Long-time Thailand-based American scholar Paul Chambers on Friday, April 4, 2025, became the latest target of the archaic and controversial royal defamation law, also known as lese majeste law, after he revealed that police came to see him in Phitsanulok province, in northern Thailand, where he teaches at Naresuan University, a state university. It was agreed that he will hear lese majeste charges made against him this coming Tuesday at the provincial police station.
Chambers is an expert in Thai studies, speaks Thai, and his particular interests and writings include the role of the monarchy, the military, human rights, and the lese majeste law.
Here’s basically an expert on this draconian royal defamation law, and has been treading carefully over the decades when discussing the matter and the monarchy institution. So basically it’s fair to say he knows what he was doing, just like snake charmers know how dangerous cobras can be.
I reached out to Chambers at around noon on Friday and he told me he was “in shock”, adding he didn’t know yet what may have led to Third Army Region filing a lese majeste police complaint against him, which led to the issuing of an arrest warrant, and which could lead to him spending as long as 15 years in Thai prison if found guilty.
I asked Chambers what he thought it was all about, then requested him to type it down and send the answer to me, so there won’t be anything lost. It will be used for the news article, I added.
In his written replies, Chambers speculates that it may be due to an academic webinar in late 2024. “I was asked if I thought the king was more powerful than the Prime Minister. That was a long time ago…”
I did not include the answer that he typed to me, and originally published online in Khaosod English, because less than two hours later, I received a call from Chambers, telling me that his human right attorney has asked him to ask me if I could remove the answer.
I thought, and I still think, this is an over-reaction on part of Chambers’ lawyer. That these human rights lawyers are unnecessarily instilling fears, paranoia even, in the hearts and minds of their clients, and thus widen the already more than alarming sphere and culture of self censorship when it comes to the Thai monarch institution. This is on top of what the public experienced at the court, where the criminal courts would every now and then orders journalists and non-essential attendees to court proceedings on lese majeste trials to leave the courtroom before proceeding, citing the “sensitivities” of the matter to be discussed, thus rendering the justice system and the controversial lese majeste law cryptic, if not incomprehensible to the public.
Now we have some human rights lawyers, intentionally or not, trying to censor a public discussion about the problems of the laws, and its application, by citing legal concerns.
I told the lawyer when she rang me on Friday afternoon that I have already conceded to Chambers’ request to remove his answer, but I will continue to keep the speculated question written by Chambers in the news article. Chambers’ human attorney kept trying to convince me that even the question which was written by Chambers to me for the news article should also be redacted because it could be incriminating.
I then told her I hold a very different view regarding the matter and this is not just a matter of press freedom for press freedom’s sake, but a necessary and crucial issue on what might have led to the charge. And it Chambers’ was right, then it’s clear that the application of law is becoming increasingly absurd and the public has the right to be informed.
In a democratic society, or a sane society, asking whether the king or the prime minister is more powerful, is just part of a normal political discussion. To make even the mentioning of such questions a taboo in Thailand, is to further expand the already absurd level of the climate of fears and culture of self-censorship in Thailand.
DSI Director-General Police Major Yutthana Praedam explains a chart showing the names of three Thai nationals suspected of being nominees for China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. on April 4, 2025.
BANGKOK — Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has discovered that China Railway No. 10 (Thailand), the contractor responsible for the collapsed State Audit Office building, allegedly used three Thai nationals as nominees to conceal foreign ownership since the company’s establishment on August 10, 2018, with a registered capital of 100 million baht ($2.9 million).
This information was revealed during an investigation meeting chaired by Justice Minister Police Colonel Taweesong Sodsong, alongside DSI Director-General Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Deputy Director-General Police Lieutenant Surawut Rangsai, and 36 special case investigators on April 4.
The meeting disclosed the names of Thai shareholders in China Railway: Mr. Sophon Meechai holding 40.7997%, Mr. Prajuab Siriket holding 10.2%, and Mr. Manas Sri-anan holding 0.0003%.
An investigation meeting chaired by Justice Minister Police Colonel Taweesong Sodsong, alongside DSI Director-General Police Major Yutthana Praedam, takes place at DSI office in Bangkok on April 4, 2025.
The DSI will summon these individuals for questioning. Investigators also found that the company shares its address with eight other companies in the network, which have collectively secured at least 27 government contracts worth over 10 billion baht ($290 million).
Most recently, special case investigators visited Mr. Prajuab’s residence in Phon Sai district, Roi Et province, but only found his wife. She informed investigators that her husband earns very little, working as a construction laborer with a monthly salary of just over 10,000 baht ($290). Investigators noted this income is inconsistent with his shareholding in multiple legal entities, suggesting nominee arrangements. Authorities are also tracking Mr. Sophon and Mr. Manas.
The Justice Minister stated that the Myanmar earthquake cannot be blamed for the building collapse, noting that Thailand has 320 million rai (126 million acre) of land, yet only the State Audit Office building, situated on approximately 11 rai (3.34 acre), collapsed. Investigators will focus on three areas: witness testimony, documentary evidence, and physical evidence to determine the cause of the deadly collapse.
A combination image comparing the State Audit Office building after structural completion with the ruins of the building that collapsed following the Myanmar earthquake that sent tremors to Bangkok on March 28, 2025.
The DSI Director-General added that beyond nominee violations, they are also investigating potential bid-rigging under the law governing price submissions to government agencies. Investigators must prove whether the Thai shareholders were concealing foreign ownership.
Currently, investigators are mapping the joint venture structure involving China Railway and 11 entities, initially focusing on Italian-Thai Development PCL, which won the bidding for the State Audit Office building construction.
Chart displaying the joint ventures involving China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd.
The DSI is prioritizing the nominee case, examining 29 contracts that China Railway secured between 2019-2024, including buildings, transportation routes, and the first phase of the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail project valued at 9,348 million baht ($270 million).
Regarding Xin Ke Yuan Co., Ltd., the DSI Director-General noted they will investigate the company’s supply of steel to the collapsed building, as the Ministry of Industry found some products failed to meet industrial standards. Issues regarding red dust in steel products may involve fake tax invoices and industrial standards violations, which the DSI will pursue in subsequent steps.
Thai police apprehend a Chinese fugitive at a residential compound in the Sathorn-Ratchapruek area of Bang Chak, Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok, on April 5, 2025.
BANGKOK — Thai police have arrested Mr. Zhang, a 52-year-old Chinese national who had been evading authorities for 22 years after committing a crime in Guangdong Province. After fleeing China, he lived in Vietnam and Cambodia before settling in Thailand, where he established a successful Mala restaurant business using a fake Vietnamese identity.
Zhang was apprehended on April 5 at a residential compound in the Sathorn-Ratchapruek area of Bang Chak, Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok. The arrest followed the Thai Criminal Court’s approval of an arrest warrant dated May 17, 2024, on charges of assault causing bodily harm.
Chinese authorities had requested assistance from Thai police in apprehending Zhang. He reportedly committed a crime in 2003 when he shot and seriously injured a fellow Chinese national named Zhou in Shantou City, Guangdong Province, southern China, before fleeing the country.
Zhang is arrested at a residential compound in the Sathorn-Ratchapruek area of Bang Chak, Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok, on April 5, 2025.
According to Chinese officials, Zhang hid in Vietnam and Cambodia for over 20 years before relocating to Thailand.
Investigators eventually confirmed that Zhang was hiding in Bangkok using a forged Vietnamese passport under the name Mr. Ly Thanh. He was living with his Chinese girlfriend, Ms. Deng, and together they ran several successful Mala restaurants throughout Bangkok. The couple resided in a luxury housing development along Ratchapruek Road. During the arrest, authorities confiscated his Thai driver’s license.
Zhang has confessed to the crime. He has been handed over to the Attorney General’s Office to begin extradition proceedings that will return him to China to face punishment according to legal procedures.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, right, talks with Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin after an official inauguration of the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwestern of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Saturday presided over the opening of an expansion of his country’s main naval base, which analysts and the U.S. government suspect will be used as a strategic outpost by China.
Construction of a new pier to accommodate much larger ships, a dry dock for repairs and other features was completed in recent weeks at the Ream Naval Base in southern Cambodia, on the Gulf of Thailand.
The project has drawn great attention mainly because Washington — noting that China is Cambodia’s closest ally and main source of investment and aid — believes that Beijing has been secretly granted special and exclusive privileges to use the base, a claim repeatedly denied by Cambodian officials.
A Chinese warship docks at a naval base’s pier during an official inauguration of the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwestern of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Hun Manet at the inauguration noted that the ceremony was taking place two weeks ahead of a visit to Cambodia by Chinese President Xi Jinping. He praised Xi’s government for help in building the expansion and other projects, describing bilateral relations as good and strong.
At the same time, he declared that the Ream base expansion was not hidden from other countries, and said warships from all friendly countries can visit the base and hold joint military exercises, except for very big warships that cannot be physically accommodated.
“I would like to take this opportunity to make it clear that the Cambodian government led by the Cambodian People’s Party has no intention, in the past or today or in the future, of violating its Constitution by allowing any country’s troops to establish exclusive bases on Cambodian territory,” he said.
China’s Defense Ministry, in a statement issued in Beijing, said the China-Cambodia Ream Naval Base Joint Support and Training Center — part of the facility that was officially opened Saturday — will support a wide range of joint operations.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, second from left, and top Chinese military commander Gen. Cat Qing Feng, left, attend an official inauguration of the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwestern of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Areas of cooperation will include counterterrorism, disaster prevention and relief, humanitarian assistance and joint training, the ministry said in a news release.
“Necessary personnel from both countries will be stationed at the site to ensure smooth operation of the center. The center’s establishment and operation are based on mutual respect and equal consultation between China and Cambodia,” the statement said.
Cao Qingfeng, a visiting senior member of China’s Central Military Commission, said in a speech that the base “will surely become a new starting point to continuously promote the relationship between the two armies and consolidate the development.” A contingent of at least 100 Chinese sailors who have been on temporary duty at the base also took part, marching and singing.
The senior U.S. diplomat in Cambodia, Chargé d’Affaires Bridgette Walker, attended the ceremony but declined to comment on it.
The base is slated to host a Japanese vessel in the near future as the first foreign warship to make a port call at the base. The Cambodian government described giving priority to Japanese warships as a tribute to the high level of openness in cooperation, relations, and mutual trust.
Chinese navy officers attend an official inauguration of the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwestern of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
The announcement of Japan’s planned port call showed that Cambodia is likely trying to project that it’s open to countries other than China, said Euan Graham, a senior defense analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
“This would appear to be a conscious demonstration by Cambodia” that Ream is not exclusively for China’s military, he said.
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has confirmed Cambodia’s invitation to Japanese ships, but refused to give any specifics, citing regular operational security regulations.
Fears over China’s activity at the Ream base arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.
China and Cambodia broke ground on the port project in 2022, in an expression of the close political, military and economic ties between the two authoritarian states. That involved demolishing naval structures previously built at the base by the U.S., with little explanation.
In September, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said that China would give Cambodia’s navy two warships of the type docked there while the expansion project was still underway.
The container ship Ever Frank arrives in San Francisco on Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
BANGKOK — A report by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) shows concern over the impact of a renewed trade war under a possible second term of President Donald Trump. The former president has announced new import tariffs affecting several countries, including Thailand, with rates of up to 36% set to take effect on April 9, 2025.
In 2024, Thai SMEs relied heavily on the US market, which accounted for 20% of their total exports worth 7.634 billion dollars, or 14% of Thailand’s total exports to the US. In contrast, SME imports from the US amounted to 2.563 billion dollars, resulting in a trade surplus of 5.070 billion dollars.
In the first two months of 2025, SME exports to the US totaled 1.44 billion dollars, an increase of 39.6% compared to the previous year. The top five export categories: electrical equipment, machinery, gems and jewelry, furniture and plastics, accounted for 75% of all SME exports to the US.
OSMEP estimates that the new tariff measures could reduce SME exports to the US by 1.128 billion dollars (approximately 38.3 billion baht) in 2025. As a result, SME GDP growth could fall by 0.2 percentage points from the original forecast of 3.5%. The extent of the impact will depend on the Thai government’s negotiations and possible retaliatory measures by other trading partners.
Gems and Jewelry
OSMEP’s initial analysis identifies 12 major product groups that are highly dependent on the US market (more than 10% of their exports are to the US and worth over 10 million dollars). Approximately 3,700 Thai SME exporters could be affected:
1. Electrical Equipment
Export value: 2.792 billion dollars
SME share: 34%
U.S. market dependency: 59%
SME exporters: 914 firms
2. Gems and Jewelry
Export value: 758 million dollars
SME share: 45%
U.S. market dependency: 19%
SME exporters: 885 firms
3. Machinery and Components (Including air conditioner parts, faucets, valves, aircraft engine components)
Export value: 466 million dollars
SME share: 25%
U.S. market dependency: 52%
SME exporters: 156 firms
4. Furniture (Including chairs, sofas, lamps, medical furniture)
Export value: 432.15 million dollars
SME share: 45%
U.S. market dependency: 68%
SME exporters: 400 firms
5. Iron and Steel Products (Such as joints, steel wires, nails, bridges, valves, sanitary ware, kitchen/tableware)
Export value: 181.07 million dollars
SME share: 24%
U.S. market dependency: 31%
SME exporters: 422 firms
6. Automobiles and Parts (Including trailers and semi-trailers)
Export value: 116 million dollars
SME share: 8%
U.S. market dependency: 21%
SME exporters: 138 firms
Cars line the BNSF Railway vehicle storage facility at the Port of Richmond on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Richmond, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
7. Processed Fruit and Vegetable Products (Juices, pickled fruit/vegetables, preserves, jams)
Export value: 73.97 million dollars
SME share: 10%
U.S. market dependency: 14%
SME exporters: 293 firms
8. Aluminum Products (Construction materials, pressurized gas containers, various aluminum items)
11. Rubber and Rubber Products (Including shock-absorbing mats and industrial rubber tubing)
Export value: 24 million dollars
SME share: 16%
U.S. market dependency: 16%
SME exporters: 121 firms
12. Processed Meat and Seafood (Shrimp, shellfish, crabs)
Export value: 14 million dollars
SME share: 7%
U.S. market dependency: 49%
SME exporters: 30 firms
To mitigate these effects, Thai SMEs urgently need to adapt by seeking new markets and regional trading partners. They should also take advantage of trade agreements (FTAs) and consider relocating production facilities to countries that are not affected by US tariffs.
The government is urged to restore confidence in the economy by encouraging investment, increasing household income, boosting domestic consumption and promoting tourism to reduce dependence on exports.
Nevertheless, Thailand could also face an increase in products from other countries looking for alternatives to the US market. Therefore, quick policy responses and awareness campaigns to promote product quality and standards are crucial to avoid potential trade deficits in the future.
A footage shows the British man on a rampage at a local convenience store in Thalang District, Phuket Province, on April 4, 2025.
PHUKET — Immigration police have detained a 39-year-old British national following a series of violent incidents across multiple areas in Phuket on Thursday.
The suspect, identified only as Mr. George, allegedly broke into a local convenience store, attempted to pry open a motorcycle seat, and physically assaulted the shop owner. In a subsequent incident, he reportedly knocked a child off a motorcycle who was riding with their mother, causing injuries.
Phuket Immigration officers took the man into custody on April 4. Authorities report that communication with the suspect has been difficult as he appears to be in an unstable mental state. Officials have placed him in a controlled environment to calm down before formal questioning and potential transfer to Thalang Police Station to face criminal charges.
The store where the British man went on a rampage
According to 51-year-old shop owner Warin Dokbua, the incident began around 7:05 AM when the suspect parked his motorcycle in front of the store. “I had never seen him before that day,” Warin told reporters. “From what I’ve heard from people in the area, he had already been involved in altercations with others before reaching my shop.”
Security camera footage shows the British man attempting to force open the seat of Warin’s three-wheeled motorcycle parked outside. When unsuccessful, the suspect ran into the shop’s kitchen, grabbed a knife, and tried to cut wires to remove the motorcycle seat.
“He appeared to be intoxicated or under the influence of some substance,” Warin explained. “He wouldn’t listen when I tried to stop him, and he physically attacked me, even throwing a bottle of oil at me from the front of the store.”
The shop owner further reported that the suspect fled into a nearby alley where he continued his aggressive behavior toward locals. In one particularly disturbing incident, he allegedly pushed a child who was riding on the back of a motorcycle with their mother, causing the child to fall and sustain injuries.
Following the incidents, Warin filed a report at Thalang Police Station. Officers have since seized the motorcycle the suspect was riding and discovered it had been stolen from the Saku Police Station jurisdiction, adding another potential charge to the case.
A worker loads rolls of steel plate at a steel market in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)
BANGKOK (AP) — China announced Friday that it will impose a 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products beginning April 10, part of a flurry of retaliatory measures following U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” slate of double-digit tariffs.
The new tariff matches the rate of the U.S. “reciprocal” tariff of 34% on Chinese exports Trump ordered this week.
The Commerce Ministry in Beijing also said in a notice that it will impose more export controls on rare earths, which are materials used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries.
Included in the list of minerals subject to controls was samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defense sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans.
China’s customs administration said it had suspended imports of chicken from two U.S. suppliers, Mountaire Farms of Delaware and Coastal Processing. It said Chinese customs had repeatedly detected furazolidone, a drug banned in China, in shipments from those companies.
Additionally, the Chinese government said it has added 27 firms to lists of companies subject to trade sanctions or export controls.
Among them, 16 are subject to a ban on the export of “dual-use” goods. High Point Aerotechnologies, a defense tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publicly traded transportation and logistics company, were among those listed.
Beijing also announced it filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization over the tariffs issue.
Aerial view of a ro-ro terminal for vehicle shipment in Yantai in eastern China’s Shandong province, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT
Countries were taking different approaches as they sought a way to deal with the potential disruption to trade and supply chains. Taiwan’s president promised to provide support to industries most vulnerable to the 32% tariffs Trump ordered in his “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs announcement.
Vietnam, where the US is a major trade partner, said its deputy prime minister would visit the U.S. for talks on trade.
Some, like the head of the EU’s European Commission, have vowed to fight back while promising to improve the rules book for free trade. Others like Britain said they were hoping to negotiate with the Trump administration for relief.
Fighting back
As with earlier countermoves to U.S. trade penalties, Beijing hit back with targeted action, as well as its universal 34% tariff on all products from the U.S.
The Commerce Ministry in Beijing said it will impose more export controls on rare earths, which are materials used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. Included in the list was samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defense sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans.
China’s customs administration said it had suspended imports of chicken from two U.S. suppliers, Mountaire Farms of Delaware and Coastal Processing. It said Chinese customs had repeatedly detected furazolidone, a drug banned in China, in shipments from those companies.
Additionally, the Chinese government said it has added 27 firms to lists of companies subject to trade sanctions or export controls.
For good measure, China also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization, saying the U.S. tariffs were “a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order.”
Seize the day
India was hit by a 26% tariff rate, lower than the 34% for Chinese exports and 46% for Vietnam. Its Commerce Ministry that it was “studying the opportunities that may arise due to this new development in U.S. trade policy.” It said talks were underway on a trade agreement, including “deepening supply chain integration.”
The U.S was New Delhi’s biggest trading partner in 2024 with two-way trade estimated at $129 billion, according to U.S. data. They have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. Most pharmaceuticals and other medicines, important Indian exports to the U.S., are exempt from the reciprocal tariffs.
However, diamonds and other gems, another major export industry, are subject to the higher duties.
Workers labor on the production line of towels at a textile manufacturer in Huai’an city in east China’s Jiangsu province, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)
Business groups said they viewed the challenge as a chance to improve India’s competitiveness. “At a time when global trade dynamics are shifting rapidly, Indian exporters must be equipped with the right policies, strategies, and support to compete effectively,” S.C. Ralkan, head of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said in a statement.
We need to talk
Most U.S. trading partners have emphasized they hope negotiations can help resolve trade friction with Washington. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he was prepared to fly to Washington, in a last-ditch effort to forestall the 24% tariffs Trump ordered for exports from the biggest Asian U.S. ally.
“The global trading system has serious deficiencies,” the president of the EU’s European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said Thursday while on a visit to Uzbekistan. But she chided Trump, saying that “reaching for tariffs as your first and last tool will not fix it. This is why from the onset we have always been ready to negotiate with the United States.”
In Italy, Premier Giorgia Meloni told state TV she believes the 20% U.S. tariffs on exports from Europe were wrong, but “it is not the catastrophe that some are making it out to be.’’ Her government planned to meet next week with representatives of affected sectors to formulate plans. “We need to open an honest discussion on the matter with the Americans, with the goal, at least from my point of view, of removing tariffs, not multiplying them,’’ Meloni said.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Pham Thu Hang, said Hanoi would keep talking with the U.S. to “find practical solutions” as 46% U.S. tariffs threatened to decimate exports of footwear, electronics, textiles and seafood.
“If enforced, would negatively impact bilateral economic and trade relations as well as the interests of businesses and people in both countries,” Hang said in comments cited by state-run media, which reported that the deputy prime minister and former finance minister Ho Duc Phoc was scheduled to visit the U.S. for trade talks next week.
A helping hand
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said he will offer the “greatest support” to industries most impacted by the new tariffs. Taiwan’s trade surplus with the U.S. is relatively high partly because the island is a major source of computer chips and other advanced technology. Lai said in a statement on his Facebook page that “We feel that this is unreasonable and are also worried about the subsequent impact these measures may have on the global economy.”
Lai said he instructed Premier Cho Jung-tai to work closely with industries that are impacted and to communicate with the public about their plans to stabilize the economy.
New Toyota vehicles are stored at the Toyota Logistics Service Inc., an imports processing facility at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., Wednesday, March 26, 2025. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Japan’s leader Ishiba and other governments also said they were preparing countermeasures to help industries cope.
Likewise, von der Leyen said the EU was consulting with steel and auto makers, pharmaceutical companies and other industries about how to give them more “breathing space.”
Looking elsewhere
Trump’s decision to sharply raise tariffs on countries spanning the globe is “self-defeating,” Wang Huiyao, president of the Chinese think tank Center for China and Globalization, said in an interview.
The latest tariffs impose heavy burdens on some countries in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
It’s a trade war with the world, Wang said, while China’s strategy is to trade more with Southeast Asia and Latin America, with Europe, the Middle East and other developing nations.
“The likely outcome is that China will become the largest trading nation and its economy will be trading more with other nations and the U.S. may … become more isolated,” Wang said.
Europe will work to build more bridges and as a regional economic bloc of 450 million people, larger than the United States, it also has its own huge market, said von der Leyen, the EC president.
The EU is its own “safe harbor in tumultuous times,” she said.
Dow drops another 1,000 points amid global selloff as China matches Trump’s tariffs
The S&P 500 dropped 2.7% early Friday, coming off its worst day since COVID wrecked the global economy in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,000 points, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 3%.
Not even a better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market was enough to stop the slide.
European stocks saw some of the day’s biggest losses, and the price of crude oil tumbled to its lowest level since 2021 on worries about how a trade war could cause a recession.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump defends tariff moves on social media
Although experts have harshly criticized the president’s economic policies, he’s finding support on TikTok.
He shared a video on Friday morning that said “Trump is crashing the stock market” and “he’s doing it on purpose” as part of “secret game he’s playing, and it could make you rich.”
Trump is at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, for the weekend. In another all-caps post, Trump said he would stay the course despite fears about a potential recession.
“TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE. THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH, RICHER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!” he wrote.
Later Friday morning, Trump criticized China’s decision to match his tariffs with a 34% tariff on U.S. imports.
“CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” he wrote in a social media post
A tour bus carrying international tourists skids off the Southern Seaboard Highway 44 inbound to Surat Thani, resulting in multiple injuries, on April 4, 2025.
SURAT THANI — Thailand’s roads continue to maintain their dangerous reputation following the latest incident in Surat Thani province, where a tour bus carrying international tourists skidded off the road, resulting in multiple injuries.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Suriyan Petchuay, Chief Inspector of Bang Sawan Police Station, reported that the accident occurred at noon today. The bus was transporting 40 tourists of various nationalities and three staff members from Ao Nang in Krabi province to Koh Samui when it veered off the Southern Seaboard Highway 44 inbound to Surat Thani.
Rescue workers and officers from Phra Saeng Police Station provide first aid to the injured tourists at the accident scene in Surat Thani Province on April 4, 2025.
Rescue workers and officers from Phra Saeng Police Station provided first aid to the injured tourists. Six people sustained injuries, with British and Malaysian nationals requiring further treatment at Bangkok Hospital Surat in Surat Thani city for cervical spine fractures and broken noses. Four others — two Dutch nationals and tourists from France and Germany — have since been discharged from the hospital.
The remaining 34 tourists were transported to their destination on Koh Samui by Rittichai Tourism, the tour bus company.
Lieutenant Colonel Suriyan stated that the driver would face charges of reckless driving. Authorities are monitoring the condition of the injured tourists to determine if they will require more than 20 days of medical treatment, which could result in additional charges. “Fortunately, the bus didn’t hit any obstacles, or this could have been much worse,” he added.
The accident comes as Thailand approaches the Songkran festival, which not only attracts many tourists but is also notorious for high road accident rates. In 2024, during the “seven dangerous days” of Songkran (April 11-17), Thailand recorded 2,044 accidents resulting in 2,060 injuries and 287 deaths. The primary causes were speeding (41.49%), drunk driving (22.7%), and cutting off other vehicles (18.1%).
Dr. Chamaiphan Santikarn, head of the Thailand Safe Motorcycle project and former advisor on injury prevention at the WHO Southeast Asia Regional Office, noted last year that despite continuous efforts to implement various safety measures, motorcycle death and injury statistics in Thailand have not decreased in over 20 years.
“The national strategy aims to reduce fatalities to 12 per 100,000 population, or 8,478 deaths, by 2027,” Dr. Santikarn stated. “But if the current situation persists and relevant agencies don’t implement effective measures to protect citizens’ lives, achieving this goal is virtually impossible.”
BANGKOK (AP) — The Thai army has filed a criminal complaint against an American scholar working in Thailand, alleging that he insulted the country’s monarchy, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Paul Chambers, a political science lecturer, said police came to his workplace at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok on Friday morning to serve him with an arrest warrant and summoning him to the local police station to formally hear the charges.
Chambers said he will report himself on Tuesday and hopes to get released on bail.
“I’m basically in limbo because I can’t go anywhere. I’m not supposed to,” he told The Associated Press. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m kind of nervous.”
A copy of the police summons, seen by the AP, says the regional army command filed charges against Chambers, including violating the law against defaming the monarchy and the Computer Crime Act.
Paul Chambers
The letter, signed by Phitsanulok City police chief Watcharapong Sitthirungroj, said the warrant was approved by the Phitsanulok Provincial Court on March 31. Watcharapong denied any knowledge of the charges against Chambers when first reached by the AP, but when asked about his signature on the document, said he couldn’t immediately comment and asked a reporter to call back.
The 3rd Army Area, covering Thailand’s northern region, was named as the plaintiff in the document, but could not be reached for comment. Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree could not immediately be reached.
The summons did not explain the details of the offense that Chambers was accused of. Chambers said he believes it was related to a webinar last October in which he discussed the influence of the military in Thai politics.
Thailand’s lese majeste law calls for three to 15 years’ imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent.
Critics say it is among the harshest such laws anywhere and has been used in Thailand to punish critics of the government and institutions such as the military. The army plays a major role in politics and has staged 13 successful coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently just 11 years ago.
It is rare for a foreigner to be charged under the law, which has been applied frequently in the past decade during a period of political polarization.
Public criticism of the monarchy, a linchpin of Thai identity, used to be rare, but student-led pro-democracy protests began to challenge that taboo in 2020, openly criticizing the institution. That led to vigorous prosecutions under what was previously a little-used law.
The advocacy group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people — many of them student activists — have been charged with violating the lese majeste law, often referred to as Article 112.
The species name "flaviflora" refers to its yellow flowers.
BANGKOK — In a groundbreaking botanical discovery, researchers from Kasetsart University and officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation have jointly announced the discovery of a new plant genus and species named “Somnuekia flaviflora,” commonly known as “Por Sri Somnuek.”
The discovery was revealed on March 4 during a press conference attended by representatives from the Faculty of Forestry and Department of Botany at Kasetsart University, along with officials from the National Science Museum of Thailand.
The discovery of Por Sri Somnuek, a new plant genus and species found in the Tenasserim Mountain Range. The plant was named in honor of Somnuek Pong-umpai, a master professor of dendrology at the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University.
The newly discovered plant genus has been named in honor of Somnuek Pong-umpai, a distinguished professor of dendrology at the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University.
The scientific name, Somnuekia Duangjai, Chalermw., Sinbumr. & Suddee, was published as a new genus alongside the new species Somnuekia flaviflora in the scientific journal PhytoKeys (254: 221-243, 2025) under the title “Somnuekia flaviflora (Malvaceae, Brownlowioideae), a new genus and species from Thailand.”
The species name “flaviflora” refers to its yellow flowers. The type specimen, collected by Chalermwong, Sinbumroong & Issarapakdee, is preserved at the Forest Herbarium (BKF).
Botanically, Somnuekia flaviflora is a tree that can grow up to 35 meters tall. It features brownish-gray or whitish-gray bark, with inner bark of light brown color. Young branches are densely hairy, while mature branches are almost smooth. The plant has simple, alternate leaves that are ovate to heart-shaped or somewhat pentagonal, measuring 9-21 cm wide and 10-24 cm long.
A new plant genus and species named “Somnuekia flaviflora,” commonly known as “Por Sri Somnuek.”
The inflorescence is a terminal panicle that can reach up to 40 cm in length, with parts covered in whitish-gray star-shaped scales. The flowers are perfect, with five yellow petals and 25-50 yellow stamens. The fruit is a short cylindrical capsule, 5-6 cm long, with five longitudinal ridges and dense star-shaped scales. Seeds are nearly round, dark brown, with short star-shaped scales.
Tenasserim Range stretches approximately 1,700 kilometers across Southeast Asia as part of the broader Indo-Malayan mountain system. Despite their modest elevation, these mountains serve as a significant natural boundary between Thailand and Myanmar, particularly in the northern and central sections of the range.
This significant discovery from the Tenasserim mountain range adds an important new genus to the world’s botanical knowledge and highlights Thailand’s rich biodiversity.
