- News
Drug conflicts likely motive behind murder of five in Yala
Officials examine the blood-splattered scene where five men were shot dead in Yala’s Bannang Sata district early yesterday. Authorities say the killings were probably not related to the deep South insurgency. PHOTO: The Nation By Suriya Patathayo, Nakharin Chinnaworkomol and Parez Lohasan. A conflict over the drug trade is thought to be the motive behind the brutal killing of five men…
- News
Heroin-swallowing smugglers nabbed in Chiang Mai and Bangkok
15.5 kilograms of heroin is a serious amount of illicit narcotics. Six Nepalese and one Indian national have been accused of being members of a transnational drug-trafficking syndicate, They’ve been transporting drugs by having people swallow dozens of capsules containing heroin and were arrested last week. The Nepalese suspects were identified as Singha Bir Gongbotamang, Sudarshan Thapa, Prasad Gurung, Suresh…
- Thailand News
Over thousand front the start line in the Samui Half Marathon
It’s that marathon time of the year. A little cooler and sometimes a bit of precipitation to keep runners cool as well. But not for the Samui event held yesterday. More than 1,000 runners took part in the ‘Bangkok Airways Samui Half Marathon’ at Nathon Pier, Koh Samui yesterday, (Sunday). Attended by thousands of running enthusiasts from Thailand and overseas, the opening…
- World News
Thaiger Briefing – June 11
thethaiger.com Briefing. A new, daily, quick update on all Phuket and Thailand’s main news stories.
- World News
A summit of hope for peace – Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un arrive in Singapore
By Wasamon Audjarint and Supalak Gangjanakhundee The leaders of the US and North Korea are now in Singapore for an unlikely but historic meetingExperts believe the Trump Kim meeting in Singapore tomorrow may see some commitment on denuclearising Korean peninsula. A historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was expected to be a success,…
- News
Dodgy dentists charged over low-cost dental braces
The Children and Women Protection Sub-Division of the police on Saturday confiscated dental braces and improper equipment from two Bangkok shops alleged to having provided illegal dental brace placement services, said sub-division superintendent Pol Colonel Jirakrit Jaruyapat. The simultaneous raid of “Ploy” and “Pink” shops at the Sai Tai Mai Centre Market in Taling Chan district on Saturday night also…
- News
Myanmar-Thai border mega bust. 15 tonnes of drug-making chemicals.
By Jessada Chantharak A 15 tonne batch of sodium cyanide that could have been used to make millions of methamphetamine pills was seized and Chiang Rai man was arrested last week when a smuggling operation into Myanmar from Thailand was intercepted. Truck driver, 41 year old Sawat Kaewdam, is facing charges over alleged illegal entry and failing to obtain a…
- News
Rare dugong carcass washes up on Phang Nga beach
By Anothai Ngandee The carcass of a large dugong, estimated to have been 15-20 years old at the time of its death, has been swept onto Koh Khor Khao Beach in Phang Nga’s Takua Pa today (Sunday). Phang Nga province last year reported 10 live dugongs in its seas. A fertile zone of the dugong’s favourite food, seagrass, is located…
- News
Surat Thani school director transferred over pathetic school lunches
The Education Ministry is investigating the former director of the Ban Tha Mai School in Suran Thani province for alleged “grave disciplinary offences”. His alleged penny-pinching cuisine options drew the attention of authorities after someone posted a video clip on the internet showing students at the Ban Tha Mai School in the Tha Chana district eating noodles with just fish…
- News
Sleeping on the job – NLA members caught napping
Two legislators caught nodding off during a serious discussion involving the 3 trillion bah national budget were actually hardworking lawmakers who fell asleep because of their poor health, National Legislative Assembly (NLA) vice president Peerasak Phochit said yesterday. Peerasak, who is in charge of NLA’s professional ethics, said their behaviour was not a serious enough breach of professional ethics to…
- News
Government unveils 600 billion baht EEC projects
By Wichit Chaitrong As the Thai PM readies for the Europe trip from June 25, ministers are assuring diplomats of project and political continuity after next February’s proposed poll. In what is seen as a economic showcase, before the PM’s high-profile trip to Europe later this month, the government says it is accelerating six key investment projects worth 600 billion…
- News
Police going to visit 3,900 members of ‘organic marijuana’ Facebook group
Pol Maj-General Panumart Boonyalak, commander of the Patrol and Special Operation Division 191, has threatened a Facebook group promoting ‘organic marijuana’ during a press conference held at 8.30pm last night (Thursday). He also announced the arrest of three suspects. Police are vowing to trace and take legal action against over 3,900 members of a closed Facebook group that encourages members…
- News
Bangkok teen arrested with 8 million pills and a whole lot more!
A 17 year old boy has been arrested in Bangkok with an astonishing amount of illicit drugs. 8,670,000 methamphetamine pills, 37 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 2,822 ecstasy pills, 38 kilograms of crystal ketamine and 569 bottles of ketamine solution. (Probably not all for personal use) Pol General Chalermkiart Sriworakhan says police staked out an apartment on Soi Lard Pra Khao…
- News
Ban on political activity to stay, for now
Despite the roadway being cleared by the Constitutional Court on Monday, putting the February 2019 election back on track, the Thai PM is still being cagey about forthcoming meetings between the NCPO and political parties and scrapping of the ban on political gatherings. The PM said yesterday that bans on political activities will remain in place despite all the legislation…
- World News
24th anniversary of the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge
Australia’s ambassadors to Thailand and Laos joined the Nong Khai Governor Ronachai Jitwiset on Wednesday in unveiling a sign commemorating the 24th anniversary of the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. Paul Robilliard, Australian Ambassador to Thailand, and Jean Bernard Carrasco, Australian Ambassador to Laos, presided at the 9am ceremony with Ronachai on the span linking Nong Khai to Laos. The deputy…
- News
Pineapple farmers to sell crops in PTT stations nationwide
PTT, the Government-owned petro-chemical giant that commands the largest share of Thai petrol sales, is getting behind the country’s pineapple farmers. Pineapples are one of Phuket’s main agricultural crops but has been hit with low prices for the past year. PTT petrol stations will allow pineapple growers to sell their crops in the compounds of PTT stations around the country…
- News
Thai industry declares war on plastic pollution
It seems the relentless media reporting, photo evidence, social media and horrendous stories about sea creatures being washed ashore consumed by plastics, has now forced Thai leaders to push the issue of plastic use to the top of their priority list. 20 ministries and the private sector have launched a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags to mark…
- News
Kids aged six and seven swamping tourist police emergency line with prank calls
Prank calls are a problem for emergency hotlines everywhere in the world. Even the demure, outwardly polite Thai kids are getting in on the act these days. Three children, aged just six and seven, were among eight callers that have made 644 calls in total to the tourist police’s emergency line, keeping the 1155 number needlessly occupied. This was announced…
- News
Kalasin pagoda collapse – Initial investigation points to three factors
The collapse of an ancient pagoda under restoration at Wat Kud Wa in Kalasin’s Kuchinarai district yesterday morning, resulting in the death of one worker and four others being injured, stemmed from three main causes. Authorities begun a probe into the Pagoda’s collapse almost immediately yesterday. Kalasin’s public works and city planning officer, Weerachai Kaewhawong, cites three factors: construction work…
- News
Two rangers injured in grenade attack – Yala
Two para-military rangers in Yala have been injured after two M79 grenades, launched by suspected militants, exploded in their barracks. The attack took place near a village in Bannang Sata District of Yala province last night (Monday). The two rangers, Cpl Thoranin Insuan and Witthaya Sriraksa, were on duty in the barracks when the two grenades were fired into…
- News
Rabies confined to one puppy in Prachuap Khiri Khan
PHOTO: File Photo Authorities in Prachuap Khiri Khan are playing down a rabies threat after the death of an American bulldog puppy from the disease in Kui Buri district, south of Hua Hin, last month. The Prachuap Khiri Khan Livestock Development Office says that it has found no other infected animals in the area. It says its taken action to control…
- News
Now, THAT’S a mushroom!
Doi Tao, south of Chiang Mai, is where a five year old has found a giant mushroom, known locally as ‘hed jan’. Local villagers from the Ban Ko Luang, Pong Thung in Doi Tao were astonished when a five year old local, called Bell, turned up at home with an enormous mushroom on his shoulder that he says he collected…
- World News
“I was just aiding the Thai Government”. Cambodian arrested over alleged cybercrime.
A Cambodia man, escorted to Thailand for questioning last week, denies he had been arrested saying he went voluntarily to assist in the cybercrime investigation relating to the Thai PM. Thai Tourist Police say that Heng Ratanak, thought to be the owner of the Thai-language click-bait website ratstas.com, had uploaded allegedly false information that “is likely to damage the country’s security…
- Thai Life
Four more Andaman islands close for R&R this year
PHOTO: Koh Kradan Four Trang islands have been closed to tourists for four months to allow time for their ecosystems to rehabilitate. The Haad Chao Mai National Park says Koh Mook, Koh Kradan, Koh Waen and Koh Chuak were shut on June 1 and would remain closed until September 30. The park officials say June to September was the period…
- News
BMW eyes bright future for electric cars in Thailand
That growth makes Thailand number three in the world in terms of market acceptance of PHEVs, according to Krisda Utamote, BMW Group Thailand’s director of corporate communications. Christian Wiedmann, president of BMW Thailand, says the German carmaker would continue churning out new electric vehicle models due to confidence in its global market expansion, with Thailand included. “In Thailand, BMW is…
- News
Thai teen pregnancy education gets real
The Education Ministry will include a test on sex education and life skills in the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) from this year forward as a part of efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. “We will soon inform all students about this decision via their schools,” Deputy Prime Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said on the weekend. The decision was reached at…
- News
“Don’t arrest us. We just work here.” Activists call for ban on sting operations targeting sex trade
By Pratch Rujivanarom Stings and raids staged to crack down on human trafficking in the sex industry violate human rights, and lead to stigmatisation and discrimination against women who are working as sex workers of their own volition, an activist organisation said yesterday. Empower Foundation yesterday exposed the problems of discrimination and rights violations faced by women working in the…
- News
Temple ‘accommodation’ building works spark concerns – Chiang Mai
“When asked about the cease order, the temple responded that it had appealed to the court and was waiting for a trial, but the court had allowed them to continue construction in the meantime.” Local people are complaining to the Ou Sai Kham temple after construction of a four-story building next to a sacred historical 100-year-old house has began again.…
- Travel
Maya Bay’s four month ‘tourist break’ begins
Park Rangers at the Nopparat Tara-Mu Ko Phi Phi marine national park have placed buoys outlining a no-access zone as part of a bid to rehabilitate the park’s world-renowned Maya Bay. The decision to close Maya to pave the way for a rest period, and preparation for new access to the area, was made by the National Parks, Wildlife, and…
- News
Dengue claims first victim in Bangkok for 2018
Dengue fever has claimed its first victim of the year in Bangkok, among nearly 2,400 cases reported in the capital. Methipoj Chatamethikul, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Health Department, says the victim was a resident of Nong Chok district, Khok Faed subdistrict, but gave no further personal details. Methipoj says dengue had also been detected in two other Nong…
