News

New rules, new debts: slavery fears rise for migrant workers in Thailand

When Leng Lyda swapped Cambodia for a fishing town in Thailand hoping to find a job in the seafood industry, he was ready for hard work. But he wasn’t prepared for the delay, or the debt. The 22-year-old landed a job as soon as he arrived ...

Matt Blomberg and Nanchanok Wongsamuth

Lao Migrants Fleeing Poverty Defy Dangers to Work in Thailand

Lao workers, many of them young and some still in their teens, have poured in growing numbers this year into neighboring Thailand, braving exploitation and unsafe work conditions in search of employment to help support families back home, sources in the Southeast Asian nation say. Many ...

‘Climate Strike Thailand’ to call for gov’t to declare emergency

The one-two gut punch of dead, adorable sea creatures may be met with calls of action, but a young Thai climate crusader worries it won’t shock society into sustained action. Nanticha “Lynn” Ocharoenchai, who is organizing Bangkok’s third Climate Strike rally next month,  said it’s high ...

Greenpeace proposes widespread collection fee to drive push against disposables

Greenpeace has proposed an indiscriminately-implemented collection fee as a means to eradicate single-use plastic bags and containers from disposal, as well as to establish an independent fund for rehabilitation of Thailand’s seas. The popular environmental group’s proposal comes on the heels of the deaths of two ...

Human Smugglers Work with Corrupt Thai Officials: UN Report

As much as 80 percent of irregular migrant workers were ferried into Thailand by smuggling services, sometimes with the help of corrupt Thai officials, a recent report by the United Nations said. In a report released at a news conference last week, the UN Office on ...

Pravit Rojanaphruk

Finance Ministry plans rejig of fuel excise tax

The Finance Ministry wants to revamp the structure of the excise tax on fuels to base it on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to protect the environment. Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana delegated the Fiscal Policy Office and the Excise ...

Wichit Chantanusornsiri

Thai animal traffickers keep getting away with crimes, and authorities ask for U.S. help

When Thailand arrested suspected animal trafficking kingpin Boonchai Bach last year, it was hailed by animal rights groups as a watershed day and a chance to unravel Hydra, the vast Vietnamese trafficking ring he was believed to be part of. One animal welfare group compared Mr. Boonchai’s capture ...

Jeff Mordock

Digital transformation starts with people, not technology

Digital transformation is the number one concern of directors and business executives globally in 2019, according to research conducted by the Enterprise Risk Management Initiative at North Carolina State University and the management consulting firm Protiviti Inc. Just a year ago, the researchers said, it ...

Arinya Talerngsri

ASEAN SMART Patrol, a hope for the region’s forests

As a park chief himself, Soeung Khemarak, the deputy director of the Oyadav National Park in Rattanakiri province, fully understands the problems faced by Cambodia’s Kulen Prum Tep Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent parks near the border with Thailand where bombs, illegal logging and poaching are ...

Changes to workplace relocation laws in Thailand

Under the old law, relocation to another existing work location of the employer, such as to another branch, would not fall within the scope of workplace relocation (Section 120 of the LPA), which requires employee consent, but would instead constitute a change in employment conditions. ...

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