Latest Bangkok News

A Sri Lankan airport worker stands next to a thermal scanner inside a terminal at the Katunayake International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Sri Lanka's tourism minister said that the airports in the country will be reopened for tourists according to health guidelines from Jan.21. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Asia Today: Sri Lanka reopens to tourists after 10 months

Jan. 21, 2021 9:00 AM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka reopened to foreign tourists on Thursday after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure that cut deeply into the Indian Ocean island nation's lucrative travel industry. Full operations also resumed Thursday at the island's two international airports, accommodating the...

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2020, file photo, Thailand's Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit gestures as he talks to media during a press conference at the party's headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai officials on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, filed criminal charges against Thanathorn, accusing him of defaming the monarchy by broadcasting his criticisms of the government's efforts to secure supplies of coronavirus vaccine. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Popular Thai politician charged with defaming monarchy

Jan. 20, 2021 4:56 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai officials on Wednesday filed criminal charges against a popular former politician, accusing him of defaming the monarchy by broadcasting criticism of government efforts to secure supplies of coronavirus vaccines. The action against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit came just a day after...

A woman identified only by her first name Anchan, right, talks to her friend as she arrives at the Bangkok Criminal Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced the retired civil servant to a record 43.5 years in prison for insulting the monarchy by posting audio clips online of comments critical of the royal institution. (AP Photo)

Thai court gives record 43-year sentence for insulting king

Jan. 19, 2021 7:15 PM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country's strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, lawyers said. The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the...

Thai classical dancers wearing face shields to help curb the spread of the coronavirus perform at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Thailand's government announced new measures, including partial lockdowns with strict travel restrictions in some areas. Schools, bars, gambling parlors and other public gathering places have been closed. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai leader threatens punishment for false vaccine news

Jan. 19, 2021 8:33 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha warned Tuesday that his government will prosecute anyone who shares false information about coronavirus vaccines in social or mass media. The government already has the power to impose punishments under a state of emergency that was declared last March...

A man and woman wearing masks to help protect themselves from the coronavirus share a smartphone on the street in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. A global team of researchers for the World Health Organization arrived Thursday in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic was first detected to conduct a politically sensitive investigation into its origins amid uncertainty about whether Beijing might try to prevent embarrassing discoveries. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The Latest: China says COVID-19 hospitalizations above 1,000

Jan. 14, 2021 9:40 PM EST

BEIJING — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s north. The National Health Commission said Friday that 1,001 patients are under care for the disease, 26 of them in serious condition. It says 144 total new cases were...

A woman wearing mask to help protect herself from the coronavirus stands in the sun as she walks her dogs in Beijing on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. With next month's Lunar New Year travel rush looming, the government is telling people to stay put as much as possible and not travel to or from the capital Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The Latest: 2 Chinese cities urge people to stay at home

Jan. 9, 2021 12:33 AM EST

BEIJING — Chinese authorities are asking residents in two cities south of Beijing to stay home for seven days as they try to stamp out a coronavirus outbreak in which more than 300 people have tested positive in the past week. According to official notices on social media, the cities of Shijiazhuang and...

People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk through an upscale shopping mall in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. A city in northern China is offering rewards of 500 yuan ($77) for anyone who reports on a resident who has not taken a coronavirus test. The offer from the government of Nangong comes as millions in the city and the surrounding province of Hebei are being tested as part of efforts to control China's most serious recent outbreak of infections. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Asia Today: China city offers cash for tip on test evaders

Jan. 8, 2021 6:40 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — A city in northern China is offering rewards of 500 yuan ($77) for anyone who reports on a resident who has not taken a recent coronavirus test. The offer from the government of Nangong comes as millions in the city and its surrounding province of Hebei are being tested as part of efforts to...

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a medical staff in a protective suit prepares to take a swab from a child near a residential area in Shijiazhuang in north China's Hebei province on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Lockdown measures were being imposed in a northern Chinese province where coronavirus cases more than doubled in the region near Beijing that's due to host some events in next year's Winter Olympics. (Mu Yu/Xinhua via AP)

The Latest: China city offers rewards to root out untested

Jan. 7, 2021 11:07 PM EST

BEIJING — A city in northern China is offering rewards of 500 yuan ($77) for anyone who reports on a resident who has not taken a coronavirus test. The offer from the government of Nangong comes as millions in the city and the surrounding province of Hebei are being tested as part of efforts to control...

Shoppers wear masks as they walk around a shopping precinct in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. Masks have been made mandatory in shopping centers, on public transport, in entertainment venues such as a cinema, and fines will come into effect on Monday as the state government responds to the COVID-19 outbreak on Sydney's northern beaches, which is suspected to have also caused new cases in neighboring Victoria state. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The Latest: Australia moves up vaccination start to February

Jan. 6, 2021 11:38 PM EST

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. The government had argued there was no reason for an emergency rollout that cut short usual regulatory processes as has occurred in the...

A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus walks through a bar street Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. The Japanese capital confirmed more than 1500 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Asia Today: Tokyo cases hit record as gov't mulls emergency

Jan. 6, 2021 7:23 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo on Wednesday reported a daily record of 1,591 coronavirus cases as the national government prepares to declare a state of emergency this week to cope with a new wave of infections. Those needing critical care in the capital also reached a record 113 people, according to the metropolitan...

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