Somkiat crashes out in Buri Ram rain as Arbolino takes chequered flag
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
THE NATION
Thailand’s Somkiat “Kong” Chantra crashed out of the Moto2 Grand Prix at Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram on Sunday.
The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider started from poll position for the first time in his career but fell victim to a rain-slicked track in the northeastern province.
Thai fans were left shocked when their home hero lost grip on the fourth bend while leading the race and slammed his bike heavily down onto the tarmac. Medics rushed to the scene before sending Somkiat to hospital with an arm injury.
Italy’s Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS) crossed the finish line in first place after the race was shortened following another heavy downpour. Felix Salac of Czech Republic was second while Spaniard Aron Canet took third. Championship leaders Ai Ogura and Augusto Fernandez were sixth and seventh respectively.
Somkiat earlier snatched Thailand’s first-ever Grand Prix pole position on Saturday with a qualifying time of 1 minute and 35.625 seconds.
He started Sunday’s race ninth in the Moto2 championship on 120 points.
Indonesian President orders soccer security probe after deadly riot
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
Reuters
Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered on Sunday (October 2) for authorities to thoroughly re-evaluate security at soccer matches after a riot and stampede at a stadium in East Java province killed at least 129 people.
He also told the country’s soccer association (PSSI) to stop Liga 1 matches until the investigation had been concluded, and called for this to be the “last soccer tragedy in the nation.”
Indonesia is scheduled to host the FIFA under-20 World Cup in May and June next year. They are also one of three countries bidding to stage next year’s Asian Cup, the continent’s equivalent of the Euros, after China pulled out as hosts.
Among global stadium disasters, 96 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death in Britain in April 1989, when an overcrowded and fenced-in enclosure collapsed at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.
Stampede, riot at Indonesia soccer match kill 129, police say
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
Reuters
At least 129 people were killed and around 180 injured at a soccer match in Indonesia after panicked fans were trampled and crushed trying to flee during a riot, police said on Sunday, in what appeared to be one of the world’s worst stadium disasters.
When supporters of the losing home team invaded the pitch in East Java province on Saturday night to express their frustration, officers fired tear gas in an attempt to control the situation, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.
“It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” Nico said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.
Video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang after Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya. Scuffles can be seen, with what appeared to be tear gas in the air.
Images showed people who appeared to have lost consciousness being carried away by other fans.
The head of one of the hospitals in the area treating patients told Metro TV that some of the victims had sustained brain injuries and that the dead included a five-year-old child.
World soccer’s governing body FIFA specifies in its safety regulations that no firearms or “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by stewards or police.
East Java police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they were aware of such regulations.
Indonesia’s human rights commission planned to investigate security at the ground, including the use of tear gas, its commissioner told Reuters.
The country’s chief security minister, Mahfud MD, said in an Instagram post that the stadium had been filled beyond its capacity. He said 42,000 tickets had been issued for a stadium that is only supposed to hold 38,000 people.
Financial aid would be given to the injured and the families of victims, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa told reporters.
There have been outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia before, with strong rivalries between clubs sometimes leading to violence among supporters.
Zainudin Amali, Indonesia’s sports minister, told KompasTV the ministry would re-evaluate safety at football matches, including considering not allowing spectators in stadiums.
The Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 has suspended games for a week and an investigation had been launched, the Football Association of Indonesia said.
Among global stadium disasters, 96 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death in Britain in April 1989, when an overcrowded and fenced-in enclosure collapsed at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.
Indonesia is scheduled to host the FIFA under-20 World Cup in May and June next year. They are also one of three countries bidding to stage next year’s Asian Cup, the continent’s equivalent of the Euros, after China pulled out as hosts
Bezzecchi claims first pole in Ducati grid lockout at Thai GP
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
THE NATION
Marco Bezzecchi set a lap record to lead a Ducati front-row lockout at the Thai Grand Prix qualifying in Buriram, with Yamaha’s MotoGP world championship leader Fabio Quartararo managing fourth on the grid on Saturday (October 1).
Bezzecchi posted a time of 1:29.671 to take his first-ever pole position, with Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin and Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia completing the front row on the Chang International Circuit.
“When I saw my lap time, I knew that it was very good,” said Bezzecchi, whose pole was also the first for Mooney VR46 Racing Team, which is owned by MotoGP great Valentino Rossi.
“But before when I stopped to change the tyre I also saw that the first lap time was already 29.8 (1:29.8) so I expected that the top riders make a bigger step so when I made my good time I said ‘wow it’s fast’ but I didn’t know where I was.”
Bagnaia, who is second in the championship standings 18 points behind Quartararo, will be the only title contender in the front row in Sunday’s race.
The championship hopes of Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro, who is third in the overall standings, took a blow after he narrowly missed the cut for Q2, meaning he will line up in 13th place on the grid.
Johann Zarco, Enea Bastianini and Jack Miller were fifth, sixth and seventh respectively, with Bezzecchi’s team mate Luca Marini finishing ninth as Ducati dominated the qualifying.
Honda’s six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, who took pole at the Japanese GP last week, finished eighth.
In Moto2, Somkiat Chantra took pole at his home race ahead of Tony Arbolina and Ai Agura, becoming the first Thai rider to take a pole position in grand prix history.
In Moto3, Honda rider Dennis Foggia was quickest ahead of Jaume Masia and Ayumu Sasaki.
Cheek-piercing religious devotees sacred ritual in Phuket
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
THE NATION
Devotees in Thailand’s Phuket Island has resumed a week-long sacred ritual carried out during the annual vegetarian festival after long hiatus and events being scaled back due to the coronavirus outbreak in 2020.
Worshippers from the local Chinese community have their faces pierced or walked over hot coals at local shrines in the name of purification. They also believe that going without meat, sex, and alcohol in the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar also helps achieve good health and peace of mind.
In Phuket’s downtown on Friday (September 30) hundreds of devotees and worshippers marched in a procession in respect to Chinese gods. Some with their faces pierced with sharp objects say the meaning of the piercing is a symbol of the sinful things they might have said during the off-vegetarian season.
“For me personally, we use our mouths to talk, right? And naturally, it may be speaking of the good or sinful things during the off-season (of vegetarian festival). We may have spoken good or bad things, so the piercing is for us to feel the wrong and sins we’ve committed,” said Patcharaporn Phromchai.
Devotees said that after the procession is done, they do not feel pain but felt like they have done their part to pay respect to the gods and goddesses they worship.
“I feel normal, I don’t feel tired or anything, I feel just fine. And it doesn’t hurt at all, I don’t feel anything, I can smile and eat too,” Pantila Sae-Lao told Reuters after she has had metal pokers removed from her face.
Some of the most thrilling features of the Vegetarian Festival are the many, oftentimes gruesome, ceremonies held to appease the gods. During the festival, religious devotees, dressed in white to represent observance, walk barefoot over hot charcoal and take part in extreme body piercing rituals, which include piercing one’s cheeks with swords and spears to ward off evil spirits and invite another year of prosperity.
The 9-day Taoist celebration, also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is observed during September 25 to October 4 this year.
Fourgle – Thailand’s latest social-networking app with a difference
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
THE NATION
A Thai startup firm is launching a social-networking application under an “economy sharing” concept this month and hopes to draw a million users within this year.
Anuchit Anuchitanukul, CEO and co-founder of Fourgle (Thailand), said the Fourgle app will put make it easier for people to access information about everything, including people, places, timings and activities. He said the app aims to respond to changing lifestyles and give online businesses an added boost.
Anuchit said the app will allow users to tailor the content to match their lifestyles, as well as create or join communities that focus on their topics of interest.
The Fourgle (Thailand) startup has a registered capital of US$1 million and is currently valued at 400 million baht.
Co-founder Supat Pornnapha, who once worked in the United States’ Silicone Valley, said the app is currently at a closed-beta stage with some 160,000 users and a major e-commerce operator has expressed interest in it. He added that the app, set to be officially launched sometime this month, will initially focus on food communities, with its CookKlich feature allowing users to exchange recipes and cooking tips and tricks.
Fourgle has also joined hands with restaurants in Gaysorn Plaza, Amarin Plaza and other malls in Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong area.
Supat said next year the app expand to cover other topics like home decoration, interior design, fashion and tourism and will link up with relevant businesses.
“Fourgle aims to link up communities to create a useful legacy,” Supat said. “Users will be allowed to create their own content and the successful ones will be rewarded Fourgle coins that can be redeemed for goofs and privileges.”
Myanmar suspends import of passenger cars to stop foreign currency usage
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
Myanmar’s trade authorities have temporarily suspended the import of vehicles from October 1 to reduce the use of foreign currency.
The Directorate of Trade said in a statement that the import of passenger vehicles is being suspended to reduce the use of foreign currency, especially since the country’s exports are dropping and businesses have been hit by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The suspension also applies to those who have previously been granted import permits. The opening of new car showrooms has also been suspended as of Saturday.
India expects to have 80 new airports in next 5 years
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
Over the past eight years, the number of airports in India has risen from 74 to 141, the Civil Aviation Ministry said, adding that the number will grow to 220 in the next four or five years.
The ministry also added that aerodromes will be required to fulfil certain requirements to start the operation of flights.
So far, the Civil Aviation Ministry has approved “in principle” the setting up of 21 “greenfield” airports across the country, including Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka; Dabra in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh; Dholera and Hirasar (Rajkot) in Gujarat; Karaikal in Puducherry; Dagadarthi (Nellore), Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Kannur in Kerala; and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.
So far, eight greenfield airports – namely Durgapur, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Pakyong, Kannur, Kalaburagi, Orvakal and Kushinagar – have started operating.
As per the ministry, in the 2022-23 financial year, the central government has granted site clearance to the Himachal Pradesh government for the development of a new greenfield airport at Nagchala, Mandi. In addition to this, 35 airports, helipads and water aerodromes are planned for development in 2022-23.
An official said that for safety purposes, an aerodrome needs to meet the specifications regarding its management systems, operational procedures, physical characteristics, assessment and treatment of obstacles, visual aids, rescue and fire-fighting services.
While these guidelines are for the licensing of the aerodrome from the technical point of view, the licence for the operation of airports is granted by the government as per the Civil Aviation policy.
As far as site clearance for a greenfield airport for public use is concerned, prior to commencing the construction, the owner or developer of the aerodrome will have to first file an application with a steering committee at the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Licence for aerodromes is granted under two categories: private use and public use. If used privately, the aerodrome will not be allowed to operate scheduled flights.
South Korea’s trade deficit expected to hit record high of $48 billion this year
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
South Korea is expected to post a record high trade deficit of nearly US$50 billion this year due to high global energy costs, a report by a private think tank showed on Sunday.
The country’s trade deficit is likely to hit about $48 billion this year, the largest-ever shortfall since related trade data was compiled in 1964, according to the report by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI).
The estimated deficit would more than double the $20.6 billion in trade deficit logged in 1996, right before the nation was hit by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
South Korea logged a trade deficit for the sixth straight month in September as exports dropped amid a global slowdown and import bills shot up due to high fuel costs. The nation posted a trade deficit of $3.77 billion last month.
A weaker won usually makes a country’s exports cheaper, boosting its price competitiveness. But the won’s recent depreciation came along with sharp declines in other major currencies of its competitors as the dollar maintained its strength
The Korea Herald
Asia News Network
KERI, the research arm of the country’s conglomerate lobby Federation of Korean Industries, estimated that the country’s trade deficit would reach $37.5 billion in the second half and further rise to $48 billion for the whole year.
The local currency’s sharp weakness against the US dollar also pushed up import prices. The won has slid around 17 per cent against the greenback so far this year amid the Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary tightening.
Tokyo police bust Chinese-led gang forging residency cards
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2022
Tokyo police have uncovered what is believed to be the largest criminal forgery ring counterfeiting residency cards for foreigners in Japan.
The Metropolitan Police Department said six suspected members of the ring, including a 30-year-old Chinese national, were arrested on Thursday.
The suspects were detained on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. The six are accused of forging residence cards at the home of one of the suspects in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, on September 5, using a computer and printer. The seized computer contained information on roughly 20,000 cases, according to the MPD.
Police also seized about 2,000 counterfeited residence cards, as well as about 3,000 blank residence cards. Authorities believe the group have been selling fake residency cards for ¥1,500 to ¥7,000 (400-1,850 baht) each since last summer under the direction of its leader in China. The group is believed to have earned ¥140 million (36.6 million baht) in sales.
Fourgle has also joined hands with restaurants in Gaysorn Plaza, Amarin Plaza and other malls in Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong area.
