Thailand
- Myanmar
Hundreds of Myanmar anti-junta protesters rally in Bangkok
Rallying at the United Nations office, demonstrators called out slogans supporting Myanmar’s armed resistance and reenacted extrajudicial killings by the coup regime
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Thai officials call on Myanmar regime to crack down on fraud, trafficking gangs on Thai-Karen State border
While the anti-junta forces’ Operation 1027 offensive has incapacitated scam operations in northern Shan State, the Thai government is calling for the junta to fight similar crimes in and near Myawaddy
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Gambling tycoon’s partners abandon him as extradition to China looms
She Zhijiang, who spearheaded Myanmar’s controversial Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone, has also been accused of human trafficking and cybercrime at a similar project in Cambodia
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Thai lawmakers to hold new PM vote after reform candidate stumbles
ADDS PHEU THAI QUOTES Thailand’s parliament confirmed Friday it would vote again for a new prime minister next week, after military-appointed lawmakers foiled liberal frontrunner Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid for the top job. Pita’s Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May elections, buoyed by young Thais eager for progressive reforms after nine years of army-backed rule in the kingdom. But the Harvard-educated millionaire’s campaign to lead the next government was knocked back Thursday by the legislature’s senators, who consider his pledge to reform strict royal defamation laws a red line. And the vote came just a day after Thailand’s top election body recommended the Constitutional Court suspend Pita as an MP — providing more fuel for senators already poised to vote against him. Parliament will hold its second ballot for a new prime minister on July 19, deputy house speaker Pichet Chuamuangphan told AFP on Friday. But it remained unclear whether Pita would be renominated or if he would face any additional candidates. “We still have to talk about it first,” said Pichet, a member of MFP’s coalition partner Pheu Thai. “For now, it’s gathering opinions and feedback from the people.” Pita has insisted that he remains a…
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Thai parliament votes for PM with reformist frontrunner facing hurdles
UPDATES WITH PARLIAMENT OPENING, PITA QUOTES Thailand’s parliament opened Thursday to vote for a prime minister, with frontrunner Pita Limjaroenrat saying he was confident despite a barrage of last-minute hurdles that could undo his bid for the premiership. The coalition bloc led by Pita’s Move Forward Party (MFP) will face off against more established parties and junta-appointed senators, spooked by the progressives’ shock election victory in May and their determination to amend Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws. On a day of high political drama Wednesday, Pita was hit with the threat of parliamentary suspension while the Constitutional Court accepted a case accusing him and his party of attempting to overthrow the monarchy. “I am confident in myself that I will work with my full capacity to respond to people’s hopes and the support that they gave to me,” Pita told reporters ahead of the session opening. “I will try my best in showing my vision and explaining all senator’s doubts.” House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha opened the parliamentary session, welcoming politicians ahead of the vote, which is not expected to begin until late afternoon. Despite the MFP’s win at the polls, with Thais rejecting the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha,…
