News in Thailand: October 2017

Prime Minister orders increased security for royal funeral

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered increased security before and during the royal funeral of the late King Rama IX after intelligence reports that some groups may try to cause trouble at the ceremony.

The groups in question operate from abroad and the three deep southern provinces.

There are also anti-monarchy groups.  

Prayut ordered the military, police, the National Security Council and the National Intelligence Agency to gather information and prepare for any attempts that could cause problems.  

It is estimated that around 250,000 people will attend the ceremony held in Sanam Luang.  

The Prime Minister is currently in the United States on an official visit.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan chaired a meeting of officials involved in organizing the royal funeral.  

He said he had asked the authorities to be fully motivated to avoid any chaos and ensure that the ceremony was held safely.  

"I am concerned about any potential chaos that could occur before and during the funeral. I have ordered reinforcements after receiving information that there are malicious groups inside and outside the country who may be ready to create disruption during the event.

The King's funeral is one of the biggest events in the world, we will spare no effort," he said.   

Source: Thaivisa

WEATHER: Alert message this morning from the Thai Meteorological Department

https://www.facebook.com/editioninternationale/videos/1097796380322665/

It will rain a lot, the wind will blow strongly, there will be floods...

Here are the provinces that are the subject of increased vigilance... 

from October 3 to 4, 2017

- North: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Phrae, Nan, Uttaradit, Tak, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Phitsanulok, Phichit and Phetchabun.

- Northeast: Loei, Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnart Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani.

- Central: Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Suphan Buri and Ratchaburi, including Bangkok and surrounding areas.

- East: Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat.

- South: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.

from October 5 to 6, 2017

- North: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lampang, Tak, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Phitsanulok and Phichit.

- Northeast: Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani.

- Center: Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi, Suphan Buri and Ratchaburi including Bangkok and its surroundings.

- East: Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat. - South: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.

Source: Thailand Daily

News about the royal cremation

All of Thailand is preparing for this historic moment to pay their last respects before the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX .

13 million Thais came to pay their last respects to the king

"More than 13 million Thais came to pay their last respects to the royal remains," the Bangkok Post reported in its October 5 edition.

The newspaper takes stock of these long processions which, for a year, have brought together hundreds of thousands of people the royal palace

On the last day of the tribute, October 5, the queue stretched for three kilometers.

Thai people came to bow down before the royal urn on display in the royal palace.

Because, according to an ancestral ritual already practiced in the 16th century, the remains of the king were placed in an urn after having been previously wrapped in silk, details Andrew MacGregor Marshall in his work A Kingdom in Crisis .

Gold objects had been placed on nine parts of his body.

Replicas of the Royal Crematorium across the country

Bangkok 's deputy governor , announced Tuesday the construction of a replica of the royal crematorium at Dusit Palace Plaza, four others in areas around Sanam Luang and in each of Bangkok's East, West, South and North zones.

The "Bangkok Youth Centre" (Thai-Japan) located in the Din Daeng district will accommodate visitors expected in Bangkok.

A food court is planned around the Rama VIII Bridge, managed by Wat Jedi Hoi.

Monk Luang Pu Buddha Isara, who was very active before the coup, planned to do the same at Fort Mahakan.

You will need to come early to find a place to see the ceremony in Bangkok.

Scaffolding has been removed from the nearly completed Royal Crematorium.

The cremation ceremonies of the late King will take place from October 25 to 29.

Those who would like to witness firsthand the grand procession in honor of the King on the day of his cremation will undoubtedly have to get to the right places at least a day in advance.

The cremation esplanade will only be able to accommodate 40,000 people and attendants will allow people to get into position from 5 a.m. on October 25.

The royal procession will take place the following day from the Grand Palace to the Crematorium in Sanam Luang.

Others will be able to follow these solemnities on television – all channels will broadcast the event live.

The cremation will take place on the 26th, declared a national holiday.

Funerals and cremations have great importance and significance for the whole country.

A government spokesperson announced that the procession route was first come, first served.

The nearest areas can accommodate around 200,000 people.

But only about 40,000 will be able to have a "front row seat".

Volunteers yesterday cleaned the area around the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang, and decorated the entire route with plants.

More than 300,000 people volunteered their services for the event's eight major tasks: cremation flower making, public relations, construction, transportation, utilities, medical services, security, and traffic control.

It is forbidden to use tents or mattresses for waiting, only food, water and ingredients are allowed.

There are 76 models of the Royal Crematorium across the country, not including the sandalwood arches.

Giant screens will be installed throughout the province near the flower arches to allow people to attend the cremation ceremonies.

There will be diplomats or representatives from sixty-five countries.

Royal families from Asia and around the world are expected

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, and his wife, Queen Jetsun Pema, will attend the royal cremation ceremony of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on October 26.

Their presence is part of a three-day state visit that will begin on October 25.

Last week, the Japanese government announced that Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko would be present on October 26.

The couple will return to Japan the next day.

For more information see our article:

Royal Cremation in Thailand: What You Need to Know

Drone owners have 90 days to register their devices, or they'll go to jail!

Drone owners have 90 days from now to register their devices, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) announced Wednesday.

NBTC Secretary General Takorn Tantasith said the decision was made because only 350 drones were registered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.

Takorn said owners of illegal drones should register them at the NBTC headquarters in Bangkok, its branches in many provinces, police stations and CAT offices.

Failure to register within 90 days could result in imprisonment not exceeding five years and/or a fine of up to 100,000 Baht or both.

Takorn stressed the total ban on drones over Bangkok during the royal funeral from October 25 to 29.

The radius of the ban is 19 kilometers around Sanam Luang.

Source: Thaivisa

National mourning will last two more days

The government has extended the mourning period for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej by two days.

After Tuesday's cabinet meeting, government spokeswoman Col Thaksada Sungkajan announced that the mourning period for the late King Bhumibol will last two more days, until the evening of October 29.

Complete mourning of 17 days between the 13th and the 29th.

National flags must be flown at half-mast at all government offices and Thai embassies abroad.

Source: Thaivisa

Bangkok Underwater: The Heaviest Floods in 25 Years!

All of Thailand, and in particular Bangkok, its capital, has been facing torrential rains since Saturday.

Bangkok's roads are completely flooded, with more than 200 millimeters of water under them, making driving very difficult for motorists.

The cause: a water drainage system that is too weak to evacuate all of the flooded areas.

According to the city's governor, this rainy season is the heaviest Bangkok has seen in 25 years.

HRH Princess Sirindhorn honors French speakers abroad

Most members of the royal family are French-speaking; Rama X, like his father and the Queen Mother, speaks French.

 Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn yesterday honored a number of French speakers from abroad, most of them diplomats (Switzerland, Vietnam, France, Morocco, Cambodia) and from Thailand, the most well-known of whom in the kingdom's French-speaking community were the Quebec writer Jean Marcel and Professor Jean-Philippe Babu of Nare Suan University in Pitsanulok.

All were honored for their contribution to the development of French and the Francophonie.

Thailand has been an observer member of the International Organization of La Francophonie since 2008, thanks to the Francophile sympathies of the Royal Family.

The ceremony took place at the opening of the 40th anniversary of the founding of ATPF (Thailand Association of French Teachers), of which the Princess is the Honorary President.

Her Royal Highness delivered a brief address in the language, which she speaks perfectly. The ATPF was founded 40 years ago by the Princess's aunt, the late Princess Galyani.

See also:
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the angel of the royal family

Reform of the Buddhist monk order in Thailand

Reforms awaited by many Thai Buddhists to restore the image of this beautiful religion, which has been undermined by numerous news stories.

Article by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Changchun BANGKOK (Reuters)

Under increasing pressure from Thailand's military government and their own religious bodies, Buddhist monks have launched a new round of reforms in recent weeks to clean up temples and reform a scandal-plagued religion.

Buddhism, the dominant religion of Thailand, is followed by more than 90% of the population.

But its image has suffered from sex scandals involving monks and allegations of money laundering by a former abbot of Thailand's largest temple.

The scandals have sparked calls for tighter controls on the finances of thousands of temples across the country that are among Thailand's popular tourist attractions.

Since September, senior monks have issued orders to impose stronger discipline on the approximately 300,000 monks and 40,000 temples.

TRADE and RELIGION

The written instructions, seen by Reuters, tell monks to stop asking for donations and temples to stop selling sacred objects on temple grounds.

The instructions appear aimed at making the temple's finances more transparent and countering criticism of the commercialization of religion in Southeast Asian countries.

Other orders require senior monks to closely monitor monks' "inappropriate use of social media" to avoid "public criticism."

The orders were approved by the Supreme Council of the Sangha, the body that governs Buddhist monks in Thailand and has a role similar to that of cardinals in the Catholic Church.

"These rules already existed for monks, but their implementation may have been lax," said Phra Phrom Moli, a member of the Sangha's Supreme Council.

Many Thais believe that generous donations to temples can bring good karma—the principle that good deeds will lead to a better future life—something temples and monks have exploited, reform groups say.

Phra Phrom Moli welcomed the new orders.

"We need to examine ourselves, listen to people and see what is appropriate and what is not for the public's faith in religion," he said.

SURVEILLANCE IN TEMPLES

An order issued in September by a group of temples in northeast Thailand asked monks to monitor each other and report any behavior that might go against Buddhist teachings.

"Please be careful of all monks who do not practice discipline," the order said.

The junta has been trying to reform Thai Buddhism since coming to power in 2014.

Last month, the junta appointed a former senior police official, Pongporn Pramsaneh, to head the National Bureau of Buddhism, an office that then asked police to investigate temples where public funds were allegedly embezzled.

Police say they are focusing on 35 temples and 29 individuals, including five abbots and a former Buddhist leader, who were allegedly involved in embezzlement.

Among other charges, the five abbots were formally accused of abusing state authority and conspiring to do evil.

The government allocated 5.32 billion baht (€133 million) to support Buddhism last year, of which 4.67 billion baht was allocated to temples and monks across the country.

BATTLE FOR POWER

Some analysts see the latest reform as a sign of the power struggle between monks and the state before the royal transition.

"What the monk is doing is tightening control for his own legitimacy," said Somrit Luechai, a Buddhist expert.

Thai Buddhism also needs to make itself relevant again, he added.

"By failing to adapt and find new ways to make people understand the Buddha's teachings... they are gradually losing their relevance to new generations of Thais," said Mr. Somrit. Sulak Sivaraksa, another prominent Buddhist expert, agrees.

For centuries, Buddhist temples were the places of education in Thailand, but Sulak adds that theoretical teachings were no longer enough.

"The education of monks needs to be modernized," Sulak said. "The current system creates monks who don't really understand real life."

Source: nasdaq.com , translation: Thaivisa

A sign from King Rama IX?

An incredible phenomenon during the rehearsal ceremony for King Rama IX's funeral: a heart-shaped cloud!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37j9Od24uYc

The Royal Crematorium is now completely finished!

See all photos at: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/…/finished-royal-crematorium…/

CURRENCY - 1 euro = 39.19464 baht

Thai Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn yesterday (October 18) rejected allegations that the country was engaging in unfair monetary policies to gain advantages in trade relations with its partner countries, particularly the United States.

According to the minister, the National Bank of Thailand is facing criticism for doing too little to limit the rise of the baht.

Thailand also faces charges from the US Treasury Department for currency manipulation.

The country currently has a bilateral trade surplus of nearly USD 20 billion with the United States.

Exports of goods and services account for 70% of Thailand's total revenue.

The United States is its third largest trading partner.

The Thai baht rose more than 8% against the US dollar, becoming the fastest-growing currency in Asia in 2017.

source: VNA and French Together in the Pattaya Club

We all (tourists and expats) hope that the baht will fall, but it is also true that they have to repay large loans, and we can understand this policy, at least if it is really deliberate.

The mystery surrounding Jim Thompson's disappearance may have been solved

A new documentary is poised to spark renewed debate about one of Asia's most enduring mysteries: what happened to Jim Thompson, Thailand's legendary silk king?

The former US intelligence officer turned textile magnate wandered into the Malaysian jungle 50 years ago and never returned.

Despite a massive search, no trace of Jim Thompson has ever been found.

One of Asia's most prominent Westerners had simply disappeared.

Theories abound: he was killed by a tiger; he got lost and perished in the deep forest; he disappeared deliberately as part of a political intrigue.

Those behind the documentary say they have new evidence that Thompson was killed.

Their film "Who Killed Jim Thompson" premiered on October 20 at the Eugene International Film Festival in Oregon, USA.

"There have been all kinds of theories, mostly silly ones, but I hope this puts the whole thing to rest," said Barry Broman, the film's producer.

The filmmakers, from Adventure Film Productions, said they got a helping hand: a former contact approached them with a story of a deathbed confession.

They finally found a second source whose information confirmed the first source.

Their conclusion: Jim Thompson was killed by rebels from the Communist Party of Malaya, who became suspicious after he arrived in the jungle when he began demanding a meeting with the party's secretary-general, then Malaysia's most wanted man.

Rather than being on vacation, the filmmakers said Jim Thompson was on one last, deadly mission.

Broman, who has decades of experience in Asia as a photographer, U.S. Marine, and diplomat, says the conclusion is unequivocal: "Jim will never be found."

He was murdered." The filmmakers acknowledged that the murder theory is not new, but they believe their version is the most complete.

While some of the film's conclusions are plausible based on what is known about Thompson's life, nothing is definitive given that the film relies on second-hand information from relatives of those involved and leaves many questions unanswered.

During World War II, Jim Thompson was a highly decorated agent of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the precursor to the CIA.

After the war, he was stationed in Thailand with the OSS and chose to make his home there after becoming a businessman and founding his silk company in 1948.

Jim Thompson helped revive the Thai silk industry and his company has since become one of Thailand's luxury brands.

His former home in Bangkok, once the site of legendary festivals, is now a museum filled with his fabulous collection of Asian art and antiques.

Both have become must-see attractions for the millions of tourists who visit Thailand each year.

The company declined to comment on the new information about its founder's fate.

Thompson had a $1.5 million-a-year business in 1967, when the Vietnam War was in full swing, with Thailand playing a key role, hosting U.S. Air Force bases that bombed communist-controlled areas of Indochina.

Thompson had gone in March this year to Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, a hill station dotted with tea plantations that was once popular with British colonists, for some rest and relaxation.

He was staying with Singaporean friends in their Tudor-style Moonlight Cottage holiday home.

On March 26, Easter Sunday, while his hosts were resting after dinner, they heard their guest from Bangkok leaving the house, presumably to take a walk in the fresh air of the region.

No trace of Jim Thompson was found after this.

Hundreds of people were involved in the first sweep to find him: soldiers, police, professional jungle trackers, indigenous tribes.

When no clues were discovered, mediums and healers joined the fruitless quest.

"I still have questions. I wish I had other sources," Broman acknowledged.

He hopes that bringing this story to the screen might spark some memories, and that maybe someone, somewhere, will be struck by this documentary and say, "Hey, didn't Grandpa talk about that?"

story: Grant Peck

Source: khaosodenglish.com

Stay sober from the 25th to the 29th to pay tribute to HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Government officials have asked people to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages during the five-day royal cremation period to pay tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Health, sent a letter to the government's public relations department asking for help spreading a message about not drinking alcohol from October 25 to 29.

The letter addressed to the Director General of the Public Relations Department, Lieutenant General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, suggested that NBT broadcaster launch public service announcements discouraging alcohol consumption during this period.

At this time, no formal ban on consumption or sale has been ordered, but it is possible that the sale of alcohol will be banned on the 26th and that drunkards on public roads will be hunted down for five days.

Source: Thaivisa