News
Northern double-track railway to Mekong to open 2023
Construction of the 323km double-track railway from Den Chai in Phrae to Chiang Khong on the Mekong River border will be accelerated so it can enter service two years earlier, the transport minister announced on Thursday. Keep reading ...
Thailand scraps new economic zones and plans regional linkups
The Thai government is revamping its special economic zone strategy and pushing for links with those in neighboring countries, hoping to improve access within the region and secure tariff-free entrance for its goods into the European Union. Keep reading ...
Thailand prepares evacuation in northern provinces as Mekong water level rises
The Thai government has instructed the governors of all northern provinces to prepare to evacuate residents as water level in the Mekong River continues to rise. Before noon on Tuesday (July 31), the Mekong River has burst its banks, allowing water to flow into riverside ...
Solar Lessons for ASEAN from Thailand's Feed-in Tariff Success
Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are innocuous yet powerful financial tools that enable countries to rapidly build solar or other renewables when supply chains have not had time to develop. While it is true that globally the cost of solar and wind continues to decline, large discrepancies ...
Reckoning With Human Rights Violations in Thailand's Extraterritorial Investments
The intensive growth of Thai investments in ASEAN countries in recent years has demonstrated significant potential opportunities to expand markets and provide access to transboundary supply chains, raw materials, as well as the natural resources of the neighboring countries. []A pattern of links between malpractice of ...
Thousands of illegal migrant workers deported from Thailand
Poipet city, Banteay Meanchey province – The sound of vehicles and crowds were deafening across this bustling border town near the Poipet International Border Checkpoint yesterday. As a truck loaded with 40 people came to a stop at a migrant worker holding centre in the city, ...
Number of smokers in Thailand down to 10.7 million
A recent tobacco consumption study by the Ministry of Public Health, shows that the number of smokers in Thailand has decreased to 10.7 million, while around 100,000 deaths per year are attributed to coronary heart disease and stroke. Keep reading ...
Business can join trafficking fight
The recent upgrading of Thailand’s status to Tier 2 of the US Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) is a positive development that will be welcome by many. While Thailand has yet to fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the report recognises the ...
Experts from Thailand, China clash over the damming of Mekong
Chinese experts who insist that hydropower projects on the Mekong River will benefit all stakeholders met opposition yesterday when a Thai academic argued that locals lose more than they gain since dams impact heavily on every aspect of their lives. Keep reading ...
Fears for 'stateless' Myanmar workers in Thailand as deadline looms
Thousands of Muslim migrant workers from Myanmar risk being fined and deported from Thailand after June 30, under a new law that campaigners say may increase abuse and trafficking. Under Thai regulations issued last year, migrant workers have until Saturday to register, using a Certificate ...