Thaiger
- Pattaya News
American fugitive remains on life support
PHOTO: MONTAGE: 77kaoded The American man who escaped from a Pattaya court has not died, according to the director of a hospital in southeastern Sa Kaeo province. Now Thai media are using the word “Coma!!” in their latest headlines. A doctor says 39 year old Bart Allen Helmus is in critical condition and remains on a respirator. ER staff confirmed to the…
- Economy News
Ease on foreign investments and cut on official interest rate
The Bank of Thailand will now allow Thai residents to send money overseas to invest directly and the domestic trading in gold in foreign currencies. The Central bank governor Veerathai Santiprabhob says the move should help slow the baht’s worryingly rapid appreciation. The new measures will come into effect tomorrow. Exporters will be allowed to invest their earnings abroad, up to…
- Bangkok News
Cabinet go-ahead for 3.6 billion baht spend to put electrical cabling underground
The Cabinet has approved expenditure of 3.6 billion baht to help the Metropolitan Electricity Authority speed up the moving of power lines underground in areas along MRT lines – the announcement from deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul. “The project length is a total of 215.6 kilometres and the MEA has finished just 46.6 kilometres, leaving another 169 km to complete.…
- Road deaths
Thai road death toll tops 12,000 in 2019
PHOTO: Motorcyclist skittled by pick-up and killed in Ranong this week – Daily News Thai media report 12,304 people have been registered as dying at accident scenes in Thailand so far this year. Academics caution that this figure only relates to those who die at the scene, and the actual death toll is far higher when when all all data…
- Phuket News
Russian swimmer drowns at Karon Beach
A 61 year old Russian tourist has died after getting caught in a rip at Phuket’s Karon Beach. Police say the man, whose name was withheld pending family and Embassy notification, was swimming alone at the northern end of the beach, just a few hundred metres from the “Tourist Service Centre”. He was seen struggling after currents dragged him out…
- Phuket News
Police arrest dangerous Phuket robber
PHOTO: Patong Police A 24 year old, wanted for a theft and robbery, including robbing hotel staff in Phuket Town at knifepoint, is now in custody following a Wednesday night arrest. Phuket News reports that Provincial and Phuket City Police arrested Chanchai Chaona at a motorbike repair shop in Patong on Wednesday. He was wanted for two separate charges of…
- World News
Thai security officials search for attackers after 15 killed on Tuesday in Yala
The 4th Army continues to hunt down suspects responsible for Tuesday’s brutal gun attack on a security checkpoint in Yala’s Muang district. The attack left 15 village defence volunteers dead and five others injured. The attack is believed to be a retaliation for extrajudicial killings of two insurgent suspects in Pattani’s Sai Buri district last week, according to a source.…
- Northern Thailand News
Copyright police sting, arrest 15 year old girl over krathong floats
PHOTO: Prasit Tangprasert A 15 year old girl in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima was arrested and fined 5,000 baht for making krathong baskets showing copyrighted cartoon characters. The baskets were ordered by undercover copyright police in, what appears to be, an attempt to lure the girl into infringing copyright laws. The girl, identified only as “Orm”, says her…
- Business News
Foreign investment applications rise 69% in first nine months
PHOTO: Bloomberg Thailand continues attracting foreign direct investment, with applications rising 69% in the first nine months of 2019, according the Board of Investment (BOI). Applications in the electronics and electrical sector, and the digital and automotive sectors, represented 131.78 billion baht, or 65% of the total. The value of applications, up to September this year, was 203.37 billion baht,…
- Crime News
Former hotel employee uses stolen data for online shopping binge
PHOTO: INN News Police have arrested a man for using stolen credit card information for an online shopping spree, with a final bill of over 500,000 baht. 35 year old Jirat Siriwattanakul used to work at hotels in Chiang Mai and Phetchaburi Provinces before getting into online shopping, with other people’s money. Jirat is charged with impersonation and using another…
- Business News
American firms want to relocate to Thailand to counter US-China trade war
PHOTO: “You’re all welcome!” – Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at the ASEAN Business Summit – Bangkok Post US business leaders visiting Thailand are looking for opportunities, especially relocating their production bases, as they try to sort out heir businesses in the wake of the US-China trade war. The US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and executives of 16 American companies…
- World News
US will consider a review of GSP cuts – ASEAN Summit
PHOTO: US National Security advisor Robert O’Brien and Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at yesterday’s Summit meeting in Bangkok – Thai PBS World Behind the group photos at the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the backroom conversations have been fast and furious. As a result of several unofficial and official meetings, US officials now says they will consider reviewing the suspension of…
- Pattaya News
Vaping crackdown continues as Pattaya Police raid local market
PHOTO: The Pattaya News Just hours after raiding a house whose owner was allegedly selling vaping equipment on social media, Pattaya police raided a local market looking for vaping equipment, illegal orthodontics and pirated goods. Local police say the Chon Buri area is having another vaping crackdown because, according to Thai law, it’s considered to be danger to public health.…
- Northern Thailand News
Accused Ponzi queen and husband in jail, no bail
PHOTO: Udon Thani Police Alleged Ponzi-scam scammer Wantanee “Mae Manee” Tippaveth, along with her husband, have been remanded to Udon Thani prison after appearing in court. Police received approval to detain them without bail while the investigation continues into their ‘business’. Additional victims of the scheme are still mounting up and contacting the DSI. Both of the alleged scheme creators…
- Crime News
Three on the loose – Officer stabbed as three escape Pattaya jail
PHOTO: Injured officer rushed to hospital after the shooting at the Pattaya City Court – The Pattaya News Three prisoners, including an American citizen, have escaped from the Pattaya Courthouse and are now, as of Tuesday morning, on the loose. A police officer was stabbed in the melee. Pattaya police learned of the incident at 3:30pm at a holding cell…
- Things To Do
Top 10 places to visit around Chiang Mai, on a motorbike
by Ryan Astaphan from Panumart Tattoo One of the joys of visiting Chiang Mai is travelling around on a scooter or motorbike (as long as you have a license) as you explore the countryside. By doing so you’ll get to take in the natural wonders and local culture that northern Thailand has to offer. The main roads are mostly excellent. But do…
- World News
Thai PM opens ASEAN Summit in Bangkok amid world economic tensions
PHOTOS: The Nation The 35th Summit of ASEAN leaders opened yesterday against a backdrop of global economic tensions and prolonged trade negotiations between China and the US. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomed the international delegation of the ASEAN Summit at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi, north-west Bangkok. During part of the opening, Prayut recited the lines of the song “The…
- World News
“Build ASEAN brands” says AirAsia CEO
The CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes, has told ASEAN governments to help create and strengthen “ASEAN brands” to drive the regional economy. Addressing the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2019, Mr. Fernandes says, although ASEAN is the world’s fourth largest economy, there are few ASEAN brands with impact beyond their national or regional boundaries. He blamed “both visible and invisible…
- Crime News
Forex-3D Ponzi scheme dupes thousands
PHOTOS: MThai At least 1,000 people have fallen for the ‘Forex-3D’ Ponzi scheme, with losses currently estimated at 10 billion baht. Victims and their lawyers have already filed reports with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). Dozens showed up in front of the DSI HQ with posters showing the faces of people allegedly connected to the scheme. Victims have asked…
- Crime News
Suspect confesses in “refrigerator murder” case
A 39 year old man is currently assisting police with their enquiries over the ‘Chiang Mai refrigerator murder’ and was arrested in Chiang Mai on Friday. He was charged with murdering a wealthy nun and stealing nearly two million baht in cash from her ATM card. A manhunt kicked off after the body of 58 year old Wannee Jiracharoenying was…
- Economy News
PM signals more stimulus packages to lift Thai economy
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says Thailand needs more measures to boost the local economy. He made the remark during the meeting of the Council of the Economic Ministers on Friday. The PM reassured the meeting that Thailand’s and other ASEAN economies were not in recession, but would have slower growth next year, so Thailand needs to come up with stimulus measures.…
- Economy News
Sit down, shut up and hang on – The Asian century is here
GRAPHIC: paragkhanna.com In the nineteenth century, the world was ‘Europeanised’. In the twentieth century, it was ‘Americanised’. This century it is all about being ‘Asianised’. With more than half of the world’s population, Asia has gone swiftly from low to middle-income status in a single generation. Today, its global share of trade grows quickly, along with capital, people, knowledge, transport,…
- Economy News
Thailand’s internet economy to hit 50 billion dollars by 2025
Google and Singaporean investment firm Temasek launched a research program into the internet economies of Southeast Asia In 2016 and continue tracking economies in the region. Their “E-Conomy SEA 2019” report shows that Southeast Asia’s internet economy reached 100 billion dollars for the first time this year, with 360 million people now linked to cyberspace – 100 million more than…
- World News
Traffickers exploit vulnerable Vietnamese
“Many young Vietnamese head for the cities or gamble on their chances in Europe, out of devotion to their families, to escape a life of manual labour.” For a lot of Vietnamese, a job in Western Europe is seen as a path to prosperity and worth breaking the law for. And risking their lives. The risks are high and the consequences…
- Business News
New land tax forces land owners to evaluate their options
PHOTO: SCMP The new Land and Property Tax, which takes effect in January 2020, will be a challenge for the Thai property market, according to the managing Director of CBRE Thailand. In an open report to the media, CBRE says owners of vacant sites will pay significant taxes once the new law comes into effect. Many will try to avoid the…
- Events
Bangkok’s Loy Krathong festival promotes the city’s waterways
Bangkok’s Loy Krathong festival on November 11 will emphasise the importance of the city’s waterways to traditional Thai culture. A government spokesman says a list of 30 public parks across the city, that will host events on the evening, is urging people to use only natural materials for their floating krathongs to avoid polluting streams and ponds. He is also…
- Thailand News
Child’s bruises spark suit against school
A 5 year old kindergarten student was ‘spanked’ as a punishment because “…she’s a slow learner and can’t answer questions,” according to her teacher. The girl responded to the teacher “I’m stupid, I have no brains, but I have a heart.” The incident took place in September but wasn’t shared until last month, with pictures showing bruises on the child’s…
- World News
Red shirts get four years for 2009 Pattaya protests
PHOTO: A decade ago when Red Shirts stormed the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya – Reuters Passionate remnants of the former red-shirt (pro-Thaksin Shinawatra) movement are considering their situation after this weeks’ handing down of a long sentence for some members’ involvement in protests at an ASEAN Summit a decade ago. Three former members of the United Front for Democracy Against…
- World News
‘Matmo’ will bring floods to upper and central Thailand
Thundershowers will bring rain to northern, lower-central and eastern Thailand, including the capital and its suburbs over the next few days, according to the Meteorological Department. The south will also see isolated heavy rains. The department is warning that a category 2 depression over the South China Sea has become a tropical storm, named Matmo (below). At 4am on October…
- Crime News
DSI takes over 400 million baht ‘Mae Manee’ Ponzi scheme investigation
Police are hunting for a woman suspected to be at the head of a huge pyramid scheme that has allegedly scammed hundreds of people. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin has handed a case, where at least 2000 victims were allegedly cheated out of more than 430 million baht, over to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). The ”Mae Manee pyramid scheme”…
