Year: 2019
- Crime News
A cocktail of beer and insulin blamed for ATM robbery
PHOTO: Sanook.com โAfter the combination of beer and insulin, Prakit grabbed a metal pole and drove his motorbike to the ATMs.โ A diabetic man is blaming his insulin injections after going on an ATM robbery spree. The man had three attempts to break into ATMs in one night, all unsuccessful. The incidents happened in the early hours of October 9.โฆ
Read More ยป - Thailand News
Thailand faces renewed calls to abolish death penalty
A lobby group arguing for the abolishment of the death penalty is urging Thailand to agree to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as part of a process that would ultimately see an end to capital punishment in the country. To mark World Day Against the Death Penalty, Gothom Arya, a representativeโฆ
Read More ยป - Business News
Thai Airways under pressure to deliver workable business plan
Thai Airways is coming under more pressure, after being given 30 days to deliver its new rehabilitation and business plans. Thaworn Senniam, the Deputy Transport Minister, gave the instruction yesterday while meeting with the executive of the national carrier for an update on its financial status. He says the business plan must provide clear information on how the fortunes ofโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
Trade talks resume between China and US but hopes fade
Expectations are low as trade talks between China and the US resume today. US President Donald Trump has taken an aggressive stance with China and says he will decide the outcome of the talks. โThey want to make a deal. The question is do I want to make a deal.โ With $250 billion worth of Chinese imports facing an increaseโฆ
Read More ยป - Phuket News
Phuket motorcycle crash leaves one tourist dead, another injured
PHOTO: Kamala Police The Phuket News reports that an Indian woman has been killed, and her male companion injured, following a motorcycle accident in Patong. The accident happened last night on the Patong to Kamala road. When police arrived on the scene shortly after 8.00pm, they found the tourists trapped under an SUV, with the 23 year old driver, Worachatโฆ
Read More ยป - Tourism News
Airbnb reveals top 20 trending world destinations to visit in 2020
Latest Airbnb booking data has revealed growing interest in lesser-known destinations and eco-conscious cities across the globe, as Airbnb travellers look for new, local and authentic travel experiences beyond big cities. Thailand made #3 in the list and itโs not Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai. And Paris, London and Sydney are nowhere to be seen. In Thailand, emerging destinations acrossโฆ
Read More ยป - Economy News
โToo good for its own goodโ โ The Thai economy
Bloomberg has written an opinion piece about the robust Thai economy, sharing its fears along with some pats on the back. โThailand really should let its hair down. The currency is strong and the current-account surplus is big versus the neighborhood, while thereโs a lot of scope for fiscal expansion. The Bank of Thailand has been grudging in cutting interest rates, in contrast to theโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
BTS first foreign artists to perform solo concert in Saudi Arabia tonight
PHOTO: BTS performing in front of 60,000 fans during their โLove Yourselfโ tour in Hong Kong โ SCMP No band has ever commanded a concert stage, alone, in Saudi Arabia. Remarkable but true. But South Koreaโs BTS is breaking down yet another barrier with tonightโs stadium concert in the Kingdom. Aside from being their first ever concert in Saudi Arabia,โฆ
Read More ยป - Bangkok News
Driverโs coughing fit cuts parts of Pathum Thaniโs internet and power
PHOTO: Daily News An 18 wheel truck driver has driven into a communications pole in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, leaving locals without electricity and the internet. The driver told the media that he drove his vehicle into the pole after losing control of the truck during a coughing fit. 44 year old Preecha was only slightly injured in the incidentโฆ
Read More ยป - Politics News
BBC Thai follows up Australian media claims about Thammanatโs imprisonment in Sydney
The BBCโs Thai affiliate has published notes of an official document obtained from a visit to an Australian court, stating that Manat Bophlom one of the former names used by the Thai Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Thammanat Prompao, had served four years in jail for on charge of conspiring to import heroin to Australia. Early in September, Australiaโฆ
Read More ยป - Technology News
โNothing to worry aboutโ โ Thai Police clarify the collection of WIFI data at cafรฉs
PHOTO: Yahoo The Royal Thai Police have rushed in to clarify yesterdayโs story about the Minister of Digital Economyโs Puttipong Punnakan commenting about the collection of restaurant and cafรฉ wifi data. The Thai Minister of Digital Economy Puttipong Punnakan says cafe and restaurant operators offering free wifi services, will have to collect internet traffic data used by their customers up toโฆ
Read More ยป - Tourism News
Tourists rush to climb Australiaโs Uluru before ban kicks in on October 26
by Holly Robertson Large numbers of tourists are rushing to scale โUluruโ, aka. Ayers Rock, ahead of a looming ban on climbing the enormous natural monolith in the centre of Australia, sacred to indigenous Australians. Critics have been lashing the last-minute climbers as โignorantโ, saying theyโre going against the wishes of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land, the Anangu.โฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Thief gets away with 50 phones and gold in Bangkok
PHTOTS: INN News A thief has snatched over 50 smartphones and 76 grams of gold at a phone shop in Bangkok. The incident happened yesterday. INN News reports that the store is off, Bang Kradi Road, south-west of the city centre. The store is part of a small retail complex but there was no one near the store when theโฆ
Read More ยป - Northern Thailand News
Volunteer engineers to carry out Ubon Ratchathani assessments following flooding
A team of volunteer engineers from The Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) are in Ubon Ratchathani to carry out building assessments following the record flooding that devastated the region. The Nation reports that the engineers will examine buildings damaged by the flood waters and provide residents with advice so that they can try to rebuild their lives. Thanet Weerasiri, Chairmanโฆ
Read More ยป - Thailand News
Thailand launches renewed crackdown on electronic cigarettes
PHOTO: AFP Electronic cigarettes have been banned in Thailand since 2014 but enforcement of the ban has been sporadic. However, a report in the Chiang Rai Times says Thai authorities are now cracking down hard, with thousands of e-cigarettes confiscated in the last 3 weeks. At a press briefing this week, the police, working with a consumer protection agency, confirmedโฆ
Read More ยป - Tourism News
Chiang Mai hotels face a quiet end to 2019
PHOTO: Spice Roads Chiang Mai hotels are bracing for a quiet end to 2019, along with other Thai tourist hotspots, due to the strength of the baht, an over-supply of rooms and the growing popularity of home-sharing accommodations like Airbnb. Hoteliers in the northern city are also suffering the fall-out from the smoke haze crisis earlier in the year whichโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Phuket drug dealer arrested in Chalong with half a kilo of ice
PHOTOS: Phuket Hot News A 35 year old Phuket man, Suwat Kaewtaworn, is currently in custody after being arrested yesterday with 521 grams (half a kilogram) of crystal methamphetamine. Suwat was arrested in front of a pharmacy on Chao Fah West Road in Chalong. Police found three bags of crystal methamphetamine (ice), two of them weighing 10 grams each andโฆ
Read More ยป - Business News
World Economic Forum says lack of critical thinking in Thailand affecting competitiveness
PHOTO: AFP Thailandโs competitiveness ranking has dropped two places in the Global Competitiveness Index just released by the World Economic Forum (WEC) in Switzerland. The country has dropped from 38 to 40 out of a total of 141 global economies ranked. The WEC claims that a lack of critical thinking in teaching in Thailand, along with its failure to dominateโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Thai woman nabbed outside Pattaya school on human trafficking charges
PHOTOS: Naew Na Naew Na reports that a 31 year old Thai woman has been arrested outside a Pattaya school over human trafficking charges. The arrest was a joint operation by Chonburi immigration and the Pattaya Tourist police. The arrest warrant was issued back in December 2016 on 31 year old Rawipha Takunphon. The warrant relates to enticing children over 15 (but notโฆ
Read More ยป - Travel
Study shows Phuket has highest number of tourists per square mile
PHOTO: Bao Menglong (Unsplash.com) A study published by Travel Daily News reveals that Phuket has the highest number of tourists per square mile, with 5,090. The research was carried out by Columbus Direct, who examined visitor numbers in the worldโs most popular places. With over 9 million visitors a year, Thailandโs largest island has ten times more tourists per squareโฆ
Read More ยป - Northern Thailand News
Mother of boy killed in Thailandโs war on drugs petitions Supreme Court to investigate acquittal of police officers
PHOTO: Freestocks.org/Unsplash The mother of 17 year old Kittisap Thitboonkrong, who died during the war on drugs introduced 14 years ago by then PM Thaksin Shinawatra, is asking the Supreme Court to investigate how 6 police officers charged with his murder came to be acquitted last year. In July 2004, Mr Kittisap was in police custody as a suspect inโฆ
Read More ยป - Technology News
AirAsiaโs inflight WiFi is getting faster
WiFi on planes is the next-gen convenience, or potential annoyance, depending on your attitude to people being โconnectedโ all around you. But for business people, parents with families or bored flyers, it will be a welcome addition to the low-cost flying experience. Now passengers on board AirAsia can look forward to an โenhanced inflight entertainment and connectivity experienceโ with theโฆ
Read More ยป - Expats
Mandatory health insurance for โLong Stayโ visa starts October 31
Foreigners applying for a Non O-A visa will be required to purchase health insurance from October 31, according to Thaivisa. NonโImmigrant Visa โO-Aโ (Long Stay) This type of visa may be issued to applicants aged 50 years and over who wish to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 1 year without the intention of working. Holder ofโฆ
Read More ยป - Economy News
Asian markets stumble over trade concerns, Brexit sentiment sinks pound
Asian markets fell after hefty losses in New York yesterday, owing to growing China-US tensions in the next round of trade talks, while the British pound continues to be beaten down by fears the UK is on the verge of crashing out of the EU. The downbeat mood comes as investors fret over signs the global economy is slowing down.โฆ
Read More ยป - Tourism News
Pattaya getting set for the Indian era โ OPINION
by Dan Cheeseman I was a bit taken back by posters across the social networks where I shared the post that simply would not accept the Indians were bringing any value to Pattaya. Claiming Thailand would regret squeezing out the Western market and turning to the Chinese and Indians. It came across as sour grapes to me and also aโฆ
Read More ยป - Chiang Mai News
Burmese man arrested for dealing in methamphetamine pills
PHOTO: Naew Na Naew Na reports that a joint operation between Lamphun immigration and the Muangjee police has resulted in the arrest of a 27 year old Burmese man. Lamphun is just south of Chiang Mai and has a large population of Burmese migrant workers. โThunโ was arrested yesterday along with drug taking equipment and 206 methamphetamine tablets. He was charged withโฆ
Read More ยป - Economy News
Eat Shop Spend version 2 on the way, but no cash giveaway
After feedback from the successful โChim-Shop-Chaiโ (Eat-Shop-Spend) campaign, the Minister of Finance says campaign will now be extended into Phase 2 but with the criteria and regulations adjusted to attract more people with purchasing power to spend their own money, without the 1,000 baht per person give-away. The Minister of Finance Uttama Savanayana says there have been 1.3 million persons soโฆ
Read More ยป - World News
Chinese media is slamming NBA over Hong Kong comments
Sport, world politics and the mess in Hong Kong. Put the three together and you have an explosive mix. The NBAโs entire future as it expands in China is now under a serious cloud. Chinese state media is slamming the NBA for their โabout-faceโ after the basketball association said it would not apologise for a tweet by the Houston Rocketsโฆ
Read More ยป - Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai Zoo announces results of the inquiry into celebrity pandaโs death
PHOTO: SCMP โ Original story written by Kay Johnson Chiang Mai Zoo have announced the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death of celebrity panda Chuang Chuang. They announced the cause was heart failure. Special โpanda vetsโ from China flew into Chiang Mai last month to assist with the investigation into the death of the much-loved Panda whoโฆ
Read More ยป - Crime News
Thai barber and girlfriend arrested for selling marijuana on Facebook
A couple have been arrested in Samut Prakan, central Thailand, for selling drugs online. Boonchu, a 20 year old barber, and his 19 year old girlfriend, Sukanya, were arrested in a police sting operation, after social media users reported someone posting comments on Facebook that advertised marijuana for sale. Photo: INN News Once they had identified the Facebook user andโฆ
Read More ยป - Bangkok News
Woman dies after being shot in the back of a car as passenger was โplayingโ with gun
PHOTOS: Daily News The vice president of the Thai-Chinese trade and industry association, Wichai Manekitikun, is assisting police with their enquiries after his 23 year old girlfriend was shot in the chest. She later died in hospital. The 44 year old man was taking a Chinese couple home after a party in his van. He told police that he hadโฆ
Read More ยป - Thailand News
Thailandโs Court of Justice says chief judges can screen verdicts of junior judges
PHOTO: AFP The spokesman of the Court of Justice, Mr. Suriyan Hongvilai, says regional chief judges can legally screen the decisions of the lower courts and provide advisory feedback if they disagree with verdicts. However, he adds that judges in the lower courts are independent and do have the final say. Thai PBS World reports that Mr Suriyan says suchโฆ
Read More ยป - Events
PM urges Thais to quit drinking for the End of Buddhist Lent
The Thai PM is urging people to refrain from โtemptationsโ for the good of their health and family life, including drinking alcohol. He was participating in a promotion for an alcohol-free End of Buddhist Lent (which occurs on Sunday). Prior to yesterdayโs Cabinetโs meeting, the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha joined in a promotional activity for the Ministry of Cultureโs End ofโฆ
Read More ยป - Politics News
Pro-democracy activist released on bail pending charges over โinnocentโ post
PHOTOS: Khaosod English and The Nation The Criminal Court yesterday released political activist Karn Ponpraphan on bail of 100,000 baht, whilst setting conditions that he refrain from posting political messages on social media. 25 year old Karn was arrested earlier yesterday by Technology Crime Suppression Division officials, who showed up at his home on Phaholyothin Road in Bangkok for postingโฆ
Read More ยป - Thailand Weather Updates
Southern Thailand to be worst hit by heavy rain and flooding risk next week
Thailandโs Office of National Water Resources says 14 provinces are at increased risk from flooding as heavy rains are expected from October 15, with southern parts of the country expected to bear the brunt. The Pattaya Mail reports that local authorities are being instructed to install equipment such as water pumps, flow accelerators and excavators, and to remain on alertโฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Thai Army chief will address sedition charges and solving problems in South
The Thai Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong will deliver a speech at a seminar tomorrow (Thursday) to explain the armed forcesโ role in providing security under current circumstances. This seminar is part of the Armyโs PR effort to provide an official statement after it charged 12 people, including Opposition leaders and academics, of sedition. The sedition charges followed Opposition and academicsโฆ
Read More ยป - South Thailand News
Police officer and local leaderโs son arrested for drugs offences in southern Thailand
PHOTO: Bangkok Post A police officer and a local leaderโs son have been arrested in a drugs raid on a house in Songkla, southern Thailand. The men were found in possession of 89 methamphetamine pills and 3.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine. A number of other items were also seized at the property, including drug paraphernalia and a pistol. The arrestedโฆ
Read More ยป