Governance and control

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will return to the island nation next week after fleeing in July amid mass protests, local broadcaster Newsfirst reported on Wednesday (Aug 17), citing a former ambassador. Udayanga Weeratunga, a former Sri Lankan envoy to Russia who is related to Rajapaksa, said he will arrive in Sri Lanka on Aug 24, Newsfirst reported. … [Read more...] about Former Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa will return next week: Local media

An Ethiopian Airlines flight, ET302, crashed en route from Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya on March 10. Tragically, there were no survivors. According to a tweet from Ethiopian Airlines, which issued a Accident Bulletin on the passenger flight list, no Singaporeans were on board the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane. However, China, India, Indonesia, … [Read more...] about Plane in Ethiopian Airlines crash same Boeing model in Indonesian Lion Air crash

BANGKOK - Thailand's health minister on Wednesday (Aug 17) discouraged tourists from visiting Thailand only to smoke weed, just two months after new laws were passed that have largely decriminalised the drug. "We don't welcome those kinds of tourists," Mr Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters when asked about recreational marijuana use among foreign visitors. In 2018, Thailand … [Read more...] about Weed-smoking tourists not welcome in Thailand, says health minister

A teenager is injured after crashing his motorbike into the barrier on the Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok at around 1am. The young man said he bounced off the barrier and was flung more than 10 metres through the air. His red Honda PCX instantly set on fire and burned to a crisp. At around 1am, officers from Vibhavadhi Police Station received a report that a motorbike was … [Read more...] about Motorbike burns to a crisp in Bangkok road accident

Sinovac has now been recognized as an approved vaccine brand by the Australian government, which will also permit the mixing of vaccine brands, allowing these options for those who wish to travel to Australia. This is a very helpful announcement for many Australian expats living in Thailand who are vaccinated locally with the Chinese-made vaccine and perhaps an AstraZeneca … [Read more...] about Sinovac or vaccine mix now accepted for Australian travel