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A report from Thailand Overseas Americans Are Desperate To Get COVID-19 Vaccines Audio story from National Public Radio's Morning Edition: Millions of Americans live abroad in places where vaccine rollouts are slow and cases rampant. They're pleading with the U.S. government to send surplus shots overseas. The answer so far is no. But now the White House has taken notice. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/18/997783450/overseas-americans-are-desperate-to-get-covid-19-vaccines

From CBS 60 Minutes 60 Minutes has tackled many strange stories on 60 Minutes, but perhaps none like this. It's the story of the U.S. government's grudging acknowledgment of unidentified aerial phenomena— UAP—more commonly known as UFOs. After decades of public denial the Pentagon now admits there's something out there, and the U.S. Senate wants to know what it is. The intelligence committee has ordered the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense to deliver a report on the mysterious sightings by next month. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-military-intelligence-60-minutes-2021-05-16/

From Bangkok Post Key tourism scam suspect turns self in A key suspect in an investment scam which included a well-known tourism project turned himself in to police on Monday to face charges of defrauding the public of about 1 billion baht. Well-known businessman Prasit Jeawkok, chairman of the Kuen Khun Pandin ("Paying Back the Land") project, showed up at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) with his lawyer to answer charges of colluding with five others to swindle the public. Four of them -- Major Amaraphon Wisetsuk, who is an army doctor and chairwoman of the Tiew Puea Chart (Travel for the Nation) project, Nuttawan Uttamaprakrom, Sirima Naovarat, and Kittiwat Oum-aree -- had already been arrested while the other, Kittisak Yenyanond, remains at large. Police raided locations in greater Bangkok last week, acting on complaints filed by thousands of victims who were lured to invest in various schemes with offers of high returns. The investors received initial dividends and were persuaded to invest more, at which point the payments stopped. A group of 20 complainants led by fellow victim Atichart Laohapibulkul on Monday gave further statements to the CSD. Mr Atichart said he thought he could trust Mr Prasit who is a high-profile public figure and had been part of every investment scheme offered by Mr Prasit's group. He said he had ended up losing about 80 million baht over the course of two years. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2117291/key-tourism-scam-suspect-turns-self-in

From The Bangkok Post 50,000 inmates set for release as Covid explosion hits Thai prisons Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin says about 50,000 prisoners could be released next month as part of urgent plans to tackle the explosion of Covid-19 in Thai prisons. Somsak was speaking on Monday as overcrowded prisons logged 6,853 new cases, accounting for 71 per cent of Thailand’s daily caseload. The Department of Corrections is continuing its proactive testing programme in prisons, which have so far recorded a total of 10,384 infections. All prisons will now give weekly reports on the number of inmates infected and recovered from infection, the minister said. The department has also informed the ministry that it needed stocks of Favipiravia and fah talai jone (Andrographis paniculata) to treat infected prisoners. Meanwhile, a new drugs law before Parliament would enable about 50,000 inmates convicted of non-serious drugs offences to be released wearing electronic monitoring (EM) bracelets, said Somsak. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000986

From The Thaiger Action against corruption in Thailand is now a “national agenda” and a 20-year plan, backed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, is set to be rolled out to promote transparency in the Thai government, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being “highly corrupt” and 100 being “very clean,” Thailand’s score is 36, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index by the global coalition Transparency International. Each year, the organisation ranks countries by their levels of public sector corruption. Out of 180 countries, Thailand ranks 104. South Sudan and Somalia both ranked last as the most corrupt countries. Prayut mentioned the Thailand’s ranking on the Index during a broadcast today, adding that the Thai government is working on solving the problem of corruption in the public sector. To help with plans to improve transparency, government agencies in Thailand are told to complete a self-assessment by Integrity and Transparency Assessment. The results will be used to improve the management of government agencies. “I’d like to encourage all Thai citizens in government offices in every department nationwide to take part in improving Thailand’s transparency to meet international standards by jointly completing the transparency assessment online via NACC website or ITAS application from now until May 31, 2021.” https://thethaiger.com/news/national/pm-prayut-chan-o-cha-announces-20-year-plan-to-take-action-against-corruption

From The Thai Enquirer Transparency and clarity needed in government’s digital response to Covid Metaphors about going to war have been used widely in discussions about COVID-19. China’s President Xi Jinping vowed to wage a “people’s war.” “COVID-19 war zone” posters with a bomb-shaped red germ were displayed in South Korea. Expressions like “enemy”, “frontline,” and “battle plan” framed discussions on the need to “combat” COVID-19 in many places, including Thailand. Sacrifices of civil and political rights are justified during this “wartime.” Over the last year, this has resulted in the suspension of the separation of powers, principles like due process, and checks and balances, for maximization of efficiency and effectiveness. We should do “whatever it takes, fast,” or die. This wartime mentality has also shaped the way authorities handle information. The flow of information is very asymmetric. It tends to be more difficult for the citizens to get information from the government, and the citizens tend to have less protection when the government wants to collect their data. Around this time last year, there was a debate over suitable approaches for apps intended to facilitate COVID-19 containment efforts. Should it be mandatory or voluntary, who can see what data, should the database be centralized or decentralized, is GPS location accurate enough, what about the Personal Data Protection Act that was soon to be enforced (at the time)? And so on. There were names like “Sydekick for ThaiFightCOVID”, “PedKeeper”, “AOT Airports”, “COSTE”, and many others from Chana-family and Prompt-family. Dozens of apps and chatbots for immigration control, symptom screening, contact tracing, and quarantine enforcement were released since, both publicly to general audiences and internally to staff at healthcare and quarantine facilities. Some of them were run by for-profit companies with endorsement from government agencies like the Digital Government Development Agency and Department of Disease Control. Many of them were announced without clear data governance in place. Today, many of those apps are no longer in operation and it is unclear where the personal data that was collected ended up. While digital technology that enables the faster, bigger, and more sophisticated collection of data may make citizens worry about their privacy, the technology itself is not the only source of concern. In some cases, it’s not about overcollection, but oversharing of data. For example, provincial and local governments post infected individual detailed timelines on their social media outlets. These timelines can include date, time, place, activities, age, gender, nationality, and profession of each individual. With privacy protection in mind, agencies exclude individual names from the timeline. Unfortunately, with that amount of information, it may still be possible to reidentify the person by name, especially for people close to the individuals. It is understandable that authorities want to share this data with the public so anyone who found they may have been in contact with the infected person can report themselves to the public health authority and start any necessary processes. But to meet the same goal, a smaller amount of data can be published. It may be sufficient to just announce the specific place and time, without publicizing “anonymized” personal timelines. Nationality, age, gender, and profession for example, seem not necessary to announce publicly for contact tracing purposes. If there is anything statistically significant about a category of people, the information should be carefully communicated statistically and not at the individual level. We need public trust for a successful public health measure. Trust cannot be forced, it is earned, for example, through Rule of Law. Comments and criticism must be taken positively and constructively as an observation from the field. It make not be entirely accurate, but it’s also not “fake news” to be entirely dismissed. The government must guarantee transparency and facilitate an informed decision by all stakeholders. And, yes, everybody is a stakeholder in this pandemic. We’re all in this together. https://www.thaienquirer.com/27551/feature-transparency-and-clarity-needed-in-governments-digital-response-to-covid/ ============================================== Daily new Covid cases hit record of more than 9,600 Thailand reported a new single-day record of more than 9,600 coronavirus cases on Monday following a discovery of new clusters at eight prisons. “Of the cases reported today, 6,853 were in prisons,” said Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, the spokesperson of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The CCSA reported 9,635 confirmed cases and 25 related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases found in the third wave between April 1 and May 17 to 82,219 cases and 520 deaths. Of the 2,773 local cases (excluding the 6,853 cases in prisons) that were found in the past 24 hours, the highest numbers by province were 1,843 in Bangkok, followed by 155 in Samut Prakan, 146 in Pathum Thani, 129 in Nonthaburi and 53 in Samut Sakhon. Bangkok, the hardest hit province in the third wave which started at entertainment venues in the capital and surrounding provinces since April 1, has reported on Monday that they have found 28 clusters in 19 districts so far, the CCSA said. https://www.thaienquirer.com/27578/daily-new-covid-cases-hit-record-of-more-than-9600/

From Pattaya Mail Buriram province in northeast Thailand requires everyone to get vaccinated Buri Ram governor Thatchakorn Hatathathayakul has issued an order requiring everyone in the province to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk being fined or jailed for up to two years. According to the order, people aged 18 and over, who live or work in the province, must assess their risk of COVID-19 infection, with the help of village health volunteers, via an online system or through a vaccination coordination center, before the end of this month. Disease control and public health officials will have the authority to force people at high risk of infection to be vaccinated and provide dates and places for their inoculation. Violations carry a maximum of one month in prison and/or fines that could be as high as 20,000 baht, under the 2015 Communicable Disease Act. Those who actively refuse to get vaccinated may also be liable to a maximum of two years in prison and/or a fine up to 40,000 baht for breaching the emergency decree. (NNT)

From The Irrawaddy Myanmar People Fleeing Conflict Won’t Be Pushed Back by Thailand Karen villagers displaced by fighting between the regime's troops and KNU wait on a riverbank to flee Thailand in March. / The Irrawaddy Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha pledged Friday to UN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Mrs. Christine Schraner Burgener, that Thailand will not push back people fleeing from conflict in Myanmar. Prayut gave the guarantee during the meeting at the Government House with Burgener Friday morning. He also took the opportunity to congratulate Burgener, whom he met previously when she served as the ambassador from Switzerland (2009-2015), and lauded her diplomatic ability, which led her to be tasked with overseeing the situation in Myanmar. Prayut said that Thailand will do everything possible to ensure that the situation in Myanmar moves in the right direction. On humanitarian assistance, he said that the country has long been providing such assistance to neighboring countries. “We will not push back people fleeing conflicts if they face danger,” he emphasized. Following the coup in Myanmar on Feb. 1, there were reports of sporadic fighting between various armed ethnic groups based along the Thai-Myanmar borders, which have caused thousands of peoples to flee the areas opposite Mae Sot, Tak province and cross over to the Thai side. According to the Ministry of Defense, most of those who fled Myanmar have returned to their villages because the situation has returned to normal. Burgener, who has been in Bangkok since April 9, has met with Bangkok-based diplomats and stakeholders to exchange views and learn about the situation in Myanmar. Before she arrived in Bangkok, she urged the UN Security Council on March 31 to consider “potentially significant action” to reverse the course of events as “a bloodbath is imminent.” On the sideline of the Association of South East Asian Nations Leaders’ Meeting in Jakarta at the ASEAN Secretariat, she had the opportunity to meet for one-hour and a half with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chief of the State Administrative Council. She also made another request to visit Myanmar with Min Aung Hlaing. During the meeting with Burgener, Prayut told the special envoy that Thailand fully supports the five-point consensus agreed at the leaders’ meeting in Jakarta. He also reiterated Thailand’s position of Myanmar’s crisis through the “D4D” principles, which calls for de-escalation of violence, delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance, discharge of political detainees and dialogue participation. These four Ds, he said, would lead Myanmar back to normalcy and sustainable development. The “D4D” principles were put forward by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the ASEAN meeting. Don spoke on behalf of Prayut as his special envoy. At the meeting, he also proposed the setting up “Friends of the Chairs,” which will allow the ASEAN chair to appoint representatives to help out with the challenge facing the bloc. Thailand shares a 2401 kilometer porous border with Myanmar, which has yet to be demarcated. Currently, there are approximately 100,000 displaced persons from Myanmar living in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. As of the first quarter of this year, Thailand hosts more than 2.3 million migrant workers from Myanmar who have registered with the Ministry of Labor. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-people-fleeing-conflict-wont-be-pushed-back-by-thailand.html

From The Nation Chonburi, Chiang Mai set to exit red zone The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has proposed removing Chonburi and Chiang Mai from the red zone, or maximum control area, due to an improvement in the Covid-19 situation there, CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Saturday. “If this proposal is approved by the prime minister, there would only be four provinces designated as red zone, namely Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan,” he said. “This could come into effect the earliest at midnight on Saturday or the latest on Sunday.” Based on the latest infection report, Chonburi, with 33 new cases on Saturday, will be moved to the orange zone, or medium control area, joining 16 other provinces, namely Kanchanaburi, Chachoengsao, Tak, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Prachuab Khiri Khan, Ayutthaya, Phetchaburi, Yala, Ranong, Rayong, Ratchaburi, Samut Sakhon, Songkhla and Surat Thani. Meanwhile Chiang Mai, which reported only 10 new cases on Saturday, will be moved to yellow zone, or low control area, joining 55 provinces. Taweesilp said the CCSA is also considering easing restrictions on provinces under strict control as follows: ▪︎ Restaurants Red zone: A limited number of people (25 per cent of total seats) will be allowed to dine in until 9pm and takeaways will allowed until 11pm. Orange zone: People can dine in until 11pm. Yellow zone: Open as usual. Sale of alcoholic beverages is still not allowed. ▪︎ Schools and tutoring centres Orange zone: Students allowed to attend class provided the school has received approval from relevant provincial public health offices. Yellow zone: Classes can be held as normal, but schools must comply with measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. ▪︎ Public assembly Red zone: Public assembly of less than 20 people is allowed. Orange and yellow zones: Public assembly of less than 50 people is allowed. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000914

From Channel News Asia TAIPEI: Taiwan's capital on Friday (May 14) announced an indefinite closure of entertainment venues in the wake of a widening outbreak of local COVID-19 infections. The self-ruled island has been hailed as a global leader in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, with just 1,290 confirmed cases, 12 deaths and minimal social distancing needed once the initial outbreak was quelled. But an outbreak first detected among pilots has spread into the community and forced the reimposition of restrictions in a place that has so far weathered the pandemic unscathed. The Taipei city government's decision, effective from Saturday, covers bars, dance clubs, karaoke lounges, nightclubs, saunas and Internet cafes as well as hostess clubs and teahouses. Municipal facilities including libraries and sports centres will also be closed. Last year Taiwan recorded 253 straight days without any local infections. https://www.gayguides.com/forums/forum/25-gay-china-taiwan-hong-kong-macau/?do=add

From The Thaiger Expat vaccination in Thailand likely to be delayed An official from the Bangkok Metropolitan Association says foreigners may face a slight delay in receiving their Covid-19 vaccines. Panruedee Manomaipiboon, director of the BMA’s health department says while the Health Ministry aims to vaccinate everyone living in Thailand, foreigners may have to wait until August. “As I have said before, the Health Ministry plans to vaccinate Thais first. We will try our best to vaccinate Thais within 2 months, namely June and July, and then try to open foreign resident registration in August.” https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/expat-vaccination-likely-to-be-delayed

Silom district has highest rate From Bangkok Post People in Bangkok have been warned to take Covid-19 prevention measures seriously, after group testing in some areas found an average five in every 100 were infected with the virus. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday that active case finding at many locations in the capital on Wednesday had returned positive rates ranging from 0.79% to 10.53%, or 4.95% on average. "Tests on May 12 covered 7,247 people and 359 of them were positive. The rate is almost five percent. "Now, in some areas of Bangkok, five in 100 people around us are infected on average. The data shows that it is very close to you. "Please take the best care of yourself. No matter how measures may be eased, please continue to follow good hygienic practice," he said. Community testing on Wednesday was done at Thupatemi stadium, the Thai-Japanese youth centre and a central market in Din Daeng district, schools and communities in Klong Toey district, Silom community and other locations in Huai Khwang, Rong Muang and Laksi areas. The lowest positive rate was in Laksi (0.79%) and the highest in Silom (10.53%). "The infections in Silom are from the cluster started by a gem trader who travelled between Chanthaburi and Bangkok and a community of Guinean traders. Tests on 1,016 people found 107 infected people, for a positive rate of 10.53%, which is high," Dr Taweesilp said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2115883/average-5-infected-in-bangkok-communities ================================================ From The Thaiger Thailand urged to join in reducing global prisoners for Covid-19 PHOTO: Overcrowding plagues the Thai prison system and has created a Covid-19 crisis. (via Youtube) After it was revealed that nearly 3,000 inmates in Thailand’s prison system have Covid-19, criticism and calls are mounting to follow the global trend of reducing the total number of prisoners in the country. Human rights groups are calling for the release of inmates held on minor charges, with Amnesty International Thailand requesting those in “unnecessary custody to be minimised” in an open letter sent to the Supreme Court president and Justice Ministry on Tuesday. Covid-19 outbreaks in prison have been a problem for many countries, with the United Kingdom identifying 12,000 infections and considering plans to prioritise vaccinations for those incarceration facilities. The United States, a country with one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks and the largest prison population in the world, saw 612,000 prisoner infections. Amnesty International argued that over 600,000 inmates had been scheduled for release in 100 countries to minimise Covid-19 risk by reducing overcrowded prisoners. In New South Wales, Australia 14,000 non-felony inmates are scheduled for release, and in New Jersey in the US 1,000 releases are being considered. Even in Iran, prison populations were thinned with the March release of 85,000 prisoners. In Thailand, plans for reducing the number of incarcerated prisoners by freeing more than 50,000 inmates are being enacted. Suspending sentences, requesting Royal pardons, and even amending laws to free those serving on drug offences are avenues being pursued, according to Thailand’s Justice Minister. He also denied rumours of a Covid-19 cover-up, saying that the Department of Corrections just received complete data on Wednesday and released it then. Only six staff members of Thai prisons have been infected while 1,795 prisoners at Bangkok Remand Prison and 1,040 prisoners at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution now have Covid-19. Inmates have reported dire conditions, with symptomatic prisoners found in nearly every holding cell. Field hospitals have been set up within prisons to treat mild infections and those more seriously afflicted have been moved to hospitals. Overcrowding is a major problem for prisons in Thailand, a country with one of the highest incarceration rates worldwide. The maximum capacity for Thailand’s 143 incarceration centres is 217,000 people but the World Prison Brief reports that Thailand’s prison system now houses over 377,000 inmates, highlighting the need for reducing the number of prisoners in the country. Authorities at these institutions say that prisoners returning from attending court hearings are responsible for bringing in infections. But prisoners have reported that all inmates returning on any given day are held together for their 14 day isolation period instead of separated to avoid Covid-19 spread. Vaccines are expected to arrive in prisons next month where, just like the general population, they will first be given to those with chronic diseases and other high-risk inmates. The Department of Corrections expects to receive enough jabs for the entire prison population. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thailand-urged-to-join-in-reducing-global-prisoners-for-covid-19

I discovered Babylon on my second trip to Bangkok in late 2002 when it was enjoying its salad days. That first visit was like being transported to a parallel universe hitherto unimaginable to me. You could spend a few hours--or much of the afternoon and evening--in an atmosphere that encouraged indulgence not only in anonymous sex but in the amenities of a tropical resort. I think admission was about 250 bht but was slightly higher on weekends. Closing time was about 11p.m. Queues of motorbikes and taxis waited by the entrance to whisk patrons fresh from the communal showers to Silom where many made for the dance clubs or bars. It's now been about seven years since my final visit. Over time it had become increasingly less of a lure to young locals. The once meticulous maintenance had fallen off. Nevertheless it remained an imposing place. The following chapter from Imaging Gay Paradise (2012, Hong Kong University Press) traces the development and architecture of Babylon. The sauna was first located at the corner of the same road (Soi Nantha), in the embassy district. https://imagininggayparadise.com/chapter-excerpts-to-read/read-thailands-babylon-sauna/

From Channel News Asia SINGAPORE: Jewel Changi Airport as well as Terminals 1 and 3 will be closed to members of the public from Thursday (May 13) for 14 days after a COVID-19 cluster with 25 cases was identified there. All workers in Terminals 1 and 3, as well as Jewel Changi Airport have been undergoing mandatory COVID-19 tests in a special testing operation that began on Sunday. Terminal 2 has been closed since May 1, 2020. While the special testing operation is ongoing, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) said on Wednesday that the passenger terminals buildings will be closed to members of the public from Thursday. As a precaution, passenger terminal buildings will be reopened 14 days later on May 27. Jewel will also be closed for 14 days, said the authorities. Changi Airport remains open for air travel during this period, said CAAS and CAG, adding that passengers may also continue to be dropped off and picked up from the airport. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-jewel-changi-airport-terminals-1-3-closed-public-14795582

The most recent report of infections and cases in Thailand is not good but there may be an encouraging trend emerging: the number of new daily cases appears to have steadied in the vicinity of 2,000. Although the number of new deaths reported today was high (34), that was to be expected. New deaths typically lag the number of infections by a few weeks. If the number of new daily cases does not accelerate and slowly begins to edge lower, experience elsewhere suggests new deaths will also begin a gradual decline. The long-term solution is--of course--a rapid increase in vaccine inoculations and Thailand seems to be headed in that direction. ======================== From the Bangkok Post New daily high, 34 Covid deaths The government on Wednesday reported a record daily high of 34 Covid-19 related deaths, lifting the total to 486, along with 1,983 new infections, for a total caseload of 88,907 since the epidemic began early last year. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2114415/new-daily-high-34-covid-deaths ============================ From The Thaiger Health officials aim to vaccinate 5 million Bangkok residents in 2 months To combat the Covid-19 outbreak in Bangkok, infecting more than 20,000 people in the capital since April, health officials plan to vaccinate 5 million Bangkok residents within the next 2 months in an effort to reach herd immunity. So far, only 5% of Bangkok residents have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Public Health Ministry has set a goal to administer 100,000 doses each day in Bangkok with areas of the Bang Sue Railway Central Station to be used as a vaccination hub. Only those 18 and older in Bangkok are eligible for a vaccine. Migrants and other residents who aren’t registered are included in the capital’s vaccination campaign, according to deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department. https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/health-officials-aim-to-vaccinate-5-million-bangkok-residents-in-2-months ================================= From Thai Enquirer Thailand to offer walk-in Covid vaccinations from June Walk-in centres for vaccination against Covid-19 without appointment will be in place across the country by June, the Ministry of Public Health said Wednesday. “Many people wanted to be vaccinated but could not get an appointment via the online registration system,” said Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, the director-general of the Department of Disease Control. “The idea is for anyone willing to be vaccinated to be able to received the service, to reach as many people as possible,” he added. The National Vaccine Board approved the policy along with the new target of procuring 150 million doses of coronavirus vaccines by 2022, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said after the Board’s meeting Wednesday. https://www.thaienquirer.com/27437/thailand-to-offer-walk-in-covid-vaccinations-from-june/

Two people have to be willing to do that but z909's intention is to continually bring up his monorail tale. Actually it's z909 who has kept it on the "rail." It was z909 who took it off track with his snarky remark about Thais being ignorant of maps and geography, followed by his introduction of his monorail obsession. That was the series of events that brought us to this point. I'm amenable to the truce Gaybutton talks about but--like in politics--it takes two to sustain an agreement. I see no indication that my dear friend wishes to do so. Even after Gaybutton posted his appeal, z909 immediately followed with yet another train story.

From Channel News Asia BANGKOK: A rights activist hit with almost a decade of lawsuits after raising concerns about labour conditions at a Thai pineapple company received a court decision Tuesday (May 11) clearing him in the final case against him. Andy Hall faced a series of defamation charges after contributing to a 2012 report on alleged poor working conditions, low wages and child labour at Natural Fruit's factory. In 2016 the Briton was found guilty of criminal defamation and given a suspended three-year prison sentence before the conviction was overturned in June last year. The company later launched a 300-million-baht (US$9.6 million) civil defamation case but dropped the case before it went to trial last year. Hall was informed Tuesday of the Thai Supreme Court's verdict in the final case, over separate civil defamation charges relating to a 2013 interview he gave to the news organisation Al Jazeera. The court ruling was made in June 2020 but coronavirus disruptions meant Hall's lawyer only received it on Tuesday. The court found Hall not guilty and overturned a lower court's decision that he should pay 10 million baht compensation to the company. "The Supreme Court stands by the Appeal Court's (verdict) to dismiss the plaintiff's (case) as it is factually concluded that the defendant acted honestly and criticised with fairness," the court said. "The defendant's interview with the media about the plaintiff's employment practices does not warrant compensation." Hall, who left Thailand in 2016 after living there for 12 years, said the decision was a relief. "After years of ongoing judicial harassment that has taken a heavy toll on me, my family and my colleagues, this is not a victory," he said in a statement. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-pineapple-defamation-andy-hall-british-activist-cleared-14787716

You even misinterpret your own definition of monorail. As can be clearly seen in the photo in the OP, there is only a single rail (right down the center of the pathway) on the Gold Line. But what really pisses me off has nothing to do with rails or definitions. It's the way you disparage Thais in general. Here are your own words from a post above. You mock their intelligence. You are quick to find fault with those who ask for more baht than you want to part with and dismiss many of the bars and massage shops for similar reasons. Your idea of a banner day is when you find some hungry, out of work guy who'll agree to come to your room for 500 baht. You've made 13 posts in this thread and this is my 9th, including the OP. And you call me the troll? How blind you are to your own false claims and paranoia.

So you're claiming that the Thai media got it all wrong and Thai officials got it all wrong in their description of the Gold Line monorail. And You Tube is conspiring against you, also. Only you, z909, got it right? Brace yourself, Z, for an education. Think, if you will, about planes. There are all types, but they're still all planes. Take the sub category of commercial transport aircraft and there are many sub types even within that grouping. Some of wings attached to the top of the fuselage and some have wings attached below. Some have engines mounted on the wings and some have them in the rear. But they're all commercial transport aircraft. Now think about trains. There are all types. Some are electric powered while others use diesel. Then there's the subcategory of passenger trains. Within that category, there are monorails. Within the monorail category, there are different configurations. Some look like the type used, for example, in Kuala Lumpur, some are suspend while yet others are like the system the Gold Line uses. But they're all monorails and all monorails are trains. We could go on and discuss ships in the same manner but I think you get the idea.

Oh dear, Z, your obsession with trains is far more advanced than I thought. But fear not, my dear friend, I will help cure what ails you by the simple application of evidence and logic. We’ll begin your therapy with a look back at the original post that was : https://www.gayguides.com/forums/topic/13079-gold-line-monorail/?tab=comments#comment-145579 Here are the first two paragraphs of the article: “Now that all three driverless trains for the BTS Gold Light Rail Line have been delivered, trials on the 1.8-kilometre route will begin immediately before the service is officially launched on October 29. The monorail will stop at three stations – Krung Thonburi, Charoen Nakhon and Klong San – before linking up with the BTS Green Line.” You’ll note that the monorail’s path has just one rail running along the center. On ether side of the elevated rail are reinforced concrete platforms on which the wheels travel. It is the single steel rail, however, that guides the trains. Hence, we have a monorail. Here's an article from the Bangkok Post: Monorail ushers in hope If anyone has visited Charoen Nakhon area in Thon Buri area recently, they might be surprised by the bumper-to-bumper traffic -- a situation rarely seen elsewhere during the Covid-19 pandemic. The congestion has been caused by the construction of the country's first monorail known as the Gold Line. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1930496/monorail-ushers-in-hope You repeatedly claim that it travels only marginally faster than walking. Take a ride on the Gold Line in this You Tube video and you’ll see that wrong again. And not to worry. I know this will have you feeling better in no time.

This is paranoia on steroids. You've convinced yourself, yet again, that this is example of a grudge I supposedly hold against you because I posted an article--two years ago--about the then new Gold Line that you didn't agree with. Flash: not everything is about trains. My posts above are strictly about you trying to subvert a clearly written news story into an opportunity to post yet another know-it-all response. Worse, you made the Thai spokesman the butt of your joke. Very sad indeed. But that doesn't mean I don't still love you, my dear friend.

And the Thai minister--like the rest of us--is aware that Thailand doesn't border Vietnam. And anyone who has been to Thailand knows it would require two border crossings to travel between those countries. Was your point simply to attempt to make the Thai minister look like a jackass?

No, you misinterpreted the sentence. It states that Laos and Vietnam share a border. Vietnamese not flying into Thailand normally enter via Lao border checkpoints. "The minister added it would be easier for Thailand to create travel bubbles with Laos and Vietnam as they share a border." Vietnamese place a higher value of products available in Thailand because they are of better quality and available at lower prices than in Vietnam. Vietnamese shoppers are represented in large numbers at the Big C opposite Central World, particularly on weekends.

From Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) Jeremy Atherton Lin's book takes a personal look into the history of an increasingly uncertain institution Before the pandemic, the last time I went this long without going to a gay bar was before I was legal drinking age. And I know I'm not alone. For many of us living in places where we've been privileged enough to have gay bars be an integral — if complicated — part of our culture since we were brave enough or old enough to get in, the past year and counting has been a big departure from a routine in our social lives. But for a lot of us, I suspect it's also left us wondering: what role did gay bars really play in our lives all that time anyway? That's a core question in Jeremy Atherton Lin's vibrant debut book Gay Bar: Why We Went Out, a mix of memoir and historical document that explores the complex relationship both Atherton Lin and gay culture has had with the increasingly endangered habitat that is the gay bar. Released in February 2021, I initially purchased the book thinking it might fill a void left by its subject's non-existence in my life since March 2020. But instead I became reminded of what a complicated, varied, often disappointing but equally necessary experience gay bars have always been for me. It also made me wonder what their future past the pandemic really looks like. xceptionally well-crafted, Gay Bar is both a book about Atherton Lin's life and the gay bars each chapter focuses on (it jumps from London to Los Angeles to San Francisco). Its central question — as posed in its title — is given many, many answers over the course of its pages: "We go out to be gay." "We go out to be on the inside." "We go out to be nobodies." "We go out to be real, which in gay argot can mean fake it." "We did not go out to be safe. I didn't, anyway. I went out to take risks." But ultimately, Atherton Lin realizes it may not really matter why we went out — what matters is that we did, and for so many of us, that has made us who we are, for better or worse. Based in London, U.K., Atherton Lin conceived of the idea for the book in 2017. At that time, over half the gay bars in London had closed down in the previous decade, as they similarly had in major cities across the world thanks largely to a double-edged sword of gentrification skyrocketing rent and the rise of gay social apps like Grindr putting virtual gay bars in people's pockets. At that time, the pandemic hadn't even begun to make these establishments' livelihoods all the more dire. "That was just such a weird thing to experience — where there's this sort of manifestation of your identity, supposedly, in a city that is lingering out," Atherton Lin tells me over a video call. "So it made me kind of question what my relationship to those bars was." The structure of the book came as Atherton Lin started trying to remember his experiences in gay bars. "It was always going to be a very personal thing," he says. "I wound up writing it in a pretty condensed period of time because I wanted it to feel a little bit like there's some lack of resolution, like you kind of feel when you're at a bar or just kind of having passing thoughts." Atherton Lin says that one of the things that stands out to him from the process of writing the book is how it put things in perspective in terms of "putting everything into into the context of a longer history." "It's asinine that it would not have been at the forefront of people's minds, but really the effect of the AIDS crisis on gay culture seemed to me to be very buried," he says of his introduction to that culture in the 1990s. "I just thought about how disappointed I was in various facets of gay culture.... how icy it was in a lot of ways. The fact that that was a response to an epidemic." Atherton Lin says that, for him, doing that kind of revisiting led him to find "more of a sense of a longer history" with respect to his own relationship to gay culture. "[It] shows you that it's not all about your perspective and that something came before and something's going to come after," he explains. "That was the greatest revelation for me: a sense of acceptance about how you're not going to be exactly the same as other homosexuals, despite the 'homo.' But you maybe are a piece of a kind of a legacy or cosmology. So I think that was a real kind of epiphany for me — of not feeling like I needed to think about identity in terms of an individualistic way, but to think about it in terms of the kind of amorphous historical way." The pandemic began as Atherton Lin was doing final edits of the book, and he wondered about whether to make changes to reflect this new and crippling chapter in the challenges facing gay bars' survival. "It was just too soon," he says. "There was no way to know what the ramifications would be or how long it was going to last. And nobody foresaw this, you know?" Even now, nobody really knows what's going to happen to gay bars after "all of this" is over. Will there even be any gay bars left to reopen? My home bar — Toronto's west end staple The Beaver — shut down permanently due to COVID last July, as have many, many others around the world. But Atherton Lin is pretty certain young queers will find a way, as they always do. "I imagine it's going to be kind of multifarious, you know, because I think that the kids are going to want to party and the kids are always going to find a way to party. Think about the aftermath of AIDS. In my book, I talk a lot about these kind of like, very anodyne and sterile bars, but at the same time, there was rave and underground culture and everything like that. So the kids are going to party." What does concern Atherton Lin is our elders. "I mean, I'm getting older myself," he says. "So I thought a lot about that as the book came out and I was kind of forced into early retirement and we all just kind of sat back. I think of that old boozer in the centre of town at a bar where regulars have been going to for years. That means something in terms of the fact that it's a part of the infrastructure of the city, of a given place, rather than always a kind of alternative to the infrastructure of that city." "So that is going to be interesting to see if that can be maintained for old gays and lesbians. I want to see them be able to go back onto their barstool — I mean, if that's what makes them happy." Hear, hear. Continues with photos https://www.cbc.ca/arts/why-our-histories-with-gay-bars-matter-and-what-their-future-might-look-like-after-the-pandemic-1.5998304

From VN Express Thailand eyes travel bubble discussion with Vietnam Thai authorities said they are considering travel bubbles with some Asian countries and territories, including Vietnam, so that international tourism could resume possibly in October. Once Covid-19 community transmission is under control, the Thai government would resume travel bubble discussions with Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia, Bangkok Post newspaper quoted Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn as saying. "We have to speed up inoculations, particularly in Bangkok, to achieve herd immunity by the fourth quarter. The number of daily infections should be below 200 by the end of this month to restore international tourism confidence." No country wants to have a travel bubble discussion with Thailand when it still has a high rate of infection, he noted. The minister added it would be easier for Thailand to create travel bubbles with Laos and Vietnam as they share a border. Thailand was Vietnam's fastest growing tourist market before the pandemic, with the number of visitors from that country rising by 46 percent in 2019 year-on-year to 509,000. Vietnam received 18 million foreign arrivals in 2019. Many Thai investors have also been eyeing the Vietnamese market in recent years. Travel bubbles are an exclusive partnership between two or more countries/territories that allows travel between them amid the Covid-19 pandemic. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/places/thailand-eyes-travel-bubble-discussion-with-vietnam-4275511.html