People and government
Thai PM urges middle class to save day
Upper- and middle income people need to come out and vote if they want to stop parties pitching populist policies to the poor from regaining office, says Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They should decide what they want at the polls or someone else would do that for ...
Cambodian report on Vietnam rentals implicates no officials
Senior officials at Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior have concluded a preliminary investigation into allegations that Cambodians living along the border with Vietnam have been illegally leasing land to Vietnamese farmers. About 1,000 families owning almost 7,000 hectares of land in five provinces have rented the territory out ...
Something in the water: The dark and deadly secret behind Saigon cheap coffee
A market of industrial chemicals in Ho Chi Minh City is having a new product on sale. And it has quickly become a bestseller. The black liquid, coming in big plastic cans, works magic. Just add a few drops into water and you can turn it ...
Bangkok traffic violators given 100-baht 'fine gift'
Traffic violators have been given time until 15 January to pay a flat-rate fine of 100 baht for all minor traffic offences committed in Bangkok as a “New Year gift” offered by the acting Metropolitan Police Bureau chief. Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn said on 22 ...
4.5 tonnes of ivory seized in huge Interpol operation
A huge international police operation has seized 4.5 tonnes of African elephant and rhino tusks in Thailand and Singapore, leading to 376 arrests, Interpol said. Keep reading ...
Budget bill proposes $3b deficit
The current government headed by President U Thein Sein has proposed a K24 trillion (US$18.4 billion) budget for the incoming government, including a K3.9 trillion deficit – more than $3 billion at current exchange rates. The draft was submitted to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on 22 ...
Freed students defiant
Still defiant, three of the four Yadanabon University students jailed in October on riot charges were released from Mandalay’s Ohbo Prison on 22 December. A fourth, Ko Naing Ye Wai, remains behind bars. Their conviction followed a demonstration in front of the university last June in ...
For migrants, the legal route brings few benefits: report
They are mired in debt bondage, their pay slips are slashed by hidden fees and fabricated taxes, and they’re forced to work excessive hours in slave-like conditions absent of breaks and without the guarantee of overtime pay. This is the lot of migrant workers who ...
Bagan schools slated for solar power
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Panasonic will provide solar-power systems to schools in the Bagan region to promote educational support aimed at sustainable development. Keep reading ...
Violent protests boil over in Bavet
Ongoing protests by striking garment workers in the Svay Rieng province town of Bavet spiralled into “anarchy” on 22 December after protesters pelted police with rocks, aggravating an already volatile situation and spurring national authorities to begin mediation efforts. Two military police were injured in the encounter, ...
