Author: Churai Ekaluck

When Myanmar’s military launched a coup almost three years ago, snatching back the limited portion of control they had ceded to elected civilian leaders, it looked like the same old story. Once again, the generals were crushing the democratic aspirations of their people. To widespread surprise, perhaps most of all the military’s, they failed to stamp out the resistance. What began as a courageous campaign of civil disobedience led to tens of thousands of civilians joining armed groups, including people’s defence forces (PDFs) set up by the national unity government formed from the remnants of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. Critically, long-running…

 A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been convicted of sedition and incitement, a legal official said Thursday. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ye Htut, a 64-year old retired lieutenant colonel, is the latest in a series of people arrested and jailed for writing Facebook posts that allegedly spreading false or inflammatory news. Once infrequently prosecuted, there has been a deluge of such legal actions since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. He was arrested in late…

The ruling Junta in Myanmar has been losing vital military locations and border towns to well-armed ethnic militias that have collaborated with resistance forces to launch massive new offensives in recent weeks, CNN reported. This is a development that has not been seen in decades when it comes to Junta in Myanmar. “The junta is actively collapsing right now and that’s only become possible because there is this wider effort across the country,” an independent Myanmar analyst, Matthew Arnold said, according to CNN. Arnold described the situation as a “military existential moment” and stated that the opposition is “now focused…

The global semiconductor industry is facing imbalances in supply and demand due to increased demand and disruptions in the supply chain, leading to a potential shift in production facilities to Thailand. Countries are prioritizing domestic production and companies need to embrace change through collaborations, joint ventures, and skills development. The semiconductor industry is facing challenges due to supply and demand imbalances, driven by increased demand and disruptions in the manufacturing supply chain. This imbalance has been exacerbated by various events such as the China-US trade war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine dispute. Despite the resumption of increased production capacity…

The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh officially announced the Resource Mobilization Plan to implement the Political Declaration on establishing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) yesterday, signalling the country’s determination to deliver on their energy transition goals.  The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) of the Government of Viet Nam, and the Embassy of Viet Nam in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) successfully co-organised the Viet Nam Business Forum: Mobilizing Resources for the Green Transition today, gathering 160 key stakeholders for the Green Transition. Held alongside the 2023 United Nations…

Thailand’s economy grew at its slowest pace in almost a year in the third quarter, and analysts say the trend is here to stay. Thailand’s gross domestic product grew 1.5% year-on-year for the quarter ending September, official data on Monday showed. That’s far below expectations of 2.4% by economists polled by Reuters, and lower than the 1.8% expansion in the second quarter. The reading marked the second straight quarter of easing growth in Thailand’s economy. “Public spending, inventories and goods exports dragged, despite firm private consumption and tourism,” said Chua Han Teng an economist at DBS Bank, warning that the room for…

Attending the British Council’s Going Global conference and a ceremony to launch the Transnational Education strategy in Edinburgh on November 20, Son discussed the sustainability of the strategy and the ability to expand it in Vietnam, and highlighted opportunities and challenges in the field. At the Vietnam – UK principals’ forum on cooperation between institutes/schools and enterprises for sustainable development the same day, Son affirmed that higher education establishments in Vietnam and the UK have enhanced collaboration across training, research and academic exchange. He valued UK’s support for Vietnam to improve its higher education quality, enhance cooperation between universities of…

The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) supports collaboration between Japanese startups and Thai businesses, aiming to strengthen sustainable technology partnerships. There are now approximately 6,000 Japanese companies operating in Thailand, making Japan the third-largest foreign investor here after China and the United States. Japan has been a significant trading partner for Thailand, particularly in advanced technology and innovation. Japanese businesses view Thailand as an attractive investment destination. JETRO, in collaboration with CP Group, Thai ministries of economy and trade and industry, as well as True Digital Park, recently organised the 5th Rock Thailand event on November 4. Titled “Empowering Growth…

BANGKOK: A veteran Thai politician said on Friday that he held direct talks with the Palestinian group Hamas seeking the safe release of Thai hostages it is holding, amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by Thailand’s government. The back-channel talks that lasted for about two hourswere conducted in person in the Iranian capital Tehran, on Oct. 26, and Hamas officials said Thai hostages were safe and well-looked after, said politician Areepen Uttarasin.“I told them that I am here not to negotiate but simply to ask for their release,” said Areepen, who declined to name the Hamas officials he met with.…

The information was disclosed by Puangpet after her meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung to gain insight into its anti-fake news initiatives. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 16th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) and the 7th AMRI Plus Three Conference in the central city of Da Nang, Vietnam, from September 22-23. She praised Vietnam for setting up a committee to fight fake news on social media. According to Puangpet, combatting fake news is one of the main items before the AMRI meeting, adding Thailand also supports the…