Thailand

BANGKOK (AP) — A Chinese scientific ship bristling with surveillance equipment docked in a Sri Lankan port. Hundreds of fishing boats anchored for months at a time among disputed islands in the South China Sea. And ocean-going ferries, built to be capable of carrying heavy vehicles and large loads of people.

All are ostensibly civilian ships, but experts and uneasy regional governments say they are part of a Chinese civil-military fusion strategy, little concealed by Beijing, that enhances its maritime capabilities.

BANGKOK (AP) — Government helicopters have attacked a school and village in north-central Myanmar, killing at least 13 people including seven children, a school administrator and an aid worker said Monday.

Civilian casualties often occur in attacks by the military government on pro-democracy insurgents and their allies. However, the number of children killed in the air attack last Friday in Tabayin township in Sagaing region appeared to be the highest since the army seized power in February last year, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

BANGKOK, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies wrapped up a meeting on Saturday, during which they focused on efforts to promote the recovery of the region's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The 28th APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting was held in Phuket under the theme of "Inclusive Recovery of APEC MSMEs through the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model and High Impact Ecosystem."

BANGKOK (AP) — The United Nations special envoy on Myanmar declared Monday that she will not visit the Southeast Asia nation again unless its military government allows her to meet with ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The envoy, Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore, also warned of the “tragic reality that large numbers of people will be forced to flee” Myanmar in search of safety, and that the international community must help provide them with humanitarian assistance.

BANGKOK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Agriculture and food ministers as well as senior officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies on Friday vowed enhanced cooperation to ensure food security in the region.

At the 7th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting held online, Thailand's Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Chalermchai Sri-On who chaired the meeting said health, economic and environmental challenges have put tremendous stress on the global food system.

BANGKOK, Aug 26 (NNN-Bernama) — Prayuth Chan o-cha who is awaiting for the constitutional court’s decision to see if he could continue as Thailand’s prime minister in the meantime is continuing with his routine as the defence minister.

Thai Ministry of Defence distributed photos of Prayuth returning to work at the Defence Ministry Friday.

In a statement, acting government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said Prayuth would continue to serve as the minister defence for the people and Thailand.

“The cabinet continues function as normal,” he said.

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended the prime minister from his duties on Wednesday while it decides whether the man who led a military coup in 2014 has violated the country’s term limits, potentially opening a new chapter of turmoil in the nation’s troubled politics.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s removal is likely to only be temporary since the court has generally ruled in the government’s favor in a slew of political cases.

BANGKOK (AP) — Groups of protesters gathered in Thailand’s capital on Tuesday to call for the country’s prime minister to step down, saying he has exceeded his constitutional term limit.

A demonstration at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, a traditional protest venue, appeared to draw fewer than 200 protesters, mixed in with bystanders and journalists.

BANGKOK (AP) — China’s response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was anything but subtle — dispatching warships and military aircraft to all sides of the self-governing island democracy, and firing ballistic missiles into the waters nearby.

BANGKOK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Explosions and fires ripped through at least 17 locations in southern Thailand on Wednesday, authorities said, in what appeared to be multiple coordinated attacks that injured seven people.

The bombings and arson attacks happened after midnight and targeted convenience stores and a gas station across three provinces, lightly injuring at least seven, according to police and military statements.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.