- Business News
Thai Government to focus on EEC projects to propel economy
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will unveil his new government’s policy statement in Parliament when it sits formally on Thursday. Leaks to the media indicate his 12 ‘urgent’ and 12 ‘long-term’ policies will help Thailand step up to “developed-nation status” with many of the policies focussing on the Eastern Economic Corridor project. Among the urgent policies, the sixth calls for a “future-proof”…
- 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.…
- Phuket News
X2 Vibe brand adds third hotel in Phuket
PHOTO: Existing X2 Vibe Patong hotel Cross Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with PT Three Land for its third Phuket property, the X2 Vibe Phuket Patong Centre. Poised to open middle of 2021, it is a 50 minute drive from Phuket International Airport and a 10 minute walk to Patong Beach and the bustling Bangla Road walking street.…
- 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…
- Crime News
Zambian arrested on overstay and animal cruelty charges in Samut Prakhan
PHOTO: khaosod.co.th Thai immigration police have arrested a Zambian man for an alleged overstay and committing acts of cruelty following a Facebook post that sought help for the dog. The Nation reports that 27 year old Wachisa Sikwese has been arrested by Immigration police. They reported that Sikwese was arrested shortly after Watchdog Thailand spotted a Facebook post that sought help…
- 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…
- Business News
Residential projects launched in June up, but sale 15% lower than May
As many as 47 new residential projects were launched in Bangkok and its suburbs last month (June), 16 more than in May. This from the Agency for Real-Estate Affairs. The projects combine 13,943 units worth a total of 57.25 billion baht, with per-unit prices averaging at 4.1 million baht, the survey added. The sale of new projects launched in June…
- 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…
- Transport News
Thai Airways close to sale of used planes to US company
PHOTO: Thai Airways Airbus A340, Airplane Pictures Thai Airways International President Sumeth Damrongchaitham reports that the national airline expects to sign an agreement this month with a US logistics firm on the sale of eight used A340 aircraft worth between 4-4.5 billion baht. The company is in the process of examining the contract before closing the sale deal of Thai Airways…
- 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…
- Politics News
Thaksin Shinawatra starting new party called Pheu Dharma
Despite his self-imposed exile in 2008 and living overseas ever since, Thaksin Shinawatra’s shadow still looms large over Thai politics. And now sources claim he’s planning a comeback with a new party, all being engineered offshore, just as the fragile new Thai government starts to run the country. Fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is rumoured to be forming a new…
- 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…
- Environment News
Visiting time to see baby dugong Mariam is now restricted
Tourists and local well-wishers are flocking to get a glimpse of ‘Mariam’. She’s become an internet hit. But that’s also caused other problems. The high number of Thai and foreign tourists heading to Duyong Bay in Tambon Koh Libong in Kantang district, Trang, to watch officials looking after seven month old orphan dugong Mariam is prompting authorities to issue regulations to…
- 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…
- Chiang Mai News
Lampang public servant on the run after murdering wife and attempting suicide
A senior public servant from Lampang is on the run after allegedly strangling his wife then fleeing after failing to successfully hang himself from the stair handrails in his house. Lampang is a province south-east of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Sanook.com reports that a two page will was found on a desk in the house. Serm Ngam police responded to…
- Phuket News
Thailand’s Health Ministry doubts Aussie couple’s claim about parasite in Pad Thai
Thai PBS reports that Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health says “there is a very slim chance that a person could contract Dientamoeba Fragilis”, a dangerous parasite, from eating a plate of Pad Thai, as claimed by an Australian Perth couple. Stacey Barnes and Ryan Prigg, along with their two children, visited Thailand in 2017. Read they stay HERE. Doctors in…
- Tourism News
Phuket tourism down up to 30% – Thai Hotels Association
Translated from Manager Online | PHOTO: Surin Beach, Phuket Quoting a leading hotelier, Manager Online says it was obvious that tourism in Phuket was “going down the pan”. Manager Online has penned a doomsday article about Phuket’s tourism, saying… “it was obvious to anyone that tourism had been in decline for years with less tourists and less revenue. But why…
