World News
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FOUND: Cockpit Voice Recorder from crashed Lion Air flight
PHOTO: A Boeing 737 MAX, identical to the crashed jet “It’s broken into two pieces so hopefully it’s still useful.” Just as hopes of finding the second black box of the crashed Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX began to fade, investigators say they finally found the voice cockpit recorder (CVR) of the doomed flight. Data retrieved from the device could…
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Cambodian diplomatic passports issued to foreigners to be annulled
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Cambodia is moving to annul diplomatic passports issued to people not born in Cambodia. This from the The Phnom Penh Post today. The report says that analysts believe the move may be in response to Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra using a Cambodian passport to register as a company director in Hong Kong.…
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Business class bird stowaway in Singapore Airlines flight
by The Straits Times – Asia News Network A Singapore Airlines flight headed to London’s Heathrow Airport found it had an unintended passenger – a mynah bird. Business-class passengers found themselves greeted by the stowaway about 12 hours into the flight. A typical Singapore-London flight takes about 14 hours. In a statement yesterday, a Singapore Airlines spokesman confirmed that a bird…
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Burmese journalists lose appeal, and the article that put them there
PHOTO: Washington Post A Myanmar court has rejected the appeal of two Reuters reporters sentenced to seven years in jail on charges of breaking the Official Secrets Act, saying the defence had not provided sufficient evidence to show they were innocent. 32 year old Wa Lone and 28 year old Kyaw Soe Oo were convicted by a lower court in…
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Chinese foreign policy – On track
by Nikkei Asia Review “When Japanese trading house Itochu and train maker Hitachi withdrew from a soon-to-be-decided $7 billion tender for a high-speed rail project near Bangkok, it appeared to be another victory for China and its grand plans to connect Southeast Asia with railways. Thailand has for decades been the centerpiece of Tokyo’s strategy for Southeast Asia, and long-discussed plans…
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Rahaf al-Qunun arrives in Canada – no mention in Saudi media
The 18 year old Saudi runaway who says she feared her family and possible death if she was deported back to Saudi Arabia, has arrived in Canada. Canadian officials offered her asylum in a case that became global news after the plucky woman mounted a Twitter storm, barricaded in her airport hotel room last weekend. The Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia…
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Malaysia choses new sultan, will be elected king January 24
Malaysian officials announced that the country has a new sultan who is now expected to be elected king after the former monarch abdicated following his reported marriage to a Russian former beauty queen. Tengku Abdullah Shah replaces his father, Sultan Ahmad Shah as the ruler of Pahang state, the official Bernama news agency said, citing a senior palace official. Local…
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Thai cabinet extends visa-fee-waiver until after Songkran
Tourists from over 21 countries will continue to benefit from an extension to the visa fee waiver introduced in November last year. In a move to boost tourism, the cabinet has extended the 2,000 baht visa-on-arrival fee waiver, according to Tourism and Sport Minister, Veerasak Kowsurat this morning (Tuesday). The waiver was set to end on Sunday, January 6, 2019,…
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Man takes a naked stroll in Sabah, Malaysia
by The Star – Asia News Network A naked man, wearing only a wide-brimmed hat (sun smart!) has been caught on camera walking along a road near Pavilion Bundusan in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia. This comes after a couple were photographed skinny-dipping in a water fountain at the start of this week in the famous Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu. The photo…
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Saudi: Time to update 40 year old immigration laws – Surachete
by Suriya Patatayo Immigration Chief Surachate Hakparn says he planned to update immigration laws that have been in force for at least 40 years. He says the Thai immigration police bureau are poised to issue a warning to Kuwait Airways for allowing Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun to board a flight to Bangkok, although they claim she had insufficient travel…
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Australian minister says Saudi teen will get “very serious consideration”: Thaiger Bite
The Australian Government has given its strongest hint yet that the 18 year old Saudi woman in Bangkok would be granted humanitarian asylum. This is despite efforts by Riyadh and her family to force her return home. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun has documented her bid to flee her allegedly abusive family with minute-by-minute Twitter updates, intensifying the global spotlight on Saudi…
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Trump’s appointed Ambassador to Cambodia misses shutdown deadline: Thaiger Bite
by The Phnom Penh Post The US Senate has returned the nomination of Patrick Murphy as Ambassador to Cambodia to US President Donald Trump as the American government shutdown enters its third week. The US Senate website announcement said it returned Murphy’s nomination as ambassador as his appointment was not approved by the close of the 115th US Congress period…
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Jobless rate rises – December figures in South Korea *Thaiger Bite
PHOTO: Yonhap South Korea’s jobless rate rose slightly in December from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, as the finance minister vowed to create 150,000 jobs this year. The unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent last month, up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of employed people reached…
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Malaysian rulers to choose new monarch by the end of the month
PHOTO: The Straits Times Malaysia’s Conference of Rulers will meet in about two weeks’ time to elect the country’s new constitutional monarch, as well as a deputy after the ruling monarch, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped down on Sunday in an unprecedented move. The 16th King, or Supreme Ruler, and a deputy will be sworn in at the end of the…
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Malaysia’s monarch abdicates the throne
Malaysia’s King has abdicated the throne in a first for the country ending weeks of speculation about his future. In recent months the Monarch has taken medical leave and married a Russian former beauty queen, although the marriage has never been confirmed by Malaysian palace officials. Read more about the marriage HERE. Sultan Muhammad V’s decision is the first time…
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Thai oil ship battles with ‘PABUK’ off southern Vietnam – VIDEO
VIDEO: Peerayut Koombunsong A Thai ship carrying palm oil has been battling with seas kicked up by tropical storm ‘PABUK’ off the coast of southern Vietnam. A Video clip has been posted by ‘Peerayut Koombunsong’ on his personal Facebook. Thai media CH7 HD News and CH3 news are reporting that the ship is a Thai ship name ‘Taree Rattana’ which…
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Pabuk: Moving past the southern coast of Vietnam
Vietnam has experienced heavy rainfall and strong winds as Pabuk hovers off the southern coast heading into the Gulf of Thailand. vnexpress.net reports that, as of Wednesday, tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ was stationed around 360 kilometers (223 miles) to the southeast of Con Dao Island off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, with wind speeds of up to 75 kilometers…
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Lion Air passengers get a New Year surprise at Sepinggan Airport
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Balikpapan. Happy New Year,” Sepinggan Airport general manager Farid Indra Nugraha said with a big smile as he greeted passengers at the baggage claims area. Passengers of the first arrival of 2019 at Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, were delighted by the surprise. The estimated 150 passengers of Lion Air flight JT 858 on…
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Orchard road bans smoking
From The Straits Times – Asia News Network Singapore’s shopping paradise, Orchard Road is now smoke-free. A smoking ban kicked in on January 1 which prohibits smokers from lighting up in public areas. However there are designated smoking areas along the famous shopping strip. Enforcement officers from the National Environment Agency, dressed in white No Smoking Zone polo T-shirts, are on patrol in…
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Six reasons Thailand’s English skills are the lowest in SE Asia
by tastythailand.com An article, compiled by tastythailand.com, chronicles some of the key reasons Thailand’s education system battles with the teaching of English. An unnamed author poses the premise…. “In the last few years, as countries like Vietnam and Laos now have English skills surpassing Thailand’s, it’s become obvious Thailand’s education system is to blame. But why?” Thailand’s education is a…
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Malaysians citizens being warned about travelling to Thailand’s south
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry is advising Malaysians residing in Thailand or travelling to the Kingdom to “remain vigilant and exercise caution at all times”, in the wake of bomb explosions and shooting incidents in the country’s southern provinces. Officials say bomb explosions and shootings had been reported in different parts of Narathiwat and Songkhla. No Malaysians were affected by the…
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Anak Krakatoa loses 220 metres of height
A section of the Anak Krakatoa’s crater (Child of Krakatoa) collapsed after an eruption and slid into the ocean, generating the tsunami last Saturday night. An analysis by the local volcanology agency found the volcano has lost more than two-thirds of its height. Anak Krakatoa, which used to stand 338 metres has now been whittled down to 110 metres tall.…
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Tsunami advisory in Philippines after 7.1 quake off Davao Oriental
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has made a public warning to Filipinos on Saturday to temporarily stay away from beaches and not go to the coast after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Davao Oriental. In its Tsunami Information No. 1, Phivolcs said, “Minor sea level disturbances such as strong currents and rapid rise and fall of seawater…
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UK honours given to British divers for Thai cave rescue
PHOTO: CNN, The Nation The seven British cave divers who took part in the extraordinary Tham Luang cave rescue operation have been awarded during Britain’s traditional New Year Honours announced Friday. Out of the seven, four received awards of exceptional bravery, three were made Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). The two divers who made…
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6.1-magnitude earthquake jolts West Papua
by Ivany Atina Arbi – The Jakarta Post A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has jolted West Papua this morning. The news comes from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. The earthquake struck at around 10am local time, with its epicentre located some 55 kilometres southeast of South Manokwari and predicted to be 26 km deep. “It did not trigger a tsunami,”…
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in is the Time Magazine Person of the Year
by Cod Satrusayang – Asia News Network In a few decades, when people look back on 2018, perhaps they will only remember one or two major headlines. In the field of diplomacy, they may remember the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. If this were to happen it would be one of the biggest injustices of selective history…
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Toll rises, officials warn of potential for more tsunamis
Dateline: Tuesday, December 25, 9am (Local Time) A threat looms of more potentially deadly tsunamis in between the island’s of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, this according to the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency. 5,600 people are now reported as officially displaced. That’s on top of 373 killed, 1,459 injured and 128 missing. The toll continues to rise as searches…
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With a ‘whoosh’ his village was gone – Tsunami Update
Asep Sunaria says he heard a loud “whoosh” just moments before a wall of water pushed him off his motorbike. The surging waters swallowed up his house and the village he called home until the Saturday night calamity. new.yahoo.com reports that rescuers hunted for survivors of the volcano-triggered tsunami that killed at least 281 people along Indonesia’s coast. At the…
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From condoms to condos – Southeast Asia’s sex tourism journey
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com “One thing I can assure them is that business will never be the same. Never.” This is a story that has all the epic elements of military power, big oil, sleaze, real estate, greed and ultimately transformation. Southeast Asia’s sex tourism journey on a broad scale goes back to the 1960’s and the Vietnam War.…
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Warnings of more seismic activity around Sunda Strait
A young boy has been pulled from rubble as experts warn that another tsunami could strike Indonesia at any time. The warning comes two days after 280 people were killed and more than 1,000 people injured by a wave triggered after a volcanic eruption. The death toll is expected to rise today as searchers reach more remote areas. Richard Teeuw…
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