Malaysia will lift most coronavirus restrictions on businesses on Wednesday, including a ban on travel between its states, after lockdown of nearly three months although its international borders will remain closed. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced in a televised address the novel coronavirus outbreak was under control and Malaysia would …
Read More »Two bombs explode outside Thai government office in Yala, wounding 18
Two bombs exploded in front of a government office in Thailand’s insurgency-hit southern Yala province on Tuesday, wounding 18 people, a security official said. The explosions took place in front of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC), a Thai government body that oversees the administration of three mostly Malay-Muslim …
Read More »Bat guano collectors in Thailand undeterred by a possible link to coronavirus
Thai villagers scouring a dark cave for bat guano, sought after by farmers as a nutrient-rich crop fertilizer, are undaunted by scientists’ suggestion that it could be behind a coronavirus that has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide. The source of the virus remains a matter of debate after it …
Read More »Death toll from the mass shooting in Thailand hits 26
The death toll from a shooting spree by a soldier in northeastern Thailand has reached 26 people, as officials rule out ideological motives in the attack. Thai security forces shot and killed the rogue soldier behind the mass shooting in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima City, about 250 kilometers from the capital, …
Read More »Latest on the coronavirus spreading in China and beyond
China said it would welcome assistance from the United States to fight a coronavirus outbreak, a day after it accused Washington of scaremongering, and as the death toll in China rose on Tuesday by a new daily record to more than 420. ** First case of coronavirus confirmed in Belgium. …
Read More »Wall Street sinks amid recessionary fears.
US stocks plunged on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 450 points, as investors were spooked by the latest signals from the bond market that pointed to a heightened risk of a recession. US Treasury yields took another dramatic drop and the premium on three-month bill …
Read More »Rohingya Muslims found stranded on Thai island: officials.
A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims was found beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday, officials said. The passengers – 28 men, 31 women, and five children – were stranded on Rawi island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand’s southern Satun province after the boat …
Read More »Thai king names his consort queen days before coronation.
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced on Wednesday that he had married his consort, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn, and named her Queen Suthida. The announcement, carried in the Royal Gazette, came just before the official coronation of the king, 66, on May 4-6. Vajiralongkorn, also known by the title King Rama X, …
Read More »Thailand’s new internet security law gives sweeping powers to state agencies.
Thailand’s military-appointed parliament on Thursday passed a controversial cybersecurity law that gives sweeping powers to state cyber agencies. The Cybersecurity Act voted unanimously, is the latest in a wave of new laws in Asian countries that assert government control over the internet. Civil liberties advocates, internet companies and business groups …
Read More »