NewsTracker Answers for week of Feb. 08, 2016

Q: Thailand's military rulers have vowed to crack down on corruption and crime, and last week police arrested 32 elderly foreign bridge players for possessing too many unregistered playing cards. Where is Thailand?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Attracted by tropical weather, laid-back hospitality and cut-rate comforts, many foreigners have retired to Thailand. The nation's capital is one of the world's most visited cities. What is the capital of Thailand?

A. Angor Wat

B. Bangkok

C. Singapore

D. Yangon

B. With more than 8 million people, Bangkok is the nation's largest city and has 12.6 percent of the country's population. The Bangkok metropolitan area has more than 14 million residents.

Q: Besides old people playing bridge, what problem does Thailand face?

A. Drug trafficking

B. Sectarian violence

C. People trafficking

D. All of the above

D. Thailand is one of the world's top producers of illegal drugs and a major source and user of forced labor. Some men have been kept at sea for years as slave laborers on Thai fishing boats. In southern Thailand, Muslim separatists have been fighting government troops for more than a decade.

Q: What is the dominant religion in Thailand?

A. Buddhist

B. Christian

C. Hindu

D. Muslim

A. Buddhists account for 93.6 percent of Thailand's people, 4.9 percent are Muslims and 1.2 percent are Christians. Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand and the nation's king is thought of as the patron and protector of the religion.

Q: Thailand enforces strict laws to protect its king and royal family from any criticism. What type of laws protect royalty from “injury” to their dignity?

A. Divine right

B. Royal prerogative

C. Lese majesty

D. Sovereign divinity

C. From the Latin laesa maiestas for "injured majesty," lese majesty is the crime of violating majesty, an offense against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state. Thailand's constitution has contained lese majesty laws since the absolute monarchy was ended in 1932 and the country became a constitutional monarchy.