Phase 3 of handouts in doubt
According to PM, “revisions” are necessary because of taxes.
According to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the influence of US President Donald Trump’s tax policies on the world economy will need some adjustments as the government’s premier money handout scheme moves forward.
” We must take into account the changing global economic situation, as we must at this point, [the parties involved ] are still being circulated,” she said after Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting.
The prime minister continued,” The state may listen to the National Economic and Social Development Council and the Bank of Thailand, for instance.”
The government had previously moved forward with this job in order to stimulate the economy, but now that adjacent factors have been involved, it must first reevaluate the intended result, she said.
Even though the government has the authority to deal with it, the PM said,” In the end, whether this project will get delayed or no today depends also on the ideas of relevant companies.”
She emphasized that no adjustments have been made to this one.
According to Ms. Paetongtarn, the government may gather agency comments on the need for more monetary stimulus and how the remaining 150 billion baht could be used to bring the country’s highest benefit, adding that this is the government’s top priority.
When pressed to verify whether the government actually intends to carry out the project, she once again stated that the thoughts of some organizations may be sought out first.
She said the cabinet’s recommendation to move forward with the second step, which was scheduled to be presented and approved on Tuesday, has been postponed until a later time.
The government still has 157 billion baht to fund the third and final phase of the program, a local economic stimulus program, in which around 2.7 million Thais between the ages of 16 and 20 may receive 10, 000 baht each in online currency to help stimulate the economy.
If the government decides to continue, about 27 billion ringgit of the remaining money will be spent, the source said.
The cabinet’s judgement on Tuesday came despite assurances from Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat last week that it would not.
According to a source quoted by Isra News Agency, one of the reasons the government is considering phasing out stage three is because the past two stages hardly produced any considerable results.
The remaining 150 billion baht may then probably be diverted to another stimulus initiatives that would be more effective at reducing Mr. Trump’s tariff policies, according to the source.
The president’s investment in improving the water management system would probably receive 100 billion ringgit, the supply added, and the remaining 100 billion may come toward assisting those who lost their jobs as a result of the tariff press.
The Pheu Thai Party-led alliance has provided 185 billion baht to support the structure, which gave 14.5 million people 10 000 ringgit in cash.
Government spending may be thoroughly monitored while the effects of the tax laws is being assessed, according to fund permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit.
Commentary: PAP’s strong GE2025 performance is remarkable in a maturing political landscape
The first step is to promote a responsible and courteous political culture, but there are potential yet greater goals.  ,
The democratic system of Singapore has a lot of familiar problems. Every member only has one vote to show their preference for local government, city council management, satisfaction with the ruling party’s performance, or anything else.  ,  ,  ,
Additionally, the first-past-the-post method results in a zero-sum competition where one group’s gain is another’s loss.
In such situations, there is every opportunity for the ruling celebration to distance itself from opposing party ideas, even if they are sound people, so as not to allow the opposition take credit for them.
Imagine a different scenario where the legislation space is constrained, the contest of ideas grows, and great initiatives are welcomed by all colors with credit reciprocated. For a society do use all of the people’s thoughts and energy for the common good.
This situation is not conceivable in the slightest way. Singapore’s distinctive tripartite agreement, which is referred to as the” secret soup” of harmonious industrial relations, demonstrates how traditional competing objectives may be transcended to achieve win-win outcomes.
Similar to this, it is plausible, though certainly not simple, for Singapore to develop an amazing style of politics that would give it a distinct competitive advantage in a tumultuous world.
Terence Ho is Associate Professor ( Practice ) at the Singapore University of Social Sciences ‘ Institute for Adult Learning. In addition to his book, Future-Ready Governance: Perspectives on Singapore and the World ( 2024 ), he is the author.
DSI investigation sparks Senate election row
Officials charged with coercing prospects
PUBLISHED: 7 Does 2025 at 04: 39
Former individuals claim pretenders have been posing as officials it and forcing them to admit guilt, while Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong has confirmed that DSI officers were just in Amnat Charoen state to investigate Senate vote cooperation.
The minister made the comment after provincial government Narong Thepsena wrote a letter to the inside agency’s permanent director on Monday, alleging that three males posing as DSI officers pressed two female candidates to confess cooperation. Phaiwan Kaewphuang, 57, and Bunlom Wannaphat, 65, are the original prospects.
On May 4, the males claiming to get DSI officers allegedly visited Ms. Phaiwan’s home without any condition identification and not in formal attire. They allegedly coerced her into confessing to vote-rigging in the Senate vote by disconnecting her CCTV cameras program. The men failed to respond when she constantly inquired what company they were from, she said, leading to her refusing to cooperate.
Ms. Bunlom, who claimed the three gentlemen had contacted her for information about the election, had a similar experience.
Authorities were dispatched to Amnat Charoen, according to Pol Col Tawee, where they interrogated more than 10 testimony.
He claimed that the DSI was even made aware of the incident. He confirmed that the three gentlemen were DSI soldiers.
Administrators are being asked to engage in specific cases, which would violate Section 22 of the Special Case Investigation Act, which places them in the position of receiving legal punishments, including prison sentences ranging from one to ten years.
Pol Col Tawee remarked that he had never heard from the government about hear intimidation and that he should file a report of any such incidents to him.
He claimed that the DSI traveled to Amnat Charoen at the testimony ‘ orders because they feared local influence would be used against them and that they lacked the resources to travel to Bangkok.
In terms of the ongoing vote-rigging investigation, DSI authorities and the Election Commission (EC ) have interrogated more than 30 witnesses, looked at connections between various groups, and analyzed suspicious financial trades of at least 500 million baht at the neighborhood, provincial, and national levels, as well as voting patterns and unusual vote counts.
The EC has received evidence that may revoke any senators found guilty of participating in a crime.
Cases will be submitted to the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court for Political Office-Holders if allegations of wrongdoing are confirmed.
The DSI is also looking into allegations of money laundering and other criminal activity.
Crews advance in grim search at SAO collapse site
PUBLISHED: 7 Perhaps 2025 at 04: 37
Following the collapse of the recently constructed State Audit Office ( SAO ), the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( BMA ) has reported that the search and recovery efforts for the last 13 missing persons have progressed.
The BMA’s Hazard Protection and Mitigation Department’s Director, Suriyachai Rawiwan, announced on Monday that rescue teams have now been granted access to the entire 40×40 meter basement.
Over 200 pieces of mortal remains had been sent to the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine for DNA analysis as of Monday, according to Mr. Suriyachai.
He noted that Zone B, where dust equivalent to a three-storey construction is still being removed, is primarily where the remaining particles is located.
According to Mr. Suriyachai, this area, which was connected to the car park and contained damaged material pillars, requires careful maintenance to avoid further decline. In B2 and B3, destruction is continued, with the goal of clearing the entire page in two to three days.
Thaiwut Khankaew, the director of BMA’s City Planning and Development, claimed that the majority of bodies were discovered close to the fire escape, which was thought to be the city’s last haven during the decline.
He added that all regions are being searched, and that the procedure is anticipated to last another four to five days.
He claims that the 30-storey creating structure’s richness and his lack of prior knowledge in handling a collapse of this magnitude, which resulted in nearly 100 deaths, are two of the challenges.
” We have been working with great precaution to try to help any victims and take them out, while also being careful with the body of the bereaved that are trapped, which makes the procedure hard,” Mr. Thaiwut said.
He said that although the procedure has encountered many challenges, more than 70 cranes and miners have been deployed, and cooperation meetings are held thrice daily.
On Tuesday, out of the full of 109 affected, 87 people were confirmed dead, nine were injured, and 13 are also missing.
The Police General Hospital’s forensic analysis will determine the final recognition to ensure that the facts are consistent with official documents.
Search on to save whale shark
PUBLISHED: 7 Does 2025 at 04: 37
Officials have launched a search and rescue operation after a whale shark was discovered Sunday entangled in hunting gear dust near Richelieu Rock in the Surin Islands marine park.
When divers and the Deep Andaman Queen dive vessel’s crew were scuba-diving close to the site, according to Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation ( DNP ).
The shark shark’s tail was wrapped in old wire or fishing net debris, which is thought to be intelligent and between six and seven meters long.
After that, a dive team searched the area, but the procedure was hampered by poor presence caused by dark water. The Deep Andaman Queen team reported two observations on Sunday despite not having seen the dog.
Mr. Atthapol stated that all leaping vessels close to Richelieu Rock have been informed of the presence of the dog and are asking divers to stay safe distance from the whale sharks for both their own safety and for the fish’s protection if they come across it.
The Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Centre, the DNP, Chulabhorn Research Institute, and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources have all been assigned to a recovery program.
Three teams make up the recovery function: one to remove the dirt, another to guide the dog, and the second to ensure the security of everyone involved.
Authorities believe the connection could endanger the animal’s success, so calls to Hotline 1362 should be made right away.
Shelling between India and Pakistan along Kashmir frontier
On Wednesday ( May 7 ) in several locations in , Pakistan , and , Pakistani Kashmir, as India claimed it had attacked “terrorist infrastructure” in nine locations, and , Pakistan responded. According to an initial evaluation, Pakistan  reported that at least three individuals died and 12 were injured. According to witnesses, electricity wasContinue Reading
India launches strikes on Pakistan, Islamabad vows retaliation
In a major escalation of tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals, Islamabad vowing retaliation, India fired missiles at Pakistani territory early on May 7 ( May 7 ). Days after blaming Islamabad for a deadly attack on the Indian-administered part of the disputed area, the American government claimed to have attackedContinue Reading
Trump’s speech at Tokyo press club 32 years ago proved prophetic – Asia Times
Donald Trump, the US president, announced a plan of reciprocal taxes in April, claiming that Americans had been taken advantage of by” fakers” and “pillaged” by foreigners. Since then, property markets around the world have plummeted, and worry has spread that Trump’s techniques will cause a slowdown that risks bringing down the structure of business that has been in place since the end of World War II.
The Financial Times and the  soon caused a strong reaction, with the  calling Trump’s actions “utter insanity” and” an act of war against the entire world.” Trump is now regarded as one of the world’s most overbearing and uncertain officials.
The library of the Foreign Correspondents ‘ Club of Japan contains a beautiful lighthouse that puts lighting on Trump’s unexpected behavior. This is an audio recording of Trump, who traveled to Japan 32 centuries ago as a business but not as a politician.
Trump attended a media luncheon at the FCCJ on August 18, 1993, while visiting Tokyo, which was the Yurakucho Denki Building at the time. He was in the method of discussing different business enterprises such as real property and games, but instantly changed the subject to the business disparity between Japan and the United States. In his opinion, “morons” had been used to represent America during past US-Japan business negotiations. He stated:
I think the Chinese diplomats have done one of the wonderful tap-tap-taps always. That’s kicking off the conversation, giving absolutely nothing, and making the American idiots say,” Thank you.”
The US was demanding the beginning of industries like cars, electronics, and supercomputers because the country had a significant trade imbalance with Japan at the time. Dissatisfied with the gradual development of the conversations, Trump singled out Carla Hills,  , the US deal agent under President George HW Bush, for condemnation:
Carla Hills said that we must realize that it takes time, but it really doesn’t take time when I look at the job that she did. It doesn’t take much time at all. Free business doesn’t get day. You can’t relax for four or eight years without experiencing free deal.
He continued:
The Chinese friends I’ve seen over the last few times– and they’re really great friends – they themselves grin at the foolishness of my state. They laugh because they all recognize what I ‘m , right? They claim I’m correct, but they’re correct.
There was a portentousness to Trump’s notes.  ,
On September 2, 1987, Trump had published an open letter in big American publications, including the New York Times , and the Washington Post, six years prior to his press conference in Tokyo. The email sharply criticized Japan and other countries for taking advantage of the US over the previous years:
As we defend the Persian Gulf, an area of only marginal value for the United States ‘ crude materials but on which Japan and other countries are almost entirely dependent, the story continues unabated. Why don’t these countries compensate the United States for the billions of dollars we are losing to protect their and their passions?
The earth is laughing at America’s officials as we protect boats we don’t possess, carrying petrol we don’t want, destined for allies who didn’t help.
From this viewpoint, we can see that Trump’s view was developed in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and that the speech he uses currently has no significantly altered. In other words, he is also residing in the world of 1993.  ,
Trump’s rage toward the US government for no quickly resolving Japan’s enormous trade deficit with the US, at a time when Japan was the second-largest economy in the world, can be attributed to his position. And Trump’s intention was to use the mutual tariffs to combat the business imbalance, which he announced last month.  ,
The impact of 1993 is what is crucial here.
The Berlin Wall fell only four years prior, tearing down the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War II. In December 1991, the Soviet Union had collapsed. After being defeated, communism was suddenly over, and it could be anticipated that Western-style democracy and capitalism would soon become practiced everywhere. Americans had a sense of hope and awe among others.
Unfortunately, Trump was confronting several challenges to his organizations at the time.
Trump had expanded his business empire into hotels, games, and an airport in the 1980s, but he ended up with enormous bills. One of those businesses, Trump Shuttle, operated a flight that connected Boston to New York, Washington, DC, and Washington, DC. But, after Iraq’s Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990, gas prices surged and customer need dropped, while expenses of running an aircraft soared. Trump later sold it to a rival.
He told investigators at the FCCJ,” This is what I’m doing.
I was unhappy in going into a really horrible company, something called the flight business. Have any of you worked for an flight? I’ll show you that this is the worst company ever.
President Bush marshaled the US-led foreign troops, attacking Iraq and effectively free Kuwait. Trump, however, referred to the first Gulf War as a” shame”:
Nothing is aware of the true cost that the United States incurred during this conflict. Anyone knows. And we received no fair compensation for it. And we were dumb.
Ironically, Trump has agreed on a package with Ukraine for its material assets, which he described as payment for military support the , US , had provided to Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale war in February 2022. Given the trauma and significant harm the Gulf War had caused to Trump’s organization, it may seem like a crazy idea at first glance. However, it is natural.
Another crucial factor in knowing Trump was fidelity, which was revealed at the FCCJ press event. He looked up on the day when his company struggled in the 1990s, and compared it to battle:
When you engage in a battle, you learn stuff about who is dedicated and who is not. You discover who your friends are, but the truth is that you can’t really tell. I wish I may say that anyone with golden locks or black hair or black skin or mild skin was devoted. But that’s just how it works. People I would have bet the ranch on ruined my life, please excuse me for the phrase.
He added:
I say that I’d like to be in trouble at some point in my life so that I can determine who will be loyal and who will not be. You do learn a lot about loyalty, I suppose. And I think it’s a very important word.
Trump has kept his word and appointed people to cabinet positions based on their loyalty. Additionally, he demands that anyone who wants to work for the government be given loyalty checks. To Trump, loyalty is everything.
Loyalty may be the answer to everything, but irony was in his circumstances. Investors in Hong Kong and Japan were the people who fervently backed Trump when he was trying to get out of a difficult business situation. At the FCCJ, he said this about his supporters:
Both Japan and Hong Kong make up our largest customer base. And I just want to thank so many of them for sticking with me. They did buy my , products. They did visit my casino and, perhaps most importantly, negotiate deals with me on casino bonds.
Yet Trump made the announcement to impose reciprocal tariffs on Japan, one of his main supporters, last month. Unfortunately, it appears that those who were loyal to Trump were not treated with reciprocation.
We have a lot of insight from Trump’s Tokyo press conference 32 years ago, as well as the principles that govern his behavior. In terms of foreign affairs, defense, the economy, and personnel, those remarks remain completely consistent with his current actions and policies. They might even be said to have been prophetic. In that regard, Trump’s words and actions have always been consistent.  ,
His speech contained only one remark that could be regarded as contradictory. If Trump had continued to follow his words with the same conviction, he might have altered both the history of the United States and the world as well.
He stated to his Tokyo audience,” I’m not running for office.  , Who cares if I’m politically correct”?
Writer Eiichiro Tokumoto was born and raised in Tokyo.
The FCCJ’s Number 1 Shimbun published this article at the beginning. It is republished with permission, updated to reflect the fact that the Ukraine minerals deal has been agreed upon.
Traveling to my ancestral village in Guangdong unearthed tragedy – Asia Times
In my book Red Pockets, estate issues are explored. What are we owed to past centuries, both, and to the places we live in?
After nearly a century of generational division due to migration, war, and revolution, I was inspired to visit my ancient town in Guangdong in southern China. I’ve always wanted to visit this corn village because my grandfather wrote about it in his published memoirs.
During a research trip to investigate the effects of chemical waste on Guangdong in the spring of 2018, I suddenly had the chance.
My trip came at the same time as the Qingming festival in April, when people go back to their ancient villages to clean their family ‘ tombs, burn paper money and make food offerings for them in the future.
My father had described my ancestral village as being generally alive, among the rice fields and brick buildings in the western style. In Taishan region, which is known as the “home of international Taiwanese” due to its history of international emigration during the later 19th century’s western gold rushes, there are many similar clan villages.
navigating various social expectations was a moving but disconcerting experience that nearly made it into a comedy of errors. One of the village’s oldest residents still recalls my mother’s turbulent past, which turned out to be problematic.
During the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, my grandparents died unexpectedly, their graves were lost, and our hereditary home was taken over.
It would be impossible to rebuild my family’s place in the village; instead, we would have to construct a new home and give cash to all the clan members in blessed red pockets. Nothing could yet subsequently repair the past century’s ruptures.
What were the repercussions of not clearing the coffins every flower after watching the Qingming tomb-sweeping rituals in the hills?
When I returned to the UK, I carried tales of waste and ancestry abuse with me. As I continued my investigation into dangerous pollution and climate injustice, they stayed with me and began to take on new meaning. I came to the conclusion that neglected ancestors are hungry ghosts who cause misery and harm the environment in Chinese folk religion.
As the climate crisis grew worse, I couldn’t help but feel as though the hungry ghosts apparently embodied the social experiences of weather grief, illness, and stress.
After being let down by COP26 in Glasgow, I came up with the idea to create Red Pockets. Two seemingly disparate ideas came together as I considered the “heavy debt that we owe” to both current and future generations: the personal account of my “return” to my ancient town and the more general account of how to deal with the devastating effects of the weather problems.
I wanted to write a guide that explored the possibility of recovery and the difficulty of regaining lost worlds.
Writing included grappling with both different concepts and my own unique personality. In a way that felt authentic, the hungry souls were challenging to awaken.
I initially tried a more scientific approach by studying Chinese folk religions ‘ beliefs about burial and death rituals and global severe climate catastrophe.
But as soon as I could, I realized that the analogy was very thin and that I needed to speak about hungry souls from a different angle. They appeared to have a unique lifestyle after they emerged.
A divided home, a divided earth, a failing to talk, a failure to honor are the themes of eager ghosts’ interactions between the material and the moral. They want us to honor our cracked promises.
The weight started to slowly start to fall as I moved toward more encouraging designs in the book’s last chapters. I came to the realization that there are ways to live with spirits, including recognizing delight and hopeless times and opportunities for connection despite isolation and loving actions to “defend our estates and ourselves.” An providing was what I was looking for, exactly.
At the University of Glasgow, Professor Alice Mah teaches industrial and economic reports.
This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the text of the content.
Handicapping the US-China trade war’s likely outcome isn’t easy – Asia Times
The American-Chinese business conflict is the one that matters most. It’s not as simple as you might think to handicap the probable outcome.
It is accurate to say that the US has a lot of tickets. China makes a lot of money in the US. However, Chinese people also have some accounts.
In many ways, the US-China conflict is the most significant. Begin with the length. The two largest economies in the world industry$ 583 billion in diplomatic business. ( China’s$ 295 billion trade deficit is by far the biggest of our accumulated. )
China is crucial because it challenges the US’s position in the world in terms of geopolitical, technological, and economic terms. The war’s underlying causes include concern about China’s supremacy of world manufacturing and America’s reliance on China’s companies.
The conflict is undoubtedly significant to American producers and landowners. China has a sizable market for foreign agricultural goods. Prior to President Donald Trump’s first-term tariffs, the US was China’s preferred company supplier. China’s involvement in US agricultural goods is more eroding as a result of this trade war.
Warriors in large battles use large weapons. Trump’s tax on Chinese goods is nearly three times higher than his next-highest charge, which was 145 percent. China retaliated by imposing 12 % levies on US products, and it has since stopped selling some of the crucial nutrients we are unable to purchase elsewhere.
Trump has recently indicated that he will decrease the tariffs on China, but he hasn’t disclosed how many. Both parties have begun granting specific products deductions. Although talks have been ongoing, discussions have been ongoing.
In this conflict, who will prevail? Wining a shooting war means inflicting casualties on the enemy could endure. The important question to look at is each country’s capacity to tolerate problems, assuming that definition applies to business wars.
Personal consumption expenses make up nearly 70 % of GDP in the U.S. business, which is consumption-driven. We buy a lot of what we don’t make from China because we consume more food than we produce. Some Foreign goods are not available from another country. There is already rumors of a Christmas toys deficit.
Voters may be unsatisfied if taxes end up leading to higher prices, empty aisles, and a slowing economy with fewer work. The leader is aware that his goal was to lower costs rather than raise them. The ability of America to maintain its hold on power may be undermined by an inflationary surge.
Common view is not the only issue facing us. Economic businesses are also anxious. This administration has a tendency to react when they fall.
China, on the other hand, has a production-driven business. Only 40 % of GDP is consumed by households. Because China produces more than it consumes, imports are a major factor in its business.
China’s biggest trade business is located in the US. Chinese factories may close and employ people will lose jobs if tariffs efficiently mark a large portion of our market. That is already taking shape. It will only get worse.
However, there is no election of Chinese rulers. They have a solid hand in power and are not required to be as opinion-sensitive as American officials. They are also less receptive to businesses. China’s leaders have the power to simply appoint large buyers not to buy, as they have apparently done in the past.
It’s informative to understand what took place during the worst times of the COVID-19 crisis. Past looked wide open when China put in place a zero-Covid plan. severe lockdowns, quarantines, screening, and mask requirements were included.
Beijing remained with it for almost two decades despite the economic suffering caused by this. Only after widespread” white paper protests” ( in which large numbers of Chinese held up blank sheets of paper hinting at their intentions ) did their leaders start to resign.
China has two more cards to play. Federal spending is at least temporarily boost the economy by removing private consumption from exports.
There is also a political feeling. Beijing is urging China to start a long-running conflict with the “bully” US.
Is China eliminate large mill layoffs in the same way that it eliminated Covid? That is not clear.
Is the US stop market turmoil, slowing growth, and rising inflation? That is also unanswered.
There are obvious problems factors on both sides, but that’s not all. No one has all the tickets in their hands.
It might not be simple to reach a package that allows both parties to declare success. Which side you manage to appear to be backing over. Additionally, the Chinese must know what President Trump wants in particular.
He occasionally seems to be urging China to put an end to its business surplus. China would need to significantly lower its US sales in order to do that. He has recently mentioned” large” Foreign purchases of American goods.
We’re a long way from giving everything away from United farmers and ranchers, though that might be beneficial. The Taiwanese are skilled bargainers. They might believe that time is running out.
The conflict has only just begun.