TOKYO (Kyodo) — The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a record high of 31.88 million in 2019, but the growth was limited by a sharp fall in tourists from South Korea amid deteriorating bilateral ties, the tourism minister said Friday.
The figure marked an all-time high for the seventh consecutive year but the margin of growth stood at 2.2 percent, remaining in single digits for the second straight year, according to Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Kazuyoshi Akaba.
Sunset at Daqing Oilfield, China's largest oil production base, in Daqing, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)
BEIJING (Xinhua) — China will fully open up its market for oil and gas exploration and production to private and foreign companies, the Ministry of Natural Resources said Thursday.
Both domestic and foreign companies registered in China with net assets of no less than 300 million yuan (about 42.86 million U.S. dollars) will be eligible to obtain oil and gas mining rights, Ling Yueming, vice minister of natural resources said at a press conference.
The new policy will take effect from May 1.
The country’s oil and gas market has been dominated by state-owned companies. Foreign companies could only enter the market by working with Chinese firms in the past.
The opening-up of the market will break up the state monopolies, further stimulate market vitality and help ensure domestic energy supplies, Ling said.
President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt speaks on proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she will “soon″ transmit the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, signaling a potential thaw in the standoff with Senate Republicans as she warned against rushing to an acquittal without a fair trial.
Pelosi, D-Calif., faces mounting pressure from Republicans and some Democrats to quit delaying the president’s trial in the Senate, three weeks after the House Democrats impeached Trump on charges of abuse and obstruction. Republicans say Democrats are embarrassed by their vote. But Pelosi countered that Democrats are ’’proud″ of upholding the Constitution and said she doubted that Senate Republicans will do the same.
Many on Capitol Hill expect the Senate impeachment trial to begin next week.
“I’ll send them over when I’m ready. That will probably be soon,” Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol, noting she is not postponing it “indefinitely.″
The standoff between the House speaker and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been a test of wills between the two power centers in Congress over what would be the third impeachment trial in the nation’s history.
McConnell said that if Pelosi and House Democrats are “too embarrassed″ to send the articles of impeachment, the Senate will simply move on next week to other business.
“They do not get to trap our entire country into an unending groundhog day of impeachment without resolution,” McConnell said.
McConnell told GOP senators at a lunchtime meeting to expect the trial next week, according to two people familiar with his remarks. The people requested anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
At the same time, McConnell signed on to a resolution from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to allow for the dismissal of articles of impeachment if the House doesn’t transmit them in 25 days. That change to Senate rules appears unlikely to happen before Pelosi transmits the articles.
In the weeks since Trump was impeached, Democrats have focused on new evidence about Trump’s effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals and they pushed the Senate to consider new testimony, including from former White House national security adviser John Bolton. Republicans are just as focused on a speedy trial with acquittal.
Republicans have the leverage, with a slim 53-47 Senate majority, as McConnell rebuffs the Democratic demands for testimony and documents. But Democrats are using the delay to sow public doubt about the fairness of the process as they try to peel off wavering GOP senators for the upcoming votes. It takes just 51 senators to set the rules.
“When we say fair trial, we mean facts, we mean witnesses, we mean documents,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., promising votes ahead. “Every single one of us, in this Senate, will have to have to take a stand. How do my Republican friends want the American people, their constituents, and history to remember them?”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrives to meet with reporters following escalation of tensions this week between the U.S. and Iran, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Trump weighed in from the White House suggesting that he, too, would like more witnesses at trial. They include former Vice President Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination now, and his son Hunter, as well as the government whistleblower whose complaint about the president’s pressure on Ukraine sparked the impeachment investigation.
On a July telephone call with Ukraine’s new president, Trump asked his counterpart to open an investigation into the Bidens while holding up military aid for Ukraine. A Ukrainian gas company had hired Hunter Biden when his father was vice president and the Obama administration’s point man on Ukraine. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden.
Trump suggested that his administration would continue to block Bolton or others from the administration from appearing before senators. Many of those officials have defied congressional subpoenas for their testimony.
“When we start allowing national security advisers to just go up and say whatever they want to say, we can’t do that,” Trump said during an event with building contractors. “So we have to protect presidential privilege for me, but for future presidents. That’s very important.”
Bolton, one of four witnesses that Democrats have requested, said this week that he would testify if subpoenaed.
McConnell has said from the start he is looking to model Trump’s trial on the last time the Senate convened as the court of impeachment, for President Bill Clinton in 1999. McConnell has said there will be “no haggling” with House Democrats over Senate procedures.
“There will be no unfair, new rule rule-book written solely for President Trump,” McConnell said Thursday.
McConnell, who met with Trump late Wednesday at the White House, suggested last month it would be “fine with me” if the House never sent the articles. More recently, he has drawn on the Constitution’s intent for the Senate to have the ultimate say on matters of impeachment. He scoffed that Pelosi has ‘’managed to do the impossible” by uniting Democrats and Republicans who want the trial to begin.
Some Democrats have been showing increased anxiety over the delay as Americans remain divided over Trump’s impeachment.
One top lawmaker, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN on Thursday “it’s time” to send over the charges. But shortly afterward, he tweeted that he misspoke: “If the Speaker believes that holding on to the articles for a longer time will help force a fair trial in the Senate, then I wholeheartedly support that decision.”
It was a stunning turnaround, perhaps the most public, as Democratic leaders try to keep House and Senate lawmakers in line with their strategy.
The delay on impeachment has also upended the political calendar, with the weekslong trial now expected to bump into presidential nominating contests, which begin in early February. Several Democratic senators are running for the party’s nomination .
One 2020 hopeful, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., told The Associated Press’s Ground Game podcast that a looming impeachment trial and other pressing issues in Washington could deal a “big, big blow” to his presidential campaign by keeping him away from Iowa in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 caucuses.
As Pelosi dashed into a morning meeting at the Capitol, she was asked if she had any concerns about losing support from Democrats for her strategy. She told reporters: “No.”
“I know exactly when” to send the impeachment articles over, Pelosi said. “I won’t be telling you right now.″
Pelosi is seeking what she says she wanted from the start — “to see the arena” and “terms of the engagement” that McConnell will use for the trial — before sending her House managers to present the articles of impeachment in the Senate. She has yet to choose the managers, a source of political intrigue as many lawmakers want the high-profile job.
The House impeached Trump in December on the charge that he abused the power of his office by pressuring Ukraine’s new leader to investigate Democrats, including the Bidens, using as leverage $400 million in military assistance for the U.S. ally as it counters Russia at its border. Trump insists he did nothing wrong, but his defiance of the House Democrats’ investigation led to an additional charge of obstruction of Congress.
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Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Darlene Superville and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.
Rescue workers carry the body of a victim of a Ukrainian plane crash in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
WASHINGTON (AP) — It is “highly likely” that Iran shot down the civilian Ukrainian jetliner that crashed near Tehran late Tuesday, killing all 176 people on board, U.S., Canadian and British officials declared Thursday. They said the fiery missile strike could well have been a mistake amid rocket launches and high tension throughout the region.
The crash came just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic attack against Iraqi military baseshousing U.S. troops in its violent confrontation with Washington over the U.S. drone strike that killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general. The airliner could have been mistaken for a threat, said four U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose country lost at least 63 citizens in the downing, said in Ottawa: “We have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.”
Likewise, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered similar statements. Morrison also said it appeared to be a mistake. “All of the intelligence as presented to us today does not suggest an intentional act,” he said.
The assessment that 176 people were killed as collateral damage in the Iranian-U.S. conflict cast a new pall over what had at first appeared to be a relatively calm aftermath following the U.S. military operation that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
It was not immediately clear how the U.S. and its allies would react. Despite efforts by Washington and Tehran to step back from the brink of possible war, the region remained on edge after the killing of the Iranian general and Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes. U.S. troops were on high-alert.
At the White House, President Donald Trump suggested he believed Iran was responsible for the shootdown and dismissed Iran’s initial claim that it was a mechanical issue with the plane.
“Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side.” Trump said, noting the plane was flying in a “pretty rough neighborhood.”
Late Thursday, the U.S. House approved a measure that aims to bar any further military action against Iran without congressional approval. However, the resolution approved by the Democratic-majority House is nonbinding and, at any rate, no similar measure could pass the Republican-controlled Senate.
As for the airliner shootdown, the U.S. officials wouldn’t say what intelligence they had that pointed to an Iranian missile, believed to be fired by Russian Tor system, known to NATO as the SA-15. But they acknowledged the existence of satellites and other sensors in the region, as well as the likelihood of communication interceptions and other similar intelligence.
The New York Times posted a video Thursday it said it had verified showing the moment the apparent missile struck the plane over Iran. The video shows a fast-moving object rising before a fiery explosion. An object, apparently on fire, then continues in a different direction.
A preliminary Iranian investigative report released Thursday said that the airliner pilots never made a radio call for help and that the aircraft was trying to turn back for the airport when the burning plane went down.
The Iranian report suggested that a sudden emergency struck the Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines late Tuesday, when it crashed, just minutes after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran.
Investigators from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization offered no immediate explanation for the disaster, however. Iranian officials initially blamed a technical malfunction for the crash, something backed by Ukrainian officials before they said they wouldn’t speculate amid an ongoing investigation.
Before the U.S. assessment, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Hasan Rezaeifa, the head of the of civil aviation accident investigation commission, claiming that “the topics of rocket, missile or anti-aircraft system is ruled out.”
The Ukrainian International Airlines took off at 6:12 a.m. Wednesday, Tehran time, after nearly an hour’s delay at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport, the main airport for travelers in Iran. It gained altitude heading west, reaching nearly 8,000 feet, according to both the report and flight-tracking data.
Then something went wrong, though “no radio messages were received from the pilot regarding unusual situations,” the report said. In emergencies, pilots reach out to air-traffic controllers to warn them and to clear the runway for their arrival, though their first priority is to keep the aircraft flying.
Eyewitnesses, including the crew of another flight passing above, described seeing the plane engulfed in flames before crashing at 6:18 a.m., the report said. The crash caused a massive explosion when the plane hit the ground, likely because the aircraft had been fully loaded with fuel for the flight to Kyiv, Ukraine.
The report also confirmed that both of the “black boxes” that contain data and cockpit communications from the plane had been recovered, though they sustained damage and some parts of their memory was lost.
Hours before the plane crash the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had issued an emergency flight restriction barring U.S. carriers and pilots from flying over areas of Iraqi, Iranian and some Persian Gulf airspace warning of the “potential for miscalculation or misidentification” for civilian aircraft due to heightened political and military tensions.
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council, told Ukrainian media that officials had several working theories regarding the crash, including a missile strike.
“A strike by a missile, possibly a Tor missile system, is among the main (theories), as information has surfaced on the internet about elements of a missile being found near the site of the crash,” Danilov said.
Ukrainian investigators who arrived in Iran on Thursday awaited permission from Iranian authorities to examine the crash site and look for missile fragments, Danilov said.
The Tor is a Russian-made missile system. Russia delivered 29 Tor-M1s to Iran in 2007, and Iran has displayed the missiles in military parades.
Iran did not immediately respond to the Ukrainian comments. However, Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, the spokesman of the Iranian armed forces, denied a missile hit the airplane in a comments reported Wednesday by the semiofficial Fars news agency. He dismissed the allegation as “psychological warfare” by foreign-based Iranian opposition groups.
The plane was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, at least 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials. Many of the passengers were believed to be international students attending universities in Canada; they were making their way back to Toronto by way of Kyiv after visiting with family during the winter break.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, “Undoubtedly, the priority for Ukraine is to identify the causes of the plane crash. We will surely find out the truth.”
The crash ranked among the worst losses of life for Canadians in an aviation disaster. The flag over Parliament in Ottawa was lowered to half-staff, and Prime Minister Trudeau vowed to get to the bottom of the disaster.
The U.S. accident investigator, the National Transportation Safety Board, is talking to the State Department and the Treasury Department about traveling to Iran to inspect the U.S.-built aircraft and working with Iranian authorities despite U.S. economic sanctions against that country. In a statement Thursday the NTSB said it “continues to monitor the situation surrounding the crash and evaluate its level of participation in the investigation.”
U.S. officials have expressed concerned about sending employees to Iran because of the heightened tensions.
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Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto, Robert Burns and Matthew Lee in Washington and Jill Lawless in London contributed.
File photo of Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pamudwinai
BANGKOK — Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pamudwinai was grilled in Parliament on Thursday by opposition MPs for having falsely claimed Thailand was informed in advance before the US assassinated a top Iranian general in Iraq.
Don’s claim was later corrected by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Busadee Santipitak, who said Thailand had not received any tip-off about the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. The lawmakers today accused Don of reckless action that could have jeopardized Thailand’s security and harmed its ties with other countries.
“The Foreign Minister must be responsible for his words. He should resign. Would Prayuth dare to remove him and have him replaced with someone new?” Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai province Pichet Chuamuangpan told the Parliament, referring to premier Prayuth Chan-ocha.
He continued his tirade, “He dragged enemies into our home. This is very worrying. I would like to convey to Prayuth that Thailand should be neutral.”
Chonlanan Srikaew, another Pheu Thai MP and a member of the House’s Budget Committee said Don’s remark was “inappropriate and immature.”
He then praised Busadee the ministry spokeswoman for taking the step to correct Don’s remark.
The denunciation took place during a session that debates annual budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Following Busadee’s retraction, Don himself withdrew his statement on Wednesday, saying he misunderstood the information. He did not elaborate on the misunderstanding, and what responsibility he would take for the misinformation. Don was not present at today’s debate in Parliament.
Busadee was asked on Thursday whether Don will resign for his words as demanded by the MPs. Busadee said the minister has already acknowledged that he was misinformed.
The House eventually voted 248 to 6, with 200 abstaining, to approve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget worth 4.9 billion baht.
Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn in front of Bang Rak police station on Jan. 8, 2020.
BANGKOK — Investigation into a drive-by shooting that targeted a former police commander took a strange turn on Thursday after a leaked phone conversation shows the top police chief instructing his deputy to distance himself from the case.
In the audio clip, which has since been confirmed as genuine, police commissioner Chakthip Chaijinda can be heard telling his second-in-command Wirachai Songmetta not to draw public attention to the shooting. Police officials told the media they had no intention to shut down the investigation.
“I confirm that it’s a conversation between the national police chief and his deputy Wirachai Songmetta,” police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said. “It’s just a regular reiteration of duties. The case is being taken care of by the metropolitan police as usual.”
The spokesman would not speculate who is behind the leak.
“I don’t know who did this,” he said. “But as a matter of courtesy, one should not record a phone call except, someone who has ill intention towards the other party.”
The voice clip was first aired Thursday morning on MCOT’s Inside Thailand news show, where the host described as a conversation between “a senior officer calling from abroad” and “a senior officer in Thailand.”
Gen. Chakthip has been on leave since Jan. 6, according to media reports.
“Just do anything to gain trust from your commanders, don’t make them feel suspicious,” Chakthip says in the clip. “Do you understand? Do whatever you want. That’s all. I want to warn you because many deputies are concerned.”
Chakthip appeared to be chiding Wirachai, who has been speaking to reporters about Monday night’s shooting that targeted the car of former immigration chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn.
“Just tell me what you want me to do, sir,” Wirachai replies. “I have to be there because if I don’t do anything, [the public] will think that we’re not doing anything.”
Chakthip then ordered his deputy to steer clear of the case, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police.
“The metro police are taking care of the case. Don’t be drawn by their plot. It’s noticeable, do you understand?,” Chakthip said.
“So it means I don’t have to get involved in this, sir?” Wirachai asked.
“You don’t have to hold news conferences here and there. There’s nothing about this case. I thought you’re discerning enough not to let them push their personal agenda into this. We all know what P’Toy and Joke are thinking,” he added, using Surachate’s nickname.
It is unclear who the other person Chakthip was referring to.
The audio clip appeared to catch the police top brass off-guard. A press conference hosted by Wirachai, which was scheduled to take place this morning, was postponed to the afternoon.
“I don’t know about the clip. I need to look into the details first,” Wirachai said. “It’s possible that the phone call might have been tapped.”
On Wednesday, Surachate told the media that he might have been targeted because he refused to approve a multi-billion baht procurement of biometric system under his tenure.
Surachate said the devices were not up to standard. The national anti-graft commission on Tuesday issued a letter summoning chiefs of immigration checkpoints to give testimony about the allegations.
Police said the investigation into Monday’s shooting is ongoing but have yet to name any suspects.
Deputy police chief Wirachai Songmetta speaks to the media after inspecting evidence from the shooting case on Jan. 9, 2020.
Ratchaburi MP Parina Kraikupt is seen in a New Year greetings video produced by Phalang Pracharath Party.
BANGKOK — The authorities have yet to settle on which department would pursue criminal charges against a government lawmaker accused of encroaching on public land, an official said Wednesday.
Neatly two months after the scandal broke out, forestry department chief Thawatchai Ladkrud said the Council of State has not yet made its decision which government agency has the power to investigate Phalang Pracharath MP Parina Kraikupt for her encroachment of protected lands in Ratchaburi province.
Parina stands accused of building her poultry farm on two portions of public lands; one in protected forest, and one reserved for impoverished farmers. The former is overseen by the national park officials, while the latter is under the jurisdiction of the agriculture ministry.
Thawatchai said it is unclear when the Council of State, which is tasked with interpreting the laws, will reach its decision.
Parina declined to answer reporters’ questions on Tuesday. She referred all inquiries to her legal team.
The perceived delay in bringing criminal investigation against Parina was seen by anti-government activists as yet another proof of uneven enforcement of the law by the authorities.
Critics point to a contrast in swift and harsh prosecution of ordinary people accused of encroaching public lands, such as ethnic minorities who live in forest communities.
BANGKOK — Just a road off one the Sathorn financial district is a park with a health-conscious cafeteria, a library of wellness books, and regular free workshops.
Little-known to expats or people outside of the immediate area, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation’s headquarters, located within the Suan Phlu Park (officially known as the HM King’s 80th Anniversary Park) allows visitors to eat healthy, educate themselves on health tips at a free library, and learn about staying safe in traffic, among other activities.
Thai Health Promotion Foundation is a government agency established in 2001. Its annual revenue of about 4.5 billion baht from a 2 percent surcharge of excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol – using them to fund the ubiquitous campaigns, the taglines of which are familiar to most Thais.
The garden in front of the ThaiHealth building.
“Giving Alcohol = Curse,” for example, was a ThaiHealth campaign to discourage giving alcohol as New Year’s gifts. Another well-known ThaiHealth campaign was the 2014 “Poor, Stressed, Drink Alcohol” ad that skyrocketed actor Saicheer Wongwirot to fame and sparked a meme in a land as far as Japan.
The activities are in Thai, so bring a friend along as an interpreter (if you need one), and follow this guide and see if you can spend zero baht.
Ground Floor
ThaiHealth building exterior.
The ThaiHealth building is located in the northeast corner of Suan Phlu Park – then, head straight for the information counter to check what activities are on for the day, or check their Facebook page in advance. Don’t forget to grab a brochure that outlines what activities there are for the month.
Across from the information booth is a free health check-up center: that is, a health official explains the results of a body composition scale. Non-Thais can also use this service.
The ThaiHealth building’s courtyard fountain.
The Sook (Happiness) Canteen, opens from Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm, though kitchens close at 3pm. The venue sells Thai food ranging from 40 baht to 60 baht, with less sodium added than in most other eateries, a lunch monitor said.
The canteen is decorated with various healthy eating tips, such as the fact that six bite-sized papaya chunks make up one serving of fruit, or adults should eat three to five eggs per week. Thais should eat a 2:1:1 ratio of vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein, respectively.
Sook Canteen
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Free chicken broth, veggies, and chili dip, tom jeud soup (50 baht), and riceberry rice with Nile tilapia (70 baht).
Tom jeud egg tofu and pork soup (50 baht, 140 calories)
Tom jeud egg tofu and pork soup (50 baht, 140 calories)
Food models showing nutritional info of cafeteria food.
Food models of some menu items, along with nutritional info, is also on display. Guay tiew noodles are 235 calories, while boiled vegetables with chili paste are 50 calories, but have a lot of sodium, for example, and one needs to walk 140 minutes to burn off a 550-calorie dish of krapao.
One table even has a sticker asking the diner to evaluate if they are full or not to prevent overeating.
The lunch monitor recommended riceberry rice with pan-fried Nile tilapia and vegetables (70 baht, 370 calories) and the tom jeud egg tofu and pork soup (50 baht, 140 calories) when asked for a 2:1:1 meal. For the low price for relatively clean food, the fish was especially juicy.
One can view the well-staffed, reasonably clean kitchen from behind the counter.
Chicken broth, vegetables for chili dip, and chili dip are offered for free. A smoothie stall outside the canteen serves coffee and smoothies, with its menu stipulating how much syrup is added to each.
Sook Store
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Between the cafeteria and the health check-up is the Sook Store, which sells locally-made wellness items, such as a knitted hand exerciser and herbal eye mask. Open 9am to 5:30am on weekdays and 10am to 4pm on weekends.
Second Floor
The second floor houses two exhibition rooms: one permanent exhibition room about ThaiHealth’s initiatives (last updated in 2015, so quite outdated), and the other is a rotating exhibition open from 9am to 5pm from Tuesday to Saturday.
ThaiHealth Exhibitions
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Currently on display starting Wednesday is the “Traffic Detectives” exhibition, a children’s exhibition which seeks to instill traffic rules in children. The central display is a traffic accident where they have to find what caused the accident.
Helpful tour guides are on-duty to explain key traffic calamity stats, like the fact that around 15 people die on Thai roads daily, though other statistics compiled by the government put the number higher at an average of 50-55 deaths per day.
The exhibition, which use data are from the Department of Disease Control’s 2018 research, also shows that only 7 percent of children wear helmets on motorcycles, and that most accidents happen within 6 minutes of setting out from home, and in smaller roads and sois.
“A lot of parents don’t give their children helmets because they outgrow them quickly, so we want to make the kids aware of this and demand to wear helmets,” a guide said. “A lot of older people don’t follow traffic laws because they think that they’ve survived this long without following them, so they don’t want to change.”
She continued, “Therefore, we decided to aim for changing the minds of children instead.”
The exhibition will be at ThaiHealth until Feb. 15 before going to traffic accident-prone provincesin Isaan and the North.
ThaiHealth Resource Center
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The Resource Center is a free library open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays. Books on wellness topics, both in Thai and English, are available to peruse free of charge. English books, however, cannot be borrowed, and only Thai citizens can register for a membership. Borrowing books requires a 300 baht deposit.
Those doing research on specific aspects of Thai health will be pleased at the selection, and there are even some health-related board games made by ThaiHealth for the kids.
Sixth Floor
ThaiHealth Rooftop Garden
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Unfortunately, the rooftop garden isn’t a community garden, and visitors have been asked not to pick vegetables for free – but fertilizer-making workshops are occasionally held here. Check ThaiHealth’s Facebook page or their monthly brochure.
Suan Phlu Park is a motorcycle ride away from BTS Chong Nonsi or MRT Lumphini, and is open every day. The ThaiHealth building is open from 8am to 6pm Mondays to Saturdays.
This article is unsponsored and we paid for the meal ourselves.
BANGKOK — Get together with some mates for a good cause to support relief efforts for Australia’s devastating bushfires at a sausage sizzle this weekend.
Australian-owned Greek restaurant Aesop’s is hosting a fundraising sausage sizzle event this Sunday evening, all proceeds of which will be donated to the Salvation Army Australia.
In the truly Australian event, grilled sausages – provided by Sloane’s – and beers will be served starting at 100 baht.
The barbeque party will also host charity raffles and auctions for the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, where winners will have a chance to snag food vouchers at Aesop’s and one-night accomodation at So Sofitel Bangkok and Siam hotel.
“Bush Fire Fundraiser” starts at 5pm on Jan. 12 at Aesop’s Bangkok. The venue is reachable by foot or a short motorcycle taxi ride from MRT Lumphini or BTS Sala Daeng.
BANGKOK (Xinhua) — The Thai government house web page on Wednesday posted authorization messages from Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to the Thai Embassy in Iran to evacuate Thai citizens should the U.S.-Iran tensions aggravate.
Prayut who also serves the defense minister of the country has authorized the Thai Embassy to arrange a chartered flight or to use one of Thailand’s military aircraft in the event of an emergency.
Similarly, Labor Minister Chatumongol Sonakul told the media on Wednesday that he had already assigned the Thai labor attaches in the Middle East to provide assistance, including possible evacuation of Thai workers while monitoring the situation in Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
“We have set aside an evacuation fund for such a predicament in accordance with Thai labor law, said Chatumongol.
The labor minister said there are currently 257 Thai workers in Iran and 25 in Iraq working as technicians, chefs, masseuse, welders, and fishermen.
Also on Wednesday, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the media that it had instructed Thai diplomatic officials in Iran and Iraq to ensure the safety of 89 Thai nationals in Iraq and 359 Thais in Iran, most of whom are students or workers.
