Month: April 2018
- Thai Life
Will you be booking a flight with standing plane seats?
PHOTO: Aviointeriors They’ve threatened charging ‘fat’ people more for their aircraft seat, even smaller seats and zero-recline seats. Anything the bean-counters running the world’s airlines can do to increase their bottomline, whilst discomforting ours, it seems, they will try. The idea of a ‘standing seat’ was posited nearly a decade ago but was considered a bridge too far at the…
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Japanese passenger claims 3 million yen, camera stolen during Thai flight
FILE PHOTO: Thai Airways flight at Haneda Airport, Japan Police are investigating a claim from Japanese woman that 3 million yen (874,000 baht) and a camera were stolen from her bag aboard a Thai Airways flight from Tokyo. The woman, whose name has been withheld, filed a complaint with the Suvarnabhumi Airport police shortly after her flight landed at 5pm…
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Krabi trader shames farang family gang
Thai Rath is reporting that a Thai female trader has taken to posting a rant on Facebook and offering a 5,000 baht reward for the return of an iPhone X after CCTV footage showed it being lifted by someone she claims to be Russian. Em posted on her personal Facebook page of Netdao Wiwatratsamee that the thieves arrived as a…
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Day Five – Drunk driving leads the way on Thailand’s ‘killing fields’
Drunk driving remains the major cause of road fatalities after the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ toll reached a staggering 323 people killed on Thailand’s roads (after the first five days of reporting). 3,140 others were injured in 3,001 crashes during the first five days of the Songkran seven-day accident-monitoring period – From last Wednesday morning to Sunday night. On…
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Day Five – Phuket reports no road deaths for Sunday
Two days left for the official reports for the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ and Phuket’s road toll remains at just one – a Chinese tourist who crashed on a rented bike last Saturday on the Kamala – Patong road when he hit a pickup truck heading in the opposite direction. For the 24 hours of Sunday, April 15, there…
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Six arrested in 10 million baht Andaman tour scam
Police have arrested six female suspects linked to a tour company that allegedly swindled customers of 10 million baht for bogus tour packages, Deputy Tourist Police chief Maj-General Surachet Hakpan told a press conference in Bangkok on Monday. The suspects named as executives of the tour company were Thanyarat Sansangwal, Nawanat Phosuk, Kwanreuthai Monkaew, Sathaporn Thongphrom, Thanipa Kanhachat and Monthathip…
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Two dead, 892 homes damaged by storms in the Northeast
Two people have died and 892 homes damaged by high winds and storm cells that hit 19 provinces, mostly in Thailand’s Northeast, between April 13-16. The report from the Department of Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. The 19 wind-affected provinces include 12 northeastern provinces: Loei, Nakhon Ratchasima, Roi-et, Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Nong Khai, Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Chaiyaphum, Buri Ram, Udon…
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Briton admits to beating wife to death in Ubon Ratchathani
A British man is in police custody after allegedly kicking his wife to death in a fit of rage. 51 year old Kevin Smitham reportedly beat his wife, 29 year old Kanda, after she refused to have sex with him and he accused her of having an affair, Banmuang reported. Locals say they heard the pair arguing at about 10pm…
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Governor follows up on bike accident that killed a Chinese tourist in Phuket
A Chinese man, Li Jing, was killed in a road accident after a crash between his rented motorcycle and a car on Saturday, April 14 on the Kamala – Patong road. Phuket’s Governor has asked all the relevant departments involved to help accommodate his relatives and help them coordinate with the Chinese Consul in Phuket as well as help with…
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Family Day for Krabi’s 111 year old granny
The house of the oldest citizen in Krabi, 111 year old Pliew Petchpuang, in Plaipraya District, was filled with her children, grand and great children who gathered for the Family Day and Thai New Year. All of them dressed in Thai traditional outfit and gathered at the house to get blessed by the oldest family member. They usually live in…
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Topless western dancer in Patong located by police
Following the video of a western man dancing with only white boxers in Patong during Songkran day and let a ladyboy touching his crotch, police finally located him last night (April 15) and gave him warning for what appeared in the video. The video went viral and drew a lot of criticism. At 9pm last night, Patong Police found the…
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183,348 people arrested for drink driving over Songkran so far
The NCPO is claiming that officials have seized 10,099 cars and motorcycles, and arrested 113,450 drivers of motorcycles, and 69,898 drivers of public transport vehicles and private cars for drink driving during the first four days of the seven day reporting period for Songkran, April 11-15. That’s an astonishing 183,348 people arrested for drink driving over just four days this…
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Cherngtalay’s Chutimon Coffee & Art donates to PHBGTU charity
Chutimon Coffee & Art, Cherngtalay-Laguna has donated 200,000 baht to Phuket’s largest children’s charity Phuket Has Been Good To Us. Give Khun Mam a big thank you next time you’re visiting in Cherngtalay. PHOTO: Right to left Chutimon (Mam) presenting to Tina Hall, Michael Chugg & Sue Ultmann from the charity.
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Shark bite or sharp rocks? Hua Hin swimmer dragged from water with injuries
Video footage posted to social media on Sunday claimed that a foreign man was been bitten by a shark at a beach in Hua Hin. The clip, which has now been removed, showed a man being carried out of the water having suffered multiple injuries to one of his feet. The incident was said to have taken place at Sai…
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Why does everything have to happen NOW?
by Darren Scherbain My face instantly lit up when Kurt told me that there were more trees for me to chop in his garden. I’ll be over this afternoon I told him …. “Hold on”, he continued, “it’s not ready to be spilt yet.“ When did getting plugged in to EVERYTHING become the required speed at which we hustle through our…
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“It wasn’t me.” Russian denies stealing money and beating up exchange booth attendant in Pattaya
PHOTO: Daily News The Russian man accused of attacking a Thai woman at a Jomtiem exchange booth and making off with nearly 700,000 baht is denying his involvement in the robbery. This is despite the incident being caught on CCTV. Earlier 30 year old Sunee Kaewyu was assaulted and robbed in a money exchange booth on Sukhumvit Road outside the…
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Australian teacher shot by ex in Chiang Mai
An Australian teacher, reportedly trying to get back together with his Thai girlfriend, has been shot in the stomach in the car park of a Chiang Mai apartment. 47 year old Jean Paul Bull, an English teacher at a well known Chiang Mai university, remains in hospital recovering from his injuries. He had gone to invite his 39 year old…
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Day Four – Road toll much higher than last year
Thailand’s Songran road death toll has reached 248, with 2,557 injured in 2,449 accidents during the first four days of the so-called seven dangerous Songkran days (Wednesday to Saturday). The figures marked an across-the-board increase over the same period last year, which saw 226 deaths, 2,457 injured and 2,385 road accidents. On Saturday alone, there were 603 accidents, killing 57…
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MC quits teenage-targeted NCPO propaganda TV show
An MC of a junta-run TV program aimed at younger teenage viewers says her resignation from the show was due to “different working attitudes” while the junta government denied any involvement with the production. Pawaran Bannarak announced her decision to quit “Thailand Moves Forward Teenage Edition” on Saturday. “Because I love being an emcee so much, I can’t afford to…
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Day Four report – the road toll remains worse than last year
Four days into the 2018 Songkran reporting period and the country has witnessed a horrific 248 deaths with 2,557 injured. 57 people died and 626 were injured in 603 accidents on April 14 (Saturday) alone. The statistics are from the Centre for the Protection and Reduction of Road Accidents. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, deputy permanent secretary of public health in his…
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Phuket reports its first fatality for the Songkran break
After three clear days, during the seven day reporting period over the Songkran break, Phuket has had its first fatality, a motorbike accident just after 2pm yesterday (Saturday). The fatality involved a 29 year old Chinese tourist Li Jing. He was riding a rented motorbike along the coast road from Kamala to Patong when his bike crashed into a pickup.…
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Chinese tourist died after parasailing
A 47 year old Chinese, Gu Weidong, has died after taking a parasailing ride at Naka Yai Island from a heart attack. Yesterday (Saturday), the man took a parasailing ride for 3 minutes then stayed on the boat for another 10 minutes when he fell unconscious. He was taken to Thalang Hospital but died on the way. Following an autopsy…
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A French man found dead in Patong hotel room
A 73 year old French man, Claude Cadeau, was found dead in a Patong Hotel yesterday (Saturday). Police estimate that he’d died there at least 3 or 4 days before he was found. He was found at room number 49/91 on the 8th floor of a condominium in Patong. Police contacted his girlfriend, 43 year old Udom Suebchat, who had…
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More blacktip reef sharks spotted at Hong Island
The Chief of Koh Hong National Park of Than Bok Khorani National Park, Jampen Pompakdi, has revealed that more than 10 blacktip reef sharks have been spotted hunting for small shellfish by a number of tourists at Koh Hong. The sharks were about 2 metre long and the biggest is believed to weight about 100 kilograms. They were gray and…
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National TrueMove ID data leak
The NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission) is seeking an urgent meeting with executives of TrueMove H, one of the country’s three major mobile phone operators, to inquire about a probable massive leak of customers’ personal data. The likely leak, including individuals’ ID cards and passport numbers, was first reported by Blognone, an online technology news service, when Niall Merrigan,…
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HIV positive Australian begged Thai woman for sex with two year old granddaughter
Howard Hawke outside Bendigo Magistrates’ Court, Victoria. PHOTO: Jason Walls A HIV positive Australian man repeatedly called a woman in Thailand begging to have sex with her two year old granddaughter, a court has heard. Pig farmer, 69 year old Howard John Hawke from Kangaroo Flat in Victoria, was arrested in 2017 after police intercepted phone calls of him talking…
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TropOut is back in Phuket all this week
TropOut – the stylish international gay beach festival – is returning to Phuket from April 15 – 22. The festival debuted in Phuket in 2016 and was headlined by DJ Robin Schulz who performed a memorable set at Xana Beach Club. The 2018 Phuket edition of TropOut will host parties at Dream Beach and Cafe del Mar, as well as a…
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Russian suspect nabbed after million baht money-exchange robbery in Pattaya
A Russian man has been nabbed at Suvarnabhumi international Airport after Chon Buri police launched a manhunt to find the Russian who allegedly robbed a money exchange booth of nearly one million baht in cash. Police say the robbery took place at a booth in Jomtiem in Sattahip District, Chonburi yesterday morning (Saturday). After checking the CCTV on site, Police…
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Phuket was fatality-free after first three days of Songkran reporting period
Day Three official numbers are in and Phuket remains, as of Friday night, fatality free. The “Seven Dangerous Days” reporting period runs from last Wednesday through to this Tuesday night. But there were 15 accidents reported in Phuket and 16 people injured as a result of traffic incidents – 8 accidents in Muang District with 9 people injured, 4 accidents…
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Songkran revenues flow whilst hot-season temperatures soar
Songkran Festival has attracted millions of Thai and foreign tourists to popular destinations nationwide, generating significant revenue for local economies. Last week Tourism Authority of Thailand economic forecasters were predicting a 10 percent rise in spending this year. Chuchat on-charern, the Tourism Authority of Thailand chief for the southern province of Phang-nga, said an estimated 155,000 tourists visited the province,…
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Road toll keeps rising as authorities claim tight enforcement
Whilst the road toll is mounting and drunk drivers’ cars impounded at record numbers, authorities must be scratching their head wondering what they need to do to stem the disgraceful annual carnage on Thailand’s roads during Songkran. Even as police claimed to push stricter law enforcement to lower crimes during the Songkran Festival, the increase in the number of accidents,…
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Day Three – the carnage continues
The accumulated road death toll for the first three days (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) of the so-called ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ over the Songkran holiday, rose to 188 at the end of Friday, the Road Safety Centre announced today. Pol Maj-General Ekkarak Limsangkart, commander of the Special Branch Police Division 3, said the first three days of the road accidents monitoring period…
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Childless couples in Thailand increase 300% in 30 years
Between 1987 and 2015 the number of childless couples in Thailand has risen 300 percent. Nattaya Boonpakdee, an official at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), has attributed the increase in the number of childless couples to the cost of raising children, a perception that children are a burden, and the fact that many Thais are getting married at a later…
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Criminal offences to avoid during Songkran.
Splashing water on people not wanting to get wet, or having asked you not to splash them, during the Songkran Festival can lead to imprisonment. This from a Thai lawyer, adding many common violations of laws during the festive period may carry severe penalties. Ratchapon Sirithaworn, a legal expert and owner of the Facebook fanpage “LawByRachaponsLawyer”, which provides knowledge on…
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Congratulations “Miss Elephant of Bang Nam Phueng”
So it’s not all about the splashing. Samut Prakarn’s Phra Pradaeng district has hosted a unique beauty pageant to celebrate this year’s Songkran festival in which contestants were required to be transgender and weigh at least 120 kilograms. This was the eleventh year that the authorities of Bang Nam Phueng district organised the contest for those ‘larger size’ entrants, but…
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World’s best airlines – People’s Choice, Trip Advisor
PHOTO: Singapore Airlines Trip Advisor has compiled the world’s best airlines from the data and votes of their users around the world. No panel of judges here – the people have spoken. Not surprisingly, Singapore Airlines has come out on top, again. The Singaporean national airline is a consistent winner of best airline competitions over a number of decades. Air…
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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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