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Bad Student protesters highlight patriarchal society where victims are blamed
After Saturday’s rally featuring the Bad Student group, some members have also began highlighting the patriarchal society of Thailand where obedience and submission runs rampant in educational institutions. 20 year old Nalinrat Tuthubthim bravely demonstrated the need for an open dialogue as she adorned an old school uniform while taping her mouth and holding a sign. “A teacher sexually assaulted…
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139 killed, 653 injured, as Thailand’s holiday weekend sees surge in road accidents
The Ministry of Transport has confirmed that hundreds of road traffic accidents have taken place over Thailand’s holiday weekend. 139 people have died and 653 have been injured in the course of the 4-day holiday, which was introduced to boost domestic tourism. The Pattaya News report that 455 car accidents have been recorded, with nearly 79% of them being caused…
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Protesters target the Crown Property Bureau tomorrow, taking direct aim at the country’s Monarchy
Tomorrow the protest road show moves to the Crown Property Bureau, taking aim directly at the the management of the Thai monarch’s affairs. Protesters, who first brought up the issue of the role of the Thai Monarchy in July this year, say they have “a big surprise” in store. This will be the first time when the entire focus of…
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Technical issues force Singapore aircraft to land on Malaysian highway – VIDEO
A single-engine prop plane from Singapore has been forced to make an emergency landing on a Malaysian highway due to technical difficulties. A report in Coconuts says the aircraft touched down on the hard shoulder of a highway in Johor, as cars sped past. The 2 pilots on board are believed to be in stable condition. Chester Voo, CEO of…
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Protester slammed for dressing as schoolgirl to highlight sexual harassment in Thai schools
2 government MPs have criticised a member of the “Bad Students” protest movement after she dressed as a schoolgirl to highlight sexual harassment in Thai schools. In an online protest, the activist donned a school uniform and held up a sign condemning sexual harassment in the Thai education system. Nation Thailand reports that while her actions have generally been supported…
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Finance Minister says Thailand’s GDP will take 2 years to recover
Thailand’s finance minister says the countrys GDP will take 2 years to recover the 9% it has lost since the Covid pandemic ravaged the economy. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, the Finance Minister, says the economy would have expanded by 3% this year if it weren’t for the pandemic. “The pandemic crisis will make the economy contract by around 6% in 2020, therefore…
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UPDATE: Coming to Thailand? Check your insurance and ASQ fine print.
A concerned reader sent us this information, based on his experiences in the ASQ when he arrived in Thailand. We publish them with good faith but would urge everyone to check their insurance situation, whether they’re currently in ASQ or might be in the near future, to check your individual circumstances. AXA has also responded to the comment, we provide…
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2 Thai Covid-19 vaccines to proceed to human testing
Out of Thailand’s 7 potential Covid-19 vaccines, 2 have successfully completed the animal testing stage and will proceed to human testing. Dr Nakorn Premsri from the National Vaccine Institute says the 2 vaccines are the mRNA vaccine from the Chula Vaccine Research Centre and BioNet-Asia’s DNA vaccine. The Chula VRC candidate vaccine is expected to begin human trials in April…
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How Thailand’s domestic tourism market fell in love with Khao Lak during a pandemic
While Thailand’s doors remain mostly shut to international tourists, Thailand’s domestic travel wanderlust has turned Khao Lak into an Instagram hero. In the first 2 months of this year, according to research by consulting group C9 Hotelworks’ new Khao Lak Hotel Market Update occupancies soared above 80%. With the Covid-19 lockdowns, occupancy plunged in April and May, but as domestic…
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Singapore – Hong Kong travel bubble delayed due to Covid rise in HK
Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to delay their travel bubble plans as Hong Kong experiences a jump in Covid-19 cases. Although case numbers in both cities are nowhere near as serious as what’s currently being seen in places like Europe and the US, officials are erring on the side of caution and postponing the plan by at least 2…
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China imposes community lockdowns in 3 cities with small Covid outbreaks | VIDEO
Millions of people are now being tested in China, with new lockdowns and some districts shutting down schools. On Sunday there were 11 new cases, yesterday another 22 across the country. After a relatively low number of local transmissions for several months now, locally transmitted Covid-19 cases are popping up in 3 cities across the country – Tianjin, Shanghai and Manzhouli.…
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Thailand News Today | Dinosaurs in BKK, BOT tackles Baht, Special K isn’t special | November 23
Start of the week, a busy day of news around Thailand with Tim Newton. Bank of Thailand takes action to curb Thai baht’s strength The Bank of Thailand is moving forward measures, originally meant to begin early 2021, but most of which will now take effect from end of this month. The end result is that the new rules will…
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Tour guide opens aiyu jelly tea shop in Bangkok after losing job
A tour guide is redirecting his career towards making tea in Bangkok after losing his job when Covid hit. In order to stand out from the usual Boba tea sellers, he decided to take a turn at offering an alternative to the popular drinks. 38 year old Auttapol Saejong, has introduced an aiyu jelly drink to the streets of Thailand…
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480 kilograms of marijuana seized on Laos border
Police have seized 480 kilograms of, what they say is, “high-grade” marijuana in northeastern Thailand in a routine roadside search. The search was conducted near the border in Nakhon Phanom province. Police say the smugglers were looking for alternate routes now that the roads and traditional border crossings from Myanmar and Laos had been closed. 25 year old Likit Boonprasit…
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Phuket sees 300 million baht boost over long holiday weekend
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that Phuket has received a much-needed 300 million baht boost over the 4 day long weekend with around 54,000 tourists flocking to the island from last Thursday through to yesterday. Phuket Office Director Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, reports that the average expenditure per visitor was about 5,500 baht, which was higher than the average spend for…
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7 new imported cases of Covid in Thailand today, 0 new deaths
Today, the government is reporting 7 new imported cases of Covid, bringing the total to 3,920 in Thailand with no new deaths. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says all 6 cases were asymptomatic Thai returnees, with the other being a man from Syria. The Thai cases include a woman who returned from Germany on November 7, and tested positive…
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German parliament clarifies its stance on HM the King’s stays in Bavaria
PHOTO: Their Majesties the King and Queen greet well-wishers in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok after presiding over a ceremony to change the Emerald Buddha statue’s winter costume at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha on November 1, The Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, has announced that Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn could be expelled from Germany if he continues to conduct…
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Tourists flock to Chiang Mai Royal Park Rajapruek over the long weekend
Over the long holiday weekend, more than 1,500 tourists a day flocked to the Royal Park Rajapruek in Chiang Mai. Most of the visitors were Thais from other provinces to enjoy the beautiful display of seasonal flowers adorning the park grounds. The Ratchaphruek Flower Gardens are considered a “must-see” when visiting the northern capital. The expansive gardens are incredibly picturesque.…
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Half a tonne of high grade compressed marijuana seized in NE Thailand
Thai border police have seized half a tonne of “high grade marijuana” Nakhon Phanom province, north east Thailand, saying a border with Laos and the Mekong River. Border police announced the seizure of 480 kilograms of marijuana during a routine roadside search. Police announced that a car was intercepted on a road near Ban Khok Sawang. The driver, 25 year old…
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US may receive first Covid vaccine doses by mid-December
The head of the US government’s covid vaccine effort is saying that the first vaccine doses may be shipped by mid-December. Moncef Slaoui, the head of a federal vaccine development program, made the comments just 2 days after Pfizer and BioNTech applied for emergency vaccine use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, after their versions of the vaccines…
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Protests go west, up to 2,000 gather in Thonburi
Fit for the end of a 4 day long weekend, the protest road show headed west yesterday, to a far western district of Bangkok in Tawichai Wattana, an hour’s drive from the city centre. It turned into more of a festival than a political rally where up to 2,000 people gathered. A similar rally was held at the same location…
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Mother travels to Pattaya to desperately search for her missing daughter
50 year old Chanapa Yuthiya has travelled from Chaiyaphum province to Pattaya, over 400 kilometres, to desperately search for her missing daughter. The grandmother has taken her 7 month old granddaughter along, after she says her daughter has been out of touch and unable to be reached since November 17. Chanapa filed a complaint to Pattaya City police last Thursday…
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Hotel investment group launches world’s first “green” hotel fund
Destination Capital, a hotel investment group in Bangkok, has announced that it will launch the world’s first ever “green” hotel fund. The fund will acquire hotels and implement sustainability systems and procedures to promote long term environmental and financial sustainability in investments using the EDGE certification programme. EDGE, an online platform, is an innovation of the International Finance Corporation, which…
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US federal judge shoots down President Trump’s attempt to block Pennsylvania vote certification
A US federal judge has shot down US President Trump’s campaign team’s attempt to block the certification of votes in the state of Pennsylvania. The judge issued the order that also refuted claims of widespread irregularities for mail-in ballots. The news comes after President Trump has refused to concede the election despite other leaders worldwide already recognising Joe Biden, a…
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Poll reveals Thais hope President-elect Biden will be a “good leader”
Thailand’s Suan Dusit Poll has revealed that most Thais hope that the President-elect Joe Biden will be a good leader of his country. The opinion survey, by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, was conducted online on November 13 through November 18, in which 1,038 people responded with their opinions throughout the country. A majority of Thais, almost 90%, responded that they…
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#ByeByeDinosaurs – Jurassic Park comes to Bangkok’s streets
Jurassic Park meets Bangkok politics. Some students attending yesterday’s Bad Student protest in Bangkok dressed in dinosaur costumes to represent Thailand’s establishment. The high school-aged students are joining in the calls for the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign and reform of the Thai monarchy. They are also demanding reform of Thailand’s education system and an end to sexual abuse…
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Protest leaders threaten to escalate if authorities interfere with upcoming rally
Protest leaders of The Ratsadon (People’s Movement) group are threatening to escalate the rallies if authorities interfere with an upcoming rally at the Crown Property Bureau in Bangkok this Wednesday. The anti-government group named Dao Din, which is part of the wider Ratsadon group, has voiced its opposition to parliament’s rejection of the charter amendment bill proposed by iLaw, a…
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Grammy executive files lèse-majesté complaint against Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul
A lèse-majesté complaint has been officially filed against Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, one of the leaders of the Ratsadon ‘People’s Movement’. She was the first to read the, now infamous, 10 point manifesto at the Thammasat University in April, and then in a more public forum at a Democracy Monument protest in early August. Nitipong Hornak, a songwriter and judge on Thailand’s…
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Student protesters gathering today under Bangkok skytrain
Despite 2 students recently being summoned for breaking the emergency decree, members of the “Bad Student” protest group are gathering today under the Siam BTS skytrain station in Bangkok to continue rallying. The students set up a stage on the bed of a truck that was parked in front of Siam Paragon shopping mall after rain forced them to move…
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High school students summoned for violating emergency decree after joining banned protest
High school students in Bangkok are being summoned for violating the emergency decree after police found they had joined the banned anti-government protests last month. The 2 teens spoke at a rally on October 15, a day after PM Prayut announced that tougher actions would be taken against protesters. The students were directly targetted out of tens of thousands of…
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