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Thailand’s oil palm industry is leading the way for regional biopower projects and is more sustainable than operations in Indonesia and Malaysia which have faced global pressure for devastating old-growth forest and taking a wrecking ball to farming communities, experts say.
But while the local sector is breaking ground with its renewable energy projects, inefficiency, drought [...]

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By Greg Lowe
Asia-Pacific nations must renew their efforts to form a coherent and collaborative response to the region’s complex security risks and its inherent potential for instability, senior delegates at a high-level regional forum say.
Food and energy security, ethnic conflicts, insurgencies and rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula were key issues discussed at the 9th [...]

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By GREG LOWE
IN BANGKOK
BUSINESSES that have been hit hard by months of protests and deadly clashes on the capital’s streets say that it is too early to assess the full impact of the recent violence on their operations.
Protesters rampaged across Bangkok on Wednesday, torching more than 30 buildings, after leaders of the red-shirt United Front [...]

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Armed clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters in Bangkok left 16 people dead and more than 100 injured, including three journalists.
This timely safety advice for reporters working in this increasingly dangerous city is based on consultation with a local security expert.
1. Consider if you really need to put yourself in the fire-zone for your [...]

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Much is made of Thailand’s economic fundamentals but the fact remains that the current political turmoil will only dampen economic activity, chase away tourists and investors and weaken the country’s overall performance.
Here are a few comments on the likely impact on the economy, these have all been made very recently, but not in response [...]

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by Greg Lowe
BANGKOK — Red Shirt anti-government protesters have conditionally accepted Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s roadmap for national reconciliation in a move that is expected to end the rallies that have paralyzed parts of the capital for months.
Opinions are mixed over whether the plan can bring lasting peace to a country whose unity has become [...]

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Last night the atmosphere on Silom Road was a far cry from the clashes between security forces and red shirt supporters on Viphawadi-Rangsit Road earlier that afternoon, which left one soldier dead and 18 people injured.
There were a few lines of police and soldiers dressed in riot gear, standing next to razor-wire cordons and guarding [...]

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Foreign Office says protests in Bangkok and beyond mean Britons should avoid all but essential visits to Thailand

Greg Lowe in Bangkok and Mark Tran

ONE THAI SOLDIER has died in clashes north of Bangkok between troops and red-shirted anti-government protesters agitating for the dissolution of parliament.
A Reuters photographer said the soldier was shot through his helmet [...]

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The state of emergency declared in Bangkok late on Wednesday night has done little if anything to calm Thailand’s escalating political tensions.
The Emergency Decree issued by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva gives security forces extended powers to clear thousands of anti-government demonstrators from the heart of Bangkok’s luxury retail district. The protesters had been camped out [...]

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By GREG LOWE
IN BANGKOK
THE Thai government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces will not significantly affect investor confidence in the country, says Thailand Trade Representative president Kiat Sittheeamorn.
The business community supports the government’s efforts to clear so-called Red-Shirt anti- government protesters from their rally point at Ratchaprasong intersection in the [...]

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