News
Myanmar will be ready to take back refugees soon, source claims
Myanmar will soon be ready to take back over 100,000 refugees from nine shelters in Thailand, as the country moves towards democracy, an informed source claimed on 20 June. Details were revealed during the launch of a “World Refugee Day” event at Ban Umpiem Mai shelter ...
Thaicom told to pay concession fee to ministry
Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong on 20 June told the Information and Communications Technology Ministry and Thaicom to seek agreement over the latter paying an annual concession fee to the ministry for the use of the Thaicom 7 and 8 satellites. Takorn Tantasith, the National Broadcasting and ...
Thaicom’s 7 and 8 satellites will be forced to become an ICT Ministry concession
Thaicom’s commercial satellites operating under the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s licensing regime will be under an Information and Communication Technology Ministry concession as well, an ICT source said. The satellites under NBTC licensing regime include Thaicom satellites 7 and 8. Any future commercial satellites to ...
Laos banks on road link with China
With its fast-growing economy, landlocked Laos is turning a once disadvantageous position into an important land transport link for ASEAN regional connectivity with southern China’s Yunnan province. The 114-kilometre Hongsa-Chiang Man Road, which will be a shortcut to Laos’ northern Luang Prabang province, will link Thailand, ...
3.5km high-speed train construction to please leaders
A Thai-Chinese high-speed train scheme has entered a strange phase where officials of the two countries agreed on 16 June to kick-start the construction of a short section, although they have not settled on the overall project. “We will build the short section in line with the ...
Strong need expected for distributed power generation
The inadequacy of transmission and distribution infrastructure and the topographical challenges in isolated islands such as those in Indonesia and the Philippines have created strong demand for distributed power generation in Southeast Asia. “Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines have been facing severe rolling blackouts due to ...
DSI looking into Buri Ram forest encroachment
The Department of Special Investigation is considering whether to take over a case of alleged encroachment involving more than 2,000 rai of a forest reserve in Satuk district planted in cash crops by investors. A team of DSI investigators went to Khok Chod national forest reserve ...
DSI pledges to push trafficking cases
With more than 1,000 human-trafficking cases pending in the courts including a large number of Myanmar victims, Thailand has promised to speed up the legal process, the Department of Special Investigation deputy chief Pol Colonel Songsak Raksaksakul said on 14 June. Songsak met on 14 June with ...
No authority to prevent new Mekong River projects: MRC
The Mekong River Commission does not have the authority to stop projects even if they have trans-boundary effects, delegates to the fourth Green Mekong Forum said on 13 June, while the Thai Irrigation Department presented a water diversion project to fight poverty. If the MRC member states – ...
Hongsa-Chiangman road to be a boon for Nan
Opportunities in the tourism business in Nan, in the eastern part of the Northern region, will be highlighted once the 114-kilometre Hongsa-Chiangman Road is completed in 2018, making it a short cut to Luang Prabang in Laos. “There will be an opportunity to do business in ...
