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☆ Malaysia Open to Extending China-Led Rail Project to Thai Border
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's government has said it would consider extending a $10 billion China-led rail project to its border with Thailand to boost economic ties between the Southeast Asian neighbours. Part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, the 665-kilometre (413-mile), 50.27 billion ringgit ($10.63 billion) railway is on track to connect the east and west coasts of peninsular Malaysia by the end of 2026. Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Wednesday the government was open to proposals to extend the track to the border with Thailand, for further integration into existing railway networks or future infrastructure developments. Thailand also has plans to invest in a massive land bridge project in the country's south to boost growth and global trade. The bridge would bypass the congested Strait of Malacca, a narrow sea lane between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Persons: Anthony Loke, Loke, Danial Azhar, Panu, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Reuters, Initiative, Malaysia's, Malaysia's Senate, Malaysian, China Communications Construction Co Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Malacca, Indonesia, Bangkok

☆ Thousands, Some in Trance, Pay Homage to Sacred Thai Tattoo Master
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual where devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple's formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple's Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia for thousands of years. The tattoos' magical power were on display during the ceremony where some devotees were in a trance state, or were shouting, running and had to be held back. "I was almost shot once, but the bullet didn't come out," he said, adding that the incident made him a believer of the tattoo's magical power.

Persons: Artorn Pookasook, Sak Yant, Luang, Petcharat Mothin, Monk Tuk, Napat Wesshasartar, Panu, Clelia Oziel Locations: PATHOM, Bangkok, Thai, Asia, Cambodia, Laos

☆ Jailed Former Thai Premier Thaksin to Be Released on Feb 18, PM Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Jailed former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra will be released on Feb. 18, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Saturday. Thaksin has been in hospital detention since August, after making a dramatic homcoming from living abroad for 15 years in self-exile to avoid prison for a conflict of interest. He had his eight-year jail term commuted to a year by the King after his return and has served six months in hospital detention due to an undisclosed health condition. Feb. 18 is the first day of his parole eligibility. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Premier Thaksin, Srettha Thavisin, Thaksin, King, Panu, Stephen Coates Organizations: Premier Locations: BANGKOK

☆ Convicted Thai Ex-PM Thaksin Facing Possible Royal Insults Charge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's attorney general is considering prosecuting convicted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra over an alleged insult of the powerful monarchy, an official said on Tuesday, just weeks away from his possible release on parole. The lese-majeste law is among the world's strictest, with each perceived offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The influential Thaksin, prime minister from 2001-2006, made a dramatic homecoming last August from 15 years in self-imposed exile to serve an eight-year jail sentence for abuse of power, later commuted to one year by the king. Prayut Petchkhun, spokesperson for the attorney-general's office, told reporters the seven-year delay in acting on the royal insults complaint was because Thaksin had been abroad. Thailand current government is backed by the Shinawatra family, with Thaksin's return coinciding with ally and real estate mogul Srettha Thavisin becoming prime minister that same day.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin's, Thaksin, Prayut Petchkhun, Prayut, Srettha Thavisin, Panu, Martin Petty Organizations: Thaksin Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, South Korea, Thailand

☆ New Blow for Thai Election Winners as Lawyer Launches Dissolution Bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The constitution states the king is enshrined to be held in a position of "revered worship". The election commission will weigh the merits of the complaint and whether to send it to the Constitutional Court to decide on party dissolution, which could see its executives banned from politics for a decade. Its predecessor, Future Forward, had championed similar policies and was disbanded in 2020 for violating campaign funding rules. "The election commission must take into account (yesterday's) case ... the commission must carry out its duties and cannot remain idle," Ruangkrai told reporters. Move Forward has rejected accusations that it sought to undermine the monarchy and says it wanted to prevent the wrongful use of the royal insults law.

Persons: Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, Ruangkrai, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu, Martin Petty Organizations: Thailand's, Party, Constitutional Locations: BANGKOK, Thailand

☆ Thailand Deports Dissident Russian Rock Band to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Human rights activists had warned that the seven members of the self-exiled rock band Bi-2 would face harsh punishment if they were sent to Russia. Several band members, however, hold both Russian and Israeli citizenship, and the group had been based in Israel in the 1990s. Earlier this week, Thai immigration officials said the band could choose to be deported to another destination if they felt unsafe to return to Russia. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed the decision to send the band to Israel. "Human rights concerns won out in Thailand's to let all the Bi-2 band members travel to the safety of Israel," he said(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; editing by Miral Fahmy)

Persons: Surachate Hakparn, Surachate, Igor Bortnick, Vladimir Putin, Phil Robertson, Panu, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Thai, Deputy Police, Reuters, Tel Aviv ., Russia's, Human Rights Locations: BANGKOK, Russian, Ukraine, Thailand, Israel, Moscow, Phuket, Russia, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Asia, Thailand's

☆ One Click LCA makes construction more sustainable. It just raised $43.8 million with this 15-slide pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Finnish software company One Click LCA, which aims to make construction more sustainable, has raised 40 million euros, $43 million, in its first external funding round after it was bootstrapped for the past 22 years. One Click LCA helps them measure, report, and reduce emissions of their products and projects. It embeds emissions data into every decision, suggests changes to reduce environmental impact and improve circularity, and allows users to model changes. One Click LCA puts this number at 57% based on its aggregation of existing data and its own calculations. "That's not possible to do after you have commissioned the design," Pasanen said.

Persons: Panu Pasanen, Pasanen Organizations: Business, US, Leadership, Energy, Environmental, PSG Equity, InfraVia Capital Partners, Sustainability Locations: Helsinki

☆ Hundreds of Thais to be evacuated from Myanmar via China amid heavy fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - More than two hundred Thai nationals trapped by the surge in fighting in northern Myanmar between junta soldiers and armed ethnic-minority groups are being evacuated to Thailand via China, the Thai foreign ministry said on Sunday. The Thai foreign ministry said a group of 266 Thais and an unspecified number of Filipinos and Singaporeans are being evacuated from Laukkaing in northern Shan State to the Myanmar-China border with help from the Myanmar authorities. The ministry did not specify the timing of the repatriation flights but said the group is travelling to the Chinese border on Sunday. Thai authorities earlier said some trapped in Myanmar were victims of human trafficking and some might be involved with telecom fraud gangs. The evacuation to China comes a day after 41 Thai nationals were repatriated by land back to Thailand after a coordination between the Thai authorities and Myanmar army.

Persons: Panu, Tom Hogue Organizations: United Nations, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Thai, Laukkaing, Shan State, Kunming, Bangkok, Southeast Asia

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's signature 500 billion baht ($13.87 billion) stimulus policy has faced criticism over fears it could stoke inflation and adversely impact the fiscal position of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Thailand's economy grew just 1.8% year-on-year in the second quarter, sharply slowing from the previous quarter, hit by weak exports that undercut a recovery in its crucial tourism sector. But some analysts are sceptical, as are some opposition lawmakers who have attacked the ruling Pheu Thai party for risking breaching Thailand's fiscal regulations. "We expect Thailand's fiscal outlook to remain uncertain for the rest of this year," said Tim Leelahaphan, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in Thailand. "Also, the Pheu Thai-led government's ability to implement its pledged economic policies including the handout scheme has yet to be assessed, adding to fiscal uncertainty."

Persons: Lertsuridej, Srettha Thavisin, Devjyot, Srettha, Prommin, Tim Leelahaphan, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, Government House, REUTERS, Rights, stoke, Standard Chartered Bank, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK

☆ Thailand Tries to Rescue 162 Nationals Trapped in Myanmar Fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand is trying to bring home 162 of its nationals trapped in Myanmar by a surge in clashes between junta troops and ethnic minority insurgents near the border with China, officials said. Heavy fighting erupted last week in northern Myanmar's Shan State where an alliance of ethnic minority forces battling for self-determination launched a series of coordinated attacks on junta positions. Newly formed pro-democracy insurgent groups have in some areas teamed up with ethnic minority guerrillas who have been campaigning for decades for greater autonomy. The latest fighting in Shan State has pushed thousands of refugees into China, and displaced thousands more internally, Myanmar media outlets reported. A "three brotherhood alliance" of ethnic minority armies in Shan and Rakhine states, said it is seeking to defend their territory and civilians from attacks by the junta.

Persons: Thais, Srettha Thavisin, Nobel, Aung, Panu, Poppy McPherson, Robert Birsel Locations: BANGKOK, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Israel, Myanmar's Shan State, Yunnan province, Thai, Suu Kyi, Shan State, Shan, Rakhine

☆ Thailand aims swapping Chinese sub with frigate after troubled deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The Thai government may buy a frigate instead of a submarine from China after the Chinese manufacturer was unable to include a German engine as specified in the original deal, Thailand's defence minister has said. China has proposed replacing the German engines with Chinese-made equipment several rounds of negotiations did not yield a conclusive result. "We have proposed to China and they are considering it," defence minister Sutin Klungsang told a local media outlet on Tuesday. The defence minister said last week that procurement of submarine would be shelved for now and resume "when the country is ready". The Chinese submarine deal has attracted public criticism of the previous government, with the opposition and critics raising questions about whether was in the public interest, and whether submarines were necessary for security.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin's, Sutin Klungsang, Sutin, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, China, Thailand, Germany, Beijing

☆ UN Urges More International Focus on Rohingya Refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Panu Wongcha-umBANGKOK (Reuters) - The United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday urged the international community to keep focus on the plight of the Rohingya refugees amid a funding crunch and the lack of long-term solution for their safe return to Myanmar. Nearly one million Rohingya Muslims fled a military-led crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017 and are now living in camps in Bangladesh in what U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi described as "the biggest humanitarian refugee camp in the world". "This decline in humanitarian assistance makes it more difficult to continuously, for example, renew the shelters," Grandi said. Grandi praised Bangladesh for "miraculous" works in maintaining the Rohingya camps, allowing education for the Rohingya children, and said that the United Nations is currently discussing with Bangladesh on allowing refugees to work to support their livelihood in the camps. "People are suffering in Myanmar a lot, not just the Rohingya, and they deserve a better future."

Persons: Panu, Filippo Grandi, Grandi, Angus MacSwan Organizations: United Nations, Reuters, Global, Forum, UNHCR Locations: BANGKOK, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bangkok, United

Reuters reviewed a confidential draft of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) "guide to AI ethics and governance," whose content has not previously been reported. In contrast to the EU's AI Act, the ASEAN "AI guide" asks companies to take countries' cultural differences into consideration and doesn’t prescribe unacceptable risk categories, according to the current version reviewed. With almost 700 million people and over a thousand ethnic groups and cultures, Southeast Asian countries have widely divergent rules governing censorship, misinformation, public content and hate speech that would likely affect AI regulation. The ASEAN guide advises companies to put in place an AI risk assessment structure and AI governance training, but leaves specifics to companies and local regulators. EU officials and lawmakers told Reuters that the bloc would continue to hold talks with Southeast Asian states to align over broader principles.

Persons: Stephen Braim, Alexandra van Huffelen, Fanny Potkin, Supantha Mukherjee, Panu, Sam Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN Digital, Companies, IBM, Google, ASEAN, Technology, United States, NIST, U.S . Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards, Meta, Southeast, EU, European Commission, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, STOCKHOLM, Thailand, United, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Brussels, Singapore, Stockholm, Bangkok

☆ Thai mall shooting victim's mother bids emotional farewell at cremation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Mourners attend the cremation ceremony of Moe Myint, a 31-year-old Burmese victim of the Thailand mall shooting, at a temple in Nonthaburi, Thailand, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Acquire Licensing RightsNONTHABURI, Thailand, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Among the hundreds mourning Moe Myint on Sunday was the mother of the Burmese victim of last week's shooting rampage at a Bangkok mall, seeming dazed at the cremation ceremony on the outskirts of the Thai capital. Tears streaking her face, Khin Win was revived with smelling salts as she sat at the Buddhist ceremony. Moe Myint was one of two killed when a 14-year-old boy went on a shooting spree at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok's bustling commercial area on Tuesday. Moe Myint's employer, Aksorn Chantarojvanich, who attended the funeral, said she would provide the family 10,000 baht ($270) a month, matching the remittances Moe Myint had sent home.

Persons: Moe Myint, Jorge Silva, Win, Khin Win, Moe Myint's, Aksorn Chantarojvanich, Tawee Sodsong, Napat Weshasartar, Panu, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Siam Paragon, Thai, Thomson Locations: Thailand, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thai, Siam, Myanmar

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Thailand will close legal loopholes relating to firearm classification and online sales in its gun control efforts, its police chief said on Wednesday, a day after a teenager was arrested following a deadly shooting at a mall that left two people dead. Existing Thai laws on the possession of illegal firearms carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 20,000 Thai baht($539.67). Laws have tightened after mass shootings in recent years in Thailand, including a requirement for a medical evaluation for those who want to buy a gun or renew their gun license. And in 2020, a soldier shot and killed at least 29 people in another northeastern Thai city. "The government should learn the lessons from past mass shooting incidents, review the proposed solutions and quickly implement them," Krisanaphong said.

Persons: Athit, Torsak Sukvimol, Torsak, Lazada, Krisanaphong, Panu, Poppy McPherson, Devjyot Ghoshal, Bernadette Baum, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Authorities, Thailand's Channel, Rangsit University, Reuters, Singapore's, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Southeast Asia, Thai

People flee following shots fired at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. China is vital to that effort as the biggest source of foreign visitors to Thailand in pre-COVID years. 'SHOCKED'Chinese visitors accounted for 11 million of a record 39.9 million foreign tourists to Thailand in 2019, before the pandemic. Thailand recorded 20 million foreign tourist arrivals in the January to October period, who spent 839 billion baht ($22.58 billion). At the re-opened Siam Paragon mall, on a typically gridlocked thoroughfare, crowds were trickling back.

Persons: Devjyot, Srettha Thavisin, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Somsong Sachaphimukh, Dong Peijian, Napat Wesshasartar, Thomas Suen, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Police, Siam Paragon, Tourism Authority of, Tourism Council, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, China, Myanmar, Asia's, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai, Southeast Asia

☆ Suspected Thai mall shooter modified handgun designed to fire blanks - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A general view shows the outside of the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall after Thai police arrested a teenage gunman who is suspected of killing foreigners and wounding other people in a shooting spree, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Oct 4 (Reuters) - A teenager suspected of killing two foreign nationals and wounding five others in a Thai shopping mall shooting had modified a handgun that was designed to fire only blanks, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Chaos erupted at the Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok close to peak hours on Tuesday, with hundreds fleeing as gunshots rang out. Major General Samran Nuanma said he modified a gun designed to fire blank rounds, to enable it to use live ammunition. Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jorge Silva, Samran Nuanma, Torsak Sukvimol, Torsak, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Siam Paragon, Police, National, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Thai, China, Myanmar

Fleeing shoppers were ushered by security guards from the mall into torrential rain and towards a road with heavy traffic. We saw all the people run, run, run, we didn't understand what was happening," said 26-year-old Shir Yahav from Israel, who was at a designer store at the time of the shooting. [1/6]People flee following shots fired at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. The mall said it had evacuated shoppers and staff immediately, stressing safety was of the utmost importance. "Siam Paragon would like to express our deep apologies for the unexpected event," it said in a statement, adding the mall would reopen on Wednesday.

Persons: Torsak Sukvimol, Torsak, Yahav, Devjyot, handcuffing, Panu, Pasit, Napat, Artorn, Athit, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty, Gareth Jones Organizations: Siam, Police, Thai, Siam Paragon, National, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, BANGKOK, Bangkok, China, Israel, Thailand, Siam, Nakhon Ratchasima, Instagram, Sun

☆ Thailand's new PM says committed to attracting major foreign investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Friday said his government was committed to introducing the necessary changes to make the country a major destination for foreign investment, including pursuing more free trade agreements. He stressed foreign policy would be neutral and not taking sides between the United States and China, adding that Japan was a major power that Thailand was committed to, given its long history as the country's top investor. He opened the address stating the country's constitution needed to be amended to address political divisions and chronic economic disparities. Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Brendan McDermid, Srettha, Sretta, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Martin Petty, Michael Perry Organizations: Thailand’s, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Rights BANGKOK, Thailand, United States, China, Japan

☆ Thailand's Opposition Move Forward Party Names New Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's opposition Move Forward named a new leader on Saturday after Pita Limjaroenrat, who led the party to a stunning election victory in May, was thwarted in his efforts to become premier. The progressive party will lead the opposition after conservative lawmakers and an unelected senate blocked its attempts to form a government. Pita stepped down as party leader earlier this month amid a host of legal and legislative challenges that many see as part of a pattern by the pro-military and royalist establishment to diminish a new generation of leaders. Pita would continue on as advisor to the party and manage activities outside parliament, Chaitawat said. "This could easily wipe out members of the opposition, who give commentary calling for reforms," he added.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Chaithawat, Pita, Chaitawat, Pannika, penalises, Phasuk, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu, Kanupriya Kapoor, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Human Rights Watch, Reuters Locations: BANGKOK, Thailand

☆ Thailand's opposition Move Forward Party names new leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Thailand's opposition Move Forward named a new leader on Saturday after Pita Limjaroenrat, who led the party to a stunning election victory in May, was thwarted in his efforts to become premier. The progressive party will lead the opposition after conservative lawmakers and an unelected senate blocked its attempts to form a government. Pita stepped down as party leader earlier this month amid a host of legal and legislative challenges that many see as part of a pattern by the pro-military and royalist establishment to diminish a new generation of leaders. Pita would continue on as advisor to the party and manage activities outside parliament, Chaitawat said. "This could easily wipe out members of the opposition, who give commentary calling for reforms," he added.

☆ Thailand's new PM draws flak in parliament for 'aimless' economic agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin delivers the policy statements of the Council of Ministers to the parliament, in Bangkok, Thailand, September 11, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin came under fire in parliament on Monday over a new government policy agenda that opposition lawmakers called vague and short of some of his party's boldest election pledges. Srettha confirmed his agenda before parliament on Monday which included digital cash handouts, lowering energy prices and relaxing visa rules to boost tourism. The new administration adopts an economy that is expected to grow 2.8% this year, below a previous forecast of 3.6%. ($1 = 35.4500 baht)Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Athit, Srettha, Pheu, Sirikanya Tansakul, Party's Jurin Laksanawisit, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat, Panu, Martin Petty Organizations: Thailand's, Ministers, REUTERS, Rights, Thai, Pheu Thai Party, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Real

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is expected to be arrested upon his return as he ends almost two decades of self-imposed exile, waves at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Thailand's king has commuted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's eight-year prison sentence to one year, the royal gazette said on Friday, a day after the billionaire submitted a request for pardon. His return overshadowed a vote in parliament that installed political ally Srettha Thavisin of the Shinawatra-backed Pheu Thai party, as prime minister. "Thais should accept and not criticise this outcome because it could be considered a violation of royal power," he said. Thailand's strict royal insult law shields the monarchy from criticism, carrying a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Athit, Thaksin Shinawatra's, Thaksin, Srettha Thavisin, Thaksin's, Winyat Chatmontri, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Thais, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat, Panu, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Thai, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Don Mueang, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is expected to be arrested upon his return as he ends almost two decades of self-imposed exile, waves at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand August 22, 2023. Thaksin, Thailand's most famous politician, made a dramatic homecoming last week after 15 years abroad where he lived in self-exile to avoid prison. A representative of the 74-year-old Thaksin declined to comment when asked by Reuters about his pardon request. A request for royal pardon must be submitted through the corrections department to the justice minister. If a royal pardon is not granted, Thaksin will have to wait two years to submit another request.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Athit, Wissanu Krea, ngam, Thaksin, Thailand's, Srettha, Prayuth Cha, Wissanu, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat, Panu, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Thai, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Don Mueang, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK

Pheu Thai's Srettha Thavisin gestures at the party headquarters before a royal endorsement ceremony after Thailand's parliament voted in favour of his prime ministerial candidacy, in Bangkok, Thailand August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited the resort island of Phuket on Friday, a first official trip to underline plans to shore-up economic recovery by bolstering tourism, a key driver of growth. The state planning agency has since cut its growth projection to a 2.5% to 3.0% range from 2.7% to 3.7%. The government will then have to deliver policy objectives to a joint session of parliament before starting work, likely in late September. ($1 = 35.1100 baht)Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgupmanat; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pheu, Thailand's, Athit, Srettha Thavisin, Srettha, Chiang Mai, Panu, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Tourism, Thai Party, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Phuket, China, Phangnga

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