Meet Thailand’s Hottest TikTok Star: A Cambodian Migrant Worker

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24 February 2021, 10:37

Kaew lipsyncs to Ham PMN’s “I Don’t Need a New Girlfriend,” left, and MasterD’s “4D,” right. Photos: @Sartsart555 / TikTok

CHONBURI — Posing against a tin shack in street fashion attire, lip piercings, and anime-style dyed hair, a young Cambodian construction worker lipsyncs to Thai, Laotian, and Cambodian songs.

Meet “Kaew,” the top trending star on TikTok right now. His account, @Sartsart555, has skyrocketed to viral fame since he posted a video Monday of himself lipsyncing to a Vietnamese singer’s Thai version of his hit. Yes, we’re as confused as you are.

@sartsart555 ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – qh Viet Nam

Kaew currently has more than 1.9 million followers on his TikTok. He first joined the social media app in April 2020, his schtick mostly consists of himself lipsyncing to Thai songs, K-pop hits, as well as pop songs from the ASEAN region.

But perhaps the most eye-catching thing about his video is the humble setup. Most of his videos are filmed against a corrugated tin wall, commonly seen in housing quarters of migrant workers and low-income communities in Thailand.

Kaew is able to speak some Thai, to the endearment of netizens – especially because he uses the pronoun “nhoo,” often used by children or younger women.

Kaew’s manager said by phone Wednesday that Kaew is still doing labor and construction jobs in Thailand, but is also able to supplement his income by reviewing products like whitening soap on TikTok.

His largest following is in Thailand, as well as in Cambodia, the manager said, who declined to give Kaew’s full name.

@sartsart555 ♬ ไม่ต้องการแฟนใหม่ Acoustic HamPMN – Ham PMN

Kaew’s videos usually get a few hundred thousand or even a few million views – but his lipsync of MasterD’s “4D” song has gained him a whopping 21.8 million views, and counting.

MasterD, or Quang Hung, is a Vietnamese singer. He released his “4D” song in the original Vietnamese on Nov. 1. On Feb. 13, he released a Thai version of the song, which many Thais complemented for his relatively accurate pronunciation. The song currently has more than 3.5 million views on YouTube.

“He was so determined in practicing a foreign language so he could sing for us Thai fans. This song makes me so happy,” user Jariya Junson commented on YouTube. “This is the kind of artist that should be supported.”

Kaew can also be followed on Facebook.

Tiger Woods Faces Hard Recovery From Car Crash Injuries

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Associated Press

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24 February 2021, 09:01

1000 (3) — A law enforcement officer looks over a damaged vehicle following a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in the Rancho Palos Verdes suburb of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a career filled with remarkable comebacks, Tiger Woods faces his toughest recovery of all.

Woods was driving through a sweeping, downhill stretch of road through coastal suburbs of Los Angeles when his SUV struck a sign, crossed over a raised median and two oncoming lanes before it toppled down an embankment, coming to a halt on its side.

The airbags deployed. A sheriff’s deputy poked his head through a hole in the windshield to see Woods, still wearing his seatbelt, sitting in the driver’s seat.

The crash caused “significant” injuries all down his right leg that featured rods, pins and screws during what was described as a “long surgical procedure” at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer, said Woods shattered tibia and fibula bones on his right leg in multiple locations. Those were stabilized by a rod in the tibia. He said a combination of screws and pins were used to stabilize additional injuries in the ankle and foot.

A statement on his Twitter account said he was awake, responsive and recovering.

“I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive,” said Carlos Gonzalez, the deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who was the first on the scene after a neighbor called 911.

“As if his body hasn’t endured enough,” Jon Rahm, the No. 2 player in the world, said from the Workday Championship in Florida. “I just hope he can get out of the hospital after recovery and he can still play with his kids and have a normal life.”

The single-car crash was the latest setback for Woods, who at times has looked unstoppable on the golf course with his 15 major championships and record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour. He is among the most recognizable sports figures in the world, and at 45 with a reduced schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf’s biggest draw.

He won the 2008 U.S. Open with shredded knee ligaments and two stress fractures in his left leg. His personal life imploded on Thanksgiving weekend in 2009 when he was caught having multiple extramarital affairs, and he returned to win his 11th award as PGA Tour player of the year and reach No. 1.

And then after four back surgeries that kept him out of golf for the better part of two years, he won the Masters in April 2019 for the fifth time, a victory that ranks among the great comebacks in the sport.

Now it’s no longer a matter of when he plays again — the Masters is seven weeks away — but if he plays again.

No charges were filed, and police said there was no evidence he was impaired.

Woods was in Los Angeles over the weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Monday and Tuesday had been set aside for Discovery-owned GOLFTV for Woods to give playing tips to celebrities. A tweet Monday showed him in a cart at Rolling Hills Country Club with comedian David Spade. He also worked with NBA great Dwyane Wade, who posted a video to his Instagram account.

1000 3 30 — Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the first hole during the first round of the PNC Championship golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., in this Dec. 19, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Woods was headed to Rolling Hills on Tuesday when the accident happened.

“It was a great day,” Wade said Tuesday night on Turner Sports, where he is a studio analyst. “And I woke up today so proud to be able to post that moment for the world, like a little snippet of our moment together. And I took a nap, and I woke up to the news. So, you know, just like everybody out there, my thoughts and prayers are all to his loved ones.”

Thoughts and prayers have come from everywhere — Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, and former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Woods played golf with both of them, and Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 after perhaps his great triumph — the Masters after he had gone through four back surgeries.

Woods had a fifth back surgery, a microdiscectomy, on Dec. 23, just three days after he played the PNC Championship with his son Charlie, who now is 12. Woods also has a 13-year-old daughter, Samantha.

The news put a damper on the World Golf Championship in Florida, where Woods was eligible to play if healthy.

“I’m sick to my stomach,” said Justin Thomas, No. 3 in the world and among the younger players whom Woods has embraced. “It hurts to see one of my closest friends get in an accident. Man, I just hope he’s all right.”

The crash happened about 7:15 a.m. as he drove his courtesy vehicle from the Genesis Invitational through the upscale suburbs. Gonzalez says he sometimes catches people topping 80 mph (129 kph) in the 45 mph zone and crashes are common.

Police said Woods was alert as firefighters pried open the front windshield to get him out. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the airbags deployed and the inside of the SUV stayed mostly intact, which “gave him a cushion to survive the crash.”

Authorities said they checked for any odor of alcohol or other signs he was under the influence of a substance and found none. They didn’t say how fast he was driving.

This is the third time Woods has been involved in a car investigation. The most notorious was the early morning after Thanksgiving in 2009, when his SUV ran over a fire hydrant and hit a tree. That was the start of shocking revelations that he had been cheating on his wife with multiple women.

In May 2017, Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car parked awkwardly on the side of the road. He was arrested on a DUI charge and said he had an unexpected reaction to prescription medicine for his back pain. Woods later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and checked into a clinic to get help with prescription medication and a sleep disorder.

Woods hasn’t won since the Zozo Championship in Japan in fall 2019, and he’s reduced his playing schedule in recent years because of injuries. Besides his five back surgeries, he’s had four surgeries on his left knee.

He was asked during the CBS broadcast Sunday at Riviera about recovering from his back surgery in time to play the Masters and Woods replied, “God, I hope so. I’ve got to get there first.”

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Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Florida. AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds reported from Miami.

Japan Distillery Drinking up Plaudits as Its Craft Whisky Proves a Hit

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Kyodo News

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24 February 2021, 09:01

SAITAMA (Kyodo) — Riding the craft whisky boom at home and abroad, a small distillery north of Tokyo is boosting production to meet the growing demand for its world-renowned and award-winning “Ichiro’s Malt” product.

Venture Whisky Ltd. in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, has established itself as a pioneer in the more recent Japanese craft whisky industry, which actually has roots in commercial production dating back nearly a century.

Continue reading the story here.

Lam Backs Hong Kong Electoral Changes Excluding Opponents

By

Associated Press

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24 February 2021, 09:00

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave her clear support Tuesday to electoral reforms that would likely further exclude opposition voices and cement Beijing’s control over the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s politics.

Her comments came a day after a top Beijing official signaled major changes would be coming to ensure Hong Kong is run by “patriots,” a sign that China intends to no longer tolerate dissenting voices, 23 years after the former British colony was handed over to Chinese rule with a promise it could maintain its own rights and freedoms for 50 years.

Following China’s imposition of a sweeping national security law on the city last year, authorities have moved to expel members of the city’s Legislative Council deemed insufficiently loyal and rounded up veteran opposition leaders on charges including illegal assembly and colluding with foreign forces.

Government critics and Western governments accuse Beijing of going back on its word and effectively ending the “one country, two systems” framework for governing the dynamic Asian financial hub.

1000 8 — *A masked couple walk by pro-democracy protesters who wave US and British flags as they gather on a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)*

Lam said political strife and unrest in the city, including anti-government protests in 2019 as well as protests in 2014, showed there were always some people who are “rather hostile” to the central authorities in China.

“I can understand that the central authorities are very concerned, they do not want the situation to deteriorate further in such a way that ‘one country, two systems’ cannot be implemented,” Lam said at a regular news briefing.

The Hong Kong government on Tuesday also said it plans to require district councilors — many of whom are directly elected by their constituents and tend to be more politically independent — to pledge allegiance to Hong Kong as a special region of China. Currently, only the chief executive, high officials, executive council members, lawmakers and judges are required to take an oath of office.

Those who are found to take the oath improperly or who do not uphold the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, will be disqualified and barred from running for office for five years, according to the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Erick Tsang.

Opposition figures swept district council elections following the 2019 protests and the Beijing authorities have since sought to prevent them from exerting influence on other aspects of the political system.

The move comes after an oath-taking controversy in 2016 ion which six pro-democracy lawmakers were expelled from the legislature after court rulings that they had not properly pledged allegiance because they mispronounced words, added words or read the oath extremely slowly.

FA2E99FB 5901 4E70 B177 17BA69917347 16 — *Riot police detain a protester during a demonstration against Beijing’s national security legislation in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Sunday, May 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)*

Hong Kong’s legislature is expected to deliberate the draft legal amendments on March 17.

On Monday, Xia Baolong, director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said Hong Kong could only be ruled by “patriots,” which exclude those who lobby other countries for foreign sanctions and “troublemakers.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin added to those assertions Tuesday, saying that “people in important positions, holding important powers and shouldering important administration responsibilities must be staunch patriots. It is a matter of course.”

The electoral changes are expected to be discussed and possibly passed at next month’s meeting of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp legislature, and its advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

They will likely take the form of a redistribution of votes in the 1,200-member electoral commission that selects Hong Kong’s chief executive, subject to Beijing’s veto. The commission is composed of voting blocs intended to represent Hong Kong’s various economic, educational and social sectors, along with its largely Beijing-dominated political institutions.

The one exception is the 117 commission members drawn from among the city’s 458 local district councilors.

JGPBZWJHX5BXHH575232XAK7EI — *Protesters in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)*

With all other commission members deemed to be firmly under Beijing’s control, speculation has risen that the 117 district council votes will be transferred to another bloc, possibly that of Hong Kong’s representatives to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, ensuring that they will follow Beijing’s directives.

It remains unclear whether Lam, who is deeply unpopular among Hong Kong’s population, will seek a second five-year term in next year’s poll.

Another possibility is that China will close what it calls “loopholes” in the election for members of the Legislative Council, now entirely dominated by pro-Beijing legislators since opposition deputies resigned en masse last year after four were expelled for being insufficiently loyal to the government.

Lam postponed elections for the council last year, citing concerns over COVID-19, in a move largely seen as designed to prevent an opposition victory.

Of the 70 members of the council, half are directly elected from geographic constituencies while the rest are drawn from trade and other special interest groups. Changes could include preventing district counselors from also sitting in the body or simply raising the requirements for loyalty and patriotism above the already stringent levels they are set at now.

Ethisphere Announces Charoen Pokphand Group Company Limited as One of the 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 1st Time

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Khaosod English

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24 February 2021, 06:00

Charoen Pokphand Group Company Limited, or C.P. Group a Thai-Based conglomerate has been recognized as one of the 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere, an organization that measures and advances the standards of ethical business practices. C.P. Group has been recognized for the first time, and is one of 7 honorees in the Food, Beverage & Agriculture industry. There are 135 companies honoured this year, with awardees panning 22 countries and 47 industries.

C.P. Group’s businesses have prioritized the implementation of the Group’s Corporate Governance Principles, in an effort to ensure that the Group’s operations in every jurisdiction meet the highest levels of integrity and uphold the highest degree of accountability and transparency. These principles aim to empower the Group and its employees to deliver long-term value for all stakeholders for sustainable business growth and to be a responsible corporate citizen in every country the Group operates in.

“Integrity has been embedded into our DNA and is the foundation for our ethics since we were founded 100 years ago,” said Suphachai Chearavanont, CEO of Charoen Pokphand Group. “Being recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies is a true honour, we’re still on a journey and I am greatly appreciative of the collective efforts of all our employees.

“While addressing the tough challenges of 2020, we saw companies lead – above all other institutions – on earning the trust of stakeholders through resilience and a commitment to ethics and integrity,” said Ethisphere CEO, Timothy Erblich. “The World’s Most Ethical Companies honorees continue to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the highest values and positively impacting the communities they serve. Congratulations to everyone at CHAROEN POKPHAND GROUP COMPANY LIMITED for earning the World’s Most Ethical Companies designation.”

Methodology & Scoring

Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe.

This year, the process was streamlined and question set expanded to gauge how applicants are adapting and responding to the global health pandemic, environmental, social, and governance factors, safety, equity, and inclusion and social justice.

Honorees

The full list of the 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be found at here.

Chef Cares Foundation Gives Underprivileged Youth a Chance To Pursue Their Chef Dreams

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Khaosod English

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24 February 2021, 06:00

Chef Cares Foundation has launched a new project called “Chef Cares Dream Academy”, which lends a helping hand to juvenile offenders and underprivileged youth who dream to become professional chefs.

Marisa Chearavanont, founder of Chef Cares Foundation, said that this latest initiative is following the foundation’s success in mobilizing a collective effort from 73 top chefs to spread compassion through donated quality meals to Thailand’s frontline health care workers during the initial COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown period.

She added that the volunteer chefs in the Chef Cares network had expressed their interests in creating opportunities for underprivileged youth who are passionate about cooking.

“Though they may come from a challenging background, it is our intention to give these young adults every opportunity to pursue an upstanding career. The culinary education will equip them with skills, knowledge and positive thinking. And our world-class chefs will provide inspiration and mentorship to put them on the path to becoming valuable members of society,” she said.

The inaugural class consists of 12 young adults, with ages ranging from 18-24. Half of the group comes from Thailand’s juvenile corrections system, while the other six come from marginalized communities in various areas of Thailand, including hill tribe members, who were nominated by the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University’s Center of Communication and Development Knowledge Management.

Sharing their passion for the culinary arts with the group, the youth were recently welcomed to the Panyapiwat Institute of Management (PIM) by Marisa Chearavanont, Nattapol Pavapaiboon (Chef Nick) from Wang Hinghoi, Chumpol Jangprai (Chef Chumpol) from R-Haan and Henk Savelberg (Chef Henk) from Savelberg.

Chef Nick said that as a restaurant owner, aside from cooking techniques, he is eager to promote positive thinking among the youngsters. “They will be given an opportunity to prove. I’m convinced that they will learn a lot from this course and at the end, they will be more positive towards themselves and society,” said Chef Nick.

Duangporn Ukris, Director of the Juvenile Justice System Development Division, praised Chef Cares Foundation for providing such a wonderful opportunity. “I have never known any scholarship program as comprehensive as this. It is delivering knowledge and understanding to the minors who yearn for the “opportunity” to reenter society. Any minor who demonstrates competency and good behaviors can also seek court consent for early exit and return home to begin his or her career,” she said.

The students were selected after submitting their profile and going through an interview process, and each will receive a full scholarship for the 5 month program that consists of two months of intensive professional culinary training at PIM followed by a three month practical internship in the kitchen of a top chef from the Chef Cares network. The program is meant to give them a solid footing in the culinary arts that they can use as a springboard to becoming a professional chef, while also providing inspiration for others in their peer groups to become aspiring chefs.

Along the way, the students will also have the benefit of a competency development program under a psychiatrist’s supervision. This program aims to boost the student’s self-determination and resilience by helping them better understand their strengths and weaknesses, with the goal of increasing their potential while also managing potential obstacles. The program will also help the youth adjust to the demands of restaurant work, with a focus on becoming a good team player through effective communication that enhances cooperation.

Thaksin Fumbles on 112, Southern Killings at ‘Clubhouse’ Debut

By

Khaosod English

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23 February 2021, 15:30

In this March 9, 2016, file photo, Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra responds to questions during an interview in New York. Photo: Frank Franklin II / AP File

BANGKOK — Thousands of users flocked to the popular Clubhouse application to listen to what the self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has to say about Thai politics on Monday night.

Using the pseudonym “Tony Woodsome,” the former PM discussed a wide range of issues, from the coronavirus pandemic and the economy to human rights – though he was clearly struggling to address the latter topics. Thaksin was joined by some of his former Cabinet members, like ex-education minister Chaturon Chaisang and then-technology minister Surapong Suebwonglee.

“We should open up the market and care more about the economy,” Thaksin said to his audience, which swelled to 8,000 users within 15 minutes. “What [the current government] is doing right now is a slow death for Thai people.”

The chat room was named “Thai Rak Thai: Whoever Lived in That Era, Come Join Us,” referring to Thaksin’s political party that swept him into power in 2001 through a landslide election victory.

Thai Rak Thai was later dissolved by a court in 2007, following the coup that toppled Thaksin a year earlier. Another court found him guilty of corruption in 2008, though not before he fled the country. Thaksin, 71, called the verdict politically motivated.

Although Thaksin has been giving numerous interviews since he went into his self-imposed exile, his appearance at Clubhouse was the first time an ordinary person can shoot questions directly to the former premier.

The Q&A session began with some casual questions like “why does he have to call himself Tony?” (to which he said was an English name he picked during his study in the United States) and “why PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has to become annoyed every time someone mentions Thaksin?” (he said he doesn’t know either).

Prayut himself appeared to be unamused when a reporter asked him on Tuesday morning whether he’d also join Clubhouse to counter his political nemesis.

“I don’t have time for it,” Prayut said as he shook his head.

“Why do you keep listening to that damn person who broke the laws?” the Prime Minister shot back, without naming anyone. “He damages our laws. Yet you keep giving him credits.”

1 80 — *Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra are seen in a July 26, 2016, photo posted online by Yingluck. Photo: Yingluck Shinawatra / Facebook*

But Thaksin also seemed to be put on a defensive when someone asked him what he thinks about the three key demands of the ongoing pro-democracy protests, which include resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, constitution amendments, and monarchy reforms. He gave a vague answer.

“I would get into talks. Everything has its own reasons,” Thaksin said. “The monarchy has been with our country for a long time, so we must respect it. They are particularly concerned about revolution.”

He went on, “Everything depends on negotiations. This issue can’t be ignored and every party must get together to work on it.”

When another user pressed him with questions about the excessive use of royal defamation law, Thaksin refused to comment.

“I prefer not to answer,” Thaksin said. “I’m only interested in world issues right now. I haven’t been following news in Thailand.”

He also appeared to be caught off guard by a question about the massacre at Krue Se Mosque under his tenure in 2004.

Thirty-two separatist insurgents barricaded themselves inside the historic mosque in Pattani on April 28, 2004, following an coordinated attack across the province. Security forces responded with an all-out assault that left all militants dead and the mosque devastated.

1000 3 26 — Supporters of Pheu Thai party, which is loyal to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, cheer while watching television election results at party headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Critics questioned why the government did not resort to bringing the siege to an end through negotiations. The killings also escalated the separatist violence in the three southern border provinces that came to marr Thaksin’s civilian rule.

“I feel sorry about what happened,” Thaksin said. “The situation was under military control back then. I received reports and I was remorseful. I can’t remember well enough.”

The current deputy prime minister, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, served as the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army when the Kru Se siege unfolded.

The chat lasted for two and a half hours and ended at 11.30pm, but many users went on to join other rooms where they critiqued and discussed Thaksin’s responses.

The invitation-only audio social networking app became increasingly popular in Thailand after monarchy critic Pavin Chachavalpongpun announced that he would start discussing the monarchy on the platform earlier this month.

The app allows users to listen to chat rooms, and speak when nominated by the moderators, though it is only available on iOS devices. It also attracted the attention of politicians, business figures, social media personalities, and even the Thai government, who warned users not to break the law while using the platform.

Thaksin is currently living in exile, alternating between his residences in London, Dubai, and Hong Kong. Despite his distance to Thailand, he continued to command massive support among his base and influence Thai politics through proxy parties loyal to his political dynasty.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Prayut Could Be ‘Too Old’ For Sinovac Jab

By

Khaosod English

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23 February 2021, 11:20

Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha gets a flu shot May 30, 2017 at Government House. — Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha gets a flu shot on May 30, 2017, at Government House.

BANGKOK — A senior health official on Tuesday poured cold water on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s pledge to be the first Thai to get the COVID-19 vaccine, citing his age.

Although PM Prayut volunteered to be the first to draw up his sleeve and get inoculated with a vaccine developed by Chinese firm Sinovac – the shipment of which is expected to arrive tomorrow – the jabs are recommended for those under the age of 59, said Supaporn Phumiamorn, Director of the Institute of Biological Products.

“Maybe he will get shot with another brand, like AstraZeneca,” she said by phone.

Read: Local Gov’t, Private Hospitals Blocked From Starting Vaccine Drive

It was health minister Anutin Charnvirakul who said on Monday that the 66-year-old Premier insisted on being the first person to get vaccinated, in order to raise confidence about the upcoming inoculation drive against COVID-19.

“He waved his hand and called me over. He said, ‘Noo, if I can get it, I’m getting it, so citizens can be reassured,’” Anutin said. Noo is Anutin’s nickname.

“We have to make it possible, and find the safest way for him to get vaccinated. This is like how other country leaders are getting vaccinated,” he went on. “It’s also for his safety, since government officials like him travel a lot and meet many people.”

Anutin said he didn’t want to set an exact time and date for Prayut’s jab. “Let’s not set a date. If I set a date, we get criticized as soon as we’re two minutes late.”

The first shipment of about 200,000 doses of vaccine are scheduled to arrive in Thailand on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The rest of the 2 million doses will arrive through April, government officials said.

The government has been criticized for delays in rolling out vaccines; inoculation for frontline health workers and vulnerable groups was supposed to start on Feb. 14, but the date has since been pushed back.

“Right now, we’re all working on the basis of fear,” Anutin told reporters. “We’re afraid the airplane’s engine won’t start on Feb. 24. So if the vaccines don’t come, it’s not the government’s fault, because we already did everything on our part.”

When asked when he would be getting the jab, the health minister said, “After my boss, of course.”

But Prayut’s volunteer spirit was soon blocked by Sophon Iamsirithaworn, director of the General Communicable Diseases Department, who told reporters that Sinovac doses will only be tributed to people between 18-59.

“We cannot give it to those under 18 or over 59, since there is no sufficient research data that can back it up,” Sophon said, adding that pregnant women will also be banned from getting the Sinovac doses out of health concerns.

True to his status as a politician, Anutin told reporters later on Tuesday that he merely communicated Prayut’s wish to be the first Thai national to get the vaccine – whether he’ll get it or not is not guaranteed.

“I’ve never said he will get inoculated with Sinovac’s vaccine,” Anutin said. “He was just expressing his wish, in order to make people confident in the vaccine’s safety. Everything will have to go through regulations. No exception.”

In an online statement published Tuesday morning, Prayut insisted the Sinovac shipment will arrive on time, but made no mention of when he’ll get vaccinated.

“The vaccination will begin for intended target groups within three days,” Prayut said.

Protests Swell After Myanmar Junta Raises Specter of Force

By

Associated Press

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23 February 2021, 09:00

1000 (14) — Anti-coup protesters gather outside the Hledan Centre while the flag of the National League for Democracy party is waved from an overhead roadway in Yangon, Myanmar Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo)

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Protesters gathered in Myanmar’s biggest city on Monday despite the ruling junta’s threat to use lethal force against people who join a general strike against the military’s takeover three weeks ago.

More than 1,000 protesters gathered near the U.S. Embassy in Yangon despite barriers blocking the way, but left to avoid a confrontation after 20 military trucks with riot police arrived nearby. Protests continued in other parts of the city, including next to Sule Pagoda, a traditional gathering point.

Factories, workplaces and shops were shuttered across the country Monday in response to the call for a nationwide strike. The closings extended to the capital, Naypyitaw.

The junta had warned against a general strike in a public announcement Sunday night on state television broadcaster MRTV.

“It is found that the protesters have raised their incitement towards riot and anarchy mob on the day of 22 February. Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life,” the onscreen text said in English, replicating the spoken announcement in Burmese.

1000 12 23 — *Anti-coup protesters raise their hands with clenched fists during a rally near the Mandalay Railway Station in Mandalay, Myanmar, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo)*

The junta’s statement also blamed criminals for past protest violence, with the result that “the security force members had to fire back.” Three protesters have been fatally shot.

Trucks cruised the streets of Yangon on Sunday night, blaring similar warnings.

The protest movement, which seeks to restore power to the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and have her and other leaders released from detention, has embraced nonviolence.

The nationwide strike was dubbed Five-Twos, for the five number twos in the numeric form of Monday’s date.

“I am joining the 22222 nationwide protest as a citizen of the country. We must join the protest this time without fail,” said 42-year-old Zayar, who owns a bottled water business in the capital. “So I’ve closed down my factory and joined the demonstration.”

1000 3 24 — *Anti-coup protesters hold up posters with images of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally near the Mandalay Railway Station in Mandalay, Myanmar Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo)*

Zin Mi Mi Aung, a 27-year-old saleswoman, also joined the strike.

“We don’t want to be governed by the regime,” she said as people marched and chanted behind her. “We will fight against them until we win.”

Thousands of people gathered in the capital’s wide boulevards, many on motorbikes to allow swift movement in the event of any police action.

Reports and photos of protests in at least a dozen cities and towns were posted on social media. Overhead views, some shot from drones, showed massive crowds in six cities appearing to number in the tens of thousands.

There were pictures of a particularly colorful event in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan state, where scores of small red hot-air balloons were set aloft. A bigger one was adorned with a drawing of the three-finger salute adopted by the anti-coup movement. The city is famous for its annual hot-air balloon festival.

1000 5 13 — *Police security forces form a line to block a road near the U.S. embassy in Yangon, Myanmar Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo)*

In Pyinmana, a satellite town of Naypyitaw, police chased people through the streets to arrest them. Reports on social media, including from worried family members, said police had arrested 200 people or more, mostly young people, and sent them to a military base. If confirmed, it would be the biggest mass arrest since the protests started.

The general strike was an extension of actions called by the Civil Disobedience Movement, a loosely organized group that has been encouraging civil servants and workers at state enterprises to walk off their jobs. Many transport workers and white collar workers have responded to the appeal.

On Saturday, a General Strike Committee was formed by more than two dozen groups to provide a more formal structure for the resistance movement and launch a “spring revolution.”

The United States and several Western governments have called for the junta to refrain from violence, release detainees and restore Myanmar’s elected government. On Monday, the U.S. said it was imposing sanctions against more junta members because of killings of peaceful protesters by security forces.

1000 10 5 — *Anti-coup protesters fill the main road during a rally in Mandalay, Myanmar Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo)*

Lt. Gen. Moe Myint Tun and Gen. Maung Maung Kyaw add to other military leaders and entities facing U.S. sanctions, and Britain and Canada have taken similar action since the military takeover.

The U.S. condemned the attacks on protesters, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement vowing to take further action if more violence occurred. “We call on the military and police to cease all attacks on peaceful protesters, immediately release all those unjustly detained, stop attacks on and intimidation of journalists and activists, and restore the democratically elected government,” he said.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military for most of its history since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. A gradual move toward democracy in the past decade allowed Suu Kyi to lead a civilian government beginning in 2016, though the generals retained substantial power under a military-drafted constitution.

Her party won last November’s election by a landslide, but the military stepped in before Parliament was to convene on Feb. 1, detained Suu Kyi and other government officials and instituted a one-year state of emergency. It contends the vote was tainted by fraud and plans to reinvestigate those allegations before a new election is held.

Huawei: COVID-19 Closed Many Doors, but Innovation Offers a Window of Hope

By

Khaosod English

-

23 February 2021, 06:00

Breakthroughs in technical innovation promise to make life better, businesses smarter, and the world more inclusive

[Shanghai, February 23, 2021] At the opening ceremony of Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021, Huawei’s Deputy Chairman Ken Hu spoke about the huge impact that COVID-19 has had on countries, enterprises, and people around the world, as well as the role technology plays in combatting the pandemic.

“Innovation isn’t just about solving the challenges we face today,” said Hu. “It’s about lighting up tomorrow. Once we get the pandemic under control, we need to think hard about how we can innovate to improve quality of life, make businesses smarter, and create a more inclusive world.” He explained that, while unequal access to digital technology and digital skills has widened the digital divide, the pandemic has made the situation significantly worse. “We have to focus innovation on bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots, and on driving digital inclusion”.

COVID-19 has created many new requirements for digital infrastructure. Over the past year, Huawei has worked closely with carriers to ensure the stable operations of more than 300 networks across 170 countries. In Indonesia, Huawei employed a new digital delivery technology to rapidly deploy over 50,000 base stations. In Ningxia, China, Huawei’s integrated routers enable multi-cloud access for enterprise users, helping them move to cloud more rapidly – and at lower cost. “As we look towards recovery,” Hu said, “we need to ensure that innovation isn’t just about today. It’s about lighting up tomorrow and creating greater social value.”

Innovating for better quality of life

During his keynote, Hu showed the audience Huawei’s Cyberverse app, an advanced AR application that demonstrates how 5G networks, 5G devices, and AR technology can converge to create a more immersive virtual experience, whether it be a lifelike forest or a simulation in outer space. The new app makes it possible to seamlessly integrate virtual and physical realities with high-precision, centimeter-level positioning capabilities, massive computing power, and high-bandwidth transmission through 5G. Huawei expects Cyberverse to create many new growth opportunities in multiple sectors, including education, entertainment, tourism, transportation, and navigation.

Innovating for smarter business

In recent years, technologies like 5G, cloud, and AI have begun playing an important role in manufacturing, accelerating the transition to more intelligent and flexible operations. Hu explained how Huawei’s own Dongguan South Factory is currently using 5G networks with cloud-based AI applications in its 5G smartphone production lines to drive huge productivity gains.

Opportunities abound in the digital transformation space. Huawei predicts that, by 2025, 97% of all large companies will use AI. Other estimates for 2025 include that 55% of China’s entire GDP will be driven by the digital economy, and 60% of global carrier revenue will be derived from industry customers. Hu noted that, to achieve these projections, “all industries should focus on improving their capabilities, building out the ecosystem, and creating value with digital technology.”=

As an ICT infrastructure provider, Huawei has been focusing heavily on 5G innovation to help drive the digital transformation of all industries. Hu noted that Huawei’s innovation is focused on three areas: technology, products, and applications.

Technology: Huawei’s new 5G Super Uplink solution delivers unmatched uplink speeds, helping companies break through a major bottleneck in industrial Internet.
Products: Huawei’s fully converged 5G edge computing products have sped up deployment of edge computing sites by a factor of 10.
Applications: Huawei’s Wireless X Labs incubates 5G applications with partners across a wide range of domains like manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and transportation. With these partners, Huawei is exploring how 5G can help different industries go digital more effectively.

Huawei is also working closely with customers and partners to drive innovation in 5G. The company is currently working with ecosystem partners to develop devices targeted at meeting specific industry needs. Through joint innovation and strategic partnerships with its customers, Huawei aims to drive 1 to N expansion of 5G applications for business. The company is also working to coordinate 5G communication and industry standards to more rapidly scale up 5GtoB applications.

Hu reported that, in collaboration with its partners and regional carriers, Huawei has signed more than 1,000 contracts for industrial 5G applications in more than 20 industries.

Innovating for a more inclusive world

While pivoting to address the pandemic, Hu warned that the world faces a real risk of K-shaped economic recovery once COVID-19 is brought under control. He predicts an increasingly wide divide between organizations and people who actively benefit from digital technology and those who do not. In order to avoid unbalanced development, bridge the digital divide, and promote inclusive growth, Hu emphasized that the focus of innovation needs to shift to producing greater social value.

The company has put its money where its mouth is. Through a partnership with Ghanaian operators on a rural network infrastructure project, Huawei currently plans to deploy more than 2,000 RuralStar base stations in remote regions around the country. This will help increase mobile coverage in Ghana from 83% to 95% and bring previously unconnected communities online for the first time.

Similarly, new AI services deployed on HUAWEI CLOUD are being used to help a small company in Malaysia double its production capacity without increasing headcount during the pandemic.

Hu also shared how 5G networks have been used to enable remote ultrasounds and CT scans that help address imbalanced distribution and shortages of medical resources.

Closing out his speech, Hu stressed that, while the pandemic closed many doors, innovation has opened new windows of hope. He concluded that, through ongoing innovation, Huawei will continue to pursue open partnerships with its customers and partners to help industries go digital and make life better, businesses smarter, and the world more inclusive.

At this year’s MWC Shanghai, Huawei is showcasing in Hall N1 seven new ICT network concepts, including Wireless 1+N, Home+, All-optical Bases, and Cloud-network Smart Connections, as well as nine new products and solutions, including ultra-simplified sites, gigabit home broadband, premium private lines, and intelligent cloud networks.

MWC Shanghai 2021 runs from February 23 to February 25 in Shanghai, China. Huawei’s products and solutions can be found at booth E10, E50, and E90 in Hall N1 in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). For more information, please visit https://carrier.huawei.com/en/events/mwcs2021.

About Huawei

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 194,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei

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For media contact, please reach Carl Byoir & Associates:

Suthatip Boonsaeng (08-7685-1695, 0-2627-3501 ext. 102) [email protected]

Sorawis Jumnansilp (08-1494-9339, 0-2627-3501 ext. 211) [email protected]

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Innovating for better quality of life

Innovating for smarter business

Innovating for a more inclusive world

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