Year: 2017
- News
Emergency simulation at Phuket International Airport
Last night (August 25), Phuket International Airport conducted an Emergency Plan Exercise: PEMEX – a yearly full course safety measure rehearsal. Phuket Vice Governor, Sanit Srivihok, chaired the activity. The aim of the exercise was to facilitate the coordination and communication between different bodies, such as government officials, airport and airline staff and business operators in the event of an…
Read More » - Opinion
Two decades of Shinawatra influence fades as Yingluck flees
EDITORIAL Now a fugitive from Thai justice, just like her brother, Yingluck Shinawatra is thought to have fled the country as early as last Wednesday. Photos of her praying at temples on Wednesday were probably bogus distractions. Yesterday’s no-show was yet another day of high drama in Thailand’s tortured political history. Various reports say she either travelled by private jet…
Read More » - Thai Life
Maya Bay – The silence, the turquoise waters, the serenity. The crowds!
Imagine visiting the set of a famous Hollywood movie. In this case “the Beach’ with Leonardo DiCaprio. The pristine sands of Maya Beach at Koh Phi Phi. The silence, the turquoise waters, the serenity. For Sarah Buthmann, her child-hood memories were about to be shattered with this raucous and probably rather sad visit to her dream beach movie set – Maya Bay. “When we…
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Friday’s ‘THAIGER TODAY’
THAIGER TODAY Friday, August 25 Yingluck a no-show at the Supreme Court | Phuket Court case dropped against BBC’s Jonathan Head | World Bank upgrades Thai economy outlook | Patong hotel elevator accident was a ‘tragic mistake.
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Is Bangkok’s property market cooling off? No, says Bloomberg.
An update on the Bangkok property market from Bloomberg. “We’re still undervalued as a country, compared to Singapore and Hong Kong. And China, in a lot of major cities.” Click the chart to watch the Bloomberg report on Thailand’s biggest property portfolio. PHOTO: fazwaz.com
Read More » - Travel
Krabi – Number One for growth on Trip Advisor
Krabi Town has ranked Number One for growth in year-on-year search results for Thai holiday destinations on TripAdvisor. According to TripAdvisor, searches rose 41% compared to the same time last year. The rising number of flights heading to the coastal town is being attributed as the main reason the growth has been so high over the past 12 months. To read…
Read More » - News
Back in Bangkok after Phuket court case dropped
Jonathan Head is back in Bangkok following his two day visit to Phuket. His case came to an abrupt conclusion when the man suing him, Phuket lawyer Pratuan Thanarak withdrew the charges. He was suing Mr Head over a story that appeared on the BBC in 2015 where the lawyer claimed he was defamed. Jonathan Head investigated foreigners being scammed…
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Yingluck is now a fugitive following non-appearance at Court
Thailand’s Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra after she was a no-show at today’s verdict announcement in the negligence trial involving her Government’s rice-pledging scheme. The verdict has now been postponed to September 27. The Court has also ordered the seizure of the 30 million Baht bail. If Khun Yingluck doesn’t show up on…
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High drama in Bangkok with no-show from Yingluck
Yingluck did not show up at the Supreme Court today to hear the verdict over the Rice Pledging Scheme case. Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwan confirms that he has been informed about Yingluck’s no-show in the court on a claim that she suffered from a disorder in the inner ear. He says the court has issued an arrest warrant against…
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Defamation case against BBC’s Jonathan Head has been dropped
The Phuket lawyer, Pratuan Thanarak, who brought defamation charges against BBC broadcaster Jonathan Head, has dropped his criminal defamation suit. Head investigated foreigners being scammed of their retirement homes in Phuket in a 2015 BBC report. Jonathan faced up to five years in jail over the charges. His report detailed how two foreign retirees had their properties ‘stolen’ from them by…
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World Bank upgrades Thailand’s growth projections
The World Bank on Thursday upgraded its economic growth projections for Thailand to 3.5 per cent from the 3.2 per cent estimated previously. The Bank said that economic growth in Thailand is gaining momentum, with global growth and recovery from severe droughts buoying an expansion of GDP by 3.3 per cent in the first quarter and 3.7 per cent in…
Read More » - Thai Life
The Ripple Effect – becoming the hero of your own story
We all love a great story. The story that captures our imagination with; a tale of a hero, adversity or our hero triumphing over adversity. It sparks hope; that one day we can be courageous and heroic and become the hero of our own story. Hope is the spark for something better and a catalyst for a massive bleep on…
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Sneaky snake slips into Krabi house
Another python has been found in the bedroom of a Krabi house. Early today (August 24), 72 year old Subin Kongban found a 15 kilogram python crawling in the house after eating his chicken at the back of the house. “I was going to the toilet and found it crawling in the house, almost by my bed, so I called…
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Tech school student shot dead by rival-school students in Pak Kret
A vocational school student was fatally shot by a group of students from a rival school in Nonthaburi province on Wednesday evening, police said. The shooting incident happened at 5.30pm on Tiwanon Road in Tambon Bang Phood in Pak Kret district, said Pol Captain Supachoke Phorkhathai, deputy inspector of Pak Kret Police Station. Mongkol Khampradit, 20, a student of Pathum…
Read More » - Thailand News
The new, non-flammable, Samsung Galaxy Note 8
It’s impossible to appraise the sleek new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 without recalling it’s fiery predecessor, the Note 7. It got somewhat of a reputation for with catching fire or even exploding, being banned on aeroplanes and eventually just about everywhere else. It was a costly and embarrassing gaff for the South Korean electronics giant. The Galaxy Note 8 phablet…
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Phuket’s main soi dog shelter in Thalang gets a make-over
Phuket authorities, led by Phuket Vice Governor, Siwaporn Chuasawat, visited the Phuket Stray Dog Shelter today (August 23) in the Suan Pa Bang Kanun man-made forest in Thalang for a big clean-up event. A one million Baht budget was approved to give the shelter a much-needed make-over. Currently, there are 460 stray dogs living in the 4-rai shelter with only…
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Phuket Town gambling raids – 4 dens and 30 gamblers
Last night (Tuesday), police arrested 30 gamblers in 4 football gambling dens in the Phuket Town area. They started with a bistro calleded Lucky on Takuapa Road where police received complaints from locals that there was football gambling going on inside. The front of the shop looked like a normal bistro selling food and beverages but walking further into the…
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Saphan Hin green upgrades and Old Phuket Town cabling goes underground
Phuket’s Mayor plans to make Saphan Hin Park the ‘lungs of Phuket’ and to put all the electric cables for the whole Phuket Old Town area underground. “Saphan Hin Park is a seaside public park that now needs renovation as it has been decayed because of the content exposure to salt water and the sea air damaging the stone retaining…
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‘Run 2 Gether Phuket Town’ heads to Old Phuket Town on October 1
The Phuket Disabled People’s Association, together with the Phuket Municipality, is holding a new event, “Run 2 Gether Phuket Town” on October 1. 600 runners are expected to join the charity event. “Run 2 Gether Phuket Town” aims to gather both disabled and able-bodied runners to run together to promote the importance of exercise. So far, more than 200 disabled…
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Bus and truck curfew in place for Patong Hill
Following the sucession of accidents involving buses and trucks in recent months, Traffic Police have placed official restrictions on access to Patong over the notorious Patong Hill for during certain hours of the day. Buses carrying 21 passengers or more, 10-wheel trucks, as well as trailers, won’t be allowed on Patong hill (Phra Baramee Road) from 6 am to 9 am…
Read More » - Thailand News
Severe Typhoon Hato bears down on Hong Kong and the Pearl Delta
Yesterday we were reporting about the threat of heavy rains in the Central and North-east of Thailand later this week. Today, the tropical storm Hato has been being renamed ‘Severe Typhoon Hato’ as it batters Hong Kong and communities in the Pearl Delta. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and the stock market has been closed as heavy rain and…
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HM Bhumibol Adulyadej commemorative coins popular at reservation locations
Specially minted coins, commemorating the forthcoming funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, are causing long queues at locations around the country. Long queues formed at various designated locations across the country on Tuesday morning as members of the public waited to reserve commemorative coins minted for the funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. There…
Read More » - Health
The newest energy drink? ‘Kratom’
Story by The Nation Dr Supaporn Pitiporn, head of the herb product development project at Chaopraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital, said the benefits of kratom outweigh its drawbacks. Supaporn made the recommendation in an article she wrote that was posted online on Tuesday. Last week, Narcotics Control Board secretary general Sirinya Sittichai said the Narcotic Crops Survey and Monitoring Institute is studying…
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Heir today, gone tomorrow. Tracking down Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya.
The disappearance of difficult-to-find Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is not a simple police conspiracy to ‘protect’ the hi-so heir to the Red Bull fortune. There is a complex web of strategies by the Yoovidhya family to make sure he is difficult to track down – not just Boss but the whole family, and their money. The Bangkok billionaire family responsible for…
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New traffic tickets, now in both Thai and English
New Gen traffic tickets are going to be printed in both Thai and English. Apart from a new barcode to assist in the paying of fines, there are a few other changes as well. The new approach would also allow accused motorists to object to the officers’ charges and explain themselves within 15 days. The new ticket would have a…
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Mother alleges her 21 year old son was beaten to death at military camp
A complaint has been lodged with Surat Thani police by the mother of a conscript who suspects her son was a victim of a beating at the 45th Military Circle based in Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp. The mother of 21 year old Private Noppadol, Mrs Malaiporn Worakitpan has told police that her son was brought home by two conscripts on Saturday.…
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14 injured in van and pick-up crash in Chiang Mai
Eleven Chinese tourists and three locals have been injured after a pick-up truck crashed into a van yesterday afternoon in Chiang Mai. Among the 11 Chinese tourists, five were severely injured and remain in a local hospital. The Chinese consulate general based in Chiang Mai says that the five severely injured tourists are still being treated at the hospital but…
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240,000 methamphetamine pills seized after northern car chase
Police have seized a huge haul of 240,000 methamphetamine pills after a hot pursuit of drug smugglers near Chiang Rai yesterday morning. Acting on a tipoff that a substantial shipment of ya ba was to be smuggled across from Myanmar into Mae Sai, heading south for the capital, police immediately set up road blocks to intervene. At about 1am yesterday…
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NIDA poll shows 81 percent of Thais admire Prayut
The majority of respondents in a NIDA poll are giving PM Prayut Chan-o-cha good poll numbers for his administration’s performance over the past three years following the 2014 coup. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan was also named the most impressive Cabinet member in the same survey. The poll by the National Institute of Development Administration says that 49 per cent of…
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Southern violence moving further north. Former Minister recommends martial law in Songkhla.
In the aftermath of a truck robbery in which one hostage and one suspect were killed, officials are now floating the idea of reintroducing martial law in the southern provinces – specifically districts in Songkhla. Thavorn Senniam, former deputy interior minister and former member of Songkhla’s House of Representatives, says that the government should consider declaring martial law in some…
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Ratsada drug purge continues
A 21 year old man from Ratsada sub-district, Wanchana Saelim, was arrested yesterday (August 19) with 589 amphetamine pills plus 50 grams of meth amphetamine. The arrest follows a report from an undercover officer in the Ratsada area who had followed Khun Wanchana for a while and discovered he was trafficking drugs to the locals on a regular basis; the…
Read More » - Food
9th Floor gets top gong from Exotiq Magazine
Patong’s The 9th Floor restaurant has been voted the best independent restaurant on Phuket in the inaugural 2017 “Exotiq Magazine Thailand Best of the Best” awards. The Gold Award was made after Exotiq Magazine’s readers voted over an 18 week period. Commenting on the Gold Award, The 9th Floor owner, Bart Duykers, said the “total gourmet solution” of three tasting menus with…
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Baggage handler nabbed at Phuket Airport over thefts
Attachai Kaewduang, a 25 years old Baggage Handler working at Phuket Airport, was caught and arrested for stealing a mobile phone and other valuables. Police found that he had repeatedly stole belongings from passengers. Following a complains left on the AOT (Airports of Thailand) Facebook page by an Indian passenger who travelled to Dubai from Phuket International Airport on April…
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Chinese tourists get in trouble in strong Nai Thon surf
Lifeguards saved two Chinese swimmers at Nai Thon beach yesterday after they’d decided swimming in a red flag zone was a good idea. As the shore along Nai Thon has sudden drops off, the red flags were placed along the beach yesterday with quite heavy surf and strong onshore winds. Somporn Wareekul, Head of Nai Thon beach lifeguards, says there…
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Three metre python caught snacking on chickens
A 3 metre python weighing around 20 kilos has been caught in the act swallowing two small chickens near a salvage yard of Mr. Poonsap Sae Ngang at 8am. A Kusoldharm rescue team tried to catch it using a rope lasso but the snake headed for a nearby tree. After a few attempts the team finally got the snake with nobody…
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New ‘smart visa’. No work permit, annual reporting.
We’ve just had the announcement of the new ten year ‘Geeza Visa’, the long-term ‘retirement’ visa. Now the Thai Cabinet has just announced plans for a new ‘Smart Visa’. Under the new Smart Visa, people can stay in Thailand, along with their spouse and children if applicable, for up to four years. The big change here is that you won’t…
Read More » - Travel
Animal shows in Phuket. ‘Not in my back yard’!
OPINION by Tim Newton Three years ago the issue came into sharp focus in Phuket when a Ukraine company established ‘Nemo’, the first dolphinarium in Phuket, right next door to the Chalong Zoo. The dolphinarium drew a lot of kick-back from locals who took the NIMBY approach – Not In My Back Yard. They were applying their western values about the…
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