Thaiger
- Tourism News
Expansion of airport to make Hua Hin an international tourist destination
Hua Hin, long considered a bucolic backwater compared with other resort destinations in Thailand, may be about to morph into something quite different; local media reported on Saturday that the Thai government has approved a major expansion of Hua Hin’s Airport, which could turn the sleepy resort town into a genuine international tourist destination rivalling other more established destinations in…
- Crime News
Pattaya police arrest prolific home and hotel catburglar
Police in Pattaya yesterday arrested a suspect yesterday who they say has admitted to at least ten burglaries of homes and hotels over the last several months. Pattaya City Police reported the arrest of a 37 year old Thai man, identified only as ‘Phet’ yesterday morning. He allegedly broke into rooms in apartments and hotels through unlocked windows, when victims…
- Crime News
Fugitive shot dead in gunfight with police in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A fugitive is dead after a gunfight with police in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The man, identified as 30 year old Pongsak Jessadarom, of the province’s Muang district, was wanted on three warrants for theft. Police were notified this morning by local residents of two thieves attempting to break into a house. A motorcycle patrol soon arrived…
- Pattaya News
Drunken man arrested threatening people with large knife on Pattaya beach
Pattaya City police arrested a highly intoxicated Bangkok man yesterday afternoon for carrying a large knife and threatening tourists and locals on Pattaya Beach. The incident began at around 11:00am, according to police, who say the man, who was severely intoxicated, was openly carrying a large knife, yelling incoherently and threatening people on the beach. Police were called by local…
- Politics News
Bangkok police on alert at student rallies
Authorities in greater Bangkok are keeping a watchful eye on students organising political rallies at universities in and around Bangkok, warning them to strictly adhere to public assembly laws. Last night, activities were held by students at Mahidol University, Silpakorn University’s Tha Phra campus, Chiang Mai University and Maejo University, also in Chiang Mai, following the Constitutional Court’s decision to…
- Phuket News
After 32 years, legendary Phuket eatery Baan Rim Pa is on the move
But not too far! One of Phuket’s most iconic restaurants, a firm local favourite, Baan Rim Pa, is moving after 32 years. The multi-award-winning bastion of the resort island’s dining scene, long located in Patong, will be absorbed into its newer location farther north in Kalim, while its daughter outlets, Da Maurizio and Joes Downstairs will be shuttered. Baan Rim…
- Environment News
Bangkok public schools closed until Friday due to air quality
Public schools in the Bangkok municipality have been ordered shut until Friday due to severe air pollution in the nation’s capital. Air quality in the city worsened today and the situation is likely to continue due to poor air circulation and accumulation of PM2.5 dust in the atmosphere. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said today that the city…
- Crime News
Suspects in abduction, murder of judge’s brother taken for re-enactment
When the brother of a senior judge in the central province of Nakhon Sawan was abducted in broad daylight in front of the Bangkok South Criminal Court on February 4, police feared the worst. Today, three of the six suspects alleged to have been involved in the abduction and subsequent murder were escorted by officers of the Crime Suppression Division…
- Economy News
Thai stocks plummet nearly 4% in Monday SET trading
The Stock Exchange of Thailand finished yesterday at 1,435.56 points, a decrease of 59.5 points, or nearly 4% – that’s compared to Friday’s close on the SET. The daily trade volume for Monday was 76.431 billion baht, with an index high of 1,474.12 and a low of 1,435.56. Asian bourses were hammered as confidence was inhibited by rising cases of the…
- Central Thailand News
At least 30 injured in head-on train collision
A train collision yesterday at Pak Tho station in Ratcha Buri province, just west of Bangkok, has injured at least 30 people, including three railway staff. Traffic Police radio and local Jor Sor 100 radio reported the crash between a passenger express train and a freight train express train, which took place around 6:30pm. Thai media report that station staff…
- World News
Uncertainty as Malaysian PM Mahathir resigns
Just days after Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad was given a mandate by the ruling coalition to stay on until after November’s APEC Summit, he has submitted a letter of resignation to the nation’s king. His office made the announcement today, amid talk of forming a new coalition. The fate of Malaysia’s current ruling coalition has been in doubt since surprise…
- Thailand News
Top 10 laws to beware of in Thailand
Did you know that it’s illegal in the UK to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armor? Or that it’s legal to shoot a Scotsman with a crossbow under certain circumstances? Most countries have outdated laws on the books that seem odd today, but as a visitor to Thailand, there are some laws you should always be…
- Phuket News
17 kids rescued in Phuket human-trafficking raids
“All 17 children were Cambodian and were taken to the Phuket Shelter for Children and Families on Koh Siray.” Thai police have taken 17 children into protective custody after a series of coordinated raids in Patong. They say the children were being exploited by a human trafficking gang, who beat them with a wire clothes hanger if they did bring…
- Road deaths
2 dead, 18 injured in Nakhon Si Thammarat bus crash
Two people have been killed and 18 more inured in a bus crash today in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Police say the bus overturned after sliding backward while ascending a steep hill in Khanom district, killing two passengers and injuring 18. The incident occurred at about 11:30am while the bus was transporting tourists back to Songkhla province…
- Thailand News
Missing moggie rescued in Rayong
A pet cat was rescued this week in Rayong province, near Pattaya, after being stuck between walls for two days. Rescue workers were notified of an emergency at a building in central Rayong. They arrived at the scene to find a cat stuck in a narrow gap between two walls. It took about 10 minutes to pull the cat up.…
- Pattaya News
89 year old grandmother hurt by falling coconut branch
An 89 year old grandmother working as a food vendor at Chon Buri province’s Bangsaen Beach, near Pattaya, was injured around 10:30 this morning by a falling branch from a coconut tree. Bleeding heavily, she was given medical care at the scene and rushed to a local hospital. She has since recovered and been released. It’s believed that a strong…
- Crime News
Former deputy commerce minister and police lieutenant arrested for suspected murder
Former deputy commerce minister and police lieutenant colonel Banyin Tangpakorn was arrested this morning, along with two other people, in the central province of Nakhon Sawan. Police believe the three were involved in the disappearance of the brother of a senior Criminal Court judge. Banyin is a former MP for Nakhon Sawan, of the now-defunct Palang Prachachon party. The arrest…
- Politics News
Future Forward ruling sparks flash mob at Bangkok’s Thammasat U.
The Student Union of Thailand held a brief rally at the campus of Thammasat University yesterday, to protest the Constitutional Court’s decision to dissolve the Future Forward party, strip its MPs of their status and and ban its executive committee members from politics for ten years. Students and members of the public who support the now-defunct party attended, lighting candles…
- Events
US ships arrive for Cobra Gold 2020
Ships from the US Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) have arrived in Thailand in preparation for Exercise Cobra Gold 2020. Cobra Gold is a multi-country war game conducted every year in Thailand. Cobra Gold 2020 will be held starting Tuesday and run to March 6. Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7, had this to say: “Working with…
- Road deaths
Pregnant woman injured, boy killed as fire-damaged tree collapses on their truck
A boy is dead and a pregnant woman seriously injured after a roadside tree broke and fell on their pickup truck in the western province of Kanchanaburi yesterday. Police say the incident occurred at about 3:30pm while 24 year old Kanokkorn Sangkhachi was driving a Nissan Navara pickup along Highway 323. She was accompanied by her 12 year old brother,…
- Thai Life
Interior ministry bans “crane claw” game machines as gambling tools
Gambling, other than betting on horse races or the government-sponsored lottery, has been prohibited in Thailand since the Gambling Act 1935. Now the government has banned the familiar “claw crane” machines found at many shopping malls and supermarkets, calling them “gambling tools.” The order was signed by the acting permanent secretary of the interior on Wednesday. The order was issued…
- Tourism News
Phuket calls for immediate government help over coronavirus impact
Phuket’s Chamber of Commerce has asked the Thai govenment for swift action to help cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus, particularly on tourism. According to Chamber president Thanusak Phungdet: “I explained to Tourism Committee President Surasak Phanchalernworakul about the situation and how coronavirus is affecting tourism and business in Phuket. I requested them to share this information with…
- Northern Thailand News
Udon Thani thief arrested after “invisibility spell” fails to work
Police in the northeastern province of Udon Thani yesterday arrested a thief claiming to have magical powers, after his “invisibility spell” failed to work. Thirty-two year old Anurak Promwang claims to have used the spell successfully many times in the past, and blames the removal of his trousers for his arrest. Security footage captured the thief in action, including the…
- South Thailand News
Man comes face to face with 5-metre king cobra while in bed
A man in the southern province of Trang got a shock when he lay down for a nap and found he was being watched by a 5-metre king cobra staring at him from the ceiling. The man’s home is on a rubber farm, where cobras and other venomous snakes are often found. The local rescue team, who reportedly specialise in…
- Phuket News
American man arrested for theft at Phuket mall
An American man has been arrested for theft after allegedly stealing three designer wallets from a shop at Phuket’s Central Floresta shopping mall. Twenty-one year old Christopher Braman was arrested at the shopping centre in tambon Ratsada on charges of theft and overstaying his visa, police said yesterday. After the arrest, police took Braman him to his rented room in…
- Northern Thailand News
Used-car dealer, entire family dead in mass suicide
A used car dealer and his entire family in the northern province of Phitsanulok have been found dead, in an apparent mass suicide. Even the family dogs were not spared. The family were found asphyxiated, with a lit charcoal stove in the room. Police were called yesterday after relatives found the bodies. There were five dead people and six dogs…
- Covid-19 News
China reports further reduction in new coronavirus cases, down to 397; Korea has a second death
China’s National Health Commission announced today that the country had 397 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus infections as of yesterday, down from 889 cases a day earlier. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 76,288. The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China had reached 2,345. Hubei province, the epicentre…
- World News
Busted! Cambodia cracks down on suggestive Facebook sellers
Cambodian women’s rights groups are slamming a crackdown on well endowed women who wear “provocative clothing” while selling goods live on Facebook, calling the crackdown dangerous and baseless. Seven groups point out that the women are breaching no law. “There is no evidence-based research that affirms that women’s clothing choice is the root cause of degradation of social morality.” Cambodian…
- Crime News
Police chief denies officers killed suspect
“We didn’t kill him, he killed himself” The police chief in Nonthaburi, just northwest of Bangkok, denies claims that one of his men kicked a motorcyclist off his bike. The 28 year old man, identified only as “Pisanu,” died after he fell off his Honda Wave motorbike. He was fleeing a police checkpoint at the time. He suffered head injuries…
- Phuket News
Unemployment rises 34% in Phuket due to virus’s impact
Unemployment on the resort island of Phuket is up 34% year on year due the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, according to the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO). “After Chinese government banned their citizens from travel abroad because of COVID-19, the number of people coming to register as unemployed has been rising quickly. About 80 people come to register…
