Thailand’s Hotel Industry Will Add 10,000 Rooms by 2024

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29 January 2024, 20:06

BANGKOK – The Thai hotel industry is expected to grow by around 10,000 new rooms in 2024, according to Jasper Palmqvist, senior director for Asia Pacific at STR Global, a global provider of data, analytics, and marketing for the hospitality industry.

Most of the new rooms will be in the upper midscale category, followed by the luxury category. Nevertheless, the overall situation will remain challenging this year given rising inflation, higher costs and companies’ cost control.

“In recent months, we have seen midscale hotel room rates return to pre-COVID-19 levels, which took longer than for upper-scale hotels,” Palmqvist said to Prachachat Business.

STR Global said the overall Thai tourism industry is expected to be positive this year, and it is starting to see a more diversified tourist market that is not too dependent on any one market.

It expects the average daily rate (ADR) of hotels in Bangkok to be 18 percent higher than in 2019 and overall occupancy to be only 4 percent lower than in 2019. However, hotels in some areas are recovering to varying degrees. Hotels in Chiang Mai, which used to host a large number of Chinese tourists, only saw a price increase of 5 percent compared to other areas, which can be as high as 20 percent.

Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks Company, said that 2024 will be another year of recovery for the Thai tourism industry. The overall picture is positive. More large-scale real estate projects are being built, market sentiment is returning, financial institutions are lending more and investors see tourism as a good investment again.

There are around 12,000 hotel rooms under construction in Phuket province alone. More than half of these, around 6,000 rooms, are projects that were revived after being halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. These projects are expected to be completed in around 2-3 years.

“Since the second half of 2023, we are starting to see signs that hotel owners are looking to branded hotels to upgrade their properties to make them more premium and open up opportunities for increased revenue and competition,” said Barnett. “Meanwhile, banks have also started to lend more to operators.”

Wallapa Traisorat, chief executive officer and managing director of Asset World Corporation (AWC), said AWC plans to invest more than 10 billion baht this year to open four hotels with a total of about 1,000 rooms.

The hotels include: Two hotels in Pattaya (Chonburi): Marriott Resort Pattaya and one IHG hotel, one hotel in Hua Hin (Prachuap Khiri Khan): Kimpton Hua Hin, one hotel in Bangkok: Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit (a rebranding of Grand Mercure Bangkok Windsor).

marriott pattaya — Marriott Resort Pattaya

AWC also has a number of major projects in the pipeline, including the Aquatique Pattaya mixed-use project, for which agreements have been signed with the JW Marriott and Marriott Marquis brands, as well as a plan to invest more than 30 billion baht in Chiang Mai over the next five years, which is expected to represent a total investment value of more than 13 billion baht.

Suwanna Buddhaprasart, managing director of LH Mall & Hotel Co, Ltd (LHMH), the operator of the Grand Center Hotel Group, said there are currently seven Grand Center Point hotels in operation. The latest is Grand Center Point Surawong Bangkok, a 5-star luxury hotel with 399 rooms in the heart of the Surawong district. The hotel only opened at the end of 2023 with a total investment of over 2 billion baht.

The Dusit Thani Bangkok Group will open its largest project of 2024, a 6-star hotel with 257 rooms. It is part of the Dusit Central Park mixed-use project with a total value of over 46 billion baht. The hotel is scheduled to open in June.

The newest hotel of the Dusit Thani Group is the Dusit Princess Patthalung, a 4-star hotel with 132 rooms. It is the 15th hotel of the Dusit brand in Thailand and the first “Dusit Princess” hotel to open in the south.

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Man Believed To Be Fugitive 1970s Terrorist Bomber Dies in Hospital

By

Kyodo News

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29 January 2024, 19:17

TOKYO – A man thought to be the suspect wanted for one of a series of terrorist bombings in Japan in the 1970s died Monday morning at a hospital near Tokyo, an investigative source said.

The man recently confessed to being alleged bomber Satoshi Kirishima, who was a member of an extreme left-wing group. He was undergoing treatment for terminal stomach cancer at the hospital in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, and was confirmed dead at 7:33 a.m., according to the source.

Kirishima, who would now be 70 years old, was a member of the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, a radical group that carried out the high-profile bombings. He has long been wanted on suspicion that he planted and detonated a homemade bomb in a building in Tokyo’s Ginza district on April 19, 1975.

japan bomb3 — Photo taken on Jan. 29, 2024, shows a wanted poster for Satoshi Kirishima, a fugitive who has long been wanted for one of a series of terrorist bombings in Japan in the 1970s, displayed outside the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo. (Kyodo)

The man had been making outpatient visits to the hospital for about a year and was hospitalized earlier in January. He revealed his true identity last Thursday, saying he wanted to draw the curtain on his life under his real name.

The man had lived under the name Hiroshi Uchida and was an employee of a building firm in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, for decades, according to other investigative sources.

He avoided bank transactions and received his wages in cash. He also did not possess a health insurance card or driver’s license and received treatment at the hospital at his own expense.

japan bomb2 — Screenshot taken from the website of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department shows Satoshi Kirishima. (Kyodo)

The East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front carried out a number of attacks on Japanese companies and entities, including the bombing of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.’s headquarters in central Tokyo in 1974 that killed eight people and injured 165.

A 73-year-old man, whose acquaintance was injured in the bombing of the Mitsubishi Heavy building, said he wondered at the time what the group’s goal was. “In the end, did he (the man thought to be Kirishima) want to speak the truth? It feels like things happened so quickly after he was found.”

In May 1975, police arrested eight individuals over their involvement in the attacks. As some suspects, including 75-year-old Ayako Daidoji, are still on the run overseas, the statute of limitations in Kirishima’s case has been suspended.

Kirishima was officially declared missing in April 2003.

Swiss Husband Confesses to Killing His Thai Wife in Korat

By

Khaosod English

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29 January 2024, 17:48

korat swiss1 — Mr. Roland, a 53-year-old Swiss, arrived at Khonburi Police Station on January 29 to be questioned. He then confessed to killing his Thai wife.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – A Swiss man was under pressure after locals in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, suspected him of being the cause of his Thai wife’s disappearance. Finally, he confessed that he had killed her.

Orathai Posingam, had been missing since January 8, 2024, from her home in Khok Khwan, Chaliang Sub-district, Khonburi District Nakhon Ratchasima province. Her Swiss husband, Roland, 53, told police that she ran away after they argued.

Orathai inherited over 13 million baht from her first Swiss husband, who died in 2021. She then married Roland, another Swiss man who was a former train driver in Switzerland. The couple moved to Thailand about two years ago.

korat swiss2 — Mr. Roland (left) came to Khonburi Police Station on January 29 to be questioned.

Roland came to Khonburi Police Station on January 29 to be questioned after the police found some suspicious circumstances, including his statement to Orathai’s sister that she had probably run away, but she didn’t take her shoes or any belongings with her.

Police seized Roland’s passport due to ongoing investigations into his wife’s disappearance.

Mr. Roland had stated that he was not engaged in his wife’s disappearance. He was mainly concerned about when she would return. However, after long hours of questioning, he admitted that he had killed her by strangling during a quarrel.

korat swiss5 — Police found Ms. Orathai Posingam’s body in the cornfield on January 29, 2024. She had been missing since January 8. Her Swiss husband confessed today that he had killed her.

He loaded his wife’s body onto a motorbike and drove to a cornfield in Ban Khok Kruat, approximately 3 km from their home. The police officers then escorted Mr. Roland to show them where to take the body for examination.

The authorities discovered a Jack of Hearts card in Ms. Orathai’s mouth, and there seemed to be duct tape covering her mouth.

Before his confession, Mr. Roland had kept to himself at home and had not observed the search. He only left the house to have coffee, eat, or respond to police calls. He has refused to speak with the media.

On January 28, when police searched the couple’s home and sent a team of divers from the Phuttham 31 Foundation in Nakhon Ratchasima to look for Orathai in a pond near the village temple, he did not even come to take part in a stakeout with her relatives and the rescue team that was looking for her in various places.

korat swiss3 — The rescue crew searched for Ms. Orathai in a variety of locations, including the pond.

Chai Tawanmai, a radio DJ who is one of Roland’s few close friends, spoke to him about the case. Roland told Chai that he was worried because people in the area suspected him of being responsible for his wife’s disappearance.

“Roland told me that he had scolded his wife for gambling and she might have run away from the people to whom she owed money. He said he didn’t know where to go searching for her because he did not know anyone,” said Chai Tawanmai.

Police investigated Ms. Orathai’s bank account and discovered that money had been transferred from it to Mr. Roland’s account at around 10:00 p.m. on January 8. Miss Orathai’s sister last saw her when she had less than 2,000 baht in her account.

Mr. Roland told the authorities that Ms. Orathai personally transferred this amount to him using a bank app to repay a loan debt. The police are awaiting verification results from the bank, after which all information will be collected as evidence and investigative guidelines.

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CP Foods High-Tech Broiler Farm Praised as Regional Benchmark for Smart Chicken Farming

By

Contributor

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29 January 2024, 16:35

Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development, in collaboration with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) members, including government officials, lecturers, farmers, and experts from 19 countries, lauded CP Foods’ “Kroksomboon” Broiler Farm for its outstanding adoption of smart farming technology.

This farm has successfully enhanced productivity using innovative digital solutions while upholding animal welfare standards. The insights and best practices gained will be disseminated to boost small-scale farmers throughout the Asia Pacific region, thereby aiding in regional food security.

Ratchada Asisonthisakul, Director of the Special Project Promotion Division at the Thailand Productivity Institute, emphasized the farm visit as an invaluable educational experience. APO members from diverse Asia Pacific nations gained insights into the utilization of smart farming systems and best practices in broiler farming.

The knowledge acquired is anticipated to modernize livestock farming in the region, both practically and at the policy level, and to enhance the competency of the new generation of farmers.

“CP Foods’ involvement in the APO Study Tour and advancements in Smart Chicken Farming will empower participants to implement smart farming strategies in their countries, enhancing farmer skills and regional food security,” stated Ratchada.

Dr. Mukund Marotrao Kadam, Associate Professor at the Poultry Research and Training Center, Department of Poultry Science, Nagpur Veterinary College, under the Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Science University, praised the farm’s management and biosecurity measures. He stressed that the expertise shared by CP Foods will be conveyed to farmers, students, and stakeholders, thereby promoting growth in the livestock industry.

Surachate Pinklao, Senior Director at CP Foods, emphasized the company’s dedication to creating advanced ‘Smart Farms’ with a strong focus on animal welfare. Kroksomboon Farm, selected by the Livestock Development Department for a case study visit by APO member countries, showcases CP Foods’ commitment to producing high-quality, safe, and chemical-free poultry.

The farm utilizes cutting-edge digital technology and IoT systems for effective farm management and animal care, guaranteeing round-the-clock monitoring of animal health and wellbeing.

Kroksomboon Farm, acclaimed for its pioneering methods in poultry farming, distinguishes itself by antibiotics free and non- using growth promoters. Its flagship product, Benja Chicken, represents CP Foods’ premium food added nutritional value as the world’s first poultry natural fed with brown rice and other superfoods such as flaxseed. Benja Chicken has been raised under animal welfare practices without antibiotic use throughout the entire lifespan, making the chicken healthy and strong.

It was also certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for being 100% raised without antibiotics and no hormones added. Benja Chicken has garnered recognition from esteemed global organizations, including the International Taste Institute and THAIFEX-Anuga Asia (the Asia leading food and food technology event annually organized in Thailand).

The Asian Productivity Organization (APO), a key international body in the Asia-Pacific region dedicated to enhancing productivity, included the visit to Kroksomboon Farm as a critical component of their international seminar. This event, focusing on Smart Poultry Farming, was designed to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices among government representatives, educational experts, and small and medium enterprise (SME) leaders in the livestock sector.

Hong Kong Court Orders Property Firm China Evergrande To Liquidate After Plan For $300b Debt Fails

By

Associated Press

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29 January 2024, 13:44

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court ordered China Evergrande, the world’s most heavily indebted real estate developer, to undergo liquidation following a failed effort to restructure $300 billion owed to banks and bondholders that fueled fears about China’s rising debt burden.

Judge Linda Chan said Monday it was appropriate for the court to order Evergrande to wind up its business given a “lack of progress on the part of the company putting forward a viable restructuring proposal” as well as Evergrande’s insolvency.

China Evergrande Group is one of the biggest of a series of Chinese developers that have collapsed since 2020 under official pressure to rein in surging debt the ruling Communist Party views as a threat to China’s slowing economic growth.

But a crackdown on excess borrowing has tipped the property industry into crisis, making it a drag on the economy, as scores of other developers ran into trouble, their predicaments rippling through financial systems in and outside China.

Global financial markets were rattled earlier by fears an Evergrande liquidation could cause global shockwaves. But Chinese regulators said risks could be contained. Only a few billion dollars of Evergrande’s debt was owed to foreign creditors.

It’s unclear how the liquidation order will affect China’s financial system.

Evergrande’s Hong Kong-traded shares plunged nearly 21% early Monday before they were suspended from trading. But Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng index was up 0.8% and other property developers saw gains in their share prices.

China’s largest real estate developer, Country Garden, gained 2.9% and Sunac China Holdings jumped 4%. Some other property companies logged moderate declines.

The Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.6% while Shenzhen’s A-share index fell more than 2%.

AP24029080116583 — A Asian markets opened the week on a positive note, with Chinese regulators announcing measures to support the country’s teetering stock markets while heavily indebted property developer China Evergrande was ordered to undergo liquidation.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Evergrande gained a reprieve from the Hong Kong court in December after it said it was attempting to “refine” a new debt restructuring plan of more than $300 billion in liabilities. It could appeal the ruling.

Fergus Saurin, a lawyer representing an ad hoc group of creditors, said Monday he was not surprised by the outcome.

“The company has failed to engage with us. There has been a history of last-minute engagement which has gone nowhere,” he said.

Saurin said that his team worked in good faith during the negotiations. Evergrande “only has itself to blame for being wound up,” he said.

The judge was expected to provide more reasons for the liquidation order during a separate court session Monday afternoon.

AP24029148227476 — A resident walks through a partially shuttered Evergrande commercial complex in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Evergrande CEO Shawn Siu told Chinese news outlet 21Jingji that the company feels “utmost regret” at the liquidation order. He emphasized that the order affects only the Hong Kong-listed China Evergrande unit.

The group’s domestic and overseas units are independent legal entities, he said. Siu said that Evergrande will strive to continue smooth operations and deliver properties to buyers.

“If affected, we will still make every effort to ensure the smooth advancement of risk resolution and asset disposal, and we will still make every effort to advance all work fairly and in accordance with the law,” he said.

The 21Jingji article appeared to be inaccessible as of Monday afternoon, hours after it was first published.

Evergrande first defaulted on its financial obligations in 2021, just over a year after Beijing clamped down on lending to property developers in an effort to cool a property bubble.

It’s also unclear how the liquidation order will affect Evergrande’s vast operations in the Chinese mainland. As a former British colony, Hong Kong operates under a legal system that is separate, though increasingly influenced by, communist-ruled China’s.

In some cases, mainland courts have recognized bankruptcy rulings in Hong Kong but analysts say Evergrande’s is something of a test case.

Real estate drove China’s economic boom, but developers borrowed heavily as they turned cities into forests of apartment and office towers. That has helped to push total corporate, government and household debt to the equivalent of more than 300% of annual economic output, unusually high for a middle-income country.

The fallout from the property crisis has also affected China’s shadow banking industry — institutions that provide financial services similar to banks but operate outside of banking regulations, such as Zhongzhi Enterprise Group. Zhongzhi, which lent heavily to developers, said it was insolvent.

A Thai Friend Witnesses As The British Parachute Cable Breaks

By

Khaosod English

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28 January 2024, 21:28

CHONBURI – Fan pages of Nathy’s sky Photography on Facebook have offered their condolences for the death of Mr. Nathy Odinson, 33, a British man who died Saturday after leaping from a 29th-floor Pattaya condominium with a malfunctioning parachute.

On January 28, police questioned Mr. Boy, 30, a friend of Mr. Nathy, for two hours, and noticed that he was still in shock but could provide information to the police. He had known the deceased for around 5 months. The British man loves extreme sports, particularly skydiving.

british parachute3 — Police questioned Mr. Boy, 30, a friend of Mr. Nathy Odinson, for two hours on January 28, 2024.

Prior to the incident, Mr. Nathy asked him to film a skydiving video on the condo’s 29th-floor rooftop to create social media content. They rode a motorcycle parked behind the condo from an apartment in the Soi Pho San neighbourhood, which is less than 1 kilometre away.

Then they got up to the 29th-floor rooftop and began recording video. He shot footage with his phone, while Mr. Nathy used a GoPro camera mounted on his helmet.

When Mr. Nathy jumped from the 29th floor, Mr. Boy noticed the parachute was snagged on the string and failed to open, forcing him to descend and hit a tree before falling hard to the ground.

british parachute1 — Officers discovered Mr. Nathy Odinson’s body on the floor of a condominium, with his parachute still connected.

According to the investigation, Mr. Nathy arrived in Pattaya using a student visa. Approximately four hours before his deadly mishap, he posted a photo of himself parachuting and gliding to the ground on Nathy’s sky Photography Facebook page.

Police also stated that the two entered the condominium building unauthorised and skydived from there. They will contact the condo’s legal representative for additional information and review CCTV cameras to see how the two people are secretly accessing the property in order to summarise the case.

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Opinion: Move Forward Party is Prepared for Its “Day Zero:” What About Its Supporters & Thailand?

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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28 January 2024, 19:00

Former leader of Move Forward Party Pita Limjaroenrat, center, waves to his supporters as he leaves Constitutional Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The court ruled Wednesday that popular politician Pita, who was blocked from becoming prime minister even though his party placed first in last year’s election, did not violate the election law and can retain his seat in Parliament. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP — Former leader of Move Forward Party Pita Limjaroenrat, center, waves to his supporters as he leaves Constitutional Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP

It is not unthinkable that the most popular political party in Thailand could be dissolved on Wednesday.

The Constitutional Court will rule three days from now if Move Forward Party acted unconstitutionally by seeking to overthrow the current political system through pledging to amend the controversial lese majeste law, in the months leading up to the May 2023 general election. The whole executive board members, including its then party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, could also be banned from politics, possibly up to 10 years.

No less than former spokesman of the party, MP Wiroj Lakhanaadisorn, posted on social media yesterday saying even the worst-case scenario would not prevent the rest of the party from marching onward – basically by forming a new political party under a new name and letting younger MPs lead the new party.

They have done this before when they were known as Future Forward Party. In February 2020, they were found by the same court to have violated the charter by borrowing 191 million baht from its then party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. Thanathorn, along with its then executive board members, were also banned from politics for 10 years. Then the rest formed a new party under the same ideology called Move Forward Party under Pita.

Now, next week is February again.

Last year, a young and prominent MP from Move Forward Party told me the party has prepared for their “Day Zero” and because of that, he and a few select MPs are not in the executive board of the party, so they will be safe and not banned from politics for years, and able to reboot the party under a new name, under a new leadership albeit under the same ideology.

The party may be prepared for a possible dissolution, but how will its 14 million voters react? Will they take to the streets and launch another round of massive and protracted street protests that would disrupt the works for the Pheu Thai government and send Thailand into another round of political crisis that would also affect the economy – the latter still in a weak state?

There may be less people on the street this time because the so-called anti-junta, pro-democracy camp has split into pro-Pheu Thai (red shirts) and pro-MFP (orange shirts) unlike the time when both were against military dictator Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha. Nevertheless, 14 million voters out of the population of 70 million Thais are not insignificant and it only takes a few hundred thousand protesters to paralyze Bangkok as it has been shown in the past.

My concern is when it comes to the issue of public expression of loyalty to the throne, royalists or those who pretend to be royalists tend to overdo. The court may not want to risk being seen as acting as an accessory to a concerted attempt to undermine the monarchy institution. This is a common ethos among conservative royalists and ultra-royalists who are in a state of permanent paranoia.

Thus, the majority of the court members may find it more convenient to punish the MFP than risk being accused of being disloyal or not sufficiently loyal.

On the other hand, if the court does not even allow legislators to propose to amend a law, what then is the point of having elected legislators and what hope is there for a rational and peaceful debate for change?

Dissolving the Move Forward Party for pledging to amend the royal defamation law could send a clear signal to young Move Forward Party supporters that there is no hope for change within the prevailing political system.

Thailand And China Joyfully Sign A Visa Exemption Deal

By

Khaosod English

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28 January 2024, 16:28

china thailand visa — Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday signed a mutual visa exemption agreement.

BANGKOK – Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, January 28, 2024, signed an agreement to exempt visa requirements between Thailand and China.

“Today, Thailand and China signed an important document, reflecting the close cooperation and relations between the two countries, namely, the Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for Holders of Ordinary Passports and Passports for Public Affairs, which will come into effect on March 1, 2024,” Foreign Minister Parnpree stated.

He added, “This agreement is a symbol of our long-lasting friendship, trust, and confidence, which is evidenced at every level. I am certain that travel between our two people, whether for tourism or business, will become more convenient and help stimulate the tourism industry in both countries.”

Wang Yi pointed out that China-Thailand friendship and mutual trust will mark the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations next year.

“Over the past half a century, our bilateral relationship has stood the test of the changing international landscape and grown from strength to strength. China always sees Thailand as a priority in its diplomacy with neighbouring countries,” Mr. Wang said.

He is confident that from March 1, the mutual visa exemption will surely bring people-to-people exchanges to a new height. There will be a big increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand. China also welcomes friends from Thailand to feel the vitality and vibrancy of China and the hospitality of the Chinese people.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin also posted congratulations on the signing of the Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement.

“This is an important step in Thailand-China relations and will have a great impact on stimulating the economy, not just in terms of trade or investment; mutual tourism will greatly improve income from tourists, which is sent directly to merchants in Thailand,” he stated.

AP24002313577463 — FILE – Chinese tourists takes selfies with Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, right, on their arrivals at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn province, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Thai Tourism agencies believe the permanent visa-free measure will bring 8 million Chinese tourists back to Thailand, or a 75 percent recovery rate from before the 2019 pandemic.

Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said earlier that the agreement will facilitate travel and greatly benefit tourism between Thais and Chinese. It will lead to an increase in flights between the two countries, which will reduce airfares that have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Biden Aide Urges Bejing To Press Iran Over Houthi Attacks. China Warns US Over Taiwan Independence

By

Associated Press

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28 January 2024, 14:55

wangyi-sullivan — The combination of photos shows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, on Jan. 28, 2024, and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, on Jan. 26, 2024. Both met in Bangkok.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan pressed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during talks in Thailand to use China’s influence with Iran to ease tensions in the Middle East. The officials also agreed to work toward arranging a call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The meetings Friday and Saturday in Bangkok, which followed up on the presidents’ discussions in November in California, took place after a ruling-party candidate opposed by Beijing won Taiwan’s recent presidential election and U.S. and Chinese military officials resumed a once-frozen dialogue. They played out as attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to threaten global shipping in the Red Sea.

wangyi sullivan2 — Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

A senior U.S. official said Sullivan cited China’s extensive economic leverage over Iran and emphasized that the destabilizing effect of the Houthi attacks on international commerce. The official noted that China has publicly called for lower tensions, but said it was too soon to tell whether Beijing was using its diplomatic muscle to press Tehran on the matter. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversations between Sullivan and Wang and spoke on condition of anonymity.

AP24027436647060 — A view of the oil tanker Marlin Luanda on fire after an attack, in the Gulf of Aden. (Indian Navy via AP)

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wang said Washington should stand by a commitment not to support independence for Taiwan. Wang said Taiwan’s election, won by Lai Ching-te, the current vice president, did not alter the Chinese position that the island is part of China and that the biggest challenge in U.S.-China relations is the issue of “Taiwan independence,” according to a statement from the ministry.

Biden has said he does not support independence, but U.S. law requires a credible defense for Taiwan and for the U.S. to treat all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”

The U.S. official said it was not clear when the next Biden-Xi conversation would happen, but that the officials hoped it would take place in the coming months.

AP23320113551773 — President Joe Biden greets China’s President President Xi Jinping at the Filoli Estate in Woodside, Calif., Wednesday, Nov, 15, 2023, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative conference. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Wang and Sullivan previously met on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta and in Vienna last year before the Biden-Xi meeting in California.

In November, both sides showcased modest agreements to combat illegal fentanyl and reestablish military communications, keeping the relationship from growing any worse. The U.S.-China Counternarcotics Working Group is set to hold its first meeting on Tuesday. American officials say fentanyl and its precursors are largely manufactured in China.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and in recent years has shown its displeasure at political activities in Taiwan by sending military planes and ships. Earlier Saturday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said China had sent more than 30 warplanes and a group of navy ships toward the island during a 24-hour period, including 13 warplanes that crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait — an unofficial boundary that’s considered a buffer between its territory and the mainland.

AP23255250379230 — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) conducts routine underway operations in the Taiwan Strait, on Sept. 9, 2023. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jamaal Liddell/U.S. Navy via AP)

Wang also said China and the U.S. should use the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year as an opportunity to reflect on past experiences and treat each other as equals, rather than adopting a condescending attitude.

The countries should “be committed to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, building a correct way for China and the U.S. to interact,” the statement quoted Wang as saying.

Taiwan has said six Chinese balloons either flew over the island or through airspace just north of it, days after the self-governing island held its election. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party largely campaigned on self-determination, social justice and a rejection of China’s threats.

Apart from cross-strait issues, Sullivan and Wang also discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Middle East, North Korea, the South China Sea, and Myanmar, the White House said. Sullivan and Wang talked about progress toward holding a dialog this spring between U.S. and Chinese officials on artificial intelligence.

Sullivan highlighted that although Washington and Beijing are in competition, both sides have to “prevent it from veering into conflict or confrontation,” according to a White House summary of the meeting.

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Beijing Steps Up Military Pressure On Taiwan After The US And China Announce Talks in Bangkok

British Man Fails with Parachute from 29th-floor Pattaya Condo

By

Khaosod English

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28 January 2024, 03:08

PATTAYA – A British man parachuted from a 29th-floor Pattaya condominium, but it malfunctioned and caused his death.

Pattaya Tourist Police Officer, Bang Lamung Police Station Officer, and Pattaya City Rescue Workers hurried to a condo in Na Kluea Subdistrict, Bang Lemung District, Chonburi Province, after receiving a report that a person had fallen from a height and died at around 7:30 p.m. on January 27.

The incident happened near the exit of Building B, where officers discovered the body of Mr Nathy Odinson, 33, a British national, on the floor. A blue, circular parachute was attached to the deceased. Mr. Nathy’s friends and condominium residents were shock as they watched.

Kanet Chansong, a 33-year-old condominium employee said he heard something strike the floor. He thought it was simply a broken branch. But as a woman walked by and screamed, he ran to investigate and saw a person fall, hit a tree, collapse on the ground, and die. When he regained his calm, he promptly informed the authorities.

condo british2 — A blue, circular parachute was attached to the British body.

The condo employee also revealed that Mr. Nathy had secretly entered this place by parking outside when there were no other people around. He walked up to the 29th-floor condo and skydived from the top while his friend recorded footage.

“I’d seen him creep up and jump many times before. It’s as if they’re creating some kind of VDO content, but this time the parachute failed, causing him to fall against a tree and strike the ground before dying.” Kanet stated.

Police Lieutenant Kamolporn Nadee, Deputy Inspector of Investigation at Bang Lamung Police Station, summoned the deceased’s friend, who filmed the video, to come in for questioning. The investigators also inspected a CCTV camera and worked with police from the Forensics Division, District 2, Chonburi Province, to investigate the case.

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