News
Closed Mae Sot zinc mine to become forest
Padaeng Industry closed its zinc mine in Mae Sot last month because of the depletion of ore reserves. Managing director Francis Vanbellen said on 27 July that PDI’s mine concluded its 32 years of sustainable operations after producing its last 140,000 tonnes of zinc-silicate ore this ...
Thailand and the obesity epidemic
Obesity has reached alarming levels in the Asean Economic Community and especially in Thailand, where 32 per cent of the population are overweight, pushing the country into second place in terms of prevalence of obesity after Malaysia at 44 per cent and ahead of Singapore ...
Thailand shores up digital economy drive
The Thai Board of Investment Seoul Office held a seminar in mid-July to promote the country’s rising digital economy and attract investors and specialists. The venue titled “Thailand: Moving forward to digital economy” gave an overview of developments in the second largest economy in Southeast ...
Thai Airways plans to resume direct flights to US next year
Thai Airways International plans to resume flights to the US west coast next year and add more destinations in China after taking a year off to achieve international safety compliance. The national carrier is also now energetically firing off marketing and sales gimmicks and clearing up ...
Bangkok admits inability to regulate new Lao dam
The Water Resources Department has admitted it is beyond the Thai government’s power to challenge the Pak Beng Dam project in Laos and the only way to review the project is through the Mekong River Commission. The National Human Rights Commission’s subcommittee on communal rights ...
NEDA and JICA sign MOU on Mekong sub-region development cooperation
The Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the development of the Mekong sub-region and promote social and economic advancement in the region and foster connectivity along the Mekong economic corridor. ...
Malaysia, Singapore team up on bullet-train project
Malaysia and Singapore signed an agreement on 18 July to build an ambitious high-speed rail link touted as a first for Southeast Asia that will knit the historically fractious neighbours more closely together. Authorities have yet to provide cost projections, but analyst estimates have been as high ...
Thailand considers buying more power from Laos
Thailand may buy 9,000 megawatts of electricity from Laos this year to ensure sufficient supply to meet rising demand, says a senior official at the Energy Ministry. That is nearly 30% higher than thethe 7,000MW Thailand currently buys annually from Laos, according to the most ...
Asia-Pacific air fares to fall
Air fares in Asia-Pacific are expected to fall by 1.1% next year against a 2.5% rise in global rates seen in the period. The most significant drops in the region are expected to take place in Japan and Singapore, by 2.8% and 5.5%, respectively, given ...
Money concerns over check on mine
The probe into the origin of toxic contamination in areas near the Akara Resources gold mine may be delayed due to financial problems and difficulty in getting all partners to accept a restoration process. Four ministries – Industry, Public Health, Natural Resources and Environment, and ...
