Page 13 - Thailand

Thailand leader Pita Limjaroenrat falls short in parliamentary vote for PM

The head of the progressive Thai political party that outpaced its rivals to a surprise first-place finish in May's general election failed Thursday in his initial bid to have Parliament name him the country's new prime minister. The vote of a joint session of the 500-seat House of Representatives and 250-seat Senate saw Pita Limjaroenrat win 324 votes in the first round of balloting, short of the majority of 376 needed to become prime minister. His Move Forward Party finished first in the May 14 election and afterward assembled an eight-party coalition that together had won 312 seats, a healthy majority in the lower house. But strong opposition in the Senate, whose members are overwhelmingly conservative and generally opposed to the reformist platform of Pita's party, seemingly doomed his chances in the first vote. Only 13 senators supported Pita's bid, while 34 voted against him and 159 abstained. Pita told reporters afterwards that he accepted the vote but was not giving up. He

Thailand's prime minister, who seized power in a 2014 coup, quits politics

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who served almost nine years in office after seizing power in a 2014 military coup, said Tuesday that he is leaving politics. His announcement came after the political party for which he served as a prime minister candidate this year finished fifth in May's general election, capturing just 36 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. Prayuth, 69, a former army commander, made the announcement on the Facebook page of Ruam Thai Sang Chart, or the United Thai Nation Party. He had been their nominee to return as prime minister. "I would like to announce my retirement from politics by resigning as a member of United Thai Nation," Prayuth wrote. "I'd like to ask the party leader, executives and members to continue their political activities with a strong ideology of protecting the institutions, the nation, the religion and the monarchy, and take care of the Thai people." Parliament on Thursday is due to select a new prime minister. The

Global supplies of sugar, rice at risk from Thai drought that can last yrs

Rainfall across the nation may be as much as 10% below average this monsoon season, and the onset of the El Niño weather pattern could lower precipitation even further over the next two years

Indian defence industry showcases capabilities to delegation from Thailand

The Department of Defence Production on Thursday met a delegation from Thailand and exhibited state-of-the-art capabilities of the Indian defence industry. The interaction with the delegation led by Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), Air Marshal Piboon Vorravanpreecha was focused on strengthening the defence ties, a statement by the Ministry of Defence said. "The Indian defence industries presented their state-of-the-art capabilities to the Thai delegation, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the defence cooperation between the two nations. The event was aimed at deepening mutual understanding, exploring potential partnerships, and contributing to the regional security," it said. During the event, both sides expressed their commitment to forging strong defence ties and exploring avenues for joint research, technology transfer, and strategic partnerships. The presentations and discussions would pave the way for future cooperation in areas of mutual

Earthquake recorded off Myanmar's coast, shakes buildings in Thailand

An earthquake was recorded off the southern coast of Myanmar on Monday with tremors also felt in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of major damage. The 5.1 magnitude quake was recorded about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, at 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the surface at 8:10 a.m., according to Myanmar's meteorology department. Thailand's meteorological department reported the earthquake as 6.0 magnitude at 8:40 a.m. and said tremors were felt in the capital Bangkok and nearby Nonthaburi province, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the epicenter. The United States Geological Survey measured the earthquake at 5.6 magnitude. Different agencies often have different preliminary measurements for earthquakes. Many people in high-rise buildings in Bangkok reported feeling the tremors for 15 to 30 seconds, according to the public report section of the Thai government's Earthquake Observation Division website. There were no immediate report

India earned $7,400 mn through medical tourism in last decade: Officials

India generated an income of USD 7,400 million through medical tourism over the last decade, and the figure is expected to rise to USD 43,500 million in the next 10 years, officials said on Wednesday. The health sector in India has seen many private investments in the past five years, they said at the Indian Chamber of Commerce-organised BIMSTEC Health Forum here. Among the issues discussed by the delegates were the inclusion of mental health under overall health, focus on universal health coverage, telemedicine, information sharing, human capital exchange and collaborative opportunities. Because BIMSTEC nations are sensitive to climate change, coordination between the commercial and public healthcare sectors, as well as the government, is required to effect good change while keeping the environment in mind, an official said. Medical tourism is a recognised export from two BIMSTEC members -- India and Thailand. A partnership with the Thai government has also been proposed to adopt

Thailand Open 2023: Lakshya Sen goes down against world No. 5 Vitidsarn

India's challenge at the Thailand Open 2023 badminton tournament came to an end on Saturday after Lakshya Sen went down fighting in the men's singles event, here

Elections in India, Turkey and Thailand show democracy is not dead

Nevertheless, the last week has been full of reminders that, even in an age when democracy seemed to be in retreat, voters retain the power to prevent their countries from collapsing into autocracy

What lies ahead for Thailand after dramatic opposition election win?

But the exact shape of the new government is less clear as post-election coalition talks and behind-the-scene negotiations take centre stage

'Bangkok Spring' sets up showdown over role of monarchy in Thailand

Pita Limjaroenrat, the 42-year-old Harvard-educated leader of Move Forward, staked his claim to becoming Thailand's prime minister after his party won the most seats

Thailand's pro-democracy groups dominate vote after decade of military rule

Emerging as the biggest winner of the night, Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat was greeted Sunday evening by supporters shouting "Prime minister! prime minister! prime minister!"

Thailand's opposition takes early lead in vote count in general election

Vote counting was underway on Sunday in Thailand's general election, touted as a pivotal chance for change nine years after incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha first came to power in a 2014 coup. He is now running against the daughter of the politician who is the military's top nemesis. The polls closed at 5 pm and some results were expected in early evening, with a fuller picture coming later Sunday night. Thai elections use paper ballots that are counted publicly at polling stations. The opposition Pheu Thai Party, headed by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is widely predicted to win at least a healthy plurality of the seats in the 500-member lower House. After casting her ballot, Paetongtarn said every vote is important for effecting change in Thailand and that she has high hopes for the final result. But who heads the next government won't by decided by Sunday's vote alone. The prime minister will be selected in July in a joint session of the House and the 250-seat Senate. The

Thailand polls today: Voters call for change in military-dominated kingdom

As Thailand prepares for elections on Sunday, young voters spearhead 'earth-shaking' calls for change in the military-dominated kingdom, reported CNN

Indian team to take part in IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania C'ship

Tsewang Chuskit will captain the India squad with Dr Noor Jahan, a conservationist by training, in charge of the goal

Thailand targets 2 million Indian tourists in 2023, same as pre-Covid

In 2022, India was the second largest source of tourists to Thailand after Malaysia. Almost a million Indians visited Thailand last year out of a total of over 11 million foreign visitors

Sri Lanka to fast-track trade pact with Thailand amid economic crisis

Debt-stricken Sri Lanka is fast-tracking efforts to seal a stalled trade pact with Thailand in order to boost trade and tourism, and improve the foreign currency shortage that has led to its worst economic crisis, a government minister said on Tuesday. Sri Lanka began talks with Thailand on a free trade agreement in 2016, held two rounds of discussions in 2018, and the latest last month. But government spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said there's been a huge delay and Sri Lanka is now determined to sign the agreement before the end of March. The trade pact aims to boost two-way trade from $550 million to $1.5 billion. Sri Lanka is also in talks with neighbouring India and China to reach trade agreements. The country is bankrupt and has suspended repayment of its $51 billion foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by 2027. Gunawardena said the agreement with Thailand would help Sri Lanka to boost trade, tourism and investment and help resolve its foreign currency shortage.

Amid backlog, now Indians can apply for US visa from other countries

Earlier, the US had launched initiatives like including scheduling special interviews for first time applicants and increasing strength of consular staff

Thai economy continued to recover in December 2022: Bank of Thailand

The country's economy continued to improve in the final quarter of 2022 from the previous quarter due to increasing foreign tourist arrivals, which bolstered services and private consumption growth

'Ready to forge development partnerships with India', says Thailand PM

Prayut Chan-o-cha called on all developing nations to carry on the momentum of the successful outcomes of COP27

RT-PCR to be mandatory for passengers from 5 countries, says Mandaviya

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said RT-PCR test for the detection of COVID-19 would be made mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand for their travel to India. Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, he said. "Passengers from China, Japan, Singapore and Bangkok (Thailand) are being monitored through the 'Air Suvidha' portal," Mandaviya told reporters. In view of the pandemic situation, passengers of flights from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Bangkok are required to upload their RT-PCR report in advance. Even after landing in India, they will undergo thermal screening, he said. "We have issued an order for them to be quarantined in the country if found positive or with fever," the minister said. With China and other countries witnessing a surge in Covid cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday cautioned against complacency, called for