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Did you take some perverse pleasure in labeling the deceased Vietnamese as “illegals” in your headline? I believe they deserve some final dignity, not a political broadside.

A few Vietnam guys who work in bkk tell me they fear that there are more than two from their country who may be among the dead in the horrific trailer tragedy unfolding in the UK. From the BBC An hour's drive inland from the French coast, a dozen Vietnamese men nurse tea over a smoking campfire, as they wait for a phone call from the man they call "the boss". An Afghan man, they say, who opens trailers in the lorry-park nearby and shuts them inside. Duc paid €30,000 ($33,200; £25,000) for a prepaid journey from Vietnam to London - via Russia, Poland, Germany and France. It was organised, he says, by a Vietnamese contact back home. "I have some Vietnamese friends in UK, who will help me find jobs when I get there," he told me. "These friends help me get on lorries or container trucks to go across the border." Security is much less tight in the nearby lorry park than around the ports further north. But few people here have managed to get past the border controls. We were told there is a two-tier system in operation here; that those who pay more for their passage to Britain don't have to chance their luck in the lorries outside, but use this base as a transit camp before being escorted on the final leg of their journey. Duc tells me he needs a job in the UK to pay back the loan for his journey. "We can do anything," he says, "construction work, nail bars, restaurants or other jobs." A report by one of France's biggest charities described smugglers telling Vietnamese migrants that refrigerated lorries gave them more chance of avoiding detection, and giving each of them an aluminium bag to put over their heads while passing through scanners at the border. No one here had heard about the 39 people found dead this week. This journey is about freedom, one said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50190199

From CNN Under Xi's rule, what is China's image of the 'ideal' man? Continues with photos and graphics https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/china-masculinity-intl-hnk/index.html

Wish I had thought of that...

Foreigners are gradually coming to acknowledge that the heyday for their currencies vs the baht is not about to return anytime soon. To what degree this affects individuals readers depends on many factors but all will feel the pinch. Struggling to hold above 30, the dollar is the bell weather exchange rate that captures the trend. How individuals choose to adapt will very greatly by circumstance. But all except for the truly financially independent will likely be trying to control those expenses that cannot be avoided (travel, accommodations, food). The good news on the first two is that they’re price elastic, fluctuating depending on supply and demand. And food costs are really a function on where and what we choose to consume. Not price elastic are entertainment and health care. In Bangkok, a typical Patpong ST off will set you back about 3,000 baht with a drink, off fee and tips. And that’s a minimum. A 1-hour massage and tip ranges between 1500 to 2000 and a 90-minute 1900 to 2500 depending on venue.(these are just averages). None of these prices are particularly new. We’ve been paying them for a while now. What is new is that we have gradually less with which to cover them when we leave the currency exchange booth. Personally, it continues to be my intent to spend as much time as I can afford in multiple annual trips to Bkk. I don’t travel to other international destinations unless they’ve in SE Asia. By this stage of my life I’ve seen as much of the rest of the world as I care to. I’m content and comfortable in bkk. But I know that some adjustments will need to be made. From Bangkok Post Rate cut will not slow baht appreciation The Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) could cut the policy rate another 25 basis points before year-end, but the move is not expected to rein in the baht's rising strength, says Kasikornbank (KBank). "Another possible rate cut this year is not anticipated to mitigate the baht appreciation significantly," said Kobsidthi Silpachai, head of capital markets research at KBank. "The move would alleviate the pressure [for lower interest rates] in an environment where global central banks have been cutting their benchmark interest rates." The seven-member MPC slashed the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.5% in August, the first cut in more than four years, to boost Thailand's lethargic economic conditions. The seven-member MPC slashed the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.5% in August, the first cut in more than four years, to boost Thailand's lethargic economic conditions. The current rate is only 25 basis points higher than the Bank of Thailand's record low of 1.25% during the 2009 global financial crisis. The MPC will continue adopting a data-dependent approach to deliberate the monetary policy outlook, while the need to preserve policy space to cushion against possible future risks is necessary, according to the latest edited MPC minutes published on Sept 25. The baht's value is projected to continue appreciating, possibly dropping under 30 per US dollar in the middle of next year, said Mr Kobsidthi. Factors supporting the outlook are investors' appetite for safe-haven assets, Thailand's current account surplus and a possible upgrade of the country's sovereign credit rating by international credit rating agencies, he said. "The baht's value could touch 29.70 during the first half of 2020 and continue appreciating to 29.20-29.30 in the second half," said Mr Kobsidthi. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1779294/rate-cut-will-not-slow-baht-appreciation

From Very Well Health If you want to reduce your risk of prostate cancer, research suggests that you may want to make more frequent date nights in bed, or simply engage in more self-pleasure. A study from the Boston University of Public Health found that more frequent ejaculation correlated with a lower incidence of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Specifically, the study spanned 18 years and looked at men between the ages of 20—29 years as well as 40—49 years. Men in the younger group who ejaculated 21 or more times per month dropped their risk of prostate cancer by 19 percent compared to those who ejaculated between four and seven times per month. And men in the older group received, even more, benefit from more regular orgasms: Those who ejaculated at least 21 times per month reduced their risk by 22 percent. Study authors concluded that even if you're not able to have that many orgasms each month, ejaculation seems to have a protective effect on the prostate—so simply having more orgasms can lower your risk of prostate cancer. In the past, there was a suggested link between greater sexual activity and increased incidents of prostate cancer because of higher levels of the male hormone testosterone and its effect on promoting cancer cell growth. However, enough studies have shown the opposite relationship—that sex lowers your risk—that many experts believe the more sex you have, the better. https://www.verywellhealth.com/reduced-risk-prostate-cancer-with-regular-ejaculation-2328515

From Bangkok Post Thai Airways at risk of closure, president says Thai Airways International (THAI) president Sumeth Damrongchaitham said on Tuesday that staff must cooperate with the airline's rehabilitation efforts because it is in a crisis and faces possible closure. He sent his message to THAI executives during a training session at the airline's headquarters. "Today I want staff to be united to overcome the obstacles. Otherwise, the national airline must close down. There is still time for a solution, but there is not much time," Mr Sumeth said. "The competition is very fierce this year," Mr Sumeth said. "THAI is really in a crisis. Next year it must do its best. If staff are still unaware and do nothing, they will not have enough time to fight back. Today very little time remains. Today there is no comfort zone. Everyone will die if the vessel sinks," . THAI would cut costs by reducing the salaries of managerial staff and following a zero inventory policy at its catering department, he said. He said that THAI had lost its market leadership on several routes to competitors, citing northern routes that had generated a third of THAI's revenue but were now dominated by low-cost airlines. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1777704/thai-airways-at-risk-of-closure-president-says#cxrecs_s

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Somehow his rationale for canceling doesn’t ring true. This has been a very well attended event in recent years. From Coconuts Bangkok Today marks the end of an era with tragic news for those thirsty for seasonal, open-air beer drinking: There will be no more lan beer, or beer garden, at CentralWorld. The popular al fresco event, which usually takes place at the end of the year in the mall’s outdoor plaza by Ratchaprasong intersection will come to an end after decades it first took place. A great hangout to sip beer, enjoy live music and cool weather, the event is reliably packed with patrons. The reason given for canceling it was “changing consumer lifestyles,” according to Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, executive vice president of marketing for mall owner Central Pattana. “Most people don’t drink at the beer garden anymore. The world has been changing fast,” Nattakit said. “We cannot do the same thing anymore, but we need to adapt ourselves to the new way consumers live so they choose to come to our event.” https://coconuts.co/bangkok/lifestyle/bye-bye-beer-garden-centralworld-cancels-popular-sud-soaked-tradition/

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — The upcoming Royal Barge procession on Chao Phraya River was postponed by nearly two months, a government official said Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam that the ritual, which would be presided over by His Majesty the King and the Royal Family, is now set to take place on Dec. 12 instead of Oct. 24 as initially scheduled. Wissanu cited strong tides in the river as a reason for the postponement. “The royal procession will still go ahead, and it’d still be a grand, beautiful event,” Wissanu told reporters. “But we have to consider the appropriate conditions of currents and weather.” The announcement came just a week before the event was due to take place. The navy was also conducting a full-scale rehearsal of the procession on Chao Phraya River earlier today. Another rehearsal scheduled for Oct. 21 will go ahead as planned, Wissanu said. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2019/10/17/hm-kings-royal-barge-procession-postponed/

From Coconuts Bangkok The cabinet today approved two holidays in November to keep things quiet for a regional summit — but only in Bangkok and its northwest metro area. The final two days of an ASEAN summit – Nov. 4 & 5 – were made government holidays Tuesday to alleviate traffic congestion, government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul announced. The holidays will only be in effect in Bangkok and Nonthaburi province, where the summit will be held Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 at Impact Muang Thong Thani. No government agencies will be operating on those dates. Though they are government holidays, Traisulee said state enterprises, private companies and banks could consider closing for those two days as well. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thailand-declares-two-extra-holidays-for-next-month/

From CNN Travel Hong Kong (CNN) — Hong Kongers have been protesting for more than four months and demonstrations are becoming more violent and disruptive. The city's leaders have maintained Hong Kong is still open for business, but is it still safe to visit? The situation has changed significantly since June 9, when protest organizers estimated more than a million people took part in a peaceful march to oppose a bill that would have allowed Hong Kong to extradite suspected criminals to mainland China. Recent protests have become less predictable and increasingly dangerous, fanning out around the city and springing up in places with little warning. The recent decision by Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, to use her emergency powers to ban face masks at public gatherings sparked the most violent and destructive gatherings to date. Police have twice used lethal force during recent clashes with protesters and on Sunday, police uncovered an explosive device they say was targeted at officers. If you're coming to the city, here's what you need to know. Continues with pics and video: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/hong-kong-safe-to-visit-intl-hnk/index.html

From Khaosod English The BANGKOK — Foreigners entering Thailand with a retiree stay visa will soon have to buy mandatory health insurance, a health official said Wednesday. Starting Oct. 31, foreigners over 50 entering the country with an O-A visa must show that they have valid health insurance covering their period of stay, deputy public health minister Sathit Pitutecha said. He said the measure will prevent foreigners from doing a runner for hospital fees. “By requiring foreign retirees to have a health insurance, they can be ensured that they will be taken care of when they get ill and accident, Sathit said. “This measure will solve over 100 million baht fees left unpaid by foreign patients.” O-A visa is more commonly known as the one-year retiree visa. Sathit said about 80,000 people held the visa as of 2018. The new rule specifies that the insured amount must not be less than 40,000 baht for outpatient and 400,000 baht for inpatient medical fees. Policies can either be purchased from domestic or foreign insurers, but the sum of foreign policies must not be less than the amount stipulated for Thai policies. “The new rules will be applied to those who enter the country for the first time and those who wish to extend their visas,” Sathit said. According to an internal immigration memo dated Sept. 27 seen by the media, only foreign retirees holding non-immigration O-A visa will be affected. They will be required to present their insurance policies with remaining coverage period for their stay or being denied entry. The http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2019/10/10/health-insurance-will-be-mandatory-for-retiree-visa-holders/

They must have been listening to you, PeterRS. From Bangkok Post Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam has ordered loss-ridden national flag carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) to overhaul its financial rehabilitation plan and draw up a new business plan within 30 days. Mr Thaworn's order comes in response to a recent decision by THAI's board to suspend for six months a plan to procure 38 new aircraft for an estimated 156 billion baht. Speaking after receiving an update on the national carrier's business operations, the deputy minister said he has given the airline 30 days to come up with new financial rehabilitation and business plans. Mr Thaworn also said he has asked the airline to keep him updated on its aircraft purchase programme every month and to expedite a scheme to sell 19 decommissioned planes to cut maintenance costs. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1769294/thai-told-to-revamp-rehab-planc

From Bangkok Post Rehab plan 'failing' as THAI losses mount Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam has expressed concern that the loss-ridden national flag carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) may be in danger of running up net losses of well over 10 billion baht this year. He said the financial rehabilitation programme implemented nearly a year ago does not seem to be working, noting on Thursday that the airline reported a loss of well over 6 billion baht in the first half of this year alone. "THAI is now in crisis. Its financial status is in a critical condition. The question is, how well aware is the airline's board chairman about this matter," he added. The deputy minister said he wondered how serious the airline's executives were in discussing and dealing with the worsening financial situation. He said the executives responded poorly to his assignments aimed at easing the carrier's financial woes. Despite his pledge to pull the national carrier out of trouble, Mr Thaworn admitted he lacks the authority to fire its executives for underperforming. He also cautioned the airline about its plan to boost liquidity via a 50.8-billion-baht loan from the government, saying THAI must think carefully before taking such a step with taxpayers' money. "If things go awry, someone will have to be held responsible," he said. The loan request has already been submitted to the Finance Ministry, he said, adding that efficiency of the airline's financial rehabilitation programme will definitely be taken into account when assessing its ability to repay the debt. If the loan is granted, 32 billion baht will be set aside as working capital while the rest would boost the airline's cash flow, said a source at the ministry. The government's public debt management committee, chaired by the finance minister, has expressed concern over THAI's liquidity problem and further debt from a planned purchase of 38 aircraft, said the same source. Mr Thaworn has since ordered revisions to the purchase plan. The committee recommended that the Transport Ministry act to revitalise the airline's finances, said the source. Mr Thaworn said the airline has not yet responded to his question of where it will obtain the loan to finance the 156-billion-baht aircraft purchase. He also queried its long-term business plan for utilising the new aircraft and its marketing strategy to compete with low-cost airlines. That would put THAI in direct competition with low-cost carriers. Mr Thaworn said the national carrier's only strategy to win back customers from budget airlines was to offer customers premium services. The deputy minister said the airline plans to deploy the first batch of 25 new airliners for medium-range flights of 5-6 hours from Bangkok. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1764319/rehab-plan-failing-as-thai-losses-mount

From Khaosod English Where Caffeine Meets Meditation BANGKOK — Regulars at Bangkok’s famous ‘Gallery Drip Coffee’ might come for the caffeine jolt, but they stay for the relaxing process of watching baristas prepare drip coffee. Piyachat Trithaworn, founder and owner of Gallery Drip, says Thais are increasingly interested in savoring the complexity, acidity and aroma of Thai-grown drip coffee. Gallery Drip is about quality, not quantity. Sometimes the shop only manages to secure half a sack of single origin beans from its source in the north of Thailand, but Piyachat is still happy to serve it to his customers. “It begins with choosing coffee [beans] that we like. We deal with farmers to the point of becoming friends,” the 45-year-old shop owner, who make regular visits to the north, said. The shop, which has been around for seven years on the ground floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, doubled its floor space in June this year – a testament to the growing demand. Piyachat believes there’s a lot of levels to the growing drip coffee wave. The taste is more delicate and nuanced due to a lighter roasting process, and the option to choose between a variety of both local and foreign single origin beans. But it’s also the process of watching drip coffee being prepared that attracts repeat customers (70 per cent of customers are Thais, and the other 30 per cent foreigners, Piyachat reports). One option is from Kenya. Pichayat travelled all the way to the East African country to test the beans and eventually secured half a ton, which are now almost gone. He offers Kenya’s Embu Kangunu for 120 baht a cup. The most expensive Thai beans, Baan Wat Chan Dry from a border area between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces, is 100 baht a cup. The latter is billed as balanced and sweet, with a note of dried fruit. Though a 90 per cent tax is imposed on imported beans, Piychat said quality Thai beans are actually twice or thrice global market prices due to small farm sizes and relative rarity. Some farms, he said, only began cultivating coffee four decades ago when Christian missionaries introduced specimens. “We want to know how good Thai coffee can get,” Piyachat said. “Some customers, after liking particular beans, want to meet the farmers and see their farm.” Gallery Drip Coffee is open every day except Monday from 10.30am to 8.30pm. It is located on the ground floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/food/2019/09/27/the-bangkok-drip-coffee-shop-where-caffeine-meets-meditation/

Those takeaways say it all. You were a very lucky guy. Many thanks for allowing us to accompany you.

The subject of the July 22nd post above, poet and fiction writer Ocean Vuong, 30, is among this year’s MacArthur fellows. From NY Times This has been an emotionally intense year for the poet and fiction writer Ocean Vuong. In June, his first novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” written as a Vietnamese immigrant son’s letter to his illiterate mother, came out to much fanfare. Not long before publication, Mr. Vuong’s own mother learned she had Stage 4 breast cancer. Then, earlier this month, he was back from his book tour, and looking forward to the steadying routines of teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, when he got a phone call delivering some startling news. “I had to make sure they had the right person, because you don’t want to cry and then have them say it was a mistake,” he recalled. “But then the tears came.” Mr. Vuong, 30, is one of 26 people chosen as 2019 fellows of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Known colloquially as the “genius” grant (to the annoyance of the foundation), the fellowship honors “extraordinary originality” and comes with a no-strings-attached grant of $625,000, to be distributed over five years. Continues at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/arts/macarthur-foundation-genius-winners.html

From Coconuts Bangkok ‘Bangcocking’ scourge nearly destroys boy’s testicles The juvenile homophone created in English by the international name for Thailand’s capital, long a source of snickering for Western children and the occasional adult, nearly claimed a tween’s budding manhood this past week. Surgeons labored desperately to save the testicles of a 12-year-old British boy maimed in what is actually described as a “sick ‘bangcock’ craze sweeping schools” by a newspaper covering the northern English community of Teeside. “This is a craze that has come back into trend that boys randomly punch their target in the balls to cause intense pain,” the boy’s mononymously identified mother “Emmajayne” told Teesside Live. “I don’t want to share my private business but this ‘bangcocking’ has been going on for a while in school and has come back as a stupid phase. The boy’s predicament began Thursday morning when he was approached by some lads with an apparent test of his geographical acumen: What is the capital of Thailand? When he correctly responded “Bangkok,” they walloped him hard in the bollocks. Surgeons made her sign a waiver that she was okay with them removing her son’s testicles if necessary. But he emerged whole, if modified. “He was very very lucky,” mum Emmajayne said. “They have been nipped and tucked, with four stitches to each testicle.” Continues at https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/bangcocking-scourge-nearly-claims-boys-testicles-report/

Thai actually put out several requests for bids on some of the A340's but rejected all of them because they were "too low." So instead of something they received nothing and are paying to park them at no small cost to the Thai bottom line. Like clubs that raise their prices when business is slow, TIT.

NOTE -- The Neilson Hays Library is located on Surawong Rd., about a 15-minute walk from Patpong. The Neilson Hays Library Tuesday – Sunday, 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM (closed Monday) From Khaosod English Bangkok Literature Fest This Nov. BANGKOK — Renowned Thai and international authors will gather in Bangkok for public talks to celebrate the 150th anniversary of a historic library in Silom this Nov. Bookworms are in for a much-needed intellectual and cultural treat when the Neilson Hays Library holds a free literature festival from Nov. 16 to 17 under the theme of “Bridging the World Through Letters.” 25 authors from eight countries will come together to share their thoughts on topics from democracy, disinformation, to LGBT rights. “Given that books were the genesis of the founding of our library, it seems apt that 150 years later we will be celebrating the power of letters,” president of the library Nalin Vanasin said. “We hope to create a stage for the participating literary luminaries to exchange knowledge and share their experiences, as well as showcase Thai creative arts for international audiences.” Among the list are big names like Adam Johnson, the American novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for his North Korea-inspired novel “The Orphan Master’s Son.” Also in attendance will be Qiu Xiaolong, the Chinese English-language poet whose crime-mystery novel “Death of a Red Heroine” earned him the prestigious Anthony Award. Southeast Asian Writers award (SEA Write) winners from Thailand will also be featured, including novelist Uthis Haemamool, and the poets Duanwad Pimwana and Zakariya Amataya. The festival will also include a small art and crafts market, workshops, and film screenings from the Documentary Club. Neilson Hays Library was founded by a group of American and British wives of missionaries in 1869 as a book sharing club. In 1922 it moved to the present neoclassical building, designed by the Italian architect behind Hua Lamphong Railway Station, Mario Tamagno, and has continued to serve local and expat members ever since. There are more than 17,000 books in the library’s collection, mostly in English. Event program and presentations https://web.neilsonhayslibrary.com/literature-festival/ The “Neilson Hays Bangkok Literature Festival” will run from Nov. 16 to 17 at Neilson Hays Library on Surawong Road. Panel discussions will be conducted in Thai and English with translations. Entry is free. The venue is reachable by a 15 minute walk from BTS Chong Nonsi exit No. 4. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/2019/09/12/read-all-about-it-bangkok-literature-fest-this-nov/

From NY Times Malfunctions caused two deadly crashes. But an industry that puts unprepared pilots in the cockpit is just as guilty n Oct. 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 taxied toward the runway at the main airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, carrying 189 people bound for Bangka Island, a short flight away. The airplane was the latest version of the Boeing 737, a gleaming new 737 Max that was delivered merely three months before. The captain was a 31-year-old Indian named Bhavye Suneja, who did his initial flight training at a small and now-defunct school in San Carlos, Calif., and opted for an entry-level job with Lion Air in 2011. Lion Air is an aggressive airline that dominates the rapidly expanding Indonesian market in low-cost air travel and is one of Boeing’s largest customers worldwide. It is known for hiring inexperienced pilots — most of them recent graduates of its own academy — and for paying them little and working them hard. Pilots like Suneja who come from the outside typically sign on in the hope of building hours and moving on to a better job. Lion Air gave him some simulator time and a uniform, put him into the co-pilot’s seat of a 737 and then made him a captain sooner than a more conventional airline would have. Nonetheless, by last Oct. 29, Suneja had accumulated 6,028 hours and 45 minutes of flight time, so he was no longer a neophyte. On the coming run, it would be his turn to do the flying. His co-pilot was an Indonesian 10 years his elder who went by the single name Harvino and had nearly the same flight experience. On this leg, he would handle the radio communications. No reference has been made to Harvino’s initial flight training. He had accumulated about 900 hours of flight time when he was hired by Lion Air. Like thousands of new pilots now meeting the demands for crews — especially those in developing countries with rapid airline growth — his experience with flying was scripted, bounded by checklists and cockpit mandates and dependent on autopilots. He had some rote knowledge of cockpit procedures as handed down from the big manufacturers, but he was weak in an essential quality known as airmanship. Sadly, his captain turned out to be weak in it, too. “Airmanship” is an anachronistic word, but it is applied without prejudice to women as well as men. Its full meaning is difficult to convey. It includes a visceral sense of navigation, an operational understanding of weather and weather information, the ability to form mental maps of traffic flows, fluency in the nuance of radio communications and, especially, a deep appreciation for the interplay between energy, inertia and wings. Airplanes are living things. The best pilots do not sit in cockpits so much as strap them on. The United States Navy manages to instill a sense of this in its fledgling fighter pilots by ramming them through rigorous classroom instruction and then requiring them to fly at bank angles without limits, including upside down. The same cannot be expected of airline pilots who never fly solo and whose entire experience consists of catering to passengers who flinch in mild turbulence, refer to “air pockets” in cocktail conversation and think they are near death if bank angles exceed 30 degrees. The problem exists for many American and European pilots, too. Unless they make extraordinary efforts — for instance, going out to fly aerobatics, fly sailplanes or wander among the airstrips of backcountry Idaho — they may never develop true airmanship no matter the length of their careers. The worst of them are intimidated by their airplanes and remain so until they retire or die. It is unfortunate that those who die in cockpits tend to take their passengers with them. Continues at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/magazine/boeing-737-max-crashes.html

From Khaosod English Gov’t to Scrap Arrival Cards for Foreigners, Introduce TM30 App BANGKOK — A senior government official said Tuesday foreign visitors will soon no longer have to fill out “TM6” arrival and departure forms. Kobsak Pootrakool, deputy sec-gen to the Prime Minister, also touted a mobile application in the works for 24-hour reporting under the TM30 form system, which has been a source of controversy in recent months. Kobsak said both changes are designed to attract more visitors and accommodate those already living in the kingdom. “We made the decision last Friday. Within two to three months, life will be much easier [for foreign tourists and expats],” Kobsak said. He spoke at a gala dinner to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Elite Plus Magazine at a hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday evening, where audience members included ambassadors from ten or so countries. Explaining the government’s decision, Kobsak said arrival and departure forms for tourists, known as TM6 forms, have led to a storage problems. The government expects a total of 20 million visitors to Thailand this year. “[The immigration police] have to have a huge warehouse to store these papers,” Kobsak said, adding that the police rarely look at the information in the forms, which are only stored “just in case.” He also said the government and the immigration police agreed last Friday to streamline other procedures. Foreigners will be able to report their whereabouts with just “four clicks” on a smartphone to fulfill regulations that require them to report to immigration authorities every 90 days. But the cherry on top seems to the revelation that the police are developing a mobile phone application for the infamous TM30 form, which requires foreign residents and their Thai landlords to file a report to the police every time the former spends a night outside their registered province. Tourists are generally exempted from the rule, as the forms are filed by their hotels and accommodation hosts. Deputy immigration commander Nattapon Sawaengkit confirmed the move on Wednesday when reached for comment, but assigned another officer to explain the details. The officer, who declined to give his name, gave little information other than hinting that QR codes will likely be used. “The apps are not finished yet. QR codes will likely be used but it’s not concrete yet. It will likely be on a smartphone,” the officer said. Continues at http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2019/09/18/govt-to-scrap-arrival-cards-for-foreigners-introduce-tm30-app/

From Bangkok Post Kasikornbank (KBank), the country's largest mobile banking service provider, plans to roll out money transfer, payment and deposit services on the Line platform in the first quarter 2020, with digital lending scheduled for the second half of the year. KBank and Line Thailand formed a joint venture, Kasikorn-Line (K-Line), offering money transfers, payments and deposits via the super app, said Wirawat Panthawangkun, senior executive vice-president of KBank. After gathering sufficient data to analyse customer behaviour, the service will expand to digital loans, set to launch in the middle of next year. The bank aims to acquire 1 million new customers from 40 million Line users in the first year of operations, he said. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/1753009/kbank-teams-up-with-line

From Coconuts Bangkok Bangkok’s new mixed-use lifestyle complex Samyan Mitrtown is opening this Friday, which means that the stores, cafes, restaurants and House Samyan cinema that also occupy the new 222,000sqm space are getting their big debut that day, too — including the biggest branch of Muji in Thailand to date, which will include a “coffee corner.” Muji Coffee Corner is an extension of Muji, the Tokyo-born lifestyle store with a minimalist design concept at its core. We hear that the new cafe will make its coffee using beans sourced from Doi Tung, a mountainous area in Chiang Rai province. Samyan Mitrtown is located on Rama IV Road can can be reached from MRT Samyan’s exit No. 2. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/lifestyle/muji-to-open-thailands-biggest-branch-with-in-store-coffee-corner-in-samyan-mitrtown/