Thailand

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares tumbled in Asia early Monday after President Donald Trump threatened to impose more tariffs on China, spooking investors who had been expecting good news this week on trade.

The Shanghai Composite index plunged 5.2% to 2,918.65, and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong sank 3.4% to 29,060.87. The future contract for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.9% to 26,003.00, while that for the S&P 500 also shed 1.9%, to 2,892.20.

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn was officially crowned Saturday in an elaborate centuries-old royal tradition that last happened seven decades ago.

The coronation represents a renewal of the monarchy’s power after the October 2016 death of Vajiralongkorn’s revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It also comes amid more than a decade of political strife, including a 2014 military coup and a contentious election less than two months ago.

BANGKOK, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's cabinet approved in principle on Wednesday an extended waiver of the fee for visa on arrival of foreign tourists to Thailand, according to a summary of cabinet meeting published online.

The waiver of the one-time entry fee for visa on arrival which was proposed by the Royal Thai Police, will be extended from May 1 until Oct. 31.

Such temporary waiver of the fee for visa on arrival will be extended in accordance with 2019's ministerial regulation for one-time entry of tourists from specified foreign countries.

BANGKOK (AP) — A dog found swimming more than 220 kilometers (135 miles) from shore by workers on an oil rig crew in the Gulf of Thailand has been returned safely to land.

A worker on the rig belonging to Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, Vitisak Payalaw, said on his Facebook page that they saw the dog swimming toward the platform last Friday. He said they were lucky to spot it because if there had been waves it probably would not have been visible.

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai election authorities on Thursday ordered a recount of votes and new elections in some polling areas after finding irregularities in last month’s general election.

The Election Commission said in a statement that it had ordered a recount for two polling stations and new elections at six polling stations due to the number of voters not matching the number of ballots in the March 24 vote.

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s king has stripped fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of his royal decorations, citing his 2008 flight to escape serving a two-year prison term on a conflict of interest conviction and other legal cases against him.

Thai media reported that the royal command from King Maha Vajiralongkorn was published Saturday in the Royal Gazette.

30 Mar 2019; DW: Polls closed last Sunday evening in Thailand's parliamentary elections, but nearly a week on, the results remain inconclusive. Questions about accuracy at the ballot boxes persist and jockeying between parties has resulted in a hung parliament of sorts. On Saturday, the country's election commission sought to allay concerns over accuracy and transparency, saying that computer software was partly to blame for inconsistent and delayed vote totals.

28 Mar 2019; AFP: Several anti-junta parties formed a coalition in Thailand on Wednesday, vowing to thwart a military-backed party in a bid to end years of junta rule following the country's first vote since a 2014 coup.

Thai politics are deadlocked after Sunday's vote, with two main rival parties claiming the right to govern amid allegations of ballot irregularities and the full official results yet to be released.

25 Mar 2019; AFP: Thailand's election was marred by "irregularities" and "rigged" to ensure the military retain their political grip on the kingdom, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra told AFP in an interview on Monday.

"Everyone knows in Thailand, everyone international that observed the election in Thailand, knows that (there) is irregularities," he told AFP in English. "What we call, we should call, rigged elections is there. It's not good for Thailand."

24 Mar 2019; DW: Thailand's pro-military party has taken the lead in the country's first general election since the military coup of 2014, according to preliminary results.

The vote pits a royalist junta headed by former general Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha against a "democratic front" led by the political party he ousted.

Electoral Commission figures show: