THE WEEK AHEAD
MONDAY
New Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat will tell a lunchtime crowd of all the Chambers of Commerce what’s up with tourist stuff. They’ve scheduled two hours for it at the Pullman Bangkok Hotel G.
The original We Walk 8 of the People Go Network are supposed to check in with prosecutors and probably get charged with illegal political protest — never mind that the courts (plural) said their walk to Khon Kaen was as legal as breathing. The 37th session of the broken UN Human Rights Council begins tonight. Thailand isn’t in the spotlight but could be called to account.
Mobile World Congress begins in Barcelona tonight. Phones, tablets and assorted ancillary gear will be shown, some of which you will lust for, immediately or pretty soon.
TUESDAY
Today is the last flight to Tiruchirappalli. Thai AirAsia will end a five-month effort to get a thriving service between Bangkok and the South India city usually called Tiruchi, but it didn’t work. Thailand’s biggest hypermarket operator Tesco Lotus gets a new chief executive today. John Christie has already claimed the company “remains committed to Thailand”. The company will launch an IPO at the Stock Market of Thailand on Friday, and expects you to pay 9.65-10.40 baht per share.
The US Supreme Court will hear arguments tonight by the US government and Microsoft over whether Microsoft has to hand over your email to US authorities when it’s stored, say, in Singapore or Ireland. The decision, later this year, will affect any email you have in Outlook, any documents in Onedrive, etc, etc, etc.
WEDNESDAY
Bourbon Street restaurant Ekamai is the somewhat unlikely venue for a dinnertime buffet presentation and yak-yak by US author-tax expert and witty speaker Laurence E “Larry” Lipsher.
Today is the last day you can get a visa on arrival for 1,000 baht to enter the country. After midnight, the price goes back to 2,000 baht. The point of the bargain was to attract Chinese for the New Year but there’s no way to measure whether such tokens mean anything.
It’s also the last day to apply for your welfare card.
Asean economic ministers start a twoday retreat in Singapore, starting today.
THURSDAY
Starting today, you cannot get a driver’s licence if you have elephantiasis, tuberculosis, leprosy or addictions to alcohol or drugs. And you must get a letter from an approved doctor saying you don’t have Any of the Above.
Samphan Lertnuwat, who was the PM’s Office minister in the Chavalit Yongchaiyudh administration in 1997, will register his Citizen Power Party — Palang Pollamuang. Its loyalty will be for sale … OK, bad choice of words, but you get the drift. It will have 30 ex-MPs, and be loyal to whomever has goodies, except for Pheu Thai. English translation: It will back Prayut for Premier (Unelected). The draw will be held today in Prague for the upcoming 2018 Men’s World Floorball Championships. Thailand is in Pot 4 for low-ranking teams, along with Japan, Singapore and Poland.
FRIDAY
For the third time, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has declared today the final deadline for the Watchman to submit an explanation of where the million dollars worth of timepieces came from. If Gen Prawit laughs at them again, they promise to get very angry.
The three-day, 10th anniversary International Balloon Festival begins today at Chiang Mai’s Cowboy Army Riding Club. In the evenings, the Lanna Orchestra will perform the brand new Tiger Drum and Opera.
The red carpet rolls out in Paris tonight for the Cesars aka the French Oscars. The actual Oscars are on Monday morning.
SATURDAY
It’s the last chance to see the great La
Cage Aux Folles in Thai by the BU Theatre Company of Bangkok University at Rangsit campus. Show times are 2pm and 6pm, entry is free, details at www.butheatrecompany.com.
The ninth annual Bangkok Chefs Charity dinner will feature 20 chefs from five-star hotels and Thai Airways International preparing a 10-course meal … excuse us, feast at the Mandarin Oriental. One chair at a 10-chair table is 12,500 baht, and other details are available from bcc@ gourmet-one.com.
Premier League matches feature Spurs vs Huddersfield at 10pm, followed by the Liverpool-Newcastle match. Man City host Chelsea in game of the week tomorrow night at 11.
US President Trump will attend the media’s Gridiron Club dinner tonight for his first formal press dinner since taking office, which could be worth stocking extra popcorn for before watching.