say workers at a scrap shop in Thailand’s capital accidentally detonated a large bomb believed to have been dropped during World War II, killing at least seven people and injuring 19 others.

Police bomb squad chief Kamthorn Auicharoen says construction workers found the bomb buried at a building site and sold it to the scrap shop in northern Bangkok.

He said workers at the shop were using a blowtorch to take the bomb apart when it exploded Wednesday.

The massive blast ripped apart the scrap shop in Bangkok’s Lad Plakao neighborhood and damaged nearby houses.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Raonic beats Berdych to Thailand Open title

BANGKOK — Canadian Milos Raonic used his thumping serve to ace his way to victory over top seed Tomas Berdych Sunday, with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win at the Thailand Open.

Third seed Raonic took full advantage of his big serve to beat his Czech opponent, firing 18 aces — his last to set up a pair of match points.

After winning the first set in a tiebreaker, the Canadian tightened his grip in the second to earn the fifth title of his career.



The trophy, his second of the season, will help the 11th-ranked Canadian as he bids for a place in the eight-man season-ending championships in November in London.

Raonic beat Berdych, who is ranked 6th in the world, at their last meeting in Cincinnati in 2012.

Berdych remains the only member of the ranking top 10 without a title in 2013.

source: sports.inquirer.net