A sign posted in front of a drug store near Siriraj Hospital telling customers that face masks and hand sanitizers are sold out on Feb. 5, 2020.
BANGKOK — The government on Tuesday placed face masks and hand sanitizers on the price control list in response to complaints of retailers profiteering from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The price of face masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizing products, and polypropylene fabrics used in the production of face masks came under oversight of the Ministry of Commerce, according to a government order published on Tuesday – just hours after the Prime Minister dismissed criticism over mask shortages.
“Once they become controlled products, the Department of Internal Trade can put a curb on the price and stock volume,” commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit said. “We can order companies to declare production cost, volume, and stock to ensure the availability of face masks and sanitizers.”
He said the decision came after the hike in demand for face masks in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. Domestic demand for face masks rose from 30 million pieces to 40-50 million pieces per month, Jurin said.
Worsening air pollution in parts of Thailand also appears to contribute to the rising demand.
Tuesday’s government order authorized officials to limit the number of purchases of face masks and hand sanitizers per customer, demand retailers to sell them on recommended retail prices, or order distributors to hand them out to areas affected by scarcity.
Under the order, officials may also choose to ban exporting more than 500 face masks out of the country without prior approval. Violators face up to seven years in prison or a 140,000 baht fine.
However, commerce minister Jurin said these measures would only be rolled out if the situation becomes worse.
“We will consider these measures once the order is in effect,” Jurin said. “It’s only a short-term solution. Once the situation becomes normal, we will withdraw it immediately.”
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had earlier dismissed reports of face mask shortages, saying that the claims are unfounded.
“The Ministry of Commerce confirmed to me that supplies of maks are not running low,” Prayut told reporters Tuesday. “If anyone found an expensive mask, just call the hotline so they can make arrests. Floating claims like this doesn’t make anything better.”
Police commissioner Chakthip Chaijinda, right, checks out gear worn by his son Chanan Chaijinda during an amphibious combat training on Dec. 5, 2019.
BANGKOK — Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan said on Tuesday there was nothing illegal about a decision by the police commissioner to promote his own son to a senior police rank despite not meeting one of the criteria.
Gen. Prawit said there were grounds for exception in the case of Capt. Chanan Chaijinda, a son of police chief Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda. Chanan was recently promoted to a commander in a border police unit despite serving just three years as a deputy inspector, far below the required period of seven years.
Police officials said Chanan was exempted because he received overseas training programs and had exceptional knowledge that would benefit the force.
“They can do that, it’s supported by regulations,” Prawit said.
When a reporter asked whether it’s appropriate for a police commissioner to approve fast-tracking his own son, Prawit shot back, “Do you love your son, too? Do you?”
Recent media reports said some police officers are angered by an April 2019 order that promoted Chanan to the rank of a commander in the Border Police’s air support unit. Chanan previously served as a deputy inspector for three years; a common police practice held it that he must hold the rank for at least seven years before being considered for a promotion.
The news once again ignited complaints of nepotism and privileged treatment among the police force.
Speaking at a Tuesday news conference, police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen rejected the accusation, saying the police command had the authority to grant promotion to individuals who show talents and valuable knowledge.
Krissana said Chanan qualified for the exemption because he underwent training multiple training programs, including anti-terrorism and parachuting courses. Chanan also completed a sniper course in Israel and received training from the FBI in the United States, according to the spokesman.
“To speak frankly, the police commissioner could have appointed him to any position if he really did whatever he wanted as the media alleged,” Krissana said. “He could have sent him somewhere comfortable. But why is no one asking why [Chanan] was sent to the Border Police.”
He also questioned why the issue only surfaced now, nearly a year after the promotion was approved by Gen. Chakthip in April 2019.
BANGKOK — In a city where counselling sessions can run for thousands of baht per hour, free mental health workshops for teens will run for four therapeutic days.
At “The Nook” four-day workshop from Feb. 29 to March 3 at Yelo House, young people will be able to speak to mental health professionals and participate in group therapy activities for free. The event is hosted by Love Frankie, a Bangkok-based creative agency.
“Data from the Mental Health Department shows that there are currently 1 million young Thais dealing with clinical depression and around 2 million at risk of developing this and other mental illnesses,” Matt Love, one of the founders of Love Frankie said in a statement. “This situation along with the increase of suicide rates among youth in Thailand requires us to act fast and show up for the young people struggling with mental illnesses.”
The event’s details and schedule, which will include mindfulness and art therapy workshops, are yet to be released.
Department of Mental Health said on last year’s World Suicide Prevention Day – Sept. 10 – that more than 3,000 Thais of 100,000 committed suicide, or 11 to 12 people a day between 2018 and 2019. The average age was 45, with more than 80 percent men.
Although increasingly common, getting mental health treatment is still viewed with a stigma among Thais, especially among the older population. It’s not uncommon to get a response from manus pa (“super aunties”) that mental illnesses are “karma” that can be solved with a dose of Buddhism.
TOKYO (Kyodo) — East Japan Railway Co. will soon begin trials of an anti-groping smartphone app it has developed, enabling users to notify train conductors of instances of molestation so announcements can be made to warn passengers.
The app will be tested on the crowded JR Saikyo Line between Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays beginning in late February, according to the railway operator, commonly known as JR East.
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, as. Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., listen. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing the nation in extraordinary times, President Donald Trump declared America “stronger than ever before” Tuesday night as he delivered his State of the Union address on the eve of his likely impeachment acquittal and in the aftermath of the chaotic first votes of the race to replace him.
The first president to run for reelection after being impeached, Trump received a sharply partisan welcome to the House of Representatives, with some Republicans chanting “Four More Years” while Democrats stood silently
“America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise and America’s future is blazing bright,” Trump declared. “In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!”
Setting a yardstick for success and then contending he’d surpassed it, Trump has gone from an inaugural address that decried “American carnage” to extolling the “Great American Comeback, claiming credit for the nation’s economic success as a chief rationale for a second term.
Republican members of Congress applauded nearly every sentence of Trump’s speech, often leaping to their feet to cheer him.
The only suspense concerned whether he would address the impeachment charges against him.
In the nationally televised speech, Trump was speaking from the House of Representatives, on the opposite side of the Capitol from where the Senate one day later was expected to acquit him largely along party lines.
Trump aimed to spend the first part of his speech highlighting the economy’s strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama.
And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obama’s eight-year presidency. Trump had promised much higher.
The White House promised an optimistic speech that would look past the impeachment trial that has consumed Washington in favor of a recitation of accomplishments and promises. But Trump often veers from his script and may not be able to resist using the moment to claim exoneration and settle scores. And even in the moments when Trump has struck a tone of bipartisanship and cooperation, he has consistently returned to his scorched earth rhetoric within days.
Even for a Trump-era news cycle that seems permanently set to hyper-speed, the breakneck pace of events dominating the first week of February offered a singular backdrop for the president’s address. Yet Trump told TV anchors at a midday meal that his address would be “extraordinarily low key.”
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who has presided in the Senate over only the third impeachment trial in the nation’s history, was be on hand Tuesday night — this time in his more customary seat in the audience. Trump stood before the very lawmakers who have voted to remove him from office — and those who are expected to acquit him when the Senate trial comes to a close.
And over his shoulder, visible in nearly every camera shot, was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Trump’s side who authorized the impeachment proceedings that charged the president with abusing the power of his office to push Ukraine to investigate a political foe. Pelosi created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of the president a year ago. When Trump entered the chamber this time, he did not take her outstretched hand but it was not clear he had seen her gesture. Later, as Republicans cheered, she remained in her seat.
Trump was staring out at some of the Democrats who have been vying to take his job, although it was unclear if he would weigh in on the confusion in Iowa, where the results of Monday’s leadoff caucuses were delayed. In advance of his address, Trump tweeted that the caucus chaos showed Democrats were incompetent and should not be trusted to run the government.
Trump spent the hours before his speech tucked away at the White House, hosting network anchors for lunch while working on final drafts of the address. He entered the moment on a roll, with his impeachment acquittal imminent, his job approval numbers ticking upward and Wall Street looking strong. Aides played down the possibility that he would use the address to seek vengeance over impeachment.
“I think that this has gone on for too long and I think that, if you look at the ratings, the American people are frankly bored of it,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told Fox News early Tuesday.
In the closest historical comparison, Bill Clinton did not mention his recent impeachment when he delivered his State of the Union in 1999. In his address a year ago, Trump did remain on message, making no mention of how Pelosi had originally disinvited him from delivering the speech during the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history.
Trump aimed to spend much of the speech highlighting the economy’s strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama.And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from President Barack Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obama’s eight-year presidency
Trump stressed the new trade agreements he has negotiated, including his phase-one deal with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement he signed last month.
While the White House said the president would have a message of unity, he also planned to spend time on issues that have created great division and resonated with his political base. He will attack the Democrats’ health care proposals for being too intrusive and again highlight his signature issue — immigration — trumpeting the miles of border wall that have been constructed.
“The United States of America should be a Sanctuary for Law-Abiding Americans – Not Criminal Aliens!” Trump is to say, according to the excerpts. “My Administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort to secure the Southern Border of the United States.”
He will also dedicate a section to “American values,” discussing efforts to protect “religious liberties” and limit access to abortion as he continues to court the evangelical and conservative Christian voters who form a crucial part of his base.
As usual, the presidential guests will reflect issues that Trump wants to highlight. The invited guests include military families, immigration officials and the former sheriff from Venezuela who fled to the United States.
The Democrats were supplying plenty of counter-programming, focusing on health care — the issue key to their takeover of the House last year. Many female Democrats were wearing white as tribute to the suffragettes, while a number in the party were wearing red, white and blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change, saying Trump has rolled back environmental safeguards and given free rein to polluters.
Several Democratic lawmakers, including California Rep. Maxine Waters and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced in advance of the speech that they would be skipping it, with the high-profile New York freshman tweeting that she would “not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was delivering the party’s official response and, in excerpts released ahead of the speech, was to draw a contrast between actions taken by Democrats and the president’s rhetoric.
“It doesn’t matter what the president says about the stock market,” Whitmer says. “What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don’t have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs.”
AP writers Darlene Superville in Washington and David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks to supporters at a caucus night campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay late Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest of the party’s 2020 primary season.
The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa’s traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar.
It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded.
The results reflected 62% of precincts in the state.
The two early leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more.
Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigieg’s early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates.
Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg arrives at Community Oven Pizza for a campaign event, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, in Hampton, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
“We don’t know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea — a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt — has taken its place at the front of this race,” Buttigieg, declared, his voice filled with emotion, as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on.
Buttigieg’s early rise was rivaled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden.
One of his party’s most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Biden’s campaign sought to downplay the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year.
“We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination,” said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser.
While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released.
During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the timeline — even whether it would be days or weeks.
“We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate,” Price said at a subsequent press conference.
The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days. And billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed opportunity, saying he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month.
The party’s caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted “first” status.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden wishes Barbara Moroney, of Rocky Point, N.Y., a happy 80th birthday on the phone during a campaign rally, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the party’s national convention in July.
Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, “Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.”
Facing New Hampshire voters a day later, Sanders said thank you to Iowa and, tongue in cheek, expressed confidence that New Hampshire election officials would have more success counting votes.
“And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here,” he said.
For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers’ initial candidate preference; vote totals from the “final alignment” after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received.
With more than one-third of all precincts left to report, Sanders led on the first alignment.
The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbor Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind.
Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren also said she was “feeling good” about her performance in Iowa.
The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a “coding issue in the reporting system” that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of “a hack or an intrusion.”
A Biden campaign representative objected to the party’s plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan didn’t address “growing reports” about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results.
Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver thanked party officials, and encouraged other campaigns not to undermine the party.
“Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think that’s a bit disingenuous,” Weaver said.
Bloomberg announced plans to double his national television advertising spending — which has already exceeded $100 million — as he expands his paid staff to more than 2,000 people.
Bloomberg is looking to next month, having decided to bypass Iowa’s contest and the three other states voting this month in favor of the delegate-rich states in March.
“After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever,” Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. “No one has made the sale or even come close to it.”
Beyond 2020, Monday’s debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed.
“I think Iowa is a dumpster fire,” said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday.
31 January 2020: Let the game begin! AIS announces AIS eSports Thailand Corporate League 2020 is now open for application. Catered for company talents, the 2020 Corporate League is in its second year to recognize eSports skills among company staff and promote rapport between employees and their organization. Prizes are worth more than 426,000 baht. The ambience at the press conference was upbeat, featuring AIS partners including eSports publishers and PC brand names from all over the country.
Simultaneously, AIS introduces AIS eSports Thailand Campus League – a tournament targeting gaming enthusiastic university students. Winners from both tournaments will represent Thailand to compete in international PVP Esports Community League collaborated by Singtel Group, Singapore.
A vivid supporter in Thailand’s eSports, AIS introduces the eSports tournaments to reiterate its quality excellence in mobile network as well as digital services. From university students to company employees, from amateur to professional, adult players now have a chance to contest and find out what it takes to be a professional eSports player.
Organize
the 2nd Thailand Game Expo by AIS eSports
The
biggest gaming event and gaming gear in the country
30 January 2020: Officially started for the 2nd Thailand Game Expo by AIS eSports, the country’s biggest gaming event and gaming gear under the synergy between AIS, the leader of eSports for Thais, and M Vision, along with many leading partners in the eSports industry that has brought unlimited fun to excite the adrenaline of the esports fans and gamers. This event is emphasizing the AIS eSports leadership that continually builds awareness in the Thai eSports industry, including supporting eSports athletes and the Thai esports industry in all areas to create the esports ecosystem of the country to grow stronger together.
“Currently, eSports is widely recognized as a sport of the digital age that responds to the lifestyle of the Millennials, and eSports now has been selected as an official sports competition for 30th SEA Games, which in the past year 2019. We notice a definite trend of eSports growth, both in terms of active game players on all platforms over 27 million people and the market value of game and eSports in Thailand with over 23,000 million baht, increased by 16.6% compared to the year 2018. Therefore, we expect the market value of eSports to expand to 27,000 million baht this year 2020, which accounts for 71% of mobile and tablet games, 22% of PC games, and 7% of video game consoles.
AIS has announced its vision to support esports in all dimensions. We have continuously built awareness for esports from the development of the best network and digital platform capabilities to enhance the eSports gaming experience, tournament management, and the eSports community for gamers of all levels and support Thai gamers to have an area to show their talents and develop eSports skills, as well as to join forces with M Vision and several partners to organize Thailand Game Expo by AIS eSports, which ambitious to become a first game center and the gaming gear event that meets all the needs of the eSports fans in Thailand, which has been accepted by eSports fans, gamers, and the people that are interested in joining the event, which is known to be highly successful.” Mr. Alistair David Johnston, Managing Director – New Business said.
Mr. Alistair continued, “By this year 2020, AIS is still
determined to support and upgrade eSports ecosystem of the country to be strong
from the development of the best and most stable network along with digital
platforms that meet the needs of eSports fans as well as working with leading
game partners, which this year has expanded the partnership to popular new
games platforms which has jointly created the Product Bundling as special
promotions for AIS customers, including intending to promote the country’s
eSports personnel through the “Official Telecommunication Sponsor of TESF”
Recently, AIS joins with M Vision
and partner in the leading eSports industry to organize the Thailand Game Expo
by AIS eSports for the second time in order to be a center of the game event
and gaming gear that answer to all needs of eSports fans, whether special price
promotions that discount up to 80%,
creating tournament competitions for attending and cheering, moreover a fan
meet with the casters from Twitch and Facebook Gaming. All of this, with the potential of
AIS and the strength of partners, both from the public and private sectors. We believe that we will help inspire
the Thai eSports industry, and enhance the country’s esports ecosystem to grow
stronger together.” Mr. Alistair said.
4 full days, with 4
cool highlights. Free admission, no charge throughout the event!
Promotion of mobile
and home broadband internet packages from AIS, including the newest smartphone,
laptop, computer, and gaming gear from leading gaming partners such as Banana IT,
JIB, Acer Predator, AMD Steelseries, Asus ROG, HP Omen, Lenovo Legion, MSI, and
Razer. Available at a special price of up to 80% off and a chance to
win free items from popular PUBG Mobile, MARVEL Super War, Call Of Duty Mobile,
FIFA ONLINE4, Blade & Soul, and Black Desert. As well as joining
activities with many leading gaming firms on all platforms.
Closer than anyone
else! Meet over 70 gamers, casters, and influencers from
Twitch and Facebook Gaming such as Rubsarb, FPSThailand, Boyminoru,
Fifatargrean, Gssspotted, CigaretteS, and DEER LONG. Moreover, to satisfy
gamers who prefer Cosplay with the AIS eSports Cosplay Championship 2020, which
is the large cosplay competition in Thailand to win a prize of 60,000 baht, and
win premium prizes with Cosplay game Identity V.
Initiate the battle
for unlimited fun! With a full 4 days with eSport tournament to win a
prize of over 500,000 baht by supporting eSports fans and gamers of all levels
to attend and cheer closely, such as the Tekken Charity Shield Thailand
National Team competition, by all 4 Tekken 7 gamers from the Thailand E-Sports Federation, led
by Book–Nopparut Hempamorn, the historical gamer
who won the gold medal in the first eSport for the Thai national team in the
30th SEA Games, AIS eSports Corporate League 2020, the tournament of
office workers gamers, and also attend and cheer for the special Pre–season AIS eSports
Corporate League 2020 competition from 40 leading companies in PUBG Mobile. Extraordinary! With the opening of
the Walk-In Tournament that opens to gamers of all levels to be able to
register for 3 favorite games, Call Of Duty Mobile, FIFA Online 4, and Black
Desert Mobile by registering at the event for free! No charge, only on 1-2 February 2020.
Enjoy the Mini Concert
from famous artists throughout 4 days, led by Peck Palitchoke, SBFive,
Sweat16, Chris Peerawas, Singto Prachaya, Gun Atthaphan, and Off Jumpol.
Join the 2nd Thailand
Game Expo by AIS eSports, starting today – 2 February 2020, from
10.00 am – 08.00 pm. at Hall 100, Bitec Bangna.
CHONBURI — A plane carrying 138 Thai nationals from China’s Wuhan landed at a navy-run airport east of Bangkok on Tuesday night, upon which the passengers were immediately sent to a quarantine.
Although health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said none of the 138 passengers showed any sign of illness, Chinese authorities prevented two Thais from boarding the plane at Wuhan because they had high fever. Another Thai also could not leave because the person was discovered to have overstayed a visa.
Anutin said the Thai evacuation team had to respect decisions by the Chinese authorities.
The evacuees are now being quarantined inside a navy-operated hotel close to a naval base in Sattahip district of Chonburi province. They were to stay inside the facility for 14 days to monitor for any possible infection, the health minister said.
Thailand counted 25 cases of coronavirus infection so far, including 18 Chinese tourists and six Thai nationals, though no fatality has been reported.
Soldiers watch over a pro-coup rally in June 2014 at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — The iconic Democracy Monument would be untouched by the massive renovation effort along the 1.2-km stretch of Ratchadamnoen Avenue, a City Hall official said Tuesday.
The renovation, spearheaded by the Crown Property Bureau, will transform 10 buildings along the historic avenue into a neoclassical style, but the art deco monument will not be included in the plan, according to the official, who spoke on a condition of anonymity.
“Democracy Monument won’t be affected,” the official said. “We shall carry on our duty. The administrators have tasked us to take care of it.”
The same official, who requested anonymity because the person is not authorized to speak to the media, also said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration recently took charge of caring for the 80-year-old monument, ending months of debate that raged in 2018.
Called the “City Preservation Team,” the department consists of six officials from the BMA’s City Planning Department. They are responsible for preserving and cleaning 13 monuments and three dozen other historical sites around the capital.
Democracy Monument was unveiled to the public in 1940. It commemorates a revolt that ended the absolute monarchy and paved way for a parliamentary democracy eight years earlier.
Fears that Democracy Monument might be under threat grew after several relics associated with the 1932 revolution began to disappear in recent years, including the Constitution Defense Monument in northern Bangkok and a plaque marking the spot of the democratic revolt.
Activist and lawyer Arnon Nampa is unconvinced by the City Hall’s insistence that the monument is safe.
“Democracy Monument is at risk of being altered, or having its meaning changed into something else,” Arnon said, noting that there was an attempt to replace it with a statue of King Rama VII in the past.
A file photo of Democracy Monument.
“We must demand that the BMA takes care of it,” he said. “I think a change, or its disappearance, is around the corner.”
The BMA official in charge of protecting it said Democracy Monument should remain safe under the City Hall’s care – unless someone acted against it illegally. If members of the public see any suspicious activities at the site, they are advised to alert the BMA immediately.
The same official added that the Constitution Defense Monument’s disappearance occurred just months before the City Hall formed the effort to safeguard the capital’s historical sites. The official said they didn’t know who removed the monument.
The City Hall works together with the Fine Arts Department’s monument protection team. The team leader, Ruengrab Thipthong, said his department must be informed of any potential change to Democracy Monument, and any decision must be jointly made by the two agencies.
Tens of thousands of students rally against the military government around Democracy Monument on Oct. 13, 1973.
Ruengrab said he is not aware of any proposed changes at Democracy Monument so far.
“There’s none as of today,” Ruengrab said by phone on Monday. “The BMA is caring for it. As for what happened to [Constitution Protection Monument], I really don’t know.”
Democracy Monument on Monday evening was surrounded by metal fences, preventing anyone from entering its ground. The monument, which had been a center of countless protests throughout Thai history, was cordoned off for most of the time since the military seized power in a 2014 coup.
The monument itself is ridden with symbolism. Its radius and height of 24 meters along with 75 partially submerged cannons – what appear fence posts – reference the Buddhist year of 2475 (1932); the Naga figures around the memorial represent 1932’s zodiac, Year of the Dragon.
