Month: September 2019

  • Chiang Mai News

    Dental assistant turns ‘pro’ selling fake retainers and braces

    PHOTO: WorkPoint News The Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office has arrested an unqualified or registered dental retainer seller that used to work as a dentist assistant. She has been selling the fake retainers to customers online via Facebook. Nattawut Prasertsiripong, from the Department of Health Service Support was contacted to take legal action against the woman making fake retainers…

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  • Northern Thailand News

    Governor declares flood disaster zones in Ubon Ratchathani

    “…the 17 districts were declared disaster zones so that the provincial administration could speed up help to the affected people.” Ubon Ratchathani governor Sarit Withoon says the provincial administration has declared 17 districts disaster zones as the flood situation in the northeastern province continue to worsen today. Ubon Ratchathani is in the far east of north-east Thialand. He says the…

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  • Transport News

    Phuket’s most expensive car number plate is ‘9999’ costing more than 700K

    FILE PHOTO Following the auction for car license plates organised by the Phuket Land Trasport Office over the weekend, it’s been revealed that the number 9999 got the highest bid at 710,000 baht. This year’s auction was for the ‘ขก’ category, which represents ‘treasure, virtue and fortune’, and there were 301 numbers available. The Chief of Phuket Land Transport, Banyat…

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  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya tourists comes off motorcycle at “badly lit” roadworks

    PHOTOS: The Pattaya News Rescue services have had to rescue another foreign tourist who hit a sign at some pipe laying works, falling off his bike. The incident happened in Thepprasit Soi 7 at 2.20am this morning. The tourist suffered minor head injuries and road rash. His Yamaha motorcycle was laying on the ground nearby. The tourist was taken to Pattaya…

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  • Northern Thailand News

    UPDATE: Parents report daughter located in Bangkok

    UPDATE from earlier story… below • The missing girl has been located in Bangkok, according to her parents • They told police that she has lied to them before and that last night’s story had been fabricated by her • The girl’s boyfriend has returned to his work in Kalasin after hearing his ‘girlfriend’ had been located in Bangkok •…

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  • Tourism News

    Uptick in Thai tourism – August arrivals up 5.6%

    Foreign tourists arrivals in Thailand rose 5.6% last month compared to a year earlier, with Chinese visitor numbers rebounding strongly, according to audited numbers published by the tourism and sports ministry. (Percentages rounded up to the nearest .1) Revenue from the 3.41 million foreign arrivals in August was 170 billion baht, up 7.1% year-on-year. The number of Chinese tourists, Thailand’s largest…

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  • World News

    Burmese kids dodging cows and cow dung to play rugby

    by Richard Sargent – PHOTOS: AFP It’s a case of dung and dragons. Sidestepping cowpats and garbage, Myanmar’s only home-grown junior rugby side train on the outskirts of Yangon, preparing to take on children from the city’s well-heeled international schools. When the Little Dragons aren’t running barefoot on the litter-strewn dirt, the makeshift field on the outskirts of Yangon is sometimes used…

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  • Thailand News

    Thailand urged to do more on suicide prevention

    PHOTO: Amansquest.com In Thailand, World Suicide Prevention Day was marked yesterday by the Director General of the Mental Health Department calling on the country to do more to address the issue of suicide. Kiattipoom Wongrajit was speaking to the Thai language daily Thai Rath yesterday. According to his department, around 11 people commit suicide every day in Thailand, with the…

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  • Northern Thailand News

    Udonthani girl wakes up in a mystery forest after getting on interprovincial bus

    PHOTOS: Sanook An Udonthani girl has gone missing since getting on a tour bus heading to neighbouring Kalasin Province. She called her mother and fiancé with “fear in her voice” claiming that she woke up in the middle of a forest with other passengers and had no idea where they were. No one has heard from her, or the other…

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  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok man commits suicide after killing wife

    PHOTO: Stock photo/Thailandlawforum.com Bangkok police say the owner of a garage in Ratburana district has shot and killed his wife before taking his own life. The murder-suicide took place at the couple’s home on Soi Suksawd 46 yesterday evening. Police found the body of the man’s wife, 39 year old Romrawin Kaewkamnerd, lying face down with a bullet wound in…

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  • World News

    Mugabe’s body leaves Singapore, headed back to Zimbabwe

    A hearse carrying the body of Zimbabwe’s ex-president Robert Mugabe left a funeral parlour in Singapore this morning bound for an airport. His body will be repatriated to Zimbabwe for burial. Mugabe, a guerrilla leader who swept to power after Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain and went on to rule for 37 years until he was ousted in 2017, died last Friday,…

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  • Transport News

    Three-airport high-speed train project stumbles forward

    One of the delayed Thai high-speed rail projects is now closer to being inked by the State Railway of Thailand and CP Holding’s joint venture, once an agreement on some key details of the public-private partnership project are reached. The new railway service will connect Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports, with U-Tapao in Rayong, serving Pattaya and the…

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  • Technology News

    iPhone 11 launch – Apple cuts prices, new services

    by Glenn Chapman “The new iPhones are jam-packed with new capabilities and an incredible new design.” – Tim Cook Apple unveiled its iPhone 11 models last night (Thai time) with a price cut for the most basic models while also laying out plans for streaming and gaming services as it bids to weather the slump in the global smartphone market.…

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  • Chiang Mai News

    Foreign tourists stop to help Chiang Dao local after motorcycle incident

    Thai social media in the northern city has been full of praise for a foreign man and woman who responded to an incident in Chiang Dao, north of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai News reports that the couple got out of their vehicle and helped with first aid before emergency teams and the police arrived on the scene and helped get…

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  • World News

    Smoke haze affecting neighbouring countries to Sumatra and Borneo islands

    PHOTO: Malaysia’s Kuching on Borneo this week “Hundreds of schools shut as forest-fire haze blankets SE Asia.” Huge fires are raging across vast swathes of Indonesia’s rainforests – some of the world’s biggest – with toxic smog shutting hundreds of schools. Massive jungle areas in Sumatra and Borneo island are ablaze as thousands of personnel battle to quell the fires, frequently…

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  • Bangkok News

    Immigration police conduct spot-check of Nana area of Bangkok

    PHOTOS: Naew Na Immigration police headed to the Nana area of Bangkok to inspect businesses and operators last night in the popular market zone. The ‘walk thru’ started at 8 pm as Immigration police visited Sois 3 – 5 along Sukhumvit Road checking on foreign workers and work permits. Immigration officials say there were no arrests during their unannounced visit.…

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  • World News

    Pound lifted by British PM’s latest defeat, Asian equities struggle

    The British pound bounced today after UK PM Boris Johnson again failed to get MPs to back a snap election, while Asian equities drifted as investors await a key European Central Bank meeting and developments in the China-US trade talks. Just before Westminster lawmakers broke up for five weeks they inflicted yet another defeat on the new PM, who has…

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  • Opinion

    Thai government introduces new TM30T, to keep track of Thais

    PHOTO: One of the new test shopping centre locations for the new Waer Areuw program The Thai government is introducing a new method of cracking down on home-made criminals. In a reversal of its former policy “Good guys in, bad guys in”, the government’s criminal enhancement department is phasing in the new laws that will require Thai to report their…

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  • World News

    Myanmar adopts NASA’s malaria-predicting tech

    “Several drug-resistant strains of Malaria are taking hold across south east Asia and it is feared these could migrate to Africa where more than 90% of cases globally occur.” NASA is developing a new technique to forecast malaria outbreaks in Myanmar from space, as the emergence of new drug-resistant strains in Southeast Asia threatens efforts to wipe out the deadly…

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  • Phuket News

    “Don’t extend opening hours to 4am” – Tourist zones

    “Think again about extending pub opening hours to 4am in tourist areas”. That’s the advice from Dr Mohamed Fahmy Tale, an advocate for alcohol control, directed to Thailand’s tourism minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. Manager Online says that he wants the government to focus more on safety rather than encouraging more drinking. The Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, had proposed an extension…

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  • Bangkok News

    Murder accused under police hospital watch to face charges “soon”

    Police confirm that a man accused of killing his 21 year old girlfriend is currently undergoing hospital treatment after trying to take his own life but will soon be brought to court to face charges. Krissanachok “Ole Wanjeab” Chaichana, aged 30, attempted suicide after killing his girlfriend during an argument. He was arrested in the victim’s car, while drinking toilet…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Governor requests 38 million baht to finally finish Provincial Hall

    The Governor of Phuket, Phakaphong Tavipatana, confirms he has requested 38 million baht for the long-awaited completion of Phuket Provincial Hall on the south side of Phuket town. Last October, he had asked for a new contractor to be appointed by December, but that never happened. It’s understood he has now filed a request with the Ministry of Interior in…

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  • Thailand News

    UN director says more needs to be done to fight corruption in Thailand

    The chief of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Renaud Meyer, is calling on Thailand’s lawmakers to do more to fight corruption. While acknowledging the country’s efforts so far, he says certain influential figures and groups are a stumbling block to creating a less corrupt society. He was speaking at a conference jointly organised by the UNDP, along with the…

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  • Environment News

    Thailand’s southern provinces suffering Sumatran burn-off smoke haze

    Smoke drifting across the Malacca Strait from Sumatran forest fires in Indonesia is affecting the health of locals and tourists in the southern province of Songkhla. According to the Pollution Control Department, the volume of dust measured in the Thai tourist district of Hat Yai during the past 24 hours was 51 micrograms per cubic metre. The world-standard upper level…

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  • Crime News

    Bangkok airport police arrest Canadian woman for theft

    PHOTO: Pinterest.com Police at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport have arrested a 27 year old Canadian woman as she was about to board a flight with her husband. Heather Leslie Berg had been under surveillance following a number of thefts from baggage claim counters in the airport’s Arrivals area on August 27. After a check on CCTV cameras showed her taking luggage…

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  • Politics News

    Thai Government fails to properly address flood victims – Thanathorn

    FILE PHOTO Embattled Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has slammed the government for its handling of the current flood situation in the north-east and central Thailand. Speaking in a panel debate on amendment of the Constitution at Khon Kaen University on Sunday, he said he had visited people in Yasothon and Roi Et provinces in past days. He found…

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  • World News

    A drop in Thai visitors to Hong Kong as protests continue

    PHOTO: Booking.com The ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong are taking a toll on visitor numbers, with a drop in the number of Thai visitors staying overnight in the territory, according to the Hong Kong Immigration Department. The Bangkok Post reports that the number for July has dropped by 6.6% compared to July 2018. However, the number of single-day visitors…

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  • Politics News

    Opposition says Thammanat should not have been appointed minister

    PHOTO: Bangkok Post “It is old stuff from the opposing political group. I know all of them. Don’t pay any attention to them. I do not give them any importance.” A government opposition spokesman, Adisorn Piangkate, says he would not have appointed Captain Thammanat Prompow as deputy agriculture minister if he were the PM due to the minister’s “tainted record”. He…

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  • Expats

    Thai Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce call for overhaul of TM30 laws

    PHOTO: Stanley Kang, chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand, spoke to the Bangkok Post about their concerns over the TM30 debacle Speaking to the Bangkok Post, chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce Stanley Kang, says the government needs to review the enforcement of the draconian TM30 (and TM28) immigration reporting regulations The TM30, and…

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  • Thailand News

    Thailand’s War on Sugar, taxes double

    The Excise Department says that taxes on sugary drinks will double from October 1, with drinks containing 10 to 14 grams of sugar being taxed at 1 baht per 100 millilitres instead of 0.5 baht per 100 millilitre. But he promises this higher tax won’t be passed on to consumers. Nattakorn Utensut, the department’s deputy spokesman, says most producers of…

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  • Thai Life

    Australian newspaper reports on Thai minister’s criminal drug past

    The Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow has had his accounts about his role in a 3.2 kilogram heroin-smuggling ring challenged by an Australian newspaper. The events back in 1993 landed Thammanat in a Sydney jail for four years. Thammanat Prompow is the Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province in Thialand’s north. The article by the respected Sydney Morning Herald, “From…

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  • World News

    China’s exports fell last month in lead up to next month’s trade talks

    China’s exports fell 1% on-year last month amid the bruising trade war with the US that is disrupting markets in the world’s top two economies. The drop comes after a surprise 3.3% rebound in July despite the year-long battle with the US and weakening global demand. But economists cited by Bloomberg had forecast a 2.2% rise ahead of the release of…

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  • Politics News

    Government not tackling Thailand’s economic woes – poll

    Most people regard the government of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as lacking the capacity to tackle economic woes – this, the latest results from yesterday’s NIDA poll. The NIDA Poll, prepared by the National Institute of Development Administration, asked 1,260 respondents nationwide about their opinions on the current state of political play. The Nida Poll found that 46.7%t of the…

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  • Bangkok News

    HM Queen Sirikit returns to hospital for examination

    Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, has been admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok for follow-up examinations. According to the announcement from the Bureau of the Royal Household, which was issued yesterday, the Queen Mother was admitted to Chulalongkorn University on Saturday on the advice of doctors for a previously scheduled follow-up on her condition and some additional examinations.…

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  • Pattaya News

    Police shoot and kill chef in North Pattaya hotel car park

    PHOTO: Naew Na Police are continuing their investigations after a fatal shooting by a police officer in the car park of a North Pattaya hotel last Friday night. Four witnesses were interviewed over the weekend. Naew Na reports that a chef armed with a knife was shot in the head after allegedly resisting police arrest. Patrol officers had responded to…

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  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Weekend flooding threatens provinces in the Chao Phraya basin

    PHOTO: tna.mcot.net The Royal Irrigation Department has issued an urgent flood alert for seven provinces as more water is released from the reservoirs feeding the Chao Phraya dam at Chai Nat province in central Thailand (map below). Residents in the seven provinces are being advised to monitor water levels closely as the water is released. Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing…

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  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Morning peak chaos in Tokyo after typhoon Faxai passes through

    by Kyoko Hasegawa, PHOTOS: AFP “Authorities said more than 2,000 people had taken refuge in shelters opened to accommodate those complying with the evacuation advisories.” A powerful typhoon that battered Tokyo overnight with ferocious winds and driving rain caused is causing commuter this morning, with trains halted and more than 100 flights cancelled. Typhoon Faxai, packing winds of up to…

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