News
Migrant domestic workers 'need jabs'
Labour rights advocates have urged the authorities to vaccinate migrant domestic helpers to protect households against Covid-19. Adisorn Kerdmongkol, a member of the Migrant Network Group (MNG), told an online discussion organised by the House committee on labour on Monday that more than 100,000 migrant workers are ...
PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN
Thailand’s State Enterprises invest over 100 billion bahtin energy infrastructure projects
The State Enterprise Policy Office reports that state enterprises have invested more than 100 billion baht in energy infrastructure projects, under the government’s economic stimulus policy, in the first half of the year. Deputy government spokeswoman RachadaDhanadirek said most of the investment has gone into large projects by PTT Plc ...
Pattaya Mail
Covid blame game spreads like a virus in Thailand
When Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met with Pfizer company representatives in Bangkok in late 2020, the businessman-cum-politician declined to place a Covid-19 vaccine order because in his words the shot was not yet proven effective on “yellow-skinned people”, according to government sources familiar ...
SHAWN W. CRISPIN
How Mekong River is turning into a new flashpoint in Indo-Pacific
For several years, US politicians have adopted the Japanese slogan of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” calling for international law to apply over disputes in the South China Sea, where China is accused of acting aggressively. Earlier this month, during the East Asia Summit foreign ministers’ ...
David Hutt
Crumbling under mountains of waste
Infectious waste is starting to pile up across the country as the Covid-19 pandemic continues — most notably in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, where the amount of waste is quickly exceeding the capacity of local incinerators. Nevertheless, the Department of Health assured that it has a plan ...
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
Nectec launches data-sharing tool
The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) has unveiled a new platform tool that will support the public sector’s move to share necessary data for further use by businesses and citizens. “Nectec continues to support open technology platforms which are useful for the public. We ...
SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK
Plastic waste imports are 'unwanted'
More than 100 environmental groups have called on the government to prohibit the import of plastic waste and instead encourage the use of domestic plastic waste for recycling as a way to safeguard the environment and promote the circular economy. The network of 107 civil society ...
POST REPORTERS
COVID-19 surge hits Asia; Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia post record infections
The Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, announced record COVID-19 infections on Saturday, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease. The surge in Delta variant cases is rattling parts of Asia previously relatively successful in containing COVID-19, such ...
Reuters
China poised for Thailand’s solar move
In March, Thailand announced it will draft a master plan to reach net zero carbon emissions. Though it has not set a date for net zero, that deadline will proably be announced in November at the COP26 UN climate talks. According to energy secretary Kulit Sombasiri, talking ...
Tyler Roney
Prosecuting women traffickers: breaking the cycle of double victimisation
All populations are vulnerable to human trafficking. This is a low-risk, high-reward criminal activity for male traffickers who benefit from the vulnerabilities of women. Human trafficking is enabled by patchy policing, low levels of prosecution, and underfunded prevention. Traffickers prey upon women and girls with ...
Christina Storm, Steven Baker, Rachel Tong