News
The disease burden on the Thai-Myanmar border
IN 2019, more than 1.3 million people in Southeast Asia were infected with dengue fever. The cyclical epidemic was exacerbated by poor state health infrastructure and constraints on access, as well as climate change and the increased movement of goods and people. In this context, and ...
Laure Siegel
Dried-up Mekong forces boats to reroute
The Mekong River has almost dried up in That Phanom district, forcing boats that transport goods and passengers across the Thai-Lao border to find other routes. The provicinial harbour office reported that water in the Mekong River as it flows through the province dropped to between ...
Pattanapong Sripiachai
Thailand drops one spot in GTCI rankings
Thailand slipped one position to 67th in the 2020 Global Talent Competitive Index (GTCI) of 132 countries, weighed down by poor vocational and technical skills. The GTCI report was developed by INSEAD, one of the world’s biggest graduate business schools, in partnership with HR solutions provider ...
Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk
Hazy shade of winter
Waking up to a misty skyline resembling the mysterious town of Silent Hill, a survival horror video game, with the haze foreshadowing obscured dangers lurking in thick smog, is jarring for all Bangkok residents. The level of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 ...
Dusida Worrachaddejchai, Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk & Piyachart Maikaew
Suvarnabhumi virus screening limited
Officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport say they are awaiting more information from Chinese authorities before deciding whether to expand screening of passengers arriving from China to try to detect the new coronavirus that is causing worldwide concern. China, meanwhile, announced late Saturday that all group tours from ...
Recognition of Public Health Threats from Live Animal Markets Called for in the Wake of Human Coronavirus Outbreak
Closing live animal markets that trade in wildlife, strengthening efforts to combat trafficking of wild animals, and working to change dangerous wildlife consumption behaviours are all needed, said the leading wildlife conservation group, WCS. With the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) ...
Thailand ranks 101 in global corruption index
Thailand’s score in Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index stands at 36 out of 100 for a second year, though its ranking has dropped from 99 to 101. The country shares the ranking with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Panama, and Peru. Its corruption score rose ...
Bungling govt is losing the PM2.5 war
Almost a month since hazardous ultra-fine PM2.5 dust particles began shrouding the capital, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha finally flexed his muscles this week by pledging to ban vehicles emitting black smoke from entering the city. “If dust levels exceed 100 microgrammes per cubic metre [µg/m³], the ...
Anchalee Kongrut
Friendship bridges that are not friendly
Four ‘Friendship Bridges’ span the wide majestic Mekong River as it creates a meandering borderline between Thailand and Laos but just how friendly are these border bridges? When the first bridge opened back in 1994, spanning the river between Nong Khai in Thailand and Vientiane province ...
Don Ross
Thailand's internet censorship rates 6/10
Thailand has received a score of 6 out of 10 in internet censorship, on a par with various regional peers, according to UK-based tech research firm Comparitech. A score of 6 was given to 17 countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam, out of 150 ...
Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk