Author: Desk Team

One in 10 Aussies trust China’s government - survey This handout photo taken and released on June 12, 2022, from the Australian Department of Defence shows Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles, left, meeting with China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore. (Photo: AFP) Just over one in 10 Australians have faith in the Chinese government to act responsibly in international affairs, according to a new survey, amid attempts to resume diplomatic links between the nations under the country’s new Labor leadership. An annual poll by the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based foreign policy think tank, found just 12% of Australians said they trusted China as an international player. The result was sharply down from four years ago in 2018 w

Criminal gangs tarnish Golden Triangle A recent photo shows Kings Romans Casino — an infamous gambling outlet on the Thai-Lao border by the Mekong River. Many Thais have been lured by the promise of work at the casino, only to find themselves in illegal roles. (Photo by Transborder news) Bo Keo airport which is under construction in the northern part of Laos may give the impression of economic development in this once quiet corner of the world. The airport which is located on the Golden Triangle -- a stone's throw from Thailand's Mae Fah Luang airport on the opposite side of the Mekong River -- is part of a mega-project pursued by Zhao Wei, a Chinese tycoon who owns Kings Romans Casino, an infamous gambling outlet on the Thai-Lao border. Inarguably, this 75%-complete modern airport att

Arrivals from China still continue to trickle in Despite stringent travel restrictions in China, Thailand still received 36,246 Chinese visitors in the first five months of 2022, with 20,000 arrivals recorded in the month of May alone, comprising business travellers, students and Elite Card holders. Even though the Chinese government hasn't given any hint about the country's reopening, the situation is expected to become clearer once the Communist Party National Congress begins in perhaps October, said Chuwit Sirivajjakul, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) executive director of the East Asia region. He said if China partially eases travel restrictions for some cities, as is the case in nine cities at present, or if the country allows more categories of travellers other than business p...

NEW DELHI (AP) — A special meeting of foreign ministers from India and Southeast Asian countries opened Thursday with co-chairs India and Singapore calling for a strengthening of ties amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and a heightened rivalry between the United States and China that threaten peace and stability in the region. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations face geopolitical headwinds from the war in Ukraine and its impact on food and energy security, prices and supply chains. “India fully supports a strong, unified, prosperous ASEAN whose centrality in the Indo-Pacific is fully recognized,” he said. Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Russia’s actions have “upended the international system of rules and

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Myanmar’s defense minister, under sanctions from the United States, Britain and other countries for abuses committed by his country’s military, was welcomed Wednesday to an annual meeting with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Gen. Mya Tun Oo wore his military uniform as he attended the ASEAN defense ministers’ meeting in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. More than 600 civic groups inside and outside Myanmar had issued an appeal to the ministers not to invite him. They accuse him of complicity in violence committed by Myanmar’s military as it seeks to crush opposition to its seizure of power last year from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a private organization that tra

YES Taylor C. Noakes Public historian While there’s nothing like a televised celebrity defamation trial to bring about the doomsayers lamenting the end of Western Civilization, the debate over television cameras in the courtroom need not be restricted to the interests of television tabloids and their legions of viewers. Many of us have an interest in allowing courtroom proceedings to be recorded and broadcast for public consumption. The public demand for law enforcement and justice system accountability and transparency is at an all-time high, brought on because our faith in the justice system is at an all-time low. Where we once suspected the police of incompetence, corruption, and all too often using brutality as a first resort, we now have a seemingly endless supply of audio-visual p

VW faces Brazil hearing over dictatorship-era slavery claims A picture shows the Volkswagen logo in a vintage Volkswagen Kombi bus: the German carmaker faces an audience with Brazilian prosecutors over allegations of human-rights violations at a farm it ran during Brazil's military dictatorship. RIO DE JANEIRO: German carmaker Volkswagen faces an audience with Brazilian prosecutors Tuesday over allegations of human rights violations at a farm it ran during Brazil's military dictatorship, including slave labour, rapes and beatings. Prosecutors have assembled a 90-page dossier they say documents years of atrocities committed by Volkswagen managers and hired guns at a cattle ranch the company owned in the Amazon rainforest basin in the 1970s and 80s. In the latest attempt to bring justice...

A worker in a protective suit passes food through a gap in the barrier at a residential area in Shanghai on Thursday. (Reuters Photo) SHANGHAI: China’s biggest city is inching toward gradual reopening from two months of gruelling Covid-19 lockdowns, while Beijing has said some mobility curbs would be loosened starting on Sunday. However, most of the restrictions that have dramatically curtailed movement in the Chinese capital remain in place even as new daily case numbers decline to low double-digits. Shanghai aims essentially to end its lockdown from Wednesday. More people have been allowed out of their homes and more businesses permitted to reopen in the past week, although most residents remain largely confined to their housing compounds and most shops are limited to making deliverie

A large rainbow flag is seen being held by participants of Bangkok Naruemit Pride 2022, the event aimed at boosting gender equality. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul) Bangkok saw an explosion of glamour, gilt, and glitter Sunday as the country's LGBTQ community celebrated their first Pride parade in almost 16 years -- but attendees warned true equality was still distant. Bangkok's "Naruemit Pride 2022" -- Naruemit means "creation" in Thai -- was organised by a coalition of non-governmental groups with the city's newly ratified Governor Chadchart Sittipunt also throwing his weight behind it. Allies and people of all genders, including drag artists, sex workers, feminists and even a few furries -- people who are interested in or dress up as animal characters with human personalities -- bou...

National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) thrives in digital era as it marks its 24th Anniversary Thailand’s GDP is expected to grow around to a relatively high 3.2% in 2023. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia are also contributing to the regional strong growth prospects. Despite slow economic recovery Thailand’s National Metrology Institute still strives for the best and remains one of the most trusted excellent center of metrology in Asia Pacific regions on par with Singapore. “Internationally recognized measurement capabilities ensure that high quality products and services could access markets and customer around the globe” said Ajchara Charoensook, Director of National Institute of Metrology (Thailand). “Thailand has great potential to build