Prayuth Chan-ocha

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...

Migrant workers watch as other migrant workers and their families are carried in trucks to a field hospital for COVID-19 patents in Samut Sakhon, South of Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. For much of 2020, Thailand had the coronavirus under control. After a strict nationwide lockdown in April and May, the number of new local infections dropped to zero, where they remained for the next six months. However, a new outbreak discovered in mid-December threatens to put Thailand back where it was in the toughest days of early 2020 (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Thailand scrambles to contain outbreak, secure vaccines

Jan. 6, 2021 12:24 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — For much of 2020, Thailand had the coronavirus under control. After a strict nationwide lockdown in April and May, the number of new local infections dropped to zero, where they remained for the next six months. Thailand closed its borders, enforcing mandatory quarantines for its own...

Migrant workers and their families ride in the back of a truck as they wait to be admitted to a field hospital for COVID-19 patents, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, in Samut Sakhon, South of Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand reported on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, over 500 new coronavirus cases, most of them migrant workers who already were isolated, and the government said it was tightening movements of people around the country. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Asia Today: Thailand counts more virus cases, limits travel

Jan. 5, 2021 8:34 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand reported 527 new coronavirus cases, most of them migrant workers who already were isolated, and the government said it was tightening movements of people around the country. Thailand has been struggling with a sudden virus surge after months of hardly any cases of domestic...

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2018, file photo, newlyweds Alison and Kenny Finchum, lower left, of Tulsa, Okla., kiss just after midnight during a New Year's party at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas. Plans for a 14,000-person New Year's Eve street party at canopied casino-mall in Las Vegas are facing pushback from state and local officials, who worry Nevada hospitals may not be able to withstand a potential

The Latest: Tens of thousands on Vegas strip despite warning

Dec. 31, 2020 10:38 PM EST

LAS VEGAS — Tens of thousands of people were walking on the casino-lined Las Vegas Strip on New Year’s Eve by early evening despite a plea from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak that people reconsider their plans to go out and celebrate. While shopping, gambling, drinking yard-long frozen cocktails and...

People visit Sensoji temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Asia Today: Tokyo residents urged to 'stay home' with family

Dec. 31, 2020 2:58 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo is seeing a record surge in coronavirus cases as the governor of the Japanese capital implored people to stay home. “The coronavirus knows no year end or New Year’s holidays,” Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters. She asked people to skip countdown ceremonies, and...

A hostess poses for a photo as she waits for customers at a bar in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Officials in the Thai capital have announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities during the New Year's holiday, as infections continued to rise following a recent coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Thai tourist city of Pattaya placed under COVID-19 lockdown

Dec. 30, 2020 9:10 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — The Thai tourist city of Pattaya and the surrounding district were placed under lockdown on Wednesday as the country continues to grapple with an intensifying outbreak of the coronavirus. Health workers sprayed restaurants and other establishments as part of preventative measures. The...

People pose for pictures with decorations made for New Year countdown celebrations outside a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Thailand ordered to scaled down gathering for New Year celebrations after reporting more than 155 new coronavirus infections and its first fatality since November on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Thailand imposes new restrictions amid coronavirus outbreak

Dec. 29, 2020 7:24 PM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Officials in the Thai capital have announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities during the New Year's holiday, as infections continued to rise following a recent coronavirus outbreak. After months of seeming to have the COVID-19 situation under control,...

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2020, file photo, a guard with a face-shield stands near a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, south of Bangkok. Thailand, which has kept the coronavirus largely in check for most of the year, is facing a challenge from a large outbreak of the virus among migrant workers in the province close to Bangkok.(AP Photo/ Jerry Harmer, File)

Thailand confident coronavirus outbreak is controllable

Dec. 24, 2020 6:09 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s government is confident it can contain a major coronavirus resurgence without a national lockdown, instead relying on provincial controls as the outbreak mainly among migrant seafood workers continued to spread. “I can assure that the government will do its...

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