- Travel
Cathay Pacific brings the first A350-1000 to Suvarnabhumi
Cathay Pacific is the first airline to land an Airbus A350-1000 in Thailand and was congratulated by Airports of Thailand (AoT) deputy vice president Kanogwan Kasetsin and customer relations director Anussara Mongsup. Cathay Pacific’s A350-1000, the largest variant in the A350 family, carries 334 passengers in first, business and economy classes. Staff of Cathay Pacific, led by Kendrick Ko, country manager…
- Northern Thailand News
“Massive, massive relief” – Diver Richard Stanton speaks
“The mission was an order of difficulty much higher than anything that’s been accomplished anywhere around the world by any other cave diving team.” The British diver who found 12 Thai boys and their coach trapped alive in a flooded cave has described his “massive relief” as he counted them one by one, in what he called an unprecedented rescue…
- Bangkok News
German overstayed visa for nine years – another 56 arrested in crackdown
A nine year overstayer, 41 unlawful entrantss and 56 arrested – just another week for the regular crackdown by ‘Big Joke’ and his team. ‘Big Joke’ is the nickname for the police crime-killer, Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal – deputy tourist police chief, who has been leading the way with the country’s main crackdowns and criminal investigations, including the boat…
- Northern Thailand News
Up close and personal – team continues to recover
The 13 footballers rescued from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai province continue to recover under the supervision of staff at the Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital. Relatives have even been up to visit them and be with them. The Public Health Ministry inspector-general Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattapong gave the latest report card on the group’s recovery this morning (Friday). He reports that the…
- Phuket News
Divers recovering the last body from ‘Phoenix’
A body, a passenger on ‘Phoenix’ when the boat sank last Thursday and found stuck and unable to be removed by divers, is hopefully going to be recovered today. The task to recover the last body inside the boat started early this morning. On a separate search, one male body was found yesterday (July 11) near Phi Phi Island in…
- Thailand News
Phetchaburi: Kalasin man arrested for alleged rape of a five year old, ten years ago
File photo The Nation is reporting that a Kalasin 39 tear old man has been arrested in Phetchaburi this morning while on the run. He has been arrested over allegations relating to the rape of a five year old girl in Bangkok 10 years ago. 39 year old Sa-nguan Kisarung from Kalasin, was arrested at his rented room in Tambon…
- Phuket News
Buddhist ceremony commemorates deceased passengers
A Buddhist ceremony has been held to commemorate the passengers who died in last Thursday’s tour-boat tragedy to the south-west of Phuket, while the search resumed for one person who remained missing. The ceremony took place at the Ao Chalong pier early yesterday morning (Wednesday) to boost the morale of grieving relatives who were present, along with locals and Chinese…
- Thailand News
Pattaya: South Korean reports taxi driver stealing valuables worth 100,000 baht
File photo A South Korean businessman has filed an official complaint with police following a Tuesday night theft by a Pattaya taxi driver. The mans claimed that a taxi driver fled with his bag which contained his passport, cash and credit cards. Chon Buri police were alerted to the theft at 11.45pm and headed to meet the 25 year old…
- Thailand News
Uttaradit: Waitress found murdered in boarding house
Police in Uttaradit, north of Bangkok near the Laos border, are still searching for a man after his estranged wife was found dead in a boarding house yesterday morning (Tuesday) with her throat slit. Police say 29 year old Kamolrat Ruangrit had been killed inside the bathroom of her unit in the province’s Mueang district. Investigators say that, besides having…
- Northern Thailand News
American film crew already in Chiang Rai plotting movie
As the rescue mission around the cave swings into a huge clean up operation, a US film crew has already arrived in Chiang Rai. Two American producers have been sniffing around plotting a movie project about the 12 young Mu Pa Academy footballers and their assistant coach who were trapped in the cave for more than two weeks. The final…
- South Thailand News
Army sergeant shot dead in Narathiwat
More trouble in Thailand’s deep south today after an Army sergeant was shot dead while riding to work on his motorbike in Narathiwat this morning (Tuesday). Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, reports that 26 year old Sergeant Patanachai Suree was shot twice in the back while riding his motorcycle on a road in Moo…
- Northern Thailand News
Chiang Rai: Solid food but no TV – Doctors report on the first eight out of the cave
The eight members of the Mu Pa Academy football club, already rescued from the Tham Luang Cave in the past two days, are in good health mentally and physically. But attending doctors say all had high white blood cell counts and two initially showed indications of pneumonia. Senior health officials briefed reporters at Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital this morning, saying…
- Northern Thailand News
Chiang Rai: Team member 5 out of the caves
A young Mu Pa Academy footballer has emerged from Tham Luang cave at about 5pm, becoming the fifth teenager extracted from the cave in Chiang Rai province. The team member, whose name has not been revealed, was taken by ambulance from the cave in Mae Sai district before boarding a chopper to Chiang Rai Prachanukraw in Muang district. …
- Phuket News
Phuket boat sinking ‘unlikely to hamper tourism’
In the wake of last Thursday afternoon’s tragedy, where more than 50 people have perished, mostly Chinese tourists, tourism officials, economist and tour boat operators are scrambling to keep the Great Chinese Tourism Money Machine on track in Phuket. The Nation is reporting that the tour boat ‘catastrophe’ in Phuket was unlikely to harm the Thai tourism industry, but the…
- Phuket News
Chinese join search for 14 missing. PM visits Phuket today.
PHOTO: A centre has been established at Phuket International Airport to ensure smooth flow of information and help for tourist victims and their relatives. by Salinee Parp Thai and Chinese authorities are continuing the search for the remaining 14 Chinese tourists still on the missing list after the “Phoenix” diving yacht sank into 47 metres of rough seas on the…
- Northern Thailand News
One boy emerged in a serious condition, now recovering
The condition of one of the Mu Pa footballers who were rescued from the Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai last evening, and initially was initially causing concerns with his health, is improving. He had been listed as red, signifying a ‘serious case’ after being trapped in Tham Luang cave since June 23. However officials now say he is recovering…
- Northern Thailand News
Chiang Rai: They will start coming out tonight at 9pm
PHOTO: Thai PBS “Today is D-Day,” says the Chiang Rai Governor, adding that 13 international cave divers and 5 Navy SEAL members have gone into the cave to bring out the Mu Pa Football Academy members. “Each of the survivors will be escorted by two rescue divers. He told a media briefing that the first survivor should be brought out,…
- Northern Thailand News
220 rescuers looking for crevices and tunnels into the cave
Whilst a plan has firmed to get the trapped footballers out of Tham Luang cave using a ‘buddy’ system and staged triage along the exit route, many others are still trying to find entry points from above the cave. More than 220 rescue operation officials will camp on top of the mountain above the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai…
- World News
41 year old Malaysian man might be charged with polygamy
“Zaini said the groom could be charged under Section 23 and 19 of the Syariah enactment.” Religious authorities say the bridegroom in the child marriage controversy is “not off the hook” although elements of force, violence and criminal intimidation have been ruled out. Read original story HERE. They also ruled out sex, lust and elements of coercion in a report…
- Phuket News
Coral planted in Maya Bay
By Sitthichai Sikhawat “Officials said they would use a drone to follow up the coral growth on a monthly basis.” As the famous Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi in Krabi’s Muang district is now until September 30 to allow nature to recover, officials on Thursday brought 400 coral pieces to be planted onto the degraded reef at the bay.…
- Chiang Mai News
Drilling down into the cave – 100 tunnels drilled so far
As the frantic effort continues around the Tham Luang caves to find alternative ways to get to the cave chamber where the 13 footballers have been waiting since two weeks ago, ‘chimneys’ or tunnels from the top or side of the mountain, down into the cave, are being established. AFP are reporting that there have been more than 100 of…
- Northern Thailand News
“Urgent need to extract the survivors”, Chiang Rai Governor
A breakdown of rescue efforts at Chiang Rai in an excellent graphic from The Nation. Last night the former Governor of Chiang Rai at a midnight media conference said that there was an urgent need to extract the 13 with the threat of more rain and the health deterioration of some of the 13 survivors. The authorities and personnel involved…
- Phuket News
Search continues today for survivors. 23 remain missing.
With the body count numbers still in flux, as the recovery mission continues, the Phuket PR Office says the official death toll is 33 tourists that have died with dozens still missing. Strong winds and high waves sunk the dive yacht Phoenix, packed with mainly Chinese visitors, late on Thursday afternoon when a weather front came in from the Andaman…
- Northern Thailand News
- Phuket News
Deputy PM foreshadows legal action against captain and owner of ‘Phoenix’
PHOTO: ‘Phoenix’ from Siraphop Srakaew Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan is threatening legal action against the captain and the owner of the ‘Phoenix’, the ill-fated tourist boat that sank yesterday evening off the south-west coast of Phuket. General Prawit says the captain and owner of the Phoenix boat will be held responsible for the accident. ‘Phoenix’ sank with 105 people on…
- Phuket News
Phuket: UPDATE. What we know 2.15pm
Friday, 2.15pm • 21 dead bodies have now been recovered from near Koh Maiton and just off the coast of Koh Keaw (east Phuket) • Up to 35 remain missing (figure is continually being revised) • A Chinese female tourist has been pulled out of the Andaman Sea, alive. She has been taken to Vachira Hospital in Phuket Town in…
- Phuket News
Phuket: Seventeen more bodies recovered. 39 remain missing
Navy sailors have located 17 more bodies from the sea off Phuket, raising the number of confirmed deaths in boat accidents to 18, while 39 Chinese tourists remain missing. Officials aboard HTMS Long Lom recovered 12 bodies at 10.50am near the location where the tour boat Phoenix sank after being slammed by huge waves on its way back to Phuket…
- Thailand News
Warm farewell for British cave-diver
By Suthinan Kongsin The Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat presented a certificate of honour to Briton Robert Charles Harper at Suvarnabhumi International Airport last night (Wednesday) as the cave expert, who played a crucial role in finding the 13 footballers, departed for home. In a spontaneous 11pm ceremony, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith also gave him a painting of Harper…
- Northern Thailand News
“Unrealistic and very risky.” Academic warns about cave rescue.
By Pratch Rujianrom Associate Professor Ariya Aruninta from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok is warning that the focus on evacuating the trapped 13 by drying the cave was unrealistic and very risky. Draining water out of the Tham Luang cave is an impossible mission, she claims, even as the rescue operation makes headway and pumping water from the flooded cave has…
- Travel
Thais travel more, but not too long – Visa
Thais travel more on average than any other nationality, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study. Suripong Tantiyanon of Visa Thailand says the study also reveals that people are travelling more, but their trips are getting shorter. Thais are expected to leapfrog ahead of other nationalities in the number of vacation trips they take each year – with 3.9 trips…
