Siam Piwat group is recognized with Friendly Design award, reinforcing its testament to value equal access for all and to create the unrivalled experiences for Thai and international customers.

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14 February 2022, 16:30

Siam Piwat has been recognized with a Friendly Design Award by “the Friendly Design for All Foundation”, while ICONSIAM has received a Universal Design Bathroom Award, and Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok has been awarded as “Tourism for All” venue.
Siam Piwat is advancing universal design in all of its buildings to create excellent experience and ensure convenience, safety, and equal access for all.
All these accolades reinforce Siam Piwat’s position as The Visionary Icon that is resolute in transforming Thailand into “the Universal Design city” in a bid to elevate the quality of life and deliver happiness for all.

Bangkok (February 2022) – Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., the world’s leading retail property developer, owner and operator of world-class projects, such as Siam Paragon, Siam Center, and Siam Discovery, and one of the joint owners of ICONSIAM and Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok, has received a Friendly Design Award for the fourth consecutive time at the 5th Thailand Friendly Design Expo 2022 – a testament to the priority it has given to structural design across every aspect of its shopping centers for equal and convenient access for all. ICONSIAM has also been recognized with a Universal Design Bathroom Award, while Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok has been awarded as “Tourism for All” venue. These accolades reinforce its position as The Visionary Icon and reflect the value it has placed on utilizing creativity to deliver excellent experience to its customers and all Thais.

Ms. Chadatip Chutrakul, Chief Executive Officer of Siam Piwat Group Co., Ltd. and Director of ICONSIAM Co., Ltd., stated, “Throughout more than 60 years, Siam Piwat has strived to bring benefit to a large number of people and contribute to a better quality of life for all Thais through our businesses. This has been integrated into every business operation of ours. We place great emphasis on the principle of universal design in our structural development to ensure everyone has convenient, safe, and equal access to the services and experiences inside our properties

Siam Piwat has received a Friendly Design Award for the fourth consecutive years, which is a proof of our resolution to develop our properties in recognition of the Universal Design philosophy with accessibility for people of all ages, genders, and physical conditions, thus ensuring the friendly environment for all. Siam Piwat is poised to develop our properties in line with the Universal Design concept to propel Thailand into the Universal Design city elevate the quality of life for all Thais, and serve as a source of happiness for all.

Siam Piwat has received a Friendly Design Award for the fourth consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022), which testifies to its position as the Visionary Icon that introduces cutting-edge innovation and leverages its management excellence to ensure that its sites and environments are designed in such a way that they are equally accessible and friendly to all people. In addition to Siam Piwat, ICONSIAM, one of the world’s most coveted tourist destinations, has also been recognized with a Universal Design Bathroom Award. Previously, ICONSIAM was presented with a Friendly Design Project of the Year Award in 2018, which honors a site, organization, or tourist attraction that advances universal design for all, and a Friendly Design Destination Award in 2019, in recognition of its exemplar friendly design and accessibility for people of all ages, genders, and physical conditions, thus ensuring convenience, safety, fairness, and equity for all. Moreover, Siam Premium Outlets was also recognized with Tourism for All award as the architectural design and construction aligned with the Universal design and Friendly Design concept.

Mr. Supoj Chaiwatanasirikul, Managing Director of ICONSIAM Co., Ltd., said, “Every square inch of ICONSIAM including its transportation system, building structure and facilities has been designed in line with the Universal design concept and takes into consideration of the way of life of all groups of people. Guided by the concept of universal design, ICONSIAM is a major tourist destination that is accessible to commuters from everywhere through a land-rail-water connection and offers spacious reception areas. The pier is equipped with ramps for wheelchair users, thus ensuring the access for people of all physical abilities. The design and the materials used inside the building also follow the principle of universal design. All entrances, indoor and outdoor walkways, and the parking building are outfitted with ramps wide enough for all types of wheelchairs. In addition, every floor offers bathrooms for people with disabilities and the elderly as well as dedicated diaper changing stations and breastfeeding rooms, along with railings, emergency equipment, and other facilities. Moreover, the elevators are large enough to accommodate wheelchairs of all types and equipped with special buttons conveniently accessible for wheelchair users. All of these can also be found with ease thanks to clearly visible and easy-to-understand signage”

It has always been Siam Piwat’s aspiration to promote universal design and friendly design for all in order to reinforce its position as the Visionary Icon, create excellent experience for all, and ensure convenience, inclusivity, safety, fairness, and equity. Thanks to this aspiration, OneSiam (Siam Center, Siam Discovery, and Siam Paragon), ICONSIAM and Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok have been able to win over everyone’s heart as the ultimate destinations all through the years up to this day.

Ukraine Olympic Team Calls for Peace, IOC Wants No Protests

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Associated Press

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14 February 2022, 11:30

In this frame from video, Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, holds a sign that reads "No War in Ukraine" after finishing a run at the men's skeleton competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. Photo: NBC via AP

BEIJING (AP) — The Ukrainian Olympic team has followed the lead of skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych in calling for peace.

Heraskevych held up a sign with a Ukrainian flag and the message “No War in Ukraine” after completing a run in the skeleton competition on Friday at the Beijing Games. The message came against the backdrop of a Russian military build-up near the country’s border with Ukraine.

“The Olympic Team of Ukraine … expresses a unanimous call for peace together with (our) native country,” the Ukrainian Olympic Committee wrote on social media. “Being thousands of kilometers away from the Motherland, mentally we are with our families and friends.”

The statement doesn’t mention Russia or the military situation.

The International Olympic Committee bans most protest gestures at the Games. But the Olympic body isn’t taking action against Heraskevych because “‘No war’ is a message we can all relate to,” said Christophe Dubi, the executive director of the Olympic Games.

That doesn’t mean the IOC wants other athletes to join in, however.

“We all want peace, clearly,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Sunday. “Athletes themselves have agreed that the field of play and the podium is not the place for any kind of statement because we need to remain politically neutral … The message was understood. It (the sign) wasn’t repeated and I think we can move on.”

No Ukrainian athletes have so far followed Heraskevych’s lead by protesting in competition.

Canada Protests Sound Common Refrain: ‘We Stand For Freedom’

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Associated Press

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14 February 2022, 11:00

Don Stephens, 65, a retired graphic designer, holds a sign on Parliament Hill to support trucks lined up in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions in Ottawa, Ontario, on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Photo: Ted Shaffrey / AP

WINDSOR, Ontario (AP) — Canadians who have occupied downtown Ottawa, disrupted travel and trade with the U.S. and inspired copycat protests from New Zealand to the Netherlands sound a common note when asked about their motivation: Decisions about their health shouldn’t be made by the government.

“We stand for freedom,” said Karen Driedger, 40, who home-schools her kids and attended protests in Ottawa and Windsor. “We believe that it should be everyone’s personal decision what they inject into their bodies.”

The refrain isn’t new to a pandemic-weary world, two years after the COVID-19 virus prompted curfews and closures, mask mandates, and debates over vaccine requirements. Still, the timing of the protests has raised some eyebrows, since they began just as many of the toughest pandemic-era restrictions were being lifted across Canada, the U.S. and Europe; experts say antipathy toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a significant underlying force.

The in-your-face protests that have fueled frustrations around the country and world have been aided by publicity and support from far-right and anti-vaccine groups. And influential Americans such as former U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk have rallied behind the protesters.

Most Canadians have been supportive of the pandemic restrictions, which health officials have stressed are necessary to protect the public from a virus that has killed at least 5.8 million people globally. The vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.

Trudeau has labeled the protesters a “fringe,” and authorities have braced for violence because some have expressed hope that the rally will become the Canadian equivalent of last January’s riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

The Canadian “freedom convoy” was announced last month by a group founded by a QAnon conspiracy theory supporter and other organizers, and includes the ex-leader of Alberta’s far-right Maverick Party.

Protesters who spoke to The Associated Press this week defended their actions and argued that they represent many more frustrated residents.

Don Stephens, a 65-year-old retired graphic designer, said he’s come into Ottawa twice to show support for protesters there. He views them as representatives of a “silent majority that had been longing to have their voice heard.”

Mat Mackenzie, a 36-year-old trucker from Ontario, said he’s been among the protesters in Ottawa for 15 days, feeling “a duty” to show his opposition. Citizens should be in charge of making decisions around masks, vaccines and other COVID mitigation efforts, not government officials, he said.

“I can tell you 90% of truckers here are likely vaccinated. We’re here for freedom of choice,” Mackenzie said. “And that’s what we’re here to fight for.”

Michael Kempa, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, said there are two faces of the protest. It isn’t just about vaccine mandates and other COVID restrictions; organizers have said they want to oust Trudeau’s Liberal government and be part of forming a new one, he said.

“In many ways, the friendly face protesters are acting as the foot soldiers of the organizers,” Kempa said. “We are seeing a huge amount of misinformation. People who are legitimately angry are being manipulated by the protest leadership.”

Many Canadians have been outraged over the crude behavior of some demonstrators. Some urinated on the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, while others carried signs and flags with swastikas and used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, sparking widespread condemnation.

The images of protests across Canada have ignited copycats elsewhere.

In Paris, police prevented a threatened blockade of the French capital on Saturday. But a few dozen vehicles were able to disrupt traffic on the famed Champs-Elysees, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.

“The convoys are for the restoring of our liberties,” said Pierre-Louis Garnier, a 64-year-old who attended a protest in Paris on Friday to welcome an anticipated convoy that never materialized.

In the Netherlands, dozens of trucks and other vehicles, some waving Canadian flags, have descended on The Hague, the historic Dutch parliamentary complex.

“We are living now in police state,” said Hans Evenstain, a 76-year-old protester said Sunday. “That’s not a good life anymore. We want to move freely and that’s why we are here for us and for our children and our grandchildren.”

In Belgium, federal police were urging people to avoid Brussels on Monday, when a convoy is expected to gather in the country’s capital, and the headquarters of the 27-nation European Union.

In the New Zealand capital of Wellington, authorities tried blasting Barry Manilow songs and the 90s dance hit “Macarena” on loop in an unsuccessful attempt to break up a convoy of protesters that has been encamped outside Parliament for nearly a week.

“All I want is the mandates lifted, and freedom of choice,” said Kacheeya Scarrow, who drove her van about 380 kilometers (235 miles) from the city of Taupo to support the protest. “I’m not anti-vax, I’m not pro-vax. Everybody should have the right to choose what they want to do with their own body.”

In Windsor, where protesters had blocked the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge that is a crucial conduit for the auto industry in both the U.S. and Canada, police moved to end the demonstration Sunday, arresting about a dozen protesters and beginning to tow vehicles.

Before Sunday’s crackdown, the shutdown often had the feel of a block party.

Protesters milled about, carrying Canadian flags affixed to the ends of hockey sticks while music blared and food was handed out. They put up signs bearing slogans such as “Freedom Is Essential,” “Say No To Mandatory Vaccines” and “End Mandates.”

Troy Holman, a 32-year-old Windsor resident who has been at the protest every day since its start on Monday, said he believes the government overreached with its COVID-19 restrictions, which negatively impacted his wife’s small business.

“If we weren’t doing something such as this, no one would pay attention to us,” he said Friday. “Unfortunately, we have to be here, because this is what’s going to get the attention of the government.”

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Story: Mike Householder, Ted Shaffrey and Kathleen Foody. Shaffrey reported from Ottawa and Foody reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Rob Gillies in Toronto, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Thomas Adamson in The Hague and Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this story.

Opinion: Thammasat High School: A New Target of Political Paranoia

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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13 February 2022, 12:00

A file photo of students participating in a science experiment at Thammasat Secondary School.

Accused of indoctrinating its students with distorted Thai history and monarchy, Thammasat University High School defended itself over the past few days through a statement denying the allegation which hits the headline when Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha said he will send related agencies to look into the school’s syllabus and more.

The allegation came after the school recently invited noted historian and critic of the monarchy and Thai nationalist history Thongchai Winichakul for consultation about its teaching pedagogy.

The school welcomed some curious journalists, and I had the opportunity to do a long Facebook Live interview with the school’s chairman of administration committee Anuchat Poungsomlee and some students on Friday.

After having visited the school and pondered about the issue earlier, here are a few reasons why I think the school is now being targeted by Prayut and ultra-conservative royalists.

First, the powers that be fear children having a different set of understanding and knowledge about Thai history and the monarchy.

Anuchat told me when it comes to history and other subjects, the school, which is barely six years old, does not stress on rote memorization. One student, by the name of Anakin, told me he and his classmates are taught to consider different versions of history.

I can see how those in power may feel threatened and paranoid by it for their hold on power is based of handing out just one version of nationalistic history.

One dominant narrative about Thai history and the monarchy is where virtually almost all past monarchs were outstanding leaders and Thailand, or Siam, was never the villain or evil aggressors while some of our neighbours were the bad guys, either outright aggressors or treacherous, or both.

So if anyone is indoctrinating anybody, it is most likely the state through its rigid singular version of the history of Thailand and its Kings.

Second, they are afraid of youths who can think for themselves and pose critical questions, be it to oneself, but more critically when questions are being posted publicly.

One most recent example is a protest by a new young group called “Thalu Wang” (Shattering the Palace), which demonstrated on Tuesday. Twenty-two young protesters staged a protest in front of Sirivannavari boutique, a fashion label owned by the King’s daughter Princess Sirivannavari, inside Siam Paragon Shopping Mall and later near the gate of Princess Sirindhorn’s Sra Pathum Palace.

The protesters held one placard asking only one question: “Do royal motorcades cause inconveniences to the public?”

Passersby were asked to put a round green sticker on either a yes or no side of the placard.

Third, they are afraid of people who are different from them on some key issues. For example, in virtually all Thai schools, students assemble in orderly rows in front of the flagpole and sing the national anthem together as the flag is raised at 8am – not at Thammasat High School, however.

Opponents say children will grow up not becoming patriotic or disciplined. Anuchat told me the weather is hot in Thailand and the sun is strong, and the school believes the time is better used allowing students to remain indoors and update with friends. Students told me this does not make them less patriotic.

Again, conservative Thais believe in indoctrination and the ritual is so deeply ingrained that most adults would freeze when hearing the national anthem played from a distance in a semi-public area through loudspeakers at 8m and 6pm. I personally do not freeze and think this is not just an absolute waste of time for adults and how the state indoctrinates children and adults to become automatically unthinking and docile.

Fourth and last but not the least, they are disturbed by the Thammasat brand. The fact that there is the Thammasat brand name attached to the school makes it even more disturbing as many monarchy-reform protest leaders are university students at Thammasat or a graduates of the university.

Think of Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Panassaya “Rung” Sitchirawatanakul, and Benja Apan – all current Thammasat university students, and many Thammasat graduates among the movement, and you get the idea.

If you are the powers that be, it would be truly disturbing to have more of them being educated by Thammasat, be it at tertiary or secondary levels.

Police Probe Robbery Reported by German Celebrity

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Associated Press

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11 February 2022, 11:30

FILE - Cathy Hummels, wife of Germany defender Mats Hummels, applauds prior to the Euro 2016 Group C soccer match between Northern Ireland and Germany at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Photo: Michael Probst / AP File

BANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand said Thursday they were looking for a suspect in the robbery of German celebrity Cathy Hummels, who reported that her mobile phone was stolen during a nighttime attack on a southern beach.

Hummels, 34, is a presenter on German television and the wife of German footballer Mats Hummels, who plays for Dortmund. She traveled to the southern seaside province of Phang-nga last week to film the show Battle of the Reality Stars, which she hosts, according to German media.

The Phang-nga Provincial Police issued a statement after she posted about her robbery on Instagram and gave an interview to the the German newspaper Bild.

“A couple of days ago something bad happened to me,” she told her Instagram fans. “I was attacked. It was the most horrible experience of my life. I didn’t know if I would survive.”

The story in Bild quoted her as saying that as she walked on the beach near her hotel on Saturday night, an attacker came up from behind and hit her in the head, and punched her several times.

“At some point I realized that this is a matter of life and death and I started to defend myself,” she was quoted saying.

She said the thief ended up taking her cell phone and she ran back to her hotel, and just hours later flew to Dubai as was previously scheduled.

The statement from the Thai police gave a less dramatic account, based on what it said she told them when she filed a report that night.

It said she told them that the attacker punched her once on her left arm and she fell down, after which he took her iPhone and ran away.

She also told police she could not remember the robber’s appearance because it was dark, and did not want to pursue the case at that point because she was going to leave Thailand later that night and she did not want her name to appear in the media.

Hummels also refused to meet a doctor to check a bruise on her arm, the police statement said, noting that she departed around midnight on a flight to Dubai. It said they had not found the suspect yet.

Thailand is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and violent crime against visitors is rare but not unknown.

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Story: Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul.

French Discoverer of HIV Virus Luc Montagnier Dies at 89

By

Associated Press

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11 February 2022, 11:00

FILE - French scientist Luc Montagnier speaks during an interview on June 5, 2006 in Paris. Photo: Jacques Brinon / AP File

PARIS (AP) — French researcher Luc Montagnier, who won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering the HIV virus and more recently spread false claims about the coronavirus, has died at age 89, local government officials in France said.

Montagnier died Tuesday at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a western suburb of the capital, the area’s city hall said. No other details have been released.

Montagnier, a virologist, led the team that in 1983 identified the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS, leading him to share the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine with colleague Francoise Barré-Sinoussi.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute in a written statement Thursday to Montagnier’s “major contribution” to the fight against AIDS and expressed condolences to his family.

Montagnier was born in 1932 in the village of Chabris in central France.

According to his autobiography on the Nobel Prize website, Montagnier studied medicine in Poitiers and Paris. He said recent scientific discoveries in 1957 inspired him to become a virologist in the rapidly advancing field of molecular biology.

He joined the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1960 and became head of the Pasteur Institute’s virology department in 1972.

“My involvement in AIDS began in 1982, when the information circulated that a transmissible agent — possibly a virus — could be at the origin of this new mysterious disease,” Montagnier said in his autobiography.

In 1983, a working group led by him and Barré-Sinoussi at the Pasteur Institute isolated the virus that would later become known as HIV and was able to explain how it caused AIDS.

American scientist Robert Gallo claimed to have found the same virus at almost exactly the same time, sparking a disagreement over who should get the credit. The United States and France settled a dispute over the patent for an AIDS test in 1987. Montagnier was later credited as the discoverer of the virus, Gallo as the creator of the first test.

Since the end of the 2000s, Montagnier started expressing views devoid of a scientific basis. His opinions led him to be shunned by much of the international scientific community.

As the COVID-19 spread across the globe and conspiracy theories flourished, Montagnier was among those behind some of the misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus.

During a 2020 interview with French news broadcaster CNews, he claimed that the coronavirus did not originate in nature and was manipulated. Experts who have looked at the genome sequence of the virus have said Montagnier’s statement was incorrect.

At the time, AP made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact Montagnier.

Last year, he claimed in a French documentary that COVID-19 vaccines led to the creation of coronavirus variants.

Experts contacted by The Associated Press explained that variants found across the globe began emerging long before vaccines were widely available. They said the evidence suggests new variants evolved as a result of prolonged viral infections in the population and not vaccines, which are designed to prevent such infections.

Earlier this year, Montagnier delivered a speech at a protest against vaccine certificates in Milan, Italy.

Montagnier was emeritus professor at the Pasteur Institute and emeritus research director at the CNRS. He received multiple awards, including France’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honor.

MIKIMOTO celebrates the fete of love with “Valentine 2022” collection as precious gifts that represent pure love

By

Contributor

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11 February 2022, 10:11

As February approaches with love and infatuation filling the air, Mikimoto, the number one pearl jewelry brand from Japan, is celebrating the fete of love with a special collection “Valentine 2022” that renders itself as an impressive and precious gift to represent pure love.

Blending the purity of round, lustrous high-quality Akoya pearl’s beauty and Mikimoto’s famed design and haute craftsmanship, the collection comprises various accessories that include earrings, pendant, ring, necklace constructed with Akoya pearls and diamonds. Eye-catching and impressive, the settings or either white or yellow gold are inspired by delicate ribbon tied into a bow, accented with shimmering diamonds that represented forever the sparkle of love.

This timeless collection also includes Akoya pearl necklace with lustrous and round 7.00-7.50 mm pearls with ribbon-shaped clasp in white or yellow gold, which allows the necklace to be adjusted to desirable length or to be bracelet.

To express love ever so sweet and undying, Mikimoto also presents a meticulously designed set inspired by two hearts that beat as one. The set comprises Akoya pearl earrings and Akoya pearl pendant with diamond setting that symbolizes luxury and stability. There is also bracelet with ‘’LOVE” pendant adorned with perfectly round Akoya pearls as a heartfelt gift for the Valentine’s season.

Experience the special festive gift collection “Valentine 2022” that will bring warmth and joy to your loved one’s heart throughout the month of love in February at Boutique Mikimoto, Level M of Siam Paragon. For more information, please call 0-2129-4444.

Wildlife Group Says Tiger Missing a Leg Needs Help

By

Associated Press

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10 February 2022, 10:30

In this photo taken by a camera trap, a three-legged tiger walks through the jungle Feb. 6, 2022, in the Khao Laem National Park in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand. Photo: Freeland / IUCN via AP

BANGKOK (AP) — Forest rangers in western Thailand are searching a remote jungle on the Myanmar border hoping to rescue a wild tiger with a missing leg from an area where poachers have recently been operating.

Staff from the wildlife protection organization Freeland spotted the animal earlier this week on video recorded by a remotely operated camera trap in Kanchanaburi province’s Khao Laem National Park as it was feeding on the body of a water buffalo.

Its missing hind leg was clearly visible as it paced awkwardly around the carcass on Sunday night in the thick forest. Freeland’s experts fear the slow-moving female — nicknamed “I-Douan,” which means “the amputated one” — is at risk from hunters or of starvation due to its likely long-term inability to catch prey.

Freeland, working with staff from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, hopes to waylay the tiger with a tranquilizer dart and move it to a government facility where it can be provided with adequate food and security.

“We can find her, not difficult to find her,” Freeland-Thailand’s executive Petcharat Sangchai told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We use the body of the dead buffalo or cow and sit and wait for her to eat the remains, and we can use the sniping gun to shoot her.”

It isn’t clear how the tiger lost the limb. Freeland suspects the animal was a victim of poaching. The use of snares is common in jungles throughout Southeast Asia.

In early January, rangers arrested five men in the forest with two tiger carcasses in their possession. Three weeks later, in the same district, a man said he was attacked by three tigers that killed his two dogs. He escaped by climbing a clump of bamboo.

Video cameras were installed following reports of tiger activity in an area not previously known to support the animals.

The Indochinese tiger is in peril throughout its range, with Thailand home to the biggest population. In 2021, Thai wildlife authorities put the country’s wild tiger population at 177 individuals.

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Story: Jerry Harmer.

Ukrainians Not Panicking as West Ramps up Invasion Rhetoric

By

Associated Press

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10 February 2022, 10:00

Good luck charms are pinned to a wall as a Ukrainian serviceman pauses in a bunker on a frontline position outside Avdiivka, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Photo: Vadim Ghirda / AP

AVDIIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — In the trenches of eastern Ukraine, across the tense contact lines with Russia-backed separatists, a soldier’s calm verges on numbness after a sniper’s bullet recently killed one of the 50 or so men under his command.

It is the sort of thing that has happened from time to time in the eight years Ivan Skuratovskyi’s been deployed up and down the 250-mile (400-kilometer) front line — a member of the Ukrainian army in a war he never imagined when he enlisted in 2013. He grieves, but death and conflict have become an inescapable part of his life.

“The war has put pressure on me and broken my soul,” said Skuratovskyi, 30. “I’m becoming more cold-hearted, some would say dead-hearted. I have a tough sense of humor. It’s a protective reaction to extreme situations.”

U.S. officials say that with more than 100,000 Russian troops nearing Ukraine’s eastern and northern borders, the threat of a Russian invasion is more serious than others that have come and gone during the years of fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces.

The White House national security advisor warned that an all-out invasion could happen any day, and President Joe Biden said “it would be wise” for Americans other than essential diplomats to leave Ukraine and ordered the deployment of 1,700 troops to neighboring Poland.

But even as the rhetoric out of Washington ramps up, a sense of calm prevails in the Eastern European nation among soldiers and citizens alike, from relatives of those in the trenches on up to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who campaigned on a promise of ending the drawn-out conflict and has repeatedly called for diplomacy to carry the day.

“We are defending our country and are on our own territory. Our patience can have an impact on provocations, when we don’t respond to provocations but behave with great dignity,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday in an appearance with French President Emmanuel Macron.

While waves of Ukrainians fled their homes during 2014 fighting that saw Russia annex the Crimean Peninsula and back separatists in the eastern province of Donbas, so far people are staying put in the areas closest to the Russian troop movements.

The calm expressed by Zelenskyy and others owes in part, perhaps, to the fact that they have little control over the situation before them.

Ukraine is vastly overmatched by Russia not only in troop numbers but in arms and equipment, such as the fighter jets poised nearby and the naval ships maneuvering off the coast. Nothing NATO countries have provided to Ukraine — from anti-tank weapons sent by Britain to the 5,000 helmets that came from Germany — comes close to evening the scales.

American officials have said explicitly that no U.S. troops will fight in Ukraine.

Macron, for his part, spoke Tuesday not of a looming possible invasion but of a tense standoff that could go on for “weeks and months to come.”

U.S. officials believe the danger is much more immediate — and haven’t been shy about sounding the alarm.

“Our effort is to ensure we’re informing the American public and the global community of the seriousness of this threat,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week when asked about the difference in tone between Washington and Kyiv. “I can’t speak to the motivation or the reasoning for the comments of Ukrainian leadership.”

The two governments share the same motivation, averting an invasion, but may see themselves as speaking to different audiences.

The White House believes that spotlighting concerns about possible military action will dissuade the Kremlin from following through on it, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Biden and his advisers have calculated that publicly airing those concerns, as well as intelligence details, helps make the case to European allies for sanctions in the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin orders a further invasion of Ukraine, the official said.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, is balancing military concerns against fears that alarming rhetoric could wreck Ukraine’s economy with hardly a shot fired.

The dueling messaging stems from differing assessments by the two countries as to Russia’s intentions, said Daniel Fried, who advised the George W. Bush administration on former Soviet nations and served as ambassador to Poland.

“Zelenskyy looks to be thinking about a longer term,” he said. “He seems to be worried about the effect of a prolonged crisis on the Ukrainian economy. And he may feel that Putin is less likely to invade than he is to try to use the threat of invasion to grind down the Ukrainian economy” and scare away foreign investors.

“So he wants to portray a sense of, ‘We can get through this,’” Fried said.

Zelenskyy’s administration is also keenly aware that Ukrainian public opinion is divided on how to handle the situation, especially when it comes to concessions toward pro-Russia separatists in the east.

Memories are still raw: Yuri Maskirenko, one of those forced to leave Crimea after the Russian occupation, said he thinks Ukraine shouldn’t negotiate with Russia over the status of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region or else “people will come out into the streets and this will not lead to anything good.”

From his front-line vantage point, Skuratovskyi, who recently reupped with the army for another two years, agrees with a diplomacy-focused approach and said he sees no armed solution to the standoff.

“Weapons won’t solve any problem here,” Skuratovskyi said.

He talks regularly by video call from his current post in the town of Avdiivka, Donbas province, with his wife, Maryna, on the other side of the country in the seaside city of Mykolaiv, near Moldova. Maryna said her worst moment came in 2014 when an explosion went off while he was on the line with her. Sometimes she has thought he might not make it home alive.

But while she and friends in Mykolaiv talk about the possibility of war, none of them are panicked. She yearns for the conflict to end and to finally be able to make a home with her husband, who has been deployed for nearly his entire adult life.

“Vanya would tell me if something was going to happen,” she said, using an affectionate nickname for her husband. “Since he doesn’t, I’m calm about the situation.”

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Story: Inna Varenytsia, Lori Hinnant and Ellen Knickmeyer. Lori Hinnant reported from Paris and Ellen Knickmeyer from Washington. Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.

Siam Piwat has firmly committed to stand by Thais’ side in reviving economy and tourism industry by aiming to generate over 500 million baht

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10 February 2022, 09:04

Siam Piwat emphasizes its vision “The Visionary ICON” with the strategy of “Creating Shared Values” by pursuing the mission to stand by Thais’ side in many crises and support Thailand to get through the hardship together.
The company aims to boost the tourism industry that has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by generating over 500 million baht to help over 10,000 travel operators coping with the crisis.
Over 73 luxury hotels nationwide gather together at “Siam Paragon Thailand’s Luxury Summer Escape” to be held during February 14-20, 2022 at Fashion Hall on the 1^st floor of Siam Paragon with valued deals that all travelers should not miss.

In the challenging time during the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected the global economy, the economic sluggish resulted in physical and mental wellbeing, job losses and lower income to many people. However, Thais have never lost their kindness to support and help others to get through crises together.

Siam Piwat, a leading world-class real estate and retail developer, the operator of Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery and the joint venture partner of ICONSIAM and Siam Premium Outlet Bangkok, has firmly pursued the mission to stand by Thais in the crises and supports people who have been affected by the hardship. Reaffirming its vision as the leader in creativity – The Visionary ICON, Siam Piwat’s has been contributing shared values to the society. The travel fair has been initiated to support travel operators and many world-class hotels have partnered to offer special accommodation, dining, spa and others packages and best promotions aiming to boost economy and boost the tourism industry from upstream to downstream. The latest edition of travel fair, now in its 7^th edition, is called “Siam Paragon Thailand’s Luxury Summer Escape” to take place during February 14-20, 2022 at Fashion Hall, 1 Floor, Siam Paragon.

Mrs Thanaporn Tantiyanon, Assistant Managing Director for Marketing Events at Siam Paragon Development Co., Ltd, says “During the past 64 years, Siam Piwat has been with Thai people in every crisis. From the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 to the current situation, Siam Piwat has been working with many partners from government sectors, private organizations, local communities and many collectives to help people affected by the pandemic. Siam Piwat offers retail spaces and business channels with an aim to help revive tourism industry and have generated over 500 million baht that will help drive over 10,000 travel operators to move forward and their employees to continue their business and cope with the crisis.”

“This time we pursue our mission by partnering with many world-class hotels to organize the travel fair “Siam Paragon Thailand’s Luxury Summer Escape” from February 14-20, 2022 at Fashion Hall, 1st floor, Siam Paragon. Siam Paragon has initiated the upscale travel fair to work with world-class hotel operators and this time comes to its 7^th edition. The previous editions had received great acclaims from Thai travelers wishing to help local travel operators. This is an event that should not miss for travelers looking to reward themselves at best prices and best deals offered by the leading hotels.”

The event gathers together over 73 world-class hotels offering luxury travelling experiences for Thai travelers and expats with best deals such as special accomodation packages, dining vouchers, spa treatments, and other lifestyle activities. Joining the event are the world-leading hotels groups such as AWC (Asset World Corporation – Hospitality), ACCOR, Four Seasons Thailand, Hyatt Thailand, Marriott Thailand and Minor Thailand. The newcomers to the event are Pimalai Resort and Spa, Soneva Kiri, THANN Wellness Destination, The Standard Hua Hin, Trisara Phuket and RAKxa Wellness & Medical Retreat. The accommodations cover all favorite tourist destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Krabi, Samui and Phang Nga.

“After the government resumes TEST & GO entry scheme, the tourism industry tends to become more active and at the same time the government’s latest tourism stimulus campaign Rao Tiew Duay Kan (We Travel Together) in 4^th phase launched on February 1, 2022 has stimulated people to travel more than ever. We are confident that the event “Siam Paragon Thailand’s Luxury Summer Escape” from February 14-20, 2022 will help boost the economy and boost the local tourism industry and customers will surely get the best valued deals.” Mrs Thanaporn concludes.

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