Politics
- Politics News
‘No roses on Valentine’s Day!’ Bangkok election commission advises candidates
It turns out roses on Valentine’s Day aren’t a good idea for everyone. The director of the Election Commission’s Bangkok branch yesterday advised candidates in the upcoming general election on May 7 not to hand out roses on Valentine’s Day. The director, Samran Tanpanit, said that roses handed out on such special occasions could be considered by authorities as a…
- World News
No more university education for women under Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
The Taliban is continuing its relentless campaign to chip away at women’s rights in Afghanistan. Yesterday, the terror group banned women from universities. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education said the move was to go into effect immediately. Afghan women are now mourning the loss of education, which was a lifeline for many under Afghanistan’s deeply patriarchal society. One university student…
- World News
ASEAN members to allegedly hold non-official meeting on Myanmar situation
ASEAN members are allegedly being invited to join an open-ended consultative meeting concerning the situation in Myanmar on December 22. Thailand is allegedly hosting the meeting, according to an anonymous source for Teak Door. The source says the meeting is not an official ASEAN meeting, but rather an initiative to update and exchange views informally among colleagues interested in and…
- Politics News
POLL: Thai politics unchanged, honesty and transparency wanted
A new poll shows that most people in Thailand don’t believe that politics have really changed much. They like responsible, honest politicians and hate people who break promises and abuse authority. They want their political parties to be honest and transparent with a clear goal. Corruption is the biggest issue they want to be tackled. Poll respondents said that they…
- China News
China says Covid has weakened as it announces loosening of strict policies
China is saying that Covid has weakened in the country after it announced yesterday that it would end the forced centralised quarantine. This will allow people who only have mild Covid-19 to isolate at home, and there will be more freedom to travel around the country. The Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper said today that China has taken the…
- Thailand News
Jailed politician erects billboard to wish voters Happy New Year
A former Thai politician appears to be making a joke out of his current prison term by splashing the cash on a billboard to wish his constituents a Happy New Year. A picture of former Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong features on a Happy New Year billboard in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The billboard has drawn a mixed…
- Thailand News
Man armed with a pen gun arrested at seminar visited by PM Prayut
The Thai Air Force bomb squad quickly dealt with a potential threat to the life of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha when an abusive man with a pen gun turned up at a seminar the PM was addressing. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOC) arrested the armed man yesterday at the seminar in the northern province of Chiang Rai. PM Prayut joined…
- Politics News
Iran promises Thailand it won’t attack Israeli tourists
Iran promised Thailand that it won’t attack Israeli tourists on Thai soil. The Thai government informed Israel’s government yesterday that it had received a commitment from Iran not to attack Israeli targets in Thailand, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable and two Israeli officials. Iran, and Iran-backed forces, are believed to have been behind attacks on Israelis and Jews…
- World News
Brazil’s far-right president challenges election results
Brazil’s far-right president is challenging the country’s election results, which saw him lose in October. President Jair Bolsonaro’s party, the Liberal Party, has argued that ballots from some machines were compromised during the second round and that the electoral court should reject them. Several news outlets reported today that Brazil’s supreme court justice has now given the party 24 hours…
- Thailand News
BTS Skytrain demands 40 billion baht debt is paid
The BTS Skytrain, under the BTS Group Holdings Public Company, launched a video yesterday to demand their money back! BTS says the government owes them 40 billion baht and they want the debt paid. The BTS revealed it intends to shame the government by airing the debt-collection message on every screen inside BTS trains and station platforms along Sukhumvit, or…
- World News
North Korea warns US of a “fiercer” military response, launches another missile
North Korea has warned the US of a “fiercer military response” to the US’s defence ties with South Korea and Japan. North Korea also launched yet another ballistic missile yesterday. The missile was fired towards North Korea’s eastern waters, according to officials in Seoul. North Korea said in its statement that the warning was in response to trilateral talks between…
- World News
Burmese junta to release former UK ambassador, Australian economist, and Japanese journalist
The Burmese junta is set to release a former UK ambassador, an Australian economist, and a Japanese journalist who have been detained in Myanmar. The three are being released under amnesty which includes over 6,000 other prisoners. Former UK ambassador Vicky Bowman was arrested with her husband on August 24, and the two were sentenced to a year in prison. Reuters…
- South Thailand News
South Thailand province welcomes first female Muslim governor
One South Thailand province welcomed its first female Muslim governor yesterday. The new governor of Pattani, 57 year old Pateemoh Sadeeyamu, is the former deputy governor of Narathiwat, and Yala provinces. Several prominent people in the community hailed the appointment of Pateemoh as the governor of Pattani. One former lecturer at Prince of Songkhla University said that Pateemoh has extensive…
- World News
Gen Z, Trump, and the US midterm election
With the US midterm election results, Democrats celebrated a narrow victory over Republicans. This was after a Democratic senator won in the state of Nevada, ensuring that Democrats would at least keep a 50-50 majority in the Senate, with VP Kamala Harris holding the deciding tie-breaking vote. The win for Democrats came after the Republicans had hoped for a ‘red-wave’…
- Thailand News
MPs accused of corruption after report reveals 100 million baht a year spent on subsidised meals
Members of the Committee for the Selection of Catering Operators for MPs and Senators have been accused of corruption after a report revealed over 100 million baht a year is spent on subsidised meals. Former Democrat Party MP, Watchara Phetthong, revealed that there is corruption between the catering company and some MPs and Senators. Watchara claims that because the committee chose…
- World News
What are US midterm elections?
US midterm elections are elections held during the middle of a president’s four-year term in office (so two years into their term). These elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, which means today. During midterms, all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are up for election. This year, 35 out of the 100…
- Hot News
Southern Thais prefer PM Prayut over other candidates in recent poll
A new poll is revealing that southern Thais prefer Prayut Chan-o-cha for the post of prime minister over other politicians. The National Institute of Development Administration polled on October 17-20, on 2,001 eligible voters. The voters were from all levels of education, occupations and incomes, and were aged 18 and over. According to Bangkok Post, the poll was summarised as…
- Thailand News
Missing 50 million baht is a misunderstanding, says govt
UPDATE The Thai government says there has been a misunderstanding about the missing 50 million baht promised to tobacco farmers. The money is still in government coffers and would be distributed to tobacco farmers as promised by May next year. Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and relevant departments to investigate the missing 50…
- World News
Israel reportedly scared Australia might recognise Palestinian state
Israel is reportedly scared that Australia might recognise a Palestinian state. This news comes after Australia yesterday flip-flopped on its 2018 decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. An Israeli official has now linked Australia’s recent reversal to Israel’s concerns that the left-wing Australian government could follow up by recognizing a Palestinian state, The Times of Israel reported. The…
- World News
Australia flip-flops on past decision around Israel’s capital
Australia today flip-flopped on a past decision it made around the capital of Israel, an infamously hot-button issue, several news outlets reported. While Australia recognised West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018, the Australian government has now reversed this decision. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Australia is committed to peace between Israel and Palestine and that the country would…
- Thailand News
Arrest warrant for Thai activist who missed court hearing over lese majeste
Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for a young Thai activist and dance teacher after she failed to attend a court meeting over lese majeste charges. The woman, 29 year old Kanlaymon “Mint” was scheduled to appear in court on October 4, but failed to show up. She had been granted bail, and the person who bailed…
- World News
Russia launches “kamikaze drones” into Ukraine capital
Russia launched “kamikaze drones” into Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv this morning. This news comes just after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that there was no need for massive strikes on Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that at least one person, a woman, has been killed in the attacks, Al Jazeera reported. Klitschko said another person remains under…
- Thailand News
Thai PM demands investigation into lost 50 million baht budget
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to investigate the disappearance of a 50 million baht government budget. PM Prayut attended the Cabinet meeting at the Parliament House of Thailand yesterday to discuss the flood situation across the country. At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of the Finance Ministry, Santi Promphat, suggested PM Prayut…
- Politics News
Never forget Thailand’s October 6 massacre
No one has ever been held accountable for the tragic massacre of peaceful demonstrators at Thammasat University on October 6, 1976. On this day 46 years ago, Thai police, military, and ring-wing paramilitaries shot, lynched, and beat leftist demonstrators protesting the return of dictator Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn to Thailand, who was ousted in 1973. The 1973 uprising restored democratic…
- World News
South Korea gives North Korea a warning
South Korea isn’t playing around when it comes to North Korea’s nuclear programme. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gave North Korea a little warning at South Korea’s 74th Armed Forces Day ceremony on Saturday. Yoon stated that if North Korea attempted to use nuclear weapons, it would face a “determined and overwhelming response.” Yoon reaffirmed that South Korea and…
- Politics News
BREAKING: Prayut reinstated as Prime Minister of Thailand
Thailand’s Constitutional Court reinstated Prayut Chan-o-cha as Prime Minister of Thailand. The court ruled this afternoon that Prayut has not yet hit the eight-year constitutional limit set for his role. The court ruled that Prayut became prime minister on April 6, 2017, when the HM the King ratified a new military-drafted constitution. Therefore, PM Prayut can resume his position as…
- World News
Kamala Harris visits South Korea a day after North Korea fires missiles
US Vice President Kamala Harris today visited South Korea at a somewhat tense time. Just yesterday, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles from its capital of Pyongyang into the East Sea. This was North Korea’s second ballistic missile launch in a week. Harris today met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to chat about the threat that North Korea…
- Politics News
No coup is being plotted in Thailand, insists Ministry of Defence
A spokesperson for Thailand’s Ministry of Defence wants to put an end to rumours that the Thai army is plotting another coup d’état. Yesterday at 3.30pm, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich publicly insisted that no coup d’état is in the works in Thailand… “I assure you that there is no coup at all. Please feel…
- World News
North Korea releases statement after being accused of selling Russia weapons
North Korea released a statement today after US officials said Russia was looking to buy weapons from North Korea. The statement claimed that North Korea had never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia, and did not plan to. It said that the United States and other “hostile forces” were spreading rumours to “pursue its base political and military aims.” Any…
- Politics News
Court to decide fate of suspended Thai PM Prayut on September 30
On September 30 at 3pm, Thailand’s Constitutional Court will read the verdict on suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s eight-year term limit. According to Section 158 of Thailand’s constitution, “The Prime Minister shall not hold office for more than eight years in total, whether or not holding consecutive term.” Prayut reached his eight-year limit serving as PM in August after becoming…
