Death Toll of Children in Afghanistan Quake Rises to 155

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27 June 2022, 14:30

Afghans receive aid at a camp after an earthquake in Gayan district in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 26, 2022. Photo: Ebrahim Nooroozi / AP

GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll of children in last week’s devastating earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan has risen to at least 155, the United Nations said as the scope of the deadliest quake to hit the impoverished country in two decades comes into focus.

The U.N.’s humanitarian coordination organization, OCHA, said on Sunday that another 250 children were injured in the magnitude 6 temblor that struck the mountainous villages in the Paktika and Khost provinces near the country’s border with Pakistan, flattening homes and triggering landslides. Most of the children died in Paktika’s hard-hit Gayan district, which remains a scene of life in ruins, days after the quake.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have put the total death toll from the quake at 1,150, with hundreds more injured, while the U.N. has offered a slightly lower estimate of 770, although the world body has warned the figure could still rise.

The quake has also left an estimated 65 children orphaned or unaccompanied, the U.N. humanitarian office added.

The disaster — the latest to convulse Afghanistan after decades of war, hunger, poverty and an economic crash — has become a test of the Taliban’s capacity to govern and the international community’s willingness to help.

When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan as the United States and its NATO allies were withdrawing their forces last August, foreign aid stopped practically overnight. World governments piled on sanctions, halted bank transfers and froze billions more in Afghanistan’s currency reserves, refusing to recognize the Taliban government and demanding they allow a more inclusive rule and respect human rights.

The former insurgents have resisted the pressure, imposing restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls that recall their first time in power in the late 1990s, triggering Western backlash.

Aware of their limitations, the Taliban have appealed for foreign aid. The U.N. and an array of overstretched aid agencies in the country that have tried to keep Afghanistan from the brink of starvation have swung into action. Despite funding and access constraints, convoys of aid have trickled into the remote provinces.

The U.N. children’s agency said on Monday it was working to reunite children that had been separated from their families in the chaos of the quake. It also has set up clinics to offer mental health and psychological support to children in Gayan traumatized by the disaster.

Russia Strikes Kyiv as Western Leaders Meet in Europe

By

Associated Press

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27 June 2022, 14:00

Servicemen work at the scene at a residential building following explosions, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, June 26, 2022. Photo: Nariman El-Mofty / AP

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians.

The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks “barbarism” after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit.

Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure.

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away.

Kyiv’s mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were “maybe a symbolic attack” ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany.

“Russia is saying, ‘We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us,’” retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. “The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West.”

The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meeting’s host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: “It’s more of their barbarism.”

Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression “is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it – weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia.”

A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against “all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine.”

“We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows,” Zelenskyy vowed. “And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, it’s a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere – neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus … Nowhere.”

In a phone interview, retired U.S. general Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and “if they are using them, it’s going to be for a special purpose,”

Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings.

Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine.

Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday.

In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge.

“There’s very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable,” he wrote on Facebook.

For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen.

Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces’ attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a “stubborn center of resistance.”

Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas.

On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine’s air command said.

Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. “The Russian leadership wants to draw you – all Belarusians – into the war, wants to sow hatred between us,” he said in his video address Sunday. “You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin.”

Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system.

On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions.

“That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy.” Blinken told American news channel CNN. “It’s about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, that’s significant.”

Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine.

The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default.

Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad.

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Story: Oleksandr Stashevskyi.

CP Foods kicks off a mangrove forestation in Trat province

By

Contributor

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27 June 2022, 10:21

Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) has collaborated with local government agencies and community to kick off a mangrove forestation activity in Moo 2 of Thaprik subdistrict of Trat province as its latest area of the CPF Grow-Share-Protect Mangrove Forestation Project.

This activity was led by CP-CP Foods Chairman, Soopakij Chearavanont led CP Foods top executives and employees joined with Trat governor and Thaprik resident to grow multiple of mangrove trees and to release marine life into the mangrove areas. The company plans to expand mangrove planting covering 1,300 rai in the area to promote the marine’s biodiversity and food security in the area, driving local economy and, subsequently, improving quality of life for the communities surrounding the mangrove areas accordingly.

Pairoj Apiruknusit, Senior Executive Vice President of CP Foods, said that, The company will continue preserve, rehabilitate and regrow mangrove trees in Trat province to 1,300 rais to maintain the balance of the ecosystem and increase green areas for Thailand. As being the global food company , it is important to participate in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem and

“The project will help to restore biodiversity of the mangrove forest. The community surrounding the area can be benefited from the abundant natural resource. This will prove that communities and forests can coexist in a sustainable way.” he said.

CP Foods has continuously carried out CPF Grow-Share Protect Mangrove Forestation Project since 2014, helping to conserve and restore mangrove forests totaling 2,388 rai in the first phrase (2014-2018). The company continues to conserve, restore and plant mangrove forests in three areas in Thailand including Trat, Rayong and Samut Sakhon provinces with the expansion of 2,900 rai of mangrove forest by 2023. The project has resulted in the abundance of mangrove ecosystems that serve as the nurseries for marine lives, has brought back marine animals to the areas and thus has allowed the surrounding communities to utilize the restored natural resources.

Asides the reforestation project, CP Foods has improved the quality of life of residents surrounding the mangrove forest including Baan Thammachart Lang subdistrict in Trat province and and Pak Nam Prasae in Rayong province.

The Community Enterprises in Baan Thammachart Lang is outcome for the collaborative effort to support the community live together with the forest. CP Foods has provided and transferred its knowledge and its network to help develop careers and local products from utilization from the forest such as eco-print cloths, nano fertilizer and community-run drinking water. These products have significantly boosted local economy.

Meanwhile, Pak Nam Prasae in Rayong province has utilized local wisdom and products with the guidance of CP Foods to run the community tourism. This approach help create careers and extra income from the tourists for the community.

Opinion: June 24, 1932: Ninety Years of an Unfinished Revolt

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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26 June 2022, 11:00

A woman poses with a replica of the 1932 Revolution plaque during a rally marking the 90th anniversary of the 1932 coup at Lan Khon Mueang Town Square on June 24, 2022.

The 90th anniversary of June 24, 1932 revolt, which ended absolute monarchy, was only celebrated by those who believe Thailand has yet to achieve genuine democracy and aspire for more freedom and rights.

Conspicuously absent were the government, including Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, and royalist conservatives who did not observe the day and probably would rather forget that June 24, which falls on Friday this year, was not just arguably the most important day in modern Thai political history once a national day and a public holiday celebrated from 1938 to 1960.

The year 1960 was when the then military dictator Sarit Thanarat ended the designation of June 24 as Thai National Day.

For royalists who wish to see the monarchy institution play a greater role in Thai society, to see the military continue to act as the state within a state, to limit the powers of politicians and the electorate whom they distrust, June 24, 1932 was a day of infamy when some Thais, led by Pridi Banomyong, decided seized power from King Rama VII, ended absolute monarchy and tried to prematurely introduce constitutional democracy.

This explains why some Thais are very indifferent to June 24. It reflects a lack of genuine social contract as well as people dreaming a different dream as to what Thailand should be. This also explains the vicious cycle of an elected government overthrown by a military coup and replaced by a military regime before yet another election and yet another coup.

What is very telling is thus not just those who celebrated the event on Friday, but those who were conspicuously absent and made no mention about the importance of the day. Ninety years on, Thailand is still deeply divided and we do not have a common dream as some prefer a more anachronistic version of Thailand they learned from school textbooks, which fed mostly one-sided history about the virtue of the ruling class.

How to negotiate the different dreams is arguably one of the most important challenges facing Thai society nine decades on and it will likely take at least a few more decades, if not longer, before the society can finally settle for a genuine social contract and not a constitution in which the average shelf life is shorter than that of a refrigerator. (The current junta-sponsored charter is Thailand’s 20th. It means the shelf life of an average Thai “constitution” is 4.5 years. My latest fridge has been around for a longer period of time now.)

The fact that we dream a different dream means there are plenty of Thais who support the continued role of the army as a state within a state, ready to call them out again to stage a coup if an elected government is not to their political preference, as more recently seen in 2006 and 2014 coups.

Some countries settled their differences through a bloody revolt. Think of France or the United States and consider how many had died before they arrived at a lasting social contract. I am not blood thirsty, and if possible, prefer a peaceful if not less violent way to achieve that goal in the future.

That requires citizens willing to be empathetic to those who vehemently disagree with them politically. That requires a moderation and restraint to not commit knee jerk reactions that led to many calls for coup in the past nine decades. (We had 13 “successful” coups in 90 years, so that’s an average of one military coup every six years.)

That required a sincere deliberation about the role of the monarchy in the 21st century that unfortunately cannot be done unless people and the press have genuine freedom to deliberate the matter. And that is why the silence regarding June 24 by many Thais does not bode well and suggests that we do not share a common nation-building project going forward.

US Supreme Court Expands Gun Rights, With Nation Divided

By

Associated Press

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24 June 2022, 12:00

FILE - A handgun from a collection of illegal guns is reviewed during a gun buyback event in Brooklyn, N.Y., May 22, 2021. Photo: Bebeto Matthews / AP FIle

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major expansion of gun rights after a series of mass shootings, the Supreme Court said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, a ruling likely to lead to more people legally armed. The decision came out as Congress and states debate gun-control legislation.

About one-quarter of the U.S. population lives in states expected to be affected by the ruling, which struck down a New York gun law. The high court’s first major gun decision in more than a decade split the court 6-3, with the court’s conservatives in the majority and liberals in dissent.

Across the street from the court, lawmakers at the Capitol sped toward passage of gun legislation prompted by recent massacres in Texas,New York and California. Senators cleared the way for the measure, modest in scope but still the most far-reaching in decades.

Also Thursday, underscoring the nation’s deep divisions over the issue, the sister of a 9-year-old girl killed in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, pleaded with state lawmakers to pass gun legislation. The Republican-controlled legislature has stripped away gun restrictions over the past decade.

President Joe Biden said in a statement he was “deeply disappointed” by the Supreme Court ruling. It “contradicts both common sense and the Constitution, and should deeply trouble us all,” he said.

He urged states to pass new laws. “I call on Americans across the country to make their voices heard on gun safety. Lives are on the line,” he said.

The decision struck down a New York law requiring people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying a gun in order to get a license to carry a gun in a concealed way in public. The justices said that requirement violates the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms.”

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.” That right is not a “second-class right,” Thomas wrote. “We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need.”

California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island all have laws similar to New York’s. Those laws are expected to be quickly challenged.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., said the ruling came at a particularly painful time, with New York mourning the deaths of 10 people in a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo. “This decision isn’t just reckless. It’s reprehensible. It’s not what New Yorkers want,” she said.

Gun control groups called the decision a significant setback. Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice and an expert on the Second Amendment, wrote on Twitter that the decision could be the “biggest expansion of gun rights” by the Supreme Court in U.S. history.

Republican lawmakers were among those cheering the decision. Tom King, president of the plaintiff New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, said he was relieved.

“The lawful and legal gun owner of New York State is no longer going to be persecuted by laws that have nothing to do with the safety of the people and will do nothing to make the people safer,” he said. “And maybe now we’ll start going after criminals and perpetrators of these heinous acts.”

The court’s decision is somewhat out of step with public opinion. About half of the voters in the 2020 presidential election said gun laws in the U.S. should be made more strict, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of the electorate. An additional one-third said laws should be kept as they are, while only about 1 in 10 said gun laws should be less strict.

About 8 in 10 Democratic voters said gun laws should be made more strict, VoteCast showed. Among Republican voters, roughly half said laws should be kept as they are, while the remaining half closely divided between more and less strict.

In a dissent joined by his liberal colleagues, Justice Stephen Breyer focused on the toll from gun violence.

Since the beginning of this year, “there have already been 277 reported mass shootings — an average of more than one per day,” Breyer wrote. He accused his colleagues in the majority of acting “without considering the potentially deadly consequences” of their decision. He said the ruling would “severely” burden states’ efforts to pass laws “that limit, in various ways, who may purchase, carry, or use firearms of different kinds.”

Several other conservative justices who joined Thomas’ majority opinion also wrote separately to add their views.

Justice Samuel Alito criticized Breyer’s dissent, questioning the relevance of his discussion of mass shootings and other gun death statistics. Alito wrote that the court had decided “nothing about who may lawfully possess a firearm or the requirements that must be met to buy a gun” and nothing “about the kinds of weapons that people may possess.”

“Today, unfortunately, many Americans have good reason to fear they will be victimized if they are unable to protect themselves.” The Second Amendment, he said, “guarantees their right to do so.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, noted the limits of the decision. States can still require people to get a license to carry a gun, Kavanaugh wrote, and condition that license on “fingerprinting, a background check, a mental health records check, and training in firearms handling and in laws regarding the use of force, among other possible requirements.”

Backers of New York’s law had argued that striking it down would lead to more guns on the streets and higher rates of violent crime. Gun violence, on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic, has spiked anew. Gun purchases have also risen.

In most of the country gun owners have little difficulty legally carrying their weapons in public. But that had been harder to do in New York and the handful of states with similar laws. New York’s law, in place since 1913, says that to carry a concealed handgun in public, a person applying for a license has to show “proper cause,” a specific need to carry the weapon.

The state had issued unrestricted licenses where a person could carry a gun anywhere and restricted licenses allowing a person to carry the weapon but just for specific purposes such as hunting and target shooting or to and from their place of business.

The challenge to the New York law was brought by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, which describes itself as the nation’s oldest firearms advocacy organization, and two men seeking an unrestricted ability to carry guns outside their homes.

The Supreme Court last issued a major gun decision in 2010. In that decision and a ruling from 2008 the justices established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defense. The question for the court this time was just about carrying a gun outside the home. Thomas, who turned 74 on Thursday, wrote in his opinion that: “Nothing in the Second Amendment’s text draws a home/public distinction with respect to the right to keep and bear arms.”

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Story: Jessica Gresko. Associated Press reporters Mark Sherman, Hannah Fingerhut and Zeke Miller in Washington and Michael Hill in East Greenbush, New York, contributed to this report.

Moldova, Tiny, Poor and Bordering Ukraine, Gets EU Candidacy

By

Associated Press

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24 June 2022, 11:30

A member of protocol sets out EU and other flags prior to arrivals for an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 23, 2022. Photo: Olivier Matthys / AP

SIGHISOARA, Romania (AP) — The European Union announced Thursday that it has granted EU candidate status to Moldova, a poor non-NATO Eastern European country bordering war-torn Ukraine, which likely won’t enjoy the perks of full bloc membership for years to come.

Along the road, Moldova will need to enact reforms in areas such as tackling corruption, organized crime, strengthening human rights and the rule of law. The former Soviet republic — landlocked between Romania and Ukraine — applied to join the 27-nation bloc just days after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Charles Michel, the European Council President and EU summit chair, tweeted the decision to give both Moldova and Ukraine candidate status, calling it a “historic moment” that “marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU.”

Since gaining independence in 1991, Moldova has been blighted by rampant corruption and powerful oligarchs. It’s often perceived as being stuck in limbo between pro-Russian forces and those, like pro-Western President Maia Sandu, that look to forge closer ties with the West.

“We are starting on the road to the EU, which will bring Moldovans more prosperity, more opportunities and more order in their country,” Sandu wrote online after the EU decision.

“We have a difficult road ahead, which will require a lot of work and effort — and which we are prepared to walk, together, to ensure a better future for citizens,” she added. “Moldova has a future in the European Union.”

In an article this week in various media outlets, Sandu described Moldova, Europe’s poorest country with a population of about 2.6 million people, as “a European land caught in geopolitical battles.”

“The ruthless and meaningless war against Ukraine reminds us that peace and freedom are no longer a given,” Sandu wrote, adding that Moldova’s bid to join the EU comes from “a strong desire to remain part of the free world.”

In April, tensions in the country soared following a string of explosions in Transnistria — a Russia-backed separatist region of Moldova where Russia bases about 1,500 troops — and raised fears that it could get dragged into the war.

Transnistria has a population of about 470,000 and has been under the control of separatist authorities since a civil war in 1992.

Joining the EU would not offer Moldova, which is constitutionally neutral, any security guarantees like NATO membership would.

The Commission said it will monitor Moldova’s progress in meeting the set-out criteria, and come up with a “detailed assessment” by the end of 2022.

The EU is Moldova’s largest trading partner and biggest investor. In 2020, about two-thirds of Moldova’s exports went to the EU and more than half of its total trade was with the bloc.

Dionis Cenusa, an analyst at the Chisinau-based think tank Expert Group, says that although it is “premature to speak of accession,” candidate status for Moldova can provide “an overall direction for the long-term development of the country.”

“The EU candidacy may be used by the government to calm the population and the business (community) in the context of the security crisis caused by the Russian war against Ukraine,” he told The Associated Press. “The reforms in Moldova will depend on the professionalism of the government, as well as the developments in Ukraine.”

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Story: Stephen McGrath.

‘Matichon Healthcare’ Returns With Focus on Elderly People

By

Khaosod English

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24 June 2022, 06:00

Matichon Group, which owns Khaosod English, is organizing Healthcare Fair 2022 with a special focus on the elderly people from June 30 to July 3, 2022 at Samyan Mitrtown Hall, 5th floor, Samyan Mitrtown shopping center.

Those attending can have a free health checkup on the spot. You will also find useful information and exhibitions about safe lifestyles for the elderly as Thailand is becoming a grey society with 20 percent of the Thai population is already 60 and older this year, and by 2033, the percentage is expected to rise to 28 percent, according to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.

Some of the highlights include Artificial Intelligence (AI), which can be used to accurately detect lung cancer, free cataract operations for the first 50 participants, free breast cancer examination, free anti-influenza vaccinations, dental examination and more from our 12 participating hospital partners!

Those who want to have a free medical checkup must carry their ID card with them. Free health checkup, which is in line with the policy of the new governor of Bangkok Chatchart Sittipunt, is divided into the morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session runs from 10.30am to 12pm. The afternoon session will be from 1pm to 4pm. Those seeking free checkup must also declare whether they are allergic to any medicine or have any congenital disease.

From Mala to Marijuana Trucker: Weed Business Boom on Khaosan Road Despite Uncertain Future

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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23 June 2022, 15:00

Customers queue up to buy buds at Panusith's cannabis truck on Khaosan Road on June 22, 2022.

BANGKOK — Panusith Suwanwuthijai, 31, used to sell tongue-numbing mala barbeque from his food truck before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, just days after the decriminalization of marijuana for medical purposes, his food truck returned to business, but selling tingling cannabis buds instead.

On Wednesday night, just short of two weeks after the removal of marijuana from the list of narcotics on June 9, Panusith and his younger brother were busy selling a variety of cannabis buds and joints to locals and tourists just off the western end of the famous Khaosan Road.

“I used to grow them and deal with them before it was decriminalized,” Panusith said.

The refrigerated glass display, which was once used to chill mala skewers, now comes in handy in showing weed. Gelato, Blueberry Muffin, Strawberry B…the list attached to the glass jars went on.

“Police came and fined me, even though it’s legal now,” he said, adding that he paid 500 baht per night for parking fine.

Unlike most vendors, the marijuana trucker listed 39 positive attributes of marijuana consumption which he said was cited from no less than the Thai Food and Drug Administration itself. It ranges from preventing migraine, Alzheimer’s disease, to even a nightmare.

The renowned backpacker destination and its immediate vicinity have emerged as the epicenter of cannabis retail in Bangkok. There were at least 10 vendors, three of which are marijuana trucks and four are hawkers, on Wednesday night. The price of a joint has dropped to 70 baht at one place, while others still selling it at 150 to 200 baht.

Panusith is aware that the parliament is currently vetting the Marijuana Bill and within the next few months, his business, which earns him 3,000 to 5,000 baht of profits per night, will either be made illegal or heavily regulated.

Panusith Suwanwuthijai with his product.

He said he is willing to see weed regulated such as setting a limit on the amount one can purchase and barring those under 20 and pregnant women from buying.

“I’m ready to register my business,” Panusith said. “Personally, I think everyone should have the right to buy cannabis, except those under 20 and so on. It’s a type of plant, we can grow it and used it for food as well.”

On Friday, a new regulation went into effect forbidding public smoking of weed, as well as the sale of marijuana to people under the age of 20, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. Convenience stores began checking ID for the purchase of marijuana products, while cannabis-infused drinks were removed from vending machines.

Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a leading advocate for the legalization of marijuana, has defended his campaign, insisting on the medical use of the plant.

“If everyone uses it for health and medical purposes, there wouldn’t be any problem,” Anutin said last week.

Photo: Pravit Rojanaphruk / Khaosod English

3M Moves launched in Thailand in Collaboration with Sports Authority of Thailand to Promote Well-being of Thai People

By

Contributor

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22 June 2022, 16:31

Public called on to exercise under the concept “Move More, Give More”
to stay healthy and give back to the society

Bangkok, June 21, 2022 – 3M joined forces with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) to premiere its fitness initiative “3M Moves” in Thailand to encourage Thais to care for their health and exercise more under the concept “Move More, Give More”. Every step collectively made during the campaign from June 21 – July 23, 2022 will translate into donations of 3M products to the Donation Center of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security for those in need.

A Good Cause Aligned with 3M’s Commitment

Mrs. Wiyada Srinaganand, Country Leader, 3M Thailand noted, “3M, as a global science and innovation organization, realizes the importance of good health, especially for modern lifestyles involving social distancing. We also believe that a healthy workforce is key in enabling organizations to move toward a sustainable future. Therefore, the 3M Moves campaign was initiated to encourage people to exercise and care more about their health, further fulfilling 3M’s commitment to actively and inclusively contribute to the society.”

Inaugural Partnership with Sports Authority of Thailand

Jointly organized by 3M and SAT, 3M Moves was recently introduced in Thailand to promote various forms of wellness activities that suit the lifestyles of Thai people. The activities are aligned with SAT’s mission to support and inspire people in exercising and participating in sports activities. This campaign includes walking, running, or simply moving the body anywhere and anytime. Through this initiative, the more you move, the more you contribute, as 3M will donate one 3M product to the needy through the Donation Center for every 5,500 steps accumulated. Donations will be made after the end of this campaign.

Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of Sports Authority of Thailand, shared “We are glad to be a part of 3M Moves as SAT’s intent is to create and support activities to help Thailand achieve a sustainable healthcare system for a better quality of life for the Thai public. Apart from promoting individual health, this campaign offers opportunities to the broader society to access good health through 3M products that are useful in everyday life. This also matches current lifestyles of the people as they can join the campaign in making meaningful contributions to the society while keeping themselves fit.”

Coach Fasai to Inspire and Guide

The campaign also features Mr. Fasai Puengudom (Coach Fasai), a popular fitness specialist, who will share workout techniques that can be applied either at home or work, as well as other useful healthcare tips, before leading a 3-Minute Workout Challenge at the end of the launch event.

To further help keep participants active and healthy, 3M will team up with Coach Fasai to organize virtual activities under the “Boost-up Campaign” to share knowledge on proper ways to exercise and other healthy habits. Interested people can join via Coach Fasai’s Facebook Page on July 2 and 16, 2022.

At the end of the campaign, 3M will deliver its products to the Donation Center. The 3M products to be donated includes cleaning products and equipment – such as Scotch-Brite® Scrub Sponge, Scotch-Brite™ Cotton Mop, and Scotch-Brite™ Broom and Dustpan Set – floor cleaning and disinfection products, hand sanitizer, and more.

How to Participate

Members of the public can join the 3M Moves campaign from June 21 to July 23, 2022 by scanning the QR code on the 3M Thailand website to start tracking and contributing steps. Follow campaign news and special activities at 3M Thailand Facebook.

Sri Lanka PM Says Economy ‘Has Collapsed,’ Unable To Buy Oil

By

Associated Press

-

22 June 2022, 15:30

Women wait in a queue to buy kerosene in in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, June 11, 2022. Photo: Eranga Jayawardena / AP

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s prime minister says its debt-laden economy has “collapsed” after months of shortages of food, fuel and electricity.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament on Wednesday that the South Asian country is “facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food. Our economy has completely collapsed.”

Wickremesinghe is also the finance minister tasked with stabilizing the economy. He said Sri Lanka is unable to purchase imported fuel, even for cash, due to heavy debts owed by its petroleum corporation.

He said the government missed out on the chance to turn the situation around and that “We are now seeing signs of a possible fall to rock bottom.”

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