BANGKOK — Thailand's Transport Minister said he was surprised to see the United Nations' aviation agency announce a safety downgrade for Thailand-based airlines on its website yesterday.

Air Chief Marshal Prajin Janthong said he was informed by a Thai official that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) would not make a public announcement about the downgrade, which Thailand had been given 90 days to address.

ACM Prajin said his assistant, Arkom Termpittayapaisith, traveled to the ICAO headquarters in Canada to negotiate for more time to address the agency's safety concerns, and sent him a text message that the ICAO had agreed not to publish  any information about Thailand's failure to meet the agency's standards. 

"But yesterday the ICAO ended up putting red flag on Thailand on its website," ACM Prajin said yesterday. "That means the president of the ICAO did not do what he told Mr. Arkom. I am really confused why this happened. I have to admit that there was some miscommunication, but whether it was a miscommunication between me and Arkom, or between Arkom and the ICAO president, we are still checking about that."

He told reporters that he has already instructed the head of Thailand's Civil Aviation Department to get in touch with Arkom, who is still on a trip abroad, and clarify what was said at the meeting with the ICAO.

ACM Prajin also said a formal press conference will be held by the Ministry of Transport on 22 June to explain the red flag's implications for the Thai aviation industry.

"I have to admit I am very stressed about what happened, but we will continue to solve the problems," ACM Prajin told reporters.

Thailand is now one of 13 "safety deficient" countries that have been flagged by the ICAO. The others are Botswana, Uruguay, Angola, Djibouti, Eritrea, Georgia, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Nepal, and Sierra Leone. 

In its January audit, the ICAO found serious gaps in safety standards at some airlines operating from Thailand, including Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Nok Air, and the state-owned Thai Airways. The agency cited concerns about a lack of personnel training and licensing, and other lapses in the oversight of airline operations.

In March the ICAO granted Thailand a 90-day reprieve to rectify the issues, but ACM Prajin admitted in April that Thailand would be unable to meet the deadline.

According to the Transport Minister, Thai authorities have spent the past three months working hard to improve aviation safety measures, such as re-organizing the bureaucratic structure, transferring directors, and compiling new manuals to oversee airlines' licenses. State officials have also traveled around the globe in an effort to convince foreign aviation authorities not to ban Thai airlines from using airports in their respective countries. 

"In the past, I have created understanding with many countries, but it's impossible to talk to 50 countries in a single month," ACM Prajin said. "We have to wait and see results from this day first, because now that ICAO has already announced [the red flag], it's pointless to travel to talk to any more nations." 

The air chief marshal added that he has already informed junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha about the incident, but the junta leader has not yet personally shared his opinion on the matter. 

BANGKOK — Thailand's Crown Prince will lead a mass bicycling event next month as a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, the Thai military government announced yesterday.

According to a statement released to the media, the public is invited to join Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn as he bicycles  43 kilometer from the Royal Plaza to the 11th Infantry Division headquarters in northern Bangkok on 16 August.

The statement says the event – titled "Bike for Mom 2015" – was conceived by the 62-year-old Crown Prince as a way honor his mother, Queen Sirikit, who will turn 83 on 12 August, which is Thailand's National Mother’s Day.

"This is an open opportunity for all groups of people across the country to join the event to express their loyalty to the monarchy, express their love for their mothers and the Mother of the Land," the statement says, using a common epithet to refer to Queen Sirikit.

The event also aims to promote exercise among the Thai people and "reinforce unity" in society, the statement says.

"[The Crown Prince] will join the event from the beginning to the end," junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters yesterday. "His Royal Highness has also ordered officials to take care of the participants' safety. The important thing [for him] is that the people are happy."

Gen. Prayuth added, "The Crown Prince has seen the importance of exercise. He is interested in cycling, and he has sent words to the government and relevant Ministers all the time that he is worried about safety of cyclists in Thailand."

BANGKOK — An elderly man from Oman is the first person in Thailand to be infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), health officials said today.

The 75-year-old patient arrived in Thailand on 15 June seeking treatment for heart disease at a private hospital in Bangkok, said Minister of Public Health Rachata Rachatanawin.

According to Rachata, doctors at the hospital noticed his condition was worsening, and sent him to another medical institute where doctors discovered that he had been infected with MERS, a deadly respiratory disease.

A total of 59 people in Thailand are currently being monitored for possible infection of the virus, either at hospitals or at their homes, said Ratacha. The Minister also asked the public not to panic. 

"This patient traveled from abroad, and our country has swiftly detected his ailment and is exercising caution,” he said. “Cooperation among the people will enable our country to contain this disease." 

The announcement came several hours after officials at the Ministry of Public Health dismissed a rumor on social media that three patients had tested positive for MERS virus.  

The Thai government also officially recognized MERS as one of the 22 “dangerous communicable diseases” that infected citizens are required to report to the authorities.

Other diseases in the list, which has been compiled by the Ministry of Public Health since 2004, include Ebola, yellow fever, and tuberculosis, among others.

Health officials are now authorized to quarantine individuals to prevent the spread of the disease. Failure to adhere to the quarantine carries a maximum penalty of 2,000 baht fine. 

The vast majority of MERS infections have been in Saudi Arabia, but at least 23 people have died in South Korea after outbreak last month.

No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available for the virus.

BANGKOK — An elderly man from Oman is the first person in Thailand to be infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), health officials said today.

The 75-year-old patient arrived in Thailand on 15 June seeking treatment for heart disease at a private hospital in Bangkok, said Minister of Public Health Rachata Rachatanawin.

According to Rachata, doctors at the hospital noticed his condition was worsening, and sent him to another medical institute where doctors discovered that he had been infected with MERS, a deadly respiratory disease.

A total of 59 people in Thailand are currently being monitored for possible infection of the virus, either at hospitals or at their homes, said Ratacha. The Minister also asked the public not to panic. 

"This patient traveled from abroad, and our country has swiftly detected his ailment and is exercising caution,” he said. “Cooperation among the people will enable our country to contain this disease." 

The announcement came several hours after officials at the Ministry of Public Health dismissed a rumor on social media that three patients had tested positive for MERS virus.  

The Thai government also officially recognized MERS as one of the 22 “dangerous communicable diseases” that infected citizens are required to report to the authorities.

Other diseases in the list, which has been compiled by the Ministry of Public Health since 2004, include Ebola, yellow fever, and tuberculosis, among others.

Health officials are now authorized to quarantine individuals to prevent the spread of the disease. Failure to adhere to the quarantine carries a maximum penalty of 2,000 baht fine. 

The vast majority of MERS infections have been in Saudi Arabia, but at least 23 people have died in South Korea after outbreak last month.

No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available for the virus.

PHRAE — A group of ultra-royalists in northern Thailand have formally thanked junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha for "defending" the monarchy with his strict enforcement of the country's lese majeste law.

Kanathip Moodcharoen, the chairman of a local association called People Who Love the King, submitted the group's thank-you letter through Phrae province’s governor this morning.

Kanathip told reporters he and his fellow activists are impressed by Gen. Prayuth's "dedication" to enforcing Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Codes, a law known as lese majeste that criminalizes insulting the king, queen, heir-apparent, and regent with up to 15 years in prison.

The law, which is the harshest of its kind in the world, is frequently used to block any discussion of the monarchy, drawing condemnation from human rights organizations who say it used to stifle free speech. 

This week, the military junta ordered the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand to cancel a panel discussion on the role of the lese majeste law in Thai society, reportedly citing a concern that the event would "sow disunity in Thai society, and encourage people to break the law and stir up unrest."

Although insulting the monarchy has been a crime in Thailand for over a hundred years, the law has been enforced more frequently over the past decade, and with a notable rise in severity since Gen. Prayuth seized power from an elected government in May 2014. 

"In the past, officials responsible for law enforcement have neglected their duties, and there were many serious insults and accusations against the monarchy, both in open and secretive ways," Kanathip said. "The reason was because there was no fear of committing the crime, which greatly disturbs loyal subjects of His Majesty the King. But in the present time, [Prayuth's] government has enforced the laws strictly and continuously, and those who wish to overthrow the monarchy can no longer dare display their illegal actions openly. Some even had to flee the country."

Since the May 2014 coup, nearly 50 people have been charged with lese majeste, and more than half of them have been denied bail while they await trial, according to iLaw, a watchdog group that tracks legal cases in Thailand. Several months ago, a 58-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for allegedly insulting the monarchy on Facebook. 

Gen. Prayuth, a hardline royalist, has declared "defending His Majesty's authority" as a top priority of his government.

"We will use legal measures, social-psychological measures, and telecommunications and information technology to deal with those who are not mindful of their words, are arrogant at heart, or harbor ill intentions to undermine the important Institution of the nation," Gen. Prayuth said in September 2014.