Year: 2019

  • Crime NewsWindmill GoGo in Pattaya raided: Three arrested over prostitution and underage sex

    Windmill GoGo in Pattaya raided: Three arrested over prostitution and underage sex

    PHOTO: รอบพัทยา Ok As difficult as it might be to believe, police have found MORE evidence of prostitution in Pattaya. Attention this time turned to the red-light district of Walking Street where regular ‘inspections’ from police and officials in the past have found ‘no prostitution’ (cough…). Police conducted a raid using an ‘undercover informant’ after receiving tip-offs the bar was…

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  • World NewsKorean passenger from hell ordered to pay Hawaiian Airlines compensation

    Korean passenger from hell ordered to pay Hawaiian Airlines compensation

    FILE PHOTO A man, who forced an international flight to return to Hawaii last February, has been ordered to pay the airline more than 5.3 million baht. South Korean Kyong Chol Kim was also sentenced to six months in jail for interfering with flight attendants and crew members, and annoying passengers on the flight. His behaviour on the Hawaiian Airlines flight…

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  • Chiang Mai NewsChiang Mai protesters petition Governor over Rinkham Intersection upgrade

    Chiang Mai protesters petition Governor over Rinkham Intersection upgrade

    An activist group is taking its protest about the upgrading of an intersection in Chiang Mai to the local governor. The Chiang Mai Highway District Office 2, which has been tasked with overseeing the project, and Chiang Mai governor Supachai Iamsuwan will hold a press conference to address residents’ concerns at the Chiang Mai Government Complex next Tuesday. The proposed…

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  • Pattaya NewsPattaya fund-raiser donates 10,000 baht for disabled sailing

    Pattaya fund-raiser donates 10,000 baht for disabled sailing

    PHOTO: Three Thai national sailing male athletes from the Disabled Sailing Thailand Thai and foreign businesspeople got together in Pattaya to raise about 10,000 baht for the Disabled Sailing Thailand project at a fundraiser in Bang Saray. Peter Jacobs, the Project Founder, hosted the party last weekend for 250 sailors and supporters at the Bang Saray Beach Club that included…

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  • Thai LifeTop 10 world locations where people go to play

    Top 10 world locations where people go to play

    Where do people travel in the world for ‘play’, not business? Mastercard unveils the Top Ten locations where people travel to play. International travel continues to grow at an incredible rate, transforming local economies and enabling people to broaden their horizons – whether they travel for work or for play. Building on nearly a decade of insight into international travel trends,…

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  • Politics News‘Grow up’ , ‘don’t throw tantrums’ – Palang Pracharat spokesperson

    ‘Grow up’ , ‘don’t throw tantrums’ – Palang Pracharat spokesperson

    PHOTO: Uttama Savanayana, left, and Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, deputy spokesperson for Phalang Pracharat Party, is lambasting the opposition for being “childish and narrow-minded” as it filed its petition to censure the PM. He says the opposition should give the new government some time to work before launching no-confidence motions against it. “I want the opposition to be more open-minded…

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  • HealthFirst roll out of prescribed medical marijuana to start end of July

    First roll out of prescribed medical marijuana to start end of July

    PHOTO: Chao Phraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital Thailand’s first quantities of legal medical cannabis will be prescribed and dispatched to registered patients from next month. Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, the public health minister, say that the first 10,000 bottles of cannabis (marijuana) oil extract will be produced by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and another 5,000 bottles by Chao Phraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital. These authorised practitioners…

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  • Events‘Thailand’ through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers

    ‘Thailand’ through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers

    In addition its current “Drug In Film” project, the Thai Film Archive is also holding a program of historical and contemporary films about Thailand as seen through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers. The series, dubbed “Exotic Thailand”, will run through July and August, and features 15 films made in Thailand by international directors, including historical works like “Chang: A Drama of the…

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  • FoodTop 10 Phuket bakeries (2020)

    Top 10 Phuket bakeries (2020)

    Looking for high-quality bakeries? Living in Phuket we are extremely fortunate to have so many organic vegetables, tropical fruits and coconuts, to name just a few. But there’s been a shortage of fresh, quality bakery products and pastries although there have been a few long-term notables. Now there are lots of new high-quality bakeries opening on the island. In no particular order……

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  • Environment NewsThailand’s Princess Sirivannavari names Krabi’s baby dugong ‘Yamil’

    Thailand’s Princess Sirivannavari names Krabi’s baby dugong ‘Yamil’

    Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari has proposed the name ‘Yamil’ for the orphaned baby dugong found stranded in Krabi on July 1. The animal was rescued by villagers and sent for treatment and rehabilitation by marine veterinarians in Phuket. Read about the baby dugong being found HERE. Netizens were invited to name the orphaned baby dugong by officials yesterday. Many…

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  • Environment NewsDead dugong, dolphin found off southern Thai beaches

    Dead dugong, dolphin found off southern Thai beaches

    PHOTO: Manoch Wongsuryrat A three-metre long dugong has been found dead off the coast of Trang in southern Thailand. The total number of dead dugong found this year has reached seven, according to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources when they spoke to Thai PBS. Fishermen found the mammal and towed it ashore for veterinarians to examine. The dugong…

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  • Crime NewsGerman arrested in Phetchabun on Interpol warrant

    German arrested in Phetchabun on Interpol warrant

    A 43 year old German man, Sacha Durst, wanted in Germany for fraud and document forgery, has been arrested in the province of Phetchabun, central Thailand, according to Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Sompong Chingduang. Following a request from their German counterparts, Thai police arrested Sacha Durst who had reportedly been laying low in Thailand since 2015, at a resort in…

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  • Politics NewsPetition pushing for Prayut’s disqualification as Cabinet member handed to Constitutional Court

    Petition pushing for Prayut’s disqualification as Cabinet member handed to Constitutional Court

    PHOTO: The Nation Lower House speaker, Chuan Leekpai, has forwarded a petition to the Constitutional Court calling for the disqualification of PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha as a Cabinet member. The petition, signed by 101 MPs, was handed to Chuan by opposition Pheu Thai Party member Chonlanan Srikieo. The petition suggests that Prayut does not qualify as a Cabinet member, according to…

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  • Environment NewsPM orders local officials to help Khlong Dan flood victims in Samut Prakhan

    PM orders local officials to help Khlong Dan flood victims in Samut Prakhan

    The Prime Minister has ordered officials to assist residents in a riverside community which was flooded by a high tide surged through a dike being constructed in Samut Prakhan last night. A deputy government spokesman said that the sudden flooding in the community of about 50 households at Khlong Dan, Bang Bo district, was not caused by the collapse of…

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  • Tourism NewsOPINION: Thailand – Land of false smiles

    OPINION: Thailand – Land of false smiles

    by Pete Downing, Guest Contributor Every year for the past eight years we have saved and come to Phuket for minimum of a week. More often than not we bring other members of our family, anywhere from four to six at a time, and every time bringing empty cases with a 30kg allowance per person and filling those cases each…

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  • Politics NewsNew Cabinet list submitted for royal approval

    New Cabinet list submitted for royal approval

    The list of Cabinet members has been submitted for royal endorsement, according to Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam. He was speaking after presiding over the opening of Thailand Social Expo 2019 at Impact Muang Thong Thani. Wissanu declined to give further details, saying that any media questions regarding the matter should be directed to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. He explained to the…

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  • World NewsThai travel agents post figures showing a drop of 11.5% in inbound traffic

    Thai travel agents post figures showing a drop of 11.5% in inbound traffic

    Travel bookings have dropped by 11.46% during the first six months of the year. For the first six months of 2019 the Association of Travel Agents’ member companies handled 2,786,204 customers. That translates into a real loss of 360,470 clients for inbound travel agents based on the turnover of guests at Bangkok’s two gateway airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. The data is…

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  • Environment NewsGulf waters flood into Samut Prakan coastline

    Gulf waters flood into Samut Prakan coastline

    High tides last night led to upper Gulf waters flowing over an embankment and flooding the homes of irrigation officials and a nearby community at Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok. Samut Prakan governor Chatchai Uthaiphan says he dispatched officials to help evacuate local residents adding the water was about one-metre high and that officials had helped relocate elderly people and…

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  • Environment NewsCompetition to name dugong calf in Phuket

    Competition to name dugong calf in Phuket

    PHOTO: กรมทรัพยากรทางทะเลและชายฝั่ง The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Phuket is inviting members of the public to participate in a contest to name an orphaned baby dugong, found stranded on a beach in Krabi. The dugong calf is now under the care of DMCR vets to save rare marine animals in Phuket. Jatuporn Buruspat, the department’s director-general visited the…

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  • Politics NewsFinal cabinet posts will contribute to frailty of new Thai government

    Final cabinet posts will contribute to frailty of new Thai government

    Before the ink is even dry on the Cabinet list, and before the newly formed government has even sat, along with its PM, rumours continue to swirl over the viability of the Palang Pracharat Coalition and it’s ability to govern. Dean of the National Institute of Development Administration’s School of Social and Environmental Development, Phichai Ratnatilaka Na Bukhet, is quoted…

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  • Business NewsThai Stock Exchange best performer in Asia – first six months

    Thai Stock Exchange best performer in Asia – first six months

    The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index shows an increase of 6.8% over previous month up to the end of June, marking it as the best performer in Asia. The SET is up 10.6% from the end of 2018 to 1,730.34 points. The average daily trading value of SET and Market for Alternative Investment in June was 60.53 billion baht…

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  • Environment NewsPattaya netizens concerned over dead dolphin found by fishermen

    Pattaya netizens concerned over dead dolphin found by fishermen

    Video of a dead dolphin offshore from the coastal city of Pattaya, east of Bangkok, has upset locals. The video shows the dolphin floating in the waters between Pattaya and Koh Larn in the Gulf of Thailand. The Pattaya Mail reports that the mammal became tangled in a fishing net, with the rope caught in its mouth. The net was cut…

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  • Pattaya NewsKoh Larn locals urge Pattaya officials to fix their coastal bridge

    Koh Larn locals urge Pattaya officials to fix their coastal bridge

    “Fix the Koh Larn bridge”. That’s the cry from Koh Larn business owners as they demand Pattaya municipal officials to attend to the repair of the Tien Beach bridge. They complain that it’s close to collapsing. Koh Larn is off the coast of Pattaya in the Gulf of Thailand. Pattaya Mail reports that locals say there have been no lights…

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  • Bangkok NewsBangkok locals cry foul after their Chinese opera performance closed down

    Bangkok locals cry foul after their Chinese opera performance closed down

    Residents in a Bangkok community are complaining about a condo project’s ‘official complaints and the police’s intervention which closed down their traditional staging of Chinese operas at the local Chinese shrine. They say the condominium was opened just a few years ago on Soi Narathiwas Ratchanakharin 14, while their traditions have lasted decades. Earlier this week, a Chinese opera performance…

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  • Thai LifeLove gone wrong in Thailand – another cautionary tale

    Love gone wrong in Thailand – another cautionary tale

    by Nanthapong Siwilai – TMN Cable TV A Swiss man has shared his story of love-gone-wrong-in-Thailand to TMN Cable TV in Pattaya. It’s a story of riches-to-rags, a story all to common and another cautionary tale of expats seeking love and companionship in the Land of Smiles. Now Tony Niko, originally from Switzerland, is sweeping up at a temple in…

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  • Environment NewsMariam the baby dugong ‘goes live’ soon

    Mariam the baby dugong ‘goes live’ soon

    PHOTO: Hannaret Hripai and Srichai Anuraktichai Officials started installing six CCTVs along the coast of Koh Libong in Trang province today so that netizens will be able to monitor the life of Mariam, the baby dugong that was found washed up on a Krabi Beach in May. Residents and visitors will now be able to ‘bay sit’ (or dugong sit)…

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  • Environment NewsSperm Whale found on Krabi beach had digested plastic bottles

    Sperm Whale found on Krabi beach had digested plastic bottles

    Plastic waste has been found inside a whale that was washed up along Krabi’s shoreline. A sperm whale was washed up near Koh Lanta, in Krabi province yesterday. It was 12 metres in length and was estimated to weigh 11 tonnes. A marine veterinary team completed an autopsy today and discovered 3 plastic bottles inside the stomach of the whale.…

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  • Northern Thailand News‘Mun’ makes landfall as heavy rains head towards Thailand’s northern provinces

    ‘Mun’ makes landfall as heavy rains head towards Thailand’s northern provinces

    The Meteorological Department is warning residents in Thaialnd’s north and north east to brace for heavy for heavy rains influenced by tropical storm ‘Mun’ that made landfall in Vietnam this morning, heading west. In a special warning issued at 5am this morning (Thursday), the department says the storm was over the Gulf of Tonkin at 4am and heading for upper…

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  • Transport NewsBangkok’s BTS becoming too expensive for Thai passengers

    Bangkok’s BTS becoming too expensive for Thai passengers

    The ultra-useful BTS network around Bangkok is becoming too expensive for many Thais, and is more expensive than international equivalents. The BTS Skytrain system is already too costly when compared to basic wages in Thailand, according to a recent research paper by the The Thailand Development Research Institute. It says that low-income earners can only afford to pay 11.7 baht…

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  • Pattaya NewsForeigner falls from 11th floor of Pattaya condo

    Foreigner falls from 11th floor of Pattaya condo

    PHOTO: Manager Online An unidentified foreigner has fallen to his death from the 11th floor of a Pattaya condo. Emergency responders were called to View Talay 6 Condo just after 6pm last evening (Wednesday) after condo staff reported that a man had died. They told police that the man, believed to be aged between 30 -40, arrived at the condo inquiring…

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  • Tourism NewsAirbnb estimates direct economic impact in Thailand exceeds 33.8 billion baht

    Airbnb estimates direct economic impact in Thailand exceeds 33.8 billion baht

    • 80 percent of local Airbnb hosts saying they recommend restaurants and cafes to guests • Airbnb guests saying that 46% of their spending occurs in the neighbourhood where they stay. According to new survey findings and an analysis of internal data released today, Airbnb’s host and guest community generated over 33.8 billion baht in estimated direct economic impact in…

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  • EventsThe Kings Cup Scrabble competition is on in Bangkok

    The Kings Cup Scrabble competition is on in Bangkok

    The 34th Brand’s International Scrabble Championships will be held at Central Westgate in Bang Yai, Bangkok, for four days starting today running through to Sunday, July 7. It’s one of the largest Scrabble tournaments in the world, in terms of the number of players, drawing as many as 8,000 players. Thailand has produced two world champions as well as many top…

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  • Politics NewsJa New thanks those that support him and updates his health

    Ja New thanks those that support him and updates his health

    PHOTO: Facebook/Sirawith Seritiwat Thai political activist Sirawith Seritiwat, aka. Ja New, has posted on his Facebook page for the first time since last Thursday’s brutal attack in Bangkok. In the post, typed by a friend, Sirawith says that he was touched by everyone’s kindness, acknowledging the activity relating to his case and calling for justice both inside and outside parliament.…

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  • Tourism NewsTAT reach out to the NY Pride March to attract more LGBT tourists to Thailand

    TAT reach out to the NY Pride March to attract more LGBT tourists to Thailand

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand is reaching out to the US LGBT community to help broaden Thailand’s tourism base and attract more travellers. The TAT sent a contingent to New York’s annual pride parade, held on World Pride Day, to lure more tourists to the Kingdom. The parade was held last Sunday. TAT are using the branding “Go Thai Be…

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  • Phuket NewsBritish tourist drowns at Phuket’s Surin Beach, son in hospital

    British tourist drowns at Phuket’s Surin Beach, son in hospital

    A British tourist, from Hong Kong, has drowned at Surin beach in Phuket yesterday but his son was saved thanks to the quick actions of a local beachgoer. Choeng Thalay police were alerted at 3pm that a foreign tourist had drowned and another was injured. When police arrived 24 year old Wan Chun Tat had already been rushed to the…

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  • Tourism NewsBritish expat catches world’s biggest carp in Thailand

    British expat catches world’s biggest carp in Thailand

    PHOTO: Bournemouth News 42 year old John Harvey from the UK has caught a fish that was THAT big! The world’s largest carp was a Siamese carp weighing 232lbs (105 kilograms). It beats the old record by 10lbs (4.5 kilograms). John was fishing at the Palm Tree Lagoon at Chedi Hak, just west of Bangkok. The property investor from the UK…

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  • HealthThai attempted suicide rates are on the increase

    Thai attempted suicide rates are on the increase

    The Thai Department of Mental Health has released disturbing research showing the shockingly high rate of attempted suicides and pointing out the need for better education about depression and coping with stress. The research indicates that about 53,000 Thais attempt suicide each year. That’s an average of more than six attempts per hour. Sadly, 4,000 will succeed in taking their own…

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