SATURDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes

Welcome to Saturday. The forecast promises a 100% chance of rain but we’re sure there will be plenty of sunny breaks. Here’s this morning’s briefing..

Deputy PM apologises

Two senior military officers have been transferred out of the Thai Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in the wake of a scandal surrounding the death of an 18 year old cadet on October 17. The cadet’s family suspects he died from injuries sustained in a punishment he was given at the school and that he did not die from natural causes. The family maintains that he almost died in August after he was punished by senior students at the School. They say there are firm grounds to suspect foul play in his death.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has apologised to Tunyakan family for his remarks about the controversial death of Pakapong, an 18 year old first-year student of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.

Gen Prawit says he has instructed the School’s Supreme Commander to ensure justice for the family in a straightforward and transparent manner without simply siding with the military.

In an interview to the media on Wednesday General Prawit said “…disciplinary punishment is normal in the pre-cadet school. I have also gone through it. I fell unconscious, but did not die.”

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha also expressed regrets to the Tunyakan family yesterday. He apologised to all concerned if his Deputy’s comments had made people feel uncomfortable.

Srisuwan Janya, who chairs the Thai Constitution Protection Organisation Association, questioned why AFAPS allowed senior cadets to punish juniors.

14 die in another van crash

Thirteen Burmese workers and a Thai driver have been killed after a chartered van burst into flames when it crashed into the rear of a truck in Sing Buri early yesterday.

The bus was taking the workers from Tak back to Mahachai. So far, only the 46 year old Thai driver has been identified. Police suspect he fell asleep behind the wheel, causing the collision. An initial forensic police inspection found no trace of braking at the scene.

The two year old van was one of three in a convoy chartered to take documented migrants to renew their visas at the border checkpoint in Tak’s Mae Sot district. They had stayed overnight in Mae Sot and were returning to Mahachai.

Patong businesses using the bribery scandal to request business hours extensions

The Patong Entertainment Business Association is weighing in on the local bribery scandal, insisting that the issue will never be solved unless the laws are changed – specifically changes to allow them to stay open longer.

The President of Patong Entertainment Business Association says the law should be changed and the entertainment venues should be allowed to close at 4am to undermine bribes paid by the businesses in order to extend their closing time. He claims that the core problem remains if reforms are limited to transferring police to inactive positions or to other provinces. Instead, he says, extend closing times for businesses “and increase the punishment of the government officers who solicit and accept bribes”.

PM and the Thai Cabinet head south

The Prime Minister and his cabinet will fly to Pattani in the south on Monday to be briefed about the progress of various projects. The PM says he wants to meet local people to learn about their problems and listen to their opinions. He will also meet with leaders of local communities as well as private sectors of the Southern region.

During his visit to Pattani, Prayut will chair the opening ceremony of a central livestock conference before visiting agricultural sites. The Cabinet will then travel to Songkhla to attend a working dinner on Tuesday concerning the development of the economy in the southern provinces.

Flying high with four courses

And don’t read this one if you’re afraid of heights. Featuring the world’s only suspended dinner table, 22 guests are fixed securely in German-approved safety harnesses, enjoying a four-course gourmet dinner prepared by Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and accompanied by incredible city views 50 metres above the city’s traffic. This is the Dinner In The Sky, kicking off in Bangkok on December 20.

Dinner In The Sky has operations in more than 45 countries including France, USA, Holland, Colombia, China, Macau, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Sweden, Taiwan, and Portugal. Based in KL, Dinner In The Sky ASIA chose Thailand to become the second Southeast Asian country after Malaysia started its version of sky-high dining in 2015. The flights, or the dinner, however you want to describe the experience, lasts 60 minutes.

Daily briefings compiled with sources from NationMultimedia, Phuket Gazette and VOA.