2 Japanese men arrested in Cambodia for allegedly killing taxi driver | Bangkok Post: news
PHNOM PENH: Two Japanese men in their 20s were arrested in Cambodia late on Sunday on suspicion of killing a taxi driver in the country's north, a local police official said. The pair arrived in Siem Reap on Saturday via Thailand. They then allegedly hired their taxi driver victim on the way back to Siem Reap before killing him and stealing his car, the official said. The incident occurred in a village in Puok district, about 18 kilometres from the town of Siem Reap. The victim lived in Siem Reap and was a father of four, according to the official.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 05:48 UTC
A squeezed hand offers glimmer of hope after New Zealand massacre | Bangkok Post: news
Zeynia Endrise said she was at home cooking on Friday when her phone rang, displaying her husband's number. She initially thought he had been in a road accident, given he walked to the Al Noor mosque every Friday for weekly prayers. But when she phoned back, a woman with a New Zealand accent answered. Abbas, from the nearby city of Gondar, came five years later, gaining permanent residency and was hoping to get citizenship soon. "I really like New Zealand, I want to stay here," Zeynia remembered her husband saying when she floated the idea.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 05:48 UTC
NZ rugby's Crusaders mull name change after massacre | Bangkok Post: news
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand: New Zealand's Canterbury Crusaders rugby team said they would consult with the Muslim community about a potential change of name after criticism following Friday's massacre at two mosques in their home city of Christchurch. "In terms of the Crusaders name, we understand the concerns that have been raised," chief executive Colin Mansbridge said in a statement. "Among others in the mix of potential names were the Plainsmen but the powers that be believed the name Crusaders reflected the crusading spirit of Canterbury rugby," the team website says. Peter Lineham, a historian at New Zealand's Massey University, said the Crusaders name should never have been chosen in the first place. "It invokes a history of genocide and because of that the name, it should never be on anybody's mind," Lineham told New Zealand's Newshub website.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 05:37 UTC
NZ pledges gun control as mosque 'gunman' sacks lawyer | Bangkok Post: news
Peters, whose New Zealand First party has previously opposed changes, said he backed the prime minister fully. "The reality is that after one pm on Friday our world changed forever, and so will our laws," he said. The role of social media has also come under the spotlight, after the gunman livestreamed his rampage on Facebook. David Tipple, the managing director of Gun City, whose online store sold Tarrant four weapons, said he felt no responsibility for the killings. Mustafa Farouk, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, told reporters he had faith in the system.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 05:37 UTC
Sacks of meth pills found in Lampang woods
The drugs were then handed over to the Police Forensic Science Centre 5 in Lampang in an effort to lift fingerprints and any other evidence that could identify the suspects, he said. However police, on alert for a crime sweep ahead of the general election on March 24 received a tip-off from an unknown Samaritan at 1pm on Sunday that some fertilizer sacks possibly containing illegal items had been left in the wooded area. Police went to investigate and found the drugs. They mounted a stake out of the area for four hours in the hope of catching a suspect but no one showed up to collect the sacks. The drugs were later moved to the police station and a formal investigation launched.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 05:34 UTC
Pathum Thani schoolgirl changes Facebook profile, shoots herself
Police said the girl, who studied at Wat Phra Si Mahathat School, was found dead in her bedroom at her house in Pathum Thani's Thanya Buri district. Police were informed of the death by the girl’s family at 2.30pm. Police said before the girl shot herself in her forehead, she changed her Facebook profile picture to a message with a black background and white lettering. The message read: “Apologising for everything. The body was sent to Thammasat University’s hospital for a post-mortem.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 05:26 UTC
Australia to probe broadcast of NZ gunman livestream | Bangkok Post: news
(AP photo)SYDNEY: Australia's media watchdog launched a formal investigation on Monday into the possible breach of rules by networks which broadcast or put online images from a livestream of the New Zealand mosque massacre. Some Australian outlets used clips or images taken from the 17-minute livestream broadcast on Facebook by alleged gunman Australian Brenton Tarrant as he mowed down worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday, killing 50 people. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said its "formal investigation" would include content from the livestream broadcast by commercial, national and subscription television. The ACMA has the authority to levy stiff fines for breaches of its broadcast rules. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged for his part that while social media companies have been willing to take action, "clearly the capability to deliver on that willingness hasn't been present."
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 05:26 UTC
Chiang Mai News: North continues to reel under smog
North continues to reel under smogBy THE NATIONBangkok airways fleet grounded as Mae Hong Son blinded by haze. SMOG CONTINUES to choke daily life in the North, where more than 400 bushfire hotspots were identified yesterday. Citing the safety risk, Bangkok Airways has cancelled its morning flights between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son until Sunday (March 24), extending the deadline from yesterday. With Mae Hong Son topping the list, Chiang Mai had 83 hotspots yesterday, Phayao 54, Tak 49, Nan 38, Chiang Rai 37, Lampang 31, Phrae 24 and Lamphum 20. Suwit and his team have taken 20 illegal migrants into custody since setting up their checkpoint, all of whom claimed to be on their way Chiang Mai to find jobs.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 05:15 UTC
Bangkokians turn out for advance voting
Of the 929,061 people registered, as many as 810,306 participated in the early election on Sunday – the first general election in eight years – despite long waits, big crowd and the heat. No district saw less than 80 per cent participation, said Bangkok’s permanent secretary on Sunday. Even Prawet District, which had the lowest turn-out rate, hit 83.26 per cent, she said. Five districts with the most people exercising their rights were Bang Kapi (52,515 or 85.53 per cent), Bang Khunthien (36,755 or 86.46 per cent), Huai Kwang (35,268 or 86.41 per cent), Ratchathewi (30,343 or 89.35 per cent) and Thawee Watthana (27,078 or 85.63 per cent). The five districts with the highest rate of participation were Bangkok Yai (92.70), Samphanthawong (91.86), Phayathai (91.62), Pathumwan (90.89) and Bang Kho Laem (90.80).
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 05:03 UTC
Hong Kong subway trains collide during signalling test | Bangkok Post: news
Mass Transit Railway (MTR) trains collide near Central station during signal system trial in Hong Kong, China March 18, 2019. MTR Corp/Handout via REUTERSHONG KONG: Two Hong Kong subway trains collided during a test run of a new signalling system, representing the latest mishap for local rail operator MTR Corp in the Asian financial hub. Hong Kong’s subway, often lauded as being among Asia’s best, carries millions of passengers on weekdays. Service on the Tsuen Wan line between Admiralty and Central, where Hong Kong’s main business districts are located, is suspended on Monday. The collision is suspected to be related to a temporary malfunction of a security system, Lau said on Monday.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 04:52 UTC
All-girls international school comes to Bangkok
NLCS Bangkok will become the first all-girls international school in Thailand and will join the growing family of NLCS schools in Dubai, Jeju (Korea) and London, Michael Burke, NLCS Director of Education (International Projects) said on Monday. NLCS was the first academic girls’ school in the UK. Founded in 1850 by Frances Mary Buss, a pioneer of women’s education, NLCS became the model for girls’ schools throughout the country. NLCS Bangkok campus will be spread over 30,000 square metres and boast state-of-the-art facilities. It aims to recruit the best subject specialist teachers from the UK and international schools worldwide.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 04:41 UTC
Subway first step in easing Jakarta's carmageddon | Bangkok Post: business
People ride on a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train during a trial run in Jakarta, Indonesia on Feb 21, 2019. JAKARTA: Commuting in Indonesia's gridlocked capital will for some involve less frustration, sweat and fumes when its first subway line opens later this month. The line is the latest in infrastructure improvements nationwide that officials hope will help this giant but laggard nation catch up with its neighbours. A $2.4 billion elevated rail network is also taking shape, linking Jakarta to its satellite cities, with the first stage expected to begin operating in April. Congestion in Jakarta has relentlessly worsened in the past decade as car ownership rose, squeezing more and more vehicles into an unchanging road network.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 18, 2019 04:41 UTC
Thailand-China launch Mekong skills project
It marks the third anniversary of cooperation among six countries in the Mekong basin. Two memorandums of understanding will be signed at a ceremony today at the Foreign Ministry. The two countries will celebrate the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Week from today. Established in 2016, the MLC comprises the six Mekong riparian states: China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The MLC conducted nearly 30 infrastructure and industrial projects, put in place around 100 small and medium cooperation programmes, and made important contributions to economic and social development along the river, he said.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 04:38 UTC
High enthusiasm marks voting
A HUGE NUMBER of voters yesterday turned out to exercise their rights at advance voting polling stations across the country. The Election Commission (EC) yesterday estimated at least 75 per cent of the voters who had registered for advance voting turned up to cast their ballots. EC deputy secretary-general Nat Laosisawakul said the agency was satisfied with the overall conduct of voting yesterday, although it admitted there had been errors in ballots in some areas. The ballots cast yesterday would be kept at the Thailand Post Office in Bangkok’s Laksi district, not far from the EC office, he said. After much confusion, the Constitutional Court then ruled that the voting was legally invalid.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 04:30 UTC
Just like heaven (with a chill factor)
The interior of the Tatra Ice TempleAlthough it has not been consecrated, another visitor, Zlatica Janakova from southern Slovakia, says it feels like a real church. The building material, namely 1,880 ice blocks weighing a total of 225 tonnes, was imported from neighbouring Poland. A tourist visits a Tatra Ice Temple in Hrebienok, a mountain resort in eastern Slovakia. Open annually from November until late April, the ice temple is also becoming a hotspot for destination weddings. She is also convinced that ice temple weddings lead to long, lucky unions.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
March 18, 2019 04:30 UTC