After the Chonburi pub blaze claimed 15 lives and injured dozens of others last week, Bangkok authorities have launched a citywide hunt for safety violations to prevent a similar tragedy.
While inspecting venues in Chatuchak district on Monday, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt ordered an eatery in Soi Ratchada 36 to close because it did not meet legal requirements for live shows and had not put in place fire safety measures.
Chadchart was checking the area with district chief Pornlert Penpas.
Steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of the Mountain B Pub blaze in Sattahip district, which was found to be illegally operating as an entertainment venue despite only having a restaurant permit.
Meanwhile, the restaurant in Soi Ratchada 36 was ordered closed because it failed to comply with fire safety standards as it had no fire exits and not enough fire extinguishers. According to the law, each public site must have one fire extinguisher for every 100 square metres.
The restaurant was also found to be operating as a live music venue without the correct permit.
The governor ordered the restaurant to close until it has met all requirements and received relevant permits.
Pornlert said officials have so far inspected 28 restaurants operating as entertainment venues in Chatuchak district. Of them, 11 are in compliance with the law, while 17 have been ordered to make rectifications. Another 18 restaurants in the area are pending inspection.
No casualties were reported in the fire that broke out in a building inside the Joint US Military Advisory Group Thailand (Jusmagthai) complex in Bangkok’s Sathorn area on Monday night.
Five fire trucks arrived at the scene at around 7.35pm and spent some 30 minutes extinguishing the fire. The flames had originated from an uninhabited two-storey building in the compound, which is close to the German Embassy premises.
Officials have blocked Soi Sathorn 1 to traffic as they are inspecting powerlines for possible damage.
The cause of the fire had not been determined as of press time and investigation is underway.
Chonburi authorities and foundations have come together to offer 354,400 baht each to the families of the 15 people who died in the Mountain B Pub blaze last Friday.
The fire at the unlicensed entertainment venue in Sattahip district also injured 40 others. Officials are investigating the cause of the blaze, the venue’s operation as a drinking establishment with just a restaurant permit as well as illegal alterations made to the building.
Chonburi deputy governor Naris Niramaiwong said on Monday that several state agencies and foundations have agreed to make contributions to aid the families of the deceased. The agencies and foundations making contributions are the Sattahip Municipal Office, the PM’s Disaster Relief Fund, Chonburi Justice Provincial Office, Chonburi Social Development and Human Security Office, Rajaprajanugroh Foundation, Sawang Rojana Thammasathan Foundation, Poh Teck Tung Foundation and Ngek Sian Hong Te Shrine. The compensation offered will also include 50,000 baht per person offered by the owner of the pub.
Naris added that victims who had taken out life insurance policies or social security will also receive compensation as stated.
The deputy governor added that the ad hoc administration centre for fire victims will be shut down so officials can return to their normal duties.
The Public Health Ministry reported on Tuesday (August 9) that over the past 24 hours, 1,955 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals, one of whom has arrived in Thailand from abroad.
The death toll has risen by 33, while 2,294 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals.
The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,385,971 with 9,965 deaths.
The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,609,406 – 4,556,796 of whom have recovered, 20,947 are still in hospitals and 31,663 have died.
Separately, another 1,770 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 2,831 their second shot and 15,184 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 141,963,122.
According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 590.38 million on Tuesday, 562.16 million of whom have recovered, 21.78 million are active cases (43,765 in severe condition) and 6.44 million have died (up by 1,404).
Thailand ranks 28th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 94.02 million, followed by India with 44.17 million, Brazil with 34.08 million, France with 34.04 million and Germany with 31.31 million.
Thailand will host bilateral meetings with Malaysia in Bangkok on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The 14th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation and the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the Committee on Joint Development Strategy for Border Areas will be held under the theme “Fostering Resilience in Times of Challenges”.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah will preside over the discussions.
The meetings will underscore the importance of Thailand and Malaysia’s cooperation to enhance respective resilience and efforts at economic recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as other global challenges, the Thai Foreign Ministry said.
Particular focus will be given to promoting cooperation in three aspects:
Protection of the people to ensure their safety and security from traditional and non-traditional threats
Prosperity for the people by enabling them to seize the economic and social opportunities and by providing necessary infrastructure
Closer partnership between Thailand and Malaysia at all levels in order to advance the mutual interest of the two countries.
During the visit to Thailand, the Malaysian foreign minister will also pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House on Tuesday.
Residents of Bangkok and surrounding areas are set to get a special three-day holiday in November as part of arrangements for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.
A proposal for a holiday from November 16 to 18 will be submitted to the Cabinet soon by the committee in charge of Apec summit preparations, government spokeswoman Traisulee Taisaranakul said on Monday.
“However, government agencies that provide services to the public, such as hospitals, courts and banks, can consider these holidays as they see fit,” she said.
The committee has also appointed the foreign and finance ministries to issue commemorative coins for the Apec summit to boost public awareness.
She added that Apec ministerial meetings in the run-up to the summit would cover tourism, public health, food security and forestry.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed confidence that Thailand will host a successful Apec summit, despite tensions among the trade group’s members. May’s Apec meeting in Bangkok ended without a joint statement after representatives of the United States and six other countries staged a walkout to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prayut said Thailand, as this year’s Apec chair, would use November’s summit to raise issues such as post-Covid economic recovery, trade and investment facilitation, global warming, and the BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) economy.
The environment minister said the global community must back Thailand’s push for carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065.
Speaking after the two-day Thailand Climate Action Conference (TCAC) in Bangkok, Varawut Silpa-archa said climate change was an existential crisis for Thai people – especially farmers suffering worsening floods. Measures to combat climate change and its effects on Thailand’s 67 million people were not a choice but a necessity for survival, he added.
Varawut said his ministry was coordinating preparations for climate change among public and private agencies in every province. However, he told foreign envoys that the international community’s pledges of financial and technological aid were essential if Thailand was to meet its UN climate pledges for carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions.
The TCAC was held on Friday and Saturday by the Environment and Resources Ministry under the theme “Thailand’s Future, World’s Future: Our Future, Our Responsibility, Our Opportunity”.
On Friday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told the conference that Thailand ranked ninth among countries most affected by climate change.
Varawut said that the ministry would send Thailand’s revised long-term emissions and nationally determined contributions to the United Nations before the UN COP27 climate summit in November.
The Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) will waive toll fees for motorists on its three expressways on Mother’s Day next Friday (August 12).
Motorists can use the three expressways free of charge from 00.01am to midnight on Friday, Exat announced.
Road users will get a free ride on the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway with 19 toll gates, the Sirat (Second Stage and Outer Ring Road) Expressway with 31 gates, and the Udon Ratthaya (Bang Pa-in-Pak Kret) Expressway with 10 gates.
Exat said free access to its three expressways will also be provided on five more public holidays in October and December as follows:
– October 13 (commemorating the death of King Rama IX)
Thais armed with swords, shields and magic potions battled to glory at the world’s largest cosplay competition, grabbing four prizes in Japan at the weekend.
The “World Cosplay Summit (WCS) 2022” saw costumed contestants from around the world converge on Nagoya City to do battle for the prestigious awards on August 6-7.
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
Thai cosplayers Thames Malerose and Jasper Z caught the eye of judges on Saturday in the “Stage” section of the event, where they appeared as characters from the action role-playing game “Elden Ring”.
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
Cosplaying the fearsome female warrior Malenia, Blade of Miquella, Thames cut down international rivals to win third place in the competition. Jasper Z appeared as “The Tarnished” and clinched the coveted “special prize” costume award.
First and second place on Saturday went to cosplayers from France and Australia, respectively.
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
The two Thai cosplayers triumphed again during Sunday’s “Video” section, winning third place and a special comedy prize. Cosplayers from Sweden and Mexico won first and second place on Sunday.
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
The WCS sees cosplayers from across the world gather each year in Japan’s third city to create new forms of international and cultural exchange, inspired by pop culture in Japan and elsewhere. The event was first held in 2003 and has drawn support from the private sector, government and overseas diplomatic missions.
Hong Kong college students are expected to have a better understanding of national development as completing national education courses has become a requirement for graduation.
The eight public universities in Hong Kong have launched national education courses one after another to inform students on the Basic Law, the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and other elements including the city’s legal systems and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The curriculum upgrade came three years after the city was rocked by incessant violence and street vandalism in 2019 and two years after the National Security Law for Hong Kong was introduced on June 30, 2020.
The eight public universities in Hong Kong have launched national education courses one after another, two years after the National Security Law for Hong Kong was introduced on June 30, 2020
On July 25, the University of Hong Kong announced in its email to students that all students will be required to complete a non-credit online course－Introduction to the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law－in the academic year 2022/23.
Students can take this course in any semester. Those who will graduate in 2022/23 and thereafter will need to pass the course to graduate.
Similarly, Hong Kong Polytechnic University has adopted the national education curriculum－a of law-abiding leadership education featuring modern Chinese history, national security, and the Hong Kong National Security Law for all four-year undergraduate students starting the 2021/22 academic year.
In a reply to China Daily, PolyU said it will extend the national education curriculum to all senior year students in top-up degree courses and postgraduate students in different forms in the upcoming 2022/23 academic year.
Around 92 per cent to 95 per cent of the PolyU students surveyed in the two semesters agreed that they would strive to serve as socially responsible leaders. They also agreed the course equipped them with knowledge about law-abiding behaviour and national security
The school said student feedback on the National Education has been positive and encouraging, citing a post-lecture evaluation, which surveyed students taking the law-abiding leadership course in the 2021/22 academic year. Around 92 per cent to 95 per cent of the students surveyed in the two semesters agreed that they would strive to serve as socially responsible leaders. They also agreed the course equipped them with knowledge about law-abiding behaviour and national security.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is also planning to launch two mandatory courses, with one focusing on knowing the country and the other centring on the national constitutional order and its relation with Hong Kong in the next academic year for all undergraduate students.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will roll out a new compulsory self-learning noncredit online course covering the Constitution, the Basic Law, the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the Hong Kong legal system. Students will need to pass the tests.
In addition, starting from the 2023/24 academic year, students of the Education University of Hong Kong will be required to take an inter-faculty course in the Greater Bay Area. The university will also arrange for all undergraduate students to visit the Greater Bay Area in stages at the same time.
Welcoming the initiatives, lawmaker Tang Fei said he is happy to see that all public universities in Hong Kong have voluntarily rolled out national education courses.
As higher education institutions, the universities are expected to offer more in-depth information and thus help raise young people’s awareness of the importance of national security more effectively, Tang added.
China Daily
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Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
Photo credit: World Cosplay Summit Thailand
