Democracy
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Home-made Thai vaccine ready to start trials | February 11
Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin, is now claiming that the first stage of human trials of a locally-produced vaccine brew will get underway next month. The local Thai vaccine is a joint collaboration between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University. It’s understood the vaccine has performed satisfactorily in animal testing, showing an ability to…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Chinese vaccine on the way to Thailand | February 9
The Criminal Court has rejected a bid by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to remove a piece of online footage that criticises the government’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout, or more precisely the lack of a Covid-19 vaccine roll out. The former leader of the Future Forward Party, Thanathorn, took to Facebook to live stream his thoughts on the…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Thai surrogacy ring, vaccine-passport | February 8
An alleged illegal transnational surrogacy ring, posing as a cleaning company, has busted by Thailand’s cybercrime police after surrogate mothers were unable to deliver the children to buyers overseas due to the current travel restrictions. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau raided 10 locations suspected of being involved in the underground transnational surrogacy network, arresting 3 alleged agents and…
- Thailand News
Democracy Index 2020 ranks Thailand 4th in ASEAN, 73rd in the world
The Democracy Index 2020 has placed Thailand 4th in ASEAN and 73rd in the world, categorising it as a, “Flawed Democracy.” The index, which is compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit, part of the company which publishes The Economist newspaper, measures the state of democracy in 167 countries around the world. Norway has topped the global ranking, sitting firmly in…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Pattaya bank scam & Burmese coup update | February 2
CORRECTION: In the first story Jett referred to a Chinese man losing 130 billion baht. The correct amount was 130 million baht. We apologise for the error. Hundreds, perhaps more than 400, investors have been defrauded by a bank manager at a Kasikorn bank branch in Pattaya. The manager, named in a police report as “Mr. Gob”, was promising investors…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Burmese coup & tourist visa ’emergency extensions’ | February 1
Myanmar’s military has taken control of the country in a political coup, deposing the elected government after reportedly detaining de-facto leader and ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians early this morning. The military-owned Myawaddy TV announced a state of emergency had been declared for 12 months and power transferred to the Junta. A news presenter referred…
- World News
Myanmar’s military takes control, politicians arrested
Myanmar’s military is taking control of the country and deposing the elected government after reportedly detaining de-facto leader and ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians early this morning. The military-owned Myawaddy TV has announced a state of emergency had been declared for 1 year and power transferred to the Junta. A news presenter referred to a section…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Weekend Bangkok bombs, Thailand fires, Covid update | January 18
369 new Covid-19 cases were reported today during the daily briefing. Most cases were detected in Samut Sakhon in a mass testing campaign. Thailand currently has 3,147 active Covid-19 cases under treatment and investigation. 12,423 infections have now been detected since the start of 2020 – 8,186 of them reported since December 20 last year… just a month back. 12…
- Politics News
Today is Constitution Day in Thailand. What does the day commemorate?
Today is Constitution Day in Thailand, bang in the middle of calls for a rewrite of the document and demands for the role of the Thai monarch to be codified in a new Thai Constitution. The day commemorates 20 different Thai Charters that have been scrapped and re-written since the Siamese Revolution in 1932. It’s a public holiday around Thailand.…
- Thailand Protest News
Anti-government activists condemn rejection of iLaw draft, vow to fight on
Protests are set to continue following Parliament’s decision yesterday to reject a draft charter amendment submitted by human rights non-profit group iLaw, with the backing of over 100,000 signatures. Protest leader Jatupat Boonpattarasaksa says the rejection, which happened after the first reading of the bill, has left activists with no choice other than to continue the protests. He added that…
- Thailand News
Thai TV debate: Royalist accuses Jewish Americans of funding pro-democracy protests
A debate between a royalist and a pro-democracy supporter got heated and turned into shouting during a broadcast on a Thai news channel. In one bizarre exchange, the royalist spokesperson accused Jewish Americans of backing the pro-democracy movement. The ongoing political protests, calling on government and monarchy reformation, has led to a divide in Thailand with a split between those…
- Bangkok News
Royalists rally at US Embassy, call on Americans to stop “interfering” with Thai politics
Royalists gathered this morning at the United States Embassy in Bangkok and called on Americans to stop a so-called “hybrid war,” implying that the US government is interfering with Thailand politics during a time of ongoing pro-democracy protests. Dressed in yellow, the colour symbolising the Thai Monarch, the protesters held signs calling on an end to an alleged hybrid war.…
- Thailand News
More catchy than Covid, K-Pop fans raise millions to support Thai protesters
More catchy the Covid and spreading out around the world, this time from South Korea. Fans of K-Pop groups, South Korea’s slick pop music genre, have already raised millions of baht to support Thailand’s anti-government protests. The young Thai protesters have been showered with support, supportive K-Pop lyrics, Tweets, messages. And money. The incredible worldwide reach of K-Pop fans, for…
- Bangkok News
Truck drivers carrying ‘royal supporters’ face charges for travelling on expressways
6 truck drivers carrying loads of ‘royalists’ to the Democracy Monument, are facing charges pressed by the Expressway Authority of Thailand, or EXAT. The yellow-clad ‘supporters’ of the royal family stood tightly packed on the bed of Department of Law Enforcement trucks, riding down the Kamphaeng Phet-Yommarat tollway. They were all dressed in yellow, a colour that symbolises the Thai Monarchy.…
- Thailand Protest News
Thammasat students ask for 3 days off class to participate in protest
With the next pro-democracy protest planned for this Wednesday, students are asking Thammasat University officials to cancel classes for 3 days so the students can take part in the rally. The rally is expected to start at 2pm on Wednesday at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, not far from the University’s Tha Prachan Campus, but no end time has been announced. The…
- Thailand Protest News
3,000 police officers to be deployed at next pro-democracy rally to “keep the peace”
Around 3,000 police officers will be deployed at the October 14 pro-democracy rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. The event marks the anniversary of the 1973 uprising which led to the end of the military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn. Metropolitan Police Bureau Chief Pakkapong Pongpetra says the officers will be there to “keep the peace.” The 1973 incident precipitated a…
- Bangkok News
Student’s demand Thammasat officials review ban on next Saturday’s demonstration
Students want to hold their rally at the Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus. The university’s officials have said no. So now the students are ‘protesting’ the decision of the university not to allow them to host the demonstration of the campus grounds. The demonstration’s planned date is only 1 week away. The school rejected a proposal by the group to…
- Bangkok News
Protest calling on Thai Head of State reform set for September 19
Pro-democracy activists are planning a 2 day protest in Bangkok to call for Thai Monarchy reform and demand democracy. They’re calling it… “September 19: Return the power to civilians” (translated). Activists plan to gather at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus at 2pm on September 19, camp out for the night and then march to the Government House at 8am the…
- Bangkok News
Amnesty International says drop the charges pressed on protesters
“This recent slew of arrests of peaceful demonstrators illustrates the authorities’ intensifying crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly.” Amnesty International is calling on the Thai government to drop the charges pressed on pro-democracy activists. So far 31 activists have been arrested on charges relating to their involvement in the July 18 rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. Many leaders of the…
- Crime News
Student union president arrested in Bangkok for July rally
The president of the Student Union of Thailand was arrested while in a taxi on her way to class in Bangkok. This comes after a string of arrests police have made on political activists with many charges relating to the pro-democracy protest in July. 21 year old Jutatip Sirikhan video recorded her arrest and posted it live on her Facebook…
- Politics News
Popular TV co-host forced to quit after insulting students
A boycott by those pushing for democracy led a popular TV personality to quit her job as a Thai news co-host. Activists boycotted her shows after she made a derogatory post on Facebook insulting students and calling them “demon kids.” Ornapa “Ma” Krisadee, a transgender woman, was forced to leave her job as a co-host for a news programme for…
- Politics News
PM Prayut says rewriting Thai constitution has always been on his to-do list
Rewriting Thailand’s constitution is on his to-do list, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says. He told the media yesterday that he has no problem with amending it and it has always been a priority, he’s just had other tasks he’s needed to take care of first. The prime minister’s comments regarding the constitution come after a series of protests where pro-democracy activists…
- Crime News
Student activist arrested on charges from protesting
Police arrested a student while he protesting outside a market PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was visiting. The student Panupong Jadnok, known as Mike Rayong, was holding up a sign saying “1,000 rai sea reclamation. What will Rayong people get?” Apparently Mike’s land reclamation protest didn’t have much to do with his arrest. He had an arrest warrant for his role in…
- Politics News
FoodPanda added to boycott list over protest reporting
Some Thais are deleting the FoodPanda application off their phones as part of an online campaign against the Nation Group of media companies. Many pushing for the food delivery boycott are those backing a broader effort to ban Nation Thailand and Nation TV for what they say is pro-government bias. Some netizens are taking screenshots just as they remove the…
- Politics News
Deputy PM brushes off ‘Hunger Games’ resistance symbol as scouts’ salute
The 3 finger gesture used by pro-democracy protesters is probably better known as the “Hunger Games” salute. Just like in the popular film franchise, the gesture is being used by protesters in Thailand as a symbol of ‘resistance’ against the government. While it has been used by Thai activists for years, recently crowds of high school students used the gesture…
- Politics News
Jailed Thai activist Anon Nampa speaks in Chiang Mai whilst on bail – VIDEO
by guest writer Will Langston By 4pm late yesterday afternoon, the historical Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai was packed with uniformed and armed police officers as they prepared for a speech from Anon Nampa, who was released on bail just a day before after his arrest in Bangkok over “sedition” charges in dramatic circumstances last Friday. Anon Nampa was arrested…
- World News
Hong Kong officials arrest high-profile media boss under new national security law
The arrest of the Hong Kong media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, is the latest in a number of arrests carried out under the controversial national security law introduced by Beijing at the end of June. Thai PBS World reports that 71 year old Lai stands accused of colluding with foreign forces. He has been a longtime critic of the Beijing administration…
- Politics News
No let-up in anti-government protests as activists call for constitutional reform
Anti-government protests are intensifying in Thailand, as activists call on officials to stop intimidating people, insisting that Parliament be dissolved, and the country’s constitution re-written. Their demand for constitutional reform is being backed by the Deputy PM, Anutin Charnvirakul. Yesterday evening, protesters walked around Democracy Monument in Bangkok, with some making mocking comments that they were doing so to admire…
- Events
Police meet to discus legal action against pro-democracy protesters and organisers
Following Saturday’s large protest at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument on Saturday afternoon and evening, Bangkok police are now pondering whether to prosecute the organisers for defying the emergency decree – the part of the law that prohibits large public gatherings. The protesters were demanding the dissolution of Parliament, the drawing up of a new Constitution and an end to official limitation…
- Politics News
New ‘Progressive Movement’ party plans to take on local elections
Thailand’s elections may look a bit different as some candidates, who normally campaign in local elections, are banding together to form a new ‘Progressive Movement.’ The move comes despite the Constitutional Court banning its founder, Thanathorn Juangroogruangkit, along with other executives, for 10 years after being involved with the Future Forward Party that was disbanded earlier this year. The banning…
