Thailand’s status unchanged in US trafficking report
Many were found to have been victims of trafficking by scam centres operating in the lawless region on the border with China. Thailand remains on Tier 2 for the third consecutive year in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report issued by the United States this week. Authorities identified more migrant labour trafficking victims, courts ordered increased amounts of restitution to victims and established 13 victim identification centres, said the report issued by the State Department. Among the recommendations the report made were proactive investigation and prosecution of officials complicit in facilitating trafficking, with significant prison terms. Authorities must protect the welfare of trafficking victims by adhering to a victim-centred principle and providing victim-friendly treatment and trauma-informed care, especially for young people, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 26, 2024 01:29 UTC
PM: Palang Pracharath not being booted out of coalition
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters at Government House on Tuesday. Palang Pracharath remains a steadfast coalition partner, Mr Srettha said on Tuesday, adding that he has no reason to avoid meeting its leader, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon. They are mostly military men who are strongly loyal to Gen Prawit, who oversaw the screening of all the Senate appointees in 2019. Deputy Prime Minister Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, in his capacity as chief adviser to the PPRP, also played down the rumoured conflict. Mr Thamanat said the party was preparing to host a dinner for the coalition parties and a date would be set soon.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 25, 2024 23:49 UTC
Cantonese traditions meet modern inspirations
Summer Palace at the Conrad Singapore Orchard first opened its doors in 1982 and has since remained one of the country’s most revered Cantonese restaurants. Under the guidance of executive Chinese chef Liu Ching Hai, Summer Palace offers a dining experience where authentic Cantonese cuisine meet modern culinary inspirations. The tea programme at Summer Palace encapsulates the traditions of Chinese tea culture where the each tea served is brewed tableside on a tea trolly. At Summer Palace, we have fish tanks in the kitchen and the fishery comes daily with fresh catch. This is where perhaps Summer Palace leads the pack, as to most diners this would be akin to coming home.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 25, 2024 21:06 UTC
Ukraine starts EU membership talks
Flags of European Union member states fly in front of the Konrad Adenauer building of the European Parliament in Luxembourg. The EU on Tuesday formally opened membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. “For our nation, the European Union signifies much more than a physical space,” he said. Arduous journeyThe journey to EU membership is arduous for candidate countries, as they must reform to meet EU standards on a wide range of issues, from fighting corruption through regulating agriculture to harmonising customs rules. Ukraine and Moldova will have to navigate not just technical and legal obstacles to membership but also political hurdles.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 25, 2024 16:40 UTC
Royal Thai Air Force procurement under scrutiny
A lawmaker with the opposition Thai Sang Thai Party (TST) warned a House committee against approving the Royal Thai Air Force's (RTAF) plan to procure digital transceivers, saying the price quoted in the proposal is more than double the item's market price. Mr Chatchawan said the model in question can be found online for just 367,500 baht per unit, which means 40 units should only cost about 14.7 million baht. He said the price can go even lower if the RTAF decides to buy in bulk. "According to the information I've received and verified, if the RTAF's purchase plan is approved, the country stands to lose at least 23.55 million baht. He said the public is barred from accessing information on the land due to national security and military confidentiality reasons.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 25, 2024 12:03 UTC
STT GDC ready for AI-enabled data centre
STT GDC Thailand has announced its readiness for an artificial intelligence-enabled data centre to support demand for growing AI usage. STT GDC in Singapore reported its data centres across Southeast Asia have AI readiness. Mr Supparat said by becoming an AI-ready data centre, it requires additional power consumption of 15-20MW, compared to a regular cloud-based data centre's average power consumption of 5-10MW. By year-end, total data centre capacity in Thailand should reach 357.45 MW before exceeding 400MW at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, global cloud data centre provider Google Cloud plans to expand its partnership with Gulf Energy Development Plc on cloud capability, with an agreement scheduled to be signed on Thursday.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 25, 2024 07:28 UTC
Big-biker dies in flames after hitting bus
Big-biker dies in flames after hitting busThe crash scene on Highway 36 in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri on Sunday night. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)A motorcyclist died when his big bike hit a bus making a U-turn and caught fire in Bang Lamung district, near Pattaya, on Sunday night. He was unable to avoid hitting the bus as it began making a U-turn, crossing in front of him. The bus driver said his vehicle was big, so he had to make the U-turn from the left lane. The motorcyclist was travelling in the right lane and had tried unsuccessfully to swerve into the left lane to avoid the collision.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 24, 2024 15:32 UTC
India buys record amount of sunoil amid Ukraine-Russia price war
India buys record amount of sunoil amid Ukraine-Russia price warFILE PHOTO: A sunflower is seen in a field, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a frontline in the village of Velykomykhailivka in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine on Aug 15, 2023. Higher sunflower oil purchases by the world's biggest importer of vegetable oils will help to reduce sunflower oil inventories in the Black Sea region and lift sunoil prices. India on an average bought 250,000 tons of sunflower oil every month in the last marketing year, mostly from Black Sea region. In January 2023, India had imported a record 461,458 tons of sunflower oil. India buys palm oil mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, while it imports soyoil from Argentina, Brazil, and United States.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 24, 2024 14:30 UTC
Thailand to issue 20 billion THB in sustainable bond sales
Thailand’s Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) is set to issue 20 billion THB (540 million USD) in sustainable bonds to institutional investors this year. Thailand’s Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) is set to issue 20 billion THB (540 million USD) in sustainable bonds to institutional investors this year. Sustainable bonds are a subset of ESG bonds, and the PDMO currently has 467 billion THB in outstanding ESG bonds, accounting for 5.6% of its total bond portfolio. Jindarat confirmed that the PDMO aims to issue ESG bonds annually to establish a benchmark for this type of financial instrument. The Thai Bond Market Association classifies ESG bonds into four categories: green bonds, social bonds, sustainability bonds, and sustainability-linked bonds./.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 24, 2024 13:55 UTC
Key suspect in Stark fraud arrives in Bangkok after Dubai deportation
Key suspect in Stark fraud arrives in Bangkok after Dubai deportationChanin Yensudchai, the former CEO of scandal-hit Stark Corp, is being questioned by the Department of Special Investigation after he arrived back in Thailand on Sunday. (TV screen capture)Chanin Yensudchai, one of the key suspects in the Stark Corporation embezzlement scandal, arrived in Bangkok on Sunday after he was deported from Dubai. United Arab Emirates authorities handed over Mr Chanin to their Thai counterparts in Dubai on Saturday to bring him back to Thailand. The five companies were Stark and its subsidiaries: Phelps Dodge International (Thailand), Thai Cable International, Adisorn Songkhla Co and Asia Pacific Drilling Engineering. The accounting and embezzlement scandal at SET-listed Stark was one of the country’s largest corporate frauds in recent years.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2024 10:36 UTC
Billboard comparing Trump to Fidel Castro sparks debate
A billboard featuring Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Fidel Castro has generated significant debate in Miami, Florida. Installed by Mad Dog PAC, the Spanish-language billboard is part of a campaign targeting battleground states to raise concerns about potential dictatorship.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 23, 2024 09:47 UTC
Hemp's potential goes up in smoke
Hemp's potential goes up in smokeSince the legalisation of marijuana, or ganja, in 2022, the total lack of regulatory control has sparked a public outcry, prompting the Srettha administration to criminalise ganja again. In Thailand, hemp has long been used in the traditional textiles of the Hmong highlanders, both for their cultural rites from birth to death and for the markets. Yet the Public Health Ministry wants to include the non-psychoactive hemp in the narcotics list along with ganja. Following his directive on May 8, 2024, the Public Health Ministry issued a new regulation that will come into effect on Jan 1, 2025. Since hemp is not a drug, any law concerning narcotics should not include hemp at all, they insist.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2024 23:10 UTC
Namibian court overturns anti-gay laws
(Photo: Reuters)WINDHOEK, Namibia - The High Court in Namibia has declared two colonial-era laws that criminalised same-sex acts between men unconstitutional, in a landmark win for the LGBTQ community in the southern African country. The case was brought by Namibian activist Friedel Dausab with the support of the British-based non-governmental organisation Human Dignity Trust. John Nakuta, a law professor at the University of Namibia, said the court’s order can be appealed by the Namibian government within 21 days. Namibia inherited the laws when it gained independence from South Africa in 1990, though same-sex acts between men were initially criminalised under colonial rule. The latter measure is being challenged in court and the country’s president has yet to assent to it.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2024 19:36 UTC
Cheap imports levied VAT from July
Under the current VAT regime, in effect since 2018, only imported goods valued at more than 1,500 baht are subject to VAT collection. The Royal Gazette has announced the Finance Ministry will begin collecting value-added tax (VAT) on all imported goods, including those priced below 1,500 baht, effective from July 5. The reason for collecting VAT on imported goods priced from 1 baht to 1,500 baht is the government's policy to address unfair competition from cheap imported consumer goods, which are not subject to VAT. The measure aims to prevent an influx of cheap imported goods, particularly from China, from flooding the domestic market. Under the current VAT regime, in effect since 2018, only imported goods valued at more than 1,500 baht are subject to VAT collection.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2024 14:26 UTC
The bigger game: Israel and Saudi Arabia vs Iran
Israel has no oil, and the Palestinians have nothing worth stealing except their land. Iran and Saudi Arabia are much bigger, but they would be no more important in strategic and economic terms than Thailand and South Africa if they weren't jointly sitting on 29% of the world's oil reserves. And the US still cares about Middle Eastern oil, too, even though it no longer imports much itself. America's major ally in the Gulf for 50 years now has been Saudi Arabia. It was the "Abraham accords", which would effectively tie Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States together in an anti-Iranian alliance -- and entirely ignore the Palestinians.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 22, 2024 10:40 UTC