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From Bangkok Post Some employees of Thai Airways International (THAI) became unusually rich from a major plane procurement deal struck in 2003-2004, according to a police-led investigation team set up by the Transport Ministry. The conclusion was drawn after the team led by Pol Lt Gen Charnthep Sesaves, a former Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner, completed its investigation, Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam said on Thursday. Mr Thaworn said he was assigned by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob to announce the results of the investigation to parliament on Wednesday. He said the focus of the investigation was on the factors that played a major part in landing the struggling airline deep in the red. THAI has run up debts exceeding 244 billion baht. The Central Bankruptcy Court is hearing from THAI's creditors after the airline presented a debt rehabilitation plan to the court. Mr Thaworn said the probe team discovered that between 2003 and 2004, THAI had purchased 10 Airbus A340 wide-bodied aircraft. The planes were to be used on direct flights linking Bangkok with New York and Los Angeles. Two years after the Bangkok-US services were launched, the airline recorded losses of 12 billion baht. The losses widened to 39 billion baht after the same aircraft were flown on other routes. The direct flights to the US went ahead despite the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council objecting to THAI acquiring those type of planes. The agency questioned the feasibility of operating the fuel-guzzler planes profitably. Mr Thaworn said the Charnthep team's findings will be forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission and he would divulge further details of the probe later this month. Pol Lt Gen Charnthep also said some THAI employees had pocketed ill gotten gains from managing procurement projects including the A340 deal. "Corruption had definitely occurred," he said.

From Coconuts Bangkok Arrests of 9 Thai activists, rappers on ‘wanted list’ condemned Thanayuth ‘Book’ Na Ayutthaya, aka ElevenFinger for his extra digit, raps about Khlong Toei and social justice. Photo: Coconuts Human Rights Watch this morning condemned the arrests of seven pro-democracy campaigners and two anti-establishment rap artists by the police. The arrests violate pledges made by the government to respect their rights at a time of swelling protests against its rule, the New York-based group said in a call for their immediate release. “The Thai government’s repeated promises to listen to dissenting voices have proven meaningless as the crackdown on pro-democracy activists continues unabated,” said Brad Adams, the group’s Asia director. “The authorities should right their wrong and immediately drop the charges and release [Arnon Nampa] and other detained activists.” The arrests were carried out last night and this morning. Arnon, an attorney who’s led Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and was previously arrested after he broached the topic of royal reform, was reportedly taken into custody at the Bangkok Criminal Court, where he was tending to his clients. Between last night and this morning, he was arrested along with Baramee Chairat, Korakot Saengyenphan, Suwanna Tanlek, Todsaporn Sinsomboon, Thanee Sasom, Nathawut Somboonsup, Thanayuth Na Ayutthaya and Dechatorn Bamroongmuang. Dechatorn has used the stage as a weapon against the regime ever since Rap Against Dictatorship released popular anti-government track What My F**king Country’s Got in 2018. He performed at Sunday’s mass rally at the Democracy Monument, which drew an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people, alongside Thanayuth, a teen rapper from Khlong Toei known as “ElevenFinger.”

From Richardbarrow.com "I want to make it very clear that it had nothing to do with my activities on social media. I work for a small company that contracts me out to work at the school. Although the paperwork was passed by my local Immigration, officials in Bangkok have stricter criteria."

From Thai Enquirer Video Story: What students can learn from ASEAN’s history of protest https://www.thaienquirer.com/16213/video-story-what-students-can-learn-from-aseans-history-of-protest/

From The Thaiger Bad news for Boss as Thai prosecutors put him back on the ‘wanted’ list 3 weeks ago Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya must have thought it was Christmas after charges him were dropped by the Office of the Attorney General (for reasons that still remain a mystery), and then police said he was free to return to Thailand. That’s now all changed and the fugitive now finds himself a wanted man again with some charges reinstated and a few more added. Evidence of cocaine abuse emerged last month. Upset with the decision not to prosecute Vorayuth, a lawyer released results of a blood test taken by the Red Bull heir following the hit-and-run incident. It came back positive for metabolytes showing cocaine abuse. Amid the prevarication and confusion, Thailand’s justice system has again shown itself to be a unpredictable beast when it comes to its uneven approach to justice, depending on your family name and who you know. Vorayuth was facing a slew of charges back in 2012 after his family-owned Ferrari hit a 47 year old motorcycle policeman, at speed, in Thong Lor, Bangkok. Boss avoided facing courts 8 times before eventually fleeing the country in 2017. He was 27 years old at the time of the incident and has kept a low profile whilst living as a wanted man overseas. Now police are attempting to bring 2 charges against Boss… reckless driving causing death and illicit use of cocaine, the latter only coming to light in recent weeks. Thailand’s National Police Commissioner says he will oversee the fresh investigation himself, trying to wind back some of the poor worldwide PR the Thai police force and justice system has received over the matter. No fewer than 4 Senate committees and a fact-finding committee set up by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha have forced a back-flip from the Attorney general office and the resignation of the deputy AG. In June, police endorsed the OAG’s decision to drop all charges against the Red Bull heir and part of the rich and powerful Yoovidhya family. With public anger over the matter becoming a major PR problem for the government, PM Prayut moved to set up the fact-finding panel, led by respected graft-buster Vicha Mahakhun. Meanwhile, the OAG and police have launched their own internal investigations into how Boss was going to be allowed to walk free. This probe concluded that 14 policemen might have been guilty, 11 of whom have already been implicated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the handling of the case. Then you can add the assistant national police chief Pol Lt-General Permpoon Chidchob, a younger brother of influential veteran politician Newin Chidchob. Though Permpoon signed an order endorsing the OAG’s decision to drop the Boss case, he claims he was just following protocol. Prosecutors, meanwhile, are now trying to see how they can track down Boss and prosecute the charges. The statute of limitations on 4 other possible charges… drunk driving, speeding, reckless driving causing damage to another person and fail to stop to aid the victim, have already expired. he decision to drop the charges was not even initially reported in Thailand. Instead it appeared on CNN and the matter then became a scandal in Thailand with almost universal outrage on social media, forcing the PM to take decisive action. The Yoovidhya family was also forced into publishing a half-hearted public statement from their main company, distancing themselves from the errant Red Bull heir.

From NY Times ....With a Suitcase Full of Cash THE GLASS KINGDOM By Lawrence Osborne Sarah Mullins, an American woman newly arrived in Bangkok, wakes in her apartment at dawn. The first winds and rains of a monsoon are sweeping in and geckos hunt on the walls above her bed. Later that morning, while taking a dip in the communal swimming pool, she meets Mali, a “Thai or Eurasian” woman about her age, “30 more or less.” Befriended by her and two other women in the complex — Ximena, a Chilean chef, and Natalie, a British hotel manager — Sarah seems about to build a life for herself. But her new friends, the staff in her apartment block and Thai society as a whole all appear to have other plans for her. Like many of the characters in Lawrence Osborne’s new novel, “The Glass Kingdom,” Sarah is on the run. Her back story of defrauding her employer, an elderly author she once revered, is no more than a device for getting her to Thailand with a suitcase full of cash, which she stashes in her closet and is then conveniently happy to tell people about. She’s also the kind of person who will forget to lock her door, even when she’s frightened, and leaves a bloodied nightgown — evidence of her complicity in a murder — in a washing machine, “stupidly forgotten” for a whole week. The point of view switches first to the secretive Mali and then begins to roam from one character to another, often in the same scene. New perspectives and back stories keep being introduced even toward the end, when we would really just rather know what is going to happen. This wandering viewpoint — which seems too arbitrary to count as authorial omniscience — is annoying, but as unrest grows on the streets outside, and the characters become trapped in the apartment block, the novel begins to exert a sinister pull. Gradually, it becomes apparent that Sarah and her predicament have never been the point. The clue is in the title: The main character of “The Glass Kingdom” is the glass Kingdom, the apartment complex, with its yellow flowers in the lobby denoting the owner’s loyalty to the authorities, even as civil unrest leads to frequent power cuts and the rainy season gathers oppressive force. Before long, the army is called out onto the streets of Bangkok, the air-conditioning in the building malfunctions and the wealthier residents flee in droves. For Sarah, the Kingdom becomes half refuge, half prison. It is at this point that the full force of Osborne’s acutely drawn but bleak and bitter vision comes into play. When Sarah is forced to descend the emergency stairwell during a power cut, she picks her way “slowly downward, feeling the walls with her hands … her head beaten softly by clouds of moths.” Later, when the security guards have fled along with most of the residents, packs of stray dogs enter the building and begin to roam the pitch-black corridors, sniffing at her door at night. Osborne has often been compared to Graham Greene, and it sometimes feels as though he would be more comfortable setting his books in the 1930s or ’40s, when women were “girls” and the local inhabitants of an equatorial country were not to be trusted. “The Glass Kingdom” seems to be set some time after Thailand’s 2014 military coup, although the exact year is never stated. There are glancing references to Facebook and Google, but even though the main characters are international 30-somethings nobody seems to check their emails or social media; they hardly even use their mobile phones. Where Osborne is ineluctably Greenian is in his misanthropy. The Thai staff of the Kingdom may veer toward stereotype, but the disdain the foreigners show for them is more than reciprocated. Goi, the apartment-block maid, observes that the expats, the farang, are like “monstrous children” who are “always unhappy in petty and enigmatic ways,” and the author saves his most cutting satire for the revolting Roland, Natalie’s husband, who visits local drinking places for “a couple of Dalwhinnies at the bar and a pretty girl, a bout of nothingness,” while being possessively jealous of his wife’s female friends. Read an excerpt: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/books/review/the-glass-kingdom-by-lawrence-osborne-an-excerpt.html

From Thai PBS World Activists plan more protests nationwide in September Student activist groups across the country are threatening to step up anti-government protests in September if their demands are not met. The secretary-general of the Free Youth Movement said today that the planned protests include a march through the streets of Bangkok and prolonged nationwide protests. Tatthep Ruangprapaikitseri cited Sunday’s protest at the Democracy Monument as a “big show of force”, sending a message to the government about their 3 key demands. The students’ original 3 demands, which have since grown into a 10 point manifesto, include a new Constitution, the dissolution of Parliament and an end to state harassment of protesters. Activists also want an end to coup d’états and a democratic system placing the Monarch under the Constitution. Tatthep admits that major political changes cannot happen in Thailand without popular support, but points out that many ordinary citizens joined the protest at the Democracy Monument. He dismissed concerns that the escalated protests next month could provoke violence, saying they’ll be peaceful and that the police will ensure peace and order. “If there is violence, it will not come from the protesters. If there are third-party elements, then the government will be held accountable.”

From National Geographic Hun Sotharith recalls when he moved to Cambodia’s Tonle Sap to become a fisherman. It was the early 1990s, and the lake's freshwater swamp forest where he fished was so dense that it could take Sotharith, a former soldier, a day and a half to find the way back to his floating village. Back then, during the six-month rainy season, the vast wetland became a place to feed, breed, and hide for a wide diversity of fish, including the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish. “Everywhere was forest, and fish was abundant,” says Sotharith. Today, only remnants of that forested water world remain in Koh Chivang, the five-village district on the northwestern end of the lake where Sotharith is now deputy chief. A fire in the 2016 dry season burned 80 percent of the district’s flooded forest, destroying critical fish habitat and causing many of the 13,000 residents, who live in floating houses, to abandon fishing; they now grow chili and other crops. A similar story plays out around Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest lake and the center of the world’s most productive inland fishery. In many places, where native forest once grew from the lakebed, drab, dry, treeless farmland—yet to be inundated by the floodwaters that in recent years have arrived late—now stretches as far as the eye can see. Fires, often lit deliberately to clear land for agriculture, has further reduced the flooded forest. Many conservationists now warn that Tonle Sap, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, faces an existential threat. Further deforestation and environmental degradation have the potential to inflict devastating economic damage to the nearly one million Cambodians living around the lake and the many millions more who depend on it for fish—the country’s primary source of protein. While other areas, such as Prey Lang, a nature reserve in central Cambodia and one of Southeast Asia’s last remaining lowland evergreen woodlands, have suffered high deforestation—often because of illegal logging underpinned by government corruption—the greatest loss proportionally has occurred in the Tonle Sap floodplain forest, according to a study published recently in the journal Water. It shows a 31 percent loss of flooded forest since 1993. Continues with maps and photos https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/08/cambodia-tonle-sap-lake-running-dry-taking-flooded-forest-fish/

From Bangkok Post Pro-democracy Milk Tea Alliance brews in Asia BANGKOK/HONG KONG: As Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates voiced support for Thai anti-government protests at the weekend, they used the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance. In Bangkok, flags representing Hong Kong and independence for Taiwan appeared on a sign bearing the tag at the biggest demonstrations in years. And in Taipei, dozens of people gathered to back the Thai protests and give weight to a nascent community of cross-border youth movements pushing for democracy at home and uneasy with China's growing regional power. "This is the first physical expression of the Milk Tea Alliance," said Thai student Akrawat Siripattanachok, 27, who helped organise the show of solidarity in Taipei joined by Hong Kong activists, a Chinese dissident and Taiwan students. "We don't want to just talk about it online. We want a pan-Asian alliance for democracy." =============================================================================== From The Nation Unicef reminds Thailand of young people’s right to safety, freedom of expression Concerned about the potential harm young people may be facing amid the ongoing protests in Thailand, Unicef is calling on all parties to uphold protesters’ right to freedom of expression and protect them from all forms of violence and intimidation. Concerned about the potential harm young people may be facing amid the ongoing protests in Thailand, Unicef is calling on all parties to uphold protesters’ right to freedom of expression and protect them from all forms of violence and intimidation. The UN agency said young people’s rights to participation, peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, including peaceful protest, are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Thailand ratified the CRC in 1992 and committed itself to guaranteeing that young people's rights are fulfilled, including their right to participation, expressing their opinions in a peaceful manner and for their voices to be heard.

From The Nation Commander pressured forensics team to reduce Boss speed estimate’ The independent inquiry into the case against Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya is focusing on a police forensic scientist’s claim that he was pressured to reduce the estimated speed of Vorayuth’s Ferrari when it hit and killed a policeman in 2012. Pol Col Thanasit Taengchan of the Police Forensic Science Office said a high-ranking commander had brought Saiprasit Kerdniyom from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok to convince him to lower the speed from 177 kilometres per hour to 79.22kph – just under the speed limit. Meanwhile, a group of police forensic scientists have sent a letter to the media saying that Thanasit and other forensic team members who are accused of changing the evidence, were forced to do so by the commander. The letter alleged the commander was a retired official in the post-coup National Legislative Assembly’s committee on law, justice and police affairs.

From The Thaiger Thousands of job applicants line up Bangkok hotel before sunrise Not hundreds, but thousands of job applicants showed up to a Bangkok hotel before the sun came up early yesterday morning. Some slept outside to be first in line to file an application at the Miracle Grand Convention Hotel in the Lak Si district. By 4am, 5,000 people were waiting outside the hotel. he hotel advertised 300 vacant positions and planned to let applicants in at 8am, but with the overwhelming turnout, Miracle Group chairman Aswin Ingkakul says he started the application process an hour early. He even ordered water and snacks for the crowd that had been standing in line for hours. “We understand they are having hard times. So our staff members were ordered to treat them with respect … We still have jobs, while these applicants do not, so we need to understand them and treat them with kindness.” While Ingkakul says he was surprised with the high turnout, he says it reflects Thailand’s struggling economy. With 90% decline in visits from foreign tourists and local clients at Miracle hotels, Ingkakul says things can only get better. The jobs advertised are for various levels at the hotel with salaries starting at 20,000 baht for low level staff. Ingkakul says the hotel will arrange interviews with the top applicants within the next 2 weeks. ================================================================================= From The Nation Thailand's GDP contracts 12.2 per cent in second quarter under impact of Coved-19 The Thai economy shrank by 12.2 per cent in the second quarter year on year, the National Economic and Social Development Council said on Monday. "It is the most severe contraction since the second quarter of the 1998 Asian financial crisis, when GDP had sank by 12.5 per cent,” Thosaporn Sirisumphand, secretary-general of the NESDC, announced on Monday. Exports, production, private investment, consumption and tourism have been hard hit, and only public spending played a key role in shoring up the economy from April to June, he said. “Should the country face political turmoil, it would worsen the economic downturn," he said in response to large numbers of anti-government protesters rallying on streets. The unemployment rate in the second quarter rose 1.95 per cent, as 745,000 people were unemployed. Of workers protected by the Social Security Fund, 420,000 were laid-off and received jobless benefits from the fund while 1.76 million workers were furloughed. “Should the economy not get better, then 1.76 million workers would be laid-off, but if the economy improves , they will be able to keep their jobs,” he added.

I was hoping that a gay expat living in the city might naturally be curious about the gay scene in the Silom area and would share his observations with members. Now that you have informed us that you have no interest in that scene, I can better appreciate the attitude you have toward the restoration of international tourism-- a matter that is of so much interest to many of us not lucky enough to be there. Nevertheless, thanks for the traffic and weather update.

Huge crowd calls on government to quit From Bangkok Post As darkness fell at Bangkok's Democracy Monument, the numbers of student protesters calling on the government led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to quit swelled past 10,000. The peaceful but high-spirited rally began on Sunday afternoon and by evening engulfed an area stretching from the Democracy Monument roundabout, where activists and comedians spoke from a stage, to beyond Khok Wua intersection in the direction of Sanam Luang. The Metropolitan Police Bureau put the crowd at 12,000 at around 7pm, while organisers claimed more than 20,000 were calling for a restoration of full democracy. Vehicles were barred from entering the area for the safety of the demonstrators, while police were using the compound of Satriwithaya School as a command centre for officers to maintain law and order. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has pleaded for calm and patience from security authorities deployed at the rally site, while a small group of pro-royalist agitators withdrew from the area to avoid confrontation. Speakers at the rally held by the student-led Free Youth movement and the Free People group reaffirmed their three demands: the dissolution of the House, the commencement of writing a new constitution and an end to harrassment of government critics. Trakul Meechai, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, told Thai PBS the government and Parliament should hold an urgent meeting to address their calls and make clear their positions on the demands. The new round of anti-government protests started on July 18 before spreading into several provinces, particularly at school and university campuses.

Even if you don't enter the bars, you're obviously an observant person judging from your reports on trips to other counties. Tell us what you see when you walk around the Silom/Surawong area. Are there many guys outside the massage shops? Which ones are open? Did you find any attractive? That would be a real service to those of us who can't be there. Many members appreciate your fine contributions to the photo forum. But first-hand accounts of what's really happening in Bangkok is what we craze.

You do so enjoy throwing cold water on any news that indicates tourism may be restored in form or another. The article's author was the same writer at Pattaya News that Gaybutton cited for "presenting facts" in another thread on tourism. That seemed like a pretty good endorsement to me. Btw, when the Suan Dusit poll results were reported here on June 14, indicating that "nearly 76% answered ‘No’ when asked if Thailand’s borders should be open again to incoming foreigners," you never raised an issue with how that poll was conducted. As a retired expat with time on your hands, why not conduct a poll that rises to your standards? Contact more people and get your thumb on the pulse of the masses (but try to include some unemployed from the northeast of the nation). Better yet, get out there and give readers some venue reports instead of criticism. Two other expat members who live inthe City of Angels have provided us with fine stuff. Michael's latest "walk" was a breath of fresh air with some rollicking good laughs. We've never needed that more than now. We anxiously await your views on the bars instead of the polls (note: those shiny "poles" that the boys bang their dicks on are fine).

I thought this was common knowledge

From Channel News Asia BANGKOK: In a neighbouring province of the Thai capital, in one of the metropolis' hottest and most polluted industrial zones is not an obvious place to start a farming enterprise. But above the dusty, busy streets in Samut Sakhon, a concrete space that before had done little except radiate heat is now a little oasis. A sprinkler gently sprays water across beds of leafy plants and herbs and flowers. It is peaceful up here. Importantly though, this rooftop garden has become a place of function and purpose for those who tend it. The building is home to the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN), an organisation that provides legal and social assistance to vulnerable overseas workers. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, migrant workers were among those who lost their livelihoods and were unable to return to their home countries due to ongoing border restrictions. Suthasinee Keawleklai, MWRN’s coordinator, soon saw a growing problem - these workers were going hungry. “I noticed that people were starving because they had to cut their living expenses because they were furloughed and had lost their jobs. They had to do whatever it took to save money. They came to ask us for vegetable cuttings,” she said. Instead of trying to find ways to donate food, she looked up. “A friend of mine who’s into organic farming suggested that we should grow more vegetables. I told my friend that there’s no space. My friend said ‘if you have a rooftop, it can be done’,” she recounted. A few months on, about 30 migrants - mostly workers from Myanmar and their families - care for the garden themselves in their free time, transferring seeds, cleaning and watering the transformed space. And the vegetables have become a daily food staple during uncertain times. “Whoever comes can just grab them This is what we do. We don’t separate who helps or who doesn’t help. If they come here, they can take the vegetables to eat,” said Ko Saw, a member of MWRN and now a keen gardener. Rooftop gardens like this are not designed to be relied upon for food, but they can play an important role in filling gaps during times of crisis. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked interest in urban farming over the past few months. In Thailand, looming concerns about food insecurity driven by climate change also means that urban farming is poised to be a crucial long-term resilience tool. Continues with photos and video https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/urban-farming-thailand-bangkok-covid-19-climate-change-12997170

From Pattaya News Study finds 82% of Thais “confident” in reopening tourism sector As Thailand gradually reopens its borders, new findings from a global study suggests that 82% of Thais are confident that Thailand is well prepared to reopen its tourism and leisure activities, the highest globally. The study also found that tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and India are all targeting Thailand as their first destination when their countries’ borders reopen. Jointly conducted by leading social research agency Blackbox Research, data provider Dynata, and language partner Language Connect, “Unravel Travel: Fear & Possibilities in a Post Coronavirus (Covid-19) World” examined the sentiments, preferences, and expectations of 10,195 people across 17 countries regarding travel in a post-Covid-19 world. Thailand’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, with foreign tourist revenue contributing around 11% to the national economy. The vast majority (93%) of Thais recognise the importance of the tourism sector to the local economy. In fact, 22% of Thais agree that there is an urgent need for tourism boards, including their own, to promote tourism for economic reasons – the highest globally. Saurabh Sardana, CEO of Blackbox Research, says that both regional interest and citizen sentiment toward restarting local tourism have been encouraging, especially given the country’s phased approach in reopening to business and medical tourists. Sardana notes that establishing traveller’s trust in health and safety protocols is key, and that Thailand needs to capitalise on its success in containing the COVID-19 outbreak. “It is evident from our findings the immense value tourism contributes to Thailand’s economy. As Thailand progressively opens its borders to international visitors, its immediate priority will be to regain traveller confidence, through reinforcing how Thailand has in place strict health and safety measures, keeping everyone safe. Amongst Southeast Asian countries, Thailand has the strongest domestic appeal. 91% of Thais are keen to support local travel attractions in the next 12 months – a positive sign given Thailand’s recent investment of 22.4 billion baht (US$720 million) to stimulate its domestic tourism, of which partial financial aid will be provided to local tourists for selected hotels and restaurants throughout the country.

From Reuters LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Laos in South East Asia faces a material risk of default, ratings agency Moody's warned on Friday as it cut the country's credit rating heavily. The Laos government has $1.2 billion of debt payments due before the end of the year and $1 billion on average each year until 2025, with Moody's saying that the country - wedged between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China - appears to have no "credible" strategy to meet its debt obligations. "Heightened liquidity risk is exacerbated by weak external and fiscal buffers and poor governance, and points to a material probability of default in the near term," Moody's said after cutting the country's rating two notches to Caa2 from B3. The Laos economy is expected to show virtually no growth this year, having been expanding at an average of 6.7% over the past five years, Moody's added. That is likely to widen the government's budget deficit to 6.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), from 3.5% of GDP last year, while pushing up its debt ratio by 6 percentage points to 64% of GDP by 2022. Reserves are now less than $1 billion. Loans from commercial banks and Thai-baht bonds mature this year in September and October respectively and it also faces payments on a $150 million Eurobond due next June. "The absence of a transparent financing strategy and opacity around how maturing debt obligations have and will continue to be met, raise uncertainty about the capacity for the government to secure financing in time and at affordable costs," Moody's said. (Reporting by Marc Jones Editing by David Goodman)

Thank you. That didn't occur to me.

From the Associated Press Thailand commutes death sentences in killings of UK tourists BANGKOK (AP) — Two migrant workers from Myanmar convicted in the 2014 killings of two young British tourists on a Thai holiday island have had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were among many convicts in Thai prisons whose sentences were reduced under a clemency decree issued by King Maha Vajiralongkorn to mark his 68th birthday on July 28, their lawyer, Nadthasiri Bergman, confirmed. The decree, which appeared to cover thousands of prisoners, took effect Friday with its publication in the Royal Gazette. The two denied killing 24-year-old David Miller and raping and killing 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge, whose battered bodies were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand, a popular diving destination. The high-profile case caused extensive controversy because of allegations police mishandled evidence and beat the suspects into making confessions. There were suspicions they were scapegoats for a crime that police were under pressure to solve because it could adversely effect Thailand’s lucrative tourist industry. A well-known Thai forensics expert testified that the DNA evidence that was central in the prosecution case did not link them to the scene. Human Rights Watch called the guilty verdict “profoundly disturbing.” The Supreme Court in August last year upheld their murder convictions and sentences. It dismissed allegations of physical mistreatment and mishandling of forensic evidence, saying the forensic work was handled by respectable institutions and it found no proof of torture. The death penalty is rarely carried out in Thailand.

From The Thaiger Yesterday, Richard Barrow, a popular British blogger who has been living and working in Thailand for decades, says he had a surprise visit from the immigration bureau in regards to the renewal of his visa. Kapook reported the incident on their page saying that many Thai people admire the work he does for Thailand as a tourism and expat influencer. Richard bemoaned on his Facebook page that “things didn’t look good” for an extension of his visa to stay in Thailand. “Bangkok Immigration came to inspect my workplace. They were here for 3 hours. Looks like they will not extend my “visa”. They said I will probably have to leave the country. They will give me a final verdict next week.” Social media has been full of speculation about Richard’s possible departure and assuming that it has something to do with his occasional swipes at Thai officialdom on his blogs. But Richard says none of that is true. “I know a lot of people are speculating about the reasons with some crazy conspiracy theories. The Immigration officials gave me no indication that they were targeting me. I only passed last year because some influential people in government called the chief of Immigration.” “In normal years, I would leave the country and come back with a tourist visa and start again. With the borders closed, my only option is to fly back to the UK. As I won’t have a Non-B visa, I cannot come back for months. Unfortunately, the family home in the UK is being sold.” In the past few years Richard has had an annual wait to see if his application to stay would be approved. In the end he’s been able to pull in a few favours and make contact with leading officials to “sort things out”. Richard has contacts at many levels of Thai society and is generally recognised as a ardent enthusiast about Thai life and is loyally followed by over 100,000 people on his Facebook page.

From Thai Enquirer Government said a decision has not been made on Thailand shutting down until 2021 Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said on Thursday that a final decision had not been made on shutting down the country from tourism until 2021, refuting earlier statements made by a TAT official. According to the CCSA, numerous factors must be weighed before reaching such a decision and any decision should be made in increments rather than a blanket travel ban for the rest of the year. A spokesman for the CCSA told Thai Enquirer that among the situations that must be assessed is the viability of a vaccine, the global pandemic situation and the situation at home. Any statement which claims that a decision has been made is “premature” according to the CCSA. The new reports on Thursday refute a previous statement by a senior Tourist Authority of Thailand who told reporters during a webinar that Thailand would not welcome tourists until next year.

Never said that Barry doesn't know what he's talking about. I've pointed out before that he's writing his opinion about the topic in the same way you and me do. He reads the same news. But here's where we differ: I don't accept it as the final basis for believing what's going to happen 3-6 months down the line. I read the stuff with the same skepticism that I read pronouncements out of Washington, London, Beijing, Moscow, Brasilia, Hong Kong, etc. Thailand unfortunately is confronting one of its worst financial dilemmas. And exacerbating the crisis is the prospect of its worst political unrest since 1936. Therefor I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that decisions and positions are subject to change. Consider recent events in Lebanon and how quickly things can change on a dime. I'm not suggesting something so dramatic will happen in this case, but I cite it as an example of how unpredictable the future really is. Trying to predict the whims of politicians is akin to trying to predict the movements of stock markets. You have to allow that you may be wrong. Barry could turn out to be completely right about the future. You and others can cite valid reasons for agreeing with him. Nothing wrong with that. I just don't particularly like the way he points out the absurdity of other possibilities. I'm not trying to get their hopes up; I'm trying to keep them up. I'm not putting down Barry but I am taking issue with the way he interprets and presents his opinions.

From Bangkok Post SINGAPORE: Japan and Singapore agreed on Thursday to ease travel restrictions implemented in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic from September. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he agreed with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan that the two countries will restart mutual visits of businesspeople and expatriates from September, given they take precautionary measures. Japan, which currently bans entry of all foreign nationals from 146 designated countries and regions in principle, said in late July it will newly enter into discussions with 12 Asian economies, including Singapore, on ways to resume travel. The two ministers, in their first in-person meeting since November last year, also plan to discuss the current situation in the South China Sea, where China is stepping up maritime claims, and ways to thwart North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, the officials said. They are also expected to exchange views on cooperation in responding to the pandemic, possibly touching on the importance of establishing an Asean centre for emerging diseases and public health emergencies.