Kobkarn explains her bomb site appearance
Play
Many people may have been surprised to see Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul in front of Siam Paragon just a few hours after the bomb blasts on February 1.
Actually, she had been attending a wedding celebration nearby. She later said she wanted to see the situation for herself and to talk with people in the area.
Until almost midnight, she walked around across from the upscale mall and found many people still hanging out, while street vendors and customers enjoyed bargaining.
“I still recall that night, when police investigated the bombing area while people on another corner felt like nothing happened,” she said.
NATION’S LUCKIEST MAN?
Paul Kajanapas, the top manager at Impact Muang Thong Thani, is proud to say he is one of luckiest people in the country, aside from running Thailand’s biggest a venue for MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) business in terms of space, number of events, and integrated services.
He also claims to be the most handsome man in the MICE sector when compared with other big venues like Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and large meeting places in luxury hotels, as most of those places are now led by females.
Last but not least, he said a lot of people in the MICE industry might have come to hate him last year when many events set for venues in the city centre were postponed or cancelled because of the political turmoil, but that chaos had little impact on Impact.
“All that is just about my luck,” he said.
COUP AGAINST PRICES
The Internal Trade Department seems to be very active in solving the high cost of living since Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha mentioned that a reporter at the Thai Army Club complained to him about the high prices of its fast-food offerings.
The department immediately sent a team of officials to inspect the restaurant, suspecting unfair trading prices.
Nevertheless, before General Prayut commented about this case, the department had already acknowledged the problem at the Thai Army Club.
After last year’s military coup, a reporter at the Commerce Ministry complained to the department about overcharging for food at the Army Club, as the restaurant charged Bt120 for a dish of rice with fried chicken and one fried egg.
At that time, the department did nothing, claiming it was the Royal Thai Army’s business and the department had no power to intervene on prices at its restaurant.
So how is it that the Internal Trade Department was able to inspect food prices at the club this time?
Contributed by Suchat Sritama and Petchanet Pratruangkrai
