Srettha promises to tackle civil servants' debt problemsPower dinner: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, is seen with former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra, centre, and Somchai Wongsawat, who is also Thaksin's brother-in-law, at Ban Green Valley in Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai province. (Pool photo)Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin vowed to address the debts of almost three million civil servants and stressed the necessity of lowering interest rates to help reduce their debt burden. Speaking after a meeting with the heads of 11 state agencies to follow up on their attempts to tackle the debts of civil servants and state employees, Mr Srettha said on Friday the efforts over the past two months were showing positive results. He said he also asked the Cooperative Promotion Department (CPD) to join the government's debt solution programme as soon as possible as many civil servants and state employees owed large sums to the cooperatives of their organisations. The prime minister said he would hold talks with the management of the Student Loan Fund (SLF) to discuss the possibility of reducing interest rates for defaulters who are charged 18% interest a year.

What Mr Chavala either fails to see or does not care about is that the law the EC is enforcing is grossly unjust, that the law violates basic human rights, and that the law is blatantly undemocratic. The root cause of his error is perhaps that Mr Chavala fails to understand what democracy is. Almost every, possibly more, arrest and imprisonment of Thais for peaceful speech fails that test. But in order to qualify as a democracy, there is a threshold of minimal requirements that must be met. Its institutions intent on eliminating Move Forward in strict accord with the law which are proving that Thailand fails to meet basic legal safeguards to be a democracy of any variety.

“Happiness depends on family,” the former prime minister told reporters before adding, in English, “Happiness is at home.”He made the comments as he and family members attended a ceremony to pay respects to his parents at a cemetery in Mae On district in Chiang Mai. Mr Srettha arrived in Chiang Mai on Friday to study ways to reduce the toxic dust pollution plaguing the North, and Thaksin was quick to offer some advice. We love Thaksin,” thousands of people chanted earlier in the day after Thaksin arrived at Waroros Market. “I am ecstatic,” said a seller of thong muan, a Thai rolled wafer, after Thaksin bought 10 packs from her. One group of supporters who did not get a chance to see Thaksin were local red-shirt activists who gathered near of Chiang Mai University.

Frigate shot by another navy shipHTMS Khirirat is damaged by an ammunition of HTMS Chonburi at Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri on Thursday. (Photo: Wassana Nanuam)A gun shot from HTMS Chonburi accidentally hit HTMS Khirirat on Thursday, causing a fire and injuring 13 soldiers. Both Thai navy vessels were anchored at Laem Thian Pier, Sattahip Naval Base, in Chon Buri province. The incident took place at 11.50am when the naval gun shot discharged from the front gun of HTMS Chonburi hit the rear section of HTMS Khirirat. The Royal Thai Navy said 13 soldiers were injured, 10 of them in serious condition.

Super Energy looks for renewable power partnersThe Sinergy Ninh Thuan 1 solar farm, operated by Super Energy in Vietnam. SET-listed Super Energy Corporation, one of Thailand's largest operators of solar farms, is restructuring its business and forming new partnerships to expand its renewable power plants throughout Southeast Asia. The company aims to seek new partners in all renewable energy segments under its expansion plan, he said. Super Energy plans to use the money to support its renewable energy development projects. The projects, which are in the small power producer category and under private power purchase contracts, include solar and wind farms as well as waste-to-energy power plants in Thailand and Vietnam.

Recovery operations were underway on Wednesday (March 13) after a suspected gas leak caused a blast in China’s northern Hebei province earlier in the day, killing at least two people and injuring more than two dozen, according to state media and authorities.

At least 13 injured in ammunition incidentHTMS Khirirat is damaged by an ammunition of HTMS Chonburi at Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri on Thursday. (Photo: Wassana Nanuam)A gun shot from HTMS Chonburi accidentally struck HTMS Khirirat on Thursday, causing a fire and injuring 13 soldiers. Both Thai navy vessels were anchored at Laem Thian Pier, Sattahip Naval Base, in Chon Buri province. The incident took place at 11.50am when the naval gun shot discharged from the front gun of HTMS Chonburi hit the rear section of HTMS Khirirat. HTMS Chonburi

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra meets supporters in Chiang Mai on Thursday. (Photo: Panumet Tanraksa)The sight of a seemingly healthy Thaksin Shinawatra touring Chiang Mai has increased public scepticism about whether he was ever as ill as the government claimed, says an opposition MP. “Then days afterwards Thaksin was able to leave hospital and days after returning home he is able to travel to Chiang Mai,” Mr Rangsiman said on Thursday. … If Thaksin was not ill, I think that … the government will then be held responsible,” he said. Thaksin, 74, was discharged from Police General Hospital on the morning of Feb 18.

Adults-only website OnlyFans has made aspiring porn stars rich and celebrities richer. But a Reuters investigation found a darker side. More than 120 people have complained to U.S. police agencies that they were featured in the site’s sexually explicit content without their consent, including a woman who says a video of her brutal rape was sold on OnlyFans. Linda So's report contains graphic language, details and images which some viewers may find distressing.

The province of Ayutthaya celebrated the annual National Elephant Day at the Elephant Royal Kraal Village on Wednesday (March 13). A merit-making and food-offering ceremony was held to honour these majestic creatures, which are a source of national pride and part of Thailand's cultural and historical identity.

Unsold Thai satellite orbit rights at risk of cancellationSatellite dishes at Thaicom's headquarters in Pathum Thani. (File photo)Thailand's right to use the satellite orbit at 50.5° East is at risk of being cancelled after the right expires in 2025, as it has long been vacant. According to an NBTC source who requested anonymity, Thailand's right to use the 50.5° E orbit slot will end next year after a certain extension period offered by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The NBTC board and management are drafting a new plan to award the unsold slots, aiming to prevent the slots being cancelled by the ITU. The source said the NBTC board is most likely to choose the auction method for the slot rights, requiring a low reserve price for winning bidders.

'Sukhothai' salvage operation ends, memorial plannedA team takes a photo with some of the items retrieved from the sunken HTMS 'Sukhothai'. The 19-day salvage operation between the Thai and US navies drew to a close on Tuesday. The salvage operation by the US Navy's Ocean Valor kicked off on Feb 22 as part of the US Navy's Cobra Gold joint military exercise. During the salvage operation, the navy established an Operation Centre at the Port Office. Four missions were conducted during the salvage operation, including finding the remains of five crew members, investigating the ship's mechanics, disarming weapons, and retrieving sentimental items.

Introducing the heritage of Thai gold jewellery with Tongthanim, a venture dedicated to preserving and revitalising its distinctive artistry and showcasing the skills of Thai artisans.

Thaksin Shinawatra is surrounded by supporters during a visit to Chiang Mai on Aug 14, 2006, just two months before his government was overthrown in a military coup. Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong said on Tuesday that the head of the Probation Department, Ruangsak Suwaree, had informed him about the former prime minister’s request to visit Chiang Mai from Thursday to Saturday. Some expressed a wish to travel to Chiang Mai to greet the party founder but Wisut Chainarun, the government whip in Parliament, put the brakes on that idea. The trip to Chiang Mai will be Thaksin’s first in 17 years. Worachai Hema, a red-shirt leader and adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said last week that red-shirt supporters in Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces remain loyal to and respect Thaksin.

An American man was sentenced to life in prison by a German court on Monday (March 11) for the rape and murder of a tourist and the attempted murder of her friend, both from the U.S., in a brutal attack near the country's most famous tourist destination.