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Happyman

Friday, July 10, 2009

Phuket internet cafes to be off line for two weeks

PHUKET CITY: Internet cafes throughout Thailand will be closed for two weeks following the death of a Phuket university student last week.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai has announced plans to close tutorial schools and Internet cafes nationwide in a bid to prevent the spread of the A(H1N1) virus that causes swine flu.

Schools and internet cafes will be asked to spend the two weeks thoroughly cleaning their computers to prevent them from becoming sources of infection.

The venues, which are usually crowded with young people, must close on Monday July 13 and remain closed until July 28.

Mr Witthaya and senior ministry officials at the Government House met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to discuss the pandemic.

Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi announced 290 more new cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza on Tuesday, bringing the official total of cases in Thailand past the 2,700 mark.

The vast majority have already been cured, but around 110 patients were still in hospital as of Tuesday.

There have also been 14 confirmed deaths from the disease, including the one case in Phuket.

For local reaction to the closure order, read the hard copy edition of the Gazette that hits newsstands on Saturday. Print this story | Send it to a friend Phuket, Thailand Send Letter to Gazette Editor 10:33 local time

BobR

Apparently this virus is supposed to know the difference between an internet cafe and a restaurant, or bowling alley or bar? Some of the things I read here are so incredibly stupid it's hard to believe. It would be funny if they were not blindly and arbitrarily screwing with innocent peoples livelihoods. Stupid people should never be in positions of authority.

Happyman

With the best will in the world it should be possible to clean and disinfect an internet cafe in a couple of days .
But two weeks ???

Is it a coincidence that this period coincides with the ASEAN meeting on Phuket and could it be a covert security measure to prevent potential protesters from co-ordinating their efforts from anonymous computers

I wonder !

helge

Don't. I think you nailed this one

BobR

Agreed; you've already said all that needs to be said.

melvbot

Nigerian scammers throughout Thailand will be crying their eyes out.

baldrick

ok , now tie the tutorial schools into this ?

I think you will find this is just the standard outbreak of stupidity to look like they are doing something

mordred

My girl works at a bank and each morning her manager goes around with one of those forehead thermometers to check employee temperatures, yet according to him tourists are taking cold showers in Tokyo and other hubs to bypass some Thai temperature screening at airports after a SIX hour flight. Yes, tourists are trying to infiltrate Thailand and spread H1N1. Brilliant. I told her to ask her manager how his early morning temperature check was logical since most of the employees probably shower before work.

__________________
"he who thinks he knows, does not know; he who thinks he does not know, knows." Lao Tzu

baldrick

he is probably working toward a rectal check

Happyman

If the situation is as I suggested this could be all part and parcel of the operation .
The security thing would be triggered off by the fact that Computers with multiple users - if they were used in the manner that I suggest- could be identified, but the user could not be positively 'fingered'

Tutorial schools have students.
Students have - historically been active in dissent !

Nearly 20 years of cynicism and disbelief of what I am told- without digging a bit- caused by handling insurance claims from, mainly politically motivated, fraudulent attempted 'rip offs', may have coloured my judgement, but in this instance, I smell a rather large rodent !

SiLeakHunt

I'm considering setting up a consultancy specifically for that purpouse !

dirtydog

PHUKET CITY: The controversial Internal Security Act to ensure there is no disruption at the upcoming 42nd Asean Ministers Meeting is now in force, but very few locals will have noticed any difference.

Military hardware, much of it on flatbed trucks, rolled onto the island yesterday afternoon.

Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is in charge of security during the meetings, said no street demonstrations would be allowed during the meetings, which would include the 16th Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and Post Ministerial Conferences.

“Phuket must have no protests whatsoever,” he said.

“No areas will be designated for demonstrations, there will be no road blockages, and there will be no protest letters submitted.

“Not even a peaceful gathering is allowed.”

General Prawit asked prospective protest groups, including the red shirts and local and foreign non-government organizations, to comply with the regulations.

He said international standards would be applied in providing security for the leaders of the 28 countries due to attend.

The Internal Security Act will remain in force in Phuket for two weeks, until July 24.

Gen Prawit said he did not think the extra security would affect local businesses and said he was confident the meetings would run smoothly.

Deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said Cabinet had ordered relevant authorities to cooperate with officials from the Internal Security Operations Command, who are empowered to designate certain buildings or places off-limits.

Unauthorized people are not allowed to carry weapons outside their residences and the Isoc director has the power to ban the use of electronic devices in certain areas.

The Isoc chief can also impose restrictions on the use of certain roads or vehicles, the spokesman said.

Suthep Thaugsuban, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs, said local residents would be told about any restrictions.

Gatherings will not be allowed at the airport or on roads to and from the airport, or in areas around the hotels where the delegates will stay, the spokesman said.

Phuket Provincial Police have also been busy gearing up for the event.

On Wednesday morning, hundreds of policemen in full riot gear practiced their crowd control techniques outside Phuket City Police station.

The exercise involved using shields to form phalanxes to drive off protesters.

A band of volunteer motorcycle taxi drivers who acted as 'protesters' relished the opportunity to hurl plastic bottles of water and other missiles at the police.

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the dogcatcher

Just beat the shit out of the protestors in full view of the delegates and the world. For the delegates this will be like water off a ducks back as this is an Asean summit, I mean the Chinese premier actually left the G8 summit cos he didn't want to miss out on all the fun. And as for the world, well they already have a rubbish view of Thailand since the media portrayed the violence in Bangkok alot worse than it was, they will just think that this is par for the course in Thailand.
But seriously, it's time that democracy in Thailand came to the front.

Happyman

On a serious note though
I fear that the ASEAN thing will not go off without a confrontation of some sort, and it will not be all peaceful.

I for one will not be going anywhere the Laguna!

Strange isn't it - the original alternative location for the 'beanfeast' was at the Hilton Arcadia in Karon .
Why the change?
is it perchance that the Laguna complex only has one major access road ?
Hmmmmmmm !

dirtydog

My girlfriends family that came here for the Pattaya riots etc are all from Phuket, they are back in Phuket, they enjoyed their rioting etc in Pattaya, pretty sure they will enjoy it in Phuket.

Happyman

Are you coming as well ?
Beer is on me if you do !

dirtydog

I have no interest in Thai politics at all, if they all dropped dead tomorrow it would be a day too late.

Happyman

Me too !
Just the ingrained "looking for the dodgy angle" mind set - I keep forgetting I have been retired for 9 bloody years !!!

FlyFree

Thai politics is really amusing. It's a riot actually. Never been interested at all in politics till I came here.

Where else can the utterances of politicians crack you up every day. Except maybe Sarah Palin.

the dogcatcher

The British police have been accused of being ill trained and equiped whilst dealing with the protestor during the G8 in London recently.
Oh come on.....How difficult can it be to beat the crap out of a protestor, that does'nt need a residential course or a GNVQ.
The irony is that the only person to die was not involved in the protest at all, he was a newspaper vendor on his way home that died after being pushed over by a copper.