On August 25th, Thailand's military-backed government has extended Thailand’s state of emergency for a fifth time, to the end of September. The emergency imposed late March gives Thailand's Prime Minister, Dictator, Songwriter and a man of many words Prayut Chan-o-cha sweeping powers, including a ban on large gatherings that prevents anti-government protests. The extension is a consolidation of power, and an unnecessary use of power, said Anusorn Iamsa-ard, a spokesman for Pheu Thai, the largest opposition party. But Thailand’s Deputy Premier Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon, the man of 'borrowed' luxury watches, claims fear of a second wave of infections, and not politics, is behind the government’s need to extend the emergency decree. The government is being cautious about a possible second wave of Covid-19 infections, he added.

Over the weekend of September 19th-20th, various groups of pro-democracy students started a rally to urge the government to resign and rewrite the country's constitution. Depending on the source, 30'000 to 80'000 people are said to have participated in the demonstration.

Khaosod English: Protesters Reinstall Plaque Symbolizing Democracy The Nation Thailand: Protesters install '2020 coup memorial plaque' in Sanam Luang in spirit of 1932 revolution Bangkok Post: Protesters ready to declare 'new People's Party' BangkokPost: Prayut thanks all concerned for cooperation Bangkok Post: Prawit thanks all for peaceful event The New York Times: Protests Shake Bangkok, Challenging Old Guard’s Grip on Thailand The Guardian: Thai protesters call for reform of monarchy and general strike Rappler.com: Tens of thousands of protesters join Thailand pro-democracy rally Reuters: Thai protest leader says demands letter to king handed to police BBC: Thousands join huge rally demanding reforms BBC: Activists challenge monarchy by laying 'People's Plaque'

There have been 25'708 cases of dengue fever in Thailand with 15 deaths in the first 7 months of this year. While Thailand seems to have the corona virus under control, the situation with dengue fever, another viral disease, is extremely worrying in the Kingdom. Thailand's Public Health Officials advise people to make sure that there is no standing water around their homes, as this is a breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus.

September 2nd: Thailand's Bureau of Epidemiology reported an additional 2'922 dengue fever cases during the past week, bringing the country total to 50'660 total (DHF, DSS and dengue fever) cases. In addition, four additional dengue related deaths were reported, bringing the death toll year to date to 36.

Another dangerous virus in this area is the Chikungunya virus. It is spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. The Chikungunya virus was found for the first time in the Americas on islands in the Caribbean in late 2013. The virus was imported by infected travellers into new areas such as Thailand. Currently there is no vaccine for prevention or medication to treat a Chikungunya virus infection.

August 26th: Health officials in Thailand reported an additional 508 Chikungunya cases in the past week, bringing the total cases through August 24th to 7'396 from 69 provinces.

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40°C, cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. Small white spots may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms. A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms. Measles is an airborne disease which spreads easily from one person to the next through the coughs and sneezes of infected people. No specific treatment is available but the measles vaccine is effective at preventing the disease and is exceptionally safe. Through May 2nd, Thailand has seen 765 measles cases in 55 provinces. Narathiwat, Chiang Rai, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phuket and Chiang Mai have been hardest hit by the measles.

• Wash your hands with a good soap.
  Hands are one of the most common ways that a virus spreads from one person to the next.
  Most viruses and some bacteria have lipid membranes that resemble double-layered micelles. These membranes are studded with important proteins that allow viruses to infect cells and perform vital tasks that keep bacteria alive.
  These lipid (fatty) bilayer are the weakest link of a virus.
  When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. Soap dissolves the fat membrane and the virus falls apart.
• The coronavirus is spread from person to person when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes. So people in close contact are at high risk.
  The influenza virus is spread in a similar way. A study shows when healthcare workers are within 1.8 metres of patients with influenza, their risk of being infected is increased.
  We therefore recommend to stay away from mass gatherings and to keep a distance of 2 meters to other people.
  Nowadays this behaviour is called social distancing and is a tool to slow down the spread of a disease that is passed on from person to person.
• There have been reported outbreaks of COVID-19 in some closed settings, such as restaurants, nightclubs, places of worship or places of work where people may be shouting, talking, or singing.
  In these outbreaks, aerosol transmission, particularly in these indoor locations where there are crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected persons spend long periods of time with others, cannot be ruled out.
  Aerosols are very small droplets that can contain the COVID-19 virus and are able to stay suspended in the air for longer periods of time.
• A virus can not enter your body throught the skin. The virus get into your body through your eyes, nose or throat.
  Therefore it is important to protect your eyes, nose and mouth, at least if you are one of those people who likes to touch the face with the hands.
  Keep in mind, that the average person touches the face 23 times per hour.
• Avoid the polite but unsanitary greeting by shaking hands.
  Rather nod your head or use the WAI that is common in Thailand.
• Do not kiss your partner or any other people
• Refrain from sex or use a condom!
• Wear a face mask and/or a face shield
• Stay at home - and wait for better times!

On April 5th, 2012 then Navy chief Surasak Rounroengrom had to confirmed that the 7.7 billion Baht proposed project to buy six second-hand U206A submarines from Germany had come to an end. Then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told the navy that there are other ways to protect the national interest at sea. But Vice Admiral Thaweewut Pongpipat, 2012 the deputy commander-in-chief of the navy, said that it's time for those with authority to pay serious attention to modernising the Thai navy to protect our seas. If we have no navy protection looking after our national interest, Thailand will inevitably be damaged. Therefore, the navy has never buried its dream of an own submarine fleet and has secretly built a training center for submarines after 2012. Nevertheless, the navy's submarine plan had been stalled by elected governments until the military took control of the country in 2014. The project was then dusted off and eventually passed in a non-transparent way. According to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Thailand's Dictator und PM Prayut Chan-o-cha signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Chinese defence minister during his visite in China to buy three submarines for the price of two from China for 22.5 billion Baht. The purchase of the submarines is highly controversial, which is probably why the navy felt compelled to use a trick: On August 23rd Thailand’s Deputy Premier Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon, the man of 'borrowed' luxury watches, told the press during a briefing to wait for a press conference of the navy on August 24th afternoon. During that press briefing Vice Adm. Prachachart Sirisawat told the press that most Thais are cheering on the purchase of two submarines. He was citing a poll conducted by The Nation, a news agency often associated with the pro-establishment camp. But the cited poll was far from scientific. The viewers voted via a 3-Baht SMS during the Nation TV news on Monday. According to that Nation TV poll, 74 percent of the respondents agreed that the navy should immediately buy the submarines, 19 voted for buying them later, and 7 percent said the navy shouldn’t buy them at all. Apparently Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon knew in advance what positive news the Navy was going to release at its press conference ... Khaosod English: Thailand’s government has decided to delay the purchase of two submarines from China Bangkok Post: The government has decided to temporarily back off from the controversial purchase of two submarines worth 22.5 billion baht from China Bangkok Post: Navy torpedoes sub claims A MUST READ:
Khaosod English: Navy Defies Cabinet, Asks China to Sign Submarine Deal.

During the last protest rally organized by students, people at the protest sites were able to discover jamming devices. At first the police denied having jamming devices at all, but when a memo was leaked to the media, the police had to confirm that they had used jamming devices at the recent anti-government rallies in Bangkok. The leaked police memo indicates that three vehicles with electronic countermeasures will be sent to the Democracy Monument on Sunday, August 23rd. Deputy metro police commander Somprasong Yenthuam, who signed the order, confirmed the letter was genuine, but said the equipment was not there to disrupt mobile phone signals as alleged by some protesters. We've no intention of infringing the protesters' rights, he said. Many people as well as media complained about bad cell phone signals at the rally and suspected that the authorities were involved, but there was no evidence that the police were responsible for the interference. National Broadcasting and Television Commissioner Prawit Leesatapornwongsa said the agency is investigating the signal outage and said that we're not sure what caused the problem. We can't answer inquiries about the jammers since we're not responsible for it, he added.

As student protests rage across the country, Thailand's Ministry of Culture apparently felt the need to educate students about how to behave towards the higher-ups. Stand straight, hold hands below your waist, bow slightly. Do not stand too close or too far from pooyai*, the poster published above says. If receiving orders, stand straight, with arms by your side. In other situations, stand politely and do not cause annoyance or get in others’ way. The Thai Ministry of Culture is headed by Ithiphol Kunplome, the former Mayor of Pattaya and younger brother of Sonthaya Kunplome, the current Mayor of our Sin City. As you can see for yourself, artwork and information really fit together. Both are out of date.

• Thai army plans to buy a new Gulfstream G500 aircraft for 'general use' worth 1.34 billion Baht. It will replace the current 30-year old Beechcraft 1900yf
  Bangkok Post: Army swoops for B1.34bn plane purchase
• Thai Army to buy 14 more Chinese tanks
  Bangkok Post: Army to buy 14 more Chinese tanks at cost of B2.3bn
• Thai Army procures tanks from Ukraine for 7-billion-Baht
  Bangkok Post': PM defends tank purchase
• Thailand's Navy to buy two more submarines
  Nikkei Asian Review: Thailand shelves Chinese submarine deal after public backlash
• Thai army plans to acquire eight helicopters from the US for US$400 million
  Reuters: Thai army to acquire eight U.S. light attack helicopters
• Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) orders H135 trainers from Airbus Helicopters
  FlightGlobal: Thailand picks H135 helicopters for training mission
• Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) launched its first spy satellite for 'less than 100 million Baht'
  Bangkok Post: Air force satellite Napa-1 launched
• Thailand's Ministry of Defense confiscated documents related to military spending from MPs while a House Committee was discussing the defense budget
  Khaosod English: Army Says Budget Papers Seized Because They're ‘Classified’

The Military Junta as well as the current government under Prayut Chan-o-cha's dictatorship encouraged public & amusement parks as well as hospitals to apply the two-price system to pull the money out of the pockets of foreigners.

For additional information and warnings about parks and organisations ripping off tourists please click 2pricethailand.com or Two Price Thailand on twitter.

Shortly after Ithiphol Kunplome, the younger brother of Sonthaya Kunplome, the current Mayor of Pattaya, was appointed head of this beach resort in 2008, he launched the 'Skytrain' project for Sin City and wasted millions of Baht on feasibility studies until Bangkok's Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) told him in 2011 that Pattaya's repositioning as a tourist destination has to go ahead without his dream toy, the Monorail. On June 16th, 2016, the governorship of Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome hopefully ended. On August 25th, 2017, Pattaya Mail reported that the Military Junta's very own Pattaya City Council called many of the projects initiated by Pattaya's former Mayor Ithiphol Kunplome wasteful... To get the opportunity to waste even more money, Itthiphol's successors at Pattaya City Hall proposed an eight-kilometer-long downtown tram system on September 16th, 2016, and on June 10th, 2017 a watchdog group claimed on Facebook that two tram lines are coming for sure and are set to transform Pattaya into a real World Class Resort. As we all know today, the Family Clan of the Kunplome has never lost sight of the Monorail project. On September 25th, 2018, Sonthaya Kunplome was appointed Mayor of Pattaya by Thailand's Military Junta. Immediately after taking office, he re-launched the monorail of his brother, of course with new expensive feasibility studies and with the inclusion of the meanwhile by Dictator Prayut Chan-o-cha initiated but very controversial Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway project. On July 28th, 2020, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) appeared before the media to tell the results of its own feasibility study. According to this study, the extension of the high-speed train system between the airports of Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and U-Tapao by 101 billion Baht is not worth the investment. Nevertheless, Pattaya City Hall claimed on August 21st, 2020, during a public hearing on the monorail that 80% of the residents agree with the plans to build a monorail to alleviate the resort's severe traffic and transportation problems. The monorail would meet the proposed High Speed train at the station, City Hall added. There would be around 13 stations spaced 650-700 meters apart. The Monorail would be built along Sukhumvit Road, North Road and Pattaya Second Road until it will reach Bali Hai port. The building is expected to start in 2024, City Hall claims.

There are news reports that CP Group is considering moving the Pattaya station in order to have more commercial developments around the station. The Pattaya Station, currently located in Pattaya Municipality, may have moved down to Ban Huai Khwang station, close to the Floating Market and Nong Nooch Garden where the CP Group bought about 600 rai of land. Since the area around the current Pattaya Station with about 200 rai is too small for commercial developments and the current land purchase price has risen to 10 million Baht per rai, CP Group is considering to move the station, the group announced.

In addition, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) states it has a master plan for public transportation development in Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong Province to support the development of the Eastern Special Development Zone (EEC). For public transport, OTP will initially use electric buses, EV buses, minibuses, EV minibuses and tram electric cars, which will use both exclusive and shared lanes. There are even plans to extend the routes for tourists from U-Tapao Airport to Ban Phe, Koh Samet, and for citizens of Rayong to the Taphong market. There will also be travel links between the high-speed railway stations. The plan also provides for services between U-Tapao airport and Sattahip port.