Author: Desk Team

Trecia Roberts. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard) The significance of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games for Thai athletes varies from person to person. For Thai-American Trecia Roberts, a former national 100m hurdles star-turned-coach, it launched her dream to have Thai athletics represented at the Olympics -- a tribute to the nation her mother is from. It was at the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei where she made her debut in the Thai national colours and where she clinched gold and silver medals. She was later dubbed the female Tiger Woods of Thai athletics. In her decade-long stint with the national athletics team, she became the first Thai athlete to reach the 100m hurdles semi-finals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a feat she is proud to have achieved through hard work and determination. A string of po...

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Muslims across India marked Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday by offering prayers outside mosques, with the celebrations this year following a series of attacks against the religious minority during the month of Ramadan. “We will not have the same kind of festivity” this year, said Mohammad Habeeb ur Rehman, a civil engineer in India’s financial capital, Mumbai. “This is the most painful Eid with the worst memories for Indian Muslims.” Anti-Muslim sentiment and attacks have surged across the country in the last month, including stone throwing between Hindu and Muslim groups during religious processions and subsequent demolitions by authorities of a number of properties belonging mostly to Muslims. The community, which makes up 14% of India’s 1.4 billion population, is reelin

Situated on the banks of Phetchaburi River, the Sampheng community blends modernity with Buddhist and Chinese heritage The riverbank communities of Phetchaburi have managed to maintain their traditional way of life. (Photo: Saranyu Nokkaew) The sound of a cock crowing signals the start of the day as hundreds of sellers raise their colourful umbrellas and stock their booths with a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits and meats from local farms. Stretching between Panich Charoen, Surin Ruechai and Matayawong roads, this market portrays local life and is the best spot to sample delightful Phetchaburi-style cuisine, recognised for its distinctive specialities created from jaggery palm sugar. Last year, Unesco Creative Cities Network added Phetchaburi to its City of Gastronomy list. My trave...

Renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific not a strategy to contain China, writes Poramet Tangsathaporn "It is not about being on China's side or the US's side but it is about being on the side of peaceful development," Czech ambassador Libor Secka, also the special envoy of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Indo-Pacific. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul) When the Czech Republic takes the presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of this year, it plans to bind the Indo-Pacific region more closely with the EU. "The Czech Republic had decided to take Indo-Pacific as one of our priorities in foreign policy. This is our presidency priority," Ambassador Libor Secka, the Special Envoy of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Indo-Pacific, told the Bangkok Post ...

Washington satisfied that Asean leaders agreed on 'respect for sovereignty' even if Ukraine wasn't mentioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha of Thailand listens to a translation of remarks during a meeting between Asean leaders and US business representatives as part of the Asean-US summit in Washington. (Reuters Photo) WASHINGTON: The summit between Southeast Asian leaders and US President Joe Biden concluded at the White House with a joint statement that omitted any condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The statement called for the “immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine. The countries said they “reaffirm our respect for sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity”. But the statement did not use the words “Russia”, “war” or “invasion”. The Kremlin r

A dog walks in front of a banner with the image of the official mascot for the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi. (AFP photo) HANOI: The SEA Games open in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday after a six-month Covid delay with Southeast Asian pride at stake in everything from football to bodybuilding and eSports. More than 5,000 athletes including Olympic champions are vying for over 500 gold medals in the event, which is staged every two years, in what should be packed arenas. The 11-nation Games include traditional Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming and boxing, but also regional ones like sepak takraw, an eye-catching volleyball-style game where teams kick a rattan ball. Thailand's taekwondo world No.1 Panipak Wongpattanakit and Philippine weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who both won go...

The United States has urged Asean to end the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar by entering dialogue with the military-ruled government and ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is now in detention. Call for talks: US Charge d'Affaires Michael Heath wants a new diplomatic push. Speaking at a press conference, Michael Heath, charge d'affaires ad interim of the US embassy in Bangkok, expressed concern over the crisis in Myanmar after the coup last year, which, he said, destroyed democratic rule in the country. All Asean stakeholders should urgently contribute to dialogue with Myanmar, he said. "We will continue to support Asean's efforts for a peaceful solution in the interest of Myanmar. "This includes utilising the capacity of the special envoy of the Asean chair on Myanmar to build confiden...

The scenes were shocking. In Ottawa, reporters were harassed, swarmed, and insulted by “Freedom Convoy” protesters occupying the city’s downtown. In Surrey, B.C., a camera crew was pushed and spat on by supporters of the protest against vaccine mandates. The anger was palpable, along with the epithets. Few Canadians realize that harassment and intimidation of journalists has become the new reality in this country. And that should matter to all of us. There is a direct connection between how people are informed of current events and how democracy functions. Around the world, journalists have long found themselves the target of threats, assaults, and repression — usually at the hands of authoritarian governments. But now the threat is here, and it comes from some of our fellow Canadians.

The upcoming Blue Metropolis literary festival will celebrate a return to in-person programming by highlighting, among others, a pair of Indigenous authors. The festival will get underway today with virtual events, with live events, including those involving Indigenous authors Eden Robinson and Tomson Highway. Robinson and Highway will appear together in a question-and-answer discussion May 8 at Noon at the Grand Bibliotheque de Quebec, one day after the two will be recognized for their work. Robinson will receive an award live at the McCord Museum in downtown Montreal May 7 at 1 p.m., while Highway will be similarly honoured the same way at 2:30 p.m. Admission for both events is $10. Robinson will receive the 2022 Blue Metropolis First Peoples Prize, presented in partnership with the ...

Niwat award a call to act Chiang Khong Conservation Group founder Niwat Roykaew. (Photo: Wassayos Ngamkham) After two decades of campaigning to protect the Mekong River, Niwat Roykaew, a local teacher and founder of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Chiang Rai, finally received the accolade he deserved. Mr Niwat was one of six recipients of this year's Goldman Environmental Prize, a prestigious award for grassroots environmental activism. The organisation recognised Mr Niwat's unflagging opposition to blasting along the Mekong River, which is intended to create navigation channels that would allow large cargo ships from China to pass into Laos and Thailand. His efforts, along with that of other civil groups, ultimately led to a cabinet resolution scrapping the project. His campaig...