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Last week I was walking along upper Sukhumvit after an excursion to the somewhat inappropriately-named Trendy building on Soi 13. I decided to drop in on my long-time travel agent nearby who I hadn't seen for a while, just to say hello. The lady in charge has an appealing personality and always cheers me up.
Early last month, Japan honoured the victims of a triple disaster in which over 20,000 people lost their lives. The catastrophic chain of events began with a 9.0-magnitude earthquake -- the Great East Japan Earthquake as it came to be known -- which caused a tsunami with 38-metre high waves which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Patiwat Saraiyaem, alias Mor Lum Bank, one of the core leaders of the anti-establishment Ratsadon group was eventually granted bail by the Criminal Court last week after he pledged not to criticise the monarchy and not join future political protests.
Early last month, Japan honoured the victims of a triple disaster in which over 20,000 people lost their lives. The catastrophic chain of events began with a 9.0-magnitude earthquake -- the Great East Japan Earthquake as it came to be known -- which caused a tsunami with 38-metre high waves which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Last week I was walking along upper Sukhumvit after an excursion to the somewhat inappropriately-named Trendy building on Soi 13. I decided to drop in on my long-time travel agent nearby who I hadn't seen for a while, just to say hello. The lady in charge has an appealing personality and always cheers me up.
The Prayut Chan-o-cha government is in hot water over its Covid-19 vaccination plan which critics view as sluggish and overly dependent on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Patiwat Saraiyaem, alias Mor Lum Bank, one of the core leaders of the anti-establishment Ratsadon group was eventually granted bail by the Criminal Court last week after he pledged not to criticise the monarchy and not join future political protests.
With the Songkran celebrations this year becoming subdued from the surging third wave of Covid-19 infections, deemed by health authorities as 10 times worse than last year's outbreak, efforts at controlling the spread of the virus are underway with contact tracing, health surveillance, compulsory quarantining, and lockdowns.
Seven years after Karen activist Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen's death in 2014, issues close to his heart, like ancestral rights of fellow ethnic villagers in Kaeng Krachan National Park, remain unfulfilled. On top of that, the long arm of the law still cannot reach his killers.
Today, Israel celebrates its Independence Day under very unique circumstances. It is not only a moment in which we mark the 73rd anniversary of restoration of our sovereignty in the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. It is also a moment in which we conclude an extremely difficult year in a very positive and hopeful note.
More than a week after the Covid-19 cluster in Bangkok's Thong Lor area was detected, resulting in a new wave of infections that dampened the Songkran mood, not to mention the great damage it dealt the economy, there are growing concerns over possible foul play in the investigation process concerning the clubs where the bug spread.
Today's article is "breaking news" as I am in the midst of writing a five-part series about the liquidity crisis risk facing the country. I have already published the first two parts of the series -- origins of the risk and experience from 1997 economic crisis. I still have three more articles to go. They are: (1) warning signs of the risk, (2) shielding oneself from the risk, and (3) appropriate macro-economic policy responses. I do not want to break the series because warning signs are getting stronger every day such as the alarming US$8.4 billion (263 billion baht) outflow in March and the 154 billion baht government cash deficit in February.
Numerous deaths and injuries related to road accidents over the past three days, almost half way into the extra holidays during the Songkran festival, once again attest to the fact the government's approach to tackling the road toll is of no use.
