Friday’s News-July 14 -

Move Forward Party’s Thai PM Candidate Pita Fails First Round of Voting/
Thailand is facing a deep political crisis as Pita loses key vote/
Police Prepare For Nationwide Protests/
Hua Hin Heroes Foundation to help those in need/
Heavy rain forecast for most on the country from Sunday/
Comprehensive Guide for foreigners interested in studying Thai Language/
Pattaya residents urge authorities to put an end to foreign motorbike gangs/
Economy: Election delay poses risks to the economy/Consumers upbeat for 13th month/
Tourism: Tourism operators jittery over possible election protests/Thailand’s new weed laws draw tourists from across Asia/
International: Record-breaking heat bakes US, Europe, China/Europe braces for ‘Cerberus’ heatwave: Italy issues heatstroke red alerts/Rain-ravaged India grappling with floods and landslides/Hollywood actors strike, shutting down the US film, TV industry/
Links: Calendar of events/Airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/Hua Hin-Pattaya bus schedule/Air pollution index map/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport cinemas/Emergency numbers

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Move Forward Party’s Thai PM Candidate Pita Fails First Round of Voting

Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, has failed to gather sufficient votes of 375 from the joint sitting Parliament, resulting in him failing the first round of the prime ministerial vote.

Pita needed at least 375 out of 749 votes from the upper and lower houses to take the Thai prime minister office. However, the official results are that the PM-hopeful was only able to gather 324 votes, which was not half of the parliament. Moreover, only 674 parliamentarians were present at the time of voting. Continued …

Thailand is facing a deep political crisis as Pita loses key vote

Thai politics took a step further into what could be a serious political crisis on Thursday when parliament failed to elect list MP Pita Limjaroenrat as Thailand’s 30th prime minister, even after he was the only nominee before parliament supported by an eight-party coalition representing 72% of voters and 62% of seats in the House of Representatives.

In an often ill-tempered and fiery debate, opposition to Pita came from the Senate and MPs aligned with the outgoing government, which decisively lost the May 14 general election. Continued …

Police Prepare For Nationwide Protests

National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittipraphat early this morning ordered police nationwide to prepare for possible protests, with Parliament strongly guarded following prime minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat failing to get enough votes to take the helm of the government at a joint House/senate meeting yesterday.

The pro-Pita votes cast by the lawmakers yesterday only accounted for 324 votes, 13 of which came from senators, but it was 51 votes short of a minimum of 375 accounting for more than half the combined total of MPs and senators as required by law. Continued …

Hua Hin Heroes Foundation to help those in need

The Hua Hin Heroes Foundation was formally launched on Thursday. The foundation is an independent charity organization founded by a team of young Hua Hin-based entrepreneurs, with the mission to bring together ideas, people, and resources to provide assistance to those in need.

Adam Clark, president of the foundation, brings his expertise in financial services and business, while Henrik Fagersson, vice president, is an Osteopath D.O and the owner/founder of Spine Clinic. Ploy Sakdapheysiri, the co-founder of the foundation, is the owner of Wine Bubble and Berry Club & Wholesale.

The foundation’s first major initiative is expected to be one of the biggest golf charity events of the year. – HHT

Heavy rain forecast for most on the country from Sunday

Most of Thailand will see heavy rain from Sunday to next Thursday (July 16-20) due to the influence of a strong monsoon trough, the Thai Meteorological Department said in a weather warning issued today.

The department said that from Sunday onward, the strong monsoon trough will move from the north to the northeast and the upper central region of Thailand before turning into an active low-pressure cell over the upper South China Sea. Meanwhile, the rather strong southwest monsoon prevails across the Andaman Sea, the south and the Gulf. Continued …

Comprehensive Guide for foreigners interested in studying Thai Language

Thailand has a lot of charms to indulge in, but one of the appeals one cannot deny is the “Thai language”, which, in any shape or form, is so melodious and pleasing to the ear.

“Lately, we are seeing more and more people from many countries around the world become interested in learning the Thai language. With this booming interest comes the advent of many things: the digital world, the end of language barriers, easier travel, the export of goods and drama series, and various soft power trends,” said Assistant Professor Kiat Thepchuaysuk, irector of the Center for Thai as a Foreign Language (CTFL), Chulalongkorn University. Continued …

Pattaya residents urge authorities to put an end to foreign motorbike gangs

Residents of tourist city Pattaya in Chonburi province have urged police to investigate gangs of motorcycle riders in the sois off South Pattaya Road in Bang Lamung district, whose behavior at night has become a noisy nuisance.

The gangs, mostly made up of Arabian tourists aged 17 to 25, have been racing bikes at high speed in Soi VC Residence Hotel and Soi Yensabai from around midnight onward, a Pattaya resident said Thursday. Continued …

Election delay poses risks to the economy

The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) expects a prolonged delay in the selection of a prime minister and formation of a new government, leading to protests that, if violent, will significantly affect tourism revenue, causing a loss of 500 billion baht, or a one percentage point decline in GDP.

Thanavath Phonvichai, president of the UTCC, said on Thursday the vote to select the prime minister is considered a crucial indicator of Thailand’s economic recovery, citing recent business surveys by the university that reflect concerns about the prolonged formation of the government, which could delay the implementation of new economic policies for recovery. Continued …

Consumers upbeat for 13th month

Consumer confidence rose for a 13th straight month in June and posted the highest level in 40 months since March 2020, driven by a resilient tourism sector and increasing agricultural product prices. However, there is still concern about uncertainty in the political arena, said the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

The UTCC reported yesterday the consumer confidence index rose to 56.7 in June, up from 55.1 in May, 55 in April, 53.8 in March, 52.6 in February and 51.7 in January. Continued …

Tourism operators jittery over possible election protests

Tourism operators are worried about possible protests that could harm the image of the country, while hoping a government is formed as soon as possible.

Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Assn. (THA), said if there are any protests following yesterday’s vote for prime minister, they should be peaceful demonstrations the authorities monitor without violence to avoid creating negative perceptions among the international community. Continued …

Thailand’s new weed laws draw tourists from across Asia

A Japanese tourist reaches into a baggie of cannabis he’s just bought in a central Bangkok weed shop, pulling out a gram of buds to chop down in a small black grinder, before rolling them neatly into a joint.

Only the slight spillage onto the smoking lounge’s table — and his cough as he lights up and inhales deeply — betray the fact that until two weeks ago, he’d never tried marijuana. Continued …

Record-breaking heat bakes US, Europe, China

Summer has just begun in the Northern Hemisphere but a brutal heat wave is already gripping parts of Europe, China and the United States, where record temperatures expected this weekend are a stark illustration of the dangers of a warming climate. Continued …

Europe braces for ‘Cerberus’ heatwave: Italy issues heatstroke red alerts

A severe heatwave, dubbed “Cerberus” after the three-headed dog from Greek mythology, is spreading across Europe and North Africa, with possible record-breaking temperatures. Countries including Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey, are anticipated to experience temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Continued …

Rain-ravaged India grappling with floods and landslides

India is grappling with a heightened disaster situation following continuous heavy rainfall that has led to extensive flooding and landslides. The fatality count has tragically risen to at least 66, with severe damage reported across multiple states in the northern part of the country. Continued …

Hollywood actors strike, shutting down the US film, TV industry

Hollywood actors have voted to strike, joining already-striking writers in a move that shuts down the production of countless movies and TV shows. Continued …

UPDATED! Hua Hin-Suvarnabhumi bus schedule

Leaving Hua Hin: 6am, 8am, 10am, 11am, 12:00, 2pm, 4pm, 5:10pm, and 6pm
Leaving Suvarnabhumi: 7:30am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:00, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 5pm, and 6:30pm

The one-way fare is 325 baht.

The VIP bus service from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi Airport has a new Cha Am boarding location in front of Government Savings Bank.

UPDATED! Hua Hin-Pattaya bus service twice a day

Hua Hin now has once-daily bus service to Pattaya, leaving Hua Hin at 9am and departing from Pattaya at 8am. Tickets are 473 THB.

Tickets can be bought in person at the Hua Hin bus station or online. Buses depart from the Hua Hin bus station and in front of Government Savings Bank, Cha Am.. Tickets