THE WEEK AHEAD
MONDAY
The 7th annual Thailand Tourism Forum, sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce, will focus all day on “megacity Bangkok” at the InterContinental Hotel.
The Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a public hearing to gather advice on how to regulate ICOs (Initial Currency Offerings) meaning cryptocurrency.
The trial resumes in suburban Kuala Lumpur today of the Vietnamese and Indonesian charged with the assassination of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In Monrovia, football hero “Mister George” Weah is to be sworn in as president, replacing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia’s first democratic change since 1944.
The Olympic warmup Four Continents figure skating championship runs from today through Thursday in Taipei.
TUESDAY
Today’s cabinet meeting is to approve (or maybe not) the regional rises in the minimum wage for 2018.
An alleged Myanmar “court” will begin the kangaroo session against two Reuters journalists charged with the nonsense offence of intending to sell Official Secrets to foreigners. English translation: They discovered army atrocities against Rohingya and intended to write stories for their employer, Reuters news agency. The World Economic Forum opens in Davos for Earth’s most self-important social climbers.
Official nominations are to be announced in Hollywood for the annual Academy Awards, which will be given to winners on March 4.
WEDNESDAY
Accused human trafficker Boonsap “Pa Kob” Amornratanasiri, 55, is to be brought to court for his first formal hearing. He was arrested and held without bail during the sensational Jan 12 raid on the Victoria’s Secret massage parlour, where 100 mostly foreign women and girls were detained.
Yet another advisory panel to the Myanmar government, led by ex-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai, is to make its first trip to Rakhine state. Some members actually believe they will learn what is going on in the cleanup operation against the Rohingya. The last panel got uppity and criticised the government of Aung San Suu Kyi and was kicked out.
The five-day, biennial Asean journalists’ conference opens today in Bangkok. The 42-year-old Confederation of Asian Journalists (CAJ) represents a region where press freedom has never been so strongly and openly threatened by government.
THURSDAY
Impact Muang Thong is where it’s all happening, today through Sunday, 10am to 8pm, if you are or support an L, G,
B, T or etc. Organisers claim Thailand LGBT Expo is the “perfect platform to present the finest products and services to the LGBT consumer” and they could be right.
The three-day Asia Digital Expo 2018 will stress “Digital Transformation”, starting today at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
An army press conference today will say “tanks a lot” to China for allowing Thailand to give them money for new VT-4 main battle tanks. Those are the tanks the Future of the Nation were scrambling around on last week at Children’s Day. Scientists are going to announce the new setting of the Doomsday Clock. Which is sort of like military people announcing a political programme.
Top women golfers including world No.6 Ariya Jutanugarn are in the Bahamas for this weekend’s Pure Silk Classic beginning this evening.
FRIDAY
The politician who used to be a soldier is representing Thailand today at Indian Republic Day ceremonies, which this year will also celebrate 25 years of official Asean-India relations.
The 10th Thailand International Jazz Conference 2018 thankfully has a lot more music than talk. It all happens at the Mahidol University College of Music, Salaya campus, for the next three days — 3,000 baht for everything, or 800 baht per evening concert.
Czechs get to vote in the second round of presidential elections today and tomorrow. No nation beginning with “T” has an election today or on the schedule. The finals of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne begin tonight with the women’s climax, followed tomorrow by the men and Sunday the doubles.
Finns also get to vote today, probably to re-elect President Sauli Niinisto.
SATURDAY
Bangkok Design Week starts today at the new TCDC — Thailand Creative & Design Center, also known as the old post office building on Charoen Krung Road. Japan Expo Thailand is billed as the biggest Japanese pop culture event in Asia. It’s on today and tomorrow at CentralWorld.
No.1 ranked Teerachai Sithmorseng (38-0-0, 28KOs) faces Martin Matthysse of Argentina (38-4-0, 35KOs) at The Forum in Inglewood, California, tomorrow morning. The winner will be WBA welterweight champion. MMA-style action is on at the one-night of octagon battering — Thai Fight Bangkok at the BMA Stadium. English football is FA Cup only for the weekend. Man United play at Yeovil Town at 3am today, and Leicester visit Peterborough United at 7.30pm. Liverpool host West Brom early Sunday at 2.45. Pro hockey’s All-Star game is tomorrow in (of course) Florida. PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW