The 24-hour Pak Khlong Talat flower market now a ghost town

14 Sept 02:41 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's largest flower market, Pak Khlong Talat, is deserted after its May 22nd closure by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to prevent COVID-19 spread.
Vendors, including orchid growers, face severe economic hardship, resorting to online sales, with no clear reopening date provided by the BMA.
Many vendors advocate for vaccinating workers to enable a swift and safe market reopening.
City officials are conducting a census and active screening, which has identified 262 COVID-19 infections among market workers and community members since May 7th.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Today 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.