- Northern Thailand News
Buri Ram teacher probed after boy’s beating
A Buri Ram school has set up a committee to investigate a parent’s allegation that one of its teachers made a Prathom 6 pupil do 50 jumping jacks in the hot sun and then whipped him 10 times with a wooden stick wrapped in duct tape. The 12 year old’s mother revealed Friday’s incident and says her son had merely…
- Bangkok News
One dead in Burmese migrants’ Bangkok brawl
Police this morning arrested nine Myanmar migrant workers allegedly involved in a brawl in Bangkok last night that led to one compatriot’s death along with injuries to five others. A brief video circulated online showing 20 men fighting with knives and metal pipes near a poultry slaughterhouse on Soi Pridi Phanomyong 44, Khlong Ton Nua sub-district, Wattana district. Khlong Ton…
- Bangkok News
Container with radioactive waste being stored at Laem Chabang port
An unknown amount of radioactive waste has been detected inside an export container at the Laem Chabang Deep Seaport, just north of Pattaya, Chon Buri. The port’s deputy director, Vice Admiral Yutthana Mokkhao, says the waste is being kept in the safety zone at the port which is equipped to handle radioactive situation and it is being handled by officials…
- Thailand News
Visa-fee waiver for 21 countries as tourism slump sparks panic
by Kat Chanwanpen Visitors from 21 countries are getting their visa-on-arrival fee waived for 60 days, starting December 1. Amid declining numbers of visitors, notably from China, a desperate Cabinet yesterday agreed to waive the 2,000 baht visa-on-arrival fee for tourists from 21 countries for 60 days to try and revive one of the main engines of economic growth. Meanwhile,…
- Bangkok News
Thailand’s first Apple store opens along the Chao Phraya at the new Iconsiam
The new Iconsiam building is open along the banks of the Chao Phraya along with a stunning new Apple Store, the first in Thailand. One of the features of the new store is the play on the Apple logo which makes it look like a letter of the Thai alphabet, a first such departure for the usually rigorous Apple style-sheet.…
- Cannabis News
Narcotics Control Committee seek advise over legalisation of medical cannabis
The rather drawn out and tortuous trek of the process to legalise medical marijuana through the Thai parliamentary system has hit a bit of a hurdle. The Narcotics Control Committee will seek further input before deciding whether to reclassify marijuana, which is now a prohibited narcotic, to enable its use for medical purposes. “We have resolved to consult the Council…
- Bangkok News
Romance scammer arrested for overstaying his visa by four years
Thai police have continued their crackdown on foreign criminals, especially romance scammers, call-centre fraudsters and visa over-stayers, with the latest arrest of a 30 year old Nigerian man who was found to have overstayed his welcome in Thailand by nearly four years. Nigerian Cory Samuel Madubuchi, who was arrested in Nonthaburi, was also found to have 57 money transaction slips…
- Hua Hin News
Prachuap Khiri Khan floods trigger evacuations
Bang Saphan Hospital in Prachuap Khiri Khan transferred 10 patients in critical condition to a provincial hospital last night amid heavy flooding triggered by more than 200 millimetres of rainfall in just 24 hours in parts of the province. Floodwaters outside the Bang Saphan Hospital prompted the evacuation of nine patients on respiratory aid as well as a pregnant woman.…
- Northern Thailand News
Thai soldier accused of raping 75 boys
A 43 year old former Thai soldier has been arrested for raping 75 boys, many of whom were aged under 15 at the time of the alleged crimes. It is claimed he lured his victims by using the photo of a handsome younger man as his own profile picture in a gay chat application and then Facebook. Authorities are now…
- Business News
Thai Airways doubles up on 2017 losses
Thai Airways has doubled up on losses for the past three months (Q3), compared to the same period last year. They’ve reported an operating loss of 3.69 billion baht, up 103% year-on-year. The total revenue was actually up 2.2%, according to a statement from the Thai Airways president, Sumeth Damrongchaitham, but the operating costs were up 1.87 billion baht, compared…
- World News
Lion Air plane damaged in minor ground collision – Jakarta
It’s been a bad few weeks for the Indonesian Lion Air team with they another bad headline for the budget airline yesterday. An Indonesian Lion Air plane was involved in another accident yesterday, even as the search continues for remains of victims of last week’s plane crash. Lion Air Flight 633, bound for Jakarta, was canceled last night, after a…
- Thailand News
“The worst type of child abuse” – Doctors call on ban for underage boxing
PHOTOS: The Nation by Pratch Rujivanarom International paediatricians say getting children to box professionally is “the worst type of child abuse”, and is calling on Thai lawmakers to pass a law banning children under the age of 12 from the boxing ring in order to prevent them from suffering long-lasting brain injuries. The 13th World Conference on Injury Prevention and…
- Thailand News
‘Maldives’ style resort in Chanthaburi closed down after raid
Officials have raided and shut down a popular island resort that was advertised as “the Maldives of Chanthaburi”, saying it encroached on the sea. Chanthaburi is south east of Pattaya, about an hours drive from the Cambodian border. Pongpat Wongtrakul, the Provincial deputy governor, led marines of the Chanthaburi and Trat Protection Taskforce, marine park officials and harbour officials in…
- Thailand News
Chumphon man admits to repeatedly raping daughter
Police in Chumphon report that a 43 year old man has confessed to repeatedly raping his daughter from the time she was attending Mathayom 1, the first grade in Thai secondary school – approximately 12-13 years old. The man’s name has been withheld to protect the identity of the rape victim, who is now a 20 year old vocational-college student,…
- Bangkok News
More underpasses, overpasses built to solve Bangkok traffic congestion – PM
PHOTO: Before the new Ratchayothin underpass that was opened this week PM Prayut Chan-o-cha wants more tunnels and flyovers be built to ease traffic congestions in Bangkok. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says Prayut was impressed that the new Ratchayothin underpass had reduced congestion on Ratchadapisek Road at the Ratchayothin Intersection. The tunnel project was completed in 21 months, three months…
- Pattaya News
Two Russians arrested after visas cancelled over threat to blow up consular offices
Two Russians have been arrested for refusing to leave Thailand after their visas were cancelled for threatening to blow up the honorary consular offices of Russia in Chon Buri and Rayong. Pol Colonel Songprode Sirisukha, chief of the Chon Buri Immigration Office, said Dmitry Revtovich and Ilia Gilev had been arrested under a Pattaya Court warrant dated September 6 on…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai authorities vow to take action on aggressive strays
by Nisanart Kangwanwong and Kriankrai Rattana Aggressive stray dogs are be removed from Chiang Mai’s streets in the Doi Saket district after an attack on a 14 month old girl last Sunday. The toddler is now receiving treatment at a local hospital. She received more than 100 bites after being attacked by strays and is being given antibiotic injections every eight…
- Bangkok News
BKK Conference tackles rising road toll
by Pratch Rujivanrom Country can learn from Vietnam on promoting safety, say who experts Leading international road safety experts are urging Thai authorities to follow Vietnam’s example by setting up a central agency to directly mitigate the country’s severe accidents problem as well as create a digital traffic database to enhance traffic-law enforcement. Some of the world’s top experts and…
- Chiang Mai News
University Dean hands over iPad evidence in Chiang Mai upskirt case
by Thanakorn Wongnang A Chiang Mai University dean has turned over to police an iPad belonging to a former lecturer at the school who has been accused of using it last month to take photos beneath female students’ skirts. The lecturer has not been publicly named at this stage. It’s understood that Associate Professor Prapa Sukkasem, dean of the Faculty…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Man dies during Thai massage
Relevant authorities are investigating a massage parlour where a client died during a massage. The Health Establishment Bureau director Dr Pattarapon Jungsomjatepaisal said they are checking the business. “We will check if it is operating with a proper licence and if its masseur or masseuse is certified.” He noted that the victim’s wife has not filed a complaint with police…
- Phuket News
Cash for sea turtle eggs
by Pratch Rujivanrom Cash for spotting sea turtle nests. That’s the promise from national parks officers along the Andaman coast who are offering cash rewards for anyone who discovers sea turtle nests and notifies park officers. The innovative scheme is another attempt to protect the local endangered species from extinction. Marine National Park Operation Centre 2 in Phuket has announced…
- Northern Thailand News
900,000 meth pills and 3 kilos of ‘ice’ seized after brief shoot-out
Two suspected drug smugglers have been arrested at a Chiang Rai hotel following a short shootout with police. Police also seized 900,000 methamphetamine pills and three kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Acting on a tip-off, a team of narcotics suppression police staked out at a border point in Ban Tham Phatong in Tambon Tha Sud in Chiang Rai’s Muang district. They…
- Bangkok News
Rap raising debate in the lead up to February election
“As artists, we want to reflect the truth of the society we are living in under dictatorship,” a RAD member identified only as Hockhacker told The Nation Weekend. “Thailand seems to be caught in a loop of dictatorship. We want to voice what the majority cannot say directly. The lyrics were based on information we collected on social media, reflecting…
- South Thailand News
Narathiwat officials swing into action to combat deadly measles outbreak
by Narong Nuansakul The southern province of Narathiwat is stepping up vaccinations against measles as the disease has already claimed up to twelve lives in Yala and Pattani since June this year. A huge number of youngsters aged between one and five in Yala and Pattani have come down with measles in recent months, claiming the lives of 12 children.…
- Northern Thailand News
Drought declared in five Khon Kaen districts
Whilst parts of Thailand suffered floods and overflowing dams during August and September, other parts of the country are now facing drought conditions as we head into the dry season. Khon Kaen Governor Somsak Jungtrakul has declared five districts drought disaster zones. Somsak said on Friday there had been no rain for months in Pol, Nong Song Hong, Ban Had, Waeng…
- Bangkok News
Poll restrictions to be relaxed in December
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has distanced himself from a claim by his deputy Somkid Jatusripitak that the next head of government would “look similar” to the current one. General Prawit Wongsuwan, another deputy premier, said Somkid had shared the same thoughts as “many of us” although he would not specify what he thought regarding the matter. General Prayut was…
- Bangkok News
730 more foreigners rounded up in nationwide crackdowns
Immigration police have carried out their latest nationwide raid, rounding up foreigners living illegally in Thailand. There were 730 more arrests yesterday. Pol Maj Gen Itthipol Itthisarnronnachai, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told the media at 1am this morning (Friday) the results of the 38th “X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner” operation. Itthitpol said the operation focused on 238 areas around the…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya hotel ablaze, guests head for the exits
PHOTO: Channel 3 A fire at a well-known hotel in Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach caused panic in the early hours yesterday as guests were plunged into darkness and corridors began filling with smoke. The Pattaya police station was alerted that a blaze had broken out at 1.30am at the Grand Jomtien Palace Hotel in Tambon Nong Plue of Chon Buri’s Bang…