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Thailand's baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng now has an official song in 4 languages
Read full article: Thailand's baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng now has an official song in 4 languagesIn case you can’t get enough of pygmy hippo Moo Deng, there’s now an official song featuring the internet’s favorite baby animal.
First-generation Thai chefs open restaurant in Orlando. Here are the details
Read full article: First-generation Thai chefs open restaurant in Orlando. Here are the detailsIrin King and Tukta Pinyo grew up in Thailand, helping their parents run their restaurants. Little did they know they would both partner up and open an eatery in Orlando years later.
California restaurant's comeback shows how outdated, false Asian stereotype of dog-eating persists
Read full article: California restaurant's comeback shows how outdated, false Asian stereotype of dog-eating persistsA Thai restaurant in Fresno, California, is back in operation after being wrongfully accused of abusing a dog to turn it into meat.
One night only: Thai pop-up makes comeback in Orlando after nearly 2 years
Read full article: One night only: Thai pop-up makes comeback in Orlando after nearly 2 yearsNearly two years after its last event, Thai pop-up Bangrak Thai Street Kitchen is making a one-night-only comeback in the City Beautiful.
Thai pro-democracy protesters rally outside army base
Read full article: Thai pro-democracy protesters rally outside army baseAround 800 protesters marched to the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment, which is closely associated with the country’s royal palace. The protesters believe that the army undermines democracy in Thailand, and that King Maha Vajiralongkorn wields too much power and influence in what is supposed to be a democratic constitutional monarchy. Protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak urged the crowd to rally outside the court on the day of the verdict. Last year, the 11th Infantry Regiment was shifted from the army’s chain of command and made part of the Royal Security Command, answerable directly to the king. Because it is based in Bangkok, the 11th Infantry Regiment has been a key player in coups, or opposing them, according to the prevailing political climate.
Thai lawmakers put off vote on constitutional amendments
Read full article: Thai lawmakers put off vote on constitutional amendmentsLawmakers in Thailand are expected to vote Thursday on six proposed amendments to the constitution, as protesters supporting pro-democratic charter reforms gathered outside the parliament building. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)BANGKOK – Scheduled voting by Thai lawmakers on six proposed amendments to the country’s military-backed constitution was canceled at the last minute Thursday as Parliament voted instead to set up a committee to further consider such proposals. The action, taken after two days of debate, means any vote on constitutional amendments is likely to be postponed for at least a month, and likely longer. The joint vote by the members of the Lower House and Senate was 431 in favor of setting up the committee and 255 opposed, with 28 abstentions and one vote not cast. Most controversially, they are allowed to vote in the selection of a prime minister, a provision critics slam as fundamentally anti-democratic.
The Latest: Thailand withdraws from Thomas and Uber Cups
Read full article: The Latest: Thailand withdraws from Thomas and Uber CupsThe Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Thai badminton federation says it has withdrawn from the Thomas and Uber Cups after high-profile players pulled out because of concerns regarding COVID-19. The federation says the absences of former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, No. 3-ranked mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai and others meant the country couldnt field a team in the Oct. 3-11 world teams event in Denmark. Thailand badminton federation president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul says player safety and health has always been our priority concern. We respect the players decision.The Badminton World Federation said last month the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals would go ahead in Aarhus, Denmark, despite an overhaul of the tournament calendar following the shuttering of international competition during the coronavirus pandemic.
Thai students turn agitators for educational reform
Read full article: Thai students turn agitators for educational reformAgain on this Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, students will gather to protest outside the Education Ministry demanding reform to what they say is an oppressive and ineffective school system. On Saturday she and her friends plan to do it again, venting their rage in an attempt to shake up the Thai education order, which they say is oppressive, ineffective and in dire need of reform. The Bad Students have grabbed attention nationwide, in part because their movement was born at a time of wider anti-government protests led predominantly by university students. The Bad Students arrived with a bang last month. "They call themselves, the movement, the Bad Students.
Thailand vows to step up action against illegal online sites
Read full article: Thailand vows to step up action against illegal online sitesFacebook bowed to pressure from the Thai government and blocked Facebook account belonging to a group whose members have an open discussion about the Thai monarchy. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)BANGKOK A top official in Thailand said Wednesday that his country will step up action against online content that breaks its laws, two days after forcing Facebook to block a group that was posting material critical of the monarchy. Facebook on Monday blocked access to the site from within Thailand but it remained accessible in other countries. Pavin moved quickly to set up a similar Facebook group that already by Wednesday had more than 700,000 members. The monarchy is considered sacrosanct in Thailand and any criticism is normally expressed privately.
Facebook blocks group that discusses Thai monarchy
Read full article: Facebook blocks group that discusses Thai monarchyFacebook has blocked in Thailand the Royalist Marketplace group, which has more than a million members and engages in open discussion about the Thai monarchy, an institution that is staunchly protected from criticism by strict laws. (AP Photo)BANGKOK Facebook has blocked in Thailand a group with more than a million members that engages in open discussion about the Thai monarchy, an institution that is staunchly protected from criticism by strict laws. The Facebook group, Royalist Marketplace, was blocked late Monday after the social media giant bowed to pressure from the Thai government. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a 49-year-old academic who created the group in April, bemoaned the decision, and quickly set up a similar Facebook group that already has hundreds of thousands of members. Pavin said that after the Facebook group was blocked, he immediately created another one that is essentially the same, called "Royalist Marketplace-Talad Luang."
Thai court issues new arrest warrant for Red Bull scion
Read full article: Thai court issues new arrest warrant for Red Bull scionBANGKOK A Thai court issued a new arrest warrant on Tuesday for an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune, a month after news of the dropping of a long-standing charge against him caused widespread anger. Assistant National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Jaruwat Waisay confirmed that Vorayuth Yoovidhya, commonly known by the nickname Boss, faces charges of causing death by negligent driving and use of a narcotic substance. "We are confident that we can move forward on this, otherwise this decision would not have been made.Vorayuth is the grandson of Chaleo Yoovidhya, one of the creators of the globally famous Red Bull brand. Both of his Thai passports were canceled shortly after the issuing of the original arrest warrant in 2017. There have also been calls in Thailand to boycott the Red Bull brand.
Thai police arrest rapper, activists in crackdown on protest
Read full article: Thai police arrest rapper, activists in crackdown on protestPro-democracy students raise a three-fingers, symbol of resistance salute during a protest rally in front of Education Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. The activists facing sedition charges have called on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his administration to resign. Three other political and labor activists also were also arrested Wednesday, according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that Thai authorities should drop all charges and release the detained pro-democracy activists. The Thai governments repeated promises to listen to dissenting voices have proven meaningless as the crackdown on pro-democracy activists continues unabated, said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch.