Tag Archives: thailand

Foreign

A year on, Rohingya trapped in desperate limbo

IN LIMBO. This picture taken on May 14, 2015 shows Rohingya migrants on a boat drifting in Thai waters off the southern island of Koh Lipe in the Andaman. Christophe Archambault/File/AFP

One year after struggling ashore during Southeast Asia’s human-trafficking crisis, hundreds of desperate Rohingya migrants remain in limbo, forgotten footnotes as record numbers worldwide flee violence and persecution

BAYEUN, Indonesia (May 3, 2016) — One year after struggling ashore during Southeast Asia’s human-trafficking crisis, Sonamia and hundreds of other desperate Rohingya migrants remain in limbo, forgotten footnotes as record numbers worldwide flee Continue reading A year on, Rohingya trapped in desperate limbo →

Nation

ASEAN wages war against illegal wildlife trade

Image by Rappler.com
Southeast Asia has long been regarded as a hub for illegal wildlife trade because of its wealth in biodiversity and proximity to major markets for wildlife products

MANILA, Philippines (Mar. 19, 2016) — When a boat hiding dozens of endangered scaly anteaters or pangolins was found parked in Palawan in 2013, officials discovered most of the animals came from other parts of Southeast Asia, not from the Philippines.

Continue reading ASEAN wages war against illegal wildlife trade →

Foreign

Chemical fire extinguisher leak kills 8 in Thai bank

DEADLY LEAK. Fire suppression chemicals were accidentally released at the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) building in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by Narong Sangnak/EPA
Initial autopsy results show the victims suffocated due to lack of oxygen

BANGKOK, Thailand (Mar. 14, 2016) — Eight people died and 7 were injured when they accidentally triggered a fire extinguisher system inside the vault of a major Thai bank and released a suffocating cloud of chemicals, officials said Monday, March 14.

Continue reading Chemical fire extinguisher leak kills 8 in Thai bank →

Foreign

60 hospitalized after boat engine explosion in Bangkok

Image by Rappler.com
The director of the company running the service says he does not know the explosion’s cause and adds that he had been using gas-powered engines for 8 years

BANGKOK, Thailand (Mar. 5, 2016) — 60 people were hospitalized Saturday, March 5, mostly for burns, after the engine on a Bangkok commuter boat exploded and sent passengers leaping to a nearby pier or into the water, officials and reports said.

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Foreign

Irradiated mosquitoes to help zap Zika’s power

IRRADIATE. Scientists use a radiation to render male mosquitos sterile as a possible technique to combat the Zika virus. Photo by Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA
Scientists say that by zapping male mosquitoes’ private parts with a radioactive source, they can reduce the population of the Aedes aegypti

SEIBERSDORF, Austria (Feb. 20, 21016) — The atmosphere inside the laboratory on the outskirts of Vienna is literally buzzing with armies of male mosquitoes locked up inside net-covered boxes. Their sole mission in life: stop females from breeding.

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Foreign

Thailand says man contracted Zika virus domestically

HEALTH THREAT. Members of the Dominican Republic’s army fumigate an area as they provide information during a move to prevent propagation of the ‘Aedes Aegypti’ mosquito, believed to be the carrier of the Zika virus, Dengue fever and other diseases, in Guerra, Dominican Republic, January 30, 2016. Photo by Orlando Barria/EPA
Authorities say the 22-year-old Thai man is likely to have caught the same strain of the virus that has caused panic in countries such as Brazil and Colombia

BANGKOK, Thailand (Feb. 6, 2016) — A man has contracted the Zika virus in Thailand, officials said Tuesday, February 2, as a global alert intensifies over the mosquito-borne infection blamed for a surge in serious birth defects in South America.

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Foreign

Thailand says 100 held in trafficking blitz on seafood industry

Migrant fishermen from Myanmar and Cambodia on a Thai fishing boat after unloading fish at a jetty in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, January 19, 2016. Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
The EU hit Thailand with a ‘yellow card’ warning last April, threatening to ban all seafood exports unless the military government tackled rampant illegal fishing and labor abuses among its fleets

BANGKOK, Thailand (Feb. 1, 2016)— Thai police said Monday, February 1, over 100 people have been arrested in a crackdown on human trafficking since the European Union threatened to boycott the country’s multi-billion dollar fishing industry over the issue.

Continue reading Thailand says 100 held in trafficking blitz on seafood industry →

Foreign

Omani man tests positive for MERS in Thailand

mers
Image by Rappler.com
The 71-year-old arrived in Thailand on Friday with a fever which doctors in Oman could not treat

BANGKOK, Thailand (Jan. 24, 2016) — Thai health officials are trying to trace dozens of people who may have come into contact with an elderly Omani man who tested positive for Middle East Continue reading Omani man tests positive for MERS in Thailand →

Foreign

Thai summit to spotlight Myanmar, Bangladesh over migrant crisis

rohingya migrants
RESCUE. Acehnese fishermen (L-in boat) help Rohingya migrants in their boat off the coast near the city of Geulumpang in East Aceh before being rescued on May 20, 2015. Photo by Januar/AFP

BANGKOK, Thailand (Nov. 26, 2015) — Myanmar and Bangladesh face renewed pressure to tackle “the root causes” of an annual migration crisis after Thailand on Thursday, November 26, announced a regional summit ahead of the new sailing season.

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Foreign

Southeast Asia breathes sigh of relief as rains ease smog crisis

haze
HOPE. Rains are bringing hope that the haze crisis could end. Photo by Bagus Indahono/EPA

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Oct. 30, 2015) — Persistent rains have cleared the air across vast stretches of Southeast Asia that have choked for weeks on hazardous smoke from Indonesian fires, with officials expressing hope Thursday the crisis could soon end.

Continue reading Southeast Asia breathes sigh of relief as rains ease smog crisis →