UN forces from Rwanda patrol the streets of Bangui, Central African Republic in February 2016. Photo: Jerome Delay / Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that reports suggest there has been “a surge in the use of mercenaries,” who are not only fighting in wars and illegally exploiting natural resources but are now “feeding off” transnational organized crime, terrorism and violent extremism.
The U.N. chief called for much broader support for regional and international conventions against the use of mercenaries and said those compacts need to be updated. He also called for prosecuting mercenaries and for strengthening efforts at preventing people, especially the young, from being recruited as mercenaries.
Guterres told the Security Council that while “the shadowy nature” of mercenaries makes data hard to come by, their impact is clear in the worsening of conflicts, weakened stability of countries, the undermining of the rule of law and the large numbers of people forced to flee their homes.
He said mercenary activities have “evolved over the years,” pointing to “illicit activities and trafficking by terrorist and mercenary groups” operating in Africa’s vast Sahel region and the alleged involvement of mercenaries in post-election violence in Ivory Coast in 2010.
Mercenaries and other foreign fighters have also committed “innumerable violations” of human rights and international humanitarian law against civilians in the Central African Republic, and mercenaries have suppressed herders trying to move along traditional routes on the border with Cameroon, Guterres said.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera, whose country is the current chairman of the African Union, said mercenaries are not only involved in “active combat” but “we now see an increase in cyberattacks and industrial espionage carried out by mercenary groups in the comfort of their own homes.”
He added that as “part of the worrying increase in trans-boundary criminal networks, some were financed with sophisticated communications and military equipment, and many (are) connected to global terrorist networks.”
“They continue to evolve and innovate,” Sezibera said of mercenaries. “We cannot and should not be static in our response.”
The U.N. General Assembly adopted the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries in December 1989 and it entered into force in October 2001. But, Guterres said, only 35 countries are parties to it — and he urged all other U.N. member states to ratify it “without delay.”
Mousa Faki Mahamat, who heads the African Union Commission, said an AU forum in October recommended that the Convention for the Elimination of Mercenaries in Africa, which was adopted in 1977 and came into effect in 1985, be revised and updated, including measures to ensure implementation and follow-up.
He said the AU is committed to fight “the scourge of mercenary activities” but this also requires international cooperation including the exchange of intelligence.
The Security Council meeting was presided over by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, which holds the body’s rotating presidency. He took power in a military coup in 1979 and said his nation has been a victim “of five attempts at mercenary incursions” since oil was discovered in the 1990s, the latest in December 2017.
“Equatorial Guinea would like to alert the Security Council that mercenary groups continue to act with total impunity in Africa,” Obiang said.
He urged the U.N., and especially the Security Council, to confront mercenaries just as it does terrorism and piracy “because these three phenomena are equivalent.”
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Friday in Washington. Photo: Evan Vucci / Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The White House says President Donald Trump will call for optimism and unity in Tuesday’s State of the Union address, using the moment to attempt a reset after two years of bitter partisanship and deeply personal attacks.
But will anyone buy it?
Skepticism will emanate from both sides of the aisle when Trump enters the House chamber for the primetime address to lawmakers and the nation. Democrats, emboldened after the midterm elections and the recent shutdown fight, see little evidence of a president willing to compromise. And even the president’s staunchest allies know that bipartisan rhetoric read off a teleprompter is usually undermined by scorching tweets and unpredictable policy maneuvers.
Still, the fact that Trump’s advisers feel a need to try a different approach is a tacit acknowledgement that the president’s standing is weakened as he begins his third year in office.
The shutdown left some Republicans frustrated over his insistence on a border wall, something they warned him the new Democratic House majority would not bend on. Trump’s approval rating during the shutdown dipped to 34 percent, down from 42 percent a month earlier, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said the president would use his address “to call for an end to the politics of resistance, retribution.”
“He’s calling for cooperation,” she said, adding that Trump will point to examples of where this has happened on his watch. Officials said the president is also expected to highlight infrastructure, trade and prescription drug pricing as areas in which the parties could work together.
But Washington’s most recent debate offered few signs of cooperation between Trump and Democrats. Under pressure from conservative backers, Trump refused to sign a government funding bill that did not include money for his long-sought border wall. With hundreds of thousands of Americans missing paychecks, Trump ultimately agreed to reopen the government for three weeks to allow negotiations on border security to continue.
With the new Feb. 15 funding deadline looming, Trump is expected to use his address to outline his demands, which still include funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He’s teased the possibility of declaring a national emergency to secure wall funding if Congress doesn’t act, though it appeared unlikely he would take that step Tuesday night. Advisers have also been reviewing options to secure some funding without making such a declaration.
“You’ll hear the State of the Union, and then you’ll see what happens right after the State of the Union,” Trump told reporters.
The president’s address marks the first time he is speaking before a Congress that is not fully under Republican control. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who won plaudits from Democrats for her hard-line negotiating tactics during the shutdown, will be seated behind the president — a visual reminder of Trump’s political opposition.
In the audience will be several Democrats running to challenge Trump in 2020, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, will deliver the party’s response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become Georgia’s first black governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer previewed Democrats’ message for countering Trump, declaring Monday, “The number one reason the state of the union has such woes is the president.”
While White House officials cautioned that Trump’s remarks were still being finalized, the president was expected to use some of his televised address to showcase a growing economy. Despite the shutdown, the U.S. economy added a robust 304,000 jobs in January, marking 100 straight months of job growth. That’s the longest such period on record.
Trump and his top aides have also hinted that he is likely to use the address to announce a major milestone in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. Despite the objections of some advisers, Trump announced in December that he was withdrawing U.S. forces in Syria.
In a weekend interview with CBS, Trump said efforts to defeat the IS group were “at 99 percent right now. We’ll be at 100.”
U.S. officials say the Islamic State group now controls less than 10 square kilometers (3.9 square miles) of territory in Syria, an area smaller than New York’s Central Park. That’s down from an estimated 400 to 600 square kilometers (155 to 230 square miles) that the group held at the end of November before Trump announced the withdrawal, according to two officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, a Defense Department inspector general report released Monday said the Islamic State group “remains a potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters that could likely resurge in Syria” absent continued counterterrorism pressure. According to the Pentagon, the group is still able to coordinate offensives and counteroffensives.
Administration officials say the White House has also been weighing several “moonshot” goals for the State of the Union address. One that is expected to be announced is a new initiative aimed at ending transmissions of HIV by 2030.
Trump’s guests for the speech include Anna Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who was allegedly bullied because of his last name. They will sit with first lady Melania Trump during the address.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, photo, women take a selfie near a tree decorated with red lanterns ahead of the Lunar New Year at Ditan Park in Beijing. Photo: Andy Wong / Associated Press
The Lunar New Year is being celebrated around Asia with lanterns, performances, decorations and food. People are bidding farewell to the year of the dog in the 12-year Chinese astrological cycle and welcoming the year of the pig with hopes of happiness and fortune.
On the eve of the new year, people gathered for reunion dinners, gave red packets of pocket money to youngsters and lit firecrackers at midnight.
Early Tuesday, the first day of the year of the pig, hundreds lined up outside famous temples to burn the first joss sticks of the year, expecting it to bring them good luck.
Ornaments were readied, kiosks set up, and traditional dragon dancers leapt in the air. Everywhere, the color red dominated — on lanterns, clothes and signs. In homes and in shops, cute pig dolls were displayed for the festival, which is also celebrated in Vietnam and by ethnic Chinese communities across Asia.
In this Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, photo, Muslim women take a selfie at a shop selling Lunar New Year decorations in the Chinatown area of Jakarta, Indonesia. People of Chinese descent in the world’s most populous Muslim country are preparing to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Pig on Feb. 5. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)In this Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, photo, Filipino-Chinese display piggy banks at the start of celebrations leading to next week’s Lunar New Year in Chinatown, Manila, Philippines. This year is the Year of the Earth Pig on the Lunar calendar and is supposed to represent abundance, diligence and generosity. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)In this Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, photo, ethnic Chinese-Thai offers flowers after prayers at the Leng Nuei Yee Chinese temple for the upcoming Lunar New Year in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)In this Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, photo, two divers perform an underwater Chinese Lion Dance ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations at Aquaria KLCC underwater park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. People around the world will be celebrating the start of the Year of Pig on Feb. 5th this year in the Chinese lunar calendar. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)In this Sunday, Feb.3, 2019, photo, a woman takes a souvenir photo of her family posing in front of red lanterns on display at the Longtan Park for a temple fair ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year in Beijing. Chinese around the world will celebrate Lunar New Year on Feb. 5 this year which marks the Year of the Pig on the Chinese zodiac. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)In this Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, photo, vendors carrying pig-shaped balloons for sale to mark the Lunar New Year in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam is celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Pig, the biggest annual festival of the year. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
BANGKOK — Having set itself the ambitious target of sending zero food waste to landfill sites, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park has successfully achieved the goal at its main all-day dining restaurant, Goji Kitchen + Bar.
From September to December 2018, this hugely significant initiative reduced the hotel’s wastage by 27.4 tons of food. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is now planning to roll out this program to all of its restaurants and food-related departments.
The food waste crisis is one of the world’s most pressing concerns and tackling it is part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a hotel renowned for its sustainable and environmentally-friendly focus, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is committed to helping eliminate hunger and malnutrition, promoting sustainable production and consumption of food, and reducing global climate change caused by food waste.
The hotel’s waste reduction initiative, which was overseen by LightBlue Environmental Consulting Company, helped to shed light on the significance of food waste practices and create awareness among the hotel employees. Implemented by 80 hotel associates from a range of departments, including kitchen, catering, finance and human resources, this program also led to the initiation of the “Clean Our Plate” campaign in the staff canteen.
In the three and a half months since the program was activated, Goji Kitchen + Bar has successfully reduced its food waste by 27.4 tons, or 294 kilograms per day. The practice has also saved 68.4 tons of CO2 emissions during the whole period.
In addition to its in-house program, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is also partnering with SOS (Scholar of Sustenance Foundation Thailand) to manage its surplus food. Through this initiative, the hotel now contributes 37.5 kilograms of food per day from Goji Kitchen + Bar to the SOS network, which serves over 3,000 daily meals to underprivileged people in Bangkok.
“Throughout the three months of the program, our entire team was determined to reduce food waste, starting from Goji Kitchen + Bar – our biggest outlet. With this determination we have proved that we can achieve this, and we significantly reduced our food waste from 0.679 kg. to 0.490 kg. per plate, which increases food value by 10 percent. This is a very promising outcome,” said Michael Hogan, Executive Chef of Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park.
Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is now moving ahead with plans to reduce food waste in all of its restaurants and food-related outlets, starting with Pagoda Chinese Restaurant, Akira Back and M Club Lounge from January to April 2019, and followed by its catering department from April to August 2019. Through these efforts, Bangkok Marriott Marquis
Queen’s Park is striving to become the first urban five-star hotel in Asia Pacific to be awarded The PLEDGE* certificate, and first urban five-star hotel in Southeast Asia to achieve zero food waste to landfill.
*The PLEDGE™ is an independently verified nine-point food waste prevention standard that is designed to reduce food waste and costs.
Daikin, the leader in air conditioning technology from Japan, is fully aware of the serious air pollution situation that is currently threatening the wellbeing of people in Bangkok and metropolitan areas. With the density of PM2.5 pollutant that has risen to harmful level from vehicle emissions, industrial activities, burning, closed and stagnant weather. The accumulated pollutant is hazardous to health and causes series of illness if left unattended. Besides N95 masks, another option to intercept micro-dust, fine particle pollutants, germs and bacteria, is using an air purifier, in which Daikin offers several models to choose from:
MCK55TVM6: Air purifier with humidifier
Purify the air internally and externally with Active Plasma Ion and Streamer technology. The model also intercepts virus, bacteria, allergens, odors and increases humidity in the air to moisturize the skin and relief irritation from dryness. MCK55TVM6 comes equipped with electrostatic HEPA filer that filters up to 99.97% of fine particles as small as 0.3 micron for 41sqm room.
The model also features 3 censors that evaluate air cleanliness, screen for dust with high accuracy and separate dust and PM2.5 fine particles, as well as detect and eliminate odor when in Auto mode. There are 4 function modes: Auto, Econo, Pollen and Humidifier, that allows air flow in three directions. The Deodorizing Filter can be used throughout its lifetime and the engine runs at 19 decibel. It also comes with child lock, power surge protector between 180-264V and remote controller.
MC55UVM6: Air purifier with Active Plasma Ion and Streamer
Purify the air internally and externally with Active Plasma Ion that generates 25,000 ion per cubic centimeter, with Streamer feature that blocks virus, H1N1 influenza, H5N1 bird flu, bacteria, fungus, allergens and odor. The model comes with electrostatic HEPA filter that intercepts 99.97% of 0.3 micron fine particles in 41sqm room.
MC40UVM6: Air purifier with Streamer
Air purifier with Streamer blocks virus, H1N1 influenza, H5N1 bird flu, bacteria, fungus, allergens and odor. The model comes with lifelong deodorizing filter, electrostatic HEPA filter that intercepts 99.97% of 0.3 micron fine particles and detects 6 levels of PM2.5 fine particles in 31sqm room.
MC30VVM-A: Compact air purifier with dust filter
Small but efficient, the purifier cleanse the air with electrostatic HEPA filter that quickly and efficiently block dust particles without clogging the filter. It can intercept 99.97% of 0.3 micron fine particles in 21sqm room, and detect 3 levels of PM2.5 fine particles.
To restore wellbeing, safety and good health of Thai consumers, Daikin offers world-standard air purifiers with special promotion: complimentary 20-inch luggage worth of 2,900 baht with purchase of Daikin MCK55TVM6 and MC55UVM6, S&P voucher worth of 300baht with purchase of MC40UVM6 and MC30VVM-A and 1-year warranty for all part with purchase by February 28, 2019 only. Daikin air purifies are available from PowerBuy, Boonthavorn, Modern Air and all Daikin dealers. For more information, visit www.daikin.co.th.
Hakeem AlAraibi is led by police Monday at the Criminal Court in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — A refugee footballer who refused voluntary extradition Monday to Bahrain was told to appear in court again in April.
An outpouring of anger met the Criminal Court’s decision to give Hakeem AlAraibi until April 5 to file an appeal against extradition proceedings, with a hearing to follow on April 22. The decision not to immediately release the Bahraini national despite his refugee status in Australia prompted calls for sanctions.
The Australian football players’ union called on the International Olympic Committee and football’s governing body to consider sporting sanctions against Thailand and Bahrain over AlAraibi’s continued detention in Bangkok. He’s been held behind bars since he was taken into custody at Bangkok’s airport.
The top Thai twitter trends were dominated by topics related to the footballer, who pleaded outside the court not to be sent back to Bahrain. He was brought to the hearing with his ankles shackled.
Professional Footballers Australia chief executive John Didulica in a statement called the detention “a flagrant breach of [AlAraibi’s] internationally accepted human rights as an Australian permanent resident and refugee.”
Didulica also said it has only been pressure from the international soccer community that has prevented AlAraibi’s extradition to Bahrain.
Nadthasiri Bergman, the attorney representing AlAraibi, said they’re ready to file an appeal as they have enough evidence to show that his warrant from Bahrain was politically motivated. She said her client has been sick and highly stressed by his detention, adding that they are seeking ways to win his release from prison after the court denied bail.
In court, AlAraibi said Bahrain accused him of a crime – vandalizing a police station – that occurred while he was playing a televised football match, adding that he believes he was prosecuted because he sought asylum in Australia.
Mark Warnock, spokesman of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, said after the hearing today that Bahrain’s government had never sought AlAraibi’s extradition from Australia although it knew he had been living there as a refugee. He said it immediately filed a request with Thailand once it learned that the footballer was travelling here with his wife for their honeymoon.
He declined to say whether the Australian government has directly contacted Bahrain over the case.
AlAraibi has been held in Thailand because Bahrain has asked for his return to serve a 10-year prison sentence over the alleged vandalism. He fled to Australia in 2014 and won political asylum there in 2017. He plays football for a semi-professional team.
BANGKOK — A motorcycle taxi driver was charged with several traffic offenses Monday after a stunt in which he stood atop his moving vehicle fell flat.
Kannapak Ketchom, 24, surrendered himself at a police station in Bangkok earlier today, where he acknowledged five charges including reckless driving and not wearing a helmet. Speaking to reporters at the Prawet Police Station, the motorcyclist apologized for his actions.
“I‘m sorry for acting recklessly, without consideration for others’ safety,” Kannapak said while clasping his hands in an apologetic wai. He also offered an apology to his win, or group of motorcycle taxi drivers, for tainting their image.
Police said they confiscated Kannapak’s motorcycle as evidence while the case moves forward. Kannapak faces up to three months in jail.
According to investigators, Kannapak was going 30kph while standing on his motorcycle gas tank along On Nut Road last week. The video attracted widespread condemnation after it was posted online.
Kannapak’s first court appearance is set for tomorrow.
BANGKOK — City Hall said Monday it expects to find a contractor by the end of next month to build 19 additional, court-ordered elevators for the BTS Skytrain.
Eight months after funds were committed to the work, the city transport director said the elevators would be built at 16 stations to make the rail system accessible to disabled commuters. Panurak Klannurak said plan excludes five downtown stations where elevators can’t be built due to “infrastructure limitations.”
The department said bids for the work must be in by Wednesday with a contractor to be chosen by the end of March. Construction will take about 300 days, Panurak added.
It’s the latest in a series of promises from City Hall has made since disability activists won a landmark legal victory in 2015, in which the popular rail network owned by the city was given one year to become fully accessible.
According to Panurak, 10 more elevators needed at BTS Saphan Taksin, Sala Daeng, Chit Lom, Phloen Chit and Asok can’t be built due to constraints such as very narrow sidewalks at BTS Chit Lom and the structure of BTS Saphan Taksin.
“There are infrastructure limitations. It’s impossible to build [elevators there],” he said. “We’re considering further strategies moving forward.”
Japanese author and ‘organizing consultant’ Marie Kondo in a promotional image for her series ‘Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.’
So you’ve applied the KonMari method to your home: tossed stuff the non-joy sparking stuff into bag upon bag. Congrats on the decluttering, but now what do with all that stuff that without dumping it on the sidewalk or in those wonderful trash cages.
Here’s how to donate, recycle, sell and even swap all those unwanted clothes, books, e-waste, household items and cosmetics in Bangkok, with some ideas for helping others at the same time.
E-Waste
Hoping your random cables and 10-year-old DVD player will be properly handled may be wishful thinking. They’ll likely be picked up if put out with the trash – but with no guarantee of proper disposal. Don’t be part of the problem and send your e-waste to the right place.
Drop used batteries, broken light bulbs and other toxic items into a dropbox in front of the ground floor restroom at the Pollution Control Department down Phahon Yothin 7 from BTS Ari. Otherwise, local district offices also accept toxic waste, which they send monthly for proper disposal. For example, the Khlong Toei District Office accepts residential e-waste such as batteries and the like.
Old mobile phones and tablets can be mailed to the government’s year-old Old Mobiles to New Life project. Donated items will be sent to China, where they will be destroyed. The revenue gained will be used to buy books for 1,000 primary schools around Thailand. Send them by post to:
Old Mobiles to New Life Foundation
333 Sukhumvit Road 71, Phra Khanong Nuea, Watthana
Bangkok 10110
Tel. 092-887-2728
Chonburi province:
E-Waste Collection Center for the Old Mobiles to New Life Foundation
Bangkok Recycle and Reuse Co. Ltd.
85/1 Moo 2, Map Phai, Ban Bueng District, Chonburi 20170
Donate old CPUs, monitors, printers and phones to Wat Suan Kaew in Nonthaburi province.
Mail small electronic items, such as mobile phones, chargers, cables, headphones and notebooks to the Chula Loves the Earth program and the university will appropriately dispose of it. Batteries are not accepted. Address:
Chula Loves the Earth
Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management
CU Research Building Floor 8
Phaya Thai Road, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330
Tel. 02-218-3959
That old Vaio, Walkman or any Sony-made item will be properly destroyed if you mail it or drop it off at the Sony Service Center on Petchaburi Road. If mailing, be sure to label the item as intended for destruction.
Chonburi residents, rejoice, for the Chonburi Town Municipalityaccepts non-toxic e-waste, so drop off of old computers, TVs, phones without batteries and other old or broken devices there.
Clothes
Temples, orphanages and most charities will take clothing donations. The Mirror Foundation accepts most donations of clothing, shoes, bags, and so on. Take it to their main office in Soi Viphavadi Rangsit 62 Yaek 4-7 between 9:30am and 6pm, Monday through Friday, or 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. You can also send items there by mail. They will also pick up items for a fee. A spokesman said they accept all items in good, working condition.
Bras can be donated to women’s prisons such as the Central Women Correctional Institution in Bangkok through the Prairboon Foundation. Contact them at 096-236-3895 for more information.
In the provinces, women’s prisons in Chonburi, Songkhla, Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai accept items such as bras and sanitary items, which can even be sent by mail. Check with the prisons by phone to see what kind of items they accept, as some don’t take second-hand bras.
A Swap ‘Till You Drop event in September. Photo: The Hive Thonglor / Facebook
For a fun-filled goodbye to your clothes – and the possibility of coming home with more – join the monthly Swap ‘Til You Drop! events. Bring 300 baht and bags of clothes you don’t want anymore for a fun night of swapping clothes with other women while drinking free-flow sangria. Any unclaimed will be donated to needy families via Scholars of Sustenance. The next swap is Feb. 28 at The Home BKK in Soi Sukhumvit 23.
Books
Photo: Dasa Book Cafe / Facebook
Give it up. You’re never going to read that John Irving novel, and it’s high time to unload those bodice-rippers.
Short of trundling them all to a paper recycling center, here are some options for re-homing them.
First, you can send a list of your books via email or Facebook message – title and author; no textbooks or magazines – to Dasa Book Cafe. The shop only buys specific titles, so they’ll send a reply to save you the pain of rejection. Then just bring the desired books to the shop, which is a five-minute walk from BTS Phrom Phong. What they pay depends on the book’s condition and is paid in cash or store credit at a 20 percent markup. Dasa is open 10am to 8pm daily but has no parking.
Nalynya Jaroonruangrit displays a children’s book translated into Burmese at Miraibrary. Migrant worker families from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos live in the community.
To donate, drop by Miraibrary, a children’s library founded by theSikkha Asia Foundation in the Khlong Toei district. Books in any language are accepted and will be translated into Thai, Burmese and Khmer by volunteers. Children’s books are most needed, but those at higher levels will be redistributed to local schools. Miraibrary is open 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Pickup services can be arranged by calling them by calling them at 02-249-7567.
Furniture and Housewares
An unused blender that no longer blends to satisfaction or a sun-damaged couch no one on Lazada will buy? Unload these things clogging your home and life at a second-hand store near downtown in the Khlong Toei district. Better yet, proceeds will help with employment and children’s programs in the community.
Second Chance, a shop co-founded a decade back by Australian Jodie MacCartney, accepts clothing, electronic goods, bedding, kitchenware, household items and furniture that it then resells at low prices to Khlong Toei residents.
“We take pretty much anything, as long as it’s not broken and in working order,” the 41-year-old said. “We sort and sell everything and try to keep all the prices very affordable.”
A shirt can run as low as 5 baht or 20 baht. Couches cost 200 to a few thousand, depending on condition and so on. Those dropping off donations might score some thrifty deals.
“We want to offer quality goods at affordable prices and provide sustainable employment which gives dignity,” she said.
Proceeds pay Second Chance’s rent, utilities and staff – all employed from the Khlong Toei area – as well as to support a children’s club and needy community members such as indigent migrant workers.
Local women are also employed to “upcycle” some of the donated clothes into handbags, pouches, and so on for prices ranging from 30 baht to 450 baht. Check Second Chance’s Facebook page for where they will set up their booth next.
Donations can be dropped off 9:30am to 4:30pm Tuesdays through Saturdays at the shop on At Narong Road. Call 02-249-1921 to arrange for a pickup. They do not accept e-waste.
Cosmetics
Photo: Somkuan Villa
For those with a large stash of expired or unwanted makeup, consider donating to the deceased. That’s right, area hospitals need makeup for funerals.
Somkhuan Villa, founder of Baeng Boon Suay (Sharing Beautiful Merit), has arranged donations for morgues at 12 hospitals nationwide.
“Everyone in the world wants to look good. So in someone’s final moments, they might not know what their physical state will be like, but they might get comfort from knowing that their relatives will see them dead but in a little better state,” Somkhuan, 41, said.
Participating hospitals are accepting any type of makeup, from blush to nail polish. Drop it off in Bangkok at the morgues at the Police Siriraj hospitals.
Other hospitals accepting donations are Srinagarind Hospital in Khon Kaen, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital, Hua Hin Hospital, Chumphon Khet Udomsakdi Hospital, Thammasat University Hospital in Pathum Thani, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center in Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Nayok Hospital, Buddhachinaraj Hospital in Phitsanulok and Surat Thani Hospital.
“I’m a woman with lots of makeup. So I knew in my heart I wanted to make merit with it,” Somkuan said.
Until the end of February, cosmetics can also be sent to Somkuan by mail at:
66/10 Soi Bangla Absolute
Bangla Road, Patong
Kathu, Phuket 83150
MP candidates in Nakhon Ratchasima province show reporters their ID cards which now say “Thaksin” and “Yingluck.”
BANGKOK — Since its inception earlier this year, the Pheu Chart Party has been seen as a clone of Pheu Thai, the political powerhouse associated with former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
But the party took it one step further today, when nine Pheu Chart candidates announced they had legally changed their first names to Thaksin, while two female candidates now calls themselves Yingluck, after Thaksin’s sister who served as premier until 2014. Explaining his motive, one of the politicians said he’s a fan of the ex-prime minister.
“I changed my name to Thaksin because Thaksin brought progress to Thailand. Every world leader knows Thaksin,” said Thaksin Kuenkhoksoong, who’s running for a seat in Korat. “Thaksin is in the heart of all people.”
“I want people to remember me,” Yingluck Phetraksa said. “It’s also inspiring for myself to have the same name as a female leader.”
Thaksin was ousted from power by the military in 2006; Yingluck went much the same way in 2014. Both fled the country and live in exile in the face of criminal convictions they say were politically motivated.
Party spokeswoman Ketpreeya Kaewsanmuang said she hasn’t talked to the name-changers but believes it shouldn’t matter.
“People may change their names based on personal preference. It’s an individual freedom under the law,” Ketpreeya said by phone. “People don’t elect someone based on their names.”
Seemingly innocuous mentions of the Shinawatras could affect a party’s fate this election season. Under voting regulations, a party can be disbanded if it is found to have campaigned in collusion with individuals not directly related to the party.
In another Election Commission rule seen as deterrence against invoking the twice-elected leader by Thaksin-allied parties, posters can only show images and names of candidates and party leaders.
When reached for comment, commissioner Charungwit Phumma said he would see if the name changes violate any election laws.
An MP candidate for Phayao province admitted it’s a way to get around those restrictions.
“This election has regulations and prohibitions from the Election Commission that make our canvassing difficult,” Thaksin Kittisakworakul told reporters today. “Therefore, changing my name to Thaksin might help people recognize me easily.”
Although Pheu Chart and its allied parties publicly insist they are not influenced by or tied to Thaksin, the former prime minister is clearly a selling point.
Thaksin’s only son, Panthongtae Shinawatra, appeared at a rally in Khon Kaen today to show support for a Pheu Thai candidates who registered there.
