Month: September 2019
- Northern Thailand News
Flood waters reach Roi Et in Thailand’s north-east
PHOTOS: Thai Rath Run-off from last week’s heavy rains around Khon Kaen and parts of the north-east, have now made their way to the province of Roi-Et, south east of Khon Kaen. A large number of households and farming areas are now flooded after concrete barriers in Nong Hin Village of Panomprai District were breached by strong currents, according to…
Read More » - World News
Suicide bomber explodes bomb at Philippine army base, Jolo Island
PHOTO: AFP/Ted Aljibe “No group has yet claimed the attack, which came a day after an IS-claimed bombing wounded eight at a market on the island of Mindanao.” A suicide bomber, dressed in a traditional Muslim woman’s abaya gown, has died after detonating a bomb outside a military camp in the southern Philippines. No other casualties were reported, authorities said.…
Read More » - Environment News
Old Thai habits die hard: Businesses are trying but shoppers remain stubborn
GRAPHICS: The Nation Thailand is now abuzz over the issue of plastic pollution. This topic is now being widely discussed among Thai netizens, who have been suggesting many measures, including controlling the use of plastic bags at supermarkets and convenience stores. But so much of daily Thai life still revolves around single-use plastics it is taking radical changes in behaviour and…
Read More » - Property
Wyndham adds two more hotels for Phuket’s south
PHOTOS: Artists impressions of the new Wyndham Nai Harn Resort Phuket Global hotel group Wyndham has announced two more Phuket pipeline hotels. The announcement follows a long list of new developments and openings over the next few years on the island. First for Wyndham, is a 353 key property named the Wyndham Nai Harn Resort Phuket at the popular southern west-coast…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Police arrest Chiang Rai woman with thousands of counterfeit US$100 bills
PHOTOS: Facebook/32nd Border Patrol Police Counterfeit US dollar banknotes valued more than 16 million baht have been seized at a Chiang Rai house after police organised a sting. A 54 year old woman was arrested over the matter last Thursday. The sting followed a tip off to border patrol police about the fake USD notes being circulated around tambon Rim…
Read More » - World News
“If you want to shoot me, get on with it,” British grandmother
A British woman facing the firing squad in Indonesia told British reporters from her Bali prison “if you want to shoot me get on with it”. She faces execution for drug smuggling. The 62 year old drug mule grandmother has abandoned any further legal battles to avoid a date with the firing squad. Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced to death for attempting…
Read More » - World News
Non! French say no to a Brexit extension beyond October 31
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says the French government has rejected any further delays to Britain’s exit from the EU, now scheduled for October 31. He acknowledged that the issue is now clouded by the political turmoil in London. The past week of turmoil in the British parliament has forced MPs to cross the floor and bring about three…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Dengue fever in Thailand: 3 dead in Bangkok since January 2019
PHOTO: Tripsavvy.com Bangkok Metropolitan Administration governor Aswin Kwanmuang says 4,903 residents have been infected with the dengue virus so far this year, with 3 deaths. In 2011, there were 10 deaths, with 8,699 having contracted the virus, so while there has been noticeable improvement, the current rate of infection is still worrying. Governor Aswin says that the areas which have…
Read More » - Tourism News
Hundreds of Pattaya tour guides rounded up in crackdown
PHOTOS: Sophon Cable TV A crackdown by the tourist police in Pattaya had resulted in 475 tour guides being fined for disregarding regulations related to tour company business, since the start of 2019. Sophon Cable TV report that local tourist police chief Lt-Col Piyapong Ensarn says eighteen illegal tour guides face a year in prison or fines up to 100,000…
Read More » - World News
450 vaping-related cases now reported in the US, 3 deaths, possible links to THC
…and US health officials are trying to isolate the possible causes and if they can link the cases to any particular chemical or product vapers use. Vaping is currently illegal in Thailand with tourists prevented bringing in vaping-related products and refills, and crackdowns on local sellers frequent. Meanwhile, US health officials say they’re now aware of at least 450 possible…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s Katathani Beach Resort land under investigation
The Katathani Phuket Beach Resort, sprawled along Kata Noi’s small beach on Phuket, is the latest subject of investigation by the Phuket Provincial Land Office. The investigation team has been given 30 days to complete its review by the Phuket Governor. The latest investigations are the latest in a tit-for-tat battle between the owners of the Katathani Phuket Beach Resort…
Read More » - Economy News
What goes up must come down – the battle of the baht
Newton’s law looms over the Thai baht. Meanwhile, the Thai baht continues to be the best performing currency in Asia. The Thai currency is riding a 6-year high against the USD and, this year, has surged 8% against the US currency. But the strong baht is causing knock-on effects to the rest of the Thai economy, battering exports and stifling tourist…
Read More » - Crime News
Suvarnabhumi baggage handler arrested over 20,000 baht theft
PHOTO: sanook.com A South Korean tourist was savvy enough to photograph all her holiday money before travelling to Thialand. Her precaution has led to the arrest of a baggage handler at Suvarnabhumi. The South Korean woman took the precaution of photographing all her Thai baht before putting it in a wallet in checked luggage on her flight. When Lee Soyeong travelled…
Read More » - Technology News
iPhone shares the spotlight with new services at Apple’s annual showcase
by Glenn Chapman The iPhone will be front and center at Apple’s upcoming media presentation even as the California tech giant steps up its efforts in content and services for its devices. In its trademark, tight-lipped style, Apple disclosed little about its plans for Tuesday’s event at its headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino. For years now, Apple…
Read More » - World News
Tortured ‘Joker’, spurned Polanski, win top prizes at Venice film festival
“Joaquin Phoenix has remade Batman’s arch-enemy as a “Method psycho, a troublemaker so intense in his cuckoo hostility that even as you’re gawking at his violence, you still feel his pain”. “Joker”, a daring take on the comic book villain starring Joaquin Phoenix, won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice film festival with Roman Polanski controversially taking…
Read More » - Tourism News
The China Syndrome, south east Asia’s tourism dilemma
PHOTO: Lunar New Year celebrations in Bali – Jakarta Post “When China sneezes, the rest of south east asia catches a cold.” From quiet markets in Malaysia, empty rooms in Hanoi’s hotels and barren beaches in Bali, China’s economic slowdown and weakening yuan are sending shockwaves felt across south east Asia’s vacation belt. Thailand is just one of many countries…
Read More » - Phuket News
Burmese man stabbed to death by ‘friend’ in Patong, Phuket
PHOTO: Phuket People’s Voice Patong Police have arrested 18 year old Robier Aaron, from Myanmar, after he stabbed another Burmese man, 23 year old ‘Johnny’, to death. The incident happened on Friday night (September 6) at around 9pm in front of a restaurant on Phangmuang Sai Gor Road. Police received a report about the attack and found Johnny’s body stabbed…
Read More » - Tourism News
Welcome to Wat Samphran, unlike any Thai temple you’ve seen
The Emerald Buddha? The Grand Palace? Khao San Road? A cruise on the Chao Phraya? And now for something completely different. It’s big, it’s pink and it’s unlike any temple you’ve ever seen. Wat Samphran, aka. The Dragon Temple, is located about 40 kilometres west of the city centre of Bangkok in Nakhon Pathom. Somehow this excessive architectural wonder has…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Thai monks receive alms then sell them back to traders… mmmm
PHOTOS: Sanook Just another day in Thailand with a social media post about monks seated along a city street appealing for alms at the Asoke market in the business hub of Bangkok. Sanook reports that there were many monks on the footpath as mostly Chinese tourists paid their respects and offered the monks food bought at the market. But an online…
Read More » - World News
Boeing suspends testing of new long-haul 777 jet
“A source close to the matter said a door of the plane blew out during the test.” by Luc Olinga Boeing is suspending testing on its new long-haul 777X aircraft, yet another setback as the US aviation giant tries to rebound from the 737 MAX crisis. The so-called “final load” tests are part of the aircraft certification process, overseen by…
Read More » - Thailand News
Ride-sharing services to be legal in Thailand by 2020
PHOTO: Grab Thailand’s Transport Minister says that regulatory guidelines have been drafted to pave the way for legalising ride-hailing services by March next year. Ride-hailing organisations currently operate in “legal limbo”, often finding themselves stopped and fined for not being properly registered. New guidelines will require drivers to have a public driver’s licence, vehicles to be registered and equipped with…
Read More » - World News
Bill withdrawal my decision, not Beijing’s, says Hong Kong leader
PHOTO: CNN Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam insists that the withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill was her decision, not Beijing’s. The bill was the spark that ignited months of protests in the territory, with clashes between activists and police frequently turning violent. Lam says that while the decision to withdraw the bill is hers, she has Beijing’s full…
Read More » - Expats
Thailand drops 7 places in world’s best places for expats to live
PHOTO: Wikipedia An Expat Insider survey on the world’s best places for expats to live sees Thailand drop 7 places. The country is now in 25th place, out of a total of 64 destinations. Taiwan took the top spot, with Vietnam coming in second, and Portugal third. In March, InterNations, the world’s largest expat networking group, consulted over 20,000 expats,…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Man fakes his own kidnapping to get ransom money from parents
PHOTO: Sanook A 27 year old teacher has faked his own abduction in order to con his parents out of 40,000 baht in “ransom” money. The man, known only as “Anucha” called his parents to say he’d been abducted in Udon Thani, northeast Thailand. He claimed a group of men had kidnapped him, after he’d borrowed money from a loan…
Read More » - World News
Hurricane Dorian’s death toll in Bahamas 43. Expected to rise.
“You can smell the death in the air,” Bahamas resident. The death toll from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas has risen to 43, according to US media outlets yesterday, and was expected to grow “significantly.” US network CNN and Bahamas newspaper The Tribune cited Health Minister Duane Sands as confirming the new toll, up from 30. “Forty-three is the official…
Read More » - Thailand News
Overhaul of Thai justice system required to deal with prison overcrowding
PHOTO: Scmp.com There are nearly 400,000 people behind bars in Thailand. 70% of the men in prison are there for drug-related offences. In the case of women, it’s 87%. Thailand has the highest number of prisoners in ASEAN, the sixth highest in the world. The notorious overcrowding for which the prisons are known is so bad that an inmate does…
Read More » - Environment News
Thailand’s big retailers will stop handing out plastic bags in January 2020
“These partners have vowed to stop giving out single-use plastic bags to customers starting January.” The Thai environment minister has announced a major agreement from large retailers, plastic manufacturers and department stores to stop handing out single-use plastic bags to customers. The new program will start from next year. Over the past year several large retailers have come up with…
Read More » - World News
India’s moon mission control loses contact with spacecraft during landing
India’s moon mission control has lost contact with the unmanned spacecraft moments before it was due to land on the Moon early this morning (Thai time), in a blow to the country’s ambitious low-cost lunar program. India was hoping to become just the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to successfully land on the Moon. But as Indian…
Read More » - Tourism News
Thailand’s tourism industry ponders drop of Chinese tourists
Thailand’s tourism authorities are getting jittery as the Kingdom continues to bleed Chinese tourists in the wake of a surging baht. They fear Thailand is losing its reputation as one of the most affordable destinations in south east Asia for Chinese tourists. Thailand’s most popular resorts, Pattaya and Phuket, have been particularly suffering from the discernible drop in Chinese visitors. Chinese tourists have…
Read More » - South Thailand News
Songkhla businessman shot dead while taking daughter to school
PHOTO: Assawin Pakkawan A building contractor has been killed while taking his four year old to school in Hat Yai yesterday. 34 year old Thammarat Apilimsiriul was taking his young daughter to pre-school in tambon Khon Hong around 7.30am when he was shot in the back. Police say he is the owner of Sirikul Land&House, a major construction company in…
Read More » - Crime News
Car rental scam busted, gang leaders arrested in Phuket and Trang
PHOTOS: Achadtaya Chuenniran Three people have been arrested separately in Phuket and Trang, south of thailand. They’ve been accused of running a scam, targeting car owners and car rental operators. Police have so far seized 23 out of 40 vehicles the gang had resold. Nine victims made official complaints on August 26 that a gang was renting cars from them…
Read More » - World News
Foreign companies looking to relocate factories in Vietnam
At this stage in the US-China trade wars, Vietnam is one of the key economic winners from the ongoing fallout. Many companies are shifting their factories to Vietnam, underlining the potential for the strong development of industrial real estate, as reported in Viet Nam News. Savills Vietnam, a property agent, has released its white paper on Vietnam’s industrial real estate…
Read More » - World News
Hurricane Dorian downgraded to Category 1 storm
“Dorian should remain a powerful hurricane as the eye of the storm moves near or along the coast of North Carolina.” Hurricane Dorian has weakened to a Category 1 storm this morning as it approached the coast of North Carolina, according to US meteorologists. At the same time, the death toll rises during the mop-up in the Bahamas which felt…
Read More » - World News
American woman charged with trafficking ‘baby in bag’ at Manila airport
“The baby, who is now in the custody child welfare services, was born to a Filipino mother in the nation’s south and then flown to Manila.” Philippine authorities have charged an American woman with trying to smuggle a six day old baby out of the country in a bag she wore around her waist as she tried to board a…
Read More » - Transport News
Air Asia flight, from Maldives to Bangkok, returns to Male after engine explodes
A Thai AirAsia Airbus A320-200, flying as FD-178 from Male in the Maldives to Bangkok’s Don Mueang, had just taken off out of Male’s runway 18 when an engine started making “banging noises” and streaks of flames were coming from the engine, prompting the crew to stop the climb at 5000 feet, shut down the engine and return to Male…
Read More » - World News
Indonesia’s forest fires causing air pollution in southern Thailand
Residents in Thailand’s southern provinces of Songkhla and Satun are being warned to protect their health by wearing face masks or staying indoors as the two provinces are blanketed with smoke from forest fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. The 16th regional environment office reports that dust particles of less than 2.5 microns, were measured at 55 microns/cubic metre during the…
Read More » - Technology News
‘Deepfake challenge’. Who is really speaking in that video?
“…new tools are “urgently needed to detect these types of manipulated media.” Technology firms and academics are joining together to launch a “deepfake challenge” to improve tools to detect videos and other media manipulated by AI (Artifical Intelligence). The initiative includes US$10 million from Facebook and aims to curb what is seen as a major threat to the integrity of…
Read More »
