- Politics News
Opposition lawmaker challenges PM to a duel
An opposition politician on Thursday challenged PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to a trial by combat. Saranwut Saranke, a member of the Pheu Thai party and MP for the northern Uttaradit province, made the challenge during the recent censure debate. After repeating a claim that Prayut harboured disloyalty toward the monarchy for failing to fully recite his oath of office last year,…
- Northern Thailand News
Teacher busted for pimping underaged girls
A schoolteacher in the northeastern province of Surin was charged yesterday with providing underage girls to male clients for sex. The 51 year old teacher and a 41 year old karaoke bar owner were arrested after the Interior Ministry received a formal letter from an international organization against human trafficking. Police found five girls, one of whom is only 15…
- Covid-19 News
Tough new coronavirus measures start tomorrow
The Public Health Ministry today confirmed a new COVID-19 coronavirus infection, bringing Thailand’s national total to 42. An announcement from the ministry designating Covid-19 as a “dangerous communicable disease” will take effect tomorrow, strengthening authorities’ ability to combat the spread of the virus. Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary, says the newest victim is a 21 year old salesman, whose…
- Pattaya News
Australian bodybuilding champ arrested in Pattaya for illegal work, hormones
An Australian bodybuilder was arrested in Pattaya yesterday for working without a permit and being in possession of illegal hormones. Police say they received a tip from a concerned citizen that Rohan Jeffrey Reid, a well known former winner of amateur bodybuilding tournaments in Australia, was working illegally, organising and profiting from “Thai Muscle Camp” programs for foreigners. Reid allegedly…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirus myths: Eight things you should probably already know
Two months after the first cases came to the attention of the world, a lot more is known about the coronavirus, aka. Covid-19. Here’s a few well established myths and a few scientific facts. MYTH: ‘Face masks don’t work’ Wearing a face mask is no guarantee that you won’t be infected. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets and larger…
- Crime News
Lao woman kept as a slave for 9 years
The anti-human trafficking division of the Royal Thai Police yesterday arrested a Thai couple in the province of of Samut Sakhon, southwest of Bangkok, for the enslavement of a Lao woman. The couple kept the woman in a storage room and treated her as a slave for nine years. The suspects were identified as 60 year old Suchin Vipusitthikul and…
- Covid-19 News
South Korea virus cases skyrocket, approaching 3000
The World Health Organization has raised its risk alert to its highest level, as South Korea confirmed 594 more coronavirus (COVID-19) cases today, its biggest single-day increase, bringing the national total to 2,931. Three additional deaths were also reported. The Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say that more than 90% of the new cases were in Daegu, the…
- Tourism News
A breathtaking travel experience in Thailand is only available for few more days
Thailand, the land of smiles, is well known for its travel destinations and experiences, from unique cuisine to white sand beaches, from elephant camps to breathtaking views. But ironically, one of the best lookout spots in Thailand is also one of the most exclusive. An incredible hike lets tourists enjoy some of the best views in all of Thailand, but…
- Tourism News
Legend Siam, major Pattaya tourist attraction, closes its doors
The Legend Siam, a major cultural amusement park in Pattaya with shows and cultural attractions about Thailand, has closed and laid off all workers. A statement yesterday said the move was due to the current economic situation in Thailand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement, in English, read: “Due to the economy in Thailand last year and the COVID…
- Thai Life
No monkeying around: coronavirus fears mean monkeys in the South are going hungry
It’s not only humans being affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak; monkeys in the southern province of Songkhla, usually dependent on food from tourists, are facing a shortage. Tourists from Singapore and Malaysia, normally abundant in Songkhla, are cancelling tours amid worries over the outbreak, resulting in far less daily food for the monkeys there. Local fruit vendors, taking pity…
- Crime News
Shots fired in Nontha Buri mall
Police rushed to the Central Plaza mall in Nontha Buri province, just northwest of Bangkok, yesterday, after reports of gunshots inside the mall. The sound of shots was reported at about 4:20pm and people fled the building in the city’s Muang district. There were no reports of death or injuries. Local radio station Jor Sor 100 traffic radio later reported…
- Crime News
Computer techie arrested for putting spy cams in ladies’ public toilets
A computer technician has been arrested in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, for allegedly setting up spy cams in women’s public toilets. The suspect, 23 year old Nitiwat Muikaeo is said to have sold the videos on social media. The arrest comes after parents lodged complaints with the Technology Crime Suppression Division about videos of their daughters online. Police…
- Politics News
PM says military to downsize, halve number of generals
PM Prayut Chan-ocha, also the defence minister, announced yesterday that the Defence Ministry plans to downsize all three branches of the armed forces to become more modern and efficient, and will cut the number of generals in half within eight years. Speaking on the final scheduled day of a censure debate, Prayut said it’s necessary to strengthen the armed forces…
- Crime News
Rogue policeman turned burglar recaptured in Chiang Mai
A former policeman who escaped a Chiang Mai hospital after being arrested for burglary has been re-arrested. The ex-cop, identified only as “Pawaret,” was assaulted by homeowners after he attempted to burglarise a home last weekend, which led to rescue workers taking him to hospital. He subsequently escaped the in the early hours of the morning. His escape caused panic…
- Thai Life
National police get tough on… hair
Thailand’s National Police Command said yesterday it will inspect its ranks at random to ensure that the new haircut regulation is strictly followed. Spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen said the buzz cut, with the sides and back of their heads shorn and only a small patch of hair on top of their scalps,must be adopted by “all officers except those working undercover.”…
- Crime News
Bangkok cops bust online gun dealers
The chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau told a media briefing yesterday that officers have arrested six men and two women for selling firearms on Thai social media. They seized seven guns, ammunition and gun components. Police initially arrested Pairoh Chanchom for selling firearms without a licence. A subsequent, lengthy investigation led to raids on several premises and the…
- Thai Life
Legendary Thai singer Suthep Wongkamhaeng has died
A Thai icon is dead. Legendary “luk krung” singer Suthep Wongkamhaeng died today at his Bangkok residence, aged 86. A team of police and a doctor from Chulalongkorn Hospital were dispatched to Suthep’s house to examine the body and attempt to determine the cause of the death. Luk krung (Thai: ลูกกรุง, literally “child of the city”), also called phleng luk…
- Covid-19 News
More virus cases reported outside of China than within
For the first time ever, more COVID-19 coronavirus cases were reported in countries other than China yesterday, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The US is urging travellers to delay or cancel travel to South Korea after that country’s confirmed cases passed the 1500 mark. New cases were found around the world, from Pakistan to Brazil. The Iranian government…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Cool, foggy mornings predicted for the North
Thailand’s meteorological department today predicted cool mornings with fog in upper Thailand, with the mercury inching up later in the day. The department says that a weakening high pressure system is covering upper Thailand and the South China Sea, while southeasterly winds are blowing over Central Thailand and the East. Light rains are predicted for the South as weakening easterly…
- Covid-19 News
Health minister demands full disclosure of travel history after 3 more coronavirus cases confirmed
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had harsh words in a press conference yesterday for the 65 year old Thai man who concealed his travel history from medical workers, exposing not only some 30 medics but also his own family members to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The man and his wife had recently returned from Hokkaido in Japan, and, along with their…
- Crime News
4 Uzbek women rescued from human traffickers in Pattaya
Four Uzbek women were rescued in Pattaya yesterday by Uzbekistan embassy officials and Chon Buri Provincial Police after allegedly falling victim to a human trafficking scam. A team of police raided a condominium in South Pattaya near the entrance of Phra Tamnak hill. See the video version of this story HERE: The raid comes after Chon Buri police learned from…
- Politics News
High school students join wave of anti-government protests
Students in some of Bangkok’s most exclusive private high schools announced yesterday that would hold rallies in solidarity with anti-government protests being staged on college campuses across the nation. Students at the all-girl Satriwithaya School, located next to Bangkok’s iconic Democracy Monument, were urged on social media to gather at 3pm. Using the hashtag #SWStandsWithDemocracy, the organizers said there would…
- Crime News
Chinese man found bound, dead in suitcase in northern Thailand had visited Pattaya
The body of a Chinese man, with arms and legs bound, stuffed into a suitcase, has washed up on a sandbank in the Ping River in northern Thailand’s Kamphaeng Phet province. The body was doubled over and the ankles were tied with plastic cable ties. Red rope encircled the arms and legs. Police believe the man was 30 year old…
- Crime News
Canadian murder suspect to be extradited to US
A murder suspect from Canada has lost his appeal against extradition to the United States after Bangkok’s Appeal Court upheld a lower court’s ruling, sending him to face a murder charge there. The ruling was handed down this afternoon. The extradition was sought by the Office of the Attorney-General against Matthew Alexander McGowan, accused of fatally shooting another person in…
- Covid-19 News
Thai family of three are focus of local coronavirus outbreak in northern Bangkok
UPDATE Three worrying new Thailand coronavirus cases are being reported as coming from the same family. A 65 year old man, the grandfather in the family, had returned from Japan with his wife but didn’t disclose his situation or travel history to health workers when he took himself to hospital with a fever. The grandfather tested positive and his workplace,…
- Thai Life
Bangkok taxi driver returns 100,000 baht to Japanese man
A Bangkok taxi driver returned 100,000 baht that was left in his cab to a Japanese man yesterday. 55 year old Pratuang Klongkaew returned a backpack to Masaomi Fukurono, aged 49, from Japan. Masaomi left the backpack in Pratuang’s taxi at about 4am. Pratuang says that as he was delivering a tourist to a condo on Rama 4 road, the…
- Covid-19 News
Thai Airways to waive exchange fees for more routes
Thai Airways International announced today that it will waive charges for flight swaps for even more passengers going to countries and territories affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The policy now extends to the following routes: Return trip: Bangkok-Japan, -South Korea, -Taiwan, -Singapore Exchange fees will be waived for THAI or THAI Smile code-share tickets issued on or before February 18…
- Environment News
22 areas of Bangkok found with excessive PM2.5 dust in the atmosphere today
Bangkok was blanketed with excessive PM2.5 dust yesterday, measuring between 55 and 90 microns per cubic metre (µg/m3), above Thailands “safe” threshold of 50. Air quality has improved slightly today, with only 22 areas found to have PM2.5 dust above 50 microns. The limit set by the World Health Organisation is 25 µg/m3. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) announced the…
- Crime News
Pattaya police arrest prolific home and hotel catburglar
Police in Pattaya yesterday arrested a suspect yesterday who they say has admitted to at least ten burglaries of homes and hotels over the last several months. Pattaya City Police reported the arrest of a 37 year old Thai man, identified only as ‘Phet’ yesterday morning. He allegedly broke into rooms in apartments and hotels through unlocked windows, when victims…
- Crime News
Fugitive shot dead in gunfight with police in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A fugitive is dead after a gunfight with police in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The man, identified as 30 year old Pongsak Jessadarom, of the province’s Muang district, was wanted on three warrants for theft. Police were notified this morning by local residents of two thieves attempting to break into a house. A motorcycle patrol soon arrived…
