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Thai police, in Thailand’s southern resort province of Phuket,have broken up a Chinese call centre fraud gang, arresting 16 Chinese nationals at a rented house on Tuesday. The police also seized 18 computers, 68 cell phones and more than 100 SIM cards from the house in the Maneekram housing estate in Tambon Chalong, Muang district. Immigration police commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Surachet Hakpan said
The Royal Thai Army has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce volunteers and forest officials fighting widespread forest fires,which have been sending smog across nine of the country’s upper northern provinces for the past several weeks. Four army helicopters have also been deployed to help in easing the haze, in addition to the two Air Force transport planes deployed earlier this month from Phitsanuloke air base. The
A former constitution writer and election commissioner said today that there is only one formula for the calculation of the party-list seat allocation and that it is stipulated in the law on the election of members of parliament. Mr. Praphan Naikowit, who took part in the discussion with legal advisors to the Election Commission today,
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit complained today that his party is being intimidated by a “dark power which refuses to let go of Future Forward” after he was summoned by the police this Saturday to acknowledge charges of inciting sedition posing a threat to national security. The young firebrand party leader said in his Facebook post today that he
Future Forward party secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul has defended himself against allegations that he made comments hostile to the Thai Monarchy. In his Facebook post today, Piyabutr said that the allegation stemmed from some parts of his lecture on the topic of “Politics, Justice and Monarchy”, which he gave on February 17th 2013 at the October
It can be both. Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit can be just a fever, but the fever can last for a long time, enough to make him a sustainable threat of the powers-that-be. Chamlong Srimuang was there before. He created a political phenomenon that thrashed the Democrat Party in elections in Bangkok. He was
Army Commander-in-Chief General Apirat Komgsompong today issued a stern warning to politicians and academics to refrain from making statements which foment unrest, political divide, and challenge the constitutional monarchy. In his first interview with the media against the background of the current post-election political situation, the army chief said there are some Thais who studied
A group of Thai voters in New Zealand laid wreaths in front of the Thai Embassy in Wellington to protest against Thailand’s Election Commission for invalidating all 1,542 early ballots due to their late arrival in Thailand. One of the group, Num Ayase, said in a Facebook post that they simply wanted to express their
TOKYO (AP) — The era of Japan’s next emperor, Naruhito, will use the name “Reiwa” to connote pursuing harmony, the government said Monday, selecting the culturally significant phrase from ancient Japanese poetry as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes to promote national pride. The “Heisei” era ends with Emperor Akihito’s abdication on April 30 and the
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered officials to tackle worsening smog in upper northern provinces within seven days and ordered a manhunt for arsonists who deliberately set forest fires. The Prime Minister flew into Chiang Mai this morning to hold talks with governors and other officials in northern provinces affected by haze which poses
The remains of Thailand’s ambassador to the United States, the late Mr. Virachai Plasai, are scheduled to arrive in Bangkok today for cremation. The late ambassador was given a dignified departure ceremony held at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, attended by chief of Protocol of the US Ambassador Sean Lawler and Patrick Murphy, principal deputy assistant
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) — A Vietnamese woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother will walk free in May after pleading guilty to a lesser charge, her lawyer said. Doan Thi Huong welcomed the “fair sentence” after the judge handed down the verdict in a Malaysian court, where she has been on trial for
Most Thais believe the new government, be it led by the Palang Pracharat or Pheu Thai, will not be able to end political division or other protracted problems, according to a recent Suan Dusit Poll. The poll shows 31.85% of the respondents believe that the political situation will worsen due to the lack of stability of the new government while 28.08% are more optimistic. The opinion poll sampled 1,752 people across the country. About
As of press time, the National Wage Committee has decided to postpone a decision on the minimum wage to later this month, even though the new rate was initially expected to be announced from the beginning of April. Both employers and employees have good reasons to anxiously wait for the announcement of the new rate
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will fly to the northern province of Chiang Mai on Tuesday morning to chair a meeting of upper northern provincial governors to discuss the haze problem which is wreaking havoc in several provinces. Government’s deputy spokesman Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukondhapatipak said today that the Prime Minister has closely monitored the haze situation
