Thai monks disrobed for drug use

More than 30 Thai monks have been defrocked for illegal drug use, an official said, in the latest scandal to hit the kingdom’s Buddhist clergy.

One abbot was charged with drug trafficking after urine tests showed the 31 monks — from several dozen monasteries in the Ban Mo district of Saraburi province — had used methamphetamine.

Thai Palm Oil Exports Seen Rising by Oil World as Output Expands

Thailand, the world’s third-largest palm oil producer, may boost exports to a record this year as output increases, Oil World said.

Thailand may export as much as 450,000 metric tons of palm oil, up from 304,000 tons a year earlier,

American hacked to death over $1.60 cab fare, Thai police say

A taxi driver hacked an American to death after an argument over a $1.60 fare, Thai officials said late Sunday.

Troy Lee Pilkington, 51, was repeatedly slashed with a 12-inch machete on Saturday night, according to Bangkok police.

Local restaurant owner capitalizes on model, aims to make traditional Thai more accessible

WASHINGTON – The D.C. area has no shortage of fast-casual restaurants modeled after Chipotle’s popular assembly line-style service, a trend that seems to be booming and shows no signs of slowing down.

Cava Mezze Grill offers fresh Greek fare at its locations in Northwest D.C., Fairfax,

Thai government reverses rice price cut

BANGKOK—Thailand’s premier Tuesday reversed a decision to cut the price it gives farmers for rice, a fortnight after stoking anger from its rural heartlands by announcing a 20 percent reduction in the fee.

The so-called rice-pledging scheme has dogged the government since its introduction shortly after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s election victory in 2011.

Thai Economy May Be Vulnerable To Another Shock Due To High Foreign Holdings In The Country

Sixteen years after the Asian financial crisis of 1997, Thailand shows every sign of having recovered, but the country may not be out of the woods yet and its economy may be vulnerable to another shock.

The crisis of 1997 started when the Thai baht collapsed after the government was forced to float the currency due to a shortage of foreign currency to support its fixed exchange rate.

Thai peace talks brokered by M’sia hit a dead end

The Malaysian-brokered peace deal between the Thai government and insurgents from Thailand’s embattled southern region has hit a brick wall, with unreasonable demands by the militants cited as a key factor.
“They are making demands knowing the Thai government can never grant them,” said Don Pathan, a security analyst base in Yala province in southern Thailand.

Thai-Cambodia Border Decision Risks Renewing Nationalist Protests

The United Nations top court is expected to rule later this year on Cambodia’s request to determine ownership of disputed territory on its border with Thailand. The International Court of Justice in the 1960s declared an ancient temple around the border to be Cambodia’s but did not decide on land around the temple. A clear ruling on the land risks renewing tensions between the neighbors that, in recent years, has led to deadly military clashes.

Thai Basil promises good flavor, service

Tourists running late after a day in the big trees of Sequoia National Park will call Thai Basil from the road, asking if the restaurant would stay open an extra hour so they can get a bite to eat.

Co-owners Bob and Mollie Silakone usually say “yes,” especially if the prospective customers used Internet rating sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp to find Thai Basil.

Thai AirAsia undaunted despite rise in competitors

The two foreign airlines are working with local partners to set up Thai Lion Air and Thai VietJetAir, with an eye to grabbing a slice of the growing domestic pie, fuelled by the tourism boom.

Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, said yesterday that newcomers would find the market is getting tougher because good time slots have all been allocated.