News
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Critics believe Singapore’s new ‘foreign interference law’ will further stifle free speech
Critics of Singapore’s new foreign interference law are worrying about how the island-nation’s government may weaponise the new Bill to stifle free speech. But the Singaporean government maintains that its new Foreign Interference Countermeasures Act “is needed to prevent outside meddling in the city state’s domestic affairs”. Singapore’s strict regulatory and licensing environment, sweeping censorship and libel laws, has pushed…
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DDC reports 500,000 vaccines for students without incident
After nearly 500,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have been administered in the drive to inoculate students aged 12 to 18 years old, the Department of Disease Control reports that there have been no reports of severe side effects. The reassurance comes as fake news has been spreading through a viral LINE post claiming, among other things, that the vaccination drive is an…
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Pandemic, climate change and conflict fuel sharp rise in global hunger
World hunger was set to end by 2030 — that was a goal set by United Nations in 2015. After years of progress reducing numbers of undernourished people since 1960, reaching zero hunger by 2030 sounded like an attainable target for the international community. But now, “the fight against hunger is dangerously off track,” the latest Global Hunger Index indicates.…
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Anutin opposes limiting quarantine-free re-opening to 10 countries
It appears there’s dissension amongst the ranks once more, as Thailand’s Health Minister disagrees with restricting the PM’s proposed re-opening to just 10 countries. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand should re-open to vaccinated tourists from MORE than 10 “low risk” countries. On Monday night, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha carried out a televised address in which he…
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Pattani Covid-19 spike fills nearly all field hospital beds
In the Deep South province of Pattani, health officials are reporting that field hospital beds are about full with 4,000 patients in care as Covid-19 numbers surge in the region. The Pattani Provincial Public Health Office is racing to create community isolation treatment centres to house up to 10,000 patients as Covid-19 infections continue to mount. The region is imposing…
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Chiang Mai ready to re-open despite new cluster of infections
The governor of Chiang Mai says the province is ready for the planned November 1 re-opening to foreign tourists. Despite a new cluster of infections being detected at the large market of Talad Muang Mai, Prajon Pratsakul insists the northern province is ready to re-open. The Bangkok Post reports that 478 Covid-19 cases have been traced to the market, which…
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Covid-19 in Southern provinces prompts Songkhla checkpoints
As Thailand’s Deep South faces surges in Covid-19 infections, people crossing from the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala will face checkpoints when crossing into Songkhla. The checkpoints will stop travellers crossing the southern provincial border to do random Covid-19 screening. Pattani recorded 566 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, the most cases out of the southern provinces, and…
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Curfew reduction, easing more restrictions on CCSA agenda today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets later today to debate a further easing of restrictions ahead of the country’s planned re-opening on November 1. The Bangkok Post reports that the CCSA is set to discuss a reduction in curfew hours, as well as reducing the number of provinces in various coloured zones. Among the proposals to be discussed is the…
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Inside the EU’s offer to scrap most Northern Ireland checks
The European Union says its new proposals to solve the post-Brexit Northern Ireland conundrum go far beyond tinkering around the edges: halving customs paperwork on goods entering Northern Ireland from the British mainland and scrapping the majority of checks on food. EU officials are already in London to discuss their suggested changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, but, with big…
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AfricaLink on Air – 13 October 2021
Rwanda education sector in shock after 60,000 students fail+++Ethiopian offensive in two northern regions intensifies+++Guinea’s military ruler, Col. Mamady Doumbouya, force some 42 military generals to early retirement+++Nigeria approves electronic transfer of election results+++Elderly fend off sexual predators through learning Karate SOURCE: DW News
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Benin: An Afro-descendant in the land of her ancestors
“I was absolutely told through my research, through what I’ve talked to people about that you definitely have to come and visit Ouidah. And so coming here into the Sacred Forest has been eye-opening. Getting to see the rituals, getting to understand a lot more about the religion of Vodun, it also helps me as a tourist and a visitor…
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World in Progress: How Niger is fighting radicalization with education
This report by Bettina Rühl is presented by Ineke Mules. SOURCE: DW News
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Minister of Tourism is sure tourists will flood Thailand November 1
Though often criticised for its overly-optimistic tourism predictions seemingly pulled out of thin air, this time the Thai government is sure people will be flooding back in as the borders reopen on November 1. Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan said that Thailand needs to brace itself for an onslaught of international travellers flooding into the country come November…
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COVID: Will European tourists return to Southeast Asia?
It’s little wonder Southeast Asia is now in a rush to welcome back tourists: in 2019, the sector was worth $393billion (€340 billion) for the regional economy. For countries like Cambodia and Thailand, tourism accounted for around a third and a fifth of their entire GDP, respectively. But the COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard. The region welcomed 143 million tourists…
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Remembrances of King Rama IX held at Siriraj Hospital, Rajabopit Temple
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (also known as King Rama IX), Thailand’s leader and the second-longest ruler of any country of all time. Across the nation, people are paying their respects to the much-loved previous King and commemorating the anniversary of his death. The dean of the Faculty of Medicine at…
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2 Thai women arrested transporting 7 Burmese migrants
At a checkpoint in Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi, 2 Thai women were arrested smuggling 7 Burmese migrants and a child, apparently attempting to transport them back to Myanmar. The stop took place at around 7 am this morning and the women were arrested in violation of provincial communicable disease committee orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Officials at…
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Pattaya police respond to call reporting a “ghost”
Police in Pattaya responded to a call for a ghost… Yes, a ghost. Locals heard crying and howling coming from an abandoned shophouse. It was so disturbing that they called the police, worried that the empty shop was haunted. Turns out the ghost was actually a homeless man who seemed to be having an emotional breakdown. Officers responded to the…
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Korea to donate 470,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that it will donate nearly 1.6 million AstraZeneca vaccines combined to Thailand and Vietnam. The agency announced yesterday that South Korea will donate 470,000 vaccines to Thailand and 1.1 million vaccines to Vietnam. Korea is now managed to vaccinate nearly 80% of its population, about 41.6 million of its 52 million citizens.…
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Remembering Thailand’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Today is the national memorial day for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand’s beloved monarch who served for just over 70 years and died in October 2016. At the time of his passing in October 2016, King Bhumibol was the world’s longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Amongst his many other gifts, he was was…
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Thai government to review law after World Anti-Doping Agency non-compliance ruling
Following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision last week, ruling Thailand non-compliant with the agency’s requirements, the Thai government is now putting more focus on regulating banned substances at international sports competitions. The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that authorities are working on issuing laws that correspond with the agency’s national standard. Thailand, Indonesia, and North Korea were ruled non-compliant…
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Thailand Top Stories | Thai PM vows to reopen the country to fully vaccinated tourists from November 1 | October 13
Natty gives us a quick update on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the top headlines in Thailand and Southeast Asia: Thai PM vows to reopen the country to fully vaccinated tourists from November 1, police crack down on street racing, adult pleasure toys seized by Thai police, China to set up a 230 million USD to finance efforts…
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Man blames 50 million baht of withdrawals on adopted daughter
A 77 year old businessman in Phitsanulok discovered that 50 million baht was missing from his bank account and has accused his adopted daughter of stealing it. The money is claimed to have disappeared from 6 bank accounts without the man’s knowledge and he has now asked the bank for detailed statements to identify when and how the money was…
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Scandal-hit Austria: New chancellor, same policies
After being engulfed in political drama over the last few days, Austria has a new head of government; however, apparently, a reluctant one. Alexander Schallenberg, who has taken over from Sebastian Kurz, describes himself as being “chancellor against his will.” At his inauguration in the chancellery on Vienna’s Ballhausplatz, the former foreign minister said the post was an honor that…
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Phuket, Samui to ease entry restrictions for domestic tourists from this weekend
From this weekend, entry restrictions for the islands of Phuket and Samui are being eased for fully vaccinated domestic tourists. Local travellers who can show proof of being fully vaccinated will no longer need to submit to Covid-19 testing to enter Phuket and will no longer have to quarantine after arriving on Samui. The move comes as the government launches…
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Prosecutors to decide Thanathorn’s fate on November 4 following vaccine comments
On November 4, prosecutors will decide whether or not to indict Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit over comments he made about Thailand’s AstraZeneca technology-transfer deal. At the start of the year, the founder of the Progressive Movement criticised the government for being overly-reliant on Siam Bioscience for Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that Thanathorn faces charges of violating Thailand’s defamation law and…
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More rain forecast for Thailand as storm Kompasu makes landfall in Vietnam
Parts of Thailand are braced for more wet weather as Tropical Storm Kompasu makes landfall in upper Vietnam. The Thai Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain for the north-east of the country, while several other regions will be affected by the seasonal monsoon conditions. The Bangkok Post reports that Kompasu’s wind speed has recorded a high of 100 kilometres…
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Covid spike in Khon Kaen, more field hospitals to open
Covid-19 is on the rise in the Isaan province Khon Kaen and local authorities have agreed to open two more field hospitals after new cases hit around 300 over a few day period with many of the infections linked to social gatherings like funerals and ceremonies at temples to make merit. Governor Somsak Jangtrakul said that the provincial communicable disease…
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Thai industry bodies encouraged by tourism re-opening plan
The chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries has welcomed the plan to re-open Thailand to vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries. Supant Mongkolsuthree says the planned November 1 re-opening will accelerate economic growth and increase business confidence. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supant predicts the return of foreign tourism could see GDP growth achieve its target of 0% –…
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Health experts weigh in on risks of re-opening Thailand without quarantine
Following Monday night’s announcement by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that Thailand will re-open quarantine-free for select vaccinated tourists from November, health experts have voiced concern. The Bangkok Post reports that some prominent medics are worried re-opening without quarantine will provoke a surge in Covid-19 infections. Thira Woratanarat from the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University has warned that daily case numbers…
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Indonesia shortens quarantine, to reopen to travellers from 18 countries
Indonesia is reopening its border to allow arrivals from 18 countries and the mandatory quarantine period will be cut down from 8 days to 5. An official overseeing the country’s pandemic response did not specify which countries are included in Indonesia’s reopening plan. Indonesia’s borders have been gradually reopening and the airport on the tourist island Bali will resume international…
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