A Nepalese doctor receives AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccines, manufactured under license by Serum Institute of India at Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal on Jan. 27, 2021. Photo: Niranjan Shrestha / AP
BANGKOK — The coronavirus vaccination program will not begin this Valentine’s Day as slated earlier, health minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced Friday.
Minister Anutin cited the vaccine supply dispute between AstraZeneca and the European Union as the reason for the new pushback. But the minister insisted that the first shipment of vaccines will still arrive within February, even as some of Thailand’s neighbors in Asia are already going forward with their inoculation.
“The delay is not from us,” Anutin said. “We will reach out to every source of production and ask them to send some of their stock to us before March. We’re trying to negotiate and doing everything we can. If there’s a problem, it’s beyond our control.”
Health officials previously told Khaosod English that the vaccination would officially begin on Feb. 14, but Anutin now said the first shot will not be administered until March, at the earliest.
The government is set to import 200,000 doses of vaccines jointly developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical AstraZeneca and Oxford University from abroad to fill the gap before the locally made version of AstraZeneca vaccines will be available. It is unclear when that will happen; officials have mentioned either May or June.
Many uncertainties lie ahead in the country’s ambitious plan to inoculate at least more than half of its population within this year as government officials keep pushing back the target date for the vaccine rollout.
AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration last week. But the FDA will still have to inspect each batch of the incoming vaccines before they can be used in Thailand, potentially a cause for yet another delay.
“The vaccines are set to be available in March,” Anutin said. “When the vaccines arrive in Thailand, it must go through an inspection process.”
The first group of people to be inoculated will be frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable populations such as those living with diabetes, obesity, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the provinces hardest hit by the virus, officials said.
Some other nations in the Asian region, most notably Indonesia and India, have already started their bid to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, prompting many government critics to question why Thailand is lagging behind.
Photo taken Jan. 28, 2021, shows a woman from Sapporo, Hokkaido, who became infected with the novel coronavirus along with her daughter and mother. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — As Japan struggles to contain a recent surge of coronavirus infections, preventing the virus from spreading within households has become a major challenge.
An increasing number of COVID-19 patients have been told to recover at home as many parts of the nation see a shortage of hospital beds. However, medical experts have highlighted the dangers of home isolation and the difficulty of stopping others in the infected person’s household from being exposed even when preventative steps are taken.
School Principal, Chris Seal (left) with Assistant Principal - Head of Senior, Rob Millar (right) are excited about the opportunities that the new facilities will bring to build on Shrewsbury’s unparalleled track record
Project 2021 dramatically increases the provision for Science, Mathematics, Computing, Innovation, Sixth Form, Higher Education counselling, Dining and Sport at Thailand’s leading independent international school.
Central to the development, Riverside’s 18 new high-specification Science laboratories – set over three floors – will inspire students on their journeys to the World’s finest universities. In combination with the dedicated facilities for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, 16 Mathematics classrooms, four Computing suites, an Innovation space and Robotics lab and brand new Sixth Form centre will deliver a compelling 17,000 sqm learning environment for the Riverside community.
This additional capacity will support the growth of the community from the current Senior School role of 930 students to a broader and more diverse community of 1,370 students by 2026. In addition, the 43 rai Riverside campus retains its renowned Junior School (from 3 years) and will continue to receive students into its Senior School from Shrewsbury’s already successful primary-aged City Campus (Sukhumvit-Rama 9), which opened in August 2018.
On the ground floor, Students will dine in an all-new purpose-built 700 seat air-conditioned hall, whilst at the top of the new Senior School building, Shrewsbury’s A level students will enjoy wonderful views out over the Chao Phraya from a split level 4000+sqm Sixth Form Centre. Incorporating Riverside’s award-winning Higher Education Team, a cafe, numerous breakout spaces, and quiet, flexible working environments, aspirational students will enjoy an inspiring environment that offers space to think and collaborate.
Set over 5 floors, the new 17,000 sqm Senior School building will provide top-specification facilities for STEM subjects, dining and a 4,000sqm Sixth Form centre for A level studies and award-winning Higher Education counselling
Shrewsbury Sport has been a key part of the collaboration among students over the history of the school, and Project 2021 represents another leap forward in provision. Two basketball courts are added to the existing three, and the growing netball programme will have one of the few purpose-built courts in Thailand. With badminton and volleyball also well served by the new 1,480sqm, air-conditioned sports hall, all athletes will benefit from 340sqm of Strength and Conditioning Space beneath, as well as a new 80sqm Yoga room and 80sqm spin bike studio. This new performance complex is based on the Powerbase concept from Loughborough University, where many of the UK’s finest Olympians and elite athletes train and develop.
A 340sqm Strength and Conditioning zone sits beneath a new 1,400sqm sports hall, which will add two more competition courts to the existing three
Project 2021 meets the ambitions of the whole Shrewsbury community. With a design informed by a range of stakeholders – including the students themselves – and supported wonderfully by the Sophonpanich family and excellent governance linked to Shrewsbury School in the UK, this new development delivers new and exciting opportunities for aspirational parents, staff and students alike.
School owner, Khun Chali Sophonpanich, is pleased with the progress made and excited with what the investment will offer students going forward. “We are proud to be delivering two wonderful buildings that, for years to come, will continue to offer Shrewsbury students a chance to find and fulfil their potential – particularly in the Sciences, Mathematics, Computing, Sports – and ultimately to secure places at World-leading universities of their choice”.
Always looking forward, Shrewsbury Riverside has already produced a campus masterplan under the leadership of Shrewsbury Alumna, Khun Julie Sophonpanich and Principal Chris Seal, and in partnership with lead architect, Robert Philip Holmes of City Realty Company Ltd. and DWP Architects. This masterplan will in turn see new developments in all Senior School departments (including new plans for Music, Art and Drama) as well as renewal of the Prep and Pre-Prep buildings by 2025.
Khun Chali Sophonpanich together with daughter and Shrewsbury Alumna Khun Julie Sophonpanich. The unwavering support of the Sophonpanich family ensures that Shrewsbury remains at the pinnacle of international education
Principal Chris Seal comments, “Shrewsbury Riverside is built on aspiration. The Sophonpanich family and the Governing body showed foresight and ambition in launching this project before my appointment. I have thoroughly enjoyed bringing it to fruition and look forward to seeing the impact of these amazing spaces on our young people and their learning”.
To find out more and to apply, please visit the Riverside website HERE
President Joe Biden signs his first executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
By The Associated Press
President Joe Biden and aides are showing touches of prickliness over growing scrutiny of the new president’s heavy reliance on executive orders in his first days in office.
The president in just over a week has already signed more than three dozen executive orders and directives aimed at addressing the coronavirus pandemic as well as a gamut of other issues including environmental regulations, immigration policies and racial justice.
Biden has also sought to use the orders to erase foundational policy initiatives by former President Donald Trump, such as halting construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall and reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender people from serving in the military.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Biden’s early reliance on executive action is at odds with the Democrat’s pledge as a candidate to be a consensus builder. The New York Times editorial board on Thursday ran an opinion piece headlined “Ease up on the Executive Actions, Joe.”
Biden, for his part, on Thursday framed his latest executive actions as an effort to “undo the damage Trump has done” by fiat rather than “initiating any new law.” During a brief exchange with reporters in the Oval Office after signing two more executive orders, he noted he was working simultaneously to push his $1.9 trillion COVID aid package through Congress. After being asked by a reporter if he was open to splitting up the relief package, the president responded: “No one requires me to do anything.”
Earlier in the day, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield bristled at the criticism of Biden’s executive orders in a series of tweets, adding, “Of course we are also pursuing our agenda through legislation. It’s why we are working so hard to get the American Rescue Plan passed, for starters.”
In his Senate floor speech Thursday morning, McConnell offered a misleading broadside that Biden as a candidate had declared “you can’t legislate by executive action unless you are a dictator.”
In fact, Biden at an October ABC News town hall had said there are certain “things you can’t do by executive order unless you’re a dictator” during an exchange about how quickly he’d push his plan to raise taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
Biden and aides, including top White House economists, have said that they believe executive action is a pale substitute for legislative action. At the same time, they’ve defended the heavy use of executive action at the start of the administration as a necessary stopgap to address the worst public health crisis in more than a century and reverse some of Trump’s policies.
“There are steps, including overturning some of the harmful, detrimental and, yes, immoral actions of the prior administration that he felt he could not wait to overturn, and that’s exactly what he did,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
While Biden has used executive action more frequently out of the gate than recent White House predecessors, he’s not alone in being a heavy user of presidential fiat — or being criticized by the opposition party for doing so.
Bill Clinton had 364 orders over two terms, George W. Bush signed 291 over his eight years in office and Barack Obama issued 276. Trump in his one term signed 220 orders.
McConnell on Thursday scoffed that Biden in his first week in the White House “signed more than 30 unilateral actions and working Americans are getting short shrift.” He similarly criticized Obama for “imposing his will unilaterally” through executive orders and memoranda.
But McConnell was far more understanding of Trump’s decision to use executive orders to get around Congress at various points in the Republican’s presidency.
For example, in August, after coronavirus relief negotiations collapsed, Trump signed a series of executive orders that called for deferring payroll taxes for Americans earning less than $100,000 per year, pausing student loan payments, continuing eviction moratoriums and extending, albeit smaller, enhanced unemployment benefits that had expired.
“Since Democrats have sabotaged backroom talks with absurd demands that would not help working people, I support President Trump exploring his options to get unemployment benefits and other relief to the people who need them the most,” McConnell said.
Bangkok, February 2021 – A juxtaposition between tradition and modernity, TWG Tea marries the significant cultures of the East and the West with an exquisite three-tier Le Voyage de Swan Tea Time Set this Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year.
Brilliantly infused with signature teas from the Weekend Tea Collection, each savoury and sweet nibble in the tea time set professes unique characters and flairs of some of the world’s most renowned cities, allowing you to savour the taste of the world with this adorable tea time set.
A symbol of love and devotion, start the tea time with Pink Swan, a refreshing mocktail of Silver Moon Tea concocted with pink grapefruit syrup and lychee puree.
Begin the romantic gastronomic journey with an array of tea-infused savoury canapes such as the sweet and crunchy watermelon topped with feta cheese and mint leaf, sprinkled with Weekend in Istanbul Tea; fresh scallop tossed in herbs and lemon sauce infused with Weekend in Casablanca Tea; and smoked salmon sandwich with herb cream cheese and dill infused with Weekend in St. Tropez Tea. Indulge in bruschetta topped with scrambled egg, mascarpone, caviar and cream cheese infused with Weekend in Venice Tea; and crab salad sandwich with Weekend in Singapore Tea infused mayonnaise and seasoned with lemon zest and espelette pepper.
Impress your loved ones with a delightful assortment of patisseries blended with signature teas. The selection includes kaffir lime financier topped with raspberry jam infused with Weekend in Dubai Tea and decorated with berries and white chocolate; vanilla panna cotta sable tart is filled with raspberry jelly filling infused with Weekend in Dubai Tea; and raspberry cake layered with almond sponge, praline, feuilletine, and raspberry jam infused with Weekend in Dubai Tea. Other sweet pinnacles that will leave her feeling loved inside and out are the blueberry pavlova oozing with the decadent Weekend in Bombay Tea infused cream, topped with fresh blueberries, pistachios, and white chocolate; and the mixed nut caramel sandwich cookie with caramel cream filling infused with Weekend in Singapore Tea, dark chocolate and pistachios.
End the afternoon on a sweet note with the Swan Lake. Delight your Valentine with swan profiteroles – white chocolate profiterole filled with vanilla cream infused with Holiday in Paris Tea; and dark chocolate profiterole filled with Holiday in New York Tea infused raspberry cream.
Beautifully paired with the iconic French Earl Grey that brings heartfelt joy to lovers like a pair of swans taking flight to a wonderful journey, Le Voyage de Swan Tea Time Set for two is priced at 890++ THB and is available from 1 February to 31 March 2021 at TWG Tea Salons in Siam Paragon and The Emporium.
The Perfect Gift for Your Valentine
Place Vendome Tea
The emblem of perfection and purity, this tea symbolises the harmony between the taste of the Orient and Europe – a magical paradox uniting fruits and flowers into a wonderfully blended, fine TWG Tea green tea. The perfect gift for a special someone. 1,360 THB, 100g.
Mon Amour Tea
An alluring infusion to entice your one true love, this black tea is blended with yellow blossoms and sweet notes of quince, the sacred fruit of the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Beckon your beloved with this magical potion! 1,360 THB, 100g.
Amour de The
A swirling eddy of savours, remind her that love is eternal with this sensual TWG Tea Darjeeling is blended with delicate rose blossoms. An enchanting potion to awaken desires. 1,360 THB, 100g.
A New Year’s Voyage through Tea and Time
Emperor Pu-Erh
This Chinese New Year, embark on a new journey through tea and time with the Emperor Pu-Erh, a matured tea yielding a strong and earthy fragrance. Noted for its stimulating properties that improve digestion and mental alertness, the cedarwood aftertaste also relaxes and calms the body. 1,360 THB, 100g.
Destiny Tea
Celebrate the New Year with the effervescent Destiny Tea. This exclusive green tea blend will enliven your spirits with passion fruit and a bouquet of rose, marigold and jasmine. An excellent tea for quiet contemplation and celebrations. 1,360 THB, 100g.
Hidden Pu-Erh
Luxuriously wrapped in a velvet pouch and a festive red and gold-embossed gift box, this exceptional earthy, matured black tea yields a surprisingly gentle floral aroma and the infusion produces woody notes of wild berries and forest moss. 2,200 THB, 90g.
A file photo of Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan visiting Samut Sakhon province on March 5, 2018.
Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has briefed the Minister of the Labour about the government measures to help workers during the Covid-19 crisis.
The Deputy Prime minister met Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin and Deputy Labour Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat during the event.General Prawit urged the Ministry to presume measures to help contain the spread of Covid-19 in workplaces and develop aid measures for workers affect-ed by the impact of the pandemic.
These set of measures in-clude surveillance and prevention of the Covid-19 spread among migrant workers. The reduction of migrant workers entering the country and improving the management system for migrant work-ers currently residing in Thailand.
A file photo of Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan visiting Samut Sakhon province on March 5, 2018.
Government later policy aims to relax some measures regarding the work and residency stayed of migrant workers in a careful way to help curved this spread of Covid-19 as well as implementing proactive disease control measures in workplaces.
For workers affected by the pandemic, the Minister of Labour has been ordered to provide assistance to them in the timely manner with the focus on job safing and promoting new hires including informal workers while providing skills development training for those in need.
The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Labour to proceed with entire human trafficking operations to upgrade Thailand status to Tier1 on the US trafficking in person report to provide inclusive unemployment benefits and compensation to all social security benefit holders until regulate the wage compensation for workers effected.
Khanaphot Yaemsanguansak, second from left, Laponpat Wangpaisit, and Benjamaporn Nivas at the Office of the Attorney General on Jan. 28, 2021.
BANGKOK — Three high school activists, the youngest of them 16, were indicted Thursday for their roles in organizing an anti-government protest in October.
Leaders of the “Bad Students” education reform group Laponpat “Min” Wangpaisit, 18, Benjamaporn “Ploy” Nivas, 16, as well as activist Khanaphot “Phoom” Yaemsanguansak, 16, appeared at the Central Juvenile and Family Court on Thursday afternoon. They were charged with breaching the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings.
They were later released without having to post any bail, since they were not deemed a flight risk.
“We will deny all the allegations,” Laponpat said before entering the court. “We’re disappointed to see those in power trying to prosecute us, but we will continue to fight for justice. We hope other students will join our fight as well.”
The defendants stand accused of violating the Emergency Decree for organizing an anti-government rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection on Oct. 15. At least three other adults, which include Free People leader Tattep Ruangprapakitseree, were also charged with the same offense.
The government imposed the State of Severe Emergency at the time, permitting the authorities to ban public gatherings of more than five people. The special law, which also empowers authorities to censor media deemed to cause unrest, was revoked a few days later, on Oct. 22.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights attorney Koomklao Songsomboon, who represented the defendants, said the student activists are due to appear before the court again in April.
“The youths were exercising their rights under the Constitution. They were calling for an education reform, which shouldn’t be unlawful,” Koomklao said. “The prosecution of the youths is against the international convention on children’s rights as well.”
If found guilty, they face up to two years in juvenile detention center and a maximum fine of 40,000 baht.
“The prosecution is almost the same as adults,” Koomklao said.
At least six youths were charged for their roles in the protest. In December, a 16-year-old boy was charged with royal defamation for allegedly mocking the monarchy by wearing a crop-top.
Lawyer and activist Arnon Nampa at a Harry Potter-themed protest on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Aug. 3, 2020. Image: Prachatai.
BANGKOK — The national bar association on Thursday defended its decision to set up an investigation into whether one of its members, attorney and pro-democracy activist Arnon Nampha, has breached its code of conduct.
A spokesman for the Lawyers Council of Thailand Under Royal Patronage said a three-man committee was convened on Jan. 13 in response to a complaint it received from an assistant to the Prime Minister’s Office. The petition accused Arnon of “inciting hatred” toward the monarchy by leading a protest back in August.
“Article 18 of our Behavior Code says if there’s any action that may damage the professional reputation, we can investigate it,” committee spokesman Panya Jarumas said by phone.
Panya believes the inquiry will conclude about a month after Arnon submitted his written defense.
Arnon Nampa, right, holds a mock ballot box during a protest calling for an election on Feb. 10, 2018.
Article 18 of the Lawyer Council’s Behaviour Code stated that lawyers and attorneys of law must not “conduct themselves in violation of the good morals, or damage the dignity and reputation of the lawyer profession.”
The complaint against Arnon was submitted by Apiwat Kanthong, attorney and assistant to PM Office Minister Anucha Nakasai, urging the lawyer council to punish Arnon for his role in leading a protest against the government on Aug. 3.
Part of the complaint, dated Aug. 7, said Arnon “violated the revered and inviolable institution of the monarchy, which is beloved by all Thais, through his speeches. He distorted facts, insulted, slandered, incited unrest, and caused damages and hatred toward the monarchy with an aim to sow division within the country.”
Arnon was one of the organizers of a Harry Potter-themed rally on Ratchadamnoen Avenue on that day, where he urged demonstrators to “break the ceiling” and insist on reforms of the monarchy – surprising many onlookers.
His plea was later taken up by the main body of the student-led protesters, and monarchy reforms became one of three key goals sought by the movement.
Demonstrators at a Harry Potter-themed protest on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Aug. 3, 2020.
Panya said punishment for breaching the council’s code of conduct varies, from suspension of attorney’s license for five years to probation and verbal warning.
“We don’t even know yet what the level of the punishment would be,” Panya said, while stressing that Arnon is considered innocent until proven guilty by the committee.
Arnon said on the phone Thursday he will submit a written defense statement within the next 15 days, adding that he is not particularly concerned by the news.
“The process is not complicated,” the 36-year-old activist and lawyer said. “I’m not worried, because the lawyer profession hasn’t really made much money for me anyway.”
Asked what he would feel if he’s found guilty and stripped of his license, Arnon replied, “That’d be a pity, because I wouldn’t be able to help poor people and the ordinary citizens.”
Koreeyor Manuchae, chairwoman of the Human Rights Lawyers Association, said she submitted a petition urging the Lawyers Council not to take up the complaint against Arnon, but to no avail.
The attorney said she’s concerned that the probe may become politicized.
“Arnon is already under the spotlight,” Koreeyor said. “It might also affect the Lawyers Council’s standing … I think the Lawyers Council shouldn’t have accepted this matter for consideration in the first place. What Arnon did was within the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
A 2017 file photo of Techin “DJ Matoom” Ploypetch.
BANGKOK — No one has been held responsible so far for a celebrity’s birthday party blamed for at least 24 coronavirus infections, officials said Thursday.
The party, held on Jan. 9 at Banyan Tree Hotel on Sathorn Road, appears to be in contravention of the government’s order that bans gatherings and banquets amid resurgence of coronavirus outbreak. It was attended by celeb talk show host Techin “DJ Matoom” Ploypetch, and guests are believed to include singers, actors, and talent managers.
But despite calls for legal action from key government officials, police said they cannot do anything since no one has come forward to file a complaint – a contrast to swift prosecutions of more than 100 people, most of them foreigners, caught at a party on Koh Phangan last night.
“We must wait for competent officials under the Communicable Diseases Act to file a police report,” Metropolitan Police Division 5 commander Sophon Saraphat said.
Social media photo of Techin “DJ Matoom” Ploypetch at the Jan. 9, 2021, birthday party held at Banyan Tree Hotel.
“This case requires specialized knowledge from experts or officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or the health ministry, as they have the power to prosecute [the violators] under the law.”
The Department of Disease Control said it has instructed the City Hall to investigate and prosecute the hotel for allowing the rooftop party to be held, in clear violation of the pandemic laws.
“The hotel and individuals who attended the party may violate the Emergency Decree, which prohibits activities or mass gatherings that may lead to widespread infections,” director Sophon Iamsirithavorn said.
Failure to abide by the decree is punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of 40,000 baht.
An officer picking up the phone at the BMA disease control division said officials are still deliberating on actions to be taken against the hotel and partygoers. The person gave no information on when the decision will be taken.
Officials and police on Jan. 28, 2021, inspect a rooftop restaurant at Banyan Tree Bangkok Hotel where the Jan. 9 birthday party was held.
The Banyan Tree Hotel declined to comment. Staff at the hotel said the management will make a formal statement on the matter at a later time.
Local police also inspected the hotel earlier today, but made no attempt to take action against the establishment.
The snail-pace response from the authorities is in contrast to other crackdowns under the same law. Dozens of pro-democracy activists who held rallies against the government were arrested and charged in recent weeks for allegedly violating the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings.
Law enforcement officials in Surat Thani province on Wednesday night also raided a bar on Koh Phangan and arrested 111 partygoers for breaching the gathering ban, including 89 foreigners.
Contradicting Timelines
The BMA previously accused some of the infected partygoers of refusing to reveal their travel history to health officials – an allegation later disputed by the patients themselves.
A report published by the BMA earlier on Wednesday morning said four patients – designated by their case numbers as 645, 647, 657, and 658 – “refused to disclose the information” about some of the venues they visited.
But after the news broke, Krit Phantham, the leader of AXIS boyband group, stepped forward to identify himself as Patient 647. He said he was surprised to see the City Hall’s report because he had already given all the details of his whereabouts to health officials.
“I insist that I didn’t hide my information,” Krit said during an interview with GMM25’s Chae show on Wednesday night. “I also found it strange that the timeline did not match the information I gave them.”
Officials and police on Jan. 28, 2021, inspect a rooftop restaurant at Banyan Tree Bangkok Hotel where the Jan. 9 birthday party was held.
In the official version of his timeline, Krit is said to attend a party at Banyan Tree Hotel on Jan. 8, have lunch at the same hotel on Jan. 9, and refuse to give out information from Jan. 14 to 20.
However, Krit said he went to Techin’s condominium for a birthday surprise on Jan. 8 and did not attend Techin’s birthday party at Banyan Tree Hotel on Jan. 9.
As for the missing dates in the timeline published by the BMA, he said he was staying at his condominium the whole time.
Two other patients also reached out to reporters and said that their travel history published by the BMA is incorrect. The BMA then replaced the timeline of Patient 647, 657, 658 last night with a new report saying they were staying home. The update made by the BMA appears to reflect Krit’s accounts.
The City Hall said in a statement that all of the published travel history is based on the information gathered by health officials, though it could not verify whether the account given by the patients is true.
“We added some details after we questioned the patients for a second time,” the statement wrote.
“The investigators do not know whether the information provided by the patients is genuine, but the patients can be prosecuted under the emergency decree or the Communicable Diseases Act should they refuse to give up information.”
The spokesman for the BMA Pongsakorn Kwanmuang could not be reached for comments as of publication time.
In this Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 photo, a Thai immigration officer talks to people at a bar on Koh Phangan island, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. (Police Investigation Team of Surat Thani Immigration via AP)
BANGKOK (AP) — Police raided a party at a bar on a popular resort island in southern Thailand and arrested 89 foreigners for violating coronavirus regulations, officials said Wednesday.
The Tuesday night raid on the Three Sixty Bar on Koh Phangan also netted 22 Thais, including one identified as the bar’s owner and another who sold drinks there, said police Col. Suparerk Pankosol, superintendent of the provincial immigration office.
He said the gathering was illegal under a national state of emergency declared last March to combat the coronavirus.
Those arrested were from more than 10 countries, including the U.S., Britain, Switzerland and Denmark, Suparerk said. Photos of the raid distributed by police showed a dark, crowded room with casually dressed partygoers, almost all wearing face masks.
In this Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 photo, a Thai immigration officer talks to people at a bar on Koh Phangan island, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. (Police Investigation Team of Surat Thani Immigration via AP)
Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province is a popular destination for young backpacking travelers and is known especially for its all-night Full Moon beach parties. However, Thailand has barred virtually all tourists from entering the country since last April.
There have been 29 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Surat Thani out of a national total of 15,465. However, 11 of the 29 cases have been found in the last month as Thailand experienced a resurgence of the disease.
The penalty for violating the state of emergency is up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 40,000 baht ($1,330). The bar owner and worker could also be charged with violating the Communicable Disease Act, punishable by a one-year prison term and a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($3,330).
In this Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 photo, partygoers crowd a bar on Koh Phangan island, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. (Police Investigation Team of Surat Thani Immigration)
Suparerk said the arrested people were being held at the Koh Phangan police station, where investigators were preparing documents to charge them.
He said police had tracked the party plans on social media, where the bar was promoting the event to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Entry tickets were 100 baht ($3.30), with food and drink extra.
