- Bangkok News
Father, mother and child found dead in back of car in Pathum Thani
PHOTO: Siam Rath The bodies of a husband, wife and young daughter were found in a car that had been parked in Pathum Thani’s Lam Lukka district overnight on Monday in what is believed to be a mass suicide. Pathum Thani is just to the north of Bangkok. Lam Lukka police station were alerted yesterday at 4pm that a car had…
- Crime News
August 2 bombing suspects moved back to Bangkok as investigation continues
Two men suspected of involvement in the August 2 multiple Bangkok bombings have now been moved back to the capital after they were detained by police in the South. Police flew the pair back to Bangkok yesterday, where they remain in custody at Pathum Wan police station in central Bangkok. The two are suspects in the series of small blasts…
- Business News
Thai land prices appreciate average of 8.3%
Land prices around Thailand have risen by an average of 8.3%, whilst land in the Eastern Economic Corridor have appreciated by more than 10% – the new land appraisals will be implemented for tax collection purposes next year, according to Wilawan Veerakun, deputy director general of the Treasury Department. The price of parcels of land in Khampaeng Phet province has gone…
- Business News
Treasury department plans new lease of life for disused buildings
The Treasury Department is considering leasing out older and disused buildings for commercial development if the lessee pledges to preserve their historical, architectural or cultural value. The department’s director general, Amnuay Preemonwong, says it would be a better option than seeing them abandoned and becoming increasingly dilapidated causing health and safety risks to neighbours. But the proposal will not apply to…
- Transport News
Survey says: Thai taxi users disagree with fare hike
“35% agree with the fare hike, reasoning that it could reduce the problem of taxi drivers refusing customers.” A Nida Poll reports that 81% of respondents are unhappy with the new taxi fares that will raise the immobile rate (sitting in the traffic) from 2 baht per minute to 3 baht per minute. The poll reveals the results of a…
- Transport News
New transport minister backtracks on previous government’s van upgrade policy
The previous government was hellbent on upgrading many of the country’s old vans to new buses and min-buses. The proposals, and the decline of August 13, was met with a lot of opposition with public transport operators who would have to take on the new investment in upgrading equipment. The previous government’s intentions were to improve the levels of safety…
- Thailand News
Chewathai launches seven new property projects in Bangkok despite slowdown
Listed property firm Chewathai says they are revising down their revenue target for this year from 2.8 billion to 1.6 billion baht after demand for residential projects has shown a slowing down in the first half of 2019. The company’s managing director Boon Choon Kiet made the announcement yesterday. Boon says Chewathai’s total revenue of 618.65 million baht in the…
- Health
Thai anti-alcohol campaigners demand stricter controls on underage drinking
PHOTO: “Don’t allow the children in the pubs!” – The Nation Anti-alcohol campaigners and youth networks, are calling on Metropolitan Police to check on shops in Bang Sue district’s Soi Wongsawang 11 that are allegedly selling alcohol to youth under the age of 20 in a location adjacent to an educational institution. The group, led by Alcohol Watch coordinator Khamron…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Thai weather man issues rain warnings for south and east
The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a warning to residents of eastern and southern provinces to brace themselves for heavy rains until Sunday. In its warning, issued at 5am today, the department said the rains would be unleashed by influences of the southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, which is intensifying, and by a low-pressure…
- Business News
Thai baht may need another ‘haircut’ by the Bank of Thailand before the end of 2019
Wednesday’s rate cut by the Bank of Thailand has not succeeded in reining in the surging baht, raising the prospect of another interest rate cut by 0.25 of a percentage point before the year-end. While the central bank’s statement on the policy rate reduction didn’t mention the strength of the baht, economists suspect the baht’s strength and its impact on…
- Northern Thailand News
Japanese man arrested by Thai Immigration police for alleged sex with underage girls
FILE PHOTO A 69 year old Japanese businessman has been arrested by police in Khon Kaen for allegedly having sex with at least three teenagers, multiple times. The teenagers were aged under 18 years of age. The Khon Kaen Immigration Bureau reported that that “Kazuo” (full name withheld) was arrested at a hotel in the province on Tuesday. The Nation…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Flood warnings for six southern provinces, and provinces east of Bangkok
Forecasts for Phuket and Bangkok below… People living in six southern provinces, and some provinces east of Bangkok, are being warned to brace for possible flooding and flash floods due to heavy rain forecast until Sunday. The warning is due to the strengthening of the southwestern monsoon, which is looming over the Andaman Sea, the Gulf and the southern region,…
- Environment News
Young elephant injured by trap in Rayong
PHOTO: Nation TV Wildlife officials are tracking a young wild elephant whose front left leg has become infected after being caught in a snare. They want to capture it and treat its injury. The assistant chief of Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tantikorn Puangsakul, says officials of the Khao Noi wildlife protection unit spotted the small elephant staggering in…
- Business News
Bank of Thailand cuts policy rate, to 1.5%
The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee has made a surprise decision today to cut the policy interest rate amid pressure to avert an economic slowdown and hedge the heightened trade war between the US and China. The MPC cut the interest rate by only 25 basis points to 1.5 %. But the cut is significant. Of the seven-member committee,…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: Electricity off in parts of Kamala, Phuket TOMORROW (Thursday)
After checking with the PEA we’ve discovered that the outage around Kamala will be tomorrow (Thursday), not Friday as originally published. Electricity will be out around large chunks of Kamala tomorrow (Thursday, August 9). The power outage will be from 9am-5pm, according to the Phuket Electrical Authority. Refer to the map below for details. Areas affected include from the Khao Loob…
- Phuket News
‘Lady D’ super yacht set adrift after firefighters fail to reach the burning yacht in Phuket
Local Marine officials in Phuket were notified at 8.30am this morning of a fire aboard a luxury yacht parked at the Ao Po Grand Marina. Responding to calls from Ao Po Grand Marina staff, firefighters discovered the ‘Lady D’ was out of reach, as it had parked 500 metres beyond the furthest extremity of the port. Officers had to order…
- Bangkok News
Shortcuts on the way for motorists to bypass Lam Salee intersection in Bangkok
PHOTO: The Nation The BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) is looking for help from the Metropolitan Police Division 4 to find suitable shortcuts so motorists could avoid the notorious Lam Salee intersection. The Nation reports that BMA deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul says the intersection has long been notorious for traffic snarls and the situation has just become worse with delays caused…
- Business News
Board of Trade want Bank of Thailand to urgently address the baht
PHOTOS & GRAPHIC: The Nation The Board of Trade are meeting with the Bank of Thailand tomorrow (August 8) to discuss the value of the Thai baht, its appreciation against the US dollar and Chinese yuan, and the impact on the country’s exports. Sanan Angubolkul, the Board of Trade’s vice chairman, speaking to The Nation, says the baht has appreciated around…
- Crime News
Nine Bangkok bombing suspects in custody – Thai PM
PHOTO: Police cordoned off the area around two small explosions at the Chong Nonsi BTS and Mahanakorn Building The PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that police now have nine suspects in custody in connection with the bombings around Bangkok last Friday. Speaking after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prayut, also the Defence Minister, said there had been significant progress in the…
- Business News
Softening Chinese yuan no threat to Thai baht
The Chinese yuan dropped sharply to its weakest level against the US dollar in more than a decade, raising fears of further dangerous escalation in the US-China trade war. Yesterday, the Chinese yuan dropped below the 7 yuan to the US dollar threshold, marking the first time the renminbi has depreciated against the dollar since May 2008. The depreciation of…
- Crime News
South Korean fugitive arrested in Chon Buri, and two other immigration cases
by Jessada Chantharak A 29 year old South Korean man, wanted for alleged involvement in an online gambling operation in his home country, has been arrested in Chon Buri. Police allege he had been “laying low” in Thailand for two years. The man was wanted under a Seoul Central District Court arrest warrant issued on May 2, 2017, and by…
- Environment News
Injured sea turtle rescued by tour boat operator in Phuket – VIDEO
PHOTO: Nikorn Marine An injured sea turtle has been rescued by a tour boat operator in Phuket today. The boat crew of Nikorn Marine found a sea turtle while sailing the ‘Nichakorn 2’ near Coral Island, off Chalong. The turtle was found injured, trapped in a fishing net, with its rear left flipper missing, though the wound seemed old and…
- Thailand News
800 media professionals laid off or contracts unfairly terminated
The National Union of Journalists Thailand says the media situation in Thailand is looking increasingly grim with around 800 media industry staff either being laid off or having had their contracts unlawfully terminated. A portion of the media professionals also say they were not sufficiently compensated, in violation of Thailand’s labour laws. Also, many said they had not been paid…
- Thailand News
2,800 small Thai schools facing consolidation
2,800 small Thai schools with fewer than 40 students will be merged – this from the chairman of the Basic Education Commission. Associate Professor Dr Ekkachai Kisukphan says not all 18,000 small schools under the Office of Basic Education Commission that are located near one another would be merged. But the OBEC wanted to merge small schools each with fewer than…
- Crime News
Police look for for three men, two women following Friday morning’s Pratunam fires
Whilst small explosions were going off around Bangkok last Friday during the peak hour between 7-9am, there was also a fire reported in the Pratunam area, famous for its clothes markets and popular with locals and tourists. At this stage police believe the fires may be part of the wider blast incidents on Friday morning. Read some of The Thaiger…
- World News
US President shares “thoughts and prayers” over Texas shooting while a second mass shooting happens in Ohio
PHOTO: France 24 US President Donald Trump and wife Melania have sent “heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to the families and friends of victims in one of two mass murder gun attacks in the past 24 hours. About 20 people were killed and 26 injured in a shooting rampage at a Walmart and neighbouring stores in El Paso, Texas on Saturday…
- Crime News
Thai police suspect southern insurgents in co-ordinated ATM explosions in Pattani
PHOTO: Charoon Thongnual Suspected insurgents have blown up three ATMs in two districts in the Southern Thai province of Pattani, near the Malaysian border. The assailants escaped with banknotes from one of the ATMs. At this stage local police and security officials suspect insurgents were responsible for the bombings, but are still considering if the incidents could have been related…
- Transport News
Bangkok authorities roll out voice-guides for vision-impaired at zebra crossings
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) says they will install voice-guide equipment at 54 more zebra crossings on major roads next year to assist people with eyesight disabilities to cross roads and add additional safety at the crossings. The BMA’s Traffic and Transport Department says the department is pursuing a plan to install voice guides at all 522 zebra crossings in…
- Bangkok News
Representative of HM King and Queen visits Bangkok bomb blast patients
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida instructed His Majesty’s assistant private secretary to visit the five individuals injured by the bomb blasts around Bangkok during peak hour on Friday morning. AVM Pakdee Saengchuto delivered flowers and gift baskets to the five victims in hospital and conveyed Their Majesties’ concerns. His first stop was at Saint Louis Hospital in Sathorn district,…
- South Thailand News
Ranger patrol targeted with roadside bomb in Pattani, two injured
FILE PHOTO – The southern insurgency has killed more than 7,000 in the past two decades Two rangers have suffered injuries in an ambush when insurgents detonated a roadside bomb. The attack was on a patrol unit in Pattani province last night on the main road of Moo 1 village in Tambon Paku in the Thung Yang Daeng district. Police say…
