By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng BANGKOK, July 6 (Reuters) - Thai rescuers deployed helicopters on Friday to search for 23 people missing after a boat carrying Chinese tourists sank, with one official saying he feared "no chance" of any more survivors, which would mean nearly 60 dead. The confirmed death toll from the accident off the resort island of Phuket … [Read more...]
The Tankship Triangle: Southeast Asia’s Illegal Oil Market
by Henning Gloystein (Reuters) - An alleged oil heist in Singapore that has already led to 20 arrests, the seizure of at least one tanker and allegations that thieves siphoned thousands of tonnes of fuel from Shell’s biggest refinery is shining a spotlight on an illegal trade worth tens of billions of dollars worldwide. Working routes in a triangle of sea anchored by … [Read more...]
Reckless Piloting, Overcrowding Eyed in Fatal Thai Boat Accident
BANGKOK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - An overcrowded tourist boat carrying Muslim pilgrims was being piloted recklessly before it capsized, killing at least 15 Thai people, officials said on Monday as divers and other rescuers searched for 11 people still missing. The accident happened on Sunday on the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site located some 80 km … [Read more...]
Abandoned Cruise Ship Ocean Dream Sinks Off Thailand
A cruise ship abandoned by its Chinese owner for over a year has capsized and is leaking oil off the port of Laem Chabang in Thailand. The cruise ship Ocean Dream began sinking Saturday and came to rest half submerged in the Gulf of Thailand about two miles from the coast near the town of Si Racha. Local media reports say that the cruise ship has been abandoned by … [Read more...]
Thai Navy Clamps Down On Migrants
A boat crammed with migrants was towed out to sea by the Thai navy and then held up by Malaysian vessels on Saturday, the latest round of "maritime ping-pong" by Asian states determined not to let asylum seekers come ashore. The United Nations has called on countries around the Andaman Sea not to push back the thousands of desperate Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims from … [Read more...]