Thais Most Willing to Take Vaccine, Out of 24 Surveyed Countries

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18 January 2021, 16:00

S__31408206 — A construction worker receives a coronavirus test in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Jan. 17, 2021.

BANGKOK — After two weeks of living under a literal lockdown, residents near Bang Yai Central Market in Nonthaburi are out and about again – and hungry for vaccines.

“From what I’ve asked around, people not only want to get vaccinated,” Watcharin Sriwimonthan, a local health volunteer in Bang Yai district, said by phone on Monday. “Some are even concerned that there won’t be enough vaccines imported to go around.”

Their enthusiasm may be representative of Thai population as a whole, as attested by a poll published on Monday, which finds that Thais were the most willing to be inoculated against COVID-19 out of the 24 countries surveyed.

Here’s the Truth Behind ‘50.4% Efficacy’ of Chinese Vaccine Left Out by Thai Media

According to the survey by YouGov, a marketing firm based in Britain, 83 percent of respondents in Thailand said they wouldn’t mind getting a vaccine, followed closely by U.K. (80 percent) and Denmark (70 percent). The survey was taken between Nov. 17 and Jan. 10, covering 2,088 participants in Thailand.

“Thai people see vaccines as very beneficial to their bodies. They know that vaccines will cure the disease,” Watcharin, the health volunteer or Aor Sor Mor, said.

Earlier in January, the area around Bang Yai Central Market was sealed off after a cluster of infections was found. Next to the market is a seven-storey apartment called “The Pink Building,” which was also locked down, and none of the residents allowed to leave their rooms.

Two weeks later, the lockdown is over, people could move about again, and they’re hoping they’d be included in the vaccination campaign, Watcharin said.

Government officials said the first 200,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine secured from Sinovac will be distributed to frontline health professionals, Aor Sor Mor volunteers, and “vulnerable groups” of residents in five provinces hardest hit by the pandemic.

The effort will expand to 2 million doses by April, according to the official timeline, and the general public will start receiving doses made by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in June.

Thailand’s acceptance of a potential coronavirus vaccine is way ahead of the level seen in countries like Poland, France, the United States, according to the YouGov report.

The poll said only 47 percent of respondents in the U.S. said they will get vaccinated, 39 in France, and 28 in Poland.

Their reluctance, the survey noted, is not always caused by denial of vaccine’s benefits or fears fueled by conspiracy theories, but also because many are waiting to see if the vaccine is safe and without serious side effects.

But a report published by The Associated Press found that fringe conspiracy theories and hoaxes still play a large role in putting off many in Eastern Europe from getting a jab. One such claim said the coronavirus vaccine is a disguised attempt to inject microchips inside human bodies.

In Serbia, a country of seven million, only 200,000 people applied for the vaccine – a percentage of about 2.8 percent.

However, recent news reports that about 30 elderly people in Norway died after receiving vaccines developed by Pfizer did stir concerns for some Thais.

The anxiety was sufficient for Sophon Iamsirithavorn, director of the Division of Communicable Diseases, to stage a news conference on Sunday and announce that the government had no plans to import the Pfizer vaccine.

“Those are different from the vaccines that Thailand has reserved for imports, which are vaccines by AstraZeneca and Sinovac. They use different technology than Pfizer or Moderna,” Sophon said. “Therefore, citizens can rest assured that we are not importing these two.”

To prevent a potential side effect, children younger than 5, pregnant women, and people with serious allergies would not be allowed to take the vaccine, Disease Control Department director Opas Karnkawinpong said.

Using a vaccine from Pfizer would also pose a logistical challenge for Thai health workers. Chatchai Mingmalairak, director of the Thammasat University Field Hospital, said the vaccines made by the German firm require -70C storage, and that not all hospitals in Thailand are equipped with adequate storage equipment.

No Official Caught Virus From Infected Gov. ‘Because They Wore Masks’

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Khaosod English

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18 January 2021, 14:30

S__23732773 — Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vijitsaengsri, wearing blue shirt, and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul during an event demonstrating seafood safety in Samut Sakhon province on Dec. 27, 2020.

SAMUT SAKHON — Alarm was raised when words came out that Samut Sakhon Gov. Veerasak Vijitsaengsri tested positive for the coronavirus in late December – just one day after he toured the province and held meetings with scores of government officials central to the effort to contain the pandemic.

But despite the dangerously close proximity, none of them appeared to have caught the virus from Veerasak, an official said Monday, most likely because the Governor – who remains in critical condition – kept his face mask on for most of the time, proving once again the value of the habit recommended by many doctors.

“No one else was infected, except the governor’s wife,” Samut Sakhon health office chief Naretrit Kattasima said by phone. “He maintained good care of himself. He wore a face mask almost all of the time and followed all the precautions.”

20190330 221658 9 — *Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vijitsaengsri, center, speaks to reporters on Dec. 22, 2020.*

Veerasak was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Dec. 28, a day after public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul and an entourage of key health professionals visited Samut Sakhon, where the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak was first identified.

Veerasak and the group cooked seafood to raise public confidence, toured a field hospital, talked to local residents, and held meetings inside an air-conditioned room. Photos showed Veerasak wearing his face mask during the trip, except when he took it off briefly to eat shrimp fried rice and tom yum kung next to Anutin.

Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vijitsaengsri, wearing blue shirt, and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, left to him, during a food safety event in Samut Sakhon province on Dec. 27, 2020. — *Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vijitsaengsri, wearing blue shirt, and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul during an event touting seafood safety in Samut Sakhon province on Dec. 27, 2020.*

After the news of Veerasak’s infection broke, Anutin and other officials went into self-isolation for two weeks, but they reportedly tested negative for the coronavirus.

Chulalongkorn Hospital virologist Yong Poovorawan, who was part of the entourage that visited Veerasak, credited the use of face masks for preventing a cluster of outbreak within the government circles.

“I was in Samut Sakhon with the Governor for the entire day,” Yong said in an interview with NBT. “Because we wore face masks, we didn’t take them off, even though we have a big group, no one else caught the virus. I believe it’s because of the face masks.”

Face masks, once considered to be a rarity, are now an ubiquitous sight in public venues around Thailand. According to a YouGov survey published in May, 95 percent of Thais constantly wear face masks when out in public – the highest percentage in ASEAN countries, compared to Singapore’s 66 percent.

20190330 221658 7 — *Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vijitsaengsri, left, and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul visit local governmment officials in Samut Sakhon province on Dec. 27, 2020.*

Veerasak is the highest ranking official in Thailand so far to have been known for contracting the coronavirus.

Naretrit from Samut Sakhon’s provincial health office said it remains unclear how Veerasak caught the virus in the first place.

“It’s impossible to tell since he went to different places to manage the outbreak in the province,” Naretrit said. “However, being close to a patient who has their face mask on doesn’t mean that those who are close to the patients are definitely susceptible to infection.”

20190330 221658 8 — *A file photo of Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vijitsaengsri.*

The 59-year-old Governor is currently receiving treatment at Siriraj Hospital. He still relied on a ventilator, and doctors recently found bacterial infection in his respiratory system, Prasit Wattanapha, Siriraj’s Dean of Medicine Faculty, told reporters on Saturday.

Prasit said the latest symptom is not related to COVID-19 and Veerasak’s overall condition is gradually improving.

“There are chances of infection since the patient is elderly,” Prasit said. “The doctor administered him an antibiotic, but he has to remain on a ventilator to improve breathing. The governor’s lungs did not sustain much damage from COVID-19.”

Veerasak’s wife, Chutiporn, was also infected with the coronavirus but her condition is not severe, doctors said.

SF Cinema Disputes Viral Tweet Claiming End of Royal Anthem

By

Khaosod English

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18 January 2021, 12:18

20190330_221658 — Image: @lmmablackbarbie / Twitter

BANGKOK — A popular cinema chain on Monday said it continues to show the Royal Anthem music video prior to each screening, contradicting a viral tweet claiming otherwise.

Twitter user @lmmablackbarbie wrote on Sunday that the Royal Anthem was not played at the SF Cinema branch inside Central Rama 9 shopping mall. The tweet has been shared nearly 80,000 times.

“SF didn’t show the Royal Anthem. Amazing, no one has to stand anymore,” the user wrote in a series of tweets. “I went to Central Rama 9. They really didn’t open it. I was thinking about how I didn’t want to stand, and in the end they didn’t screen it. I don’t know about other branches.”

SF วันนี้ไม่มีเพลงสรรเสริญพระบารมีแล้ว ทุกคนไม่ต้องยืนอีกต่อไป สุดมาก

— (@lmmablackbarbie) January 17, 2021

But a call center operator from SF Cinema said that the company has no such policy.

The operator said the Royal Anthem was screened after commercials and movie trailers, but before a soundcheck, so the Twitter user might have entered the cinema late and misunderstood that there was an omission.

Many theatergoers decline to stand up for the Royal Anthem in recent months as a show of support for the campaign to reform the monarchy – sometimes at risk of physical attacks from ultraroyalists inside the theaters.

Contrary to popular belief, refusal to stand for the Royal Anthem is no longer a punishable charge under any law – the offense was repealed in 2010, though some bystanders may still file complaints of royal defamation against the individuals.

State Quarantine in Ranong Had No Electricity, Running Water

By

Khaosod English

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18 January 2021, 12:09

Kachata Boonyasompob’s state quarantine facility in Ranong. Photos: Kachata Boonyasompob / Facebook

RANONG — A man said he was forced to spend his coronavirus quarantine inside a state-run facility in Ranong province without electricity or running water for days.

Facebook user Kachata Boonyasompob said local bureaucrats only got those essential services running after he posted photos of the decrepit room – which he had to share with another occupant.

“Yes, this is a state quarantine location in Thailand. I’m experiencing it right now. It’s two people to a room; I guess they wanted us to have a roomie,” Kachata wrote. “This is like living in an abandoned building, no different than homeless people, except that there’s a bed.”

Just outside the building was a swimming pool half-filled with murky green water. An electric fan provided by the staff was caked with dust, but couldn’t be used anyway. With no electricity, the only source of light at night were candles. Of course, TVs, fridges, air conditioners, and Wi-Fi were also out of the question.

But what to do when he’s gotta go? The Aor Sor Mor, or local health volunteers, told Kachata to relieve himself outside on the balcony and to wai in apology to the local spirits.

Those spirits must have sympathized with Kachata and worked some magic, since water and electricity started running on 11pm Saturday – hours after he shared his story on the internet.

In an update posted on Sunday afternoon, Kachata shows himself brewing coffee and using his laptop in his quarantine room.

“Thank you everybody for your concern. The Aor Sor Mor and other officials here are doing the best they can, even with such an inconvenient location,” he wrote. Kachata has not responded to messages as of press time.

Some state-run quarantines outside Bangkok have been known for their subpar standards of living. In May, a state quarantine facility in Narathiwat was shown to be infested with bugs, while in April some Thai fishery workers were instructed to quarantine themselves in roadside tents as they waited to be relocated to a building.

Thai Workers are Forced to Quarantine in Roadside Tents

Officials to Probe Complaints of Quarantine Conditions

Blogger Convicted of 112 After Secret Trial, 5-Year Captivity

By

Khaosod English

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18 January 2021, 10:30

BANGKOK — A court on Monday sentenced a man to four years and six months in prison for allegedly insulting the late King Bhumibol on the internet – but he would not have to serve the sentence.

Because he had been in prison even longer than that for the charge.

Siraphop Kornarut was found guilty of royal insult under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as lese majeste, and Computer Crime Act for a series of online articles and poems he wrote prior to his arrest days after the military seized power in May 2014.

The court said his writings, published between 2009 and 2014, contained “falsehood” about King Rama IX and aimed to “damage the public’s reverence” for the monarch, who died in October 2016. Due to legal concerns, Khaosod English cannot republish the materials.

For the crimes, Siraphop was sentenced to four years and six months in jail.

But the jail term is shorter than the time Siraphop already spent in prison while waiting for his trial – he was remanded in prison from 2014 until his release about four years and 11 months later, in 2019.

The blogger said he will appeal the verdict.

S 31408206 4 — *A file photo of Siraphop Kornarut.*

Siraphop, who wrote under the pseudonym Rungsila, was arrested under the regime of the National Council for Peace and Order, who came to power through a military coup on May 22, 2014.

He was sent to face trials under the military tribunal per a junta’s order that permitted civilians to be court martialed for alleged crimes that affected “national security.” Citing the sensitive nature of the case, the military judges ordered Siraphop’s trial to be convened in secret – observers could not attend its proceedings.

Siraphop was also held in a remand prison for nearly five years while the trial continued under a civilian court, despite a call made in 2019 by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention for his immediate release.

The U.N. working group said Thai military courts “cannot be considered competent, independent or impartial” and Siraphop’s detention resulted from his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression.

Lese majeste carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison per count. Multiple civil rights organizations said the law’s broad power is often used to silence political opponents and legitimate discussions about the monarchy.

Abolishing the royal defamation charge was also one of the goals sought by the street protests that rocked Thailand in 2020.

Kremlin Critic Who Survived Poisoning is Detained Upon Landing in Moscow

By

Associated Press

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18 January 2021, 09:01

1000 (13) — Alexei Navalny is surrounded by journalists inside the plane prior to his flight to Moscow in the Airport Berlin Brandenburg (BER) in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday at a Moscow airport as he tried to enter the country from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.

Navalny’s detention at passport control in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport was widely expected because Russia’s prisons service said he had violated parole terms from a suspended sentence on a 2014 embezzlement conviction.

The prisons service said he would be held in custody until a court rules on his case. No date for a court appearance was immediately announced. The service earlier said that it would seek to have Navalny serve his 3 1/2-year sentence behind bars.

Navalny, 44, who is President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent and determined foe, brushed off concerns about arrest as he boarded the plane in Berlin.

1000 14 10 — *Alexei Navalny sits on the plane prior to a flight to Moscow, at the Airport Berlin Brandenburg (BER) in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)*

“It’s impossible. I’m an innocent man,” he said.

The arrest raises tensions in Russia as it approaches national parliament elections this year, in which Navalny’s organization is expected to be active in trying to defeat pro-Kremlin candidates. Navalny decided to leave Berlin of his own free will and wasn’t under any apparent pressure to leave from Germany.

“This is a real act of bravery for Alexei Navalny to return to Russia, given that government agents already tried to kill him once,” Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth tweeted. “But he understandably wants to be part of the pro-democracy movement in Russia, not a dissident in exile.”

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for national security adviser called on Russian authorities to free Navalny. “Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable,” Jake Sullivan said in a tweet.

The outgoing U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the U.S. “strongly condemns” he decision to arrest Navalny and called his detention “the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities.”

1000 14 12 — Police officers detain a man at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is expected to arrive, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to a question about the arrest by saying “Was he arrested in Germany? I’m not up to date,” according to the online news site Podyom. Peskov, like Putin, is noted for avoiding saying Navalny’s name.

Navalny has sizable popularity in Moscow. Many supporters on Sunday went to Vnukovo airport where his flight was scheduled to land, though it was diverted to Sheremetyevo without explanation.

The OVD-Info organization that monitors political arrests said at least 53 people were arrested, including Navalny supporters and journalists, at Vnukovo, where where the arrivals hall had been blocked off and prisoner transport vehicles were parked outside. There were at least three detentions at Sheremetyevo, it said.

The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and opposition social media reported Sunday that several Navalny supporters in St. Petersburg had been removed from Moscow-bound trains or been prevented from boarding flights late Saturday and early Sunday, including the coordinator of his staff for the region of Russia’s second-largest city.

Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later.

Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

1000 14 11 — Police officers stand guard in a terminal of Moscow’s Vnukovo airport before the expected arrival of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning. Russia refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.

Last month, Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake.

Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin’s side for a decade, unusually durable in an opposition movement often demoralized by repressions.

He has been jailed repeatedly in connection with protests and twice was convicted of financial misdeeds in cases that he said were politically motivated. He suffered significant eye damage when an assailant threw disinfectant into his face and was taken from jail to a hospital in 2019 with an illness that authorities said was an allergic reaction but that many suspected was poisoning.

A lawyer by training, he began his rise to prominence by focusing on corruption in Russia’s murky mix of politics and business. In 2008, he bought shares in Russian oil and gas companies, so he could push for transparency as an activist shareholder.

1000 13 13 — *Alexei Navalny, centre, and his wife Yulia travel an airport bus as they arrived to airport Sheremetyevo, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)*

Navalny’s work to expose corrupt elites had a pocketbook appeal to the Russian people’s widespread sense of being cheated. Russia’s state-controlled television channels ignored Navalny, but his investigations of dubious contracts and officials’ luxurious lifestyles got wide attention through the back channels of YouTube videos and social media posts that often showed his sardonic sense of humor.

In 2013, he placed second in the race for Moscow mayor behind the candidate of Putin’s power-base United Russia party. That established him as a formidable force and a worry to the Kremlin.

He intended to run for president in 2018, but was kept off the ballot because of his previous criminal convictions. His own legal obstacles and the widespread obstruction authorities set before other independent candidates seeking public office led Navalny and his organization to adopt a new strategy for the 2019 Moscow city council elections.

The “Smart Vote” initiative analyzed which candidate in each district appeared to have the best chance of beating United Russia’s pick and tried to drum up support for that candidate.

The initiative appeared to be a success, with nearly half of the city council seats going to “systemic opposition” candidates, although its effectiveness couldn’t be quantified. Navalny intends to redeploy the same strategy in this year’s national parliament elections.

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Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

China Likely the Only Major Economy To Achieve Growth in 2020

By

Kyodo News

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18 January 2021, 09:01

BEIJING (Kyodo) — China registered a 2.3 percent year-on-year economic growth in 2020 with domestic demand recuperating from the coronavirus shock, government data showed Monday, likely becoming the only country among major ones to expand its economy last year.

But the pace of economic growth was the slowest since 1974, when the Communist-led nation was rattled by the 10-year Cultural Revolution initiated in 1966 by Mao Zedong that pundits say killed tens of millions of people.

Continue reading the story here.

FBI Vetting Guard Troops in DC Amid Fears of Insider Attack

By

Associated Press

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18 January 2021, 09:00

1000 (14) — National Guard troops reinforce security around the U.S. Capitol ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.

The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that officials are conscious of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn’t flagged any issues.

”We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy said in an interview after he and other military leaders went through an exhaustive, three-hour security drill in preparation for Wednesday’s inauguration. He said Guard members are also getting training on how to identify potential insider threats.

About 25,000 members of the National Guard are streaming into Washington from across the country — at least two and a half times the number for previous inaugurals. And while the military routinely reviews service members for extremist connections, the FBI screening is in addition to any previous monitoring.

Multiple officials said the process began as the first Guard troops began deploying to D.C. more than a week ago. And they said it is slated to be complete by Wednesday. Several officials discussed military planning on condition of anonymity.

“The question is, is that all of them? Are there others?” said McCarthy. “We need to be conscious of it and we need to put all of the mechanisms in place to thoroughly vet these men and women who would support any operations like this.”

In a situation like this one, FBI vetting would involve running peoples’ names through databases and watchlists maintained by the bureau to see if anything alarming comes up. That could include involvement in prior investigations or terrorism-related concerns, said David Gomez, a former FBI national security supervisor in Seattle.

Insider threats have been a persistent law enforcement priority in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But in most cases, the threats are from homegrown insurgents radicalized by al-Qaida, the Islamic State group or similar groups. In contrast, the threats against Biden’s inauguration have been fueled by supporters of President Donald Trump, far-right militants, white supremacists and other radical groups.

Many believe Trump’s baseless accusations that the election was stolen from him, a claim that has been refuted by many courts, the Justice Department and Republican officials in key battleground states.

The insurrection at the Capitol began after Trump made incendiary remarks at the Jan. 6 rally. According to McCarthy, service members from across the military were at that rally, but it’s not clear how many were there or who may have participated in the breach at the Capitol. So far only a couple of current active-duty or National Guard members have been arrested in connection with the Capitol assault, which left five people dead. The dead included a Capitol Police officer and a woman shot by police as she climbed through a window in a door near the House chamber.

Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, has been meeting with Guard troops as they arrive in D.C. and as they gather downtown. He said he believes there are good processes in place to identify any potential threats.

“If there’s any indication that any of our soldiers or airmen are expressing things that are extremist views, it’s either handed over to law enforcement or dealt with the chain of command immediately,” he said.

The insider threat, however, was just one of the security concerns voiced by officials on Sunday, as dozens of military, National Guard, law enforcement and Washington, D.C., officials and commanders went through a security rehearsal in northern Virginia. As many as three dozen leaders lined tables that ringed a massive color-coded map of D.C. reflected onto the floor. Behind them were dozens more National Guard officers and staff, with their eyes trained on additional maps and charts displayed on the wall.

The Secret Service is in charge of event security, but there is a wide variety of military and law enforcement personnel involved, ranging from the National Guard and the FBI to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Park Police.

Commanders went over every aspect of the city’s complicated security lockdown, with McCarthy and others peppering them with questions about how the troops will respond in any scenario and how well they can communicate with the other enforcement agencies scattered around the city.

Hokanson said he believes his troops have been adequately equipped and prepared, and that they are rehearsing as much as they can to be prepared for any contingency.

The major security concern is an attack by armed groups of individuals, as well as planted explosives and other devices. McCarthy said intelligence reports suggest that groups are organizing armed rallies leading up to Inauguration Day, and possibly after that.

The bulk of the Guard members will be armed. And McCarthy said units are going through repeated drills to practice when and how to use force and how to work quickly with law enforcement partners. Law enforcement officers would make any arrests.

He said Guard units are going through “constant mental repetitions of looking at the map and talking through scenarios with leaders so they understand their task and purpose, they know their routes, they know where they’re friendly, adjacent units are, they have the appropriate frequencies to communicate with their law enforcement partners.”

The key goal, he said, is for America’s transfer of power to happen without incident.

“This is a national priority. We have to be successful as an institution,” said McCarthy. “We want to send the message to everyone in the United States and for the rest of the world that we can do this safely and peacefully.”

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

ICONSIAM Indulges Shoppers With New Online Shopping Services “ICONSIAM the Ultimate Shopping Experience” Shop Anytime, Anywhere via 4 Shopping Channels

By

Khaosod English

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18 January 2021, 06:00

ICONSIAM, the iconic world-class landmark of the Chao Phraya River, has launched latest 4 online shopping services under the concept of ICONSIAM The Ultimate Shopping Experience, available in wide ranges of products such as; Health & Beauty, Gadget & IT, Home & Lifestyle, Women’s & Men’s fashion, Sports & Travel, to be in line with the authorities’ attempts to lower the risk of Covid-19 infection and to serve shoppers’ evolving needs.

New online shopping services, now made even more convenient, are available at LINE OA LINE OA: @ICONSIAM and Facebook: ICONSIAM. Shoppers can simply shop on menu and browse the wide selections of items sourced to serve their interests. Our services include:

1. Chat & Shop, capture your favorite items and tell us via Line Official: @ICONSIAM
and Facebook Messenger. Tell us what you need, there is shopping assistant who are ready to help and recommend you how to shop. We are offering both internet-banking transfer or credit card (only participating shops). Just wait for your items at home with actual delivery cost, no additional charges! This service will fulfill your shopping online needs, where you can chat and get help in every shopping steps.

2. Call & Shop, exclusive service for VIZ Card members! Just call us and tell us what you need via: 02-495-7011 or 083-097-4622. Shop wide ranges of product by phone call. Shop customer goods from Dear Tummy supermarket, Taka Mache, SIAM Takashimaya or famous brands in ICONSIAM. Shopping Assistant will help you with payment process, offering both internet-banking transfer only. Customer can pick up your product at Gate10, G Floor, ICONSIAM or wait for the delivery at home with actual delivery cost.

3. Click & Shop, enjoy 24 hrs. shopping experience via Line Shop via Line OA: @ICONSIAM. Update the latest collection of products in every lifestyle from ICONCRAFT, ICONACTIVE, WOMEN’S CLUB and Siam Takashimaya. Where you can enjoy shopping everyday items such as healthy products, items for work from home. Choose your favorite items via LINE OA@ICONSIAM, select Click and Shop, Search for brand or product on ICONSIAM LineMyShop, then just wait for your products at home.

4. Luxury Chat & Shop, deliver World Class brands to your hand. Tell us via Line OA @ICONSIAM and Facebook. Browse everyday highlight products, check out latest brand name collections. Shop and chat with personal shopping assistant, make payments and wait for your items at home.

Special privilege when shop with 4 new channels! With certain amount of spending, get free worth up to 500baht of SIAM Gift Card, total prizes worth 1.85 MB. Today-28 February 2021. With 5,000baht of spending, get free worth 200baht of SIAM Gift Card (can be used in the next purchase of minimum 400baht/bill) and With 8,000baht of spending, get free worth 500baht of SIAM Gift Card (can be used in the next purchase of minimum 1,00baht/bill). Total 5,200privileges/campaign. Terms & Conditions are subjected to the company.

Enjoy Ultimate Shopping Experience with ICONSIAM from today – 28 February 2021. Just simply add LINE OA@ICONSIAM as a friend or follow Facebook ICONSIAM. Enjoy shopping experience anywhere, anytime! For more information, please call: 1338.

Police Say Bomb Attack Close to Protest Site Injured 4

By

Khaosod English

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17 January 2021, 13:00

BANGKOK — Police on Sunday they are looking for the perpetrators behind a bomb attack that injured four people close to where pro-democracy demonstrators were gathering on Saturday evening.

The blast took place at Samyan Intersection at about 6pm, wounding two policemen, a reporter for The Standard online news site, and another civilian, Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Phukphong Phongpetra said in a report published on Sunday.

Phukpong said the device used in the attack appears to be a pingpong bomb filled with nails, though police have yet to identify any suspects.

“We are investigating and searching for the perpetrator to bring them to prosecution,” police spokesman Kissana Phattanacharoen said on Saturday night.

A similar incident was reported on Nov. 2, when an assailant threw a firecracker at pro-democracy protesters from MRT Tha Phra Station, without wounding anyone. The attacker remains at large and unidentified.

Scores of demonstrators were gathering in front of Samyan Mitrtown shopping mall on Saturday afternoon to protest the sweeping enforcement of royal defamation law, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail.

Earlier on Saturday, police dispersed a group of activists who were campaigning against the law, also known as lese majeste, at Victory Monument.

S 31408206 3 — *Riot police are deployed to Samyan Mitrtown shopping mall on Jan. 16, 2021, to crack down on a protest opposing the royal defamation law.*

At least 43 people have been charged with lese majeste since November, most of them activists who organized street protests in 2020 that called for monarchy reforms.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Sunday urged members of the public to refrain from joining any political gatherings and protests at this time, citing the threats of coronavirus.

“The government does not wish to see a rise in infections caused by political rallies,” Anucha said. “Therefore, we’d like to ask for cooperation from the public to comply with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

The authorities are already banning any unauthorized assemblies under the Emergency Decree, which was enacted in March in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Violators face up to 2 years in prison.

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