A round-up of the coverage of the struggle for human rights and freedoms, from Thailand to Mexico
Continue reading...Category Archives: Thailand
Sister of murdered UK backpacker ‘died in hospital after leading fight for justice’
Inquest into death of Laura Daniels hears she travelled to Thailand for trial of Hannah Witheridge’s killers despite serious health problems
The sister of the murdered British backpacker Hannah Witheridge died in hospital after leading the fight for justice for her sibling and travelling to Thailand despite being seriously ill, an inquest heard.
Laura Daniels, a paediatric nurse, died in 2019 aged 30 after years of complications following surgery, five years after her 23-year-old sister was killed.
Continue reading...Refugees hit hardest as deadly floods sweep across continents
Death toll rises as storms continue to rip through communities, destroying homes and livelihoods
As heavy rains and floods dominate headlines around the world, displaced people and those living in conflict zones are among the worst affected.
Wind and heavy rain from monsoons and typhoons has bombarded much of Asia. There have also been downpours and flash floods in parts of Latin America and Africa.
Continue reading...Thailand bans sharing of news that ‘causes public fear’ amid pandemic criticism
Measures condemned by media and rights groups as attempt to shut down negative news reports
The Thai government has outlawed sharing news that “causes public fear”, even if such reports are true, as officials face mounting criticism over their handling of the pandemic.
On Thursday, the government tightened an emergency decree imposed more than a year ago that initially targeted false news. The latest constrictions forbid people from distributing “information causing public fear”, or from sharing “distorted information causing misunderstanding which affects national stability”.
Continue reading...Thailand puts Covid patients on sleeper trains home to ease crisis in Bangkok
More than 100 patients have already been sent home as country faces its third and deadliest wave of coronavirus
Thailand has begun using sleeper trains to transport Covid patients out of Bangkok, where hospitals have been overwhelmed by a recent surge in cases.
The first train left the capital on Tuesday, transporting 137 patients who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms to their home towns in the north-east of the country.
Continue reading...Thailand’s hospitals under pressure as Covid crisis deepens
Doctors forced to treat patients in car parks while others turned away as no beds available
Thailand’s worsening Covid outbreak is placing intense pressure on hospitals, forcing doctors to treat patients in parking lots and turn away people who are severely ill.
The country was widely praised for its Covid response last year, when it maintained one of the lowest caseloads in the world. However, there is growing public anger over the government’s recent handling of the pandemic, including its slow and chaotic vaccination campaign.
Continue reading...Unesco urged not to give heritage status to Thai park amid claims of Indigenous abuses
UN human rights experts decry arrests and evictions of ethnic Karen from Kaeng Krachan national park
UN human rights experts have urged Unesco not to grant World Heritage Site status to a national park in Thailand, where they said Indigenous people are being arrested and evicted from their traditional lands.
The UN experts said in a statement: “This is an important precedent-setting case, and may influence policies on how Indigenous peoples’ rights are respected in protected areas across Asia.
Continue reading...Infectious nightclubs: Covid outbreaks serve as risk alert
Nightclubs across the world have been linked to outbreaks, leading some countries to open up to vaccinated clubbers only
They only wanted to enjoy themselves on the sunny Sardinian coast last summer after a tough two-month lockdown. But instead, young Italians, who had frequented nightclubs, returned home either with Covid-19 or laden with feelings of guilt, regret or anger at the authorities.
Nightclubs, such as those in Spain, France, the UK, Austria and Thailand, have triggered coronavirus outbreaks since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Continue reading...Thai police clash with anti-government protesters amid expanded covid lockdown – video
Thai police have fired water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to stop protesters from marching on the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha calling for him to resign. More than 1,000 protesters took part in the demonstration despite an expanded coronavirus lockdown. Demonstrators carried mock body-bags to represent coronavirus deaths. They blame the prime minister and his government for mismanaging the Covid-19 pandemic
Continue reading...Thai police fire rubber bullets at protesters as Covid failures fuel anti-government anger
Long-running rallies against Thailand’s prime minister have morphed into wider anger at coronavirus vaccine failures amid a surge in cases
Thai police have used teargas, rubber bullets and water cannon to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters who held a rally in Bangkok despite coronavirus restrictions banning gatherings of more than five people.
In an effort to avoid the spread of infection, many of the protesters drove cars or rode motorbikes, instead of marching as they had in previous protests. About 1,500 riot police were deployed, along with water cannon trucks.
Continue reading...Thailand bans public gatherings as Covid cases hit record high
More restrictions are being considered as the country battles its worst outbreak yet
Thailand has imposed a nationwide ban on public gatherings and was considering more restrictions on movement as authorities reported record numbers of new cases and deaths on Saturday.
Despite partial lockdowns in Bangkok and nine other provinces this week, the country’s Covid-19 task force reported 10,082 new coronavirus cases and 141 new deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 391,989 cases and 3,240 fatalities since the pandemic started.
Continue reading...Asia Pacific sees sharp rise in Covid infections as Delta strain threatens new wave
From South Korea to Australia, authorities are struggling to contain the highly transmissible coronavirus strain that has caused a surge in UK, Europe and US
Countries throughout Asia Pacific – from South Korea to Australia – have been hit by a rise in coronavirus infections as the Delta variant threatens a new wave of the pandemic even in a region renowned for tackling the virus with a high degree of success.
China reported 57 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for 6 July, up from 23 cases a day earlier, the national health authority said on Wednesday. It was the highest daily tally of infections since 30 January.
Continue reading...Thailand reports record Covid-19 cases as concerns mount about vaccine shortages
Health authorities reported more than 6,200 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, setting a record for a third straight day
Health authorities in Thailand reported more than 6,200 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, setting a record for a third straight day, as concerns mounted over shortages of treatment facilities and vaccine supplies.
Officials also reported 41 deaths, bringing the total to 2,181.
Continue reading...Covid live: Delta variant likely to represent 90% of infections in EU by September, says disease agency
European centre for disease control warns it is vital for people to get fully vaccinated as the summer holiday season begins
- All UK arrivals in EU should be quarantined, says Angela Merkel
- Call to speed up jabs as Delta variant spreads across Europe
- WHO voices concerns over Sputnik V Covid vaccine plant
- Australia plans to shelve AstraZeneca vaccine by October
Here is the latest on the Covid situation in Australia:
Related: Morning mail: Sydney awakes to restrictions, vaccines wasted, John McAfee dead
The US will ship three million doses of the Johnson & Johnson one-jab Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil on Thursday, the country with the second highest coronavirus death toll in the world, a White House official said.
The shipment - part of Washington’s pledge to donate 80 million vaccines - will depart Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on an Azul Airlines flight, bound for Campinas, a city in southeastern Brazil about 100 km (62.14 miles) from Sao Paulo, Reuters reports.
Continue reading...Elephant breaks into kitchen in Thailand looking for snacks – video
A hungry elephant crashed through a kitchen wall looking for something to eat in the early hours of Saturday morning in southern Thailand. Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon was awoken by crashing and banging. When she went to find out what had happened, she discovered the male elephant, named Boonchuay, rummaging through her kitchen
Continue reading...Elephant in the room: visitor crashes through kitchen wall in Thailand
Woman finds hungry elephant rummaging for late-night snack – and it’s not the first time he’s stopped by
Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon was awoken in the early hours of Saturday morning by crashing and banging. When she went to find out what had happened, she discovered an elephant’s head poking through her kitchen wall beside the drying rack.
The male elephant, named Boonchuay, appeared to be looking for something to eat. His trunk rummaged through the kitchen drawers, knocking pans and cooking paraphernalia to the floor. He chewed on a plastic bag as Ratchadawan, unsure what to do, filmed the episode on her phone.
Continue reading...‘Devastated’ Phuket in race to vaccinate 70% of islanders in time for holiday season
Thai region hopes jabs and ‘sandbox’ scheme will allow tourists to return and rejuvenate economy
In normal times, the convention centre at Phuket’s Angsana Laguna resort hosts extravagant weddings and luxury business summits. Since April, it has served as one of seven centres on the frontline of the island’s Covid vaccination campaign. Behind the room’s white satin curtains, medical staff in hair nets and blue aprons administer 1,800 doses each day.
The island is racing to vaccinate as many people as possible in the hope that, if 70% of the population are vaccinated before 1 July, Phuket will become the first Thai destination to reopen to foreign tourists.
Continue reading...Factory workers making goods for the west bear brunt of virus surge in south-east Asia
Migrant labourers tell of being forced to isolate in brutal conditions as Covid wave grips region
It was around mid-May when workers at the Cal-Comp factory in Phetchaburi, central Thailand, heard a small group of their colleagues had tested positive for Covid-19. It soon became clear the virus had ripped through the production lines. A cluster associated with the electronics factory has since been linked to thousands of infections.
Hwan Htet Paing*, a worker from the factory, said he was not told the results of his Covid test, carried out on 19 May. Despite this, he was instructed to quarantine inside a vast hall at his workplace. The floor was covered with tarpaulin sheets and lined with rows of mosquito nets for each worker. Everyone was given a bucket and a cup, and bedsheets to lay across the floor. Fans were handed out to help ease the heat – until the vast numbers of people testing positive meant there were none left.
Continue reading...Thailand starts Covid vaccine drive using jabs made by king’s firm
Country aims to vaccinate 70% of people this year but experts express doubts amid supply concerns
Thailand has started its Covid vaccination campaign amid concerns over the supply of doses, which are mainly being produced locally by a royal-owned company that has no prior experience of making vaccines.
Thailand aims to vaccinate 70% of the population before the end of the year, and is relying primarily on AstraZeneca doses produced by Siam Bioscience, a company owned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The company is also due to supply vaccines to eight other countries in the region.
Continue reading...South-east Asian countries battle Covid resurgence amid lack of vaccines
Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore race to contain clusters as experts warn jabs must be distributed more evenly
South-east Asian countries, including nations that managed to control the coronavirus last year, are struggling to contain recent outbreaks as new variants and vaccine shortages leave populations exposed.
Thailand’s cumulative caseload has more than quadrupled since 1 April, rising to almost 130,000, after infections spread in its cramped prisons, densely populated areas of the capital and construction sites.
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