Thailand

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha faces the prospect of being taken to the Constitutional Court over his allegedly unlawful occupation of an army residence. Prasert Chanthararuangthong, a Nakhon Ratchasima MP for the main opposition Pheu Thai Party, told parliament during Wednesday’s censure debate that Gen Prayut’s tenancy of the army house constituted a conflict of interest. The MP said Gen Prayut, …

The atmosphere at NaRaYa, a popular bag retailer at Ratchaprasong intersection, has completely changed during the past several months. Long queues of customers and busy cashiers are sights not seen at the flagship store since the coronavirus outbreak. A similar fate has befallen Big C Supercenter’s Ratchadamri branch, whose Thai souvenir zone on the ground floor used to be a …

An elderly man has put 30 staff of B.Care Medical Center in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus after denying he had travelled overseas. He later admitted he had travelled to Japan and tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The management of the hospital stated on Wednesday that the man arrived at the facility on …

Unseasonal drought, floods and the negative impact of hydropower projects on the Mekong River’s ecology were major concerns raised by residents of northeastern provinces at a public hearing on the Luang Prabang Dam on Tuesday. Pradap Klatkhemphet, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), said the opinions will be summarised and included in a statement of …

The new coronavirus epidemic swelled on Wednesday with cases in South Korea surging past 1,000 after deaths soared in Iran and infections appeared in previously untouched countries, prompting dire warnings that the world was not ready to contain it. The virus has rapidly spread in parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, even as the number of deaths and …

A source in parliament said that Bhumjaithai MP and party registrar Supachai Jaisamut has written to inform House Speaker Chuan Leekpai that nine MPs from the disbanded FFP have applied to join Bhumjaithai. This brings the number of Bhumjaithai MPs to 61, surpassing the Democrats to make it the second-largest party in the coalition, the source said. Bhumjaithai has also …

Indonesia’s Gojek denied a report that it’s discussing a merger with rival Grab Holdings Inc, a deal that would combine the leading ride-hailing businesses in Southeast Asia. “There are no plans for any sort of merger and recent media reports regarding discussions of this nature are not accurate,” Gojek said in an emailed statement Tuesday. Management teams from the two …

Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco has completed its exit from China with the sale of a 20% stake in a joint venture to a unit of its state-run partner China Resources Holdings (CRH), raising 275 million pounds (1.1 billion baht). Having struggled to crack the Chinese market, Tesco established the Gain Land joint venture with CRH in 2014, combining its 131 …

The Public Health Ministry on Tuesday announced two new Thai Covid-19 cases: a woman, 31, whose relative visited Guangzhou and a male driver of Chinese tourists, 29, as the total number of local cases rose to 37. Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent secretary for health, said the woman was a maid and was initially diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause. Later, doctors …

Former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangpakorn and five other suspects are facing six charges including premeditated murder. The charges stem from the abduction and murder of a brother of a senior judge to force her to drop an indictment against Pol Lt Col Banyin in a share transfer case. Wirachai Sakuntaprasoet, an elder brother of Bangkok South Criminal Court judge …