People in Korat city gather around a fire on Jan. 13, 2021 during a nationwide cold spell.
BANGKOK — The usually sweltering, humid Bangkok has seen temperatures as low as 16C this week, while three people already died from the unusual cold weather in the countryside.
The weather, which is forcing many Bangkokians to put on jackets when venturing outdoors and contemplate skipping morning showers, is expected to continue throughout the week, said meteorologist Seree Supratid, director of the Climate Change & Disaster Center.
“The cold weather’s been here since Monday, and will last through today. After that it will get slightly hotter before dipping down again around Sunday,” Seree said by phone Wednesday.
Seree said that the cold spell was due to a high pressure system from China and La Nina, a natural phenomenon where sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are lower than normal. It’s the opposite of El Nino, where the oceans are warmer for a part of the cycle.
“It’s a La Nina year, so it’s just colder than normal,” Seree said. “But due to global warming, temperatures worldwide are higher anyway.”
He says those with sensitive allergies to changing temperatures should take note and bundle up – but the cool, of course, won’t last long. Thailand usually enters the hot season in March, seeing sweltering temperatures around 40C.
The Thai Meteorological Department said that the country would see cooler weather through Sunday, with lows of 7 to 12 C and highs of 26C Wednesday.
Temperatures will range from 12C to 31C Thursday to Saturday, and between 8C and 30C on Sunday and Monday. Northern mountaintops can be as freezing as 2C.
There have been at least three cases of people in the north and northeast dying from the cold. Samneang Nontapot, 65, was found dead Wednesday in Nong Khai province while keeping watch over his outdoor garden through the night. On Monday a man in Udon Thani who drank and slept outside was found dead.
Bangkok will see temperatures between 18C and 34C until Sunday, and a dip after: next Monday and Tuesday will likely experience temperatures between lows of 16C and 31C.
A medical worker monitors security cameras at Thammasat University Field Hospital for coronavirus patients on Jan. 11, 2021.
BANGKOK — The Bangkok City Hall appears to have ended its controversial policy of omitting the mention of convenience stores owned by an influential conglomerate in its travel history of coronavirus patients.
A travel timeline of an infected student published by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration now includes mentions of 7-Elevens at MBK and Victory Monument. A health official from the City Hall previously told Khaosod English that the convenience store chain operated by CP All wasn’t included in its timelines due to fears of possible legal action – a revelation that prompted much criticism online.
The unnamed student, who was dubbed “Patient 293,” reportedly visited 7-Eleven stores at Victory Monument and MBK shopping mall multiple times from Dec. 15 to Dec. 26. He later tested positive for the coronavirus on Jan. 4, after losing a sense of taste and smell.
A total of 157 new COVID infections were recorded on Wednesday, including 24 in the capital city alone, according to the government pandemic center.
The latest figures brought the tally of confirmed coronavirus cases in Thailand to 10,991. More than half of the accumulated cases – 6,753 – were found since the second wave of the outbreak surfaced on Dec. 15.
“It’s not even been a month,” center spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin said at today’s news conference. “Every province has a risk.”
Taweesin said that 80 percent of people in high-infection areas like Samut Sakhon, the epicenter of the current wave, would need to use field hospitals.
However, the spokesman also said the 157 new infections showed a trend of lowering, or “stabilizing” infections since recent spikes. Tuesday saw 287 infections, while Monday saw 249. No new deaths were reported on Wednesday.
“All Thais working together to pull the curve flat on the graph. Thank you all,” he said.
New infections reported today include a 9 month old girl in Bangkok, and 25 new patients in Samut Sakhon ranging from 5 to 59 years old. Of the 25, 24 are Thai nationals and one of them a Myanmar citizen.
Few people are seen in Osaka's Shinsekai area on Jan. 12, 2021, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to extend the current state of emergency to another seven prefectures including Osaka and Aichi on Wednesday, as the country’s cumulative total of coronavirus cases exceeded 300,000.
The government informed an advisory board of the planned expansion, which is expected to be approved by a government task force later in the day.
In this photo released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo, left, receives a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world’s fourth most populated country.
After Widodo, top military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as well as the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week ruled the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims. Others such as a health care worker, businesspeople and a social media influencer also received the shots to encourage people to get the vaccine when it is available to them.
“We need to do the vaccination to stop the chain spread of COVID-19 and give health protection to us and the safety to all Indonesian people. It will also help accelerate economic improvement,” Widodo said.
“This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbor, Indonesian people and the human civilization,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Wednesday.
Workers carry a box of COVID-19 vaccines to be stored at a warehouse in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Septian)
“This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70% of the world’s people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this program,” he said.
Conditional use of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine is scheduled to be rolled out in the coming months with health care workers, civil servants and other at-risk populations prioritized. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.
For Indonesia to vaccinate two-thirds of its population, 181.5 million people, Sadikin said the two-shot vaccine would require almost 427 million doses, including the estimate that 15% may be wasted.
Distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago where transportation and infrastructure are limited in places. Health officials have cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the required 36–46 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its safety and effectiveness.
In this photo released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo prepares to receive a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (Agus Suparto・Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
“We know that the cold-chain distribution is not complete. This is the obstacle,” Sadikin said Tuesday. “The cold-chain facilities are not enough so we are still distributing some of the vaccines. We are worried.”
Indonesia received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccines on Dec. 6 and began distributing the doses around the country while awaiting emergency use authorization. It was cleared for emergency use based on clinical trial data and after the Indonesian Ulema Council declared the vaccine holy and halal.
Indonesia’s vaccination program is the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China.
Indonesia has recorded more than 846,000 cases of the virus, including over 24,600 deaths.
Riot police uses tear gas and water cannon on pro-democracy protesters in front of the Parliament on Nov. 17, 2020.
BANGKOK — Large protests seeking the government’s ousting and monarchy reforms will likely be put on hold until the middle of 2021 due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, pro-democracy movement leader Arnon Nampa said Tuesday.
Arnon’s statement drew mixed responses from his supporters after he posted it on his Facebook, though the activist maintained that it was his personal view. He suggested that certain political activities will continue without having to mobilize people onto the streets.
“We are caught by COVID-19,” Arnon, a lawyer by trade, said in an interview. “So we will carry out other activities without rally first.”
Asked if he is concerned that the movement may lose its relevance, Arnon said no.
“It’s not going to peter out. It has become an issue already,” he said of the movement, which demands PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s resignation, a more democratic charter, and reforms of the monarchy.
Arnon is one of the activists behind street protests that rocked Bangkok in the latter half of 2020. Many rallies drew at least 10,000 participants, many of them students and young people.
His fellow activist Ekachai Hongkanwan said he was surprised by the announcement, and expressed his worries that suspending the protests could risk losing the momentum.
“It’s strange. He probably thought it’s due to COVID-19 but I kind of disagree,” said Ekachai, who believes protests should be called whenever there are serious issues.
Ekachai also said many large protests held last year did not lead to any known infections.
“I will continue to carry out a one-man protest when an issue arises. I don’t care whether there’s COVID-19 or not,” he said.
Somyot Prueksakasemsum, another protest leader, said Arnon was merely giving an estimate of when a large protest can take place again, and the timing is not set in stone.
“I think once COVID-19 subsides, we should be able to protest right away,” Somyot said on the phone Tuesday.
Citing the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, the government on Thursday banned all public assemblies that may “lead to congestion that pose a risk of spreading the disease.” Violators face up to two years in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht.
President Donald Trump tours a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall under construction Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Alamo, Texas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
ALAMO, Texas (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday took no responsibility for his part in fomenting a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praise for them while they were still carrying out the assault.
“People thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” Trump said.
He made the comments during his first appearance in public since the Capitol siege, which came as lawmakers were tallying Electoral College votes affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump arrived in Texas on Tuesday to trumpet his campaign against illegal immigration in an attempt to burnish his legacy with eight days remaining in his term, as lawmakers in Congress appeared set to impeach him this week for the second time.
In Alamo, Texas, a city in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexican border — the site of the 450th mile of the border wall his administration is building, Trump brushed off Democratic calls on his Cabinet to declare him unfit from office and remove him from power using the 25th Amendment.
“The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration,” Trump said. “As the expression goes, be careful of what you wish for.”
The rampage through the halls of Congress sent lawmakers of both parties and Trump’s own vice president into hiding, as crowds called for Mike Pence’s lynching for his role overseeing the vote count. The scene also undermined the hallmark of the republic — the peaceful transition of power. At least five people died, including one Capitol Police officer.
“It’s time for peace and for calm,” Trump said Tuesday, less than a week after egging on the mob that descended on the Capitol. He added, “Respect for law enforcement is the foundation of the MAGA agenda,” referencing his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
In the days leading up to the Jan. 6 certification vote, Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington, D.C., promising a “wild” rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administration’s findings to the contrary. Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd on the Ellipse, Trump encouraged supporters to “fight like hell” and suggested that Republican lawmakers would need “more courage not to step up” and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office. He also suggested he would join them in marching on the Capitol.
As Trump wrapped up, thousands of his supporters were already heading to the Capitol, where lawmakers convened to count the electoral votes. As rioters were still in the building and lawmakers sheltered in secure locations, Trump, at the urging of aides who were shocked by the violence, released a video seemingly excusing the events, saying of the rioters: “We love you. You’re very special. Go home.”
Supporters of President Donald Trump gather in anticipation of his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Harlingen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Speaking Tuesday, Trump said the “real problem” was not his rhetoric, but the rhetoric that Democrats used to describe Black Lives Matter protests and violence in Seattle and Portland this summer.
“Everybody to the ‘t’ thought it was totally appropriate,” Trump said of his own comments.
Trump angrily lashed out at lawmakers’ push for his second impeachment this week, claiming, “It’s causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.”
Alamo is named after the San Antonio mission where a small group of Texan independence-fighters fended off Mexican forces during a 13-day siege. Most of them died, but the mission became a symbol of resistance for Texans, who eventually defeated the Mexican army.
Trump’s visit there — no doubt a symbol of the president’s defiance — comes as he spends the final days of his presidency isolated, aggrieved and staring down the prospect of a second impeachment.
While Trump was traveling, Pence assured the nation’s governors that outgoing administration is working “diligently” with President-elect Joe Biden’s team. He thanked the governors for their leadership on the coronavirus and promised them a “seamless transition.”
Trump aides have been urging the president to spend his remaining days in office highlighting what they see as the chief accomplishments of his presidency: a massive tax cut, his efforts to roll back federal regulations and the transformation of federal courts with the appointment of conservative judges. But Trump has been consumed by baseless allegations of voter fraud and conspiracies.
In Texas, he delivered remarks highlighting his administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration and the progress made on his signature 2016 campaign promise: building a “big, beautiful wall” across the length of the southern border — an imposing structure made of concrete and reinforced steel. But over time, Trump demanded modifications that have been largely rejected: He wanted it painted black to burn the hands of those who touched it; he wanted it adorned with deadly spikes; he even wanted to surround it with an alligator-filled moat. While he promised that it would be funded by Mexico, U.S. taxpayers ended up footing the bill.
In the end, his administration has overseen the construction of roughly 450 miles of border wall construction — likely reaching 475 miles by Inauguration Day. The vast majority of that wall replaces smaller barriers that had already existed, though the new wall is considerably more difficult to bypass.
Tina Puente wears a portrait of President Donald Trump as she gathers with other supporters in anticipation of his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Harlingen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Over the last four years, Trump and his administration have taken extreme — and often unlawful — action to try to curb both illegal and legal immigration. Their efforts were aided in his final year by the coronavirus pandemic, which ground international travel to a halt. But the number of people stopped trying to cross the southern border illegally has been creeping back up in recent months. Figures from December show nearly 74,000 encounters at the southwest border, up 3% from November and up 81% from a year earlier.
A few dozen Trump supporters rallied hours before his visit to the Rio Grande Valley near the Harlingen, Texas, airport, where he was scheduled to land. They planned to stage a caravan of vehicles flying flags that support the president and far-right causes like the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Trump warned that a reversal of his policies by Biden would bring about a “tidal wave of illegal immigration.” He added, “To terminate those policies is knowingly to put America in really serious danger.”
Biden has said he’d halt construction of the border wall and take executive action where possible to reverse some of Trump’s restrictions on legal immigration and asylum seekers. But Biden and his aides have acknowledged the possibility of a new crisis at the border if they act too quickly, and Biden has said it could take six months for his administration to secure funding and put in place the necessary infrastructure to loosen Trump-era restrictions.
President Donald Trump tours a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall under construction Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Alamo, Texas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Beyond touting the wall, Trump rapidly listed his massive changes on the border aimed at discouraging asylum. He cited his “Remain in Mexico” policy, under which more than 65,000 asylum-seekers have been forced to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court since January 2019, and agreements struck with Central American countries for them to offer asylum to people seeking protection in the United States.
He credited his wall for a drop in illegal border crossings from a 13-year high in 2019, but the Government Accountability Office has found the administration lacks measures to correlate drops in illegal crossings to wall construction.
Trump said, falsely, that he inherited “open borders” from his predecessor, Barack Obama. He leaves office with about the same number of Border Patrol agents than when he began, despite a pledge to add 5,000, and the monthly number of migrants stopped at the border exceeds totals during much of Obama’s tenure.
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Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant in Harlingen, Texas; Ben Fox and Alexandra Jaffe in Washington; Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia; and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
Junta-appointed Bangkok Gov. Aswin Kwanmuang listens to a briefing on flooding in Bangkok on Oct. 16, 2020.
BANGKOK — Bangkok will probably get to vote for its Governor some time in 2021. Emphasis on the ‘probably,’ because even an agency tasked with organizing elections doesn’t even know for sure.
Election Commission sec-gen Jarungvith Phumma said the matter will be given a final say by the Cabinet. The odd arrangement is due to Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha’s takeover through a military coup in 2014, which indefinitely suspended Bangkok’s gubernatorial election.
“I think it will be this year,” Jarungvith said. “It’s up to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to decide.”
Under the Local Elections Act of 2019, passed under the junta’s oversight, the junta has the power to decide when it is appropriate to organize local elections, including the vote in Bangkok. If the junta no longer exists, the law says, the power will rest on the Cabinet.
The last gubernatorial election was held in 2013. Bangkok Governors are supposed to serve a 4-year term, but the junta in 2016 replaced the elected incumbent with its own candidate, Aswin Kwanmung, who continues to hold his position to this day.
Opposition MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn said his party, Move Forward, is ready to compete in any upcoming gubernatorial election. He warned that PM Prayut will only anger Bangkokians by delaying their rights to choose their own Governor.
“Since the coup, Bangkokians no longer felt the city belonged to them,” Wiroj said. “We feel like we are tenants or mere occupants. But Bangkokians are owners of Bangkok.”
The deputy leader of another opposition party, Pheu Thai Party, said holding an election for Bangkok Gov. should be an urgent agenda.
“There is no reason to delay it,” Pichai Naripthaphan said by phone. “Even local elections in other provinces took place last year. People already think that the popularity of the government is very low, but to delay the elections further would likely create more dissatisfaction for Bangkokians.”
Coalition leader Phalang Pracharath Party’s Paiboon Nititawan said the party will wait for the date of the election to be announced first before holding a meeting on the matter.
“We haven’t been met to select the candidate. There has been no announcement about the election yet. We will do things step by step so we will wait,” said Paiboon, who serves as the party deputy chairman.
Jarungvit, the Election Commissioner, declined to pinpoint when the election may take place, but warned that the spread of the coronavirus should be taken into consideration as well.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Pheu Thai deputy leader Pichai Naripthaphan’s name.
BANGKOK — Thakoon Boonparn, an executive who helped shape Matichon Group into one of the most influential publishing houses in Thailand died of cancer on Tuesday. He was 59.
Thakoon died at his home on Tuesday afternoon, nearly two years after he was first diagnosed with cancer in 2019, the company said in a statement.
Under his leadership as a Vice President and former MD, Thakoon transformed the Matichon Group from a traditional publisher into a multimedia juggernaut that survived the onslaught of online disruptions. He was also a lifelong writer committed to transparency and democracy who commanded respect across the ideological spectrums of Thailand’s journalist circle.
“Mr. Thakoon played a key role in pioneering and developing Matichon Group, which includes Matichon, Khaosod, and Prachachat, into a media business respected and trusted by the society, from the paper-based era to the digital world,” a company statement said.
“He was committed to honesty and integrity of journalism. He supported principles of democracy, and believed that an important value in his career is to have a stance, and an intimate knowledge of as many fields as possible, in order to deliver the news and information to the public as a media,” the statement said.
Thakoon Boonparn poses for photos at an event marking Matichon Group’s 39th anniversary on Jan. 12, 2017.
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra offered a message of condolences to Thakoon’s family, calling the veteran newsman “a brother who gave me a lot of good advice.”
“He was a reader, a thinker, a writer, and a democracy believer who never wavered in his ideology and principle,” Yingluck wrote online.
Thakoon, or “Tong,” was born on Dec. 18, 1961, to the Boonparn family, which founded and owned Matichon Group. He finished high school education at the prestigious Suankularb Wittayalai and graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a degree in International Relations, at a time when Thailand was living through the military-led regime of “semi-democracy.”
He first joined the Matichon Group in 1984 as a reporter. Thakoon spent the following years covering financial and political affairs for Prachachat, the business newspaper owned by the group, during which he befriended some of the most influential forces behind Thailand’s monetary policies.
Thakoon Boonparn speaks at Matichon Group’s shareholder meeting on April 25, 2017.
His first test of leadership came in 1990, when the company assigned him a command at the group’s daily newspaper, Khaosod. With Thakoon at the helm as the executive editor, the little-known tabloid rose to one of the top three biggest newspapers in Thailand, alongside the more established heavyweights like Thairath and Daily News.
During his tenure as Khaosod editor, he envisioned a future where news would be consumed almost exclusively on digital platforms within “eight seconds of loading time.” In 2010, Thakoon set out to prepare the company for the post-paper era, and Khaosod was one of the first news agencies with a social media presence in Thailand.
“It was a simple dilemma. Everyone knew that paper publication was on the way down, not only at Matichon, but in the rest of the world,” Thakoon said in a 2018 interview. “It already happened in the Western society, where technology was more advanced, and where reading culture was even stronger than ours. Their newspaper industry was bigger than ours, yet it was already disrupted.”
As he juggled the need to cater to the short attention span of the digital audience, Thakoon also insisted on his principles that the media’s foremost duty is to uphold human rights and democratic governance.
Thakoon Boonparn, right, talks to Pheu Thai Party senior member Sudarat Keyuraphan and Chart Pattana Party leader Suwat Liptapanlop at the celebration of Matichon Group’s 41st anniversary on Jan. 9, 2019.
That was why Khaosod, together with its sister publications, gave extensive coverage of the military crackdown on Redshirt protesters in 2010, which resulted in at least 90 deaths, and the fruitless calls for justice that followed.
“Matichon and Khaosod share the same voice: This was unacceptable,” Thakoon said of the crackdown. “This kind of thing cannot happen in our country. They can’t just kill people like that. And if the killings already started, then there must be a trial to prove what was the truth. Once the truth comes out, there must be justice. Otherwise, this society cannot move forward.”
He went on, “If we allowed a bloody crackdown to happen right in the middle of our city, and if we didn’t care about it, we should just quit this job. That’s how we were taught. Go do other jobs. Don’t work in a newspaper if you don’t care about what is right.”
After his tenure at Khaosod ended that year, Thakoon was promoted to the executive positions at Matichon Group, having held the position as a manager, an executive board member, and a vice president.
Thakoon Boonparn speaks on Jan. 30, 2019, at a panel discussion on the upcoming general elections to be held in March that year.
Thakoon also continued to pen columns and articles for Matichon’s publications, most notably in Matichon Weekly, a magazine detailing political roundups and insider information in Thailand each week. He wrote about everything interesting about Thailand, from cooking and music to the latest government graft.
Khaosod English was founded in 2013 under his vision of presenting news about Thailand and explaining its unique oddities to the foreign audience. His motto for the newborn publication was “Very Thai, with an international heart.”
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 – without displaying any symptoms. The news forced him to relinquish his day-to-day leadership of the company and sought medical treatment. His condition worsened in November, which required him to be hospitalized, but Thakoon maintained good spirits and kept in touch with his peers.
Thakoon died at his home on Tuesday afternoon. He is survived by his wife and son. His funeral is set to take place on Wednesday at Wat Samian Nari.
Left: Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Queen’s Gambit.” Right: Sarocha Chuemsakul at the 43rd Chess Olympiad in 2018 Batumi, Georgia. Photo: Sarocha Cheumsakul / Courtesy
BANGKOK — Her classmates used to practice covers of K-pop dances. Now, some are turning to chess boards.
The worldwide phenomenon of “The Queen’s Gambit,” a Netflix series about an addict striving to be the world’s best chess player, appears to be prodding more Thais to learn about the sport, as observed by none other than the current champion of women’s chess tournament in Thailand, 16-year-old Sarocha “Pop” Chuemsakul.
“At first, no one at school was playing, but they started to play after watching the series. It was surprising,” Sarocha said. “Usually, girls my age don’t care about chess. They care more about K-pop dance covers … Chess might be getting more popular.”
According to Netflix, “The Queen’s Gambit” is the fourth most watched drama on its platform in Thailand throughout 2020. The series tells the story of Kentucky orphan Beth Harmon who battles addiction while trying to become the world’s best player.
Thailand Chess Association sec-gen Sahapol Nakvanith said that even though COVID-19 put a stopper on most of the tournaments in 2020 – and will likely do so in the foreseeable future – many people expressed an interest in the sport after the show aired.
Sarocha Chuemsakul at the 43rd Chess Olympiad in 2018 Batumi, Georgia. Photo: Sarocha Cheumsakul / Courtesy
“There’s maybe 20 to 30 percent more people playing. Hundreds of people messaged our Facebook page about getting into chess,” he said.
Kai Tuorila, founder of the Bangkok Chess Club, which has been running for 20 years, called the series “marvelous.” The Finland-born player said the hype even resulted in some companies contacting him about the possibility of holding Gambit-themed events, before the second wave of COVID-19 struck.
Our Own Beth?
Sarocha began to play chess in first grade, where her Mr. Shaibel was Kru Rungrote who taught a chess class in school. Intrigued by the sport since 8, she soon joined a local chess club that held games at Pantip Plaza mall.
“I just wanted to try it. But then there were tournaments, and I asked my dad if I should enter them,” Sarocha said by phone Tuesday. “Then I somehow became champion, and I just kept playing.”
Sarocha is a Matthayom 4 student at Yupparaj Wittayalai School, equivalent to Grade 10. She’s the reigning women’s national champ for four years in a row since 2017, and was awarded the Women’s FIDE Master ranking in 2018.
Sarocha Chuemsakul at the 30th SEA Games in 2019 in the Philippines. Photo: Sarocha Cheumsakul / Courtesy
“I’ve already thought out every move. Of course, I use the Queen’s Gambit too,” Sarocha said, referring to the classic chess opening move that lends the name to the Netflix series.
Her dream, she says, is to keep being on the team and continuing to face international opponents. While Beth Harmon made it her goal to beat the admired Soviet chess grandmaster Vasily Borgov, Sarocha speaks highly of chess prodigies from Kazakhstan.
In the girls under 16 section at the 2019 Asian Youth championships, Sarocha crossed paths with Kazakh Nurgali Nazerke, who won first place.
“Players from Kazakhstan know all the openings. The way they play, the way they think is very intense and aggressive. It’s very hard to fight that,” she said.
Let’s Play Ka!
Still, international chess is a niche interest among the general population (the same cannot be said about Thai chess, or makruk, which can be found almost everywhere), and even rarer among women.
Like Beth, Sarocha found herself facing older men, except if playing in a women’s tournament.
Sarocha Chuemsakul at the 30th SEA Games in 2019 in the Philippines. Photo: Sarocha Cheumsakul / Courtesy
In accordance with the World Chess Federation which governs international chess competition, Thailand holds open tournaments as well as a separate women’s section. Chess association sec-gen Sahapol, who said he greatly enjoyed “The Queen’s Gambit,” said this country is still lacking a vibrant women’s chess scene.
“In reality, we’re just not seeing many good women players. Women aren’t winning much yet, since more men are playing,” he said.
The national chess association is recognized by the sports ministry. It currently has about 1,500 players, 70 percent of them men. Sahapol said in the 2020 national tournament, 36 competed in the open section – all men, while less than half as many, 15 competed in the women’s section.
Sarocha Chuemsakul wins the national Thai women’s chess championship in 2020. Photo: Sarocha Cheumsakul / Courtesy
Sarocha herself said that Thailand was just seeing more, and better, male players. “They have more confidence in attacks, but women play in a koi pen koi pai manner,” she said, using a Thai idiom that means “to calmly go along.”
Tuorila of the Bangkok Chess Club says that among the under-18 group, the ratio is about 40 percent women players in tournaments, but drops to 20 in adults. Low interest in chess for women may be due to the cultural connotations of makruk, he said.
“According to the tradition of old days, makruk is not for kids and not for girls. It’s associated with playing in the fresh market, and gambling,” Tuorila said. “What we’re trying to do with international chess is to educate the Thai public that it’s an international sport that’s good for children’s development, logical thinking, analytical thinking, and concentration.”
Many Thais are more familiar with the local variant of chess. Sarocha said she also began playing chess with makruk, but she also had to get used to hearing comments like “It’s a man’s sport, why is there a girl playing?” and “It’s an elderly sport.”
“Of course, I want more Thai women to play chess,” Sarocha said. “Very few girls play. It’s not so popular in Thailand yet.”
Sarocha Chuemsakul, second from left in foreground, at the 43rd Chess Olympiad in 2018 Batumi, Georgia. Photo: Sarocha Cheumsakul / Courtesy
This undated photo issued by the University of Oxford shows of vial of coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, in Oxford, England. (University of Oxford/John Cairns via AP)
BANGKOK — Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it received requests from two international pharmaceuticals to approve their coronavirus vaccines for use in the kingdom.
The requests were filed by Sinovac and AstraZeneca, who are based in China and the United Kingdom, respectively, FDA sec-gen Paisarn Dunkum told reporters, as the number of new reported coronavirus cases hit nearly 300 on Tuesday.
Paisarn did not say how long it would take before a decision is made. The Thai government said it has secured millions of doses from the two companies for its vaccination campaign, starting with “vulnerable groups” in the five provinces hardest hit by the coronavirus.
On the same day, the government’s coronavirus response center said it registered 287 new infections over the past 24 hours – slightly higher than the previous tally of 249 reported yesterday.
Center spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin said no new coronavirus death has been reported.
“It’s good news that there’s no fatality,” Taweesin said in the online news conference. “Please, we need everyone to give 100 percent cooperation in order to eradicate the virus.”
Taweesin said he’s currently in Ubon Ratchathani for an inspection tour. The spokesman also said some local communities continue to resist the plan to set up field hospitals, and that it needs to change since having a field hospital will be beneficial for the residents themselves.
The capital reported one new infection today, with a total of 245 accumulated cases. The highest spike remains in Samut Sakhon province where the second outbreak first began in December, with 51 new infections in the past 24 hours and over 3,500 total cases.
