Wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if hydropower dams planned for the Mekong River go ahead, says a report released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today. The report, River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong, profiles four giant fish living in the Mekong that rank within the top 10 largest freshwater fish [...]

The Thai government’s new migrant labor policy has seen a rise in police raids on factories that employ migrant workers, especially from Burma, Loas and Cambodia. There are reportedly up to a million unregistered migrant workers in Thailand. Human rights advocates say many workers are now taking steps to meet the new legal requirements to avoid deportation or jail. The [...]

The current political crisis in Thailand brings forth several assumptions regarding its emergence. The tumultuous historical background suggests numerous factors playing a role in the present breakdown in Thailand. By shedding light on the historical patterns of political evolution in Thailand, one can possibly help resolve the current conundrum of governance for the present and the future. This article will [...]

Samut Sakhon, Thailand (Mizzima) – Migrant workers in Thailand are living in fear amid a police crackdown over the past week that has led to the arrests of more than a thousand migrants in several regions around the country, some said yesterday. Nida, a Mon worker in the Mahachai district of Samut Sakhon, a province neighbouring Bangkok on the southern [...]

Cool music to beat summer heat The grand Pattaya Music Festival is back in town to entertain music lovers. This is an unrivalled opportunity to enjoy a weekend of listening and dancing to beautiful music performed by more than 100 musicians. Fun awaits everyone, on March. According to Pattaya’s city hall it was revived to lighten the mood to give [...]

BANGKOK — Thailand has seized two tons of elephant tusks from Africa hidden in pallets labeled as mobile phone parts in the country’s largest ivory seizure. Thai Customs officials valued Wednesday night’s haul at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 120 million baht ($3.6 million). It is further sign that Thailand is emerging as a hub for the illicit trade. Poaching of [...]

Bangkok – The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch on Tuesday criticised the Thai government’s plan to deport migrant workers to neighboring countries if they miss a registration deadline. Millions of workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar face forced repatriation should they fail to register as legal labourers by the end of this month. “The process is based on an unrealistic [...]

OTTAWA — Canada is accusing the Thai government of flouting international law by sending UN-designated refugees back to their home country of Laos. Last week, Thailand deported about 4,500 ethnic Hmong, despite pleas from human-rights organizations and oft-stated concerns from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The group included 158 people officially designated as refugees, and thousands of others [...]

An increasing number of North Korean refugees are arriving in northern Thailand, fleeing poverty and political oppression at home. Two North Koreans turn away as a group of journalists and refugee activists attempt to talk to them. They were spotted on the side of the road along Thailand’s border with Laos. Several more ran as journalists approached. Speaking in Chinese, [...]

On Dec. 28, Thailand’s military packed more than 4,000 Hmong asylum seekers into trucks and drove them from refugee camps to neighboring Laos, a single-party state that’s been accused of persecuting the group since they backed U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. Thailand now maintains that Hmong living illegally in Thailand are economic migrants, not political refugees in need of [...]