Year: 2019
- Economy News
Governmentโs economic stimulus package generates over 10 billion baht so far
PHOTO: Fodors Travel Guide The Thai governmentโs campaign to stimulate domestic tourism โ the Chim Shop Chai campaign โ has generated over 10 billion baht so far. The Nation reports that transactions carried out through the g-Wallet app have generated 225 million baht in the Yala province alone. The southern province now ranks 10th highest for spending during the campaign.โฆ
Read More ยป - Transport News
Transport Ministry succumbs to increase in luggage charges for airport taxis
Items of luggage that measure 26 inches (66 centimetres) or more in length will now incur a taxi โhandling feeโ of an additional 20 baht in an agreement reached between airport taxi drivers and the Transport Ministry. Itโs understood the Ministry approved the increase after caving in to a protest by taxi drivers on Thursday. Over 100 members of theโฆ
Read More ยป - Expats
Swiss man nabbed on Koh Phangan, overstayed visa by more than four years
PHOTO: Naew Na A 52 year old Swiss expat has been arrested on Koh Phangan in violation of his visa conditions. Naew Na reports that the man had overstayed his entry visa into Thailand by over four years. Police tracked him down at a rented house on Koh Phangan, a small Gulf of Thailand island near Koh Samui. He had overstayedโฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Thailandโs south has partial curfew imposed from December 1
PHOTO: Sumeth Panpetch, Associated Press The government has confirmed that a partial curfew will be put in place for Thailandโs Deep South for one year from December 1. The announcement follows Tuesday nightโs deadly attack by insurgents on a checkpoint in Yala when 15 people were killed. The three southern Thai provinces that border Malaysia remain a hotbed of Islamic militantโฆ
Read More ยป - Koh Samui News
New Zealander and his partner found hanged at Koh Samui house
A 70 year old New Zealander and his Thai partner were found dead this week after an apparent suicide pact. Samui Police were called to the rented house in the Mae Nam area after a foreign man and a Thai man were found hanged. The foreigner was a 70 year old New Zealander, the Thai man was a 45 yearโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Pattaya police clarify the details of the โescapeโ story
Pattaya Police have tried to wrestle back the ongoing media speculation over the case of the American and two Thai escapees, who escaped from the Pattaya Court last Monday at 3pm. At a media briefing yesterday they said the escape, hunt and capture had been reported poorly, was full of speculation and factual errors. They pointed out that the wifeโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
Bangkok bombing suspects make their first appearance in court
Three suspects are now in custody after being arraigned in the Bangkok Criminal Court yesterday. They had 11 charges read relating to the explosions around Bangkok in early August when the city was hosting an ASEAN Summit. The three men โ 27 year old Widan Maha, 22 year old Lu-ai Sae-ngae, and 27 year old Muhammad Ilham Sa-i โ wereโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
German retiree bundled up and robbed in his Phuket house
PHOTO: Achadtaya Chueniran โThe men ran off with two ATM cards and were able to convince the couple to tell them their PIN codes.โ A 70 year old German expat has been tied up and his arm slashed during a robbery at his Rassada residence last night. Two men attacked the man, accosted his Thai wife when she arrived home, andโฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Ranger stabbed by attacker linked to southern Thailand insurgents
PHOTO: Thai PBS World A paramilitary ranger remains in a critical condition in hospital after he was stabbed by a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to steal his service rifle. The man was quickly subdued by another ranger. The attacker reportedly died following the incident. The scuffle took place yesterday near Ban Suwo defence outpost in Narathiwat. It was reported thatโฆ
Read More ยป - Chiang Mai News
Man opens emergency exit on Chiang Mai to Bangkok flight
PHOTOS: Sanook.com A Thai Smile flight, due to leave Chiang Mai airport for Bangkokโs Suvarnabhumi airport, had to be delayed for hours after a foreigner opened one of the emergency exits as the flight was about to take off. Thai Smile are the low-cost subsidiary of Thai Airways. Thai Residents reports that the incident took place on board flight Thaiโฆ
Read More ยป - Environment News
Samui Elephant Sanctuary wins โResponsible Thailandโ award in London
The Samui Elephant Sanctuary is this yearโs winner of the โResponsible Thailandโ award in the category of Animal Welfare for its work rescuing and rehabilitating elephants in Thailand. The award was presented by His Excellency Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakan, Thailandโs Minister of Tourism and Sports at the World Travel Market in London. The same award was won by Elephant Nature Parkโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
Slow-moving tropical storm Nakri heads towards Vietnam coast
PHOTO: NOAA Tropical storm Nakri (you know itโs serious when they give it a name), packing wind speeds up to 95 kph, is marching slowly towards Vietnamโs eastern coast. Currently itโs heading westwards between The Philippines and Vietnam. The storm is forecast to make landfall along the central Vietnamese coast this weekend. The storm is not likely to affect weatherโฆ
Read More ยป - Events
Thai Airways moves flights around for Loy Krathong and New Yearโs Eve
PHOTO: Chiang Mai Citylife In view of the fact that residents in northern Thailand traditionally release paper sky lanterns (khom loi) during celebrations such as the upcoming Loy Krathong festival and New Yearโs Eve, Thai Airways says it will be making some changes to its schedule for safety reasons. The airlinesโ Vice President of Aviation Security and Standards, Pratana Patanasiri,โฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Thai military says martial law in south will not be lifted
PHOTO: Sumeth Panpetch, Associated Press Following the insurgent attack that killed 15 volunteers at a security checkpoint earlier this week, the Army says itโs not planning to lift the emergency laws currently in place in the south of the country. The attack is believed to have been carried out by a militant group identified as the BRN or National Revolutionโฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Thailandโs south in mourning after insurgent attack killed 15 in Yala
Thailandโs south is grappling with grief after 15 people died in an insurgent attack in the southern province of Yala on Tuesday night. Those who died were mostly defence volunteers, manning a security checkpoint in Yala โ sitting ducks for the much-better organised and resourced southern insurgents. The south, accustomed to attacks from militant groups for nearly two decades, has beenโฆ
Read More ยป - Economy News
Thai baht dips after rate cut
The baht continued losses yesterday after the Thai central bank cut interest rates. Other Asian currencies dipped as markets assess the latest details of the US-China tariff talks. The Bank of Thailand cut rates for the second time this year, with the benchmark one day repurchase rate now at a record low, as the bank tries to manage inflation andโฆ
Read More ยป - Environment News
European level 4 motorbike exhaust standards coming
A new law says that motorcycles manufactured in Thailand must meet the โEuro 4โ level of exhaust emissions standards, according to the Office of the Prime Minister. The Cabinet approved a draft of the law yesterday. โThis draft makes clear the governmentโs determination to solve pollution caused by motorcycles,โ a spokesman said. โThailandโs emission standard is currently only at Euroโฆ
Read More ยป - Pattaya News
American fugitive remains on life support
PHOTO: MONTAGE: 77kaoded The American man who escaped from a Pattaya court has not died, according to the director of a hospital in southeastern Sa Kaeo province. Now Thai media are using the word โComa!!โ in their latest headlines. A doctor says 39 year old Bart Allen Helmus is in critical condition and remains on a respirator. ER staff confirmed to theโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Phuket police arrest man for attempted rape in Krabi
PHOTOS: Phuket Hot News Phuket police have arrested a man who attempted to rape a woman in Krabi. Phuket police held a press conference to announce the arrest of 29 year old Nantachai โLoobโ Boonrak, who was earlier reported trying to rape a woman harvesting mushroom in a forest in Ao Luek district, in Krabi. The man was arrested atโฆ
Read More ยป - Economy News
Ease on foreign investments and cut on official interest rate
The Bank of Thailand will now allow Thai residents to send money overseas to invest directly and the domestic trading in gold in foreign currencies. The Central bank governor Veerathai Santiprabhob says the move should help slow the bahtโs worryingly rapid appreciation. The new measures will come into effect tomorrow. Exporters will be allowed to invest their earnings abroad, up toโฆ
Read More ยป - Bangkok News
Cabinet go-ahead for 3.6 billion baht spend to put electrical cabling underground
The Cabinet has approved expenditure of 3.6 billion baht to help the Metropolitan Electricity Authority speed up the moving of power lines underground in areas along MRT lines โ the announcement from deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul. โThe project length is a total of 215.6 kilometres and the MEA has finished just 46.6 kilometres, leaving another 169 km to complete.โฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Volunteer village guard system in Thailandโs south up for review after Tuesdayโs deadly attack
PHOTO: Facebook/Yala ToDay The village guard system, used as part of the local volunteer security in the Deep South of Thailand, is set to be completely reviewed, or replaced by a more mobile system where village defence volunteer units will be on regular patrol to seek insurgents, instead of being a โsitting duckโ. 15 volunteers and villages were killed afterโฆ
Read More ยป - Business News
Alibaba promoting Thai products to Chinese buyers
PHOTO: Jingsourcing Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, is hosting a special section on its website dedicated to Thai products. The move has now confirmed by Deputy PM and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit following a meeting with the Alibaba group at the recent Shanghai Trade Exhibition. โIt will be a portal for Thai makers of quality products to access the online marketsโฆ
Read More ยป - Phuket News
Foreign woman saved from drowning at Patong Beach, Phuket
PHOTO: Achadtaya Chuenniran A foreigner, either Swiss or Russian, has been plucked out of the water at Patong Beach, early this morning morning, before sunrise. The incident occurred opposite the beach road post office, according to tourist police. An Ethiopian, named as โEphremโ, told police that he found the woman lying face down and unconscious in the shallows just metres fromโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Two convicts recaptured after escaping Rayong police station
PHOTO: The Pattaya News In the wake of the daring escape from a Pattaya courtroom by three prisoners on Monday, The Pattaya News reports that another two convicts have managed to escape from a police station in Rayong, southern Thailand. Itโs understood they have now been recaptured. The two prisoners are believed to have made their escape from the Nikomโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
UPDATE: The latest FACTS we have about American and Thai wife in Sa Kaew
COMPILATION: The Pattaya News As one commenter rightfully said today, โmore twists than the road to Paiโ. Information, and plenty of rumours, have been fast and furious in recent days in regards to the story of the American and two Thais who escaped from the Pattaya Court holding cells on Monday after stabbing a man and threatening staff with aโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
Leave something behind? Man forgets finger in Chinese taxi after dash to hospital
A man in China has been reunited with the severed finger he left in the back of a taxi after a mad dash to hospital in Wuhan. Thai Residents reports that the man, named only as Xu, is a construction worker who lost his finger in an accident at the site where he was working. After a local doctor toldโฆ
Read More ยป - Thailand News
Thailand drops to #74 out of 100 countries rated for English language skills
PHOTO: Study International For the third year in a row, Thailandโs ranking on the English Proficiency Index has dropped and the country now ranks 74th out of a total of 100 countries. Thai PBS World reports that the index was prepared by Education First (EF), a Swiss organisation specialising in language training and educational travel. The company reports that inโฆ
Read More ยป - Road deaths
Thai road death toll tops 12,000 in 2019
PHOTO: Motorcyclist skittled by pick-up and killed in Ranong this week โ Daily News Thai media report 12,304 people have been registered as dying at accident scenes in Thailand so far this year. Academics caution that this figure only relates to those who die at the scene, and the actual death toll is far higher when when all all dataโฆ
Read More ยป - Pattaya News
UPDATE: American fugitive dead after shooting himself before arrest
PHOTO MONTAGE: Thai Visa Correction: Earlier report said that the American fugitive shot himself, then his wife. The Thai partner is in police custody but was not shot. The American fugitive, who shot himself just moments before being arrested by police in Sa Kaeo Province, is dead. American Bart Allen Helmus had been on the run since Monday after escapingโฆ
Read More ยป - Phuket News
Russian swimmer drowns at Karon Beach
A 61 year old Russian tourist has died after getting caught in a rip at Phuketโs Karon Beach. Police say the man, whose name was withheld pending family and Embassy notification, was swimming alone at the northern end of the beach, just a few hundred metres from the โTourist Service Centreโ. He was seen struggling after currents dragged him outโฆ
Read More ยป - Phuket News
Police arrest dangerous Phuket robber
PHOTO: Patong Police A 24 year old, wanted for a theft and robbery, including robbing hotel staff in Phuket Town at knifepoint, is now in custody following a Wednesday night arrest. Phuket News reports that Provincial and Phuket City Police arrested Chanchai Chaona at a motorbike repair shop in Patong on Wednesday. He was wanted for two separate charges ofโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
Thai security officials search for attackers after 15 killed on Tuesday in Yala
The 4th Army continues to hunt down suspects responsible for Tuesdayโs brutal gun attack on a security checkpoint in Yalaโs Muang district. The attack left 15 village defence volunteers dead and five others injured. The attack is believed to be a retaliation for extrajudicial killings of two insurgent suspects in Pattaniโs Sai Buri district last week, according to a source.โฆ
Read More ยป - Events
Phuket Airport officials warn about sky lanterns during Loy Krathong
Phuket airport officials are urging people not to release sky lantern (khom fai)on Loy Krathong as well as the forthcoming New Year. Vijit Keawsaitiam, the Deputy Director of Phuket International Airport, held a meeting about safety measures and discussed about banning lanterns and firework activities during Loy Krathong festival and the New Year celebrations. The Deputy Director said that releasingโฆ
Read More ยป - Tourism News
Airbnb shares research and best practices for Thailandโs short-term rental industry
Yesterday The Thaiger published a story about Airbnb, supplied through The Nation, that contained a number of inaccuracies. We now publish the entire original media release from Airbnbโฆ Airbnb has today released its proposed regulatory principles for short-term accommodation which would support the Thai Governmentโs objectives of making Thailand the premier tourist destination in Asia and one of the topโฆ
Read More ยป - Tourism News
Thai passengers warned not to write on passports if they wish to travel
Thai-language news outlet Sanook reports that a Thai citizen, travelling as part of a group tour to South Korea, has been refused permission to fly as a result of writing found in the passengerโs passport. The story, covered by ThaiVisa, says that one of the pages in the passport had a โmysticalโ symbol drawn on it. Itโs understood that thisโฆ
Read More ยป