Don’t click on dodgy links sent via SMS, warns DES Ministry
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2022
Mobile phone users should not fall for SMS messages that encourage them to transfer money or click on suspicious links, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry warned on Sunday.
DES Ministry spokesperson Noppawan Huajaimun said scam artists have started using SMS messages to try and deceive people into transferring money.
The spokesperson said some of the messages also encourage people to click links that will lead them to false apps that will start adding charges to their mobile phone bill.
Hence, she said, mobile phone users should follow these three steps to protect themselves:
• Regularly check your mobile phone charges by comparing bills.
• Closely check bills to see if they include suspicious charges. Those who get their mobile phone bill automatically deducted from their credit cards should keep an eye on the deductions.
• Closely monitor mobile phone bills of young and elderly people to see if they have been hit with false charges.
Nok Air cancels Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son service, seeks switch to Udon Thani
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2022
Nok Air cancelled its Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son service on Sunday due to low passenger numbers and insufficient aircraft. The budget airline has instead applied to operate flights on the more commercially viable Chiang Mai-Udon Thani route, according to the Department of Airports.
The department announced the move after talks with the airline and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), Airports of Thailand (AOT), and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AeroThai).
Nok Air launched the Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son route last month but failed to sell enough tickets to make it commercially viable.
The airline also claimed insufficient aircraft as its Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which skidded off the runway at Chiang Rai Airport on July 30, was still undergoing repairs.
The department said CAAT will hold a meeting on business plans with Nok Air, AOT and AeroThai on Tuesday (November 22).
French Muay Thai star taught Macron to keep guard up in Bangkok
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
French Muay Thai fighter Antoine Pinto has spoken of the pride he felt when he introduced his country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, to the Thai martial art in Bangkok.
Former professional Muay Thai boxer Pinto acted as a guide for the French leader when he toured Rajadamnern Stadium on Thursday night ahead of the Apec Summit. Pinto said Macron, a keen sports fan, had thanked him for representing France as an athlete in Thailand. “[Macron] is really lovely. He admires the Muay Thai martial art. It was my honour to introduce Muay Thai to him,” Antoine wrote on his social media account. He also posted a video clip showing the French president holding a pair of Muay Thai gloves and posing with his guard up. He captioned the photo, “This is another success for Muay Thai”.
Macron visited the legendary boxing stadium for about two hours, watching a demonstration bout and meeting with students from Lycee Francais International de Bangkok (LFIB), a French international school. The president also visited the Jim Thompson Art Centre and Bangkok’s Chinatown on Yaowarat Road. Pinto, now 31 and an actor, is best known as the youngest foreign fighter to have competed at the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium, at 14, and Rajadamnern Stadium at 15.
Prayut in full bilateral talks with Xi after Bangkok Apec summit
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for full bilateral talks shortly after the Apec summit ended in Bangkok on Saturday afternoon.
Gen Prayut and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai were on hand at Government House to welcome the Chinese leader when he arrived at about 1.25pm. A welcoming ceremony was held at the Thai Khufah Building. The two leaders took part in full bilateral talks involving government ministers from both countries. Following the talks, Prayut hosted a lunch for the Chinese leader, who is on an official visit to Thailand.
Xi arrived at Government House in the China-made Hongqi luxury car that he had also used during the summit, shunning the BMW i7 electric sedans that Thailand had prepared for Apec leaders. Hongqi, which means “red flag” in Chinese, was launched in 1959 and is China’s oldest car maker.
The Thai prime minister met with Xi just after completing his task of hosting the summit of 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. During the closing ceremony, Prayut handed over the Apec chair to Vice President Kamala Harris of the United States, which will host next year’s Apec Summit in San Francisco.
Arnon threatens police with legal action over assault on protesters
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
The Ratsadon Yoot Apec (Citizens Stop Apec) group filed police complaints against riot police officers who allegedly used violent measures to disperse protesters from Dinso Road.
The group was marching down Dinso Road on Friday morning to submit a letter to international leaders attending the Apec Summit at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. The letter called on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign.
One of Ratsadon’s leaders, Arnon Nampa, said several protesters were injured from the tear gas and rubber bullets fired by the police. One may even lose his eye, he said.
Arnon, a human-rights lawyer, has vowed to take legal action against police officers at all levels, saying he had both video clips and photos as evidence.
He also called on other parties who have been injured during the crackdown to file complaints as well.
Meanwhile, Dr Tosaporn Sererak, a former government spokesman, told reporters on Saturday that he visited the victims at hospitals and learned that three persons have suffered severe eye injuries from rubber bullets. One person suffered a torn eye muscle and fractured eye socket. Doctors say the patient’s eye has yet to respond to light.
Tosaporn worked as a spokesman for Yingluck Shinawatra’s government and later became famous for providing medical care to political protesters.
Police chief warns media to stay away from protest clashes
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Members of the media should maintain a safe distance from clashes between protesters and riot police, the National Police chief said.
Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas was on Saturday responding to allegations that police physically assaulted some reporters during an anti-government rally near Democracy Monument on Thursday. Protesters had gathered a few hundred metres from the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where the Apec Summit was being held and clashes soon broke out, with riot police shooting rubber bullets into the crowd. Clips of a monk being pushed against a wall and a policeman reportedly attacking a reporter from the online news site, The Matter, went viral. The reporter was attacked even though he shouted out his credentials and showed his press armband. Some media reports said some protesters used violence first. A video clip showed a monk throwing himself at a row of crowd-control police and a protester hitting at a policeman with a large stick.
The police chief said a large presence of reporters and photographers in the middle of a clash made it difficult for police to perform their duty and puts them at risk of injury. He also said that sometimes there are more media people than demonstrators on the frontlines. “This makes it tough [for police] to do their job. I wonder if anything like this happens in other countries?” Damrongsak asked. He also pointed out that many of those caught in the middle of the confrontation were YouTubers posing as reporters. “They were not in the media line and did not identify themselves.”
The police chief said further investigation was required to see if any officer committed wrongdoing. He added that 15 police officers had been injured – one seriously – during their confrontation with “unruly” protesters. The officer with serious injuries is still in the hospital. A Reuters photographer reportedly sustained minor injuries from hard objects being flung around.
Thailand, Saudi Arabia sign pacts on economic and social ties
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Saudi Arabian counterpart, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, met for a bilateral discussion at Government House on Friday night.
The crown prince arrived in Thailand on Thursday at the invitation of the government and is scheduled to attend the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting as a state guest on Saturday.
Also present at the discussion were Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome, and Higher Education Minister Anek Laothamatas.
The discussion saw both leaders agreeing to promote relationships and cooperation at both bilateral and multi-lateral levels with other members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said.
Anucha added that Thailand is ready to support Saudi Arabia in food security, healthcare, tourism and other mega projects under the Saudi Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia, too, will promote investment in Thailand and trading between both countries, as well as provide career opportunities in Saudi Arabia for Thai workers, who are said to be “among the top-skilled workers globally”.
In the aspect of social and public relationships, both countries agreed to promote mutual travel destinations, while Prayut thanked the Saudi government for providing scholarships to Thai students. The Thai PM also said he hoped to see more cooperation in the fields of vocational training, the Halal food industry, agriculture, petrochemical, construction and manufacturing.
The two leaders then presided over the signing of five agreements pledging to increase trade and investment between the two countries, promoting tourism, deepening cooperation in energy, and enhancing anti-corruption operations, before Prayut invited the crown prince to dinner at around midnight, Anucha said.
Prayut visited Saudi Arabia in January to foster bilateral relations for the first time since the country downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand in 1989 over the Blue Diamond Affair when a Thai janitor stole priceless jewels from a Saudi palace.
Members of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department trawling the Gulf of Thailand spotted three very rare species off the coasts of three provinces.
The officials were surveying the waters along Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and Phetchaburi from Monday to Thursday and spotted:
An Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris): Spotted at the mouth of Tha Chin River in Samut Sakhon and near the coast of Phetchaburi in Ban Laem district.
A finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides): Seen near the coast of Samut Sakhon.
12 Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni): Spotted near the coast of Samut Sakhon.
The officials were able to photograph and give identities to six Bryde’s whales. They were named Chao Mee Sap, Chao Kwan Khao, Mae Sakhon, Chao Sarin, Mae Wandee and Jao Wanrung.
Veterinarians also managed to get close enough to check eight whales and found them to be breathing normally and in a generally healthy condition. However, seven of them had developed skin disease, while the whale named Chao Mee Sap had an abrasion.
The officials said the movements and health of the Bryde’s whales will be constantly monitored.
Apec’s biggest social media hits? Hun Sen’s Covid and banner typo
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Social media analysis has revealed the top five topics of interest in the Apec Summit, which wraps up in Bangkok today.
Analytics company Wisesight used its Zocial Eye tools to collect data from social media users in Thailand between November 1 and 16.
The top five trending topics related to Apec were:
1. Leaders/representatives of 21 Apec economies, especially regarding who would come to the summit, with almost 4.5 million engagements (4,474,794). Popular topics included Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s positive Covid test, and US President Joe Biden not attending the summit in Bangkok.
2. Special holidays during Apec Summit week, at 1,345,202 engagements. The government announced November 16-18 as special holidays in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan to reduce traffic congestion during the summit.
3. Locations of Apec and related meetings, at 1,096,628 engagements. Popular topics included the removal of electricity poles on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and the renovation of roads and sidewalks to prepare for the summit. Many netizens complained that the government should work this fast on other city renovation projects around Thailand.
4. Traffic closures during Apec week, at 897,652 engagements. Several roads, expressways, public areas and an MRT subway station have been closed around the summit venue, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, to facilitate travel of Apec leaders.
5. The huge typo in a banner welcoming Apec leaders on Chalong Rat Expressway, at 565,798 engagements. The red-faced Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) quickly fixed the “Welcom” typo, but internet memes of the gaffe went viral and Exat threatened to sue.
Wisesight detected almost 5.5 million (5,466,785) Apec-related engagements on Thai social media, or 502,241 engagements per day. Facebook was the most popular platform with 54.31% of the engagements, followed by Twitter (25.43%), YouTube (7.98%), and others (12.28%).
The majority of posters were male (61.4%), while people aged 18-24 years posted the most Apec-related messages at 43.34%, followed by those aged 25-34 years at 32.93%.
Their Majesties greet world leaders at Grand Palace during Apec Summit
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Their Majesties the King and Queen granted an audience to world leaders attending the Apec summit, at the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall in Bangkok’s Grand Palace on Friday.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya was also at the Throne Hall to greet leaders and senior officials from countries around the world.
Significant figures from countries including China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, France, and Canada met with the royal family ahead of the last day of the summit, where delegates are seeking to forge an Asia-Pacific free trade area.
Earlier on Friday, police clashed with hundreds of protesters gathered near Democracy Monument about eight kilometres from the summit venue.
Police fired rubber bullets to prevent the demonstrators from marching to the venue and delivering their petition to protest Apec trade deals and call on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign.
HM the King’s father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, hosted world leaders at the two previous Apec summits held in Thailand, in September 1992 and October 2003.
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