Stefano Vecchia

Seventy per cent of Thais wear them, fuelling a trade worth more than a billion euros. And in the age of Covid-19, their online sale is also growing.

Thailand plans to arrest “illegals” who oppose Myanmar’s military junta. Myanmar refugees will be accepted only if the international community foots the bill. Hitherto, exiled Myanmar groups and media relied on Thailand, but now Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and Myanmar’s strongman General Min Aung Hlain are cozying up.

Concern is growing over the coronavirus as the number of cases has doubled every week since early August. The government taskforce calls for more testing and strict quarantine, while focusing above all on raising awareness and boosting self-discipline in the population.

The Prime Minister has defended himself in parliament against criticism for the worst economic crisis since 1997, pointing to the tourism blockade caused by the pandemic as the sole cause. Rumours of a possible agreement between the opposition and members of the ruling Palang Pracharath party to remove support from the former general and several ministers of his cabinet.

The Bloomberg monthly report puts Malaysia last among 53 countries with a high or medium level of development. With over 1.7 million reported cases and 16,382 deaths, Malaysia’s pandemic figures are comparable to Japan’s despite having a population four times smaller.

Selangor State wants to separate religion from politics. In recent years, Malaysia has seen a push towards polarisation and radicalisation, partly by governments focusing on policies that stress the Malay, thus Islamic identity.

It is now possible to produce, sell and consume kratom leaves, but not the concentrates. The opiate has been traditionally used in rural areas. The decision comes after a bitter debate in a country where drug use is severely punished. The COVID-19-related crisis in agriculture also affected the decision.

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, founder of the Future Forward Party in 2018, raised doubts about a vaccine manufactured in Thailand by a company owned by the royal household. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Activists slam the increasing use of this charge to silence criticism of the military and the monarchy.

After a failed last attempt to get parliamentary support, PM Yassin handed his mandate back to king who had sought the reopening of parliament. The decision by UMNO, which ruled the country for 60 years, was a decisive factor, as was the PM’s poor handing of the pandemic.

A civil court blocked a government decree meant to silence the opposition, but did not ban the use of rubber bullets by law enforcement against protesters. Many Thais are uneasy about the economic situation. According to experts, there will be one million more unemployed by the end of the year.

The prime minister of the city-state released a video message on Independence Day. The pandemic has widened the fault lines in society. Plans are being drawn up to help migrant workers and low-income groups.

Critics slam a recent decree used to control public opinion as well as the government’s disastrous handling of the pandemic. About 200,000 people are expected to benefit from a royal pardon this year, party due to numerous coronavirus outbreaks in prisons.