- News
Four arrested with 414,000 methamphetamine pills, ‘ice’, ecstasy tablets and ketamine
Bangkok police arrested three men and a woman on charges of alleged drug trafficking and seized 414,000 methamphetamine pills, 28 kilograms of crystal meth or “ice”, 18,000 ecstasy pills and 1.8 kg of ketamine in two related operations. The arrests were announced at a press conference at the Metropolitan Police Bureau at noon on Thursday. The suspects were all between…
- News
Phra Phromsitti surrenders over alleged embezzlement of temple funds
The former abbot of Wat Sa Ket has become the latest senior monk to become a guest of the Bangkok Remand Prison after surrendering to police yesterday. Previously known as Phra Phromsitti (Thongchai Sukhayano), the former abbot had absconded for nearly one week before he contacted police. “He claims he did not report himself to police earlier because he wanted…
- News
76 year old ambushed and killed in Chumpon
A 76 year old man has been snared by a cable while riding his motorcycle on a Chumphon road and then stabbed to death. His gold necklace and amulet worth 300,000 baht were stolen. This happened yesterday morning (Wednesday). Ban Nai Hood police say Somporn Chubanna was found dead on the Ban Khuan Hin Mui-Huay Sai Khao road in…
- Thai Life
Similan Islands – no more sleep overs from October
by Pratch Rujivanarom With Maya Bay at Koh Phi Phi Ley poised to close for four months from tomorrow, an announcement yesterday that overnight stays will no longer be allowed in the Mu Ko Similan Marine National Park off Phang Nga province starting from this October. While the number of visitors to its pristine islands will also be limited as…
- News
Five injured in Phayao bang fai rocket explosion
A bang fai bamboo rocket exploded inside a temple compound in Phayao’s Chiang Kham district last night (Tuesday), injuring five villagers. Police report that the explosion occurred at 10.30pm at the Wat Phra That Sobwaen in Tambon Yuan after villagers performed a candle procession around the chapel to mark Visakha Bucha Day after the procession. Witnesses told police that the…
- News
Flooding in Thailand’s north and northeast
Heavy rains last night (Wednesday) in mountains in a national park swelled canals to bursting levels in a village in Lampang’s Thoen district. About 30 houses in Ban Mae Pa Doi were flooded when the Mae Pa Canal overflowed with runoff from Wiang Kosai National Park, a common occurrence according to local officials. The waters subsided after about three hours.…
- News
Nipah Virus. What is it?
What is the Nipah virus and why do we need to know more about it? Whilst there are no recorded cases of the virus in Thailand but an outbreak in India has experts concerned. Thailand is not safe from a Nipah virus outbreak, as fruit bats in Thailand are a natural host for the deadly infection that can cause encephalitis…
- World News
‘Drugged’ Thai student rescued from clutches of Poi Pet casino loan-sharks
A 20 year old Thai student has been rescued from a group alleged to have lured her to gamble at a casino in the Cambodian border town of Poi Pet early this month before detaining her over a high-interest gambling debt. The Korean loan-shark gang released the victim after negotiating with officials at the Thai-Cambodia Border Coordination Office and Tambon…
- News
Yingluck granted 10 year UK visa – BBC Thai website
The UK is reported to have granted a ten-year visa to former Thailand prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who has been ruled in absentia to a five-year prison term back home for her role in her government’s rice-pledging scandal. The BBC Thai website has quoted a close aide as saying that Yingluck is now free to travel in and out of…
- News
Property report tips Phuket property boom
According to Knight Frank Thailand’s research, the Phuket condo market is expected to perform better in line with the brighter economic situation and the growing population of the island. Increasing supply and higher selling prices will be the key drivers, while demand is forecast to improve slightly. The number of launches in Phuket is predicted to increase and Thai developers…
- News
Landlords petition PM to kill off the new tenant protection laws
Business operators are urging PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to cancel a Consumer Protection Board measure implemented at the start of May1 to protect customers from being overcharged on utility fees by hostels, apartments or rented rooms in residential buildings. Another measure in the new Consumer Protection Board legislation prohibits landlords from removing the belongings of a tenant alleged to have breached…
- News
Two Nigerians arrested in Pattaya over alleged romance scam
Pattaya police have arrested two Nigerians alleged to be members of a romance scam preying on Thai women. 28 year old Ositadima Ibeh and 30 year old Chinedu Calistus Ndubuisi were accused of being members of gangs conducting romance scams and skimming cards, said Pattaya police chief Pol Colonel Wichai Krobphet at a press conference on Monday. Police seized forging…
- News
Future Forward’s Thanathorn vows to dump 2017 charter
Thanathorn Juangroongru-angkit was predictably chosen yesterday to be the leader of the Future Forward Party, which he co-founded with the agenda of not only becoming the prime minister but also dumping the current, junta-written 2017 Constitution. The scion of the Thai Summit Group won 473 votes with one abstention during the party’s first official meeting, attended by more than 700…
- News
Coral bleaching report, “widespread but minor”.
By Pratch Rujivanarom Coral reefs in Thailand are currently facing the onset of widespread but mild coral bleaching, as some reefs in both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand show symptoms of heat stress. Tourists are meanwhile being encouraged to observe signs of coral bleaching and report them to authorities. Despite around 5 to 10 per cent of corals…
- News
Chonburi sting nets suspects and drugs
A police sting operation led to the arrest of three young male suspects and the seizure of 218,000 methamphetamine pills, 4,150 grams of crystal methamphetamine or “ice” and 700 Ecstasy pills in Chon Buri province’s Sri Racha district. Police Region 2 chief Pol Lt-General Jitti Rodbangyang told a press conference on Sunday that the suspect, 22 year old Saran Silarak,…
- News
Whale sharks threatened with extinction
SPECIAL REPORT By Piyaporn Wongruang, The Sunday Nation Its head was down, while its tail was up to the air, after being tied up tightly with a rope attached to a big reel on that trawler. Once in a while, the three-metre-long whale shark jerked, prompting its tail to sway, suggesting that it was still alive. “See! It’s still alive!…
- News
Pro-election activists released on bail
Fifteen political activists have been granted bail shortly after the Criminal Court ordered their 12 day detention following charges resulting from participation in last Tuesday’s pro-election assembly in the capital. The activists were released yesterday on 100,000 baht bail each with the condition that they must not take part in political gatherings that will “break laws and put society at…
- Travel
Asian boat shows merge
The local boating industry’s been calling for it for years – a single boat show to showcase the best of Phuket and Thailand’s boating opportunities, destinations and marine lifestyle. In a joint statement issued today by Andy Treadwell, CEO of Verventia, owner of the Singapore and Thailand Yacht Shows, and Gael and Olivier Burlot, owners of Asia RendezVous, organisers of…
- News
Chiang Mai wakes up to floods this morning
PHOTO: Chiang Mai Citylife Downtown Chiang Mai has hit by flash floods this morning (Thursday) following heavy rains on Wednesday night. Residents reported several roads with up to 20 to 40 centimetres of water, forcing kerbside shops to move their businesses to higher ground. Local authorities said the flooding started at 3am this morning. Most of it came from Doi…
- News
No ban on controversial toxic agriculture chemicals
By Pratch Rujivanarom A verdict on the use of herbicides and pesticides paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos has been handed down following a long debate between farmers, officials and environmentalists. This, despite opposition groups pointing out connections between some of the Committee members making the decision and the Agri-chemical companies. The use of the controversial farming chemicals will continue to be…
- News
Saving the Lifesavers
Phuket’s lifeguards, the ones who protected our coast for many years and now out of work, want to get back to work. They fear we’re about to have a very bad monsoon season ahead.
- News
change.org calls for a ban on ‘otter trawling’
An online petition campaigning for a ban on a form of fishing was launched yesterday after an endangered whale shark was caught by a trawler in the waters off Phuket last Friday. Piya Thedyam, creator of the campaign on Change.org for ending the use of so-called otter trawls, emphasised that the marine ecosystem, biodiversity and seafood sustainability of Thai seas…
- News
12 million meth pills seized in Chiang Rai
Police in Chiang Rai, far north Thailand, say they’ve seized a huge cache of 12 million methamphetamine pills from an abandoned vehicle. National police adviser Pol General Thanitsak Thirasawat said that the pickup truck was found on the Chiang Rai-Wiang Chai road in Wiang Chai district loaded with 57 sacks of narcotics weighing 1,425 kilograms. The truck’s licence plate number…
- News
10 good news stats from today’s economic forecast
The first four months of 2018 have seen the Thai economy surge ahead, Some key numbers were released today about the good news in the country’s financial report card. The value of exports rose 12.3% in April, year-on-year. • This month’s rise in exports is the 14th consecutive month of growth. In April Thailand shipped out 120,000 tonnes of durian,…
- News
Paraquat – Decision to be made about a ban in Thailand this week
Thailand’s National Committee on Hazardous Substances Control will decide whether to ban the domestic use of Paraquat, a herbicide used to control weeds, after consumer protection and industrial groups joined hands to support the ban. The announcement is set to made this Wednesday. At least three of the country’s 47 sugar refineries say they support the proposed ban on Paraquat,…
- News
Thai Airways profits up nearly 50% for Q1
Thai Airways International and its subsidiaries have been able to notch up an operating profit of 3,836 million baht for the first quarter of 2018. This represents a 49.4% improvement over the same period last year, despite rising fuel costs. That cashes out as a net profit of 2,737 million baht, still 432 million baht (13.6%) short of last year’s Q1…
- News
Pattani school lifts ban on wearing hijab
The Education Ministry has defused a dress-code row at a school in Pattani province by giving the green light for Muslim students there to wear the hijab and long trousers in line with their religious beliefs. Starting today, Muslim students at the Anuban Pattani School can wear hijab and long trousers. “It’s just that they also must respect school rules…
- News
PHAB 2 raises 4.5 million baht for local scholarships
The Phuket Hotels Association recently hosted a hugely successful benefit evening and raised a total of 4.5 million baht for young hospitality professionals in Phuket. On April 28 the “Phuket Hotels Association Benefit 2 (PHAB 2) – Glam, Glitz and Glitter” event was held at Latitude Laguna. This marked the second annual edition of the benefit, following the inaugural event…
- Travel
Maya Bay – let the healing begin
By Piyaporn Wongruang – The Sunday Nation It was around 10 in the morning. There was peace and tranquility at Maya Bay and its beach with just a few speedboats docking in front of the bay. The crystal clear deep blue turquoise sea water filled the vision of Plianprasop Khaonual, a long-time park ranger and among the first who explored…
- News
4-month breathing space – DNP officially closes down Maya Bay
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has officially announced that Maya Bay in Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park will not allow visitors during a much-needed four-month rejuvenation period from June 1 to September 30 this year. The DNP announced at a press conference held on May 15 that access to Maya Bay will…
