United Nations
- Bangkok News
UNAids staffer who reported sexual assault at a Bangkok hotel loses dismissal case
A former policy advisor for a United Nations programme fighting AIDS, who claims she was sexually assaulted in a Bangkok hotel elevator by a then-senior official for the agency and was later fired after going public with the accusations, lost her appeal against her termination from UNAids. The 41 year old Martina Brostrom from Sweden says she was sexually assaulted…
- World News
Burmese healthcare workers take to the streets to protest military coup
Healthcare workers in Myanmar staged a dawn rally yesterday, in protest at the February 1 military coup that deposed the government of civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The group of doctors and nurses took to the streets just before dawn, in a bid to avoid a clash with security forces. The protest action follows another weekend of military crackdowns…
- Environment News
Factories in Thailand required to have Green Industry certification by 2025
Factories in Thailand are ordered to “go green.” By 2025, all factories across the country need to have a Green Industry certification which means they are in line with standards set by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation to help developing countries move to more environmentally-friendly technologies and initiatives. All 71,130 industrial plants in Thailand will need to abide by…
- World News
38 people die “bloodiest day” since Myanmar coup – United Nations
38 people died during Myanmar’s anti-coup protests yesterday in what the United Nations is calling the “bloodiest day” in the country since the February 1 military takeover. UN special envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener said the death toll is “shocking” and that the situation in the Southeast Asian country could lead to a “real war.” Since last month’s coup,…
- World News
North Korea steals $300 million USD in cryptocurrency for nuclear weapons – UN report
Hackers in North Korea stole cryptocurrency worth more than $300 million USD to pay the government’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, according to a confidential report by United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on the country’s capital Pyongyang. From 2019 to November 2020, North Korea stole around $316.4 million USD worth of “virtual assets,” according to AFP, which obtained a copy…
- Thailand News
UN human right experts speak out against Thailand’s “severe” use of lèse majesté law
United Nations human rights experts are speaking out against Thailand’s “severe” use of the lèse majesté law, saying the law is used to “curtail criticism of the monarchy” and it has no place in a democratic country. There has been an increase in the use of the lèse majesté law since the rise of the student-led pro-democracy movement last…
- Bangkok News
Burmese nationals rally outside UN office in Bangkok to protest against Myanmar coup
Hundreds of Burmese nationals gathered outside the United Nations office in Bangkok to protest against the military coup in their home country. Many raised their hands in the 3-finger salute, a symbol of resistance and democracy taken from the movie the Hunger Games and widely used in Thailand’s pro-democracy movement. Some protesters held photos of Aung San Suu Kyi, the…
- Thailand News
High number of Thai migrant worker deaths in South Korea
Hundreds of Thais in South Korea have died in the past 5 years, many from “unknown causes,” according to data reported by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The majority of recorded deaths are migrants, who are less likely to report abuse or have access to healthcare. The report from Reuters prompted the United Nations to look into the cases as well…
- Thailand Protest News
Senators, MPs, voice support for Thailand’s lèse majesté law
Politicians have come out in support of the Kingdom’s lèse majesté law, amid calls from pro-democracy activists to have it abolished. The law, officially Section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits criticising, defaming, or insulting the Thai Monarchy. At least 12 political activists have recently been charged with lèse majesté offences for their role in various anti-government rallies. On Thursday,…
- Thailand Protest News
Protesters gather at Bangkok’s United Nations, call to abolish lèse majesté law
Pro-democracy protesters gathered in front of the United Nations building in Bangkok, calling on the organisation to step in after many activists were recently arrested for allegedly violating Thailand’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law carries prison sentences from 3 to 15 years for insulting or defamatory statements about the Thai Monarchy. Activists say the law violates human rights. Today’s protest…
- Covid-19 News
Thai PM says a Covid-19 vaccine should be available for everyone
Roll up your sleeve, the Thai PM says everyone should be able to receive a Covid-19, if and when it is finally tested and approved for use. Yesterday was the 2020 United Nations Day when PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the vaccine should be treated as “global public goods” and be “equally accessed by everyone around the globe”. Yesterday was the…
- Thailand Protest News
“Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says
Today’s pro-democracy rally in Bangkok poses an “elevated risk of unrest” after 21 protesters were arrested yesterday, according to an email sent to staff of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security. The email advising the staff to avoid protest sites was obtained by local blogger and Samut Prakan school employee Richard Barrow and Samut Prakan school employee and…
- Politics News
Thai PM voices concern over students’ 3 finger salute
Thailand’s PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says he’s concerned about students using a controversial 3 finger salute, saying he’s heard that those who disagree with the political gesture are being unfairly targeted. The PM says that, while he understands the political motivations behind the salute, which has been embraced by anti-government activists, he disagrees with the alleged bullying and intimidation of those…
- World News
WHO reports the highest daily increase of Covid-19 cases
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the largest single-day increase in cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, with over 183,000 new cases detected in the past 24 hours. Key points: The significantly larger number of cases could be due to both increased testing and wider spreading of infections There are now more than 8.7 million cases worldwide, with…
- World News
Myanmar tourism increases a massive 40% in 2019
Myanmar has ranked highest among the world’s 20 quickest-growing travel destinations over the past 12 months. The report from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Vietnam and The Philippines are also regional winners over the past year that made it into the top 10 best performing emerging travel destinations. Myanmar Tourism Marketing, part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, reports that…
- Environment News
Thai PM addresses UN Climate Action Summit, pledges ASEAN support
PHOTO: www.mfa.go.th Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha says the ASEAN region is committed to working with the international community to tackle the issue of climate change. Addressing the UN’s Climate Action Summit in New York, the PM was speaking in his capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Expressing his admiration for the UN secretary general’s efforts…
- Politics News
Prayut meets up with Thai expats in New York ahead of UN meetings today
PHOTOS: ศ.ดร.นฤมล ภิญโญสินวัฒน์ Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has been meeting Thai expats in New York before his attending the UN Climate Summit and other meetings this week. Prayut and his entourage, including Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, arrived at the Plaza Athenee Hotel on the 64th street yesterday around midday on a sunny New York day. Prayut was welcomed by Nipon…
- World News
Last five years “Hottest on record” – UN Climate Summit
PHOTO: Greenpeace USA “Average global temperature between 2015-2019 is on track to be the hottest of any five-year period on record, according to the report compiled by the World Meteorological Organisation.” A damning new UN report published yesterday says the world is falling badly behind in the race to avert “climate disaster” because of runaway warming, with the five-year period…
- World News
Prayut heading to New York for six day trip, including attending UN
Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his entourage is leaving for New York to attend the 74th United Nations General Assembly tomorrow. But the PM isn’t travelling alone. The six day trip to the US will also be made by Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa (and half a plane of ‘others’). According to…
- World News
South Korean band’s motivational UN speech transcends race and gender identity
by Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com) K-pop sensation BTS embraced self-love and encouraged young people around the world to “speak themselves” regardless of their origin, skin color and gender identity, in a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday. Kim Nam-joon, better known as RM, said, “No matter who you are, where you are from, your skin color, your…
