Thaiger
- South Thailand News
2 year old in ICU after being left in scorching school van
A 2 year old boy remains on life support after he was left alone in a sweltering hot school van outside a childcare centre in southern Thailand. Thanakit “Nong Kongbin’’ Yodmanee is being treated in an ICU at a Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat. He was rushed to the hospital earlier in the week after he was found unconscious in…
- South Thailand News
2 bombing suspects dead, 3 soldiers wounded in Pattani shootout
2 suspected insurgents allegedly involved in Thursday’s bombings in Pattani’s Nongjik district, which killed 2 security officers and injured 3 others, were killed in a shootout yesterday in the southern province’s Yaring district. 3 more soldiers were wounded. The clash erupted in Buenaejuerae village in tambon Kolam where a combined team of soldiers, police and local officials were patrolling, according…
- Tourism News
Phuket proposes to welcome tourists by November
PHOTO: Willy Thuan Phuket business owners are pressing forward with a proposal to turn around province’s tourism industry by allowing long-stay tourists to resume visits to the southern resort island as early as November. Under the “4T” model put forward at a meeting of the provincial disease control committee, long-stay visitors have been identified as having the best potential to…
- Politics News
Police pinch “Penguin” ahead of student rally
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, the outspoken leader of recent student protests, was arrested yesterday as tensions mount ahead of a major pro-democracy rally planned for tomorrow afternoon in Bangkok. He faces multiple charges, including sedition. The arrest was made as the Thammasat University student prepared to join a pro-democracy event at the campus in Nonthaburi. After a policeman read out the…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya motorcyclist suffers severe injuries in collision
A motorcyclist in North Pattaya sustained serious injuries in a collision with a sedan last night. Emergency responders were notified of the accident, at a North Pattaya intersection on Sukhumvit Road, at 9pm. Police, emergency responders and reporters went to the scene to find the motorbike driver, who had suffered serious injuries, lying on the road. He was not immediately…
- Economy News
UPDATE: SET suspends trading of Thai Airways shares
UPDATE: Trading in Thai Airways shares was suspended by the Stock Exchange of Thailand this afternoon after auditors declined to sign off on its financial statements for the six months to June 30. Auditor Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Jaiyos said it couldn’t reach a conclusion on the statements due to issues including a lack of liquidity and debt defaults, which created…
- Politics News
Chulalongkorn students vow to protest despite last-minute ban
Pro-establishment Chulalongkorn University today abruptly cancelled a planned student protest at its Phra Boron field, citing “security and safety issues”. Nevertheless, student protesters told reporters the protest will go ahead despite the ban. Today’s is the latest in a series of anti-government rallies planned by students for the coming weeks. Student-led protests have swept the country since July, with demonstrators…
- Economy News
Thai Airways loses 28 billion baht in the first half of the year
Embattled, bankrupt Thai Airways suffered about 28 billion baht in losses for the first 6 months of this year, mainly attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seriously impacted its operations and crushed global travel, grounding fleets and shuttering many airlines altogether. The airline’s acting president said today that the pandemic has led to many countries, including Thailand, closing their…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 update: 17 new cases found in quarantine, deaths unchanged at 58 (August 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported this morning that 17 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in state quarantine over the previous 24 hours. The new patients are all Thai returnees, 15 from India and 1 each from Australia and the United States. The new cases bring Thailand’s total number of cases to 3,376 since the beginning of…
- Covid-19 News
NZ Covid-19 oubreak spread beyond Auckland with 12 new confirmed cases
In a major blow to New Zealand’s efforts to contain Covid-19, health officials there announced today that the resurgent coronavirus outbreak has spread beyond Auckland, its largest city. Health Minister Chris Hipkins said there were 12 confirmed cases of local transmission and 1 probable, following the shock reemergence of the virus in Auckland on Tuesday. He said 2 of the…
- World News
Top virologist says Covid-19 likely to mutate, making current tests useless
A prominent Thai virologist is warning that the Covid-19 coronavirus is mutating and could return in a different, more contagious, or potentially, more dangerous or less dangerous, form. Thiravat Hemachudha, director of the Health Science Centre of Emerging Diseases at Chulalongkorn University, says that Thailand “should begin preparing for possible ‘genetic code alterations’ of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19.”…
- Crime News
Doctor urges investigation into widespread healthcare fraud
A doctor representing 74 medical clinics yesterday petitioned the House of Representatives to investigate fraud allegations in patient access to Thailand’s universal health coverage scheme and ensure transparency in its implementation. The move follows an order by the Department of Health Service Support last week to temporarily close 2 Bangkok clinics for allegedly defrauding the scheme. That order came after…
- Crime News
Hit-and-run Bangkok woman confesses, apologises
Wishuda Vittayasinthana, a 37 year old businesswoman, was interrogated at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Police Station yesterday following a major traffic incident on Tuesday night. She told police she went out drinking due to business stress before crashing her Mercedes into a motorcycle at Khae Rai Intersection around 10pm. In a panic, she lost control of the car and rammed into…
- Politics News
PM denies, downplays protesters’ harassment claims
PM Prayut Chan-ocha today downplayed student protestors’ claims that his government was stalking and harassing them. Student activists, Panusaya (Roong) Sithijirawattanakul, spokesperson for the Thailand Student Union and Parit (Penguin) Chiwarak posted this morning that they were about to be arrested by government authorities at 5am, but no arrests were made. “Anyone can post anything online. They said they are…
- Northern Thailand News
Police: No foul play in Vorayuth witness’s death
Police today ruled out the possibility of murder in the death of a key witness in Red Bull drinks heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya’s hit-and-run case. The regional police commander in Chiang Mai, where the witness died in a motorcycle incident last month, said new autopsy results found no trace of any suspicious substance apart from alcohol in Jaruchart Mardthong’s body.…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand urged to promote itself as production hub for medical supplies, PPE
Thailand is being encouraged to promote itself as a manufacturing hub for medical and personal protection equipment as part of its financial strategy amid the coronavirus crisis, as industries like tourism and hospitality struggle. The director of the Centre for International Trade Studies at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce told reporters that the latest survey of 200…
- Politics News
Authorities deny stalking student activists, deny arrest imminent
Student activists said today they were stalked by what they believed were plainclothes police officers at their residence overnight. Pro-democracy campaigner Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, who is the spokesperson for the Student Union of Thailand, said on her Facebook that she saw several men loitering around her dormitory near Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus, while another activist, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, reported that several…
- South Thailand News
2 killed, 4 injured in separate bomb attacks in Deep South
2 men are dead and 4 injured after security forces, protecting teachers in the southern border provinces of Pattani and Narathiwat, were attacked in 2 roadside bomb blasts this morning. The attacks come on the first day of the resumption of in-person classes in schools across the nation. The dead have been identified as paramilitary ranger Emlookman Hayilamae, and soldier…
- Covid-19 News
Auckland cluster grows with 13 new Covid-19 infections reported
Health officials in New Zealand announced yesterday that the new coronavirus cluster in Auckland has risen to 17 cases, raising the prospect of an extended lockdown in the country’s biggest city. National health chief Ashley Bloomfield said there are 13 new confirmed infections, all linked to 4 family members found on Tuesday, ending New Zealand’s record of 102 days without…
- Economy News
Study finds 82% of Thais “confident” in reopening tourism sector
As Thailand gradually reopens its borders, new findings from a global study suggests that 82% of Thais are confident that Thailand is well prepared to reopen its tourism and leisure activities, the highest globally. The study also found that tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and India are all targeting Thailand as their first destination when their countries’ borders…
- Technology News
Study finds smartphone addiction among Thai children on the rise
A study by the Thai Health organisation shows that Thai children spend an average of more than 35 hours a week on smartphones or the internet. It indicated that children who spend most of their time on smartphones and computers are at risk of developing gaming addiction and even violent behaviour. The director of the Healthy Child, Youth, and Family…
- Politics News
Protesters add more demands as academics defend manifesto
Pro-democracy demonstrators yesterday called on schools and colleges to allow on-campus rallies as pressure grows on them to ban “risky” political activities. The leader of the opposition Move Forward Party posted on Facebook that safe places for students to air their views are dwindling and that youngsters “should be allowed to carry out activities there”. Pita Limjaroenrat’s remark came after…
- Crime News
Appeals Court upholds 6 month sentence for Premchai on weapons charge
The Appeals Court has upheld the 6 month prison term handed down to construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for illegal possession of firearms. Premchai, the president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, appeared on Tuesday to hear the verdict. The court ruled to uphold the lower court’s decision. Premchai was granted release on unconditional bail, with 500,000 baht cash placed as bond. His…
- World News
Priceless ivories stolen a second time, recovered in Myanmar
A pair of priceless, centuries old engraved ivory tusks was stolen from a local hermitage of the Ban Loy Tong Ku hill tribe village in the Umphang District Isaan’s Tak province last night. Locals residents reported the incident to the Border Patrol Police after they reportedly saw the 2 thieves riding a motorcycle and heading towards the Thai-Myanmar border. The…
- Northern Thailand News
Korat man terrifies locals with “musical instrument”
Residents of Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima province were terrified when a man, dressed in a civil servant’s uniform, pulled out what looked like a heavy rifle to threaten someone who had jumped the queue at a local mechanic’s shop yesterday. Shop staff said the man argued with the person who had cut the queue for 10 minutes before heading to his…
- Northern Thailand News
Korat mother found with throat cut
A mother in the lower northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province was found dead at her home with her throat slit today, in what police believe is a murder stemming from an extramarital romantic affair. 29 year old Nattarika Shibahara lived with her 6 year old daughter, who was at school when the crime happened. Her Singaporean husband was also away. A…
- Crime News
Allegedly drunk woman tries to run down Bangkok pedestrians
A 37 year old businesswoman tried to run over pedestrians with her car near Bangkok’s Khae Rai Intersection and Tao Poon MRT station, after learning her business was embezzled out of millions of baht. She was allegedly drunk at the time. Bang Sue police were notified of the incident in the early hours of this morning and tracked down the…
- Crime News
3 Chinese men arrested in Chon Buri operating porn, gambling site
3 Chinese men have been arrested for illegal entry, living in Thailand without a visa and allegedly operating a pornography and gambling website. The Immigration Bureau began an investigation after a tip from locals that some Chinese men had illegally entered the country 8 months ago and were working illegally Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung District. The arrest was at their…
- World News
Malaysia returning vehicles left behind by Thais
Malaysia is returning vehicles left behind by Thais who left when Kuala Lumpur imposed a lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19. The first batch was returned yesterday via the Sungai Kolok immigration checkpoint. They were handed over to Thai authorities about 5pm. The chief of Sungai Kolok district in the southern border province of Narathiwat said Thais living in…
- Thailand News
Man found hanged in Kanchanaburi
An unidentified man was found hanged yesterday in the western border province of Kanchanaburi, in the forest behind a railway station in Sai Yok district. Emergency responders and local rescue volunteers walked about a kilometre into the forest after the discovery was reported just after 4pm. They found a man hanging by the neck from a tree, about 2.5 metres…
