Foreign Ministers from left, Myanmar's Minister of State for Foreign Affaires Kyaw Tin, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Philippines' Foreign Affaires Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Japan Foreign Minister Taro Kono prepare to pose for group photo during Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
BANGKOK — Thailand should commit to multilateral cooperation with other Southeast Asian nations amid the growing rivalry between the United States and China, a former foreign minister has urged.
Kasit Piromya urged Thailand not to wait for great states to lead, but instead to seek cooperation with fellow small nations to tackle world issues like international crime and climate change. Kasit spoke at a forum on multilateralism organized by Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Security and International Studies.
“Can we work together? We don’t need to wait for the big brothers,” said Kasit.
Kasit predicted a quick end to the trend of unilateral political decision-making heralded under US President Donald Trump, manifest in actions such as the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN Human Rights Council.
“Populism and Donald Trump will not be influential in the long-term. They’re an aberration,” said Kasit.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a speech at Siam Society in Bangkok, Thailand Friday, Aug. 2, 2019 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meetings. Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Pool Photo via AP
Still, Kasit expressed disappointment at the level of leadership coming from key ASEAN states, suggesting that national interest has taken precedence over collective vision.
“Over the years, many ASEAN leaders have looked after their own national interests to ASEAN’s detriment,” said Kasit, adding that small nations need to band together to make their voices heard at the United Nations. “[Otherwise] we will be slaughtered by the US.”
The former foreign minister’s comments came as ASEAN foreign ministers convene in Bangkok this week for the 52nd Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Despite Kasit’s call for cooperation, other speakers at the conference expressed concerns over the viability of multilateral initiatives such as ASEAN in an era of intense rivalry between two great powers. Ake Tangsupvattana, dean of political science at Chulalongkorn University, expressed concerns that countries in the region are under considerable pressure to choose between the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
“Multilateralism is not working for us the way it used to,” said Ake.
Damage caused the suspected arson at Miniso store inside Siam Square One, left. The store being closed on August 2, right.
BANGKOK — A series of bombs scattered across Bangkok have given the city a rude awakening Friday morning.
Keep refreshing this page for updates to the situation.
11:42pm
Police have arrested three students who they believe to be responsible for the Soi Rama IX 57/1 bombing, ruled out as unrelated to the other bombings by Police Maj. Gen. Theerapong Wongratpitak.
Dunan Liangson, 19, a 17-year-old minor and a 15-year-old minor were arrested. Police also seized a homemade bomb, pen gun, and knives from them. The three have been charged with illegally owning and carrying a weapon.
Theerapong said the three, all students, are “unrelated to the bombings in the city,” and that the three had stashed weapons in the soi for self-defense.
While the other bombings struck urban areas and government centers, Soi Rama IX 57/1 is located in the western suburbs of the city. The blast injured three street cleaners.
11:30pm
A suspected arson raged through Miniso store inside Siam Square One shopping mall on Friday 4am, but the incident happened to unfold to the media only at night.
The flame blazed way before opening time at 4:45am, damaging products on the shelves before fire sprinklers were activated.
Police found wires and parts of what appeared to be an electric circuit among the wreckage, but did not confirm whether the fire is related to the attacks. However, a CCTV footage obtained by Khaosod shows a suspicious man putting a device inside one of the dolls before putting it back on Thursday afternoon.
Another fire was also reported at doll shelves inside Siam Paragon on Friday morning, but reporters at the scene was unable to confirm the incident as the mall staff refused to give any information.
After a 90 minute meeting with other security officials, Police Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda did not answer questions of press waiting 8pm at the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
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In this CCTV footage, a suspect with a hat on is seen wandering around inside Miniso on Thursday afternoon.
The fire blazed inside Miniso on Friday morning.
Damage caused inside the store.
Damage caused by an alleged fire incident at Siam Paragon
9:35pm
Another bomb threat has been called in which turned out to be false, this time at Ratchaprasong Intersection. A suspected bag turned out to be a normal backpack. Other false alarms that have been called in during the day were at Airport Rail Link Hua Mark station, a bus stop across from Maruay Garden Hotel, Yodpiman Pier, Chatuchak Park, and MRT Hua Lampong.
Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officials at Ratchaprasong Intersection on the night of August 2, 2019.
5:44pm
Khaosod English reporters observe that security measures around Centara Grand at CentralWorld, where the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is underway, remain tightened.
Police trucks and anti-riot vehicles in front of Centara Grand at CentralWorld at around 5pm.
The entrance to the venue is cordoned off to the public as VIP guests are leaving, with police and plain clothes officers guarding the surrounding areas. An officer, who asked not to be identified, told us they are not worried about the bombings as there are contingency plans in place for any scenario.
The meeting is attended by foreign ministers of 31 nations including ASEAN member states, the US, China, and Russia.
As of now, bombs exploded at four areas around Bangkok:
Four bombs at the Government Complex in Chaeng Wattana, where the Thai Armed Force headquarters and Administrative Court is located
Two bombs at BTS Chong Nonsi and in front of Maha Nakhon
One bomb at Rama 9 Soi 57
One bomb at the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defense on Sri Saman Road
A black box at BTS Sala Daeng this afternoon turned out to be a false alarm. Police found and defused bombs at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters on Thursday night, where two suspects were arrested.
Police also found evidence of arson for the fires at Soi Petchaburi 9, including electric circuits and urea fertilizers, which are common ingredients for an improvised expensive device. Police Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda said that the alleged arson is believed to be connected to the bombings.
5:10pm
The fourth injured person from the bombings, Chanajai Lohmood, is being treated for foot wounds at Chulalongkorn Hospital after he was hit by shrapnel from the BTS Chong Nonsi bomb.
3:14pm
Correction: A previous version of this entry misquoted army chief Apirat Kongsompong and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying the Redshirt movement was to blame for the bomb attacks. In fact, they made no reference to the Redshirts. We regret the error.
Army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong suggested that “a certain group of people” and those “controlling them” were behind the bombings, without elaborating.
“This is similar to the events in 2006. It’s the same group of people, with the same ideologies that used to bomb police checkpoints,” Apirat said.
He said he was concerned that there would continue to be bombings, but remains confident that Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has the situation under control.
In response to the news of police arresting two suspects from the southern border provinces in correction with the bomb attacks, the army chief suggested they could be “new hands” but “the people behind them are still the same.”
Apirat also added that intelligence services had been aware of plans for the attacks for a while, but did not expect the bombings to unfold so soon.
At a press conference with the press, Gen. Prayuth would not identify the perpetrators beyond saying the authorities have not discarded any possibility.
“But we can conclude that bad people were behind this act,” Prayuth said, “No matter what motive they had, we will investigate what connections they had with other groups.”
When asked about the bombings’ timing with the ASEAN summit, Prayuth said that security for the meeting was under control.
“You don’t need to ask me that,” he replied when a reporter asked if he was “strong enough” to deal with the crisis.
The main opposition party also condemned the attacks in a poston its official Facebook.
“Pheu Thai Party condemns the group of individuals who may be taking advantage of the situation to spread fear among citizens,” the post reads. “We hope the situation will improve rather than be hijacked for political gain.”
Meanwhile, Police Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda said that the Soi Phetchaburi arson is believed to be connected to the bombings.
2:18pm
Senior police officers, who asked not to be identified, told reporter Pravit Rojanaphruk that two suspects have been arrested. A scheduled police press conference at the Metropolitan Police Department has been pushed back.
The suspects were arrested on Thursday night after they were found to have thrown an unidentified object at the sign by the entrance of the Royal Thai Police Headquarters on Rama I Road. They were later found to be explosives, and diffused.
The suspects, two men, were apprehended while en route to Chumphon province. The men said that they were just on their way home.
Meanwhile, officials found fragments of a possible bomb in the wreckage of a fire that raged through Duen Den Market at Soi Phetchaburi 19 from 5am, a stone’s throw from Platinum Fashion Mall. Although initially suspected to be a case of electrical short circuiting (common in Bangkok), police now suspect arson and a possible relation to the bombings.
12:45pm
LIVE at BTS Sala Daeng in Silom, where bomb squad officials are inspecting whether a black box under an escalator is an explosive.
The box turned out to be a false alarm. The box, a watch box, was empty.
The BTS has not increased security measures despite explosions at two stations in one day. Commuters at BTS Sala Daeng are still bustling. A security guard declined to comment.
“I’m worried,” one BTS commuter said. “But I have no choice but to use it.”
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A bomb squad official inspects a black box at BTS Sala Daeng, which turned out to be a false alarm.
12:31pm
At the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defense, reporter Tappanai Boonbandit observes that the bomb there went off at around 9am. Skid marks from ball bearings are clearly visible on the office’s sign.
But officials asked our reporter to cut his live-video short and denied that there was an explosion, saying that a spotlight by the sign exploded. Plants have already been replanted. There are no reports of injuries.
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A soldier inspects an "exploded spotlight" in front of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defense on Aug. 2, 2019.
12:13pm
LIVE at BTS Chong Nonsi, where our reporter Pravit Rojanaphruk is giving an update on the bombs. BTS officials prevented him from filming live on the platform.
“Looking at the shrapnel from the bomb, it is possible it was designed with an intent to harm,” said a bomb official.
11am
A fourth bomb has hit the city at the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defense, according to reports.
9:17am
The next bomb went off at a platform of BTS Chong Nonsi Station, damaging a panel of safety glass which stayed intact. Exit 2 and 4 of the station are closed as of press time.
7:05am
The first bomb went off at Building B of the Government Office Compound on Chaeng Wattana Rd. Another blast at the same spot came when police arrived to inspect the initial blast.
Around the same time, the next bomb went off inside Soi Rama IX 57/1. Authorities believe the blast came from a small explosive device. Three City Hall cleaners were injured from this blast. Sisana Pongsaidee suffered an injury to an eye, Sunthorn Rodsianglum suffered a neck wound, and Sasina Petchtonglang a ruptured eardrum.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a speech at Siam Society in Bangkok, Thailand Friday, Aug. 2, 2019 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meetings. Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Pool Photo via AP
BANGKOK — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday hit out at China for predatory trade practices and human rights abuses that harm economic development.
“For decades, China has taken advantage of trade,” Pompeo said. “It’s time for that to stop.”
A day after President Donald Trump intensified pressure on China to reach a trade deal by announcing the imposition of new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, Pompeo told an audience in Bangkok that Asian nations are best served by private American, rather than “state-led,” investment. Such investment is often orchestrated by Beijing for political purposes, he said, calling “trade and freedom” the keys to development.
“Our investments don’t serve a government, or a political party, or a country’s imperial ambitions,” he told the Siam Society. “We’re not building roads to pave over your national sovereignty. We don’t fund bridges to close gaps of loyalty.”
Pompeo urged countries in the region to shun China until it reforms its practices and cited ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong as an example of how authoritarian rule can threaten economies. “The current unrest in Hong Kong clearly shows that the will and the voice of the governed will always be heard,” he said.
Trump on Thursday said he would impose 10% tariffs as of Sept. 1 on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed. The move immediately sent stock prices sinking. He had already imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese products, and Beijing retaliated by taxing $110 billion in U.S. goods.
Chinese state councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with whom Pompeo met on Thursday on the sidelines of an Asian security forum they are both attending, denounced the tariffs in comments to reporters. “Putting 10% tariffs on China’s imports is not a constructive way and it’s not a right way to solve the trade disputes,” he said.
Pompeo, however, placed the blame for the situation squarely on Beijing.
“China’s problems are homegrown, but President Trump’s confrontation of China’s unfair trade practices has helped shine a light on them,” Pompeo said in his speech to business executives and others in the Thai capital. “We’d like our trade matters resolved as quickly as possible. All we want is for China to compete on a level playing field with everyone else. This will benefit not only us, but you, and the global trading system, too.”
China’s economy is entering a “new normal of slower growth” that should serve as a warning to countries that may either try to emulate it or accept its investment, Pompeo said.
On Hong Kong, which Trump has said is primarily a matter for China, Pompeo demurred when asked if the U.S. would intervene in the event that China sends in troops to quell pro-democracy protests.
“I’m not tipping our hand to what we will or won’t do,” he said, adding that U.S. officials have “asked China simply to do the right thing.”
Pompeo said the U.S. has a long tradition of supporting people’s rights to free speech and peaceful protest and that those freedoms enhanced prosperity and development.
BANGKOK — Four explosions at three locations rocked Bangkok early Friday morning, causing three injuries as of press time.
The first explosion was set off at 7.05am in a garden in front of Building B of the Government Office Compound on Chaeng Wattana Rd. Another blast at the same spot came when police arrived to inspect the initial blast.
A second blast occurred at a platform of BTS Chong Nonsi Station, damaging a panel of safety glass which stayed intact. Exit 2 and 4 of the station are closed as of press time.
A blast at the third spot was the most remote: inside Soi Rama IX 57/1. Authorities believe the blast came from a small explosive device. Three City Hall cleaners were injured from this blast. Sisana Pongsaisri suffered an injury to an eye, Sunthorn Rodsianglum suffered a neck wound, and Sasina Petchtonglang a ruptured eardrum.
The incidents came after an object mistaken for a bomb was discovered in front of the National Police Headquarters Thursday evening.
As of 11am, PM Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered an investigation into the bombings. Defense minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan told press at Government House at 10am that two suspects have been apprehended and that he suspects political motivations behind the bombings.
“Perhaps it’s because the NCPO [National Council for Peace and Order] just ended its rule,” he said, referring to the transition from the junta to a nominally elected government. “I don’t know for sure.”
This is a developing story and will be updated without notice.
An infographic of “12 Zodiac Animals” or “Pictures 12” provided by the Government Lottery Office on July 31, 2019.
BANGKOK — An activist decried the proposed opening of a new government lottery Thursday.
The zodiac-based lottery “12 Zodiac Animals” or “Pictures 12” announced by the Government Lottery Office on Wednesday is being slammed by transparency activistSrisuwan Janya, who says the initiative is both a smoke-and-mirrors trick to distract people from the government’s problems and a way to squeeze money out of citizens.
“Creating new lotteries and ways to buy tickets is tricking citizens into falling prey to immoral vices at odds with religion,” Srisuwan said Thursday. “This shows that the government is running out of cash as well as ways to get funds.”
One has to be 20 or older to buy the new lottery tickets, which are 50 baht each and can be bought online. Instead of six numbers like the existing government lotto, winnings are based on matching four zodiac animals together: pig, rabbit, chicken, tiger, for example. Lesser winnings are given for getting the correct animals in the wrong order.
“This isn’t luring people since these lotteries are harder to win. The older number-based lotteries had you pick from the digits 0 to 9, but the new one has 12 options,” said Thanawat Pholwichai, a Government Lottery Office spokesman.
Srisuwan says the government should focus on regulating the existing lottery, which he calls “legal immorality,” rather than on creating new lotteries.
The jackpot for the 12 Zodiac Animals lottery is currently 311,040 baht, and will be drawn on the 1st and 16th of every month. The jackpot is paid for by 60 percent of ticket sales, while the other 40 percent goes to the government.
The Government Lottery Office’s board chairman Patchara Anantasilp said that the lottery proposal will be sent to the cabinet for approval after the board deliberates for two to three months further.
Patchara and Thanawat have only been sitting on the lottery office board since May, after an executive order issued by Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha removed the board’s former chair, Army Chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong.
Srisuwan argued further that the new lottery amounts to farming money from the poor, among which lottery tickets are popular. Some lottery-ticket buyers even try to find winning numbers through novel methods such as rubbing plants and animals, dream-reading, and by decipheringcurrent events.
Security forces gather at the site of a deadly attack in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. A Yemen health official and witnesses say at least 40 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a missile attack and coordinated suicide bombings in the southern port city of Aden. Photo: Nariman El-Mofty / AP
ADEN, Yemen — A rebel missile struck a military parade in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden as coordinated suicide bombings targeted a police station in another neighborhood of the city on Thursday, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens, a security official and witnesses said.
The missile hit the neighborhood of Breiqa where a military parade was underway by forces loyal to the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Since the rebels seized the country’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the southern port city of Aden has served as the temporary seat of the government.
The parade was taking place in the pro-coalition al-Galaa camp, said the Yemeni official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The official didn’t give a breakdown for the casualties at the parade.
The website of the Houthi rebels, Al-Masirah, quoted spokesman Brig. Gen. Yehia Sarea as saying that the rebels fired a medium-range ballistic missile at the parade, leaving scores of casualties, including military commanders.
A short while earlier, a car, a bus and three motorcycles laden with explosives targeted a police station during a morning lineup, said Abdel Dayem Ahmed, a senior police official. He said four suicide bombers were involved in the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Ahmed told The Associated Press that 11 were killed in the attack at the police station and that at least 29 were wounded.
Charred skeletons of the vehicles were seen at the scene, next to one-meter deep crater caused by the bombings. Doctors Without Borders tweeted that dozens were transferred to its surgical hospital in Aden where families of the victims had gathered.
Thursday’s attacks were the deadliest in Aden since November 2017, when a local affiliate of the Islamic State group targeted the city’s security headquarters, leaving 15 dead, mostly policemen.
The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, who drove out the internationally recognized government. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the country’s south.
In the relentless campaign, Saudi-led airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and wedding parties and killed thousands of Yemeni civilians. The Houthis have used drones and missiles to attack Saudi Arabia and have targeted vessels in the Red Sea.
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Story: Maggie Michael and Ahmed Al-Haj. Al-Haj reported from Sanaa, Yemen.
A worker inspects trees that fell on a house Wednesday night in Trat after a tropical storm.
MAHA SARAKHAM — Locals are simultaneously digging wells due to a longstanding drought and bracing for flash floods that could result from a coming storm.
The approaching tropical storm Wipha may offer short relief from the months-long drought, but it might equally bring flash floods and landslides.
Nongyao Saengsuriya, a farmer in Maha Sarakham, spent 50,000 baht to install a well at her farm in Baan Na See Nual, since she’s been unable to plant rice due to the drought.
“I hope I see some rain so all my rice doesn’t die,” she said Thursday.
Kittisak Chantra, the province’s governor, has issued an official warning that his province should brace for flash floods due to Wipha from Thursday through Tuesday.
Tropical storm Wipha, which is closing schools in Hong Kong and Hainan as of Thursday, is expected to skim across northern Thailand around Monday, bringing heavy rains in the North and Isaan, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. In those regions, there’s a 70 to 80 percent chance of rain through Tuesday.
The central provinces and the south should see about a 40 to 60 percent chance of rain. So will Bangkok, which should see lows of 24C and highs of 36C.
Although the news cycle this week has shifted attention away from the drought in favor of panic about Wipha, many hard-hit regions are still struggling from little rain. The Royal Rainmaking Division is continuing to fly planes in attempts to make rain. On Wednesday, it carried out several operations in Isaan and the central provinces, resulting in light rain in Lopburi.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, one of the provinces hardest-hit by the shortage of rain, the Lum Plai Mat dam is at 27 percent capacity. Lam Chamuak reservoir is at a 50-year-low of 24 percent.
Lum Plai Mat dam in Nakhon Ratchasima Thursday.Lam Chamuak reservoir in Nakhon Ratchasima Thursday.
Yet scattered rains, presumably an effect of Wipha, have resulted in minor disasters since Wednesday. In Trat, falling trees in a Wednesday night storm damaged 40 houses. One 100 rai-rubber farm (16 hectares) lost 3,000 trees. Up in Nan, locals are already bringing out water pumps in preparation for floods.
In early July, Tropical Depression Mun gave farmers a brief respite from the drought.
Effects of a Wednesday night tropical storm in Trat.
Clockwise from top left: satsivi (190 baht), khinkhali (70 baht apiece), chakapuli (470 baht), phali (120 baht), acharuli khachapuri (250 baht), and badrijani nigvzit (130 baht).
Photos by Tappanai Boonbandit
BANGKOK — Try khachapuri the next time you want to taste a new cuisine – and one place to find it is Argo, a Georgian restaurant located a few steps away from BTS Nana.
Argo has been offering expats and locals an introduction into the world of Georgian cuisine since April.
“I think Georgian cuisine is quite unique. Thai people might find it interesting because of the spices,” owner Anna Avramidou said.
Thai tongues new to Georgian cuisine should start off with more tangy dishes before easing into creamy, nut-based ones. Kick off with the khinkhali (70 baht apiece), a beef dumpling with soup inside. Think xiao long bao but larger – grab the peppery top, flip it upside down, take a bite and slurp some soup, before munching it all down.
Khinkhali (70 baht apiece).
Next, try the chashushuli (380 baht), a lightly-spiced tomato beef stew with tender, soft beef – a hearty accompaniment to the homemade bread. For something familiar yet simultaneously foreign, try the chakapuli (470 baht), a stew of green cherry plums from Georgia with lamb. The tangy plums will remind Thai tongues of soups made from manao dong (fermented limes).
Chashushuli (380 baht).Chakapuli (470 baht).
Of course, you can’t say you’ve tried Georgian food without ordering the national dish: the cheese-filled bread khachapuri. We tried the photogenic acharuli khachapuri (250 baht), a satisfying dougy boat filled with soft, slightly sweet sulguni cheese and topped with an egg yolk. Think a cross between dessert pastry and cheese pizza.
Acharuli khachapuri (250 baht).
Georgian food, we found, often incorporates walnuts blended with spices. If you’ve fared well so far, try the phali (120 baht), a ball of spinach and beetroot blended with walnuts and khmeli sumeli, a Georgian seven-spice mix smelling strongly of fenugreek. If the creamy nuttiness is palatable, move on to the badrijani nigvzit (130 baht), an eggplant roll with a similar walnut filling, or the satsivi (190 baht) – chicken cooked in walnut sauce. Almost everything is served on wooden trays or charming clay plates.
“I know all the Georgians here [in Bangkok],” Avramidou said, affirming the food’s authenticity. “They say, ‘Oh, it’s like home, same as in Georgia.’”
Avramidou explained that Georgian food differs from Thai food in the spice process: whereas Thai dishes often come with accompanying sauces and dips, Georgian food is usually seasoned during the cooking process. Argo strives to reduce the oil and fat in its cooking though.
Avramidou is Greek-Russian, with a Georgian-born mother. Argo’s menu also includes Greek and Russian dishes, such as moussakas and Olivier salad. Spices used in Argo’s cooking are all imported, as is the bacteria used to make the cheese in khachapuri.
Anna Avramidou.
Avramidou also owns the four-year-old Greek restaurant Avra near BTS Phrom Phong, which is slightly pricier and can accomodate larger groups. Although the menus at Argo and Avra are identical, the portions at Argo are smaller and cheaper, perfect for those dipping their toes into a new cuisine.
The restaurant, seating about 40 with both indoor and outdoor seating, is decorated with dark wood, Georgian rugs, and prints of Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani’s work. Once you get tipsy on the wine – the semi-sweet white Tvishi is recommended (270 for a glass) – you might even clap along to the rumbling Georgian choral music.
Argo Georgian and Greek Restaurant is located in Sukhumvit Soi 8, close to BTS Nana. It’s open from 5pm to 11pm every day except Mondays, and plan to open for lunch starting in September.
Screenshot from a now-deleted video showing wheelie maneuver on Na Phra Lan Road on Sunday, left and center in circles. The teen when he was arrested on Tuesday, right.
BANGKOK — A 16-year-old dek van motorcycle street racer was arrested on Tuesday for doing wheelies in front of Wat Phra Kaew on the birthday of His Majesty the King.
The teen, whose name has been withheld, was arrested at his home in the suburbs of Min Buri after being accused of being one of two illegal street racers caught in a viral video doing wheelies on Na Phra Lan Road, where the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha are situated.
Police Lt. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapat, assistant to the national police chief, said the teen admitted to being one of the racers in the viral clip, which netizens have criticized as being disrespectful to one of the most sacred places in the nation.
Out of Bangkok’s hundreds of streets, the daredevil teen chose Na Phra Lan Road because he was challenged to a race by another group of dek van who happened to be there to see the illuminations along nearby Ratchadamnoen Avenue. The teen confessed he was reckless and did not think about the importance of the area.
The police have indicted him on charges relating to organizing an illegal street race, reckless driving, and driving without a license. He will be tried in a juvenile court, while his father has been given parole under a now-defunct NCPO order which obliges parents to prevent their children from gathering at street races.
“I urge everyone not to race like my son,” the teen’s father wailed during a press conference on Tuesday. “It is an inappropriate place to race.”
The father could spend three months in prison if his son is caught repeating the offense.
The owner of the motorbike the teen borrowed and an auto-parts shop who tuned the motorbike will also be charged. Damrongsak said he will investigate the superintendent of Chanasongkram Police Station for possible malfeasance in office, related to allegations the area has been carelessly maintained.
Police Maj. Gen. Senit Samrarnsamruajkit, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 1, confirmed over the phone that local police pursued the case on their own behest rather than under pressure from higher authorities.
“We are following our standard line of duty,” Senit said.
Another street racer caught in the clip on his red bike is still on the run. The police urged him to surrender, promising that the charges would be gentle if he turned himself in.
A woman stand by the bed of a child receiving treatment for dengue at Dhaka Shishu Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu / AP
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh is facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak as hospitals are flooded with patients, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system.
The mosquito-borne viral infection has spread across the country, with 61 out of 64 districts reporting dengue cases by late Tuesday.
The government has confirmed 15,369 dengue cases since Jan. 1. Of those, 9,683 patients were diagnosed between July 1 and July 30. As of Tuesday, about 4,400 patients, including many children, were undergoing hospital treatment. There have been 14 deaths.
Officials from Dhaka, the overcrowded capital and the epicenter of the outbreak, have struggled to contain it, drawing criticism and spreading panic among some residents.
Dengue is found in tropical areas around the world and is spread by a type of mosquito that mainly lives in urban areas. The virus causes severe flu-like symptoms, and while there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.
There are fears that the situation in the countryside will worsen as many residents of the city travel to villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha next month. Infected humans can serve as a source of the virus for uninfected mosquitoes.
Ayesha Akhter, assistant director at the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health, said an outbreak of dengue has accompanied every monsoon since 2000, but this year’s situation is the worst.
A DGHS study identified a six-fold increase in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population in four months in Dhaka as the primary cause of the larger-than-average outbreak.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization said the dengue situation in Bangladesh was “alarming but not out of control.”
Other countries in Asia are also facing a surge in dengue cases this year, including Thailand, where 53,699 cases and 65 deaths were reported as of July 23.
Nevertheless, with dengue cases soaring in recent weeks, Dhaka hospitals have been running out of room and manpower to treat new patients.
Prof. Abul Kalam Azad, director general of DGHS, said they had asked the hospitals to increase beds for dengue patients and to open dengue wards. The government also halved the charges for diagnosing dengue and directed public and private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers to do the same.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the largest hospital in the country, opened a special ward for dengue patients, said A.K.M. Nasir Uddin, its director general.
Prof. Uttam Kumar Barua, director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, another major public hospital in Dhaka, said they were relying on senior medical students to assist doctors in the face of so many patients.
“We don’t have manpower, logistic support and technicians as much as needed. That’s why we are having too much pressure. We have three times more patients than our bed capacity,” Barua said.
He said they were admitting every dengue patient who entered the hospital but could not provide beds or even seats for everyone, adding that many had been asked to wait in hospital corridors and verandas.
Champa Begum took her 8-month-old to Shaheed hospital on Wednesday.
“I have other kids. I go to work leaving this one to another child. I have no way but to work,” she said. “I can’t take care of this child properly. This child is laid down anywhere. My home is above dirty water. That how this one was bitten and got dengue.”
On Tuesday, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for concerted efforts to fight the illness.
“The government is working to tackle dengue,” she told an emergency meeting of her ruling Awami League party via teleconference from London, where she was on an official visit.
“I urge everyone to keep their houses and surrounding areas clean. That will save us from the disease,” she said.
The country’s opposition parties and urban planning experts blamed the central and local government’s lack of preparedness for the rise in dengue cases. People have taken to Facebook to vent their anger about city authorities’ failure to control dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
