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Randy Thanthong-Knight
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 19, 2023
Mass immigration experiment gives Canada an edge in global race for labor
A country that has about as many people as the state of California has added more than the population of San Francisco in immigrants over the past year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 30, 2021
China’s vaccine diplomacy drive falters as recipients turn to western shots
In the early days of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts, Chinese shots saved countless lives. But as the Western stranglehold on mRNA supplies loosens, a clear preference has emerged.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 4, 2021
Thai PM survives no-confidence vote amid party infighting
Coup leader-turned-premier Prayut still faces a youth-led protest movement that has been demanding his resignation for more than a year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2021
Thailand’s oil giant is going on a green spending spree
Thailand’s oil giant, whose sales account for about 10% of the nation’s economic output, is suddenly spending billions of dollars on electric vehicle and renewable energy companies and tilting its traditional businesses toward chemicals and plastics.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 8, 2021
Thailand’s full reopening in doubt with tenfold surge in COVID-19
The spread of the delta variant nationwide and low rate of vaccinations mean new cases and fatalities will continue to spike, according to health experts.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 1, 2021
Phuket opens for business in push to save vital tourism industry
Before the pandemic, tourism contributed about 20% of Thailand’s gross domestic product — about double the global average.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 24, 2021
Thai protesters return as parliament eyes charter recast
It’s the first time in six months that demonstrators descended on the Thai capital after two waves of COVID-19 outbreaks this year prevented any large gatherings.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 16, 2021
Phuket reopening plan offers model for Asia as travel bubbles burst
Tourism-reliant Thailand aims to allow quarantine-free entry for vaccinated travelers to its prime destination from July 1.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 21, 2021
Thai protesters plan return to streets as COVID-19 response fuels disquiet
More than a million Thais have joined a Facebook group to discuss ways to leave the country for good.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 7, 2021
Rice is keeping world’s food crisis from getting worse
Rice is the predominant source of nourishment each day for more than 3 billion people, and yet it hasn’t rallied anything like other agricultural commodities.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2021
Not just India: Developing nations see explosive rise in COVID-19 cases
The reported spread in these handful of nations has been far more rapid, and signals the dangers of allowing the novel coronavirus to go uncontrolled.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 17, 2021
Thailand has three paths to recognizing same-sex partnerships
The country markets itself as a liberal destination for LGBTQ people, yet the nation still doesn’t recognize same-sex unions. That could change as soon as this year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 9, 2021
Thailand backs vaccine passport ahead of wider reopening
Thailand moved a step closer to issuing vaccine certificates, with a panel of officials backing the proposal seen as a major milestone toward allowing the tourism-reliant nation to fully reopen to foreign visitors.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 4, 2021
Vision of vaccinated tourists coming into focus in Thailand
Thailand’s tourism reopening plans are gaining momentum as authorities roll out a national inoculation program and look into coronavirus vaccine passports and quarantine waivers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2021
Thai prime minister survives no-confidence vote as protest looms
The no-confidence motion against the premier was rejected by 272 lawmakers, while 206 voted supported it.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 3, 2021
Thailand revives prison terms for royal insults to stop protests
The fresh charges appear to be a tactical shift in a bid to silence the key leaders of the protests.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2021
Thailand sold itself as a paradise pandemic retreat. No one came.
The economy is estimated to have contracted 6% in 2020, the biggest decline since the Asian financial crisis.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 3, 2020
Thai protests target king’s billions of dollars in property investments
Thailand’s royal family has long been the biggest shareholder in two of the country’s most valuable companies as well as vast plots of land in central Bangkok.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 2, 2020
Thai court ruling could see prime minister ousted amid protests
Thailand’s Constitutional Court is set to decide on Wednesday whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha should be disqualified for breaking ethical rules, a move that would see him ousted even after he’s repeatedly rejected calls by pro-democracy groups to resign.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 28, 2020
Focused on Thai king, protesters vow to persist even if PM quits
Even if Prayut Chan-ocha steps down, protesters say they aren’t going anywhere until the political system engineered by the royalist elite is also gone.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival