Thailand

More than 100 restaurants in Hong Kong have refused to serve diners from mainland China during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a human rights group that is warning firms against crossing the line into racial discrimination. The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) found the businesses were posting messages online or displaying notices at their premises barring Mandarin speakers and non-locals, …

South Korea threatened retaliation against Japan for what it called an “irrational and excessive” request for its citizens to voluntarily quarantine themselves, as Tokyo’s outbreak-control measures renewed tensions between the neighbours. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep regret” over Japan’s latest travel restrictions in a statement Friday, saying they came “without prior or sufficient discussion with us, …

Facebook has taken down an ad from President Donald Trump’s campaign which critics said misled people into believing it was an official message about the US census. The ads encouraged readers to “take the official 2020 Congressional District Census,” but clicking on the messages directed users to a Trump campaign website. Facebook has been under pressure from activists who have …

The percentage of Thais living in poverty has fallen dramatically over the past three decades, from over 65% in 1988 to under 10% in 2018. However, that trend has reversed in recent years with stalled household incomes and consumption bringing a rise in poverty, according to a new World Bank report. Between 2015 and 2018, the poverty rate in Thailand …

The government has ordered textile firms to speedily produce 30 million pieces of washable cloth face masks in the next month to give away in Bangkok metropolitan areas to combat chronic shortages. The Industry Ministry acknowledged that textile firms should be able to produce 10 million cloth masks in one month based on their production capacity. The ministry expects to …

The Public Health Ministry on Thursday reported four new local coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases – men aged 20-42 years who arrived from Iran and Italy in the past week. It was also announced that healthy people returning from Covid-19 risk countries would now be quarantined at specific and guarded facilities.  Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said …

One month after temporary clinics opened up to chaos and confusion at the epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak, Frontline Doctor Ma Yonggang is finally seeing more empty beds as fewer patients arrive. Announcement When 43-year-old Ma was first called to a sports stadium transformed into a medical facility on February 4, a virtual construction site with electrical wiring and beds …

Thailand’s billionaire Chearavanont family is considering setting up a shrimp farm in the United States, as President Donald Trump’s administration tries to curb America’s reliance on seafood imports. The agro-industrial arm of the family’s conglomerate, Charoen Pokphand Group, said it’s looking at several potential locations, including Florida, as well as other sites less prone to hurricanes. As much as 95% …

Rising Chinese pollution levels measured from space are showing a gradual but uneven industrial pickup after the economic slowdown caused by the nation’s fight to contain the deadly novel coronavirus. Although the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in China’s atmosphere has risen nearly 50% from Feb 17, it was still roughly 20% below the equivalent period last year, according an …

The Finance Ministry has launched a huge relief package including cash giveaways to many more individuals beyond the 14 million people with annual base incomes not exceeding 100,000 baht and who are registered as poor to help cushion fallout from the spread of the new coronavirus. The whole package is worth 100 billion baht, said Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana. The …