Two items to point out quickly:
Enjoy.
I have a story today over at The Wall Street Journal‘s Scene Asia blog about where to find good coffee in Thailand.
Today’s Bangkok Post says:
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will begin a visit to Cambodia on Sept 16 to attend the Asian Economic Forum Conference, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported on its website.
Hun Sen said Thaksin’s visit was scheduled before the official visit of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who will make an official one-day visit to Phnom Penh on Thursday.
(Emphasis mine.)
Bloomberg reports today that:
Thailand’s five-week old government signaled it wants the nation’s central bank to stop raising interest rates as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra seeks to stoke growth in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.
“I did not agree with high interest rates to handle inflation if it’s not demand-pull inflation,” Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said in an interview in Bangkok today. Yingluck’s administration has pledged to almost double the minimum wage in parts of the country and buy rice from farmers at above-market rates after winning the July 3 election with support from lower-income voters.
A piece in today’s Bangkok Post tells the story of the two Thais killed on September 11:
Ten years after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the Liangthanasarn family is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their youngest daughter, Orasri, who was killed in the disaster.
Orasri, 25, was one of two Thais who died in the Sept 11, 2001 attack which would come to be known as 9/11. She was working as an administrative assistant at the Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center.
Thai-American Saranya Srinual, 23, a bond trader, was also killed in the attack. Neither her body, nor that of Orasri, have been found.
The Bangkok Post reports on Thailand’s surprise win over Oman last night in a World Cup 2014 qualifier here in Bangkok:
Thailand beat Oman 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier last night in their finest moments in football in recent memory.
Two first-half goals from strike duo Sompong Soleb (35) and Teerasil Dangda (41) and an own goal by Rashid Al Farsi in injury time gave Thailand their best win for years.
The victory at Rajamangala National Stadium keeps alive Thailand’s dreams of securing their first-ever World Cup berth.
Thailand have one win and one defeat in Group D after their 2-1 loss at Australia in Brisbane last week.
Oman have only one point after a scoreless home draw with Saudi Arabia in their opener. Saudi Arabia were at home to Australia later last night.
The top two teams from each of the five groups advance to Asia’s final qualifying stages (last 10 teams) for the 2014 World Cup.
Next up: Saudi Arabia, coached by one Frank Rijkaard, visit Bangkok on Oct 11.
(Image: Bangkok Post.)
The AP reports today that:
A Thai lawyer says police have arrested a computer programmer on charges of insulting the nation’s revered monarch on a Facebook page. The charges carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
TIME has a story on Yingluck, women in politics, Thaksin, and more:
She delivers the line with a breathy purr: “The microwave is my lover.” Thailand may be famous for its incendiary curries and the tireless women who prepare them, but Yingluck Shinawatra is used to quick results — and not just in the kitchen. Last month the 44-year-old business executive was sworn in as the politically fractious country’s first female Prime Minister. It was her first-ever political race.
A fun story for Friday. AFP notes that Brunei is up first for the Thai foreign minister:
Thailand’s new foreign minister unveiled plans for his first overseas visits and said he had decided to arrange the tour schedule in alphabetical order.
Surapong Tovichakchaikul, whose appointment last month attracted criticism in Thailand because of his lack of high level experience, on Friday said he will travel to Brunei first on September 11.