Author: Le Minh Khanh

Junta troops have arrested 11 people in a raid on Myitkyina township in Myanmar’s Kachin state, locals told RFA Thursday. They said that six men and five women were detained three days ago after around 30 soldiers went to a house and accused the residents of having ties to the local People’s Defense Force, part of the pro-democracy forces created in 2021.  As of Thursday, the detainees were still being questioned at the Northern Command base in Myitkyina, according to township residents. One local, who didn’t want to be named for security reasons, told RFA none of the arrested have…

KFC has been voted the best food and beverage (F&B) brand in Vietnam, according to Decision F&B Rankings 2023. With a score of 29.6, KFC stands well ahead of other popular fast-food restaurants. In 2022, KFC also had the top index score (31.1), but this has fallen by 1.5 points this year. Highlands Coffee ranks second with a score of 25. The Vietnamese coffee chain has built a strong brand identity that offers premium coffee products and a comfortable environment for customers. Meanwhile, Trung Nguyen Legend, which achieved an index score of 20.2, jumped to the third position. The coffee chain jumped two places from fifth in…

Hopes for a progressive, democratic Thailand may be dashed after Pita Limjaroenrat and his Move Forward party were dealt a major blow Wednesday when the country’s parliament barred Pita from standing a second time in elections for Prime Minister. The National Assembly also ousted Pita late Wednesday on recommendation of the Constitutional Court as it decides on the validity of his May candidacy in Thailand’s general elections. Pita had managed to build a multiparty parliamentary coalition but failed to capture the necessary votes in an initial contest on July 13, though his party emerged as clear winners in Thailand’s general elections in…

International organisations and media have continued to make positive assessment of Vietnam’s economic recovery and outlook in the second half of 2023. Despite a slow growth amid global economic headwinds, Vietnam is performing better than most countries and is still an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the manufacturing sector, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Singapore-based DBS Bank as cited by Fibre2Fashion. In an assessment of Vietnam’s economic situation in the first half of this year, both said a gradual easing of monetary policies, reducing taxes, and expanding public spending have helped mitigate the impact…

A year ago today, Myanmar awoke to the news that its military leaders had resumed use of the death penalty, following a moratorium of over three decades. Among the four men executed was Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former member of parliament and alumnus of EUVP, the European Union’s programme for young leaders and opinion formers outside the EU. The veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, widely known as Ko Jimmy, was also hanged. The executions, following sham trials, were further evidence of the Myanmar military’s contempt for the life and dignity of the very people they are supposed to protect.…

A Thai elephant gifted to Sri Lanka two decades ago arrived back in its birth country on Sunday, following a diplomatic spat over the animal’s alleged mistreatment. Thai authorities had gifted the 29-year-old Muthu Raja – also known as Sak Surin in its birthplace – to Sri Lanka in 2001. Muthu Raja was in pain and covered in abscesses when it was rescued from the Buddhist temple last year, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, Madusha Perera, told the AFP news agency. Animal welfare groups said the elephant had been forced to work with a logging crew and that its wounds, some…

BANGKOK: Thai police said on Monday (May 29) they have charged a Canadian man they described as a mercenary with the murder of an Indian gangster in the resort island of Phuket. Officers launched an investigation after Jimi “Slice” Sandhu – whose nickname came from a distinctive scar on his face – was shot and killed in February 2022. Interpol issued a red notice last year for Canadian citizen Matthew Leandre Ovide Dupre in connection with the murder. The 38-year-old was extradited from Canada and returned to Thailand late Sunday. “He is quite a key suspect and a professional mercenary.…

HANOI: China has approved another 47 farming area codes and 18 packaging facility codes for importing durian from Vietnam, according to Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry. Farming area codes enable traceability and thus agricultural exports. To qualify for export to China, durian need to weigh 3kg or more, meet stringent safety standards, have traceability stamps in English or Chinese, and show the name of the packaging facility. China, the world’s largest durian market, began importing the fruit from Vietnam last year after approving 51 farming area codes. The number has since increased to 293 along with 115 packaging facility codes.…

President Xi Jinping underscored on Wednesday the need for China and Vietnam to consolidate political mutual trust, bolster solidarity and cooperation, properly manage differences and jointly respond to risks and challenges. Beijing and Hanoi should work toward the building of a bilateral community with a shared future dedicated to the cause of human peace and progress, Xi told Truong Thi Mai, head of the Organization Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, during a meeting in Beijing. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called on the two sides…

Myanmar social media users are increasingly being arrested and imprisoned for posts deemed to denounce or criticize the military junta. Since the coup in February 2021, the junta has been monitoring social media use to track down suspected dissidents. In the latest online crackdown, junta forces have traced and arrested people for changing their Facebook profile photos to black or sharing comments mourning the junta’s air strike in Pazi Gyi Village, Sagaing Region, which killed around 170 people, mostly children and women, on April 11—its deadliest such attack so far. Journalist U Kyaw Min Swe, an actress and two singers…