Year: 2019

  • Thailand NewsRemote Karen tribesman flown from western jungle to hospital for emergency surgery

    Remote Karen tribesman flown from western jungle to hospital for emergency surgery

    A Karen tribesman, suffering a life-threatening acute illness, has been airlifted from his remote hut deep in the jungles of Kanchanaburi, to the Sangkhla Buri Hospital for emergency treatment. Dr. Krisda Wutthiyakorn, director of Sangkhla Buri Hospital, and his team rushed to the patient’s hut by car through the winding jungle roads, deep in the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary. They…

    Read More »
  • Hot NewsThailand’s wet season officially starts tomorrow

    Thailand’s wet season officially starts tomorrow

    The rainy season in Thailand officially starts tomorrow. The Thai Meteorological Department deputy director-general Kornravee Sitthichivaphak says Thailand will see continued rains in most parts of the country from Monday. “The wind over Thailand from 100-3,500 metres will be replaced by a southwest monsoon that would carry humidity from the Andaman Sea to cover most parts of Thailand. All of these…

    Read More »
  • World NewsConservative Liberal coalition wins Australian election

    Conservative Liberal coalition wins Australian election

    (For US readers, ‘Liberal’ is the name of the main conservative party in Australian, not to be confused with the way the term ‘liberal’ is used in American politics) Australia’s ruling Liberal conservative party coalition has defied polls to hold onto power in the Australian national election yesterday. While it remains unclear if PM ScottMorrison’s Liberal party and their country-based…

    Read More »
  • Tourism NewsFour southern islands to be closed to tourists during monsoon

    Four southern islands to be closed to tourists during monsoon

    PHOTO: Koh Kradan Four islands in the Haad Chao Mai National Park in Trang, southern Thailand, will be closed to tourists for four months starting June 1. The chief of the Haad Chao Mai national park, Narong Kong-iad, says that access to the park will be denied to tourist from June 1 to September 30 for “the nature to rehabilitate…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsCentral’s new Suvarnabhumi lifestyle centre set to open late August

    Central’s new Suvarnabhumi lifestyle centre set to open late August

    PHOTO: Central Pattana Central Village, a new luxury retail outlet situated near Suvarnabhumi International Airport, is 70% finished. Wallaya Chirathivat, deputy chief executive of Central Pattana, says the new lifestyle shopping precinct is scheduled to open on August 31. Central says that retail space in Phase 2 have now opened after Phase 1 of the retail development was totally booked. They report…

    Read More »
  • Northern Thailand NewsTwo construction workers win big in the National Lottery

    Two construction workers win big in the National Lottery

    PHOTO: Daily News Two Thai construction workers have won big in this week’s national lottery. Two wins but two very different methods used to select the winning number, 926526. Wathida Trinet had been visiting Khon Kaen but works in Wang Noi to the north of Bangkok, according to Daily News. There she noticed a gecko clambering over the house number “526” and…

    Read More »
  • Thai LifeHow to save ,000 a year – the move to Chiang Mai

    How to save $24,000 a year – the move to Chiang Mai

    An Australian couple say they’ve saved almost $24,000 a year after a move from life in Melbourne to Chiang Mai. Michelle and her fiance Jason moved from Melbourne in the southern state of Victoria to northern Thai ‘capital’ Chiang Mai at the start of 2018. Freelance journalist Michelle has shared her savings and new lifestyle experiences in International Living. “Before…

    Read More »
  • Thai LifePhuket expat re-invents the way sewing machines work

    Phuket expat re-invents the way sewing machines work

    British inventor creates a new sewing system that eliminates the bobbin. When you list the worlds top inventions the sewing machine is rarely included, it’s lucky if it makes it into the top 50! But there are very few moments in our daily life when we are not close to something that’s been produced using a sewing machine. Now a…

    Read More »
  • Health10 million Thais to learn CPR and other life-saving techniques

    10 million Thais to learn CPR and other life-saving techniques

    The King’s Volunteer 904 Central Coordination Centre has assigned the Public Health Ministry to provide training to 10 million Thais in basic life-saving skills, principally learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) machines. The ministry will formulate a curriculum for training the public in CPR and AED and publish the materials online. The project…

    Read More »
  • Chiang Mai NewsGerman tourist dies after ghost-riding on his high power bike

    German tourist dies after ghost-riding on his high power bike

    A German tourist has been killed after ghost-riding (riding in the opposite direction to the traffic) on his high-power motorcycle. He crashed head-on with a pickup truck in Chiang Mai road early this morning. The tourist has been identified as Jan Single. Police also found a quantity of marijuana in a zip-lock plastic bag he was carrying at the time…

    Read More »
  • HealthBan on alcohol sales and consumption for Visakha Bucha Day

    Ban on alcohol sales and consumption for Visakha Bucha Day

    The Royal Thai police remind us that today is a sacred Buddhist holiday and there will be no alcohol sales throughout the country. The ban for Visakha Bucha Day is in place for 24 hours from midnight last night (Friday) to midnight tonight (Saturday). People caught selling alcohol are liable to a 10,000 baht fine and six months in jail. The holiday…

    Read More »
  • Thailand NewsBuddhists commemorate Visakha Bucha Day – Monday will be a holiday

    Buddhists commemorate Visakha Bucha Day – Monday will be a holiday

    Today is a public holiday in Thailand to mark Visakha Bucha Day, the most significant day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating three defining events in the life of the Lord Buddha; his birth, attaining enlightenment at 35 years old, and then his death 45 years later, which all occurred on the full-moon day of the sixth lunar month. Visakha Bucha…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsBuddha with a beat – Wat Suthi Wararam transformed

    Buddha with a beat – Wat Suthi Wararam transformed

    It’s Visakha Bucha Day like you’ve never seen it before. Bangkok’s Wat Suthi Wararam has unveiled a bold and modern makeover to entice young people and a new audience to Buddhism. Wat Suthi Wararam is coming alive with Monks chanting to electronic music, projection mapping and a digital art exhibition. “Bodhi Theatre: Buddhist Prayer Retold” combines vivid animation and Buddhist chants set…

    Read More »
  • Krabi NewsThai and farang friend catch king cobra with bare hands in Krabi – VIDEO

    Thai and farang friend catch king cobra with bare hands in Krabi – VIDEO

    PHOTOS/VIDEO: Robrouw Krabi A foreign man has helped his Thai friend to catch a king cobra with their bare hands in Krabi today. The three metre king cobra was found near a refrigerator in a house in Mueang Krabi district. A foreign man and his Thai friend, who lives near the house, came to help where he helped to catch the…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsOld Phuket Town underground cable works to be completed by August

    Old Phuket Town underground cable works to be completed by August

    The project to hide the unsightly over-head cables around Old Phuket Town is due to be completed in August this year. The Phuket City Mayor says there will be inconvenience to traffic in Old Phuket Town while the works are underway installing underground cabling in the remaining streets. Read more about the progress of the works HERE. The Phuket Provincial Public…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsTragic end for Phuket Zoo baby elephant ‘Dumbo’

    Tragic end for Phuket Zoo baby elephant ‘Dumbo’

    PHOTOS: Moving Animals The baby elephant, who was forced to perform for tourists, was so weak that his back legs snapped, and died just a week later. Here is the original story from The Thaiger. Just last month, heartbreaking footage emerged of a “skeletal” baby elephant being forced to ‘rave’ to music, ‘play’ musical instruments, and perform tricks, at Thailand’s…

    Read More »
  • Business NewsThailand cuts rubber exports in a four month moratorium

    Thailand cuts rubber exports in a four month moratorium

    Thailand is cutting rubber exports by 126,000 tonnes next week for a four month moratorium. This is a delay in implementing the supply cut agreement with two other regional producers, according to the Rubber Authority of Thailand. Originally it was agreed that Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia would cut exports back on April 1, a date agreed by the International Tripartite…

    Read More »
  • Thailand NewsBioThai Foundation says companies growing hemp commercially will create monopoly:

    BioThai Foundation says companies growing hemp commercially will create monopoly:

    “…as of now, only official agencies are allowed to grow hemp in the tribe-development zones in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Tak, Mae Hong Son and Phetchabun provinces.” The Thai government’s plan to let privately-owned companies grow hemp commercially is progressing as part of a three year trial. But, BioThai Foundation says that giving specific companies the right to plant hemp…

    Read More »
  • Pattaya NewsRubbish on Chon Buri beaches cleared after social media complaints

    Rubbish on Chon Buri beaches cleared after social media complaints

    PHOTO: DMCR First there was a beach on Koh Phi Phi, then a dirty canal in Bang Tao, Phuket. Now, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has cleared up rubbish on an island beach off Pattaya beaches in Chon Buri. Photos were posted in the ‘Pattaya Watchdog’ Facebook page on May 14 with a message reading, “Some business…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsBangkok’s Klong Lord gets a make over

    Bangkok’s Klong Lord gets a make over

    The new Klong Lord now boasts clear water, not the black grimy mess as in the past. The klong has now had a complete make-over and been rehabilitated and re-landscaped. The Bangkok Metropolitan and Administration (BMA) is upgrading the canal and says it will develop it into one of Bangkok’s important tourist attractions, recalling its identity during the reign of…

    Read More »
  • Pattaya NewsNavy officer and two others killed in Chon Buri road smash

    Navy officer and two others killed in Chon Buri road smash

    PHOTOS: พัชรพล – ณัฐภูมินทร์ ปานรักษ์ A navy officer and two other people have died after a pickup truck collided with a sedan in Chon Buri earlier today. Plu Taluang Police were notified of the incident on Sattahip Pier Road in Sattahip at 4.30am this morning. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a completely wrecked sedan on the road. 27…

    Read More »
  • Krabi NewsThree dead, two injured as truck collides with motorbike in Krabi

    Three dead, two injured as truck collides with motorbike in Krabi

    PHOTOS: อาสากู้ภัย 3482 กู้ชีพปลายพระยา / คนข่าว กระบี่ Three people have died while another two people have been injured after a pickup truck collided with a motorbike in Krabi yesterday. Krabi emergency responders headed to the scene of an accident on Southern Seaboard Road (No 44) southbound in Krabi yesterday afternoon. They found two injured males – 32 year old Nattanai…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsNationwide police crackdown on student gang violence

    Nationwide police crackdown on student gang violence

    The Royal Thai Police say they are cracking down on student gangs. They say they will be enforcing existing laws and focussing on problem cells. They will also prosecute parents for the behaviour of their children. Thai Rath reports that Pol Lt-Gen Phromthorn Phak-at from Royal Thai Police says that the police will be taking a “no nonsense” approach to student…

    Read More »
  • HealthThe Nation goes online-only from July 1

    The Nation goes online-only from July 1

    PHOTO: Somchai Meesen, CEO of Nation Multimedia Media Group, speaks to Nation TV yesterday about The Nation’s future. “Over the past five years, The Nation has lost 30 million baht a year on average.” The Nation newspaper will stop its print editions and go fully online from July 1, when the independent English-language daily turns 48, to focus more on…

    Read More »
  • Chiang Mai NewsChiang Mai songthaews and tuk-tuk drivers complain about Grab

    Chiang Mai songthaews and tuk-tuk drivers complain about Grab

    Drivers of red public songthaews and tuk-tuks have submitted a petition to Chiang Mai’s provincial governor complaining about the Grab ride-hailing App. The Grab service is offered on a very intuitive smartphone app and provided by normal drivers. The petition said the Grab App had caused their income to drop by more than 50%. They say the service is illegal and…

    Read More »
  • Krabi NewsBlack water flows into the sea at Koh Phi Phi

    Black water flows into the sea at Koh Phi Phi

    Wastewater was flowing into the sea at Koh Phi Phi in Krabi as business operators have been caught releasing untreated water and waste into the sea. The issue has gone viral in social media with local officials scrambling to respond. Black water was photographed lapping the shores of Loh Dalam beach on Koh Phi Phi five days ago. One of…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsAs readers abandon print, The Nation announces closure of daily printed paper

    As readers abandon print, The Nation announces closure of daily printed paper

    Another big national newspaper bites the dust, following an inevitable worldwide trend. A sad day for The Nation as they announce the closure of the Bangkok-based English daily after 48 years. It leaves the Bangkok Post as the only English language national daily. The Nation will end its print edition with its last issue scheduled for June 28. In making the…

    Read More »
  • Northern Thailand News15 year old girl arrested for trying to bury her baby alive

    15 year old girl arrested for trying to bury her baby alive

    A 15 year old girl is now in protective custody in Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east of Bangkok, just one day after her newly-born baby boy survived being buried alive in a local field. A villager found the baby in a cassava plantation about one kilometre from Ban Nong Kham village in Tambon Thalad on Wednesday. The infant was taken to the…

    Read More »
  • Hua Hin NewsRegister your hotel within 30 days – Hua Hin unlicensed premises warned

    Register your hotel within 30 days – Hua Hin unlicensed premises warned

    FILE PHOTO 170 illegal hotel and resort operators in Hua Hin have been warned to register and obtain Hotel licences within a month or they will face jail or a fine. The Hua Hin district chief, Thanon Phanpipas, says the operators of unlicensed hotels and resorts must register within a month from May 16 or they would face a maximum…

    Read More »
  • HealthExpat life in Thailand – a balancing act

    Expat life in Thailand – a balancing act

    We all come to live in Thailand for vastly different reasons. Sometimes love, sometimes an adventure, sometimes escaping something at home and sometimes for business. Our journey to the Land of Smiles, and then our settling in, can be fraught with shocks, cultural and financial. Here is one man’s story as told in ExpatLifeInThailand… by Shane Irvine I didn’t come…

    Read More »
  • Thailand NewsPolice and passenger die in Phitsanulok collision

    Police and passenger die in Phitsanulok collision

    PHOTOS: Khaosod A policeman travelling in a highway police sedan, and a passenger in a pickup truck, have died at the scene after a crash in Phitsanulok this morning. The incident happened on Kokmaidang – Noean Maprang Road in Wangthong. Phitsanulok Provincial Police Deputy Commander, driving the highway police car, died at the scene after he sustained critical injuries. The…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsCompromise could save expressway authority from paying exorbitant compensation

    Compromise could save expressway authority from paying exorbitant compensation

    PHOTO: YouTube Thailand’s Expressway Authority (EXAT) board has agreed to extend the concession period of NECL, a subsidiary of Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company (BEM), to operate two expressways for an additional thirty years. The hope is they can avert a legal battle which could eventually result in the government authority being ordered to pay as much as 130 billion…

    Read More »
  • Krabi NewsTwo people seriously injured after guns fired in Krabi

    Two people seriously injured after guns fired in Krabi

    Police are now hunting for suspects who fired more than 10 shots at two men in Krabi. Klongtom Police were notified of the incident at a house yesterday afternoon. Police and emergency responders arrived to find two people injured – 40 year old Yannatee Aramchim and 30 year old Nakin Rueangchoo. They were rushed to hospital and are expected to recover.…

    Read More »
  • Northern Thailand NewsWeather warnings out for parts of the country

    Weather warnings out for parts of the country

    The annual monsoon is here. Bangkok, along with 55 other provinces in Thailand, have thunderstorms forecast over the next 24 hours. The Thai Meteorological Department have issued the warnings this morning. Storms are predicted in the central and northern regions and waves in the Andaman Sea forecast up to two metres, according to the TMD. Seree Supratid of Rangsit University’s…

    Read More »
  • Bangkok NewsDoctors’ son arrested over break-ins around Bangkok and Pattaya

    Doctors’ son arrested over break-ins around Bangkok and Pattaya

    PHOTO: TNA A Thai man has been arrested for breaking into and stealing from a car in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi. The crime Suppression Division say the incident happened last December. 37 year old Phop Euanjit denies the charges saying he was just the motorcycle rider after the theft when 7,000 baht of valuables were taken. The incriminating motorcycle was found at…

    Read More »
  • Hot NewsCo-ordinated pipe bomb attacks in Yala injure five

    Co-ordinated pipe bomb attacks in Yala injure five

    FILE PHOTO Five Army troops and rangers have been injured after southern insurgents threw pipe bombs. Security officials say the incidents happened at three locations in Yala in what appears to be a co-ordinated incident. The commander of Muang Yala police station, Pol Col Narawee Binwaearong, says two insurgents on a motorcycle rode to a security checkpoint on the Siroros…

    Read More »
  • Thai LifeCompulsory health insurance for foreigners – will it affect you?

    Compulsory health insurance for foreigners – will it affect you?

    PHOTO: Over 50 and reading about compulsory health insurance? Not sure which way to turn? Foreigners aged over 50 applying for a particular visa type now need mandatory health insurance. The new requirements, which were approved by Cabinet in April and announced by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), says that people applying or renewing (or rather re-applying for) a…

    Read More »