News
Seventeen laborers walk home to Cambodia after being trafficked in Thailand
Seventeen laborers from Cambodia have returned home after they were trafficked to work in Thailand’s logging industry and had their pay withheld, forcing them to walk back to the border, a rights group said on 2 September. The 17 had been lured into Thailand with promises ...
Bangkok bombing suspect arrested
The Thai government on 1 September announced that the man believed to be the prime suspect in the deadly bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan shrine had been arrested in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, though well-placed officials in both Cambodia and Thailand said that the man was actually ...
Ministry instructs employers to offer contracts
The Ministry of Labour announced on 1 September that all employees must be under an official contract. The announcement was made on the same day the country’s first minimum wage went into effect, a landmark many workers expected would result in massive layoffs as factories attempted ...
UNHCR calls for action ahead of ‘sailing season’
Just four months after crackdowns on human smuggling routes precipitated a regional crisis, the United Nations is urging countries to prepare for another wave of boats when monsoon storms lull. Each year Muslims from Rakhine State and impoverished Bangladeshis pack onto smuggling vessels and undertake arduous, ...
Farmers wait for help to start replanting after floods
Pwinbyu farmers say they are still waiting for the government’s pledged assistance to resuscitate fields that were decimated by floods in July and August. About 35 percent of the fields have been damaged and will not be able to be replanted for some time, said U ...
Thai consumers reluctant to spend
Based on the latest report by the Commerce Ministry, consumer prices based on 450 products and services fell for an eighth straight month in August due mainly to prolonged weak consumption. The ministry on 1 September reported prices contracted by 1.19% year-on-year last month. Keep reading ...
Thai AirAsia picks Chinese cities for first U-tapao routes
Thai AirAsia has chosen the southern Chinese cities of Nanning and Nanchang for inaugural routes from its new base at U-tapao airport. The no-frills carrier will offer four flights a week from the navy-operated airport in Rayong province to Nanning and three a week to Nanchang, beginning on ...
School fee limits set for new academic year
In the wake of complaints by students’ parents about the annual increases in tuition fees, the Vientiane Education and Sports Department has set a cap on fee increases. The department has set a limit for both state and private schools in Vientiane, from kindergarten to secondary ...
Australian and Thai journalists found not guilty of defaming Thai navy
An Australian editor and his Thai reporter colleague were found not guilty on 1 September of criminal defamation for reporting on the alleged involvement of Thai naval officers in the trafficking of Burmese Rohingya refugees. “We’re delighted. It’s such a wonderful day for media freedom and Thai ...
Don Sahong dam gets official approval
The Lao parliament has approved the concession agreement for the controversial Don Sahong hydropower dam and expects to begin construction before the end of the year, according to an official in Vientiane. Keep reading ...
