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Hi-tech pilot projects to create seven ‘smart cities’
Universities will use artificial intelligence and other forms of high technology to turn the urban centres of Nonthaburi, Phuket, Yala, Udon Thani, Roi Et, Lamphun and Hat Yai into “smart cities”. The Council of University Presidents of Thailand, King Prajadhipok’s Institute and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang have signed a cooperative compact to develop the seven locales so they…
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Over 40 new parties registered in one day
By Kas Chanwanpen As many as 42 groups of people requested to establish new political parties on the first day of pre-registration organised by the Election Commission (EC) yesterday. The EC’s head office at Government Complex was full of energy as hundreds of prospective party founders and their supporters lined up to reserve the names and logos of new parties.…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, March 2
TAT says we shouldn’t focus attention on sex tourism | NCPO warns protestors about Pinocchio masks | March 1 kicks off hot-season and registration of new political parties | Academics warn about coral restoration off Patong | Doctor in Hua Hin arrested over abortion clinic | Fake watch vendors arrested in Pattaya.
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Black wastewater threatens to destroy Patong’s restored coral reefs
By Pratch Rukivanarom Wastewater leaking into Patong Bay could kill recently restored coral reefs in front of the world famous Patong Beach, academics are warning. Wastewater has leaked into the sea and polluted Patong Bay twice this month, harming the health of the reef ecosystem, which mostly comprises soft coral. A team led by Phuket Governor Naraphat Plodthong inspected areas…
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Makha Bucha Day dedicated to the King
Devout Buddhists across the country are observing Makha Bucha Day today by attending merit-making events, with much of the merit being earned on behalf of His Majesty the King. Bangkok Governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang presided at a morning ritual in which alms were distributed to 67 monks. Activities continue until 9pm in Khon Muang Plaza in front of the…
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Pattaya detained Belarusian escort says she has dirt in the Trump-Russia case
A Belarusian woman who was arrested in Pattaya over the weekend is seeking assistance from the United States, claiming she has information about links between Russia and US President Donald Trump, the Washington Post has reported. Anastasia Vashukevich, an escort service worker from Belarus – who became well known after filming a yacht trip with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, February 28
PM responds to ‘sex tourism’ remarks | Extra long Songkran | Shoot-out on Samui’s Chaweng Beach | Big crackdown on illegal immigrants along Soi Cowboy last night | High-speed rail gets go ahead between Don Mueang and Rayong | PM pushes election date forward to February | Two Americans held in Chiang Mai over fake US bills.
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Pushing the election date forward, again
By Wasamon Audjarint and Kas Chanwenpen Faced with mounting pressure from critics and the international community, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said the next election would be held “no later than” next February. While making his latest promise about the election date, however, Prayut also warned that it would also depend on the situation at the time. “I am not making…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, February 27
Flooding in BKK | More than 100 new political parties poised to register | Two Aunties waiting to be charged over Great Driveway Affair | Activists asking for transparency over Premchai case | Update on Russian ‘love-making’ classes in Pattaya | Tourists chastised over climbing photos in Ayutthaya | Makha Buscha this Thursday – Public holiday.
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Search continues for missing Chinese tourist off Phang Nga coast
Officials are continuing their search off Phang Nga Sea for a Chinese tourist who was swept away by a big wave and went missing on Friday evening. Officials from the Phang Nga disaster prevention and mitigation office, sailors from the Navy’s Phang Nga base, marine police and Kusoltham Phuket Foundation rescuers resumed the search for 27 year old Yang Juan…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, February 26
59% of those polled don’t want a political party with Prayut as leader | Repairs to Phuket Airport runway | More carnage on Patong Hill | Poorly planned ATM snatch it Krabi | January’s numbers for new cars and tourism | Toon hands over the cash – 1.3 billion baht | Police raid Russian sex classes in Pattaya.
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We’re going to see more of the three-fingered salute
Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha said he will call a meeting of relevant parties to discuss and decide an appropriate and acceptable date for the next general election. The public in recent weeks has witnessed a series of delays in the passing and enforcing of laws and other legal manoeuvres that have raised doubts over the timing of the next…
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Two Chinese tourists drowned. Another missing in Phang Nga.
Two Chinese tourists have drowned and another is missing after swimming at a beach in Phang Nga’s Thai Muang district last night. Two other Chinese tourists were injured in the incident in high surf in front of the Dusit Hotspring Beach and Spa Hotel around 6pm. Police were alerted to the incident at 8pm. The two drowned tourists have been…
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Spate of attacks in the deep south ahead of visit to discuss southern security
There’s been a spate of violence in the south last night with houses, shops, checkpoints and security bases coming under attack in all three of the deep south provinces – Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat. In all, there were more than 10 incidents – car tyres burning, shootings and houses and shop being set on fire. With no injuries reported security…
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Cobra Gold skews military focus away from China
By Wasamon Audjarint Against the background of China’s increasing power and assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, the United States is seeking to intensify Cobra Gold, the largest regional joint military exercise, that is annually hosted by Thailand. “I believe that Cobra Gold should look for ways to increase the complexity and scope of the exercise every year because we work closely…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, February 23
Greenpeace demands something is done about BKK air quality | Premchai doesn’t turn up to yesterday’s interview with police | A lift falls at Maxx Hotel in capital | Woman lied about Taxi driver attack | Driveway dispute forces closure of nearby markets | Pick-up hits elephant | Chinese tourist falls off Kamala villa rooftop.
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Thailand’s corruption fight improves world ranking
Efforts to curb corruption in Thailand are paying dividends, with the Kingdom’s ranking in the latest global Corruption Perception Index rising to 96 from 101 last year. The index, prepared by Transparency International, ranks 180 countries and territories by perceived levels of public-sector corruption. Nine key sources are used to compile the index, including the International Country Risk Guide, Economist…
- Thai Life
The long and winding roads – Asia’s roads ranked
PHOTO: Asian Development Bank “Road infrastructure is the marker of a country’s development and is significant for safety and satisfaction of the citizens.” This, according to an opinion survey by World Economic Forum very few Asian countries have the best road infrastructure. Singapore is ranked at the top in Asia and second globally in terms of road infrastructure in the…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, February 21
Four die in a Krabi road smash | More of the Bangkok driveway-blocking drama | A BIG find on a Gulf beach | Suthep announces new political party | New engine-size tax for motorbikes | Government caves into power plant protesters.
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TAT seeks help to stop damage by Chinese tourists
Frequent cases of Chinese tourists damaging coral reefs and other fragile sea natural resources have prompted the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to seek help from its Chinese counterpart. Phanu Woramitr, director of the TAT office for Hat Yai, Songkhla and Satoon said on Tuesday that TAT has sent a letter to the Chinese tourism agency asking it to warn…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, February 20
Woman NOT happy with pick-up parked over her driveway | Car chase for two Nigerians on Cambodian border | Vandals leaving their mark in Krabi | How NOT to reverse a container truck | 23 tourists stung by jellyfish | 62 year long-term resident in Pattaya giving back to his community. Coming to you from the Floating Donut in Laguna…
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23 tourists stung by ‘Bluebottles’ in Songkhla
PHOTO: National Geographic Twenty-three tourists have been stung by bluebottle jellyfish, properly referred to as the Portuguese man o’ war (Physalis physalis), at two popular beaches in Songkhla during the past three days, a senior public health official reported today. Doctor Uthitsak Hariratanakul, chief Songkhla public health officer, said the 23 swimmers were injured by the jellyfish at the Chalathat…
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Tourists leave their mark on Railay Beach
Tourists seeking to leave their mark on Thailand have vandalised a cave tunnel leading onto Krabi’s popular Railay Beach, carving their names and other graffiti in the rock walls and stalactites. Hard objects were used to scrawl names and messages along the 200 metre passage, said Somboon Ngafa, chairman of the Railay Bay Tourism Association Club. The beach and bay…
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PIA air-conditioning breaks down, again
…and this woman’s not happy about it. Hundreds of Facebook users have given their support to a woman’s complaint about a breakdown of air-conditioners at the Phuket International Airport, which she says causes heat to be trapped and body odour to spread inside the passenger building. “Is this a model of a green airport?” Facebook user Paithoon Tou Monpanthong asked…
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Public cynical about justice for ‘influential people’ – Survey
Although the investigation into construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta’s alleged illegal hunting is ongoing, the public says they have little confidence that he will ever be punished if found guilty. Nearly two-thirds, or 64.2 per cent, of people recently surveyed believe the case, where Premchai and three others are accused of poaching and possessing wildlife in a Kanchanaburi wildlife park, will…
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Personal grudge behind killing of rubber tapper in South – Police
An elderly rubber tapper was shot dead early on Sunday morning in a rubber plantation in Narathiwat’s Yi Ngor district. Police suspect the fatal shooting might stem from a personal conflict, although they have not ruled out issues related to the deep South’s unrest and national security as a possible motive. Following a 6.20am report of a homicide, police went…
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Time to make her move
By Somroutai Sapsomboon It has been almost six months since former PM Yingluck Shinawatra fled the country, just before a court verdict in a criminal case that stemmed from her government’s corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme. She has lived in seclusion overseas for months until, shortly before the New Year, she was spotted in public in London. Just last week, Yingluck was…
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Ao Po Grand Marina gets dragged into Premchai investigations
PHOTO: aopograndmarina.com Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta is subject to another encroachment investigation as a firm in which he is major shareholder is accused of encroaching on mangrove forests and the public sea in Phuket. Jatuporn Buruphat, director general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, said on Friday that he had instructed officials to conduct a probe against Ao…
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Tougher screening for public transport drivers
Beginning on March 1, applicants for licences to drive public transport will have to submit a medical certificate in a form approved by the Medical Council of Thailand. The Department of Land Transport announced this week that the aim is to standardise its processing and increase efficiency in screening out people with health conditions that prohibit them from driving. Department…
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Kalasin rape, shooting suspect turns himself in
The 29 year old suspect, who allegedly shot a male third-year university student in the cheek in Kalasin’s Na Mon district early on Tuesday morning before abducting and raping a female sophomore student, has surrendered to police this afternoon (February 16). Rubber tapper Thisanu Phonarat, surrendered to Kam Moung police officers at a gas station belonging to his elder sister.…
