NATIONAL NEWS from Surf 102.5 FM - Wednesday 29 May 2024

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The government has approved several changes to visa requirements,  In a bid to boost tourism, These include visa-free and visa-on-arrival schemes, extended stays for students, and reduced health insurance requirements for retirees.

 

The number of countries eligible for visa-free entry will increase from 57 to 93. New five-year visas for working tourists allow stays of up to 180 days, which may be extended for another 6 months at a time.

 

Foreign higher education students can now stay for one year after graduation instead of having to leave immediately, these changes come into effect from 1st of June.

Hundreds of cannabis entrepreneurs, farmers, and activists rallied in Bangkok yesterday, threatening legal action against the government's plan to reclassify marijuana as a narcotic.

 

They collected 2,000 signatures on a petition outlining potential financial losses if the government proceeds. The proposed u turn has created new uncertainty for Thailand's cannabis industry.

Thailand is moving forward with plans to join BRICS, an intergovernmental organization currently expanding beyond its founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The group was designed to bring together the world's most important developing countries, to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.

The Department of Justice will amend rules to let pretrial suspects avoid jail by wearing electronic ankle monitors. the aim is to reduce prison overcrowding; currently, Thai prisons hold over 280,000 inmates, far exceeding the 180,000 capacity, with about 50,000 awaiting trial.

 

Around the region:

A Hong Kong court will deliver verdicts this week in the biggest case brought against pro-democracy campaigners since China imposed a national security law to crush dissent.

Forty-seven people from a cross-section of Hong Kong’s then opposition face life in prison on charges of  subversion over political activities in 2020, following democracy protests that saw millions take to the streets.  31 have pleaded guilty. 

 

Todays’ WEATHER 

Chiang Mai and the north: Cloudy with thundershowers, 34 degrees celsius

Bangkok: Cloudy with thundershowers 35

Pattaya:   bright but Cloudy 33.

Phuket and the south: Sunny, 33.

Hua Hin:  fine and sunny, becoming cloudy this afternoon 35C             

AQI: green which is good 
Green clear, yellow moderate, Orange High,  Red unhealthy.  

Credits: Bangkok Post, The Nation, Asean Now, Khaosod English,  Hua Hin  Today, The Pattaya News, Phuket News, Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times. The Irrawaddy. Windy.com. Wunderground.com
 

-- SURF 102.5 FM 2024-05-29

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