thailand

The wonderfully named Thai Delicious Committee, a Thai-government-sponsored agency, has developed a machine that can supposedly distinguish genuine green curry from inferior imitations of the country’s classic dish. The existence of an officially sanctioned Thai green curry recipe, not to mention a machine programmed to robotically taste it, is but one example of Thailand’s ongoing efforts in culinary diplomacy.

Thai 'soft power' is highly visible in Indonesia through every-day encounters such as consumer products, entertainment, fashions, food and fruits, to name but a few.  Somehow, Thai authorities who are promoting the country's smart power have no idea of utilising this popular and neutral medium. Na

Thailand and Israel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Development Cooperation Program in a bid to enhance bilateral cooperation.   An agreement was made between the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) and Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) to accept the MOU.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is offering to ship rice worth 5 million baht to West African countries hit by the Ebola outbreak. The NCPO is extending its assistance through the World Health Organization (WHO) in a bid to provide humanitarian aid to Ebola patients.

China’s biggest online travel agency is offering a 30% discount on trips to Thailand’s beaches and malls. The Chinese aren’t buying it.  "Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are traditionally the favourite tourism route for the Chinese," said Jiang Haibin, a public affairs manager at Ctrip.com International Ltd. "This year, that route was affected a lot."

After Thailand's government was toppled by the military, the new leaders of the country began imposing control over the media, preventing the spread of information. Now, one news organization is figuring out a way to do its job. In May, the Thai military junta, the de facto rulers of the nation, began censoring the media. The military enacted a total media blackout, depriving the Thai people of access to news and forcing news channels, including international ones like CNN and BBC, to stop broadcasting, according to Mashable.

The U.S. State Department released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report today, which classified countries based on their efforts to combat the practice. There aren’t automatic penalties for countries found to be in violation, but the law does at least suggest that that the U.S. refrain from providing non-humanitarian aid to the worst offenders. 

The US is considering downgrading Thailand to a human trafficking blacklist, following revelations in the Guardian that slaves are being used in the production of prawns sold in leading American, British and European supermarkets. Washington will directly address allegations of human trafficking in Thailand's trade in prawns – known in the US as shrimp – in an imminent report that could result in economic sanctions against Bangkok. 

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