HEADLINES: THAILAND: Thai court acquits several anti-Thaksin protesters who occupied Bangkok airports in 2008
Anti-goverment protesters at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. PHOTO: AP
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The Royal Government of Cambodia has given the green light for an international consortium to initiate a feasibility study regarding the construction of a new airport in Ou Reang district of Mondulkiri province.
The project aims to promote the development of agri-tourism in the region and connect the northeastern provinces of Cambodia with other provinces in the country, and the neighbouring region, as part of the government’s ongoing adherence to the ‘Mondulkiri Tourism Development Master Plan 2021-2035.’
The authorization for the latest feasibility study was confirmed to FOCUS Consortium, in a letter dated January 9, signed by Secretary of State Chheang Vannarith, from the Office of the Council of Ministers.
The FOCUS Consortium feasibility study will be undertaken by Focus Trans Global Venture Co. Ltd., a company comprising investors from Malaysia, China, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Office of the Council of Ministers has permitted the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SCCA) to collaborate with the company to undertake a substantive feasibility study for the project, in accordance with Cambodian laws.
MYANMAR: Wa armed group declares neutrality, rules out attack on Kengtung
The Brotherhood Alliance handed over full control of two towns captured during Operation 1027 to the United Wa State Army this month, fuelling speculation that the group might try to enforce a historical claim to Kengtung
The Brotherhood Alliance handed over full control of two towns captured during Operation 1027 to the United Wa State Army this month, fuelling speculation that the group might try to enforce a historical claim to Kengtung. . .
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SINGAPORE: About 100 ground-up initiatives set up in 2020 during Covid-19 pandemic: Report
SINGAPORE – A new report by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) estimates that Singapore has about 450 active ground-up groups, many of which were set up during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The inaugural Ground-up Initiative Study, which was sponsored by the Tote Board, was done to understand the role that ground-ups in Singapore play and the challenges they face. It found that the majority of those who started such groups were individuals aged 35 and below.
This is the first national-level study providing an overview of the ground-up space in Singapore.
THAILAND: Thai court acquits several anti-Thaksin protesters who occupied Bangkok airports in 2008
BANGKOK (AP) – A court in Thailand on Wednesday acquitted more than two dozen protesters who had occupied Bangkok’s two airports in 2008 of charges of rebellion and terrorism related to their demonstration, which at the time disrupted travel in and out of the country for more than a week.
The Bangkok Criminal Court declared that the members of the People’ Alliance for Democracy had neither caused destruction at the airports nor hurt anyone. However, 13 of the 28 defendants were slapped with a THB20,000 fine each for violating an emergency decree that had banned public gatherings.
The protesters – popularly known as Yellow Shirts for the colour that shows loyalty to the Thai monarchy – had occupied the airports for about 10 days, demanding the resignation of the government, which was loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They had earlier also occupied Thaksin’s office compound for three months and blocked access to Parliament.
Thaksin was ousted by a 2006 military coup that followed large Yellow Shirt protests accusing him of corruption and disrespect to the monarchy.
In 2008, Yellow Shirts stormed Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports, shutting down operations and defying an injunction calling for them to leave. The siege ended only after a court ruling forced pro-Thaksin Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat out of office.
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