- Thai Life
Thais need to have more babies to reverse declining population
A government advisory body is urging the Government to come up with measures to encourage Thais to have more babies. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has urged the government to implement additional measures to improve the birth rate in Thailand, following a recent study detailing the impact of a shrinking population. Thailand, with the fertility rate of…
- Northern Thailand News
Alleged drug mule shot dead in clash with troops in Chiang Rai
PHOTO: Chiang Rai and Myanmar border at Mae Sai A drug mule has been shot dead on the border between Chiang Rai and Myanmar, and 350,000 methamphetamine pills were seized following a clash between an Army task force and a group of drug smugglers. The commander of the Pha Muang Taskforce says the incident happened at 12.30am along the Myanmar…
- South Thailand News
Government to give cash handouts to oil palm planters
The National Oil Palm Committee, led by Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, plans to give away 1,500 baht per rai cash handout to 150,000 oil palm planters in a massive subsidy for their production cost. The subsidies arrive with almost perfect timing for the ruling NCPO in the lead up to the national election in February and the rise of the…
- Thailand News
‘Recognise all citizen’s right to create a family’ – Rainbow Sky Association
by Pratch Rujivanarom. PHOTO: Prasert Thepsri “LGBT activists are calling on the Thai government to recognise all citizen’s right to create a family.” The Nation reports that both the Civil Code’s marriage law and the new Life Partnership Bill are in violation of the Constitution’s gender-equality principle, gender-diversity campaigners asserted as they pressed for full marriage equality rather than a two-tier…
- South Thailand News
Mother killed by moving train, 2 year old daughter survives
A mother and her 2 year old daughter fell from a train at a station in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The mother died while the girl survived with minor injuries. The incident took place at the Klong Chandee railway station at 10am this morning. Police say 21 year old Benjawan Duangsuwan died at the scene. Her daughter was sent to Por Than…
- Chiang Mai News
31 year old British tourist arrested in Chiang Mai – Drugs and overstay
PHOTO: Sanook A 31 year old man has been arrested in Chiang Mai yesterday for alleged use of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and overstaying his visa. Police arrested British tourist, Benjamin John Soulsby at his rented house in a housing estate in Tambon Tonpao, Kamphaeng district, following a tip-off from the house owner that his tenant appeared to be high on…
- Thai Life
Dam levels low in some regions – Dry season
PHOTO: Srinagarind Dam, Kanchanaburi The Royal Irrigation Department says there be enough water for domestic consumption this dry season. But they acknowledge that water reserves in many dams around the country are running low. The RID director-general, Thongplew Kongjun, is assuring the public that the country will have enough water for domestic consumption and businesses during this dry season. But…
- Thailand News
Bangkok man killed when pickup hits wild elephant
A Bangkok driver has been killed after his pickup truck appears to have hit a wild elephant on an unlit road in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district. The driver has been identified as 58 year old Nakharin Boonchai. Officials believe the pickup hit a large elephant as the road was dark and the driver could not see the large mammal. His…
- Northern Thailand News
Prawit hands back seized assets from illegal money-lenders
PHOTO: The Nation Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan has presented 2,012 debtors in the Loei province, in far north-east Thailand, assets valued around 3.4 billion baht. The hand-over includes 1,773 land-title deeds held as collateral in dodgy loan scams. Many people, holding documents to their chest, couldn’t hold back tears of joy over getting the assets they thought were lost due…
- Northern Thailand News
96 year old perishes in Udon Thani house fire
A 96 year old, bedridden woman has died in a locked room at her house in Udon Thani’s Phen district on this morning. Fire swiftly and completely engulfed the building according to neighbours. The fire spread from the home of Phan Manee and also damaged a neighbour’s house. Fire-fighters spent about an hour extinguishing the blaze before Phan’s body could…
- Bangkok News
Growing support for Royal bicycle tour
by Prasert Thepsri His Majesty the King had his secretary, Air Chief Marshal Sathitpong Sukwimol, formally presented royally decorated shirts to be distributed among participants in the “Un Ai Rak: Bike for Love and Warmth” bicycle tour that the King will lead on December 9. The Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the governors of 76 provinces…
- Chiang Mai News
Frosty reception on Doi Inthanon this morning
Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s tallest and most revered mountain in Chiang Mai, awoke this morning covered in frost as the mercury dipped to minus 1 Celsius degrees. Kritsayam Kongsatree, chief of the Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai’s Jom Thong district, says it was the first time this winter/cold season the temperature had fallen below freezing. He added that the…
- Thailand News
Buffalo smiles end up in tears
by Thanapol Saengthong and Kornkamon Aksorndech Surat Paewkate, the 34 year old Chai Nat farmer who famously made headlines for his unusual friendship with a five year old buffalo called Thong Kham, has been separated from his four-legged best mate yesterday when police took the animal away over allegations that Surat had used this “friendship” to get money from others. Chai…
- Chiang Mai News
Temperatures plunge on Thailand’s highest mountain
The temperature has plunged sharply from around 7 degrees Celsius yesterday to only 1 Celsius today at the summit of tourist destination, and Thailand’s tallest mountain, Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai. This was reported by an official stationed on the mountain this morning. Wasan Chanthep, the assistant chief of Doi Thanon National Park, said the temperature at Kiew Mae Pan…
- World News
Gene-edited babies ‘immune to HIV’
PHOTO: He Jiankui is reflected in a glass panel as he works at a computer at a laboratory in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province – China Daily by China Daily A Chinese scientist’s attempt to produce babies immune to HIV is sparking heated debate among the public and academics. He Jiankui, a biological researcher, has announced on social media, that…
- World News
Some Chinese tourists are ‘illegal workers’ – Filipino Senator claims
by Philippine Daily Inquirer – Asia News Network Tens of thousands of Chinese from mainland China are entering The Philippines as tourists and obtaining short-term special permits to work in online gambling operations. At a hearing of the Senate labor committee, Sen. Joel Villanueva expressed alarm and indignation after immigration and labor authorities admitted that more than 119,000 “tourists,” most of…
- Koh Samui News
Burmese man arrested for selling ‘ice’ on Samui
FILE PHOTO A Burmese man has been arrested last night while allegedly delivering crystal meth to fellow Myanmar citizens on Koh Samui where he has been illegally living for the past 10 years. Police say 35 year old ‘Chaw’ was arrested while driving to allegedly deliver the drug to his buyers, believed to be other Myanmar nationals working in the…
- Thailand News
Thai government being urged to legalise e-cigarettes and vaping
by Jintana Panyaarvudh Allowing smoke-free products seen as more effective in discouraging tobacco smokers than the introduction of plain packaging for cigarette packets. The Nation reports that a network of e-cigarette users and importers is suggesting that lifting the ban on smoke-free products and issuing appropriate regulations would be a more-effective measure to discourage people from smoking rather than selling…
- Thailand News
Police searching for owner of weapons hidden in bushes
Police are investigating three M4A Carbine assault rifles along with 964 bullets that were discovered over the weekend inside large PVC pipes hidden in thick bushes. Police found the weapons in a tapioca plantation in Chacheongsao province on Saturday. Police suspect that the weapons found in Panom Sarakham district had been hidden recently, as the guns with serial numbers M320461,…
- Northern Thailand News
Shooting begins on “The Cave, Nang Non” film
Tom Waller, a Thai filmmaker with Irish heritage, begun filming a movie which showcases the international operation to rescue the “Mu Pa” football team from the flooded Tham Luang cave in July. The film, called “The Cave, Nang Non”, captures the tense efforts to rescue the 13 members of the team, that gripped the world’s attention for weeks. The youngsters…
- Northern Thailand News
Man thought he could now sell marijuana legally. Aah, no!
“He thought he could sell it legally.” A man has been arrested for advertising marijuana for sale on YouTube. With all the news about legalising medical marijuana in Thailand, he says he believed it was now legal to sell cannabis in Thailand. The Nation reports that, after police were alerted that a man was cashing in on cannabis on the…
- Food
Pru gets Phuket’s only Michelin gong
PHOTO: Trisara Phuket now has a Michelin star restaurant in its midst. The only restaurant in the Phuket or Phang Nga region to score a gong in the second Thai Michelin foodie guide. Montara Hospitality’s farm-to-table restaurant Pru at Trisara has earned a Michelin star. The guide whas expanded this year to cover the best dining venues in southern Phuket…
- Pattaya News
Car crashes into back of truck in Chon Buri, four killed
A driver and three passengers have all been killed after their car collided with the rear of a truck in Chonburi’s Bang Lamung district early today. Police say the accident happened around 2.30am on the Sukhumvit road in Tambon Bang Lamung of Bang Lamung district, heading towards Sattahip. Emergency responders spent more than half an hour using hydraulic iron cutters…
- Cannabis News
Government ready to develop medications, rejects seized marijuana
by Khanittha Thepphajorn and Kornrawee Panyasuppakun The move to getting medical marijuana legalised is edging closer. The bill on the issue has already made headway through the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). Yesterday, a bill was passed with 145 votes, allowing marijuana to be used for medical and research purposes. Only one legislator abstained. The NLA’s Somchai Swangkarn said a vetting committee…
- Phuket News
Former honorary consul arrested in Phuket for selling counterfeit visa stamps
FILE PHOTO Police have arrested a former honorary consul for allegedly producing counterfeit entry visa stamps and immigration documents and selling them to Russians wishing to come to Thailand. The Nation reports that Pol Maj-General Surachete Hakparn, acting immigration department chief, said the arrest of Kuliushin Vitalii in Phuket province was in response to a court-ordered arrest warrant against him.…
- Bangkok News
Young man drowns searching for coins in krathong floats
FILE PHOTO A young man has drowned in a canal in Samut Sakhon’s central district early this morning (Friday) while searching for coins in krathong floats left after being launched last night. Police were informed around 1.30 am that the young man had gone missing in the Thahan Rua canal in front of Samut Sakhon provincial hall. A team of…
- Pattaya News
Dead Canadian found on yacht at Ocean Marina Yacht Club
A Canadian tourist has been found dead on his yacht at a marina in Chon Buri’s Sattahip, south of Pattaya, early today. The Na Jomtien police were informed at 2.30am that 61 year old Tourville Gilbert had died on his yacht that was docked at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Tambon Na Jomtien. A doctor has determined that he…
- South Thailand News
Southern Muslim leaders disapprove of LGBT partner bill
“Only in the South has our public forum on the Life Partnership Bill heard opposition.” Muslim leaders in Thailand’s South have rejected the proposed Life Partnership Bill, which would allow LGBT couples to marry. The Nation reports that, if the bill becomes law, the religious leaders say they will not perform marriage rituals for LGBT couples. No religious leader is…
- Northern Thailand News
Half a tonne of marijuana seized…
.. and no one has come to claim it yet. Khon Kaen police have seized 500 kilograms of marijuana after a pickup truck overturned in Khon Kaen’s Ban Phai district early today. But no arrests have been made as yet. The Nation reports that Pol Lt Gen Surachai Khuantejakup, commissioner of the Provincial Police Bureau 4, told a press conference…
- Thailand News
Teenagers lighting up more than their krathongs
For the teenagers who have more on their mind than floating a Krathong tonight… Teenagers are being warned not to engage in inappropriate sexual behaviour or unsafe sex during the Loy Krathong Festival. The Public Health Ministry’s Department of Health deputy chief Dr Bancha Khakhong says that young people usually release flowery floats into rivers and water sources…
