Month: July 2019

  • Transport News15 baht flat fares for BTS Skytrain – Transport Minister

    15 baht flat fares for BTS Skytrain – Transport Minister

    The government’s new Transport Minister, Saksayam Chidchob, has reiterated its intention to reign in the costs of the city’s Green Line trains, the BTS Skytrain, around Bangkok. They’re even mooting a capped flat fee of 15 baht per ride. The policy was proposed by the Democrats during the election campaign and accepted as party platform for the new coalition in…

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  • Crime NewsZambian arrested on overstay and animal cruelty charges in Samut Prakhan

    Zambian arrested on overstay and animal cruelty charges in Samut Prakhan

    PHOTO: khaosod.co.th Thai immigration police have arrested a Zambian man for an alleged overstay and committing acts of cruelty following a Facebook post that sought help for the dog. The Nation reports that 27 year old Wachisa Sikwese has been arrested by Immigration police. They reported that Sikwese was arrested shortly after Watchdog Thailand spotted a Facebook post that sought help…

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  • Northern Thailand NewsWild animals and wild flowers – tulip season at the Khon Kaen Zoo

    Wild animals and wild flowers – tulip season at the Khon Kaen Zoo

    PHOTO: Khon Kaen Zoo Blooming fields of colourful Siam tulips are now competing fort attention with white lions, tigers, orangutan, camels, white rhinoceros and exotic animals at the Khon Kaen Zoo. Th zoo, in Khao Suan Kwang district, has a new seasonal attraction to its collection of wild animals. The combination of wildlife and wild flowers makes for an unbeatable…

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  • Bangkok NewsAllegedly drunk motorcyclist hits 14 year old on a bicycle – VIDEO

    Allegedly drunk motorcyclist hits 14 year old on a bicycle – VIDEO

    Police are looking for a motorcyclist who was caught on surveillance camera in Bang Pakong, a district in southern Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok, driving the wrong way – ghost riding – down a street and hitting a 14 year old boy on his bike. The teenager was just waiting on the side of the road with the bicycle’s wheels sitting…

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  • Tourism NewsThailand’s marijuana and massage-led tourism recovery

    Thailand’s marijuana and massage-led tourism recovery

    The new Thai minister for tourism and sports says he can lure Europeans and Americans back to Thailand with the promise of massage and marijuana – medical marijuana! The newly sworn-in political “newbie” told the media on Wednesday that he is well aware of the drop in visitors from the US and Europe. He says he hopes plans to promote the…

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  • Tourism NewsTweet forces Suvarnabhumi immigration to explain long lines

    Tweet forces Suvarnabhumi immigration to explain long lines

    PHOTO: Travel Daily Media “Suvarnabhumi hell for tourists. Look at queues today. Never seen this long.” In response to English-language teacher Andrew Biggs complaining about the long queues at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Immigration Bureau says it had already mobilised more personnel to facilitate immigration clearance. Biggs, the owner of Andrew Biggs Academy and co-director of andrewbiggs.com, an English language-learning website…

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  • Transport NewsBangkok’s Blue Line from Hua Lampong to Bang Kae launched for 3 month trial

    Bangkok’s Blue Line from Hua Lampong to Bang Kae launched for 3 month trial

    Bangkok Expressway has started a 3 month trial run of the extension of the Blue Line train service from Hua Lampong station to Bang Kae station. Thai PBS report the the Blue Line, between Taopoon terminal and Bang Kae, is expected to be officially launched at the end of this month. Another extension of the same line from Taopoon to…

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  • Phuket NewsPhang Nga Governor puts region on alert for flash flooding

    Phang Nga Governor puts region on alert for flash flooding

    Phang Nga’s governor Siripat Pattakul has ordered all government agencies in the southern province to be on alert after surface run-off from a mountain flooded a village in Takua Pa district early this morning. Following hours of heavy rains, the run-off from Khao Lak-Ram Ru mountain flooded Moo 3 village in Tambon Khuek Khak at 3 am. The floodwaters, about 50…

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  • Environment NewsNational agenda will be prepared for dugong conservation in Thailand

    National agenda will be prepared for dugong conservation in Thailand

    PHOTO: Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa in Koh Libong, Trang, yesterday/Facebook Speaking to reporters during a trip to Koh Libong in Trang yesterday, the new Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said that Thailand should draft a national agenda for dugong conservation. He was visiting the ‘nursery’ of the the young dugong ‘Mariam’ saying that Thailand could become…

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  • Environment NewsControversial “Law of the Jungle” episode in Thailand pulled by South Korea’s SBS

    Controversial “Law of the Jungle” episode in Thailand pulled by South Korea’s SBS

    In an official statement, South Korean TV network SBS says it has pulled an episode of the massively popular “Law of the Jungle, the Lost Island” from its streaming platform and suspended the producer. The statements says that the network’s executives were responding to negative viewer reaction caused by a scene, filmed in Krabi, Thailand, which featured show host Lee…

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  • Hot NewsUPDATE: 3,000 baht Phuket van fare for Australians tourists “all a misunderstanding”

    UPDATE: 3,000 baht Phuket van fare for Australians tourists “all a misunderstanding”

    As a follow up of the complaint about an overcharged van fare of 3,000 baht from Phuket International Airport to Kata by two Australians, a meeting was held yesterday between the driver, the tourists and a representative from the Phuket Land Transport Office. They agreed, in the end, that it was all “a misunderstanding”. The complaint about the expensive fare…

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  • Crime NewsBritish expat arrested over dog attack in Phuket. 15 year old dog ‘ok’.

    British expat arrested over dog attack in Phuket. 15 year old dog ‘ok’.

    PHOTO: Shop surveillance footage of the attack A British expat, Mervyn “Merv” Harding, has now been charged over his attack on a 15 year old dog outside a massage shop in southern Phuket on Tuesday. CCTV footage caught the man parking his motorbike, pulling a metal rod from under the bike seat and then repeatedly beating the animal as it…

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  • Tourism NewsThailand’s tourism copes with surging baht headache

    Thailand’s tourism copes with surging baht headache

    PHOTO: Thailand’s new tourism & sports minister, Piphat Ratchakitprakarn, hoping the finance ministry will listen to his pleas about the high baht Thailand’s new tourism & sports minister, Piphat Ratchakitprakarn, is blaming the surge of the baht for sucking the life out of tourist arrivals into Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. Piphat yesterday said he’ll discuss with the Bank of Thailand…

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  • Crime News43 year old British man arrested over Phuket dog attack

    43 year old British man arrested over Phuket dog attack

    PHOTO: Facebook/Naiharn Beach Dogs Mervyn Harding, a 43 year old British expat, has ben charged over animal cruelty after he was identified on CCTV attacking a dog with a long rod on Tuesday morning (July 16). He was charged after attacking the dog in front of a massage shop near Nai Harn Beach around 7am on Tuesday. Police started investigating the…

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  • Transport NewsUPDATE: Thai PM tells Phuket people to “stop ripping off tourists”

    UPDATE: Thai PM tells Phuket people to “stop ripping off tourists”

    PHOTO: Two Australians file their report with Karon police this morning Everyone is having their say about a van charging two Australian tourists 3,000 baht for a trip from the Phuket International Airport to Kata, even the Thai PM. The PM took time out today to issue a warning to “Phuket people” that its reputation as a tourist destination will…

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  • Tourism NewsNew Thai Tourism & Sports Minister has a wish-list to improve tourism

    New Thai Tourism & Sports Minister has a wish-list to improve tourism

    PHOTO: Tourism and Sports Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakan – mots.go.th The new Thai Tourism and Sports Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, has set out a shortlist of priorities in his new role. He says setting and maintaining better safety standards are vital to regain the confidence of foreign tourists. The minister says he would also discuss the high baht with the Finance Ministry and…

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  • Phuket NewsUPDATE: Search for Filipinos lost off Freedom Beach, Phuket

    UPDATE: Search for Filipinos lost off Freedom Beach, Phuket

    PHOTO: siangtai.com Officials are still trying to push on with a search for two Filipino tourists who were washed out to sea by waves at Freedom Beach in Phuket last night around 5pm. With nearly 24 hours having passed since the pair’s disappearances grave fears are now held for their survival. Conditions have been quite rough and squally for most…

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  • Phuket NewsFire destroys 12 shops in Patong market

    Fire destroys 12 shops in Patong market

    PHOTOS: Siam Rath A fire at a market in Patong early this morning has caused damages estimated at 1 billion baht in value. Five fire trucks raced to the scene at the SB Plaza on Rat-U-Thit road at about 2am. It took firefighters an hour to bring the fire under control. 12 shops were destroyed. No one was injured in the…

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  • Thailand NewsTMD issues a new weather warning for tropical storm Danas

    TMD issues a new weather warning for tropical storm Danas

    The Thai Meteorological Department has issued another warning about tropical storm Danas since saying it’s on the move, from the Philippines’ Luzon, north and north-eastward into the East China Sea. The storm appears headed for Taiwan and likely to dump plenty of heavy rain on the way. The storm is ‘sucking’ in moisture from the Indian Ocean across southern Thailand,…

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  • Phuket NewsAussie tourists ripped off 1,500 baht each for a van ride in Phuket

    Aussie tourists ripped off 1,500 baht each for a van ride in Phuket

    A Facebook post in the “Phuket People Voice“ page has published the photos of two Australians who reported to Kaon police after being ‘ripped off’ in a van ride from the airport to their Kata hotel. A policeman at Karon says… “An Australian citizen came to report the situation in Karon saying that they ‘called’ (hired) a van from Phuket Airport…

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  • Crime News15 year old Thai student dies following attack in SOTUS hazing tradition

    15 year old Thai student dies following attack in SOTUS hazing tradition

    PHOTO: Anti-hazing activist Panuwat Songsawatchai/Facebook Khaosod English is reporting that a high-school student, who was in a coma following ritual hazing at a Nakhon Pathom school, has died today. Pisit Kumniw, a 15 year old student at the Phra Pahtom Wittayalai School, in Nakhon Pathom north-east of Bangkok, allegedly died from injuries sustained from hazing by senior students in a class three…

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  • Phuket NewsSearch continues off Phuket’s Freedom Beach for two missing Filipinos

    Search continues off Phuket’s Freedom Beach for two missing Filipinos

    PHOTOS: Workpoint News Phuket rescue volunteers are continuing their search for 2 Filipinos washed off their feet in high waves at Freedom Beach, south of Patong Beach, in Phuket. The two people have been identified as 29 and 40 year old men. The went missing late yesterday afternoon. Kusoldham Phuket Rescue Foundation received a report concerning the two missing Filipino…

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  • Crime NewsBangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs

    Bangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs

    PHOTO: 77kaoded Three men have been arrested in Pattaya and 833 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 6,700 methamphetamine pills seized. Police also seized a car and two motorcycles. Three Thai men – 23, 29 and 35 year old – were arrested and charged with possession of Category One drugs with intent to sell. Daily News reports that the three man gang was…

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  • Bangkok NewsBMW speeds away as policeman tries to hang on at Bangkok toll booth

    BMW speeds away as policeman tries to hang on at Bangkok toll booth

    SCREENSHOTS: Sanook A policeman has ended up in hospital after being dragged along by a white BMW after trying to stop the car. CCTV footage from the Thanyaburi Toll booth on a Bangkok ring road shows the BMW driving away from the booth, with the policeman clinging on to the roof. The car veered to the left suddenly to ‘shake off’…

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  • Business NewsResidential projects launched in June up, but sale 15% lower than May

    Residential projects launched in June up, but sale 15% lower than May

    As many as 47 new residential projects were launched in Bangkok and its suburbs last month (June), 16 more than in May. This from the Agency for Real-Estate Affairs. The projects combine 13,943 units worth a total of 57.25 billion baht, with per-unit prices averaging at 4.1 million baht, the survey added. The sale of new projects launched in June…

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  • World NewsFormer BRN negotiator slams Thailand as being insincere at peace talks

    Former BRN negotiator slams Thailand as being insincere at peace talks

    PHOTO: thailandchatter.com A similar number of people have been killed in the Southern Insurgency in Thailand as in the conflicts at the Gaza Strip and West Bank in Palestine over the past 15 years. But the religious and realestate conflict at the southern Thai border with Malaysia has had a lot less international media coverage. One of the Malay negotiators,…

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  • Crime NewsSecond hand car dealers arrested over 5 year old scam in Chiang Mai

    Second hand car dealers arrested over 5 year old scam in Chiang Mai

    PHOTO: Daily News Police in Chiang Mai say they have arrested a married couple involved in an alleged scam of 52 people in the northern Thailand city. The incidents were reported to police five years ago. 55 year old Anucha “Teng” Dorkmaingam and his 39 year old wife Warawee or Suthicha Suphan were arrested at a Chiang Mai restaurant. Daily…

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  • Transport NewsVan, baht bus and taxi drivers fight for passengers at Pattaya pier

    Van, baht bus and taxi drivers fight for passengers at Pattaya pier

    PHOTO & VIDEO: Ruk Siam News Pattaya taxi, van and baht bus drivers, authorised and unauthorised, are fighting over tourists at the Bali Hai pier. Ruk Siam News says that efforts by the Pattaya City Council to sort out the issue at the south Pattaya port have been ineffectual and that there are often more drivers than passengers vying for…

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  • Tourism NewsNumber of passengers and flights drop slightly at 28 secondary Thai airports

    Number of passengers and flights drop slightly at 28 secondary Thai airports

    28 airports under the Thai Airports Department have dropped traffic by 1% compared to the same time last year. The airports under the Airports Department don’t cover the largest airports at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai. Some 14.4 million passengers were recorded at the 28 airports under the department from October 2018 to June…

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  • Krabi NewsKrabi skinny-dippers fined 500 baht, claimed they were ‘bored’

    Krabi skinny-dippers fined 500 baht, claimed they were ‘bored’

    Police marched six naked tourists, aged between 17-20 years old, back on to the Ao Nang beach to get dressed after being caught on a midnight skinny-dip. A local, who didn’t appreciate their nudist antics, informed the local police late on Monday night about the groups’ late night seaside frolicking. metro.co.uk reports that the group included five women and one…

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  • Tourism NewsWeerasak paints a rosy tourism picture as he steps down from Ministry

    Weerasak paints a rosy tourism picture as he steps down from Ministry

    Weerasak Kowsurat, outgoing Tourism and Sports Minister In a final spin at the microphone as Sports and Tourism Minister, Weerasak Kowsurat made statements about Thailand’s tourism numbers and the Thai baht that differed from other published numbers and local anecdotal reports. Weerasak claimed, despite the appreciation of the baht, that Thailand has attracted as many as 21.08 million tourists in the…

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  • Phuket News“Probably the best pork spare ribs in the world” – Naughty Nuri’s Patong

    “Probably the best pork spare ribs in the world” – Naughty Nuri’s Patong

    Naughty Nuri’s Phuket, also known as Naughty Nuri’s In The Forest in Patong, was the first restaurant from the iconic Indonesian chain to open its doors in Thailand. The indoor/outdoor venue can easily accommodate more than 500 diners in an alfresco setting. Their signature dish is the BBQ Spare Ribs – “probably the best spare ribs in the world” –…

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  • World NewsSingapore’s exports crash in June, the biggest drop in 6 years

    Singapore’s exports crash in June, the biggest drop in 6 years

    Edited from The Straits Times – Asian News Network Singapore’s exports have crashed by double digits for the fourth straight month. June’s figures show shipments in the key electronics sector sinking by 32%. This is the biggest year-on-year drop since shipments sank 33.2 per cent in February 2013. It is also sharply below analysts’ expectations of a 9.6% plunge, according…

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  • South Thailand NewsRoadside bomb in Narathiwat critically injures three rangers

    Roadside bomb in Narathiwat critically injures three rangers

    PHOTO: Waedao Harai Three paramilitary rangers have been injured in Narathiwat following the explosion of a bomb in a roadside stall this morning just after 8am. Security officials say the bomb had been detonated remotely as the three rangers were patrolling past the stall. The stall was under construction at the time. The bomb was encased in a cooking gas…

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  • Bangkok NewsOne body recovered, search continues for another after collapse of pavilion in Samut Songkhram

    One body recovered, search continues for another after collapse of pavilion in Samut Songkhram

    PHOTOS: Thai PBS After more than 17 hours of searching, rescue workers have now recovered a female body from the collapsed pavilion that slid into the Mae Klong River in Thailand’s central province of Samut Songkram, west of Bangkok. The search continues for one other missing person believed to still be trapped under the submerged wreckage of the building. The…

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  • Opinion“Thailand shouldn’t have water problems” – a personal view

    “Thailand shouldn’t have water problems” – a personal view

    OPINION Post from a concerned Phuket resident who is worried about the future of the island’s most precious resource, fresh water. Despite being surrounded by water, potable water supplies are in peril for the forthcoming high season with lower-than-usual rainfall and the dams still at historically-low levels at the time of publishing this story. The person has asked to be anonymous……

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  • Politics NewsFuture Forward’s Thanathorn on European and US lecture tour – VIDEO

    Future Forward’s Thanathorn on European and US lecture tour – VIDEO

    The Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit spoke with American NBC’s Andrea Mitchell about his hopes and aspirations for Thailand’s future. He also addresses his own current situation in regards to charges he is facing over alleged media shareholdings. Thanathorn is currently suspended from participating in the new Thai parliament as an MP as he awaits the Constitutional Court to hear…

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