- World News
Road incidents still the biggest killer in Thailand
“A third of the victims were men and most were between the ages of 15 and 24.” Road accidents in Thailand accounted for 20,169 deaths last year. Most of those killed were students and young people. The figures are from the Public Health Ministry, the Royal Thai Police and Road Accident Victims Protection. Motorcycles accounted for 70% of the fatal crashes, followed…
- Events
Tanks rolling into Bangkok today but not a coup! – Army
The tanks and army trucks are rolling into the capital today. But the Army’s Public Relations Division says it’s nothing to worry about, they’re just getting ready for celebrations for HM The King’s birthday this Sunday. They’ve said there is no need for alarm at the sight of processions of arms, troops and vehicles into Bangkok today. Soldiers, weaponry and…
- Northern Thailand News
No rain in sight, eight Thai provinces on verge of water crisis
Thailand’s water situation is becoming critical with eight provinces now listed as critical. Officials are now describing the situation as the worst drought in 50 years. PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha has allocated 1 billion baht to finance the expansion of local water bodies in drought-hit provinces. The lack of rain has left as many as 17 major dams in the…
- Politics News
80 opposition MPs ready to go to battle with ‘newbie’ Thai PM
He’s never spoken in a Thai parliament. He’s never been leader of an elected government. He’s never had to do much debating or political negotiations. But he’s the Prime Minster of Thailand and he faces up to the new parliament tomorrow and Friday for the first two days of debate. All eyes will be in the PM to see how…
- Business News
International credit rating agency gives Thailand a BBB+ economic report card
Fitch Ratings has revised its outlook on Thailand’s Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating to “positive” from “stable” and upgraded the rating to BBB+. The revision reflects increasing international economic confidence that lingering political risks are unlikely to derail “sound macroeconomic management”, according to the international credit rating agency, Fitch. “This is demonstrated by the sustained strength of external and…
- Business News
Economists predict Thai exports could fall 3.1% this year
Economists are forecasting that Thailand’s exports will drop by up to 3.1% for 2019 after June figures fell when compared to the same period last year. After the Commerce Ministry reported a 2.1% fall in June, the SCB Economic Intelligence Centre projected the country’s exports will drop this year by between 1.6-3.1%. “Although the US-China trade meeting after the G20…
- Thailand Weather Updates
North-central Thailand’s Yom River in Phichit runs low
Stories keep emerging about river systems, the lifeblood of agriculture in northern and north-eastern Thailand, drying out or dropping dramatically in level. A section of the Yom River that runs through the Sam Ngam in district in Pichit, north-central Thailand, has almost run dry following months without rain. The river was already reported as unseasonally low during April this year.…
- Business News
TMB – strong baht hits foreign investment funds
TMB Bank are reporting that the strong baht has cut the value of the foreign investment fund under fund management, falling by 27 billion baht from 1.2 trillion baht at the start of the year. TMB said the drop reduced the fund’s return by 0.47%. The least impacted funds are those covering oil investment, gold, and property funds, at 0.53%,…
- Politics News
Government unveils 12 policies – BKK street food return and a higher minimum wage
One of the new parliament’s first debates, when it sits on July 25 and 26, is over a formal policy listing 12 living standard priorities. The list laid out in a briefing paper lists surprisingly progressive policies for the new coalition. The government says it wants to reduce obstacles blocking people from earning a decent living and would utilise digital…
- Politics News
Ministers visit Thai southern provinces for economic brainstorming session
PHOTO: Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, centre, arrives for a meeting in Yala yesterday – The Nation The new Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit (and leader of the Democrats), along with the Deputy Transport Minister Thavorn Senniam and Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee, held a multi-party discussion yesterday at the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre in Yala province. The meeting aimed…
- Northern Thailand News
“Worst drought in living memory”, Thai farmers in the north
Parts of Thailand are facing their worst drought in 50 years. Farmers in some parts of the north and north east say that the situation is the “worst in living memory”, as reported in Sanook. Meanwhile, The Meteorological Department says Thailand will experience the worst drought in at least a decade, with average precipitation across large regions of the country falling…
- Politics News
Constitutional Court accepts petition over Prayut’s fitness to be PM
The Constitutional Court yesterday accepted a petition from opposition MPs questioning PM Prayut’s “qualifications” to hold the post of Thai prime minister. The Court announced its decision on its website, commenting that the petition had been signed by a total of 110 MPs from various opposition parties but declaring that Prayut was free to continue carrying out his duties as…
- Tourism News
Tweet forces Suvarnabhumi immigration to explain long lines
PHOTO: Travel Daily Media “Suvarnabhumi hell for tourists. Look at queues today. Never seen this long.” In response to English-language teacher Andrew Biggs complaining about the long queues at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Immigration Bureau says it had already mobilised more personnel to facilitate immigration clearance. Biggs, the owner of Andrew Biggs Academy and co-director of andrewbiggs.com, an English language-learning website…
- Transport News
Bangkok’s Blue Line from Hua Lampong to Bang Kae launched for 3 month trial
Bangkok Expressway has started a 3 month trial run of the extension of the Blue Line train service from Hua Lampong station to Bang Kae station. Thai PBS report the the Blue Line, between Taopoon terminal and Bang Kae, is expected to be officially launched at the end of this month. Another extension of the same line from Taopoon to…
- Phuket News
Phang Nga Governor puts region on alert for flash flooding
Phang Nga’s governor Siripat Pattakul has ordered all government agencies in the southern province to be on alert after surface run-off from a mountain flooded a village in Takua Pa district early this morning. Following hours of heavy rains, the run-off from Khao Lak-Ram Ru mountain flooded Moo 3 village in Tambon Khuek Khak at 3 am. The floodwaters, about 50…
- Environment News
National agenda will be prepared for dugong conservation in Thailand
PHOTO: Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa in Koh Libong, Trang, yesterday/Facebook Speaking to reporters during a trip to Koh Libong in Trang yesterday, the new Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said that Thailand should draft a national agenda for dugong conservation. He was visiting the ‘nursery’ of the the young dugong ‘Mariam’ saying that Thailand could become…
- Tourism News
Weerasak paints a rosy tourism picture as he steps down from Ministry
Weerasak Kowsurat, outgoing Tourism and Sports Minister In a final spin at the microphone as Sports and Tourism Minister, Weerasak Kowsurat made statements about Thailand’s tourism numbers and the Thai baht that differed from other published numbers and local anecdotal reports. Weerasak claimed, despite the appreciation of the baht, that Thailand has attracted as many as 21.08 million tourists in the…
- Expats
Thailand keeping track of foreigners – the TM30 reporting form
The TM30 reporting procedure is a Thai immigration requirement. The form is designed to assist keeping track of foreigners – tourists and expats – whilst in Thailand. It must be completed by the owner or landlord to report the stay of guests within 24 hours of their arrival. As with many things in Thailand the enforcement will not be uniformly applied…
- World News
PTT’s expansion plans in Myanmar
PTT Oil and Retail Business (PTTOR) is poised to invest in the Burmese retail market and the construction of a tank depot for oil and liquefied petroleum gas as well as related facilities in Myanmar. The Thai petro-chemical company’s chairman Attapol Rerkpiboon says the first gas station will open in Q4 this year. It recently signed agreements with the subsidiaries…
- Politics News
King urges new cabinet to solve problems for Thailand’s happiness and security
PHOTO: Thai PBS “In the process of doing a job, there will be problems, and that it was normal that they must be solved at the core so the administration of the country can proceed smoothly.” – HM The King His Majesty has offered moral support to PM Prayut and the newly sworn-in cabinet ministers, urging them to perform their…
- Politics News
HM The King swears in new Prayut Cabinet
The new Palang Pracharat government, led by Prayut Chan-o-cha has been sworn in tonight by His Majesty The King. The ceremony heralding the return of civilian rule in Thailand after five years of military government. The ceremony took place at 6pm in the Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall with all 36 ministers were present. The historic occasion marked the first time…
- Crime News
Over a million methamphetamine pills seized in Lampang sting
Original story by Pratheep Nanthaparp And man has been arrested and 1,104,000 methamphetamine pills confiscated following a sting Lampang’s main city area in northern Thailand last Saturday (July 13). Provincial Police Region 5 met with the media yesterday morning (Monday) to explain how undercover police purchased a small quantity of pills from 34 year old Sarayuth Rattanadilok. It was agreed…
- Crime News
Thai politician sought after quartet arrested with large drugs haul
by Jessada Chantharak A Narathiwat politician is on the run following the issuing of an arrest warrant after being implicated in a major local drug bust. A politician at the Narathiwat OrBorTor has been implicated by four drug suspects as the person who hired them to move 459 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, a very large quantity of ‘ice’. Three men, aged…
- Environment News
Another sea turtle saved from a random trawling net in Phuket
PHOTOS: Andaman Flying Tiger Today (July 15), local seniors have discovered a sea turtle trapped inside an old fishing net (trawl) at Mai Khao beach along the northern west coast of Phuket. The turtle was luckily uninjured and was rescued, then released back to the ocean. Excellent photos from Andaman Flying Tiger.
- Transport News
BTS Skytrain stations get maintenance checks after falling concrete
It wasn’t the sky falling. It was the Skytrain Station falling on a road in Bangkok. The Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) has announced maintenance work underway at 22 BTS Skytrain stations after a concrete slab fell from the Ari station onto the road below, just missing drivers. Executive director of the BTSC Surapong Laoha-Unya said they prioritised the safety…
- Business News
Bank of Thailand sends a ‘warning shot’, but little impact
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times “The Bank of Thailand’s move to curb the rising baht is simply a “warning shot” and will have little impact on the currency’s value or on the bond and stock markets.” This is the response from Thai economists following Friday’s BOT tweaking of the economic dials. On Friday the BOT adjusted down the amount of baht…
- Events
Strong winds greet sailors on Day One of Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket
One of the region’s most exciting sailing regattas kicked off yesterday (Saturday) off the coast of Chalong in southern Phuket. The Multihull Solutions Regatta beings together some of the fastest racing yachts in Asia. Day one of the 12th annual Multihull Solutions Regatta was delayed for an hour due to strong shifting winds gusting to 31 knots. PRO Simon James…
- Phuket News
Entertainment venues in Phuket call for postponement in new excise tax
Entertainment venue operators in Patong, Phuket, are calling on the Excise Department to indefinitely postpone a proposed 11% levy on their businesses, saying the tourism business is bad enough already without any additional government tax grabs. Entertainment and other businesses on the island have been reporting anecdotal drops in their business between 20-50% this low-season, compared to last year. The…
- Health
“Medical tourism is not making care for Thais more expensive”
The Health Service Support Department is dismissing claims that Thai patients are having to pay more for medical treatments due to the government’s Medical Tourism Policy. HSSD director general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong insist measures have been put in place to control prices charged at private and government hospitals. “Medical tourism does not affect the price that Thais have to pay.”…
- Crime News
Russian woman arrested for allegedly using Thai nominee in business
PHOTO: Bangkokbiznews A Russian businesswoman has been arrested for using a Thai nominee company to run a real estate firm in Pattaya. Immigration police arrested the woman who they claim had been in hiding for three years since a warrant was issued back in 2016. The acting commissioner of Pattaya Immigration reported that Natalia Nikiforova was arrested in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung…
