Civil and political rights
Freedom of association
Allow labor day march, unions urge City Hall
More than 3,000 workers and union activists have asked City Hall for permission to celebrate International Workers’ Day in Phnom Penh on May 1, but officials will not confirm if the event can go ahead until after Khmer New Year. Ath Thorn, the president of the ...
First-ever Schuman Awards granted to Myanmar citizens
European Union Ambassador Roland Kobia presented Schuman Awards to U Ko Ni (posthumous), Daw Ja Nan Lahtaw and U Aung Myo Min in Yangon on April 4. The Schuman Awards – named after former French Foreign Minister and founding father of the European Union, Robert Schuman ...
Legal experts warn Article 44 remains major impediment
Unless the absolute power of Article 44 and existing National Council for Peace and Order’s orders are revoked, citizens will still face a struggle to protect the environment and their rights, legal experts say. As the new constitution came into effect yesterday, legal experts who ...
King signs new Constitution
His Majesty the King on April 6 signed the country’s new constitution – the 20th – giving it royal endorsement and setting in motion a process for the next general election, which is expected late next year. Through a court secretary, HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn proclaimed ...
Diplomats and businesses mix hope with caution on return of democracy
The International community on April 6 expressed hope that the promulgation of a new Constitution would pave the way for Thailand’s return to full democracy although some concerns remained because of restrictions on political rights and activities imposed by the junta. The private sector had mixed ...
Data science poised to boom
Big data and analytics spending in Thailand is expected to continue double-digit growth in 2017, driven by the availability of data, a new generation of technology and a cultural shift toward data-driven decision making. Teradata Thailand, the local enterprise solfware unit of US-based Teradata Corporation, expect ...
King Thibaw mausoleum planned in Mandalay
A mausoleum for Myanmar’s last monarch of the Konbaung dynasty King Thibaw is being planned at the Mandalay Palace, a descendant of the late king said. U Soe Win – King Thibaw’s great-grandson – said permission was being sought to build the mausoleum near the ...
NBTC must review decision to suspend Voice TV, say media bodies
Media associations on Tuesday called for the broadcast regulator to review its order to suspend Voice TV for seven days. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission on Monday suspended the digital channel’s licence over what was labelled repeated misconduct. In a joint statement signed by ...
UNDP presents human development report findings
Exclusion of women, people living in remote areas and ethnic groups creates chronic barriers for human development progress and leads to significant disparities within the Asia-Pacific region, leaving many behind, according to UNDP. This is one of the key findings of the Human Development Report ...
Will the environment be the Vietnam government’s downfall?
For years, Tran Thi Nga was subjected to harassment and brutalization by the Vietnamese authorities, the details of which emerged in a fresh Human Rights Watch report published earlier this year. She was finally arrested in January for using the using “the Internet to post ...