Month: July 2020

  • Politics NewsStudent flash mob in Chiang Mai as anti-government protests keep popping up

    Student flash mob in Chiang Mai as anti-government protests keep popping up

    By Will Langston For the second time in less than a week, activists took over Chiang Mai’s famous landmark Tha Pae Gate last night around 5pm. Their message was clear in banners and in slogans showed by the group: Freedom. Police watched closely as hundreds of people gathered, dressed in cosplay attire, wearing masks and holding signs expressing their individual…

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  • Crime NewsPattaya murder suspects arrested

    Pattaya murder suspects arrested

    2 men have been arrested for the shocking daylight shooting murder of a motorbike taxi driver in Pattaya on Tuesday. The Pattaya News reports the suspects were nabbed in Chon Buri province’s Bang Saen district early this morning. Police found a blue Honda PCX motorbike, which they believe was used in the shooting, in front of an apartment building in…

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  • Politics NewsPro-monarchy students plan Bangkok rally

    Pro-monarchy students plan Bangkok rally

    A group of pro-royalist vocational students and their supporters are planning a rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument today, possibly provoking a confrontation with pro-democracy students. The student group, calling itself “Vocational Students to Protect the Nation” said on their Facebook page that they will be demonstrating at Democracy monument and voice their opinions on the current surge of pro-democratic student…

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  • Thailand NewsDriver seriously injured after becoming trapped under bus in Chon Buri

    Driver seriously injured after becoming trapped under bus in Chon Buri

    A bus driver in the eastern Thai province of Chon Buri has been seriously injured after becoming trapped under his vehicle while trying to repair it. The Pattaya News reports that 50 year old Samrit Phetphunok was attempting to fix a broken axle when the bus collapsed on him. The incident occurred in the Ban Bueang area of the province.…

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  • Economy News“We Travel Together” campaign may be extended through 2020

    “We Travel Together” campaign may be extended through 2020

    The “We Travel Together” government stimulus campaign may be extended to increase domestic tourism through to the end of the year, while travel bubbles for tourists will hopefully be launched by October, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. He says the slow start of the scheme, launched July 15, can be partly attributed to hesitation among tourists as…

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  • Covid-19 NewsHealth officials highlight “second wave” risk posed by migrant workers

    Health officials highlight “second wave” risk posed by migrant workers

    Following on the Thai government’s announcement that it will grant entry to several other categories of foreigners, the Public Health Ministry is highlighting the risk posed by migrant workers, in particular those entering the country illegally. The government is preparing special “migrant quarantine” facilities to house labourers coming in from neighbouring countries. However, the deputy director-general of the Disease Control…

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  • Environment NewsPHIST – Asia’s largest online tourism event, returns this September

    PHIST – Asia’s largest online tourism event, returns this September

    PHIST, the Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism, is set to break down boundaries again with a “virtual” version of Asia’s largest sustainable travel and hospitality event on September 7. Over 1,200 of the industry’s leading figures are expected to attend this socially-distant online gathering. The online event will include keynote addresses, interactive sessions, educational workshops and a green exhibition.…

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  • Politics NewsPM voices concern over pro-government rally planned for Bangkok today

    PM voices concern over pro-government rally planned for Bangkok today

    The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha has issued a warning about a rally planned by a pro-government group, saying he is concerned members could end up clashing with anti-government demonstrators. The rally is planned to take place at the Democracy Monument in the capital this afternoon. A report in the Chiang Rai Times says the pro-government group gathers under the name…

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  • Bangkok NewsNonthaburi teen, 3 friends injured as Porsche smashes into tree

    Nonthaburi teen, 3 friends injured as Porsche smashes into tree

    A teenager in Nonthaburi, just northwest of Bangkok, lost control of the Porsche he was driving, smashing it into a tree yesterday. He and his 3 passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. The incident took place on the exit of the tollway heading toward Chaengwattana Road in Pak Kret. Police were notified of an incident…

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  • Economy NewsThai baht getting stronger

    Thai baht getting stronger

    The Thai baht continues to strengthen, coming in at 31.41 against the US dollar. Nation Thailand reports that Jitipol Puksamatanan, Head of Markets Strategy at SCB Securities, predicts the currency will fluctuate between 31.35 and 31.85 against the US dollar, which continues to weaken. xe.com/currencyconverter Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor 500 Index has dropped 0.6%, which is being blamed on…

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  • Covid-19 NewsWorldwide Covid-19 Recovery Index puts Thailand at No. 1

    Worldwide Covid-19 Recovery Index puts Thailand at No. 1

    Thailand takes the top spot for its recovery efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data from the Global Covid-19 Index. The Tourism Authority of Thailand Newsroom reports that the Kingdom has been ranked no. 1 out of 184 countries for its seemingly successful suppression of the virus. Thailand scored 82, leading the way in overcoming the coronavirus that has…

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  • Crime News80 year old Phattalung woman allegedly raped by former neighbour

    80 year old Phattalung woman allegedly raped by former neighbour

    A woman in the southern province of Phatthalung has allegedly been raped by a former neighbour, who claimed to have been attracted to her “since he was young”. She was given a saline injection and instructed to rest in bed at home. The woman is 80 years old. She reports that she was selling steamed sticky rice and banana snacks…

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  • Economy NewsCentral bank mulls severing baht’s gold link to weaken gains

    Central bank mulls severing baht’s gold link to weaken gains

    Thailand’s central Bank is mulling breaking the baht’s link to gold as a way to weaken it without being labelled a “currency manipulator” by Washington. According to US Census Bureau data, Thailand’s trade surplus surpassed US$20 billion in the 12 months up to the end of November 2019. That exceeds a $20 billion cap the US Treasury sets for bilateral…

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  • Crime NewsPattaya murder well planned, police after 2 suspects

    Pattaya murder well planned, police after 2 suspects

    Police now say yesterday’s shocking daytime murder of a motorbike taxi driver in South Pattaya appears to have been well planned and say they’re already tracking down 2 suspects. 47 year old Prathum Saartnak was shot once in the head around noon yesterday behind Pattaya School 8, near the famous Walking Street area. He had just finished dropping off a…

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  • Politics NewsLeaked memo shows Thai police preparing to arrest protesters

    Leaked memo shows Thai police preparing to arrest protesters

    A leaked internal memo shows riot police have been ordered to mobilise and prepare detention facilities to accommodate arrested student protesters. The police memo, dated Friday, orders the heavily armed Border Patrol Police to be “on standby” for student-led anti-government protests in Bangkok. Although a provision of the Emergency Decree banning public gatherings was removed last week, police say it…

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  • Pattaya NewsPattaya woman, infant son escape house fire unharmed – VIDEO

    Pattaya woman, infant son escape house fire unharmed – VIDEO

    A woman and her son in Pattaya’s Nong Prue district escaped an early morning house fire after the boy cried out and woke up his mum. Firefighters were notified of the blaze at 3am today. Firefighters, emergency responders and reporters arrived at the house which was already engulfed in flames. Bystanders, including the home’s residents, were standing outside in a…

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  • Covid-19 News1 new case of Covid-19 reported as a soldier in state quarantine – July 29

    1 new case of Covid-19 reported as a soldier in state quarantine – July 29

    One new case of Covid-19 cases confirmed by the government today, as another soldier who was quarantined after returning from a military exercise in Hawaii. Read more on the original story, HERE. Deputy general manager of the Department of Disease Control, says the man arrived on July 22, and was quarantined in the province of Chon Buri. He screened positively…

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  • Thailand NewsBangkok sees first ever student-led LGBT pride march – VIDEO

    Bangkok sees first ever student-led LGBT pride march – VIDEO

    After more than a week of anti-government protests across the nation, a different kind of demonstration was held in Bangkok today – Thailand’s first ever student-led “pride march”. Young protesters demanded state teachers stop discriminating against LGBT students, more progressive health and sex education, and a revision of restrictive haircut rules. Students marched along Ratchadamnoen Avenue to the Ministry of…

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  • OpinionPhuket’s killer boat Phoenix ripped apart for scrap metal

    Phuket’s killer boat Phoenix ripped apart for scrap metal

    OPINION A very sorry sight today as an infamous relic of Thailand’s worst maritime disaster ends up being ripped apart and sold for scrap. Thai authorities will be glad to see the ghosts of ‘Phoenix’ gone once and for all. On July 5, 2018, two tour boats capsized off the south west coast of Phuket, during a sudden storm. 46 people…

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  • Covid-19 NewsThailand ranks #1 for handling Covid-19 crisis

    Thailand ranks #1 for handling Covid-19 crisis

    A global survey released yesterday gave Thailand top marks for its effective handling of Covid-19 and its recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The nation scored 82 on the Global Covid-19 Index, putting it on top of the global chart as an example of best practices in tackling the virus sweeping the globe. In the previous ranking published June 14, Thailand…

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  • South Thailand NewsHat Yai police seize over 20,000 meth pills; suspect escapes, wife arrested

    Hat Yai police seize over 20,000 meth pills; suspect escapes, wife arrested

    More than 20,000 methamphetamine pills (“yaba”) and 28 grams of crystal meth (“ya ice”) were seized at a house in the southern Songkhla province’s Hat Yai district yesterday morning. A woman, 22 year old Kittima Ronnakan, was arrested, while her husband, the prime suspect, 49 year old Sompop Chaimit, escaped, leaving her alone at the dinner table. Acting on a…

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  • Central Thailand News1 dead, 14 injured in Nakhon Phathom market collapse

    1 dead, 14 injured in Nakhon Phathom market collapse

    A woman is dead and 14 others injured after a steel structure at a market in the central Nakhon Pathom province’s Bang Khaem subdistrict collapsed in a storm yesterday. Police rushed to the scene and found that a 32 year old sausage vendor Supranee (surname withheld) had been killed while 14 merchants and customers were injured with 5 in reportedly…

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  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 found in 3 Thai monks at Las Vegas temple

    Covid-19 found in 3 Thai monks at Las Vegas temple

    The Royal Thai consulate-general in Los Angeles confirmed yesterday that 3 Thai Buddhist monks at a temple in Las Vegas have contracted Covid-19. “The temple has 5 monks, who were tested for Covid-19 on July 13. The test results showed 3 have the virus. 2 monks were rushed to the hospital in critical condition and have been on respirators since,…

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  • Covid-19 NewsOfficials declare Rayong “Covid-free”, plan to revive domestic tourism

    Officials declare Rayong “Covid-free”, plan to revive domestic tourism

    After the fallout from an Egyptian soldier testing positive for Covid-19 while visiting Rayong, in eastern Thailand, the province is sending out the message that it’s safe to visit once more. Rayong has now gone over 2 weeks with no new case of the virus, with Governor Surasak Charoensirichot confirming over 6,900 residents have tested negative. Chayut Chaitrakulthong, Chairman of…

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  • Crime NewsProsecutors and police to investigate decision to drop Red Bull “Boss” charges

    Prosecutors and police to investigate decision to drop Red Bull “Boss” charges

    Following nationwide outrage at the news that billionaire Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, has had all charges against him dropped, the Office of the Attorney-General has promised an urgent probe into the decision. Vorayuth is accused of murdering a Bangkok policeman in 2012, by dragging him and his bike under his Ferrari, allegedly while under the influence of drugs…

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  • Phuket NewsTruck goes for a swim at Phuket beach – VIDEO

    Truck goes for a swim at Phuket beach – VIDEO

    Visitors to Phuket’s Yanui Beach on the island’s southwest coast were surprised to see a pickup truck roll across the beach and into the sea yesterday. Ironically, the black pickup came to a stop in the “no swimming” zone marked by a red flag, indicating that it’s is dangerous to enter the water at that part of the beach. The…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket seeks to revive tourism with 3 major events planned

    Phuket seeks to revive tourism with 3 major events planned

    Phuket is planning a series of promotional events in an effort to revive tourism in the hard-hit province. With tourism accounting for 80% of the economy, Phuket is arguably one of the most highly-impacted areas in the country after the economic fallout of the Covid pandemic struck. The Minister of Commerce, Jurin Laksanawisit, is overseeing the staging of 3 major…

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  • Central Thailand NewsLopburi police powerless to stop sex-crazed, junk food-addicted monkey gangs

    Lopburi police powerless to stop sex-crazed, junk food-addicted monkey gangs

    Since March, the city of Lopburi has battled monkey riots, as the Covid-19 pandemic dried up tourism, and thus, the primates’ main food source. Locals, in an effort to appease beasts, began feeding them, largely a diet of sugary junk food, with predictable results. Police, armed with slingshots, say there’s little they can do to stop the sex-crazed macaques who’ve…

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  • Politics NewsUS, Australia take hawkish tone towards China in talks

    US, Australia take hawkish tone towards China in talks

    Australian and US foreign and defence ministers have taken a hawkish tone against China in the latest round of annual talks between the two countries. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set the tone for the talks saying to the the Australian ministers that the United States “knows the threats that you and the rest of the free world face”. “And…

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  • Pattaya NewsMotorbike taxi driver shot dead behind Pattaya school after dropping off teacher

    Motorbike taxi driver shot dead behind Pattaya school after dropping off teacher

    A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver has been shot dead in broad daylight at the back of a school. The driver had just dropped off a teacher in the area, which is close to the city’s Walking Street. The Pattaya News names him as 47 year old Prathum Saartnak, who died from a single bullet wound to the head that pierced…

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  • Việt NamCOVID-19: Đà Nẵng giãn cách xã hội, cần tuân thủ ra sao?

    COVID-19: Đà Nẵng giãn cách xã hội, cần tuân thủ ra sao?

    Bắt đầu từ hôm nay (28/7), nhằm phòng chống sự lây lan của dịch trong làn sóng Covid-19 thứ 2, người dân Đà Nẵng phải tuân thủ những quy định đặc biệt trong thời gian giãn cách xã hội. Với tình hình diễn biến phức tạp của đại dịch COVID-19 trên địa bàn thành phố Đà Nẵng, Thủ tướng Nguyễn Xuân…

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  • Covid-19 NewsAll foreigners will have to serve 14 day quarantine “in the foreseeable future” – Minister

    All foreigners will have to serve 14 day quarantine “in the foreseeable future” – Minister

    Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, is reassuring Thais by explaining that all foreigners, regardless of their status or origins, will have to serve a mandatory 14 day quarantine, at least “in the foreseeable future”. Thailand officials are currently prepares phase six of the re-opening of the country, loosening the restrictions imposed in April when the country closed…

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  • Bangkok NewsBangkok restaurant refusal to serve foreigners goes viral – VIDEO

    Bangkok restaurant refusal to serve foreigners goes viral – VIDEO

    The Fullmoon Terrace and Bar, in Lat Phrao in the north east suburbs of Bangkok, is refusing to serve foreigners. It’s not a good look, especially when there have been no locally-transmitted cases of Covid-19 for over 2 months and the man was wearing a mask and being quite pleasant about the whole matter. The Thaiger wouldn’t have been as…

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  • Thailand NewsThe big comeback for Big Joke?

    The big comeback for Big Joke?

    Former police poster boy and Thai immigration Chief, Surachat Hakparn, aka. “Big Joke” says he wants to return to police duties and “come back in from the cold”.. He participated in 2 hours of prayers at the Wat Bueng Kradan in Phitsanulok city in Central Thailand, praying for a return to his roles in the Thai police force. At the…

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  • World NewsVietnam in new virus scare as 15 cases emerge

    Vietnam in new virus scare as 15 cases emerge

    Vietnam, which recorded its first locally transmitted case of Covid-19 since April, has now closed the coastal resort city of Da Nang to tourists after 15 new cases were recorded there over the past 5 days. Tourists cannot enter the city for 14 days and up to 80,000, mostly domestic visitors, are being flown home. Vietnam, along with Thailand, has been…

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  • EventsChiang Mai performance artists demonstrate for free speech

    Chiang Mai performance artists demonstrate for free speech

    PHOTOS by Will Langston With anti-government protests dotting the nation for over a week, performance artists in Chiang Mai took to the streets yesterday evening with a different type of demonstration – in favour of free speech. As the sun began setting, artists at each corner and junction of the old city’s moat could be found waiting to perform. At…

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  • Chiang Mai NewsTourism council urges Chiang Mai hotels to open up to meet domestic tourism demand

    Tourism council urges Chiang Mai hotels to open up to meet domestic tourism demand

    The chair of Chiang Mai’s branch of the Tourism Council of Thailand says the city’s hotels and tour agencies are showing little interest in reopening, despite the province expecting a surge in domestic tourism as a result of the government’s stimulus offering. Nation Thailand reports that tourism chief Punlop Sae-Jew says many properties continue to keep their doors shut as…

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