Year: 2019
- Tourism News
Thailand to see rise in tourists as fallout continues in the US-China trade spat
Thailand may end up being a beneficiary in the ongoing US-China trade spat as mainland Chinese tourists will decide to travel closer to home or could even find it difficult to gain entry into the US. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is monitoring the situation to see if Beijing blocks Chinese tourists from making trips to the US. The restriction…
Read More » - Health
30,000 baht bill for diarrhoea treatment at private hospital
FILE PHOTO It’s enough to give you the s**ts! An unnamed private hospital is being asked to explain how it charged a patient 30,000 baht for the treatment of a simple stomach infection. A source at the Internal Trade Department says that a review of the medical bill indicates the hospital bill was “unreasonable”. “The hospital will be asked to…
Read More » - Technology News
US temporarily ease restrictions on Huawei
PHOTO: Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei and Chinese President Xi Jinping – SCMP The US has temporarily eased some of the restrictions on China’s Huawei, the world’s largest phone and telecom equipment maker, to minimise disruption to its customers. But Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, says it means little because the company was well prepared for any US restrictions to their trading. The…
Read More » - Health
New date for Coronation Day holiday announced
Thailand, the land of a thousand temples. And, it seems, the land of a thousand public holidays. Now, the Cabinet has announced May 4 as the official new Coronation Day official holiday. So it’s not actually a new holiday, but it replaces the date of the previous Coronation Day in Thailand. The new holiday date marks the day that His…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Mother disappears after abandoning newborn in rubber plantation
FILE PHOTO A mother is on the run after delivering her own baby boy in a hut on a Loei rubber plantation yesterday, just a day before her husband, who was in custody for two years, was to be released. Loei is in far north-east Thailand near the Laos border. The baby, with its umbilical cord still attached, was found…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phoenix goes up for auction, starting price 900,000 baht
The notorious and ill-fated tour boat Phoenix, which sank off Phuket last July killing 47 Chinese tourists, is among 48 items that the Anti-Money Laundering Office will auction off this Wednesday at its head office. At the time, many of the dead were retrieved from the boat, though its crew and captain escaped unharmed via life rafts, leaving many passengers…
Read More » - Krabi News
Six survive after fish delivery pick-up overturns in Krabi
Six people, who were delivering fresh fish in a pickup truck in Krabi, have survived an accident in Krabi. Mueang Krabi Police were notified of the incident in Krabi City yesterday. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the overturned pick-up truck in the roadside ditch. Nearby there was fresh seafood, fish and shrimp, strewn across the roadside. Six people…
Read More » - South Thailand News
Woman killed, nine injured in seven-vehicle pileup in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A woman has died and nine others injured in a pileup involving four pick-up trucks, a sedan and two motorcycles on a road in Nakhon Si Thammarat this morning. Police say the accident happened at 9am on the Nakhon Si Thammarat-Pak Phanang road in front of the 17th regional office of the Government Saving Bank in Tambon Pak Nakhon, Muang…
Read More » - Things To Do
Top 10 restaurants in Phuket
There are many excellent dining experiences in Phuket. Here, in no particular order, are some tried and proven examples of great dining on the island you just have to visit when on the island. From Thai to European to Italian… The 9th Floor Patong. The 9th Floor Restaurant & Bar, located in The Sky Inn Condo in Patong is a…
Read More » - Phuket News
Whale shark sighted off Koh Racha – VIDEO
VIDEO/PHOTO: บังดำ นายสุวัฒน์ บาเร็ม/Saranyu Hassanai A whale shark was sighted off Koh Racha, south of Phuket, yesterday. A Facebook user ‘Saranyu Hassanai’ has posted the video clip with a message saying “A whale shark has showed up near the boat while we were travelling near Koh Racha.” “Tourists on the boat were very happy to see the whale shark.” https://www.facebook.com/100017729653298/videos/391081111492874/?id=100017729653298…
Read More » - Environment News
Thousands of young coral being moved to deeper water at Maya Bay
PHOTO: Thai PBS Coral bleaching and the annual monsoon are the only threat to the ongoing recuperation of Maya Bay, now that tourists have been away for a year, and probably another two years as well. Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Ley in Krabi province, has been closed since June 1 last year after the environmental destruction of the…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Police searching for building owner after two die in Bangkok shophouse fire
PHOTO: The Nation A 67 year old woman and a 60 year old man have been killed after a fire engulfed a five-storey shophouse modified to provide rented rooms in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district early today. The Samrarnraj police station was alerted at 1.15am of the fire at the shophouse near Chao Phor Sua shrine on Boon Siri road. Five…
Read More » - Phuket News
UPDATE: Total 4 deaths in Phang Nga Chinese tour bus crash
One person died at the scene yesterday while another three have since died in hospital. Nine other people sustained injuries in yesterday’s incident in Phang Nga when a pick-up, careering out of control, crossed the median strip, took out a motorbike, and then crashed head-on into a tour bus. Newshawk Phuket reports that emergency responders were notified of the incident…
Read More » - Thailand News
The Long March to campaign for fewer restrictions on medical marijuana – VIDEO
A new long march, this time to draw attention to fewer limitations on the use of medical marijuana, is setting off from Pichit today in northern Thailand, heading south to Bangkok. Civic groups will set off on their march on the same day the Thai government’s amnesty on marijuana possession comes to an end. Thai PBS reports that the march…
Read More » - World News
Game of Thrones: Thirsty actors leave water bottle in shot
Oh my GOT. They’ve done it again. For the second time this season Game of Thrones fans, with eagle-eyes and a trigger finger on the pause button, have spotted another out-of-place-and-time item on screen. This time, a plastic water bottle tucked in behind the leg of ‘Samwell Tarly’ has been spotted on the series, now concluded. Actually you’ve got to…
Read More » - South Thailand News
Ouch! Man falls from mango tree, ends up with metal rod through his testicles
PHOTO: Daily News Daily News reports that an iron rod, sitting under a mango tre,e had gone right through a man’s testicles after he fell from a mango tree in Nakorn Si Thammarat yesterday. The poor man, Piyapong, was fighting extreme pain as friends tried to keep him in consciousness with smelling salts. Meanwhile, according to the report, the Tai…
Read More » - Krabi News
Man drowns while catching fish in Krabi temple lagoon
A man has drowned in a lagoon while he was trying to catch fish inside an animal sanctuary area adjacent to a Krabi temple. Mueang Krabi Police were notified of the incident at the Kowaram Temple in Mueang Krabi District at 5.30pm yesterday. Police and emergency responders arrived at the temple lagoon and joined in the search for the missing man.…
Read More » - Thailand Election News
Bhumjaithai and Democrats holding off decision for key roles
PHOTO: The horse-trading continues Nearly two months after the March 24 election and still no government formalised. The horse-trading has been fast and furious with rumours and speculation running rife over recent days. It is thought that some announcements will be made today or tomorrow in the lead up to the opening of parliament on Friday. But it’s certainly coming…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Male doctor and his friend arrested after 18 year old falls from condo in gay-sex tryst
A male doctor working in the “beauty field” and his male friend have been giving confusing testimonies to police today. The pair were apprehended by police on Saturday after their 18 year old guest fell to his death from a balcony at the doctor’s 20th floor condo in Bangkok. Police speculate the condo appeared to be the scene of a…
Read More » - Chiang Mai News
Young British man found dead in Chiang Mai condo
PHOTO: Thai Rath A maid discovered a British man dead in the bedroom of a room on the eighth floor of a luxury condo in the Chang Khlan district of Chiang Mai over the weekend. 39 year old Kapadia Sarfaraaz was found face down on the bedroom floor. Police found no signs of a struggle or wounds on the body. But they say…
Read More » - Property
Boat Pattana’s Cherng Talay villa project reports strong pre-sales
Thai developer Boon Yongsakul’s latest development Shambala Grand Villa in Cherng Talay is experiencing strong pre-launch sales. With 22 available units, the Boat Pattana group has already reserved 17 units. The landed properties feature two bedroom pool villas with land plots ranging from 300 to 600 square metres. Property management is through an affiliated company and buyers are offered a 6% guaranteed…
Read More » - South Thailand News
Corals bleaching off Pattani
PHOTOS: Thon Thamrongnawasawat Corals at Koh Losin, off the coast of Pattani in the south of Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand, have started to bleach and are reported to be in a ‘critical situation’. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a marine biologist says, “Koh Losin is in the Gulf of Thailand…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Chinese owners using condo investments as a ‘hotel’
PHOTO: Thai Rath Residents in condos around the country are getting sick of the parade of short-stay travellers using their condo rooms as defacto hotel rooms, travellers renting out their rooms from Chinese owners who run their investments as quasi hotel rooms. Thai Rath reports that “Condo C Ekkamai” (Sukhumvit Soi 63) tenants are at the end of their tether.…
Read More » - Thai Life
Thailand’s US Embassy issues advisory about medical insurance
PHOTO: US Embassy in Bangkok Thailand’s United States Embassy has issued an advisory warning to American expats recommending they have adequate medical coverage for a long-term stay in the country. The advisory reads… “Thailand remains one of the most popular retirement destinations in the world. Great culture; great food; great people. And as US citizens age, Thailand also offers access…
Read More » - Health
Update on Chikungunya cases in Thailand
“Chikungunya Virus is an arbovirus of the alphavirus genus, transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, same way Dengue is spread.” The Bureau of Epidemiology, along with the Thailand Health Ministry, are reporting 3,379 chikungunya cases in 23 provinces up to May 13 this year. Phuket, Songkla and Ranong have been the most affected by the mosquito borne viral…
Read More » - World News
‘Game of Thrones’ finale rates high, fails the landing
WARNING: GOT Spoiler alerts!! “This final season has obviously been divisive, and a good deal of the criticism, especially of the penultimate episode, was justified.” by Brian Lowry After eight seasons, 73 episodes and a much-debated flurry of plot developments, that signature first-season line proved the key to unraveling the “Game of Thrones” finale, which, after a season that was…
Read More » - Technology News
Google cut off Huawei’s access to some Android apps and services
In a surprise response to the ongoing Huawei vs Trump administration spat, Google has halted its business operations with Huawei. Huawei is one of the leading mobile phone manufacturers in the world. The Google ‘pull out’ is effective immediately, according to a report from Reuters. The halted business streams include anything in relation to the transfer of hardware and software…
Read More » - Phuket News
One dead, many injured in Phang Nga bus crash
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket One person has been found dead while many others have sustained injuries in a Phang Nga bus collision this morning. Newshawk Phuket reports that emergency responders were notified of the incident this morning on Phet Kasem Road, southbound, in Borsane, Thapput in Phang Nga. The collision was between the the tour bus and a silver pick-up. Both…
Read More » - Environment News
Thailand to ban three kinds of plastic by end of this year
By the end of 2019 Thailand will be free from three types of plastic – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics. Then by 2022 four other types of single-use plastics will also be banned – lightweight plastic bags less than 36 microns thick; styrofoam food containers for takeaways; plastic cups and plastic straws – according to a road map approved by…
Read More » - Thailand Election News
Pro-junta bloc says they have a ‘deal’ with Democrats and Bhumjaithai
PHOTO: Bhumjaithai party leader Anutin Charnvirakul slated to be the new Health Minister The week kicks off with rumours swirling about deals done over the weekend. Meanwhile HM The King will open Parliament on May 24. ‘Who’ will set ‘where’ will be interesting. The Pro-Junta proxy party, Phalang Pracharat Party, is taking the upper PR hand and claims to have successfully cobbled…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
Samui Regatta welcomes Synergy Samui Resort as new home
“Early entries are looking good with a strong line-up of boats and crew from Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Thailand.” The “Tropical Island Regatta” is set to return to Koh Samui’s shores from May 25 to June 1 on Chaweng Beach and this year will be at a new venue, Synergy Samui Resort. Samui Regatta is popular with sailors from…
Read More » - Phuket News
New Zealander found hanged in Patong hotel
A New Zealand man has been found hanged in a room at a hotel in Patong. Patong Police were notified the incident at the Deevana Plaza Hotel on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong yesterday at 4pm. Police and emergency responders arrived at the hotel room to find the body of a foreign man who was later identified as 49 year…
Read More » - Environment News
Pattaya officials react to the video of gushing sewage and wastewater – VIDEO
The video of the untreated sewage and wastewater gushing into the Gulf of Thailand has accumulated 1.2 million views already. It took local officials two days to react, mostly blaming other authorities and departments in the resort city. Pattaya’s municipal chief is now instructing Na Jom Thian OrBorJor officials to divert its wastewater to the Pattaya central wastewater treatment pond…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
5,000 Buriram citizens register for medical marijuana possession
by Tanakorn Sangiam The 90 day registration period for persons in possession of marijuana, without facing prosecution, end this Tuesday, May 21. 5,000+ persons in Buriram, north-east Thailand, have already registered their possession during this period. A community seminar on marijuana planting and management also took place yesterday to prepare Buriram province as a key manufacturer of medical marijuana. About…
Read More » - Health
Twitter and Facebook work to block anti-vax misinformation
If you search for the word ‘vaccines’ in Twitter, the first thing you see from today is a post from the US Department of Health and Human Services pointing you to reliable health information instead of misinformation from the anti-vax adherents. Twitter says it now has a new tool in ‘search’ prompting users to head to vaccines.org, which is run…
Read More » - Bangkok News
59 year old man shot dead in convenience store
A man was killed inside a convenience store at sunrise today in Saraburi province, north of Bangkok, after shouting out loud, “If you have a gun, shoot me”. The victim is identified as 59 year old Preecha Khunthong. He was shot several times between the eyes. “I don’t know what happened between him and the gunman. At first, they spoke…
Read More » - Technology News
Registration and traffic fine databases linked after July 1
Car owners, and presumably motorbike owners, will be unable to renew their vehicle registration or licenses if they fail to pay traffic fines after July 1. Much discussed over the past year and now on the horizon, the Land Transport Department and Royal Thai Police intend to clamp down on people avoiding or disregarding their traffic fines. Starting from May…
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