Thailand

The Public Health Ministry’s new travel advisory for Japan and Singapore is sparking concern among Thai tourists, many of whom are asking tour operators to refund their tickets. The ministry on Tuesday advised people to delay travelling to Japan and Singapore while the two countries grapple with deadly coronavirus (Covid-19). Those who cannot avoid visiting the two countries should take …

US car maker General Motors confirms that roughly 1,500 workers from its Thai operations have to be laid off this year once Chinese maker Great Wall Motors takes ownership of the Rayong facilities. But the government hopes the new owner can invigorate the country’s fledgling electric vehicle (EV) industry and spur a transition away from internal combustion engines. On Monday, …

A hospital director at the epicentre of China’s virus epidemic died Tuesday, state media said, the latest medical worker to fall victim to the new coronavirus spreading across the country. Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died Tuesday morning after “all-out rescue efforts failed,” state broadcaster CCTV reported. China said last week that six medical workers had …

Public health authorities on Monday raised measures against Covid-19 to level 3, in preparation for a surge in transmissions. Level 3 means medical staff have to undergo screening for the virus. Within the next two months, every province will have at least one hospital capable of testing for Covid-19. The Department of Medical Sciences is also developing a coronavirus test …

When Cambodia’s prime minister greeted passengers on a cruise ship amid a coronavirus scare on Valentine’s Day, embraces were the order of the day. Protective masks were not. Not only did Prime Minister Hun Sen not wear one, assured that the ship was virus-free, his bodyguards ordered people who had donned masks to take them off. The next day, the …

The army has struck a deal with the Finance Ministry’s Treasury Department on the management of its commercial welfare projects and its commercial use of state land to ensure transparency and regulation compliance. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Monday will pave the way for the transfer of state land and commercial businesses to the Finance Ministry and allow most …

More than 300,000 Chevrolet cars in Thailand risk losing maintenance services after the US car maker General Motors (GM) announced a halt in sales of the Chevrolet brand locally by 2020. GM is selling manufacturing facilities in Rayong under a purchase agreement with Chinese car maker Great Wall Motors. Both parties want to close the deal and hand over the …

KUALA LUMPUR –  The High Court has allowed Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s application or an extension of time to allow the defendants to examine the 263 handbags and 40 watches seized, allegedly linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds, that were seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan …

A major Thai coffee brand has vowed to pay about 200 farmers who were forced to take out loans while waiting nearly three years for payments due them, leaving them with spiralling debts. Doi Chaang Coffee, which has more than 50 franchises in Southeast Asia, said it would pay about 7 million baht after the Thomson Reuters Foundation revealed the …

The new case, a 60-year-old Chinese woman whose family members earlier contracted the virus, takes the total number of cases in Thailand to 35 since January, Sukhum Kanchanapimai, the health ministry’s permanent secretary told a news conference. The health ministry said on Monday that Thailand had recorded one new case of the coronavirus and was increasing screening of visitors from …