Month: August 2020
- Crime News
Student activist arrested on charges from protesting
Police arrested a student while he protesting outside a market PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was visiting. The student Panupong Jadnok, known as Mike Rayong, was holding up a sign saying “1,000 rai sea reclamation. What will Rayong people get?” Apparently Mike’s land reclamation protest didn’t have much to do with his arrest. He had an arrest warrant for his role in…
Read More » - Politics News
Student representatives accuse teachers of bullying, call on Education Ministry to act
Student groups have met with officials at the Thai Education Ministry and submitted a letter urging the ministry to take action against teachers they accuse of intimidation. The students say they are being bullied for expressing their political views at school. There’s been an outbreak of student involvement in the pro-democracy voices in the country. It has spread from the…
Read More » - World News
Hong Kong resumes travel bubble discussions with Thailand and Japan
Hong Kong’s commerce chief, Edward Yau, says the Special Administrative Region is once again chatting to Thailand authorities, and Japan, regarding the possible formation of “travel bubbles”. The talks were suspended last month as Hong Kong battled a third wave ‘spike’ of the Covid-19 virus. Now, the idea of mutually beneficial travel agreements is back on the table, subject to a…
Read More » - Thailand News
Facebook blocks page critical of the Thai Monarchy
“Access to this group has been restricted within Thailand pursuant to a legal request from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.” Facebook has blocked a popular group page that’s known for being critical of the Thai Monarchy. The social media platform may have faced defamation charges from the Thai government if the content was not taken down. The group…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
China admits skipping clinical trials in roll-out of Covid vaccine for high-risk groups
As Russian President Vladimir Putin trumpets the launch of the country’s Covid-19 vaccine, China says it’s been administering its own vaccine since late July, foregoing clinical trials. Officials in Beijing say healthcare workers and those employed in state-owned enterprises have been first to receive the vaccine, under what it calls “urgent use” protocols, according to a Nation Thailand report. The…
Read More » - Politics News
Navy defends their purchase of 2 new Chinese submarines
“…disputes involving territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea have been ongoing, with major powers getting involved” After coming under criticism over the weekend over the decision to go ahead with the purchase of 2 Chinese submarines, the Royal Thai Navy faced the media yesterday. The hashtag #PeopleSayNoToSubs has been trending since the budget allocation was passed by…
Read More » - World News
14 dead, 75 injured in southern Philippines suicide bomb attacks
More violence in the southern Philippines as Islamic militants exploded powerful bombs in the region yesterday. At least 14 soldiers and civilians were killed, and another 75 injured, despite all the additional security – Islamic State militants have made threats in recent weeks. At least 5 soldiers and 4 civilians were killed as a result of the first attack near…
Read More » - Phuket News
Pranked: FoodPanda delivers dozens of coffee orders to random Phuket neighborhood
Coffee with dash of cream? More like a dash chaos. One Phuket street was crowded FoodPanda delivery drivers yesterday, all with the same order. Coffee. Lots of coffee. It’s estimated that a prankster ordered nearly 100 cups of coffee along with waffles and noodles to a random neighborhood. One resident posted on Facebook that she received an order for 13…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Cabling fire cuts comms and electricity to parts of Pattaya
Wondering what happened to your Netflix and power today? Parts of Pattaya were in blackout for a few hours whilst some communications and internet went down. Communication cables randomly caught fire and caused power outages in some parts of Pattaya after fire took hold of a congregation of black cabling. . The lack cabling caught fire from unknown causes around…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand plans for global cannabis trade
Thailand is getting into the global cannabis trade. Government officials are drafting up a law that would consider medical cannabis as an economic crop, meaning it would be allowed to be exported to other countries. They plan to reach markets in throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. The draft also focuses on the cultivation of cannabis and Thai hemp.…
Read More » - World News
Bali’s borders closed to international tourists the end of 2020
Planning a trip to Bali? Think again. Bali’s borders are closed for foreign tourists for the rest of the year. The Indonesian island was set to lift restrictions on September 11, but the Bali governor says it is still not safe to have people entering and leaving due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thailand has also pushed international tourist travel until…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Floods wash up the North, Northeast prepares as Mekong rises
Heavy rains and flooding in Northern Thailand damaged homes and killed 1 resident. 2 people are reported missing. The Nation Thailand did not report the details of the death, but says the “flood crisis” affected 10 provinces and more than 7,000 homes in the area. Flood victims are being rescued and brought to higher ground by the Department of Disaster…
Read More » - Crime News
Student charged with fatal recklessness for cheerleader’s death
A university student is charged with fatal recklessness after she allegedly ordered a cheerleader at practice to run until she collapsed. 19 year old Phornphiphat “Nong Mint” Eaddam, a first year student at Rajabhat University in Phuket, died at a local hospital. The second year student known as Prae allegedly forced the first year student to run 8 laps at…
Read More » - Politics News
Monarchy critic faces charges for Facebook page
A popular critic of Thailand and Thai politics is facing charges for a Facebook group he runs that is critical of the Thai Monarchy. The private group “Royalist Marketplace,” run by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, has more than 1 million followers. Some of the supporters have been spotted at recent pro-democracy protests holding Royalist Marketplace signs. A complaint was filed by Ministry…
Read More » - Tourism News
Phuket’s ‘safe and sealed’ plan does nothing for the majority of the island’s hospitality sector
OPINION Damned if they do and damed if they don’t. Thailand is now taking a decisive step towards reopenits its borders to tourists with a pilot project in Phuket this October. The pilot precedes the annual high-season, and if successful, then will form the basis of a wider push for re-opening the country’s borders to the lucrative tourist market. TAT…
Read More » - World News
Police arrest truck driver carrying 140,000 meth pills
Police found around 140,000 methamphetamine pills hidden in a pickup truck at a checkpoint in Kanchanaburi, Central Thailand. Police arrested the driver, 49 year old Chen Sichan. The driver says he picked up the drugs from the Three Pagodas Pass, a Myanmar-Thailand border checkpoint, according to police. The drugs would be driven to a petrol station in Kanchanaburi town and…
Read More » - Tourism News
Expats should be able to share in the government’s tourism incentive programs
by Expat Life Newly elected President of the Thailand Hotels Association and Vice President of Sukosol Hotels, Marisa Sukosol, was asked what her thoughts were about the Thailand Together government travel stimulus campaign. Although close to 5 million people have registered, only 600,000 hotel rooms have been booked at this stage, well below initial estimates. “The project would have more bookings if…
Read More » - Politics News
Anger as officials visit home of child who made 3-fingered salute – VIDEO
Thai social media is awash with outrage following a visit by government officials to the home of a kindergarten student who used the anti-government 3-fingered salute. CCTV footage, which shows officials arriving to talk to the girl’s parents, has been posted on Facebook, along with a message questioning the reason for the visit. “The authorities are looking for Om Yim,…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Teenager allegedly stole 2 million baht from high schoolers
A teenage girl allegedly stole a total of 2 million baht from her younger peers in the Isaan province Khon Kaen. Around 10 students, all 14 to 16 years old, filed police reports with help from their parents. Thai media reports the 17 year old girl’s name as Wawa. She allegedly ran a savings reward scheme at the local high…
Read More » - Politics News
Thai nationals overseas voice support for anti-government protesters
As anti-government protests continue in the Kingdom, similar rallies are taking place overseas, driven by Thai nationals living abroad. The Bangkok Post reports that a Scotland-based group, known as Thais Rise Up, is planning a rally in Edinburgh on August 29. In solidarity with its fellow citizens in Thailand, the group is calling for the Thai parliament to be dissolved…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Bangkok hosts Thailand’s first Andy Warhol exhibition
Bangkok is hosting Thailand’s first exhibition of original art from renowned pop artist, Andy Warhol, who would have turned 92 this month. The exhibition will include one of his most famous creations, Campbell’s Soup Cans, with a total of 128 pieces going on show. A report in Thai PBS World says the exhibition, which has taken 2 years to plan,…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
3 died, others hospitalised in Northeast Thailand crash
3 people died and 9 were injured in a car accident during a heavy rain storm yesterday in Ubon Ratchathani, Northeast Thailand. Police say a pickup truck lost control and slid across the road into another lane heading the opposite direction. The truck was then hit on its side by an on-coming van headed west toward Si Sa Ket. The…
Read More » - Politics News
Opposition party suggests 3 amendments to Thai constitution
Thailand’s opposition Kao Klai Party is proposing 3 amendments to the nation’s constitution, without affecting the chapters related to the monarchy or Thai sovereignty. The party suggests forming a Constitution Drafting Assembly, with the members directly elected by the Thai people. Their suggested changes to the constitution include abolishing the appointed Senate and cancelling all orders issued by the military…
Read More » - World News
Singapore lifts restrictions, travellers from New Zealand and Brunei allowed
Some major border restrictions are lifting in Singapore. Those in New Zealand or Brunei who want to spend a holiday in Singapore can do so starting September 1. There will no requirement for those travellers to do a 2 week quarantine. Those in Singapore will also be allowed to travel to both New Zealand and Brunei. Yes, it’s a travel bubble…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Pattaya business and tourism official calls for more government help during Covid crisis
Pattaya is in desperate need of more government assistance, according to the president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association. Despite getting a spurt of additional visitors from Bangkok each weekend, the general visitor economy remains perilously low. Speaking to reporters, Ekasit Ngampichet says Pattaya business owners face several challenges as a result of the fallout from Covid-19. “I would…
Read More » - Politics News
Thai expats show their support for local pro-democracy protests
The protests have been popping up around Thailand, and overseas. Support of the pro-democracy demands by students and activists has spread beyond the borders of Thailand. A group, calling themselves ‘Thais Rise Up” in Scotland says they are holding their own rally at the end of this week in Edinburgh with same demands – to call for the dissolution of the…
Read More » - Thailand Weather Updates
North cleans up after wet weekend
5 provinces in Thailand’s North – Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lampang, Nan and Phrae – all suffered serious flooding on Saturday, causing damage in 15 districts, 189 villages and more than 1,400 households. Nan province suffered the most, with 960 households in 6 subdistricts damaged and 1 person dead. Officials in Chiang Mai warned visitors and residents to stay away from…
Read More » - Politics News
Royal Thai Navy front media today to explain purchase of 2 Chinese submarines
After the outcry over a house budget committee’s decision to approve the purchase of another 2 Chinese submarine’s last week, the Royal Thai Navy will front the media today to explain the controversial 22.5 billion baht acquisition. A Royal Thai Navy source has told Thai PBS World that “a clarification is necessary”, because members from the Pheu Thai party had…
Read More » - Politics News
Report: US President Trump’s sister slams him as “cruel” and “a liar” in secret recordings
In a shock revelation, secretly made recordings reveal that Maryanne Trump Barry, the older sister of US President Donald Trump, described him as “cruel” and a “liar”, whose lack of principles meant he could “not be trusted.” The recordings, obtained by the Washington Post, were published yesterday. They are the latest unflattering insider account to target the president, but instead…
Read More » - Crime News
Murder suspect captured after motorbike crash
Police in the southern province of Surat Thani say a man with 3 arrest warrants, 1 each for for murder, attempted murder and robbery, was caught after a motorcycle incident in the early hours of this morning in the city’s central district. The Surat Thani police chief said that at about 12.10am a motorcycle ran off the road at a…
Read More » - Events
Pattaya tipped to stage huge airshow in 2023
Officials in Pattaya confirmed this week that the resort town is slated to hold a major international airshow in 2023 at the U-Tapao airport. The event is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors and to be the biggest-ever airshow in Asia. A spokesman for the Pattaya City Business and Tourism Association confirmed the announcement and said the show…
Read More » - Environment News
Surveys show the majority support protesters but fear violence
In apparent contradiction, separate opinion polls have found that, while a majority of people agree with the demands of pro-democracy demonstrators, a majority also fear that the ongoing wave of protests could lead to division and violence in society, particularly if protesters touch on the subject of the Monarchy. An opinion survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Khon Kaen sees second rally in 3 days
Khon Kaen, 1 of the “big 4” cities of Isaan in Thailand’s northeast, saw a brief anti-government demonstration in its central district last night, the second in 3 days. The rally at the democracy monument on Srichan road in the Khon Kaen municipal area started at around 9pm. A group of students and and supporters of the Free People group…
Read More » - Tourism News
Heavyweight doctors oppose Phuket plan to admit tourists
A number of prominent physicians, some advisors to the Ministry of Public Health and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, have posted on social media this weekend that they strongly oppose opening Thailand to tourists in any way, shape or form. Their concerns follow the government’s announcement yesterday of its plan to cautiously reopen the southern resort island of Phuket…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
1 injured as Udon Thani bus slips of wet road
A bus in Isaan’s Udon Thani province slipped off the road and onto is side in heavy rain last night, seriously injuring a passenger. All 19 passengers, some with minor injuries, and the driver were safely rescued, and no deaths were reported. The injured passenger was sent to hospital. Police and rescue staff were alerted to the incident, on Mittraphap…
Read More » - Crime News
Grandmother sentenced for pimping granddaughter
A grandmother in Thailand’s South has been given a 55 year prison sentence for offering her 14 year old granddaughter for sex to a local politician. The Foundation for Children, Youth and Families announced yesterday that the court handed the sentence to the defendant, identified as Sakol Phodee, on Wednesday. Chuwit Jantaros, secretary-general of the foundation said the court found…
Read More » - Crime News
Justice Ministry, DSI seize over half a billion baht in assets from drug traffickers
The Thai-language daily Thai Rath reported yesterday that the Justice Ministry, together with the Department of Special Investigation, this week seized cash and assets valued at more than half a billion baht from drug traders in Bangkok, neighbouring Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan provinces, and Chon Buri. The assets seized on Wednesday alone include 1,000 baht weight of gold bars…
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