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☆ In Blow to Junta, Thai Voters Overwhelmingly Back Opposition Parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With 97 percent of the votes counted early Monday morning, the progressive Move Forward Party was neck and neck with the populist Pheu Thai Party. In most parliamentary systems, the two parties would form a new governing coalition and choose a prime minister. But under the rules of the current Thai system, written by the military after its 2014 coup, the junta will still play kingmaker. The election had widely been seen as an easy victory for Pheu Thai, the country’s largest opposition party founded by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Polls had showed that Mr. Thaksin’s youngest daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, was the leading choice for prime minister.

☆ Thai PM candidate casts vote in marijuana-print shirt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The 56-year-old is the prime ministerial candidate for the Bhumjaithai Party, which has campaigned on a promise to promote medical marijuana after successfully pushing for the substance to be decriminalised last year. Without associated regulations in place, recreational use surged, angering the Southeast Asian country's conservatives. Anutin has promised that if re-elected, he will tighten regulations to curb recreational use and restrict cannabis use to medical purposes only. Anutin flashed a smile as he emerged from a voting booth and declined to answer reporters' questions about the symbolism of his shirt. Prayuth faces off against the populist platform of the opposition Pheu Thai party, backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family, which has won every election in Thailand since 2001.

☆ Thailand’s Election: What to Watch and What’s at Stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Thai voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a hotly contested election that will determine whether Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the general who seized power in a coup in 2014, is unseated by his rivals. An observer of Thai politics has called the election the most consequential one in his lifetime. Opinion polls show that many voters want change, backing opposition parties that have promised to restore democratic rule in Thailand and roll back some of the authoritarian policies introduced by Mr. Prayuth. There is a broad sentiment that Mr. Prayuth has done little to boost the economy after nine years in power. His harsh crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Bangkok in 2020 has also alienated many voters.

☆ Thai opposition take on kingdom’s conservative cliques in challenge to military’s power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The junta-era constitution gives the establishment-dominated upper house a significant say in who can ultimately form a government so opposition parties must win by a strong margin. It’s the party of the billionaire Shinawatra family – a controversial political dynasty headed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Paetongtarn only entered politics three years ago but has presented herself as hailing from a new generation to connect with young Thais. To be prime minister, a candidate must have a majority in both houses – or at least 375 votes. That means an opposition party or coalition need almost three times as many votes in the lower house as a military party to be able to elect the next leader.

☆ Old rivalries, new battle as Thailand goes to the polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Electoral workers prepare ahead of the upcoming general election, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 13, 2023. The election again pits Pheu Thai's driving force, the billionaire Shinawatra family, against a nexus of old money, military and conservatives with influence over key institutions that have toppled three of the populist movement's four governments. We will change from a dictatorship to a democratically elected government," Paetongtarn told cheering crowds on Friday at Pheu Thai's final rally. The United Thai Nation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup against Pheu Thai's last government, has pledged debt relief, cheaper electricity for low-income groups and subsidies for transport and crop harvesting. ($1 = 33.8500 baht)Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Crucial Question in Thailand’s Election: Can You Criticize the King?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Thais go to the polls on Sunday, they will be voting in a closely fought election that is seen, in part, as a referendum on whether it is illegal to criticize the Thai monarchy. Thailand has one of the world’s strictest laws against defaming or insulting the king and other members of the royal family. The protests represented two sides of an impassioned struggle to determine the role of the crown in modern Thailand. The election could determine whether the Southeast Asian nation of 72 million will revive its once-vibrant democracy or slide further toward authoritarian rule, with royalists firmly in power. He and his supporters argue that amending the law could lead to abolishing the monarchy altogether, and have vowed to defend the royal family.

BANGKOK, May 8 (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has stopped sales and deliveries of its Yaris Ativ in Thailand, senior officials said on Monday, after its affiliate Daihatsu rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests. Toyota was working with the Thai government to resume sales of the model, which has been produced in Toyota's Gateway plant in Chachoengsao province, and further investigation was underway. "If development had been carried out under appropriate conditions, this kind of problem would of course not have happened," Maeda said. Daihatsu has said that some 76,000 of those vehicles were Yaris Ativs mainly bound for Thailand, Mexico and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Toyota President Koji Sato, who took over the top job from Toyoda on April 1, was not at the press conference.

☆ Vietnam and Laos record hottest temperatures ever as heat wave grips Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Temperature records tumbled across Southeast Asia over the weekend as the region swelters under a weekslong heat wave that has brought misery to millions. Scientists have long warned that heat waves are set to get worse as the impacts of the human-caused climate crisis accelerate. In neighboring Laos, the city of Luang Prabang hit 43.5 degrees Celsius (110.3 Fahrenheit) on Saturday, breaking the national record of 42.7 degrees Celsius (108.9 Fahrenheit) that was only set last month, Herrera said. The Laotian capital Vientiane also broke its all-time record this weekend with a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 Fahrenheit). Meanwhile in Thailand, Saturday saw the hottest ever temperature recorded in Bangkok – 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit).

☆ Thai election agency criticised after snags in early voting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, May 8 (Reuters) - Thailand's election commission came under scrutiny on Monday after what a monitoring group said were widespread complaints in early voting, fuelling concern on social media about the competence of a body appointed under military rule. The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) said it had received 92 complaints and investigations were going on. "They don't understand the system so they only do what they understand," Yingcheep said, adding many complaints were over the same issues. The hashtag "why do we have an election commission?" The commission at the time denied wrongdoing and said it needed time to allow recounts, disqualifications and by-elections.

☆ Chinese automaker BYD to make EVs in Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, May 8 (Reuters) - Chinese automaker BYD Co. (002594.SZ) plans to expand into electric vehicles manufacturing and assembly in Vietnam, according to a Vietnamese government statement citing the company's chair. Reuters in January exclusively reported that the Xian-based EV maker had plans to open a plant in Vietnam to produce car parts, with the aim to export components to an assembly plant planned in neighbouring Thailand. The statement did not mention how much new investment BYD would top up for the expansion. The presence of BYD would pose a direct challenge to VinFast, a Vietnamese EV maker that began selling cars in 2019 and plans to expand in the United States and Europe. Last September, BYD, backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, announced that it would build an EV assembly plant in Thailand with annual capacity of 150,000 cars from 2024.

Thailand was the most popular outbound destination for Chinese travelers during the May labour day holiday, data from website Trip.com showed, followed by Japan and South Korea. "There is definitely demand from China for properties in Thailand," said Mesak Chunharakchot, the president of the Thai Real Estate Association. "Chinese are buying houses, sending their children to international schools and having their parents come stay in Thailand to take care of the grandkids." Nearly 270,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand in March, government data shows, a three-year high, though well below the figure of 985,227 in March 2019, before the pandemic took hold. Therefore some would sell one of the houses in China and buy a property here for retirement."

☆ China's Hozon to produce EVs in Thailand for Southeast Asian market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, May 6 (Reuters) - China's Hozon New Energy Automobile will make electric vehicles in Thailand for the Southeast Asian market, a Thai official said on Saturday, as it follows others in building facilities in the region's major auto production hub. Hozon signed an agreement with Thailand's Bangchan General Assembly this week to start production of its NETA V model, expected in 2024, Thai government spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana said in a statement. The EV maker launched its NETA V model in the Thai market last year and planned to start offering its NETA U and NETA S models in the near future, Tipanan said. (TSLA.O)Last month, a Thai official said China's Changan Auto (000625.SZ) would invest $285 million in a facility in Thailand. It has set a target that 30% of domestic auto production be EVs by 2030.

☆ World food prices rise for first time in a year, UN food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points last month against 126.5 for March, the agency said on Friday. "As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices," said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero. While the meat index rose 1.3% month-on-month, dairy prices dipped 1.7%, vegetable oil prices fell 1.3% and the cereal price index shed 1.7%, with a decline in world prices of all major grains outweighing an increase in rice prices. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.780 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22. World cereal stocks by the close of the 2022/2023 seasons are expected to ease by 0.2% from their opening levels to 855 million tonnes.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was initially arrested last week for the alleged murder of Siriporn Kanwong, Deputy National Police Commissioner Gen. Surachate Hakparn told CNN. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn appeared in Bangkok's criminal court after her arrest Tuesday, where she was taken into police custody. Daily News/ReutersPolice are also investigating Sararat’s partner Witoon Rangsiwuthaporn, a senior police official who held the rank of Lt. Earlier this week, Witoon was fired from his job as a local deputy police chief. He is also facing charges of fraud and embezzlement related to the alleged murders, Surachate confirmed.

☆ Many automakers have set up EV assembly plants in Thailand, renewable energy company says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMany automakers have set up EV assembly plants in Thailand, renewable energy company saysSomphote Ahunai of Energy Absolute discusses what the company is doing to become more green.

☆ Thailand in talks with CATL, others on potential battery plants, govt official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Devjyot Ghoshal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We are talking to many companies, not only CATL but many companies in the battery industry," said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). CATL, the world's dominant battery supplier with a 37% market share, currently has no production facilities in Southeast Asia, its website shows. In the past few years, Thailand has drawn investments from EV companies, mainly Chinese, including Great Wall Motors and BYD Co (002594.SZ). Narit said the government's goal was to direct support and subsidies to land larger battery production facilities. CATL currently has 13 battery production hubs, 11 in China, one in Hungary and one in Germany.

Her Pheu Thai Party is also leading in recent polls and has won every election since 2001, including two in landslides. If Pheu Thai can win a landslide and be government, we can make change straightaway." Asked about a Move Forward alliance, she said Pheu Thai would join "with parties that support our policies" and ruled out military-backed rivals. Paetongtarn's father Thaksin Shinawatra was prime minister for five years before he was ousted by the military in a 2006 coup. He didn't say he wants to be prime minister," she said.

☆ U.N. Body Demands Release of Guantánamo Prisoner Who Was Tortured by the C.I.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The body, which has no enforcement mechanism, also found that Abu Zubaydah had been denied a meaningful review of his detention and so was being unlawfully held. “The appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Zubaydah immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” the group said in an opinion. In 2019, Abu Zubaydah drew sketches of how he was tortured. Image Abu Zubaydah. The report criticized six other nations where the United States held Abu Zubaydah — Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Poland, Morocco and Lithuania.

☆ Woman Charged With 9 Murders in Series of Mysterious Deaths in Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Muktita Suhartono | Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The police in Thailand have arrested a woman in the poisoning death of a friend and charged her with premeditated murder in the deaths of eight other people. After the arrest, the authorities quickly linked the woman, Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, to six more deaths, and the number grew to 14 after members of the public came forward and claimed that relatives had died soon after meeting her. She has so far been charged in nine of the deaths, but the authorities said they believed she was responsible for all 14 deaths over several years, as well as one attempted poisoning. Ms. Sararat, 36, is the ex-wife of a senior police official, the authorities said. She was found with a bottle of cyanide when she was arrested last week, they added.

☆ Jack Ma, who disappeared from public view in 2020, just accepted a teaching position in Japan. Here's how the Alibaba and Ant Group founder got started and amassed a huge fortune.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Madeline Stone | Avery Hartmans | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba and Ant Group, accepted a teaching role in Japan. Ant Group said Ma would give up control of the fintech company amid closer scrutiny from Beijing. Alibaba and Ant Group founder Jack Ma, who disappeared from public view in 2020 and resurfaced in Thailand in January, has accepted a teaching role in Japan. Ma is expected to conduct research on sustainable agriculture and food production, Tokyo College said in an announcement on May 1. Jay Fai restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, posted a photo of Ma when he resurfaced.

Bangkok, Thailand CNN —The frontrunner in Thailand’s upcoming national elections gave birth to a son on Monday, just two weeks before the polls open. The vote has been framed as a showdown between Paetongtarn, whose billionaire Shinawatra family dominates the largest opposition Pheu Thai party, and incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, head of a pro-military conservative grouping. Prayut is a former army chief who in 2014 seized power from the Pheu Thai government, after Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck was removed from power in a controversial court ruling. She was the most popular choice for prime minister, the NIDA survey found, receiving “more than double the support” of her rivals – the incumbent Prime Minister Prayut and Pita Limjaroenrat from the progressive Forward Party. This year’s election will see some 52 million eligible voters elect 500 members to the lower house in Thailand’s bicameral system.

☆ China weighs giving single women IVF access to stem population decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Crucially, Chen could access in-vitro fertility (IVF) treatment legally in a private clinic. We have liberalized the policies here and I know a lot of single women are doing IVF." watch nowLiberalizing IVF nationwide could unleash more demand for fertility treatment in what is already the world's biggest market, straining limited fertility services. The NHC's Sichuan branch did not address questions from Reuters about whether it would offer IVF treatment to all women in public hospitals. Shanghai and the southern Guangdong province have also permitted unmarried women to register their children but IVF services for single women remain banned.

☆ Toyota-affiliate Daihatsu rigged safety test for 88,000 cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Toyota said it had not received any report of an accident or injury related to the rigged side-crash test. Daihatsu said it had discovered the rigged safety test after a whistleblower report. It said it had reported the issue to safety regulatory agencies and stopped shipment of affected models. The affected models include Toyota Yaris Ativs made in Thailand from last August, and Perodua Axias manufactured in Malaysia starting from February. Daihatsu said it would run new safety tests in the presence of regulators and confirm the safety of the models before resuming shipments.

☆ War Court Proceedings Stream to Guantánamo From a Secret Chamber in Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba — For hearings in the destroyer Cole bombing case this month, the Guantánamo war court was mostly empty. Skeletal teams for the prosecution and the defense sat in the cavernous chamber, silently watching an 80-inch screen over the witness stand. On it lawyers argued and witnesses testified from a secret courtroom 1,300 miles to the north outside Washington. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the George W. Bush administration created a war crimes court at Guantánamo to be out of reach of the U.S. courts. But now, increasingly, lawyers are examining witnesses and making arguments in the remote annex — four miles from the Supreme Court and 10 miles from C.I.A.

The suspect, who police have identified only by the name Am, was arrested on Tuesday for the alleged murder of Siriporn Kanwong, Deputy National Police Commissioner Gen. Surachate Hakparn told CNN. Siriporn was last seen on CCTV footage with Am before she fainted and died, and an autopsy later found traces of cyanide in Siriporn’s system, Surachate said. Am’s lawyer, Thannicha Akesuwannawat, told local media Thairath TV on Wednesday that her client denies any involved in Siriporn’s death. Surachate said one woman who was allegedly targeted by Am came forward to authorities after news of her arrest broke. In the potentially linked cases currently being investigated by police, all the victims ate or drank with Am in the run up to their deaths.

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