People and Government
Thai gov't approves financial aid to 5th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge
The Thai government on Tuesday approved financial assistance to Laos for the construction of the fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge linking Thailand’s northeastern province of Bueng Kan with Lao’s central province of Bolikhamsai.“The fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge had been approved in principle in the Cabinet’s resolution ...
Health insurance extended
In a move to help the government cope with Thailand’s ageing society, the cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to let freelance workers up to 65 years of age register under the social security system.This decision will benefit the 4.36 million self-employed people aged 60 ...
Chatrudee Theparat
PM orders government agencies to speed up budget disbursement [Video]
The Prime Minister has instructed heads of government agencies and state enterprises to develop their fiscal 2021 budget plans, as a House committee is still vetting the 2020 budget bill.Keep watching ...
Isaan human rights defenders between fight or flight
Over 300 people gathered at Ubon Ratchathani University on Monday to discuss the state of human rights in the Northeast and the country.The 10th Annual Isaan Human Rights Festival gathered communities from across the region, activists, scholars, students, and foreign diplomats. Ambassador of Sweden, Staffan ...
Law 'still failing migrants'
The Prayut Chan-o-cha government is failing in efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers, but has made progress against human trafficking, labour rights advocates said on Wednesday.They praised authorities for combating illegal entry of workers, but said legal protection for immigrants as well as educational ...
Penchan Charoensuthipan
Govt eases fishing regulations after protests
Commercial fishermen across Thailand have decided to end their protests after the government pledged to assist with problems which they believed stemmed from measures taken to curb Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.Rallies against the government’s stringent regulations aimed at countering IUU fishing have been ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
2020 budget poised to sail through House
The fiscal 2020 budget bill is expected to receive parliamentary approval early next year as the coalition government has sufficient votes from lawmakers to pass the bill, says Kobsak Pootrakool, the Prime Minister’s Office Minister.“I am confident the government will be able to pass the ...
Nuntawun Polkuamdee
Research budget gets B8bn boost
The House has reversed a decision to cut 63.7% or 8 billion baht from the annual budget requested to fund science, research and innovation.The House committee vetting the government’s 2020 budget bill was convinced by the Ministry of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation’s appeal ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Fishermen threaten strike action
Disgruntled fishermen from 22 coastal provinces have threatened to raise the level of their protest if the government does not respond positively to their demands for relaxation of stringent regulations within three days.An estimated 8,000 fishing trawler operators and boat crew on Tuesday converged outside ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Dictating the internet
Disinformation or freedom of expression? Hate speech or free speech? Threat to national security or whistleblowing on corruption and tyranny?These time-honoured debates have assumed a new urgency in the internet era, where digital privacy is under attack and fake news sometimes comes from the same ...