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/ 12 May 2008

Anger mounts in Bangkok at Burma aid visa delays

A furious rescue worker accused Burma’s military junta on Monday of crimes against humanity for refusing to fast-track visas for aid officials desperate to enter the country to help the 1,5-million survivors of Cyclone Nargis. ”They say they will call, but it’s always wait, wait, wait,” Pierre Fouillant of the Comite de Secours Internationaux, a French disaster rescue agency.

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/ 8 May 2008

Aid misery for Burma cyclone victims

A few aid shipments had arrived in Burma’s main city by Thursday, but the planeloads of supplies and heavy equipment needed to help millions of cyclone victims remain largely stranded outside the country. In a dramatic development, the ruling junta agreed to accept United States emergency aid after last weekend’s cyclone.

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/ 4 April 2008

World Bank accused of climate-change ‘hijack’

Developing countries and environmental groups accused the World Bank on Friday of trying to seize control of the billions of dollars of aid that will be used to tackle climate change in the next four decades. ”The World Bank’s foray into climate change has gone down like a lead balloon,” Friends of the Earth campaigner Tom Picken said.

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/ 31 March 2008

‘Kyoto II’ climate talks open in Bangkok

The first formal talks in the long process of drawing up a replacement for the Kyoto climate change pact opened in Thailand on Monday with appeals to a common human purpose to defeat global warming. ”The world is waiting for a solution that is long-term and economically viable,” said United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

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/ 27 February 2008

Thailand braces for ousted leader’s return

Thailand, trying to recover from two years of political turmoil, braced for the return of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from nearly 18 months in exile on Thursday, with his battle against an array of opponents far from over. Rivals ranging from the royalist establishment to street-protest leaders will confront Thaksin.

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/ 23 November 2007

Thai patriotism law seeks to halt cars for anthem

A proposed new law to boost patriotism in Thailand would be ”chaotic” because it would require motorists to stop when the national anthem is played twice a day, lawmakers said on Friday. A vote on the Flag Bill proposed by a group of retired and active duty generals in the army-appointed Parliament was deferred on Thursday to allow a committee to study it.

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/ 24 October 2007

More charges against Canadian paedophile suspect

More sex-crimes charges were filed on Wednesday against a suspected Canadian paedophile captured last week following a global manhunt, Thai police said. Christopher Paul Neil (32) was arrested in Thailand on Friday following a worldwide search led by Interpol to track down a man seen in 200 internet photos abusing a dozen Asian boys.