89 Foreigners Arrested for Flouting COVID-19 Rules at Bar

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28 January 2021, 15:15

1000 (10) — 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.

1000 4 28 — 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).

S 22143112 4 — *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.

Pizza Company Unveils Pizza Without Pizza

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Khaosod English

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28 January 2021, 15:11

Left: Pizza Company / Facebook. Right: Channarong Uttakit / Facebook

BANGKOK — First things first, this is not an April Fool’s story.

Popular “pizza” franchise Pizza Company took a slice of netizens’ attention on Thursday with its new menu: a non-pizza pizza – the whole thing consists of a ring of mini cheese burgers, fused together into a circular crust. It’ll be available for orders until Feb. 23.

The burger crusts is as large as a M sized pizza, has 12 mini-cheeseburgers, comes with ketchup and tomato mustard sauce, and costs 189 baht. In justification of its latest innovation, the company cited popular demand.

“We’re here to please the crust lovers who really like our double cheeseburger crusts!” the announcement said.

Many comments were positive, though some expressed their bewilderment.

“Such culinary evolution. Five hundred years later, historians will debate about why this item was called a pizza at all,” Facebook user Taksapol Sriwachirawat predicted. “And why Italy invaded Thailand.”

“I don’t think this is pizza anymore. Farangs will probably be confused,” user Khun Nai AiAi added with concern.

The Pizza Company franchise is part of Minor Group, which also runs other food franchises like Swensens, Sizzler, Dairy Queen, Burger King, The Coffee Club, and so on. It previously teased about an upcoming “new innovation” in a statement released to the media on Jan. 14.

“The Pizza Company will focus on bringing out new innovation (Product & Service Innovation) by creating modern and creative menus, services and activities to create a phenomenon and light up the year,” the company said.

The same statement from Pizza Company also said celebrity Paris “Ice” Intrarakomalyasut was chosen as the presenter for its New York-style pizza because of his “half-caste look who represents the new generation that favours a modern and fun lifestyle and is friendly.”

“Half-caste” is an outdated, offensive term from the British colonial era used to describe people of mixed ethnicities. Paris is an actor and singer of British descent.

Update: Italian ambassador to Thailand Lorenzo Galanti has issued a tongue-in-cheek response to the story:

A non-pizza deserves a non -war ☺️. But food lovers might still want to try the real thing 🍕🇮🇹

— Lorenzo Galanti (@lorenzo_galanti) January 28, 2021

Gov’t Hardliners to Block Talks of Lese Majeste in Parliament

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Khaosod English

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28 January 2021, 13:00

S__22143109 — Pro-democracy activists Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul and Parit Chiwarak report to police to hear charges of lese majeste pressed against them in Bangkok on Jan. 20, 2021.

BANGKOK — Pro-establishment politicians said Wednesday they will seek to block any attempts to raise the issue of royal defamation law or the monarchy during the censure debate next month.

The opposition’s Move Forward Party has told Khaosod English that it’s planning to bring up the discriminate use of the royal insult charge, or lese majeste, when the Parliament convenes for the debate on Feb. 16, but a key coalition leader said he will protest any mentions of the law.

“We will do our duty and ensure that the session complies with regulations, especially No. 69, which governs the discussions about the monarchy,” Paiboon Nititawan, deputy leader of the ruling Phalang Pracharath Party, said by phone. “Therefore, if they talk about it, it’ll be in violation of No. 69. We will protest it.”

He also said, “But when we protest, we’ll explain our reasons to the public, so they’ll understand us and they won’t think we try to obstruct the debate. So, if there’s any issue about [lese majeste], we will protest it. I’ll be part of the effort to scrutinize the opposition.”

Regulation No. 69 on parliamentary sessions bans the speakers from “referencing His Majesty the King or any other person without due cause.”

A similar warning was issued by Warong Dechgitvigrom, a leader of hardline pro-monarchy group Thai Phakdee, which was recently registered as a political party. Warong said he would regard attacks on lese majeste law – or any move to amend it – as an attempt to overthrow the monarchy.

Insulting the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison per count, according to Article 112 of the Criminal Codes. The Move Forward Party has said it’s aiming to discuss its excessive enforcement in the upcoming censure debate, and explore venues to amend the law.

“We will have to warn the MPs,” Warong said by phone Wednesday. “Politicians are plotting to repeal Article 112 in order to destabilize the monarchy. They are trying to overthrow the system of democratic regime with the King as Head of State.”

He added, “As soon as they propose it, we’ll file a legal challenge.”

But deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam told reporters that lese majeste and the monarchy can be mentioned during a censure debate is possible, as long as the speakers make clear they raise the issue in order to criticize the government, not the royal institution.

“It doesn’t mean they can’t talk about it, but they’ll have to be careful, otherwise they’ll run into regulations on parliamentary sessions and protests from fellow MPs,” Wissanu said Wednesday. “They can talk about it, but they have to make it about the Ministers. Don’t make it about the monarchy.”

In its letter to the House Speaker, the opposition said it’s planning to target PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and nine Ministers in their no-confidence motion.

Another coalition member party said it will keep a close watch on the censure debate. Democrat Party spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng said he’ll have to see whether and how the issue about lese majeste will be discussed at the Parliament before he can make any comment.

“We cannot make any guess right now,” Ramet said by phone. “But if there’s any violation of the regulations, of course it will be up to the MPs [to act]. Everyone knows what their duty is, because we’re all committed to the institutions of Nation, Religions, and Monarchy.”

Ramet said his party will also wait to see if Move Forward will go ahead with its push to amend the lese majeste law, although he confirmed the Democrat Party does not endorse the amendment.

“As for Article 112, our party has no policy to amend it, because we are not affected or damaged by it directly,” the spokesman said.

Phalang Pracharath Party deputy chairman Paiboon said he will personally oppose any amendment to the lese majeste law.

“We’ll wait and see, but personally, I oppose it, of course,” he said. “Our party’s policy is to defend the monarchy.”

WHO Begins Full-Fledged Probe Into Virus Origins in Wuhan

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Kyodo News

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28 January 2021, 09:01

1000 (14) — Posters seen Jan. 22, 2021, on a street in Wuhan, China, urge people to take preventive measures against the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo)

WUHAN, China (Kyodo) — Experts from the World Health Organization on Thursday started a full-fledged investigation in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first detected in late 2019.

All eyes are on whether the team can identify an animal that originally carried the virus as more than one year has already passed since the first infection case was detected in Wuhan, a business and transportation hub with a population of some 11 million.

Continue reading the story here.

Bernie Sanders’ Mittens, Memes Help Raise $1.8m for Charity

By

Associated Press

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28 January 2021, 09:00

By The Associated Press

About those wooly mittens that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration, sparking endless quirky memes across social media? They’ve helped to raise $1.8 million in the last five days for charitable organizations in Sanders’ home state of Vermont, the independent senator announced Wednesday.

The sum comes from the sale of merchandise with the Jan. 20 image of him sitting with his arms and legs crossed, clad in his brown parka and recycled wool mittens.

Sanders put the first of the so-called “Chairman Sanders” merchandise, including T-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers, on his campaign website Thursday night and the first run sold out in less than 30 minutes, he said. More merchandise was added over the weekend and sold out by Monday morning, he said.

“Jane and I were amazed by all the creativity shown by so many people over the last week, and we’re glad we can use my internet fame to help Vermonters in need,” Sanders said in a written statement. “But even this amount of money is no substitute for action by Congress, and I will be doing everything I can in Washington to make sure working people in Vermont and across the country get the relief they need in the middle of the worst crisis we’ve faced since the Great Depression.”

Sanders’ mittens were made by Jen Ellis, a Vermont elementary school teacher who has a side business making mittens out of recycled wool. His inauguration look, also featuring the winter jacket made by Burton Snowboards, sparked countless memes from the photo taken by Agence France-Presse: The former presidential candidate could be found on social media timelines taking a seat on the subway, the moon and the couch with the cast of “Friends,” among other creative locales.

1000 14 21 — Tobey King speaks to her crochet Bernie Sanders doll as the bidding continues on eBay on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The doll sold for $20,300, and all of the proceeds are being donated to Meals on Wheels. (Billy Calzada/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Ellis said on social media over the weekend that Sanders called to tell her that “the mitten frenzy” had raised an enormous amount of money for Vermont charities although she was not authorized to disclose the amount, yet.

“But it’s BIG and it’s amazing! Thank you!! Generosity brings joy,” she tweeted.

She also said she made three more pairs of mittens and donated them for fundraising to Passion 4 Paws Vermont, Outright Vermont, and would be auctioning off a pair on eBay for her daughter’s college fund.

1000 4 27 — *People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk past a depiction of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)*

The groups that will benefit from the proceeds of the “Chairman Sanders” items include Area Agencies on Aging to fund Meals on Wheels throughout Vermont, Vermont community action agencies, Feeding Chittenden, Chill Foundation, senior centers in Vermont and Bi-State Primary Care for dental care improvements in the state, Sanders’ office said.

Sander’ attire has also sparked other charitable endeavors. A crocheted doll of Sanders in his garb was auctioned off online and Burton Snowboards donated 50 jackets to the Burlington Department for Children and Families in Sanders’ name, his office said.

Getty Images confirmed that it will donate its proceeds as part of the licensing agreement to put the photo on the merchandise to Meals on Wheels of America.

CPF Extends 30-Day Credit Program in Wake of New COVID-19 Infections

By

Khaosod English

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28 January 2021, 06:00

Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF) proceeds with its “Faster Payment” scheme, to boost small-scaled suppliers’ liquidity in wake of new wave of COVID-19 infections.

Mr. Prasit Boondoungprasert, Chief Executive Officer, expressed concerns about the liquidity condition of suppliers, particularly very small or individual suppliers who are at risk following the reporting of new COVID-19 cases. As such, CPF will proceed with the “Faster Payment” scheme, to provide a 30-day credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with registered capital below Bt5 million and individual suppliers who are numbered about 6,000. The scheme is expected to boost small suppliers’ liquidity and hence foster the national economic growth.

“Faster Payment” was launched in October 2020 to help SME suppliers who experienced difficulties due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These suppliers saw their orders drop for months and some had to shut down business, causing chain effects.

“Faster Payment is part of CPF’s social responsibilities. We need to support SMEs which are an integral part of CPF’s supply chain. We want to ensure mutual growth and want to help stimulate the economy in wake of new infections,” Mr. Prasit said.

In the past three months, SME suppliers who were given the 30-day credit enjoyed financial management flexibility. They could save jobs and save their operations. They had excess capital to expand business and were able to generate income and enhance competitiveness.

Mr. Peeranat Hoonthanee, managing director of Siam Phatee Co., Ltd., said that Siam Phatee, located in Nakhon Ratchasima, supplies CPF with industrial pumps and valves. He said that following the outbreak, the company witnessed a significant drop in orders. The 30-day credit injected liquidity, allowing SMEs to support new orders without having to seek interest-bearing loans. The credit could also be used to improve employees’ work conditions.

Mr. Kritsada Singhadecha of Waipop Engineering Co., Ltd., which is a construction contractor of CPF, said that the program was very helpful for the SMEs that experienced a significant drop in orders. It helps inject liquidity into those SMEs during economic slowdowns.

Ms. Naruemon Saengmanee, managing director of DMP Uniform Co., Ltd. which produces uniforms for food companies, added that the credit scheme allowed small SMES to expand their business and find new customers, without having to borrow. She said that loans are a burden, as borrowers need to shoulder interest rates for a long period.

Coronavirus Patients Say BMA Misprinted Their Travel Timelines

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Khaosod English

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27 January 2021, 20:00

A file photo of coronavirus test at a hospital in Chiang Mai province.

BANGKOK — The City Hall on Wednesday said four coronavirus patients would not reveal their travel history, an offense punishable by jail terms under epidemic laws, but two of them disputed the allegations.

A report published by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration earlier today said the four – designated by their case numbers as 645, 647, 657, and 658 – “refused to disclose the information” about the locations they visited, drawing condemnation from the public and threats of legal prosecution from key officials. But two patients said they were misrepresented in the BMA report.

A relative of Patient 645, whose published timeline said he declined to give information for the dates of Jan. 17-18, said in a message to reporters that he already provided the public health officials with details of his whereabouts on those days.

The BMA later replaced the timeline with a new report that said Patient 645 was staying home on Jan. 17-18, without giving any explanation for the change. Patient 645 was identified as a chef by the official report.

The same report said Patient 657, a public relations worker, refused to provide travel history from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21. But in messages posted online and sent to the media, the person said he already gave the information to the authorities.

“The news said I was an individual who covered the timeline, but in fact I already explained and declared my timeline in detail to the officials who phoned me,” the patient wrote. “Many officials talked to me. I did not have any intent to hide my timeline.”

Multiple requests for comment sent to the BMA went unanswered as of publication time. The disparity also raised doubts whether Patient 647 and Patient 658 – identified as a singer and a “state official,” respectively – indeed refused to disclose their travel timelines.

But the repercussions against the patients already began. Public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the four will face legal action for their alleged refusal to cooperate with the authorities.

“Refusing to disclose information can be considered as giving false testimony to the officer,” Anutin said during an interview with Channel 3’s Hoan Krasae news show. “We will prosecute them. No one is more powerful than doctors.”

“Seeing from their timelines, it is likely that they may have been to the same event,” Anutin continued. “Maybe they were doing something that they didn’t want us to know, so officials will have to find out.”

“All of this mess happened because of those who didn’t respect the law. We must help condemn them because sometimes it hurts them more than being prosecuted and fined,” he added.

Refusing to cooperate with healthcare officials and providing information requested by the authorities during a pandemic is punishable by up to one month in jail under a 2015 law on communicable diseases.

Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a spokesman for the City Hall, said earlier today that health officials are questioning the four patients again for their whereabouts on the blacked out dates. He said the BMA will prosecute the patients should they still refuse to divulge what they were up to.

“If they still conceal the information, disease control officials will file a police report,” Pongsakorn said.

The spokesman has yet to give any comment to the media after reports emerged that two of the patients have disputed the BMA’s claims.

The City Hall found itself in hot water earlier this month when it was caught scrubbing mentions of convenience stores owned by a powerful conglomerate from its timelines of coronavirus patients.

An official with the BMA defended the omission as a necessary precaution to ward off any potential legal actions.

Hiso Party?

Two of the patients are believed to have attended the controversial birthday party hosted on Jan. 9 by celebrity Techin “DJ Matoom” Ploypetch at Banyan Tree Hotel.

The gathering, which took place in defiance of the government coronavirus prevention order, has led to a cluster of at least 24 infections so far, health officials said. One doctor called it a “superspreader event,” similar to illegal gambling dens in the eastern seaboard provinces.

Many of the guests linked to the Jan. 9 are said to be celebrities, like singers, actors, and talent managers.

S 22143112 1 — *Techin “DJ Matoom” Ploypetch appears on a singing show on July 12, 2018.*

Techin is a morning entertainment news host for GMM Grammy’s EFM radio. He described in his travel history that he stayed home for the whole day from Jan. 11 to 17 and returned to work at GMM Grammy building on Jan. 18.

Techin took a swab test on Jan. 19 after learning that a friend was infected, and tested positive the next day on Jan. 20, according to his self-published travel records.

His fans and some fellow celebrities initially heaped moral support on Techin upon the news that he tested positive for the coronavirus, but public sentiment has turned against him since the revelations that his birthday party is responsible for dozens of infections.

The party was also held despite the calls for social distancing amid the renewed outbreak, which saw restaurants and businesses shut down in a bid to curb the virus.

It remains unclear why Banyan Tree Hotel agreed to host the party in its venue, since a government order issued earlier this month bans all gatherings and banquet functions. Anutin said the BMA will decide on whether legal action will be taken against the hotel, but the BMA has yet to respond to requests for comments from the media.

The news also fueled public anger over the seemingly lopsided enforcement of pandemic laws, which appear to disproportionately target ordinary citizens and small businesses, while letting the affluent off the hook.

As late as last week, government pandemic response center spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin even praised Techin for coming out with the news that he tested positive for the virus.

“I appreciate and admire Techin for telling the public that he was infected,” Taweesin said during a daily briefing on Thursday. “He’s good at remembering the places he had been.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Vaccine Sign-up Pushed Back, 1st Sign of Delay in Inoculation Drive

By

Khaosod English

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27 January 2021, 14:56

Virus Outbreak Thailand Daily Life — A soldier from Royal Thai Army Chemical Department sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at Bang Bua school in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK — Thailand’s ambitious plan to vaccinate its population against COVID-19 already ran into a delay, while a new virus fatality and more than 800 fresh infections were reported on Wednesday.

Registration for the first doses, which was previously slated to open within this month, is now pushed back to Feb. 12, the government said – or just two days before the jabs are supposed to be rolled out. Officials have yet to figure out how people can sign up for the vaccine either.

“Frontline health workers in high-risk areas will be able to register through the application ‘Mhor Prom’ on Feb. 12. As for the members of the public, we’re still deliberating on the appropriate channels for registration,” Health Ministry perm sec Sophon Mekthon told reporters on Tuesday.

The delay highlights the uncertain nature of the inoculation drive, which aims to cover at least 60 percent of the population.

Nothing seems to be set in stone as of Wednesday, with just several weeks to go before the campaign begins. For instance, the government has said the first shipment of vaccine to be used in the initial phase would be provided by China-based Sinovac. But the regulators haven’t yet granted approval for Sinovac. The first doses will be provided by British pharmaceutical AstraZeneca instead.

“The first vaccine coming in will be AstraZeneca, because we’re still waiting for Sinovac to be registered,” public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Jan. 20.

“The first vaccine shot in Thailand will be AstraZeneca,” he went on. “That’s good, because it’s the same brand, same solution as the one that’s being produced in Thailand by Siam Bioscience.”

Siam Bioscience is a private firm wholly owned by the Crown Property Bureau. It has been tasked with producing up to 61 million doses of vaccine developed by AstraZeneca for the population, even though the company has no prior experience in making vaccines, let alone a production on such a vast scale.

The production timeline itself is a source of confusion. A senior health official initially said in November that Siam Bioscience would not be making the doses in the next six months.

“It is estimated that six months from now, production will begin, and [the vaccine] will be registered with the Food and Drug Administration,” National Vaccine Institute director Nakorn Premsri was quoted as saying on Nov. 24, upon the signing of agreement between Siam Bioscience and AstraZeneca.

Yet less than two months later, on Jan. 3, Siam Bioscience and government officials said the production already began in December.

A statement released by the company on Jan. 25 said its facilities have advanced technology capable of making the AstraZeneca doses, but made no mention of whether the production has already started.

“Siam Bioscience is immensely proud to have been chosen by AstraZeneca as its technology transfer and manufacturing partner for the COVID-19 vaccine as it meets the international standards required,” the statement said.

“For the well-being of people and the economy, both in Thailand and the region, having decided to drastically alter its manufacturing plan in order to pour all available resources and efforts into manufacturing the vaccine as specified by AstraZeneca as expeditiously as possible, Siam Bioscience staff are working tirelessly, competing against time.”

In calls placed to Siam Bioscience on Wednesday, an operator said public relations employees were currently working from home and were not available to answer questions about the vaccine production.

Thailand recorded 819 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday with 714 of them found in Samut Sakhon province through active case-finding operations.

One more person also died from COVID-19. The victim was identified as a 56-year-old Thai man in Samut Sakhon who had suffered a stroke, bringing the national death toll to 76.

Health officials say active-case finding effort in high-risk provinces will run until Feb. 15. These operations are responsible for detecting a majority of new infections reported in recent days, including 914 on Monday.

Who Gets What, and When

The government on Tuesday also announced its timeline for the vaccination drive, dividing it into three phases. Each person will need two doses for an effective protection against COVID-19. Those under 18 and pregnant women will not be eligible for the vaccines as of now.

Phase 1 will run from February to April, focusing on vulnerable populations living in five provinces hardest hit by the virus and frontline healthcare workers.

According to the government, this phase will cover precisely 19,014,154 people. They include 1,700,000 frontline healthcare workers, 6,163,095 people with pre-existing medical conditions deemed to be at risk, and 11,136,059 people over 60.

This second at-risk group is said to cover 4.8 million people living with diabetes, as well as 253,159 people with respiratory disease, 350,922 people with heart disease, 150,000 with kidney disease, 355,671 people prone to strokes, and 253,343 people with cancer.

Phase 2, from May to December, will expand to vulnerable groups in the rest of the country.

The last stage, Phase 3, is for the general public. It won’t start until January 2022, health officials said.

All told, the three stages would use up to 61 million doses from AstraZeneca and 2 million from Sinovac.

Public health minister Anutin said the combined doses will inoculate 31.5 million people, or 63 percent of the population, which he said is a “sufficient amount to develop an immunity for Thais.”

Court Acquits 80-Year-Old Writer of Defaming Monarchy

By

Associated Press

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27 January 2021, 11:30

S__22143112 — Bundit Aneeya at the court on Jan. 26, 2021.

BANGKOK (AP) — An 80-year-old writer accused of defaming Thailand’s monarchy in 2015 because of comments he made at a public seminar about the constitution was acquitted Tuesday by the Criminal Court.

The court ruled that Bundit Aneeya had not violated the lese majeste law because he had not specifically referred to royalty and had not used rude language.

The punishment for violating the law is three to 15 years’ imprisonment on each count.

The court last week gave a record sentence of 43 1/2 years under the law to a woman arrested six years ago who posted audio clips online deemed critical of the monarchy. The former civil servant had her nominal sentence of 87 years halved because she pleaded guilty.

In the past two months, the authorities have pursued lese majeste cases against at least 54 people, according to the legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

They acted after growing public criticism of the monarchy, once virtually unknown, by a youth-led pro-democracy movement. The protest movement seeks reform of the monarchy, which it says is unaccountable and has excessive power in what is supposed to be a democratic constitutional monarchy.

After King Maha Vajralongkorn took the throne in 2016 following his father’s death, he informed the government that he did not wish to see the lese majeste law used. But as the protests grew last year and criticism of the monarchy got harsher, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha warned a line had been crossed and the law would be used.

Bundit was prosecuted for saying at a seminar at Bangkok’s Thammasat University that “Human value and dignity of Thais must be higher than dust under someone’s feet.”

By tradition, Thai citizens who see themselves as subjects of the king refer to themselves as “the dust under your feet” when formally addressing the monarch.

The seminar was convened by an activist group opposed to the junta that took power in a 2014 military coup, and solicited public comments on a draft constitution to replace the one nullified in the army takeover.

Police and military agents monitored the meeting and took Bundit into custody as soon as he made a proposal for five principles that should be enshrined in the charter, including human dignity.

He was formally accused only in 2017, when a military prosecutor alleged that his remark was a derogatory reference to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The lese majeste law is supposed to cover the king, his immediate family and any regent, but has sometimes been applied more broadly.

It was the third lese majeste case filed against Bundit, who is in poor health. He was convicted in one previous case, for which he received a suspended sentence, and acquitted in the other.

UK’s ‘Tsunami’ of Grief as Coronavirus Deaths Pass 100,000

By

Associated Press

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27 January 2021, 09:01

1000 (12) — A woman passes a government conronavirus advert in central London, during England's third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)

LONDON (AP) — For nine months, Gordon Bonner has been in the “hinterlands of despair and desolation” after losing his wife of 63 years to the coronavirus pandemic that has now taken the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.

Only recently did Bonner think he might be able to move on — after sensing the spirit of his wife, Muriel, near him on what would have been her 84th birthday.

“I suddenly understood I had to change my attitude, that memories are not shackles, they are garlands and one should wear them like garlands around your shoulders and use them to communicate between the quick and the dead,” the retired Army major said in an interview from his home in the northern city of Leeds. “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

Bonner, 86, is just one of many hundreds of thousands of Britons toiling with grief because of the pandemic. With more than 2 million dead worldwide, people the world over are mourning loved ones, but the U.K.’s toll weighs particularly heavily: It is the smallest nation to pass the 100,000 mark.

1000 10 11 — *Retired Major Gordon Bonner holds a photograph of his wife Muriel who, in April 2020 died of COVID-19, at his home in Leeds, England, Saturday Jan. 23, 2021. ( AP Photo/Jon Super)*

While Wuhan, Bergamo or New York City may be more associated with the pandemic, the U.K. has one of the the highest death tolls relative to its population. For comparison, the United States, with five times Britain’s population, has four times the number of deaths. Experts say virus tallies, in general, are undercounts due to limited testing and missed cases, especially early in the pandemic.

Alongside excess deaths comes excess grief, made even more acute by the social distancing measures in place to slow the virus’s spread.

“There’s going to be a tsunami of grief and mental health issues this year, next year, ongoing, due to the complications, because of course people haven’t been able to have the usual rituals,” said Linda Magistris, founder of the Good Grief Trust, which brings bereavement services in the U.K. together under one umbrella.

Bonner understands the need for restrictions but that hasn’t made it any easier.

Six weeks after he was prevented from going to Muriel’s care home because of lockdown restrictions and 10 days after she was diagnosed with COVID-19, Bonner was summoned to the hospital and, “dressed like a spaceman,” he bore witness to his wife’s final agonizing moments.

“She was working so hard to draw breath, her lips were pursed as if she was sucking on a straw,” he said. “I can see her face now with her lips in that position and it was devastating and it knocked me sideways.”

That was the last time he saw Muriel, and that image haunts him. And in what he termed a “wicked twist in the tale,” Bonner was not offered the chance to replace that memory as his wife’s body was deemed a “reservoir of active coronavirus.” He wasn’t even able to have her dressed the way he wanted for her cremation. Hugs with friends and family — well, they’re not advised.

1000 14 20 — *Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson loads produce into baskets during a visit to a tesco.com distribution centre in London, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)*

Those rituals help people cope, a task made harder now because there’s no escape from the scale of death in the U.K. — beyond the annual average of around 600,000 — from the regular sound of ambulance sirens to the alarming headlines on news bulletins.

“The backdrop of death, of grief, around creates quite a caustic context,” said Andy Langford, clinical director at Cruse, a leading charity for bereaved people.

Many left behind are unsure where to seek help, partly because they are navigating the grieving process at a time when local health services are not operating as normal.

Bereavement charities have stepped in, tailoring support groups online, that may appeal to those who may otherwise have been reluctant to search out help in the pre-COVID-19 world.

But resources are stretched, especially when the country is regularly recording over 1,000 deaths a day. The government is being urged to provide extra funding to bolster helplines, counseling services and other community support programs.

“It’s really important we don’t pathologize grief as indicative of mental health difficulties, but equally a huge proportion of people will need support,” said Dr. Charley Baker, associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham.

1000 4 26 — *Jo Goodman holds a portrait of her late father Stuart as she poses for a photo in London, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)*

Many won’t need any or only minimal outside support. But there is a concern that some of the grief is pent up: that people may be be subconsciously shielding themselves from its full impact, and they may end up being hit hard as the pandemic comes under control.

“I think it will be strange because it will be a really positive thing when things can hopefully get back to some degree of normality, but I think that would also be a very difficult moment because we’ve all been a bit frozen in time,” said Jo Goodman, who lost her 72-year-old father Stuart last April, just days after he tested positive for the virus.

A couple of months after her father died, Goodman, 32, co-founded the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group to pressure the government to back a public inquiry into how the pandemic was handled last spring.

“We can’t normalize the fact that hundreds upon hundreds of people are dying everyday and knowing what their families are going through,” Goodman said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said an inquiry will take place — but only after the crisis is over. But already critics are arguing that the government has repeated the mistakes it made in the spring in the current resurgence, such as locking down the country too late. The U.K. is also contending with a new, more contagious variant that may carry a higher risk of death than the original strain.

Bonner, meanwhile, is hoping that the country will take the time to properly mourn and is considering sending a letter to Johnson, who has yet to back a national commemoration for virus victims, to suggest a “a simultaneous remembrance service so those of us who have lost people to COVID can go somewhere to seek some solace.”

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