Business

Ratch acquires 9.9% share in BCIL
Business, World

Ratch acquires 9.9% share in BCIL

Ratch acquires 9.9% share in BCIL SET-listed Ratch Group has acquired a 9.9% share totalling 190 million baht in Bangkok Chain International (Lao) Co (BCIL) to co-invest in a new hospital in Vientiane as it sees an opportunity in the growing healthcare industry. The share purchase agreement made on July 30 is in line with the Lao government's plan on social welfare development, with a goal to enhance the public health system and quality of living. A private tertiary hospital in the Lao capital that has 110 beds is planned in the first phase, with operation scheduled to begin on Aug 19. Full accommodation capacity is 254 beds. It will become an alternative hospital for both locals and expatriates, according to Ratch. The company expects healthcare and wellness businesses will grow as ...
Southeast Asia’s factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta
Asia, Business, World

Southeast Asia’s factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta

Southeast Asia's factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta A view of the Klong Toey port amid the spread of the coronavirus in Bangkok. (Reuters file photo) BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR: Fresh outbreaks of the Delta coronavirus variant in Southeast Asia have crippled its factory sector, disrupting global supplies of goods such as rubber gloves, semiconductors and SUVs and threatening the US$3 trillion region's recovery. A series of factory surveys this week showed business activity across most Southeast Asian economies fell sharply in July, a contrast to more resilient manufacturing economies in Northeast Asia and the West, where business growth has slowed but remained in expansion. The economic disruptions in Southeast Asia caused by the virus have been made worse by slow progress in...
Myanmar’s strike holdouts maintain defiance of ‘wicked junta’
Business, World

Myanmar’s strike holdouts maintain defiance of ‘wicked junta’

Myanmar's strike holdouts maintain defiance of 'wicked junta' Ongoing strikes have left Myanmar's junta deprived of staff to manage utilities, issue bills and collect taxes. BANGKOK: Doctors healing patients from hiding, teachers giving up their classrooms and bankers losing their savings are among the stubborn holdouts still on strike to protest Myanmar's military coup six months ago. Thousands of civil servants joined a mass walkout in the days after the February ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi's government in an effort to deny the junta legitimacy, manpower and resources. It is difficult to know how many are still participating in the campaign, with many sacked for joining protests and a severe coronavirus outbreak likely keeping others away from their desks. The strikes have left the j...
Japan to donate millions more doses
Business, World

Japan to donate millions more doses

Japan to donate millions more doses A medical worker prepares a dose of the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus disease during a vaccination session at the National Taiwan Science Education Center in Taipei City on July 3 this year. (Reuters photo) TOKYO: Japan will make additional donations of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Taiwan and other Asian neighbours this week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday. Japan will ship out 1 million doses each to Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam on Thursday as part of bilateral deals with those governments, Motegi told reporters. An additional 11 million doses donated through the Covax sharing scheme will be sent this month to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Laos, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as various Pacific Island states, he sai...
Woman convicted in kidnapping gets re-sentencing hearing
Business, World

Woman convicted in kidnapping gets re-sentencing hearing

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — A woman convicted in the 1987 kidnapping and death of a northern Illinois businessman has been granted a re-sentencing hearing by the state’s appellate court. Nancy Rish, 59, petitioned in December 2017 for a resentencing hearing so that the court can consider evidence of domestic violence. Stephen Small of Kankakee suffocated in a plywood box when a breathing tube running to the surface failed before a ransom could be paid. Her attorneys argued Rish was coerced by ex-boyfriend Daniel Edwards into driving him and that she was unaware of his kidnapping plan even as he had her pick him up from the remote, wooded burial site and drive him between phone booths where he made ransom calls. The attorneys argued her case is what Illinois legislators had in mind when they p
Time to rein in tutoring firms
Business, World

Time to rein in tutoring firms

Time to rein in tutoring firms I have always been puzzled about why so many Thai parents send their children to private tutors after school. Even my 9-year-old niece has to study on weekends when she could be enjoying time with her parents or playing with two lovely cats at home. It's true that most Thais including myself despair about the quality of the education system, and certainly parents want their children to have any advantage they can get. But the little ones also need time to relax and refresh themselves on weekends and get ready for classes on Monday. Professionals involved in children's wellbeing, including educators, are increasingly speaking out against the fast-growing number of pushy parents who subject their children to additional evening teaching, sometimes from as you...
The crafting of Asean’s ‘protector’ role
Business, World

The crafting of Asean’s ‘protector’ role

The crafting of Asean's 'protector' role The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was established just over a decade ago to promote and protect human rights in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Yet, its activities, to date, have been more to do with promotion activities, such as workshops, rather than protection measures, such as to receive complaints and to provide remedies. Currently a panel of experts is due to be set up to review the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the AICHR, but until now, only four countries -- Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia -- have named their appointees, and none of the appointees are women. There is thus an urgent need for all the other six Asean countries to name their appointees so that the panel can start to fun...
Thousands protest lockdown in Sydney, several arrested
Business, World

Thousands protest lockdown in Sydney, several arrested

SYDNEY (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Saturday to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases, and police made several arrests after crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic bottles and plants. The unmasked participants marched from Sydney’s Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district, carrying signs calling for “freedom” and “the truth.“ There was a heavy police presence in Sydney, including mounted police and riot officers in response to what authorities said was unauthorized protest activity. Police confirmed a number of arrests had been made after objects were thrown at officers. New South Wales Police said it recognized and supported the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, but the
US maintains entry restrictions due to rising Delta cases
Business, World

US maintains entry restrictions due to rising Delta cases

US maintains entry restrictions due to rising Delta cases A US army soldier is tested for Covid-19 upon arrival at Morocco's Agadir military airport in June 2021 amid ongoing restrictions on travel due to the pandemic. WASHINGTON - The United States said Monday it would maintain restrictions on international travel into the country, sidestepping European pressure, pointing to a surge of cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant at home and abroad. "We will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. "The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world." In its latest advisories, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended avoiding travel to Spain and Portugal, two popular destinati...
Carrying on the legacy of Coca
Business, Singapore, World

Carrying on the legacy of Coca

The third-generation operator of the celebrated sukiyaki chain is looking to evolve the business in light of the pandemic, but vows to stay true to its roots Ms Natalie says creativity is just as important as speed and accuracy to lure customers. Some people may think success in a family business is a bit like being handed a title on a silver platter, but it wasn't so for Natalie Phanphensophon, chief operating officer of Coca Holding International Co, a pioneer in the sukiyaki restaurant business in Thailand. Ms Natalie, 35, is a third-generation descendant of the family that owns Coca Holding. She is braving a spate of challenges related to continued outbreaks that have reshaped the restaurant industry. With a master's degree in food science from Reading University in the UK, Ms Nata...