Tag: Thailand

The Story: Five years ago, the US Environmental Protection Agency found that a certain pesticide, chlorpyrifos, is linked to serious health problems including the stunting...

Prayuth Chan-ocha became prime minister in a very Thai way: He led a military coup. Now after five years of running Thailand with absolute power, he's seeking to hold on to the top job through the ballot box. He wants to return as a prime minister under normal politics." He promised elections and then delayed them every year he was in power. He's worn increasingly well-tailored suits — for which his wife takes credit — and, as pressure for an election mounted, largely transformed himself into the Thai equivalent of your typical baby-kissing politician. They could not accept the rise of billionaire politician Thaksin Shinawatra, whose populist policies after being elected prime minister in 2001 threatened to unravel the country's long-established power structure: Bangkok-oriented, devoted to the monarchy and safeguarded by the military. In October that year, he became the army commander-in-chief. After abandoning a sham effort to mediate between the Thaksin-backed government and its opponents who had been staging violent protests against it, Prayuth and the leaders of the other armed forces announced they were seizing power on May 22, 2014. Prayuth and his junta spelled out their major tasks, including brokering national reconciliation and enacting reforms across Thai society to save the nation from what it said was the inherent corruption of politicians. Early last year he made it clear, telling reporters: "I am no longer a soldier.

He has disrupted the Thai political scene, offering a fresh option to the long-standing binary political choice between a royalist, military-aligned bloc or the populist parties of billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thanathorn has drawn an adoring social media following, mainly among young, first-time voters, who appear enamoured as much by his good looks as his policies, dubbing him "Daddy" in a reference to a soap opera character. He and two other party officials could face five years in jail if convicted of spreading false information about the junta in a Facebook live broadcast last year. "We are confident in our innocence and we are confident in people power," Thanathorn told reporters. "I think people understand that as the popularity of Future Forward rises ... there are efforts to kick out my legs. Prosecutors will again meet on March 26, for further consideration on whether to indict. Thanathorn later took to Twitter, warning his 182,000 followers "this is not the last hurdle that will obstruct us". Future Forward are running candidates in every constituency. They are eying a possible king-making role in a pro-democracy coalition if elections fail to deliver an outright winner. Thanathorn has riled the junta with his withering criticism of military spending and the country's lurch into authoritarianism since then-Army Chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha seized power in 2014.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday is expected to dissolve Thai Raksa Chart following the party's shock nomination of Princess Ubolratana which later failed. Some members of Thai Raska Chart came from the Pheu Thai party," he said. 'Total control' Parties connected to Thaksin, a telecoms tycoon, have dominated Thai politics for nearly two decades. Pheu Thai won the last elections in 2011 but was usurped by a coup three years later when the current military government - the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) - seized power from Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of Thaksin. Thai Rak Thai Party, Pheu Thai's predecessor, was dissolved in 2007 following the removal of Thaksin in a coup a year earlier. After taking control of the country and tightening the military's hold over politics, General Prayuth Chan-ocha is now trying to also become an elected prime minister through the Phalang Pracharat Party. The military will appoint a panel to select all 250 members of the upper house so only 126 elected members would need to support Prayuth as prime minister and extend the military's hold on power. Like Future Forward, Pheu Thai's "Next Gen" and the Democrats "New Dem" social media campaigns are targeting young Thai voters with videos and messages. The 22-year-old made headlines in 2016 after a public spat with Prayuth over his refusal to kowtow along with other university students before a statue of King Rama V. "I will go campaigning to get more people to vote," he told Al Jazeera. "I support the democratic camp.

The country’s economy grew at a faster pace in the fourth quarter than the previous three months, as local demand helped to offset a slide in exports, but Thailand's ongoing political divide is again threatening the economy. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 3.7% from a year ago, up from a revised 3.2% in the third quarter, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said on Monday. GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three months, higher than the 0.7% median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. As exports wane, consumer spending and private investment are relative bright spots. Foreign direct investment as a share of the economy has declined during a more than decade-long power struggle between exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra and the military and royalist elite. Thaksin or his allies have won every election since 2001, only to be unseated by the courts or the military. The push to disband the Thaksin-linked Thai Raksa Chart Party over a failed bid to make Princess Ubolrat its prime ministerial candidate lays bare deep splits ahead of the election, the first since a coup in 2014. The unfolding drama is a reminder of Thailand’s cycle of polls, unrest and military intervention since 2006. Forecasters such as the World Bank expect rising private consumption and investment in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy to fill much of the gap from easing exports this year. The Bank of Thailand, which kept its benchmark rate unchanged this month after the first hike in seven years in December, has said its “accommodative” monetary policy would remain appropriate in the period ahead.

All that changed in one dramatic day. Thai Raksa Chart's move to nominate Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya as its candidate for prime minister was doomed by a royal command from the King. In Thai politics, Princess Ubolratana cannot expect anything of the sort. Pheu Thai, meanwhile, has fielded fewer than 250 constituency candidates, meaning much hope was being pinned on Thai Raksa Chart, whose future is now uncertain. In a fairy tale, a wandering princess has no problem befriending the villagers and other creatures of the forest. Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya's political career was on the rise, especially after he was appointed to the key post of secretary-general of Bersatu. But when the scandal broke, Mr Marzuki clarified that it was Cambridge International University in the United States, which, to his further embarrassment, turned out to be a degree mill. The question on everyone's lips is whether Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will take the necessary action to safeguard the image of his government and party. The Marzuki scandal could not have happened at a worse time for Bersatu which is facing a pivotal by-election in Semenyih next month. By proving her still substantial leverage over the main opposition party, does she want to invite the ruling force to consider a political solution of the current situation?

Aftershock follows earthquake as Thai king stops his sister entering politics 10 Feb, 2019 11:37am 4 minutes to read A Thai political party swore loyalty to the king, a day after its stunning decision to nominate the monarch's sister as its candidate for prime minister backfired when the king called the move inappropriate and unconstitutional. The statement of fealty comes as the country ponders a whirlwind in which Princess Ubolratana Mahidol broke with tradition proscribing the monarchy's involvement with politics to become a candidate for the Thai Raksa Chart Party. Then her brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, invalidated her action with a late night order. Thailand's March 24 election will be the country's first since a 2014 military coup put in place a junta determined to reshape the political system to eradicate the influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose allies have won every national election since 2001. Thaksin was ousted by the military in a 2006 coup, and the country's establishment has spent more than a decade trying to neuter his political machine through court rulings, constitutional rewrites and other changes to the electoral system. But Thaksin's popularity made the country's Bangkok-based establishment uneasy and some saw his popularity as a threat to the monarchy itself. Vajiralongkorn's order stressed that Thailand's constitution insists that the king and those around him stay above politics, and the principles of democratic government also put politics off-limits. It directly addressed the point that his sister was a member of the royal family even though her formal royal titles had been lifted decades ago when she married a foreigner. Her association with the monarchy was seen as making it difficult for royalists in Parliament, which picks the prime minister, to vote against her. Prayuth had been considered the front-runner, because changes in constitutional law and election rules were implemented by his government to make it difficult for political parties without military backing to capture the post.

The nation was removed from the EU illegal fishing warning list, but there is a long way to go BRUSSELS: The European Commission's decision to free Thailand from countries it has formally warned over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has underlined the military-led government's achievement in tackling the EU's concern on illegal fishing. However, the country is still being questioned over its ability to maintain fisheries sustainability. To get the EU's approval for delisting the so-called yellow card, the government issued 138 laws and regulations to control IUU fishing. Any government has a right to do so, but it must be done based on sustainable fishery principles with better results," he said. Last week, the EU declared Thailand was free of concerns over IUU fishing activities, which follows the Philippines in shedding its yellow card warning status in 2015, the same year that Thailand was given the yellow card. Meanwhile, marine shipment imports to the EU have are still banned from Cambodia, and Vietnam is also conducting strong efforts to get free from the yellow card status. All marine shipments are now legal," he said. Mr Miller said the country has regained its positive image on marine food products, making its products more acceptable in international markets, which will help increase sales volume to meet demand. He also expressed his appreciation to the Thai navy team for maintaining a key role in combatting IUU in Thai territorial waters and the government's desire to recognise the issue's importance and make all seafood product shipments legal. Later, the EU issued its warning on IUU fishing, resulting in negative impacts on marine product exports from Thailand.

Her father's work with refugees after his army service had taken them around the world, but the family had not lived in the U.S. before they moved to Hawaii. The one-term senator said she can't imagine how her father could've chosen between accepting food stamps to feed her and her brother or bringing his wife and the mother of his children to America. What it means to be a public charge The "public charge" term is used by U.S. The "public charge" standard was first codified into U.S. immigration law in 1882 and again in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which stipulated that those who were deemed a "public charge" would be subject to deportation or barred from entering the country. "This is such a confusing regulation, and we're in such a time of fear and uncertainty for immigrant families — and families of color in this country and families living in poverty right now — that this is really jeopardizing the health of millions of children, well beyond those that would definitely be impacted by it," Linton told CBS News. Linton said the immigrant mother told her she believed she could be deported if she enrolled in the program, even if her child was a U.S. citizen. Although the proposal does not include Medicaid and CHIP assistance in its "public charge" considerations, researchers at the Health Policy Center believe immigrant parents, particularly in Latino and Asian American communities, will drop these benefits due to concerns surrounding their immigration status and ability to remain in the U.S. legally with their children. "So, there are military men and women who are green card holders who also receive food stamps — and their families do." "And one way to subsidize those farmers is with food stamps. That is why people come to America."

BANGKOK – Thailand has taken another step toward holding elections next year by easing some restrictions on political activities to allow parties to conduct basic functions, but they are still barred from campaigning. A special order issued by the prime minister, which became law Friday following its publication in the Royal Gazette, allows political parties to gather funds to operate and, with the ruling junta's permission, recruit party members and choose new leaders. The order comes two days after enactment of laws covering the selection of members of Parliament and senators that mandate that a general election be held between February and May next year. The ruling junta has previously postponed several promised election deadlines. Deputy Prime Prawit Wongsuwan said Thursday that elections are tentatively scheduled for Feb. 24, repeating previous assertions by other senior officials. The military banned virtually all formal political party activities after it took over from an elected government in a May 2014 coup. Friday's order, issued under an emergency law the military enacted after seizing power, said restrictions are still necessary to make sure the country, which it says is now "relatively stable," is on track to achieve the government's reform goals. For example, all senators in the next government will be appointed by the ruling junta, apart from six senatorial positions which automatically go to army and police chiefs. Thawatchai Terdpaothai, a member of the Election Commission, said Friday that it will hold a meeting with all political parties on Sept. 28 to explain the regulations and to hear any concerns the parties may have. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the Democrat Party, the country's oldest, announced Friday on the online messaging platform LINE that his party will hold a meeting of senior members on Monday to plan for a broader Sept. 24 meeting at which it will adjust its rules to meet the new election regulations and organize the registration of new members.