U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who is also the chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, shake hands during a ceremony at the East Room of the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
WASHINGTON (Xinhua) — China and the United States formally signed their phase-one economic and trade agreement here on Wednesday, with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. President Donald Trump inking the papers in the White House.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, first conveyed a message of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Trump.
The conclusion of the phase-one economic and trade agreement is good for China, for the United States and for the whole world, Xi said in the message read out by the vice premier.
“It also shows that our two countries have the ability to act on the basis of equality and mutual respect, and work through dialogue and consultation to properly handle and effectively resolve relevant issues,” read the message.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He show the signed China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement during a ceremony at the East Room of the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
In the next step, the two sides need to implement the agreement in real earnest and optimize its positive impact, so as to make even greater progress in China-U.S. trade and economic cooperation, the Chinese president said.
To maintain healthy and steady growth of China-U.S. relations serves the interest of both countries and requires joint efforts from both sides, Xi said.
In that spirit, Xi voiced hope that the U.S. side will treat fairly Chinese companies and their regular economic, trade and investment activities, and give support to the collaboration between enterprises, research institutes, and schools and colleges of the two countries, as it will help enhance mutual trust and cooperation between the two sides.
“China is prepared to work with the United States in that direction. And I will stay in close touch with you personally,” Xi said. “I believe that under our guidance, China-U.S. relations will deliver more results and bring greater benefits to our peoples in the year ahead.”
Medical workers wait for disinfection after medical aid on "suspected case" during anti-MERS drill at Qingdao Port on June 18, 2015 in Qingdao, Shandong province of China[VCG/Getty/Kyodo]
TOKYO (Kyodo) — A Chinese man has tested positive in Japan’s first confirmed case of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus from China, the Japanese health ministry said Thursday.
The man in his 30s, a resident of Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, returned to Japan on Jan. 6 after traveling to Wuhan, central China where an outbreak of the pneumonia associated with the new virus began in December, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing a trade agreement with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a dramatic procession across the U.S. Capitol, House Democrats carried the formal articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate late Wednesday, setting the stage for only the third trial to remove a president in American history.
Trump complained anew it was all a “hoax,” even as fresh details emerged about his efforts in Ukraine.
The ceremonial pomp and protocol by the lawmakers prosecuting the case against Trump moved the impeachment out of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Democratic-run House to the Republican-majority Senate, where the president’s team is mounting a defense aiming for swift acquittal.
“Today we will make history,″ Pelosi said as she signed the documents, using multiple pens to hand out and mark the moment. “This president will be held accountable.”
Moments later the prosecutors walked solemnly through the stately hall, filing into the Senate back row as the Clerk of the House announced the arrival: “The House has passed House Resolution 798, a resolution appointing and authorizing managers of the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump, President of United States.”
The Senate will transform itself into an impeachment court at noon Thursday. The Constitution calls for Chief Justice John Roberts to preside at the trial, administering the oath to senators who will serve as jurors and swear to deliver “impartial justice.”
The trial will play out before a deeply divided nation at the start of this election year as Trump seeks a second term and voters review his presidency. Three senators are running for the Democratic nomination.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged to have the Senate “rise above the petty factionalism” and “factional fervor and serve the long-term, best interests of our nation.″ He called it “a difficult time for our country.”
Technically, the House was simply notifying the Senate of its delivery of the articles, with a more formal presentation Thursday. Opening arguments are to begin next Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Earlier Wednesday, the House voted 228-193, almost entirely along party lines, ending a weeks-long delay to deliver the charges with a tally reflecting the nation’s split.
The House impeached Trump last month alleging he abused his presidential power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden, using military aid to the country as leverage. Trump was also charged with obstructing Congress’ ensuing probe.
“This is what an impeachment is about,″ Pelosi said before the vote. “The president violated his oath of office, undermined our national security, jeopardized the integrity of our elections.”
Trump’s political campaign dismissed the House effort as “just a failed attempt to politically damage President Trump leading up to his reelection.”
The top Republican in the House, Kevin McCarthy of California, said Americans will look back on this “sad saga” that tried to remove the president from office with the “weakest case.”
The president’s team expects acquittal with a Senate trial lasting no more than two weeks, according to senior administration officials unauthorized to discuss the matter and granted anonymity.
House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Clerk of the House Cheryl Johnson carry the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. Following are impeachment managers, House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) , Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
That’s far shorter than the last presidential impeachment trial, of Bill Clinton, in 1999, or the first one, of Andrew Johnson, in 1868.
As McConnell sets the rules for the trial, Trump has given mixed messages about whether he prefers lengthy or swift proceeding, and senators are under pressure with the emerging new evidence to call more witnesses for testimony.
The seven-member prosecution team was led by the chairmen of the House impeachment proceedings, Reps. Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Committee and Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary Committee, two of Pelosi’s top lieutenants.
“President Trump gravely abused the power of his office,” Nadler said. “He did all this for his personal political gain.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s session, Schiff released new records from Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, about the Ukraine strategy, including an exchange with another man about surveilling later-fired Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
Schiff said the new evidence should bring more pressure on McConnell, who is reluctant to allow witnesses to testify and prefers swift acquittal. The White House has instructed officials not to comply with House subpoenas for testimony and documents.
“The challenge is to get a fair trial,” Schiff said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It shouldn’t be a challenge — if the senators are really going to live up to their oath to be impartial, they’ll want a fair trial. That’s obviously not where Mitch McConnell is coming from.”
The managers are a diverse group with legal, law enforcement and military experience, including Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Val Demings of Florida, Jason Crow of Colorado and Zoe Lofgren of California.
Two are freshmen lawmakers — Crow a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Garcia a former judge in Houston. Demings is the former police chief of Orlando and Jeffries is a lawyer and member of party leadership. Lofgren has the rare credential of having worked on the congressional staff investigation of then-President Richard Nixon’s impeachment — he resigned before the full House voted on the charges — and then being an elected lawmaker during Bill Clinton’s.
For the roll call, all but one Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, voted to transmit the articles. All Republicans voted against. One former Republican-turned-independent, Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, joined Democrats.
McConnell faces competing interests from his party for more witnesses, from centrists who are siding with Democrats on the need to hear testimony and conservatives mounting Trump’s defense.
Senate Republicans signaled they would reject the idea of simply voting to dismiss the articles of impeachment against Trump, as Trump himself has suggested. McConnell agreed he does not have the votes to do that.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is leading an effort among some Republicans, including Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, to consider Senate witnesses. She told reporters she was satisfied the rules will allow votes on that.
Romney said he wants to hear from John Bolton, the former national security adviser at the White House, who others have said raised alarms about the alternative foreign policy toward Ukraine being run by Giuliani.
Those or any four senators could force an outcome. Republicans control the chamber, 53-47, and are all but certain to acquit Trump. But it takes just 51 votes during the trial to approve rules or call witnesses. It also would take only 51 senators to vote to dismiss the charges against Trump.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and other Republicans want to subpoena Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on the board of a gas company in Ukraine, Burisma, while his father was vice president.
McConnell prefers to model Trump’s trial partly on the process used for Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1999, which considered witnesses later.
McConnell is hesitant to call new witnesses who would prolong the trial and put vulnerable senators who are up for reelection in 2020 in a bind with tough choices. At the same time, he wants to give those same senators ample room to show voters they are listening.
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Alan Fram, Matthew Daly, Andrew Taylor, Mary Clare Jalonick, Laurie Kellman, and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talk Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, after a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa., as businessman Tom Steyer looks on. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Warren accused Bernie Sanders of calling her a liar before a national television audience during a tense, post-debate exchange in which she refused to shake his outstretched hand, according to audio released Wednesday by CNN.
The Democratic presidential rivals are strong progressives who had steadfastly refused to attack each other for more than a year on the campaign trail. But that changed Monday, when Warren said that, during a private meeting between the two in 2018, he disagreed with her that a woman could win the presidency.
Sanders, a senator from Vermont, has denied that, and did so again during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, which was hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register and held in Iowa, whose first-in-the-nation caucuses are Feb. 3. Warren stood by her account and said it was time to confront the larger issues of sexism in politics.
That exchange lasted only a few minutes. But after the debate was over, Warren, a Massachusetts senator, approached Sanders, who put out his hand for her to shake. Instead, she confronted him, and the two talked briefly in tense tones.
Neither campaign would confirm what was said Tuesday night, but CNN released the audio Wednesday. As she is refusing his extended hand, Warren repeats, “I think you called me a liar on national television.” Sanders gently brushes her with his hand, then says, “Let’s not do it right now.”
“You want to have that discussion?” he continues. “We’ll have that discussion.” Warren replies, “Anytime.”
Sanders then adds, “You called me a liar,” before concluding, “All right, let’s not do it now.”
The exchange was interrupted by fellow candidate and environmentalist Tom Steyer, who said, “I don’t want to get in the middle of it” and greeted Sanders as the senator walked away.
Warren’s and Sanders’ aides have for days attempted to de-escalate the feud as some progressives worrythat ill will between the cause’s two leading voices will ultimately hurt both of them and could benefit more moderate Democratic presidential hopefuls like former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Release of the audio is likely to ensure the political fight continues — at least for now.
Glenmorangie, the award-winning single malt from Scotland, created a new experience in an exclusive dinner where six selected whiskies were paired with authentic Thai foods in celebration of the debut of “Glenmorange Quinta Ruban”, an exclusive single malt matured for 14 years to produce uniquely strong taste. The exclusive dinner was recently held at Burapa Restaurant, Sukhumvit 11.
Glenmorangie is the reknown single malt from Scottish Highlands. The story of the single malt started back in 1843 when whisky makers blended their whisky making heritage with the latest drink innovation to create a real innovative whisky. Oak barrels were carefully selected because whisky will absorb special flavor and aroma from the wooden barrels. The barrels are used only twice to keep the strong flavor. Glenmorangie is known for its specialization in extra-matured whisky ageing. Single malt is aged in an oak barrel first then transferred into a cherry wine barrel, port wine barrel and southern wine barrel. The special single malts aged by this unique ageing process is classified as extra-matured range products under Glenmorangie family.
At the exclusive dinner, it was the first time that single malt is paired with authentic Thai food to honor the debut of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, the 14-year whisky from Glenmorangie. The standard ageing period was extended by two years in port wine barrel to produce orange aroma and strong dark chocolate taste.
Along with Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, five other single malts being paired at the event are Glenmorangie Original, Glenmorangie The Lasanta, Glenmorangie The Nectar d’Or, Glenmorangie 18 Years and Glenmorangie Signet.
The perfect pairing between Glenmorangie and authentic foods from the eastern Thailand made from top quality raw materials began with special appetizers. The crab salad, steamed minced pork with salted fish and chaphloo leaves, crispy fish with star fruits, and miang grilled prawn salad have enhanced the taste and flavor of Glenmorangie Original and Glenmorangie The Lasanta. Main course included grilled prawn and squid egg with makwaen sauce, clam chowder soup with cardamom, cassia curry with charcoal-grilled fish served with pickled vegetables and fries, which all pair well with Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and Glenmorangie 18 Years. Then Glenmorangie the Nectar d’Or was served to prepare for dessert. Sesame ice cream and crispy sesame crackers with sugar are served with Glenmorangie Signet to complete this exclusive dinner.
The clever pairing clearly proves that Glenmorangie whisky from Scotland not only goes well but also enhance the taste of authentic Thai foods, making them the perfect pair for special moment.
Daring to break the tradition, the Hidden Pu-Erh Tea is TWG Tea’s festive, limited edition creation this Lunar New Year, this earthy, matured black tea has been refashioned with wild forest berries and flowers, yielding a surprisingly indescribable aroma.
Luxuriously wrapped in a velvet pouch, the Hidden Pu-Erh Tea is presented in a festive red and gold-embossed gift box. The molten black, hand-blown glass flask protects the tea from being exposed to light, ensuring its quality and consistency, while the glass lid doubles as a measuring cup in the preparation of the tea.
The fermentation process that Pu-Erh goes through gives it an earthy taste which sets it apart from other teas. Like fine wine, well-processed Pu-Erh matures with time, with some being aged for as many as 15 years. Most commonly grown in China’s Yunnan province, Pu-Erh is known to be effective in lowering cholesterol levels. It is also noted for its stimulating properties that improve digestion and mental alertness, perfect for late-night festivities.
With its bold earthy primary notes and floral, fruity overtones, the Hidden Pu-Erh Tea is the perfect accompaniment to the hearty, indulgent dishes of the Lunar New Year’s reunion meals. Its multifaceted flavours allow it to pair perfectly with both the festive pencai and sweet treats alike – an exceptional tea for fond family celebrations.
The Hidden Pu-Erh Tea is available at all TWG Tea Salons & Boutiques containing 90g of tea, retails at 2,200 THB. For more information, contact 0-2259-9510.
BANGKOK — Citylight Coffee, a 5-year-old coffeehouse, is on a dual mission in the red light district of Nana: to serve good food and drinks, and to help those who fled the slavery of forced sex work.
Located close to the “beer bars” (or thinly disguised brothels) on Sukhumvit Soi 4, bypassers may not notice anything special about this café from the outside. But once inside, a guest will be informed that the five-year-old coffeehouse only serves fair-trade coffee from Chiang Rai, grown by an indigenous group of Akha hill tribe people.
Run by a charity called Nightlife Foundation, the venue also employs former sex workers rescued from the flesh trade, which is rife with the scourge of human trafficking. In my recent visit, I met four staff members who used to work in the sex industry, but were given a second chance in life as coffee baristas. On some days, it doubles as a hair salon for sex workers.
“The foundation [also] helps women who have been assaulted, raped or homeless,” shop manager Naphada Laoharaleeson said. “Our café … was created to support an enterprise that benefits the staff, and to keep them employed.”
But Naphada, 43, said the humanitarian cause is just one of the two missions pursued by the establishment. The other is to stay afloat by selling quality coffee, food, and cakes at a fair price
“We do not want people to patronize us simply because they want to come and help,” she said. “We believe we have quality products to serve.”
Indeed, I ordered one pesto cheese Panini (170 baht) and it was delicious. Its home-made pumpkin and cinnamon bread (60 baht) was also tasty, and even better paired with my coffee – Americano made from double-shot, medium-roasted Arabica (medium size, 80 baht).
Naphada is also very protective of her staff, therefore this interview didn’t involve the former sex workers who now work behind the counter.
“Some have been physically assaulted,” she said. “Others were forced into sex trade.”
Experts say Thailand’s free-wheeling sex industry is plagued by human trafficking operations that forced women and underage girls into prostitution. Although police sometimes closed down venues and arrested alleged traffickers, critics say the investigations rarely involved the ringleaders.
What Would Jesus Drink?
Although the café lost over 100,000 baht last year, the business is kept alive thanks to help from a Christian group based in the United States, Naphada said.
The café itself could be called a Christian business. The coffee I sipped during the interview with Naphada – who identified herself as a devout Christian – comes from Abonzo Coffee, a fair trade venture run by Christian Akha people from Chiang Rai. The place also closes on Sundays out of respect for Christian values.
But despite its religious association, the café doesn’t make any effort to preach. On its mezzanine floor, only a single copy of NIV Holy Bible was found among the shelf filled with other paperback books like Tom Clancy’s novel, and Lonely Planet’s guidebooks on Thailand and Southeast Asia. No Jesus or cross in sight.
The café’s location in a red light district popular among foreigners is reflected in the demography of its clients. Very few Thais visited the place. Naphada said suspected it may also have to do with the fact that many Thais view sex workers as immoral.
“Most Thais think those [women] in the sex industry want to do it voluntarily,” she said.
Customers are not only welcomed to sit as long as they like to read a local newspaper or charge their smartphone battery, but they are also free to bring in their own food to have with their purchased drinks, though alcohol is not allowed inside.
“It’s our rule that even if customers bring their own food, we do not shoo them away. That’s because we believe in services and to give them the love of God,” she explained.
This “love of God” extends to sex workers who are still in the trade as well.
On the second flood, which is not opened to the public, the café turns itself into a pro-bono hair and nail salon for sex workers and food vendors in the area twice a week. The free services are available on Wednesday and Friday. They are not advertised, but known through word of mouth among the sex workers’ circles.
“We named our café Citylight to be in this dark area,” Naphada said. “We serve as a light to the community and give our love of God to them.”
Citylight Coffee is located inside Sukhumvit Soi 4 near BTS Nana and Ploenchit station. It’s a two-minute walk from the front of the road. Open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 10.30pm, Saturday from 8am to 4pm. Call 02 023 2071 for details.
Photo: Elephant Boat Race and River Festival / Courtesy
BANGKOK — Cheer for your favorite paddlers and munch on street food riverside as kites swoop through the air this February, with some benefit going to our pachyderm friends.
The second Elephant Boat Race and River Festivalwill take place from 28 Feb. to March 1 at the Anantara Riverside, where visitors can view boat racers duke it out in an open-air fair atmosphere.
Paddling teams from nationwide will try to topple last year’s champions – the Royal Thai Navy SEALs, no less – in elephant-themed boats in 400-meter races. Winners will get a royal trophy bestowed by His Majesty the King.
Organized by the Anantara hotel chain, the three-day fest will also include open-air concerts, fair rides, kids’ activities, and food and drink. There will also be a special exhibition of traditional kites from around Thailand. See their full schedule here.
Admittance is free for kids under 15, adult tickets cost 200 baht. Ticket sale proceeds go to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, a nonprofit elephant welfare and conservation organization.
The boat race is a reboot of an elephant polo tournament held by the same hotel in 2018. Organizers faced criticism for the event after mahouts were seen hitting and jabbingelephants with bullhooks.
In response to protests from animal welfare groups, organizers dropped the polo event and use of animals, switching to a charity boat race in 2019 instead.
Anantara Riverside Bangkok can be reached via a short taxi ride from BTS Krung Thon Buri or on the free shuttle boat from Taksin Pier next to BTS Saphan Taksin.
BANGKOK — Skytrain officials on Wednesday hinted that the long-delayed plan to expand a popular station close to Taksin Bridge may be implemented within the “beginning of this year.”
After years of lengthy discussions and uncertainty concerning the fate of BTS Saphan Taksin station, the rail operator said the station will be closed for expansion works for 40 months and construction will likely begin later this year, though they gave no precise time frame.
“We’re currently discussing the plan with relevant agencies,” BTS public relations officer Patchaneeya Sukcharoen said. “No dates have been set, but the plan should begin within the beginning of this year.”
The station, located on the east end of Taksin Bridge, has long been a bottleneck of the system due to its single track layout where only one train can stop at the station at a time.
Congestion at BTS Taksin Bridge worsened in recent years as more commuters and tourists relied on the station as a link to the nearby river boats and ferries.
The new plan will add a second set of tracks and platform at the station to ease congestion, according to the operator.
“The service will operate as usual, but trains will not stop at Saphan Taksin,” BTS CEO Surapong Laoha-Unya said. “We will provide shuttle buses from Surasak and Krung Thon Buri stations for passengers during that period.”
He added, “When it’s done, trains will arrive every two minutes, shorter than the current wait time of three minutes.”
The CEO said the company will invest in the 1.1 billion baht project, which also includes the addition of traffic lanes on Taksin Bridge. Surapong expected the works to be completed within the end of 2022.
Saphan Taksin station was originally intended to be a temporary station and set for demolition in 2012, after the system was expanded across the Chao Phraya River in 2009. However, it proved to be a popular stop, with more than 40,000 commuters using the station daily, and its demise was indefinitely postponed.
BANGKOK — Red, orange, purple, yellow – who’s the best of all? A deep seated color-coded division is stirring a heated debate on Thai internet on Wednesday.
But this time, the colors polarizing Thailand have nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with a popular jelly cup brand called Pipo.
With all the rage and passion of a duck-vs.-wabbit debate, Thai netizens users are arguing which flavor of Pipo is the yummiest. The purple faction seems to be winning –#SavePurplePipois the top-trending hashtag as of publication time, with over 100,000 tweets and counting.
“Stand up, all you who eat purple pipo! Stand up! We are all one. Our voices mean something! Don’t let anyone bully our nong purple!” tweeted @Rubyraquellex.
It all began yesterday when @Seemee55555 sent out a tweet, which would later be remembered by historians as the first shot that sparked an extinction of millions of work minutes lost.
“I was coming to buy a smoothie when the person in front of me took five minutes to choose Pipos for their smoothie. They took all the good colors and left me with three purple ones. Dammit, who can I call?”
She later doubled down on her passionate hatred of purple Pipo: “Seriously? Who even eats purple Pipo?”
That incendiary remark has been retweeted more than 7,000 times, while armies of purple lovers and haters rode into battle under banners of their favorite Pipo colors. The Twitter-wide conflict quickly sent #SavePurplePipo to the number one top trending hashtag as of Wednesday.
Fighting soon escalated beyond the pro- and anti-purple divide. Some said they can tolerate every color except orange. Others resurrected the longtime complaint of the difficultyinvolved in peeling back the plastic wrapper of a Pipo.
The war also brought forth the darkest natures of man. Someone said they buy entire bags only to eat the white, lychee-flavored ones – and another made a shocking confession that they had always thought the different colors were all the same flavor. Seriously, seek help.
In an attempt to defuse the escalating tension, user @Imsu1212 proposed a pan-Pipo olive branch by suggesting that any flavor was good – as long as it was put in the freezer.
“But I hate how after it’s frozen, it’s so hard to open. When the wrapper comes off only around the ring, I think to myself, what karma have I committed?”
Not wanting the battles, manpower, and time sacrificed to be for naught, @Nini2AN took the opportunity to demand the return of the fabled yellow pineapple-flavored Pipo.
“It was the yummiest, and even rarer than the purple one. It was replaced by lychee. My childhood trauma,” @Nini2AN wrote.
Horrified by the sight of her countrymen felling each other, @Nerdyome pondered the meaninglessness of it all: “I spent 15 minutes through #SavePurplePipo to find out that my nation has been fighting over the fav colour of jelly. Not to mention it was started simply by a post about milkshake,” she wrote in English.
I spent 15 minutes through #saveปีโป้ม่วง to find out that my nation has been fighting over the fav colour of jelly. Not to mention it was started simply by a post about milkshake. pic.twitter.com/fUzXyZ7WU1
“This is a country that can always fight about food,” wrote @Iipplovebb_25.
Even the culprit responsible for the latest Twitter war expressed shock at the consequences of her off-hand remark.
“I was just kidding!! You guys are all so serious…I Was just ordering a smoothie and got mad because all the other pipo colors were gone!” @Seemee55555 wrote.
Pipo is a jelly cup snack produced by Thai snack and confectionery company Eurofood, founded in 1984.
Their items, such as Pipo, Euro custard cake, Ellse layer cakes, and Peking wafer biscuits, are all cheap snacks found nearly in every grocery store around Thailand – sugar-laden nostalgias that defined the childhood of many Thais who grew up in the 90s.
Pipo have been adapted for use in other desserts, such as Yakult smoothies, jelly tarts, and so on.
