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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Two women drown after trying to save swimmers – Ubon Ratchathani
Two women, one of them seven-month pregnant, drowned in the Chi river in Ubon Ratchathani yesterday morning (Friday) as they tried to help a 13 year old and older man as they got into difficulties. Upon Ratchathani is in the country’s far east near the Cambodian border. The tragedy occurred when 35 year old Sudjai Pansiri, who was seven months…
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PM Prayut says less compiling statistics, more action on the roads
The woeful road toll hasn’t gone unnoticed at Government House. The PM is instructing authorities to stringently monitor the safety of Songkran travellers and asking them to keep promoting safe driving. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has voiced his concern for citizens traveling during the Songkran holiday, especially those traveling to the north and northeast. He has instructed soldiers, police and administrative…
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Longer Songkran holiday break = more accidents
Extended celebrations for the 2018 Songkran Festival are being blamed for an increase in road accidents involving drunk driving, but the Interior Ministry is assuring that the country’s roads will be safer this year due to more traffic checkpoints and strict law enforcement. The Road Safety Centre yesterday reported the outcome of the second day of operations for the Thai…
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Fake notes and drugs found on passenger at Phuket Airport
Police have arrested a man carrying 53 counterfeit 1000 baht banknotes and drugs at Phuket Airport. Police say the 36 year old Nanawa Na Songkhla from Chiang Mai was acting suspiciously whilst going through a security checkpoint. When security staffed checked his carry-on luggage they found 800 methamphetamine pills, nearly 5 grams of crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and the fake 1000 baht…
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Day Two – Disgraceful road statistics from the first two days of Songkran
In just the first two days of the Songkran “seven days of danger” from April 11-17, a total of 99 people have already been killed in traffic accidents, with another 1,085 injured. The road accident count for the beginning days of the notorious Songkran accident period have increased compared to the same period last year, while nearly 60,000 drunk drivers…
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Underwear thief arrested in Cherngtalay
Today some are throwing water. Others have been stealing underwear. The underwear thief, 38 year old Weera Jampada, was arrested yesterday (April 12) after stealing many locals underwear’s in the Bang Tao area. He was arrested at an apartment in Soi Bangtao 12 following a report about at least 15 robberies in March. Police tracked him down after reviewing CCTV…
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National airports coping with the inbound and outbound crowds
PHOTO: National News Bureau The country’s second largest airport, Don Muang International, is reporting a smooth operation despite the high volume of passengers for the Songkran holiday, heading out and arriving, in Bangkok. Deputy Minister for Transport Pailin Chuchotetaworn has affirmed a full deck of immigration officials has been dispatched to the airport to facilitate outbound travelers. “Despite a large…
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Songkran checkpoints launched in Phuket
The Road and Marine Accident Protection and Reduction Centre for the 2018 Songkran Festival was launched by Phuket’s Governor Norapat Plodthong. The centre brings together 33 government departments, non-profit organisations and volunteers such as local administration organizations, marine police, tourist police, individual enterprises, foundations and volunteers. “Even though the number of accidents has reduced during New Year season over the…
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Royal commemoration at Chulalongkorn University
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn today (Thursday) presided over a merit-making ceremony at Maha Chulalongkorn building of the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. The ceremony was held to make merit for previous lecturers who taught the Pali and Sanskrit languages. The Princess got a Master’s degree in Pali and Sanskrit from the faculty back in 1981. The Princess…
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Drug gang arrested in Krabi
This afternoon (April 12), Ao Luek Police met the media and presented them with the results of a local drug crackdown worth 500,000 Baht. The two drug dealers, 31 year old Pongthep ‘Pong’ Kongkaew and 29 year old Wasan ‘Tum’ Hemtanon, had been arrested with 3,110 amphetamine pills and 6.9 grams of methamphetamine. Ao Luek Police Station Superintendent, Pol Col…
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Thalang water meter robber arrested with Kratom
A 28 year old man from Satun, Alongkorn Iew-lek, has been arrested in Thalang with 2 bottles of Kratom water, equipment to make the Kratom drinks along with 14 blue-colour water meters and 2 gray-colour water meters. On March 23, there were many reports about water meter robbery in the same area of Thalang. Police checked the CCTV camera footages…
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Big crime crackdown before Songkran
Police Region 8 held a press conference yesterday (April 11) revealing a number of drugs and gun crackdowns during the lead up to this year’s Songkran. The targeted crimes including illegal ownership of guns, drugs, gambling, prostitution and the following up on the outstanding arrest warrant list. The Police region 8 revealed that among the police in provinces in region…
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“Stargazer” wants you… to WIN 35,000 baht
Time to get out your maracas, juggling balls, microphones and dancing shoes to make sure you’re entered in this year’s Stargazer talent content to be held on April 21 at Kata’s CCs Hideaway resort. Entries will close this Saturday so get in quick! You could win 35,000 baht for first prize, 20,000 for second and 10,000 for third. There’s also…
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Samui jet ski operators scoop Russian tourist out of the surf
SCREENSHOT by Sanook.com A Russian tourist has been pulled out of the Samui surf by a Jet Ski. The female tourist was swimming at Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui when witnesses say she appeared to get caught in a rip and dragged out to sea. Jet Ski operators at the beach heard the woman’s screams but was was caught in…
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Songkran Day One: 2,700 charged for drunk driving
Songkran’s Seven Days of Danger is only into its second day (Thursday) and police have already nabbed nearly 3,000 motorists for drunk driving. A Government spokeswoman said this morning that 156 vehicles were seized Wednesday and 2,716 motorcyclists and other drivers were charged with drunk driving. Deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Ngathong said stepped-up spot checks on roads had identified 3,339…
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Another 81 foreigners arrested in the latest ‘X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ sting
FILE PHOTO: X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner raid in Bangkok Tourist police joined forces with other police agencies nationwide to search 123 spots around the country and arrested 81 foreigners on several charges in the latest in its X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner operations. This was the seventh operation targeting illegal foreigners in the Kingdom, many working illegally for schools and language courses. The…
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Nearly one million meth tablets seized in police sting in Songkhla
Police have intercepted an enormous shipment of almost one million methamphetamine tablets with a street value of 48 million baht from a pick-up truck in Songkhla. Police say they were acting on a tipoff. They headed to Tambon Jataen to wait for a pickup truck they were told would be delivering the illicit cargo to southern provinces. A pickup up…
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Songkran storms on the way for the Northern and Central regions
Songkran is the time to farewell the hot season and welcome in the forthcoming wet season but the actual weather is wasting no time getting in on the celebrations. The Thai Meteorological Department is warning people in the Central and Northern parts of the country to brace for another round of summer storms from April 15-18. In an announcement yesterday…
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Rayong supercharged by China’s ‘Belt and Road’
FILE PHOTO: U-Tapao Airport Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com reports… China’s massive outward bound economic expansion is now experiencing a massive impact on Thailand’s enormous infrastructure initiative, the EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor). A clear example of this is in the country’s Rayong province, which last year hosted 7 million visitors. According to consulting group C9 Hotelworks newly released Rayong Hotel Market…
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Phuket’s Tom Howard RIP
One of the great characters of the Phuket boating community, Tom Howard, sadly passed away on Monday, April 9 just after midday, following a short illness. Tom’s partner Pang (Suppawan Buth-sen) and his brother John were at his bedside in Had Yai hospital when he slipped away peacefully. Tom had been a full time resident in Phuket since 2002, following his…
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Wastewater flowing into the sea at Krabi
A waste water drain pipe has been found at Klong Muang Beach in Krabi. The local OrBorTor has already ordered its immediate removal. Following a complaint about alleged waste waters being released into the sea at Klong Muang Beach, the Chief of Environmental Hygiene Unit of Krabi Provincial Public Health, Boonrit Karunmethee, and President of Nong Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor),…
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Speedboats ablaze at Khao Lak pier
Two speedboats caught fire at the Tub Lamu Pier in Tai Muang District, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, injuring 4 people. Lamkaen Sub-District’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Unit received a report about the fire early today (April 11). The fire trucks were sent from the unit to the pier to extinguish the fire on the 2 boats along with the Khao…
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Murder, rape, dead bodies in pools – The toll of dead young British tourists visiting Thailand
PHOTO: Luke Miller (left) was found dead at the bottom of a pool in Koh Tao in 2016 Why is there a mounting toll of young Brits dying, often in mysterious circumstances, in Thailand? 60 or so unexplained, or poorly explained, deaths in just 24 months actually. Britian’s Daily Mail Online has dug deep into the vault of strange disappearances and…
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The spirit of Songkran – Ajarn Pranee
By Pranee Sakulpipatana, AKA Ajarn Pranee Songkran is one of the happiest festivals celebrated by Thais. When I was young and lived in Phuket, I always found the Songkran celebrations in other provinces such as Chiang Mai to be very unique and beautiful. Over the years Phuket has grown into a hub filled with Thais from all corners of the…
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PM Prayut, the prolific song-writer
When he’s not putting down members of the press with witty retorts or summoning detractors to the NCPO HQ for ‘attitude adjustment’, dear leader Prayut is putting pen to paper to write patriotic uplifting songs. His first song, “Khuen Kwam Suk Hai Pra Thed Thai” or “Returning Happiness to Thailand”, is considered the biggest hit so far and has been…
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Two fatal accidents in the same spot within 12 hours – Tak
Two fatal bus accidents have taken place at exactly the same spot in Tak province within a 12 hour period topping off a horror two weeks for buses and passenger vans on Thai roads. And Songkran starts tomorrow, the most dangerous time on Thailand’s roads each year. Victims of the second tragedy were actually officials inspecting the scene of the…
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Van crashes with ice truck in Krabi
A van has crashed into the back of a 6 wheel ice truck in Krabi critically injuring the van driver yesterday (April 10). The van driver, Nattapong Ketmuang, was stuck in the damaged vehicle after the crash on Krabi-Khaothong route before the rescue team rescued him out by using the ‘jaws of life’. He had a broken right leg and…
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Phuket’s Governor urges care over Songkran
Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, is urging special attention to road safety during the peak period of Songkran from today, April 11 – April 17 during his regular morning meeting. He is ordering the departments involved to install lights at road curves and known risky spots. Also, he is emphasising to officials working at checkpoints to enforce the law strictly and…
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Husband stabbed with pair of scissors in Kathu
A 42 year old man, Somporn Iadchang, was stabbed by his wife during a fight last night. He was stabbed on his neck and shoulder. The incident occurred in Kathu late last evening (April 9). Police found the husband lying on the floor after being stabbed several times in a house located in Soi Nakrob. He was sent to Vachira…
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MontAzure helps fund the Muslim Foundation’s Tonkla-Kamala Camp
The developers of Phuket’s MontAzure in Kamala, is helping fund the Kamala Muslim Foundation’s Tonkla-Kamala Camp 2018 as part of the company’s ongoing support for the local community in Kamala. The annual educational camp takes place from April 5-20 and is designed to help local children learn important skills that will be useful to them in their personal and professional…
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