Macaque monkeys climb over a man as he serves them a Thai desert outside the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok on Sunday. (AFP photos) Their table manners were shocking, but the guests of honour at a special banquet in the central town of Lopburi on Sunday loved monkeying around. Lopburi has been laying on an annual feast of fruit for its population of macaques since the late 1980s, part religious tradition and part tourist attraction. This year's Monkey Buffet Festival saw around 1,000 hungry simians descend on tables and wheelchairs piled high with fruit outside the town's 800-year-old Pra Prang Sam Yod temple. Organiser Yongyuth Kitwatananusont said the monkeys have a special taste for durian, the pungent love-it-or-hate-it tropical fruit popular across Southeast Asia. Covid restrictions meant last year's party was missing its usual crowd of spectators, but this year the humans were back in force, with …
Thailand
Singapore PM says omicron could lead to return of some curbs
People verify their vaccination statuses as they enter a mall in Singapore on Nov 18, 2021. (Reuters photo) SINGAPORE: Singapore is watching the impact of the new omicron variant “very closely” and may be forced to roll back some easing measures it had taken to open up the economy, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. “We are not sure yet, but we may be well be forced to take a few steps back before we can take more steps forward,” Lee said in a speech on Sunday at a convention by his ruling party. “But despite all this, I’m confident we will find a way to living with the virus and safely resume all the things we love to do.” Singapore has been easing border restrictions as part of a wider plan to take an endemic approach to the virus, similar to that of many other countries. Thailand will be added to Singapore's vaccinated trave lane programme from Dec 16. But with the emergence of the new variant, several governments are taking fresh cautionary measures. Israel and …
Dechapol, Sapsiree win but Ratchanok loses in Indonesia Open finals
Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (right) pose for photos in a ceremony after winning their mixed doubles title at the Indonesia Open in Bali on Sunday. (Photo: Badminton Association of Thailand) Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai claimed their third straight title but Ratchanok Intanon missed a chance to win her first crown in almost two years at the Indonesia Open in Bali on Sunday. The mixed doubles stars cruised past Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan 21-12, 21-13 in 41 minutes in the final to earn US$62,900 (2 million baht). The victory was their third consecutive title after the Indonesia Masters in Bali and Hylo Open in Germany. But Ratchanok missed her opportunity to win her first title in almost two years after losing to An Se-Young of South Korea 17-21, 20-22 in 46 minutes. The 26-year-old Ratchanok last won a tournament at the Indonesia Masters in January last year. She earned $28,900 (953,700 baht) as runner-up on …