If you ask ordinary people which of the Yingluck Shinawatra government's first-year programmes they like most, raising the daily minimum wage and salaries is sure to rate highly. The government has honoured its promise to set a 300-baht daily minimum wage for workers and a 15,000-baht monthly starting salary for bachelor's graduates albeit partially. Somphob Manarungsan, an economist and rector at the Panyapiwat Institute of Technology, hailed the government's efforts, saying salaries in the...

Singaporean Jack Sim wants nobody to be embarrassed by toilets as he seeks to clean up sanitation throughout the developing world. 'Life is so fun for me. Every day I am able to dream up all kinds of crazy ideas to make toilets a subject of discussion," says Jack Sim. The 56-year-old Singaporean is making a Bollywood movie about toilets, which is set for release two years from now, and creating a toilet cafe{aac}. His plans include building the world's first toilet museum. "Long ago, they...

Corruption is among the biggest barriers to Thailand's economic progress, says expert Prof Robert Klitgaard, who urged businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to work with the government to monitor key projects. Among obstacles to investment and fighting poverty, bad government and corruption are Thailand's major problems. The World Economic Forum's 2013-14 global competitiveness report said Thailand is very competitive in terms of human resources, location and policies such as...

An online campaign backed by some off Hollywood and television's biggest stars is calling on the government to outlaw the trade in dog meat and has drawn more than half a million signatures. A four-minute video produced by the Soi Dog Foundation, the largest non-profit organisation dealing with stray dogs and cats throughout Southeast Asia, features big-name stars such as Dame Judi Dench, Ricky Gervais and actors from the British television series Downton Abbey. "One of the stars, [Downton...

Superstar 'Yuyee' is serving 15 years for importing a tiny quantity of drugs, but her Spanish celebrity husband says she is the victim of a nefarious revenge plot A calendar in the children’s room marks the number of days their mother has been in jail. Alongside it, pictures and drawings they have made of her are pinned to a large board. The case was on the front page of all local newspapers last year: superstar Chachchaya “Yuyee” Cuesta Ramos sentenced to 15 years for smuggling 251...