News
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Road carnage mounts as couple killed in Nonthaburi crash
Thailand’s road carnage continues to mount: police and rescue services were called in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok, after an incident in which an Isuzu pickup truck collided with a barrier then crossed over a metal fence at 6:30 yesterday. 2 people, 45 year old Adisak, and his 46 year old wife Suchada, were thrown out of the vehicle and…
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South Korean cult leader arrested for hiding Covid-19 data, embezzlement
Authorities in South Korea this morning arrested the founder of a secretive Christian sect at the centre of the country’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 infections for allegedly concealing crucial data from contact-tracers, and other offences. Police nabbed Lee Man-hee, the powerful head of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is linked to more than 5,200 coronavirus infections, or about 36%…
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Vietnam records first Covid-19 deaths
Vietnam announced today that 2 people have now died of Covid-19 complications, just a day after it recorded its first-ever coronavirus death, as it struggles with a renewed outbreak after 99 days without a locally transmitted case. Both patients died in hospital in Da Nang, a hotspot with more than 100 cases in the past week, more than half of…
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Thai delivery app merger gets 3.5 billion baht boost
Homegrown Thai delivery app Line Man is merging with its longtime partner, online restaurant review platform Wongnai Media. Line Man has secured fresh capital investment worth US$110 million (3.5 billion baht) from BRV Capital Management to bolster the new entity. The merger marks the first time any member of the Japan-based Line Group has secured a financial investment of this…
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Korat police offer bounty for drug dealer who shot officer
Police in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasisma province, aka Korat, are offering a 30,000 baht reward for information leading to the arrest of a drug dealer who escaped after shooting an undercover agent in a sting operation gone bad. 38 year old Phadungsil Lohakart allegedly shot officer Song Tuaykrathok, who was posing as a buyer of crystal methamphetamine, in Korat’s Khong…
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Gold shop heist foiled as owner locks thief inside
Police in Bangkok’s Klong Sam Wa district yesterday arrested a woman after she showed up at a local gold shop, dressed in pink Muslim garb and armed with a pistol, evidently intending to rob the place. Unfortunately for her, the caper was foiled when the owner of the “Yaowarat Gold Department Store” locked her in, called police and waited outside…
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Covid-19 update: 6 new imported cases, deaths still at 58 (July 31)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 6 new cases of Covid-19 among returnees from Egypt and the Netherlands, lifting the national total to 3,310 since the outbreak began in January. Spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin announced the new figure at this morning’s daily press briefing. Taweesilp said 5 of the new patients recently returned from Egypt; 4 are male students,…
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Khon Kaen police raid drug warehouse
A drug warehouse has been raided in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. The warehouse is in Khon Kaen City’s main business district, and several types of drugs, which police valued at tens of millions of baht, were seized. The provincial governor, police chief and other authorities reported the arrest of 35 year old “Jetsadaporn” and 34 year old “Jurairat”, …
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First Lady of Brazil has Covid-19
The First Lady of Brazil tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday after her husband spent 2 weeks in quarantine with the virus. The announcement comes just 5 days after President Jair Bolsonaro said he was over his illness and had resumed his normal work routine. His office says 38 year old Michelle Bolsonaro “is in good health and will follow all…
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Nok Air will survive despite bankruptcy: CEO
Thai budget carrier Nok Air is insisting that its business will be able to return to solvency despite filing a business rehabilitation request with the Central Bankruptcy Court, shortly after national flag carrier Thai Airways did the same. Nok Air CEO Wutthiphum Jurangkool said yesterday that the impact of Covid-19 is preventing the airline from flying its 18 international routes,…
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Europe bans US travellers for 2nd time in a month
The EU extended its travel ban on Americans yesterday for the second time in a month, as Covid-19 continues to ravage the US. The EU began lifting its travel restrictions on July 1, welcoming visitors from 14 countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The US was left off of that list, and the EU extended its ban on travellers…
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Police say “Boss” tested positive for cocaine due to dentistry
Police are claiming that illicit drugs, including cocaine, found in the blood samples of Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya in the infamous fatal 2012 hit-and-run case were for his dental treatment. A parliamentary committee invited officials yesterday for questioning regarding case. A spokesman for the committee told a press briefing that the panel questioned officers who handled the case…
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Hong Kong reverses daytime ban on restaurant dining after workers forced to eat in the street
Hong Kong officials are rowing back on a decision to extend a ban on restaurant dining to daytime hours and will now allow tables of up to 2, until 6pm. The move comes after photos went viral of workers having to balance takeaway boxes on the backs of cars, or on narrow ledges along the side of buildings. Some were…
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Tycoon’s prison term for attempted bribery upheld
The 1 year prison sentence for construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for attempted bribery has been upheld by Thailand’s appeals court. Premchai’s case captured national attention in February when the high profile CEO and 3 associates were found surrounded by animal carcasses and guns in a protected wildlife sanctuary. Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development Corp, was later released by the court…
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What’s behind Hong Kong’s third wave of Covid-19 infections?
Hong Kong has had its ups and downs throughout the early phases of the coronavirus pandemic but its reaction was considered a text book response as it contained the virus quickly. But then there was a smaller 2nd wave, and now a 3rd. Despite being a part of China and sharing a border with the mainland to the north, Hong…
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Facebook faux pas – auto translate goes rogue on message for King’s birthday
Anyone using their computers to translate Thai into English, or English to Thai, will know that the results are mixed, usually confusing, and sometimes hilarious. But Facebook has ended up scrambling to tone down the reaction to an auto-translate from posts about celebrations for His Majesty’s on the occasion of his birthday last Monday. The American social media tech company…
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Key witness in the Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya case dies in motorbike incident
One of the key witnesses of the 2012 hit and run incident, involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, died this morning as a result of a motorbike incident in Chiang Mai. He was one of two main witnesses identified by police in the case. The incident happened this morning just after 2am in the main city area of Chiang…
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Still no word on abducted activist as UN deadline passes
Despite a UN deadline, the family of abducted activist Wanchalerm “Ta” Satsaksit says that authorities have yet to offer any explanation of his fate. He is believed to have been kidnapped in front of his Phnom Penh apartment on June 4. His sister, Sitanan Satsaksit says she has yet to hear any word from either the Cambodian or Thai governments…
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Thai Vietjet passengers treated to surprise “concert in the sky”
Thai Vietjet Air today launched its maiden flight VZ210, from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. To celebrate the inauguration, the airline delivered a surprise “concert in the sky” with famous Thai singer Ying Lee, featuring a full team of dancers and cabin crew, along with souvenirs for all passengers. The carrier will operate 2…
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Mayor says half of Pattaya’s security cameras aren’t working
Pattaya’s mayor claims about half of the city’s security cameras aren’t working. In an interview with associated Thai press, Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem told reporters “There are slightly over 2,000 CCTV cameras in Pattaya in total at this time. We also have a dedicated CCTV control centre that’s manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” “However, some of them…
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Anti-coup activist acquitted of sedition, cybercrime charges
A pro-democracy activist was acquitted today of sedition and cybercrime charges for criticising the ruling junta back in 2014. He was accused of violating Section 116 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act by posting messages against the 2014 coup that deposed PM Yingluck Shinawatra. The messages were posted between May 30 and June 4, 2015, when martial…
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Ukrainian man in fatal fall from abandoned Surat Thani hotel
A Ukranian fell to his death from the roof of an empty hotel in the central business district of the southern province of Surat Thani this morning. The 36 year old man, identified by Matichon as Tomak Mykola, was found lying face up on the ground in front of the abandoned Southern Star Hotel on Chon Kasem Road. Police were…
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Student flash mob in Chiang Mai as anti-government protests keep popping up
By Will Langston For the second time in less than a week, activists took over Chiang Mai’s famous landmark Tha Pae Gate last night around 5pm. Their message was clear in banners and in slogans showed by the group: Freedom. Police watched closely as hundreds of people gathered, dressed in cosplay attire, wearing masks and holding signs expressing their individual…
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Pattaya murder suspects arrested
2 men have been arrested for the shocking daylight shooting murder of a motorbike taxi driver in Pattaya on Tuesday. The Pattaya News reports the suspects were nabbed in Chon Buri province’s Bang Saen district early this morning. Police found a blue Honda PCX motorbike, which they believe was used in the shooting, in front of an apartment building in…
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Driver seriously injured after becoming trapped under bus in Chon Buri
A bus driver in the eastern Thai province of Chon Buri has been seriously injured after becoming trapped under his vehicle while trying to repair it. The Pattaya News reports that 50 year old Samrit Phetphunok was attempting to fix a broken axle when the bus collapsed on him. The incident occurred in the Ban Bueang area of the province.…
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“We Travel Together” campaign may be extended through 2020
The “We Travel Together” government stimulus campaign may be extended to increase domestic tourism through to the end of the year, while travel bubbles for tourists will hopefully be launched by October, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. He says the slow start of the scheme, launched July 15, can be partly attributed to hesitation among tourists as…
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PHIST – Asia’s largest online tourism event, returns this September
PHIST, the Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism, is set to break down boundaries again with a “virtual” version of Asia’s largest sustainable travel and hospitality event on September 7. Over 1,200 of the industry’s leading figures are expected to attend this socially-distant online gathering. The online event will include keynote addresses, interactive sessions, educational workshops and a green exhibition.…
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Nonthaburi teen, 3 friends injured as Porsche smashes into tree
A teenager in Nonthaburi, just northwest of Bangkok, lost control of the Porsche he was driving, smashing it into a tree yesterday. He and his 3 passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. The incident took place on the exit of the tollway heading toward Chaengwattana Road in Pak Kret. Police were notified of an incident…
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Central bank mulls severing baht’s gold link to weaken gains
Thailand’s central Bank is mulling breaking the baht’s link to gold as a way to weaken it without being labelled a “currency manipulator” by Washington. According to US Census Bureau data, Thailand’s trade surplus surpassed US$20 billion in the 12 months up to the end of November 2019. That exceeds a $20 billion cap the US Treasury sets for bilateral…
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Pattaya murder well planned, police after 2 suspects
Police now say yesterday’s shocking daytime murder of a motorbike taxi driver in South Pattaya appears to have been well planned and say they’re already tracking down 2 suspects. 47 year old Prathum Saartnak was shot once in the head around noon yesterday behind Pattaya School 8, near the famous Walking Street area. He had just finished dropping off a…
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