Asia

Facebook threatened with legal action by Thailand over restriction requests

Editorial Bureau August 3, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – Thailand’s digital minister has threatened legal action against Facebook alleging the social media giant of not adhering to government requests to restrict content considered illegal. This has come in the wake of Facebook’s auto-translation tool

Asia

State of emergency in Thailand to continue till August end

Editorial Bureau July 22, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – A senior Thai official said on Wednesday that the country will extend the state of emergency until the end of August and the security measures introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus will remain. This comes after two months of zero local transmission and members of the public raising questions about the […]

Asia

Grace period to be given to foreigners in Thailand for visa extensions

Editorial Bureau July 17, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – Thailand on Friday said foreigners would be given a grace period until September to apply for visa extensions as it lifted restrictions, a senior official said. “The situation in the country and overseas has improved,” Immigration Bureau Commissioner Sompong Chingduong told Reuters. “So we do not propose to extend visas after July […]

Asia

Thailand aims to begin human testing of potential coronavirus vaccine in November

Editorial Bureau July 12, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – Thai researchers are all set to start human trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine in November. They are preparing for 10,000 doses, a senior official said on Sunday, adding that the shot would be ready for use by late next year. After finding favourable results from trials on primates, the next step […]

Asia

No monkey business: Thailand rejects PETA claims of using simians to harvest coconuts

Editorial Bureau July 11, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) -Very few monkeys are involved in harvesting coconuts for export, said a monkey trainer in southern Thailand, adding that there was no abuse of the animal in his centre. This comes after Thailand coconut products were banned by some British retailers earlier this month following a report citing abuse of monkeys. The report […]

Asia

Thai cabinet supports bill allowing same-sex unions

Editorial Bureau July 8, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – Thailand’s cabinet approved a civil partnership bill on Wednesday that would recognise same-sex unions and identifies it as the same legal right as married couples, in one of the most liberal moves yet for a largely conservative nation known for its tolerance. If passed by parliament, it would mark Thailand as the […]

Asia

Thailand likely to delay plans to have ‘travel bubble’

Editorial Bureau July 8, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – The resurgence in coronavirus cases in countries which had earlier contained the initial outbreak has made Thai authorities think of postponing the plans to have travel bubbles. This month, Thailand had partially lifted a three-month ban on foreign tourists and was planning to boost tourism, which is a key contributor to its […]

Asia

Thailand wakes up to reopening of schools with temperature checks, masks

Editorial Bureau July 1, 2020

SAM KHOK (THAILAND) – Thai schools were reopened on Wednesday for the first time since mid-March. With all precautions such as temperature checks and installing makeshift cubicles for social distancing in classrooms, safety will be ensured. At Sam Khok school, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Bangkok, around 5,000 students were asked to self-quarantine […]

Asia

Thailand’s curfew to be lifted as ‘travel bubbles’ targeted

Jim Stein June 12, 2020

BANGKOK (Asia) – Thailand will lift a nationwide curfew and ease more restrictions next week, a spokesman for its coronavirus task force said on Friday, after the country has reported no local transmissions of the virus for 18 days. Thailand is also planning to reopen to foreign visitors by creating so-called travel bubbles with countries […]

Tech

Thailand proposes the taxation of foreign internet companies

Jim Stein June 9, 2020

BANGKOK (Technology) – Thailand on Tuesday approved a draft bill requiring foreign digital service providers to pay a value-added tax (VAT), becoming the latest country in Southeast Asia to seek to boost tax revenues from international tech companies. Last month, Indonesia passed a law requiring big internet companies to pay VAT on sales of digital […]