The Bangkok Post
PM: Government won't use force in Bang Kloi
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday said his administration won’t use force against ethnic Karen villagers living in Phetchaburi’s Kaeng Krachan National Park as past governments did. Instead, this government will take care of those living in Bang Kloi by ensuring they have proper jobs and ...
MONGKOL BANGPRAPA
Sand beach in Mekong River reopens, brings local economy to life
A popular sandy beach on an island in the Mekong River has been reopened to visitors, to the delight of local businesses, after being closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. The reopening last week of Had Hae beach, in tambon Nam Kam, ...
PATTANAPONG SRIPIACHAI
Marijuana seized on Mekong river bank
A patrol of the Mekong Riverine Unit seized 635 kilogrammes of compressed marijuana on the bank of the Mekong river in Tha Uthen district in the small hours of Monday. The patrol spotted a pickup covered with canvas on the bank of the Mekong river near ...
PATTANAPONG SRIPIACHAI
'Dust dome' to blame for city's haze
The drop in air quality across Bangkok over the past week is caused by an urban “dust dome” over the city, which formed as low atmospheric pressure and high-rise buildings trapped dust and other pollutants from the burning of agricultural waste, says Natural Resources and ...
APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
Parks Dept rejects Karen call to return
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has rejected a request by a group of evicted Karen villagers to be allowed to resettle in their ancestral home deep into a forest at the Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi. “As long as there ...
APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
Making palm oil more sustainable
Palm oil has long been a major economic backbone of Southeast Asian economies, notably Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. But the undeniable environmental impact of extensive deforestation, haze and forest fires caused by oil palm plantations has given the industry a bad reputation that has been ...
APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL
Govt eyes more cash handouts
The government is considering giving financial assistance to people affected by the latest outbreak of Covid-19, government sources revealed on Monday. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday met for talks with Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow and Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith at Government House. Also present were ...
CHATRUDEE THEPARAT
Mekong 'dammed' by uncertainty
Last week, it was reported that Chinese authorities notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) that Jinghong Dam in Yunnan province will reduce its rate of water discharge by half from the beginning of the month until late January. For communities living along the Mekong, unusual ...
NIWAT ROYKAEW
Younger children struggle with distance learning
Like many Thai students, Tanwa Ngernpot, a six-year-old student in Nonthaburi province, can’t return to school after the New Year holiday. The Education Ministry last week ordered all public and private education providers in the “maximum control zones” of 28 provinces to be close until Jan ...
DUMRONGKIAT MALA
Mekong drowned in water politics
The mighty Mekong River is the heart and soul of Southeast Asia. Millions of livelihoods are linked to it, especially in terms of food, energy and water security. Besides giving birth to one of the planet’s most biodiverse river basins, the transboundary nature of the ...
EDITORIAL