- 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…
- World News
Thailand’s longest wooden bridge under threat of collapse after rains soak west
The famous Mon (Uttamanusorn) Bridge in Kanchanaburi in Thailand’s west, the country’s longest wooden bridge, is being watched around the clock by the Thai army for fear that it may collapse under the force of strong currents in the Songkalia River and a huge amount of debris which is piling up against the bridge’s superstructure. Uttamanusorn Bridge (Thai: สะพานอุตตมานุสรณ์; lit:…
- 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…
- 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…
- Crime News
7-Eleven staff member gets shot tackling robber in Bangkok
PHOTOS: ejan.co A staff member of a 7-Eleven store in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district was injured after being shot when he tried to snatch the gun from a robber. The robber eventually fled with 3,000 baht cash early today. Phasi Charoen police were alerted to the robbery at the convenience store in front of Phetkasem Soi 46 in Bang Wa subdistrict…
- 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…
- 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,…
- Thailand News
170 billion baht stimulus to focus on tourism as economy plateaus
Inbound tourism to Thailand is about to get a boost with a proposed 170 billion baht government stimulus package . The Finance Ministry will submit the full plan to Cabinet on August 19. Lavaron Sangsnit, the director general for the fiscal policy office, says the package aims to boost inbound tourism, and promote travel within the country by Thai and…
- 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
‘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…
- Crime News
Swedish man and Thai wife robbed in broad daylight riding motorcycle in Pattaya
PHOTOS: Stefan and Tippawan report the robbery to Pattaya police – 77kaoded.com A Swedish man and Thai partner were robbed whilst riding their motorbike in broad daylight in Pattaya. 52 year old Stefan Hujanen from Sweden and his 32 year old wife Tippawan were riding a motorcycle between North Pattaya and Pratumnak Hill last Saturday around 11am. Outside the Muang Pattaya Hospital…
- 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…
- 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…
- Thailand Weather Updates
‘Wipha’ whips up some storms and floods around Chiang Mai
PHOTOS: Entry to a local school turns into a river – The Nation Flooded roads are slowing down traffic and movement around the Chiang Mai area as a result of the fallout from tropical depression ‘Wipha’ which crossed the North Vietnam coast, heading westward towards Thailand, over the weekend. Om Koi district saw flooded road sections, while a large tree…
- 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
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…
- Politics News
New Parliament House opens for sittings of MPs next week
PHOTO: Artists impression of a completed Parliament House not he banks f the Chao Phraya. Only the parliamentary meeting halls are complete for use at this stage The Thai Parliament speaker Chuan Leekpai is ordering tight security at the new Parliament House in Bangkok’s Kiak Kai area for an inaugural meeting today. He declined to answer when asked by reporters…
- 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…
- 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…
- Crime News
Immigration police spruik more successes with their biometrics systems
Immigration police have arrested three more unwanted foreigners for crimes committed in Thailand. The arrests follow people stopped at Immigration queues trying to enter the country last week. In reporting on the success of the biometric systems, police say the new systems helped identify the people and crimes they been allegedly involved in, even though the process of taking all…
- 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…
- Business News
Ananda development pulls the plug on Bangkok condo project
Property developers Ananda Development have pulled the plug on the development of a condo project, Ideo Q Phahon-Saphankhwai, valued at 10 billion baht, and will refund down-payments made by customers who booked units since the April launch. Ananda Development’s chief strategy officer Sumeth Ratanasrikul says that the demand to buy the project at that location didn’t match with the concept design. “Since…
- Crime News
Two city cleaners injured in this morning’s explosions around Bangkok
PHOTO: JS100 Two road sweepers in Suan Luang district were injured in an explosion on Soi Rama 9 57/1, a soi off Rama 9 Road, at 8am this morning. After examining the area, police determined that the explosion was caused by a ping-pong bomb. The bomb was one of multiple small explodsions between 7 and 9am. Read about the rest…
