Year: 2019

  • World NewsCampaign to clear ‘Ghost Nets’ from Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar

    Campaign to clear ‘Ghost Nets’ from Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar

    A team of experienced divers from around the world have launched a campaign to clear lost and disused fishing nets, known as ghost nets, from the coral reefs in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago. Ghost nets, or ALDFG (abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear), include fishing nets, lines and traps which are left in the ocean and become entangled in rocks and…

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  • Business NewsThai Smile joins Star Alliance as ‘connecting partner’

    Thai Smile joins Star Alliance as ‘connecting partner’

    Thai Smile Airways, the budget offshoot of Thai Airways, will become the “Connecting Partner” in the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline network. Customers travelling on an itinerary which includes a transfer between a Star Alliance member airline and a Connecting Partner will be offered standard alliance benefits, such as the issue of a boarding passes for connecting flights at…

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  • Bangkok NewsBangkok apartment-broker arrested for fraud

    Bangkok apartment-broker arrested for fraud

    PHOTOS: Tourist Police Bureau A female apartment broker has been tracked down and arrested on fraud charges for swindling prospective tenants, both Thais and foreigners, and landlords out of 2.5 million baht. Tourist Police Bureau this weekend reports that 31 year old Pawinee Krainoonsing was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court on April 30.…

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  • Phuket NewsRussian injured after falling from rock taking selfie on Patong beach, Phuket

    Russian injured after falling from rock taking selfie on Patong beach, Phuket

    PHOTOS: Patong Surf Life Saving A female Russian tourist has been injured after falling from a rock on Patong beach while trying to take selfie-photo over the weekend. Patong Surf Life Saving report that they arrived at the scene to find the Russian woman laying on the beach. There were quite a few scratches on her body. Her friends said…

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  • Phuket NewsBody of 24 year old found in Wichit forest, Phuket

    Body of 24 year old found in Wichit forest, Phuket

    The rotting body of a man, believed to have been murdered, has been found in a forest in Wichit, central Phuket, over the weekend. The body was found in the forest off Borrae – Khao Kard Road in Wichit. A rope was found tied around his feet. It is believed that the man died at least two weeks before the…

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  • Bangkok NewsHM The Queen celebrates her birthday today

    HM The Queen celebrates her birthday today

    Her Majesty Queen Suthida’s birthday is being celebrated across the country today. The Queen was born on June 3, 1978. She graduated from Assumption University’s School of Communication Arts in 2000, after which she served as a flight attendant on JAL ways and then, from 2003-2008, with Thai Airways International. The Nation reports that in 2010 she was an acting…

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  • Hot News2019 Dengue cases soar as Thailand enters monsoon season

    2019 Dengue cases soar as Thailand enters monsoon season

    Dengue fever cases have doubled in Thailand compared to the same time last year. 20,000 cases have been reported since January 25 this year. And health officials are wary as Thailand heads into the annual monsoon, the traditional peak period for dengue cases. The Chief of the Disease Control Department says the number of infections has doubled since figures for…

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  • HealthComprehensive new Danish study debunks vaccine myths, again

    Comprehensive new Danish study debunks vaccine myths, again

    A high-level and extensive new study from Denmark has found no association between being vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella and developing autism. The issue has become a dangerous conspiracy theory that has spread misinformation since being posted, and then shared, on the internet more than two decades ago. The fraudulent claims originated with a 1997 study published by Andrew Wakefield,…

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  • Bangkok NewsFire at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market destroys 30 shops

    Fire at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market destroys 30 shops

    PHOTO: JS 100 radio Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak weekend market caught fire near the Gate 1 area last night. Traffic Police and JS 100 traffic radio stations first reported the blaze around 9.15pm at the sprawling Chatuchak market, north of Bangkok’s main city area. The intense blaze took about an hour to bring under control. Many people reported on their social media…

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  • Pattaya NewsFive senior Pattaya police shuffled to desk jobs

    Five senior Pattaya police shuffled to desk jobs

    PHOTO: “Surprise!” – Brazil Nightclub in South Pattaya Five police officers in Pattaya City have been unceremoniously transferred after two early morning raids on entertainment venues in their area. The pubs had been operating beyond legal hours, tolerated illicit drug use and allowed underage patrons on their premises. Here’s the Pattaya police walk of shame… Muang Pattaya Police Station superintendent…

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  • Environment NewsWildlife groups call for reviews on elephant export regulations

    Wildlife groups call for reviews on elephant export regulations

    “Before elephants are allowed to be exported, he suggested a check is made to find out how many Thai elephants had been exported and how many of them have been smuggled out.” Wildlife conservation groups and an MP Nikorn Chamnong, representing the Chart Thai Pattana party, is opposing the export of Thai elephants and demanding that the Commerce Ministry review…

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  • Thailand NewsToon takes to Thailand’s roads again for more charity runs

    Toon takes to Thailand’s roads again for more charity runs

    Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai is one of Thailand’s most popular rock stars and celebrities. He fronts the band ‘Bodyslam’. He’s also become somewhat of an inspirational fund-raiser, principally running to raise awareness of Thailand’s health system and raise funds for the poorer hospitals and provinces. In 2017 he famously ran from from the southernmost to the northernmost tips, raising money for some…

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  • Hot NewsBangkok’s pick-up-smashing angry aunties have their day in court

    Bangkok’s pick-up-smashing angry aunties have their day in court

    Bangkok’s famous, or infamous, ‘angry aunties’ (Thai PBS describes them as ‘female car vandals’) have had their day in court and have been handed out a suspended three month prison term by the Phra Khanong provincial court. In February last year the 57 and 61 year old sisters got busy on a pick-up truck that was parked in front of…

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  • Thailand Election NewsDemocrats meet one day before PM election to decide who to support

    Democrats meet one day before PM election to decide who to support

    PHOTO: Democrat party spokesperson, Ramet Rattanachaweng Three sleeps to go before the Thai parliament meets to elect a new PM. The result of that vote is expected to favour the Palang Pracharat prime ministerial candidate, Prayut Chan-o-cha, the man who has been Thailand’s PM for the past five years. The Democrat party say they will decide on Tuesday, whether to…

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  • Environment NewsJust how many hazardous chemicals are going through Laem Chabang port?

    Just how many hazardous chemicals are going through Laem Chabang port?

    “The containers were loaded with “dolls and toys” and there are no chemical substances present.” That was the first explanation we heard after the fire that happened last Saturday, May 25, when containers from the KMTC Hongkong burst into flames at Laem Chabang Port, south east of Bangkok. The port area is just to the north of Pattaya on the eastern…

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  • Hot NewsTwo Pattaya pubs raided, 155 arrested over drug use

    Two Pattaya pubs raided, 155 arrested over drug use

    A total of 155 patrons have tested positive for drugs after raids on two popular Pattaya pubs early this morning. The pubs raided were Brazil Pattaya and 90’s Bar around 4am. Police say searches found a 9mm pistol with 16 rounds of ammunition, a knife, 62 packets of narcotics, including ecstasy, ketamine and crystal methamphetamine and drug-taking paraphernalia scattered over the…

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  • South Thailand NewsSongkhla bus crashes, seven injured

    Songkhla bus crashes, seven injured

    PHOTO: Siam Rath News Seven passengers have been injured after a Phuket to Hat Yai bus skidded into a ditch and crashed on its side in Songkhla’s Rattaphum district early today. The accident happened on the Hat Yai-bound Asia highway Tambon Khuan Tai at 3am this morning. The bus was laying on its side with around 20 passengers trapped inside. Seven passengers…

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  • Chiang Mai NewsBritish man beaten up by Thai thugs in Pai for ‘interfering’ in an argument

    British man beaten up by Thai thugs in Pai for ‘interfering’ in an argument

    PHOTOS: Daily News 37 year old Luke Benjamin Thornton has ended up in hospital in Chiang Mai after trying to break up a fight in Pai, north of Chiang Mai, on May 20. Daily News reports that Luke was trying to stop a fight between locals and tourists and was beaten unconscious with a wooden club and kicks. They reported that…

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  • Business NewsThailand’s export growth expectations revised down to just 3% in 2019

    Thailand’s export growth expectations revised down to just 3% in 2019

    “Export trends are aligned with global sentiment and the outlook for other Asian countries, making export prospects murky because of the escalating trade war.” The government is massively revising down their export growth targets to just 3% this year from an earlier 8% growth estimate. Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak is blaming the global economic slowdown, the ongoing trade spat between the…

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  • Thailand Election NewsVote for new Thai PM on Wednesday – Democrats and Palang Pracharat still at loggerheads

    Vote for new Thai PM on Wednesday – Democrats and Palang Pracharat still at loggerheads

    The countdown is on to next Wednesday’s vote for a new Thai PM. With all odds pointing to a return term for Prayut Chan-o-cha, Palang Pracharat’s prime ministerial candidate, it’s now or never for the various parties to form workable, and sustainable MP blocs in the new parliament. Otherwise the new PM will be the head of a scrambled egg…

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  • Chiang Mai NewsBus plunges off mountain road in Phrae, Thailand, 17 injured

    Bus plunges off mountain road in Phrae, Thailand, 17 injured

    17 passengers have been injured after a bus crashed off a mountain road in Thailand’s north last night. The bus was travelling between Chiang Mai to Phrae in Thailand. The accident happened in Tambon Bor Leng Long, Phrae. The accident happened at 8.30pm on the Den Chai-Lampang road. Rescuers struggled to rescue the injured passengers from the bus that had fallen…

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  • World NewsJapan’s Nissin Electric moves production to Myanmar from Thailand

    Japan’s Nissin Electric moves production to Myanmar from Thailand

    Nissin Electrics of Japan are building a new plant in Myanmar, which will shift some of their production from factories in Vietnam and Thailand, in an effort to cut labour costs. Nissin Electrics manufacture gas insulated switchgears, capacitors, transformers, instrument transformers and medium-low voltage metal enclosed equipment. Bangkok Post reports that the company announced it will form a joint venture with Hosoda…

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  • Northern Thailand NewsThailand’s Phu Kradueng National Park to close until September 30

    Thailand’s Phu Kradueng National Park to close until September 30

    Chief of Phu Kradueng National Park, Sombat Phimprasit says that the park will be closed from now until September 30. The park is in north-east Thailand, near Loei and just south of the Laos border. The park chief says the annual closure, during Thailand’s rainy season, is because trekking and trailing will be too tough and risky due to the difficult…

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  • World NewsBali’s Mount Agung erupts again

    Bali’s Mount Agung erupts again

    PHOTO: Twitter/Phoebs A week after flights were cancelled in and out of Bali’s airport, Mount Agung has burst into life again today at 11:42am sending plumes of ash into the Balinese sky. Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center said the eruption lasted for 8 minutes Despite the renewed activity, Mount Agung remains on level alert level three, or “standby”…

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  • Phuket NewsSix vehicles damaged, one person injured, as truck swipes parked cars in Phuket

    Six vehicles damaged, one person injured, as truck swipes parked cars in Phuket

    PHOTOS: เป็นปาก เป็นเสียง Six vehicles parked on Yaowarat Road, Old Phuket Town, have been damaged after a truck has swiped them as it was driving down the road. A pedestrian on the footpath was also injured in the incident. Phuket City Police report that they were notified of the incident at about noon today on Yaowarat Road in the island’s…

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  • Hot NewsKing Power wins duty free and shopping management contract for Suvarnabhumi

    King Power wins duty free and shopping management contract for Suvarnabhumi

    In Friday’s biggest surprise (please say in sarcastic tone whilst rolling eyes) King Power Suvarnabhumi has won the bidding to manage the commercial area at Suvarnabhumi International Airport with the highest offer, AOT senior executive vice president Vichai Bunyu said this morning. The winner will be approved on June 12, he said. Earlier this year the AoT (Airports of Thailand)…

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  • Environment NewsHarsher penalties for encroachers and illegal loggers in Thai forestry areas

    Harsher penalties for encroachers and illegal loggers in Thai forestry areas

    Yesterday four marine species were added to the ‘reserved’ list, providing addition legal protections for the animals. Read that story HERE. Now it’s been announced that forest encroachers caught clearing land or burning trees, in any of Thailand’s national parks or gardens, in order to occupy the land, will soon face jail terms of up to 20 years and/or a…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket light rail project blows out another two billion baht

    Phuket light rail project blows out another two billion baht

    PHOTOS: Post Today Changes have been made to the original light rail project design which will add two billion baht to the projected budget. The budget is now projected to be almost 40 billion baht. Post Today reports that the director of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand Phakkaphong Sirikantaramart says “the Phuket light rail design has been adapted.…

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  • Thailand Election NewsAnother week of negotiations and still no clear coalition emerges

    Another week of negotiations and still no clear coalition emerges

    PHOTO: The Nation – Palang Pracharat pose for a show of unity amongst complete turmoil Democrats walking out of meetings, deals made then broken days later, pending court cases over MPs’ eligibility – it’s never a dull day in Thai politics as we stumble towards a new parliament. Here are the current important milestones you need to know about… •…

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  • Krabi NewsCoral bleaching off Koh Phi Phi

    Coral bleaching off Koh Phi Phi

    Corals at Koh Phi Phi near a famous driving point has started to bleach. Paranya Pantajit, a scuba expert in Krabi says, “Corals near a famous diving point at Koh Phi Phi is beaching. There are many marine lives living around this coral.” “The temperature at 8 metres deep in the sea is about 31 degree Celsius. Corals in in…

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  • Bangkok NewsFive taken to hospital after tour bus air-con unit explodes in repair shop

    Five taken to hospital after tour bus air-con unit explodes in repair shop

    PHOTOS: Daily News Five people are now recovering in hospital after a tour bus air-conditioning compressor exploded at a repair shop in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok. A woman walking by was injured along with four workers at the yard. The explosion happened at the Rattanakosin 200 Years housing estate in Thanyaburi. They were all hit by shrapnel as the unit…

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  • Bangkok News40 year old HongKong citizen falls to his death from Bangkok condo

    40 year old HongKong citizen falls to his death from Bangkok condo

    A Hong Kong citizen has died after falling from the fourth floor of the IVY Ratchada Condominium in Huai Kwang district, northern Bangkok. The 40 year old, Jefryanto Bin, cracked his skull after he fell from the condo and landed in the building’s parking lot on Ratchadaphisek Soi 20, according to Sutthisan Police Station police. His body was sent for…

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  • Hua Hin NewsNecklace and bag snatcher arrested in Hua Hin after train theft

    Necklace and bag snatcher arrested in Hua Hin after train theft

    PHOTO: Talk News Online A 66 year old is in custody, again, after being arrested for stealing a gold necklace and handbag from a female traveller on a train. ThaiVisa reports that the victim was heading southbound on a train coming from Bangkok. Police say Thadet Samran, from Phetchaburi, boarded the train and snatched the gold necklace and bag from the…

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  • Technology NewsPhuket’s media shuffles – the news leaders

    Phuket’s media shuffles – the news leaders

    Phuket’s media is going through a minor revolution. A lot of work is going into spreading local news for an island of some 450,000 locals and 12 million annual tourists (who are unlikely to read any local news media anyway). Roll back 20 years and the local leader in the media was the Phuket Gazette which lasted as an English-speaking…

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  • Bangkok NewsBangkok tuk-tuk driver is caught after over-charging three American tourists

    Bangkok tuk-tuk driver is caught after over-charging three American tourists

    PHOTOS: Tourist Police A tuk-tuk driver, who charged three American tourists 1,500 baht for a trip in Bangkok, has apologised for his actions and admitted to over-charging them. He also faces a hefty fine. Lt Gen Terapon Kuptanond, commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau says, “tourist police had tracked down the accused driver after the JS100 Facebook page posted a…

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  • Thailand NewsThai PM takes flack from social media over his Animal Farm recommendation

    Thai PM takes flack from social media over his Animal Farm recommendation

    PHOTO: The Thai PM has never been comfortable around farm animals PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is taking a lot of flack after suggesting Thais read George Orwell’s dystopian novel, “Animal Farm”. And a government spokesperson’s explanation has dug the hole even deeper. Read The Thaiger story HERE. “The man who has run the country undemocratically for the past five years has…

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  • Phuket NewsTwo Chinese motorcyclists injured after they collided with power pole in Rawai

    Two Chinese motorcyclists injured after they collided with power pole in Rawai

    Two Chinese tourists riding on a motorbike in Rawai have sustained injuries after colliding with a power pole. One of them is in serious condition. The Chalong Police were notified of the incident last night on Wiset Road. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged motorbike laying next to a power pole. A helmet was found nearby. Blood…

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