- Phuket News
Family of Phuket murder suspect does not plan to request bail
The family of Teerawat Thothip, the man who allegedly killed 57 year old Swiss national Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, does not plan to request bail for him. Region 8 Police Commander Kitrat Panpetch confirmed the family does not plan to file for bail. Nicole’s half-naked body was found earlier this month in a creek near Ao Yon Waterfall. Her shorts and shoes…
- Pattaya News
18 arrested at Bang Lamung birthday party, ecstasy seized
Police in Bang Lamung, a district in Chon Buri, have arrested 18 people yesterday at a birthday party. The raid, which made it a surprise birthday party in a way, happened at 11 pm at a home in the Nong Pla Yen sub-district. Police were alerted to the birthday party from a concerned citizen who was reportedly afraid the party…
- Thailand News
Macaque monkey sterilisation programme starts in Hua Hin
To control the large macaque monkey population in the resort town Hua Hin, where the monkeys tend to break into homes and bother residents, local officials plan to sterilise around 600 monkeys. The 1.1 million baht programme takes place each year and started back in 2017 by way of a memorandum of cooperation between the municipality and the Conservation Administration Office…
- World News
Saint-Tropez wildfire forces thousands to leave French resort hotspot
A wildfire in the Saint-Tropez region of Southern France has forced thousands of people to evacuate, says the fire service today. AFP reports that round around 750 firefighters responded to the fire while Reuters estimates the number of firefighters is closer to 900. Aircraft also dropped water on the blaze. The high temperatures and strong winds made the situation even more…
- Pattaya News
Man believes 2 prostitutes stole necklace off him in Pattaya
Yesterday in Pattaya, a Russian national reported that he had a white-gold necklace valued at 20,000 baht stolen by what he believes were 2 prostitutes. Around 8 pm Monday, 38 year old Dennis Nidovacom filed his police report. Pattaya police then went to the scene that was located close to a shopping centre on Beach Road. With the aid of…
- Thailand News
Officers at Phuket checkpoint to screen Thais for outstanding warrants
Officers at Phuket’s main checkpoint in Tha Chatchai will be screening Thais entering the island province to see if they have outstanding arrest warrants. The Region 8 Police Chief donated 51 smart card readers to scan ID cards as well as 20 smartphones. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha had called on government agencies to tighten safety to support tourists in Phuket following the…
- Thailand News
Construction workers in Phuket must stay on site, get tested for Covid weekly
With Covid-19 clusters reported at construction camps, workers at sites in Phuket must stay at the camp and must undergo testing for the coronavirus once a week. For weeks, many workers have been unable to leave camps not only in Phuket, but in other provinces like Bangkok. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew announced that the measures were approved by the provincial…
- Thailand News
Monk in Phitsanulok allegedly shoots and kills man at meditation centre
A monk allegedly shot and killed a man, who he had a long-standing feud with, at a Buddhist meditation centre in northern Thailand’s Phitsanulok. The alleged shooter has been stripped of his monkhood and now faces murder charges. Sai Yoi police officer Suparerk Chanmee says the shooting at the Ratchathani Buddhist Meditation Centre was reported to the police around 10am this…
- Thailand News
Bangkok man detained by police after allegedly assaulting woman
A man in Bangkok has been detained by police after allegedly assaulting a female Grab driver and then driving off. A video of the incident shows the man carrying a gun. The 36 year old man identified as “Sethawut” now faces charges of assault, criminal damage, and 2 weapons offences. Sethawut reportedly struck Grab driver Surang Sinkaew. It’s unclear what…
- World News
Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi erupts
Earlier today, Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi erupted. The volcano sent a curtain of ash into the air. Red lava also gushed from its crater. The eruption happened early this morning and shot clouds around 3.5 kilometres away from the volcano. This led to the nearby community being showered in grey ash. Further, this is Mount Merapi’s biggest lava…
- Thailand News
Samut Sakhon governor to resign, cites poor health after Covid infection and transfer rejection
The governor of the central province of Samut Sakhon, Veerasak Vichitsangsri, who recovered from a severe Covid-19 infection earlier this year, has announced that he wishes to resign from his post to spend his time with his family in Ang Thong. The governor had initially requested a transfer, but it was rejected. The governor contracted Covid-19 in December, during the…
- Thailand News
District chief in Chaiyaphum tests positive for Covid despite receiving 2 doses of AstraZeneca
The chief of the Nong Bua Ra We district in the northeastern Thai province of Chaiyaphum has tested positive for Covid. The chief has previously had 2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, says the provincial communicable disease committee for Chaiyaphum, today. District chief Tinpol Chalermvasutha has travelled to “many places” and participated in “many activities” with other officials from August…
- Thailand News
Pfizer made available at Samut Prakan Lotus, large crowds form at 4am
Large crowds gathered outside of a Lotus store in central Thailand’s Samut Prakan as early as 4am yesterday after the local hospital announced it was providing Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines at the inoculation site. The Samut Prakan Hospital made a post on Facebook saying the Pfizer vaccine, which was recently donated to Thailand from the US, is now available for those…
- World News
Philippines finds its first Lambda infection
Thailand’s southeast Asia neighbour the Philippines has announced today that it has found its first case of the Lambda variant of Covid, says the Philippines’s health ministry. WHO has designated the Lambda variant as a “variant of interest”. The VOI was first found in Peru last December. Laboratory studies have shown the Lambda variant has mutations that resist vaccine-induced antibodies.…
- Thailand News
3 million Sinovac doses arrive in Bangkok from China
Today, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok announced via a Facebook post that an additional 3 million doses of Sinovace have arrived in Bangkok. The post also said that China has currently delivered 24.55 million doses of Sinovac to the Land of Smiles. Thailand’s Disease Control Department says 23,476,869 vaccines doses have been administered in Thailand since February 28. Of that…
- Thailand News
Phuket restrictions to stay in place until at least the end of the month, exemptions apply
Phuket’s restrictions will stay in place until at least the end of the month. This includes closing off the island to visitors, with exceptions. This move is in response to the rising Covid cases in the region. The exception to the rule is Phuket residents and visitors associated with the “Sandbox” scheme. Also, people who have had 2 doses of…
- Thailand News
Today’s pro-democracy protests to interfere with traffic
Today’s pro-democracy rallies will likely result in traffic congestion at Ratchaprasong and Lat Prao intersections, 2 of the cities busiest junctions, says the Metropolitan Police Bureau. The police have expressed their concerns that the rallies might stop traffic in the region after rally organisers shared their “car park” protest plan. An armada of protesters’ cars are set to convene at…
- Phuket News
Phuket man dies while cleaning fish nets
Over the weekend, a man in Phuket was killed after he was caught in heavy-duty industrial machinery that primarily cleans fishing nets. The accident happened at the Aquaculture Research and Development Center in the Pa Khlok subdistrict. Thitiwat Asasing, from the Thalang Police Station, was alerted to the accident around 3 pm. Thitwat rushed to the scene, followed by rescue…
- Thailand News
Man allegedly steal employer’s Mercedes in retaliation for mistreatment; family returns car later, Ayutthaya arrest still follows
Yesterday morning in central Thailand, Ayutthaya Railway Police arrested a young man for allegedly stealing his employer’s Mercedes-Benz and driving off to Hat Yai to have it pawned for 40,000 Baht. However, the man’s family had second thoughts about the alleged theft and returned the car a few months later. Around 10:15 am yesterday, Channarong Zainid, the Commander in Chief…
- Thailand News
Red Shirt leader urges pro-democracy protesters not to resort to violence
Nattawut Saikuar, the Red Shirt leader, is cautioning young protesters that violent interactions with authority figures may play right into the authorities’ hands. Earlier today, Nattawut broadcasted live on Facebook to share his message of non-violence. He urged the protesters to think through their behaviour carefully. He also announced a car rally demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.…
- Thailand News
Orphaned girls recover from Covid, enter Samut Prakan orphanage
Last month, the tragic story of the 2 young girls who lost their mother to Covid, and how before dying the mother said it was her hope the girls would go to an orphanage, rattled Thailand. Then came the news that the girls had contracted Covid. Now, it is being reported that both girls have made a full recovery and…
- World News
Philippines extends travel ban from Thailand, 9 other countries
The Philippines is planning to extend its ban on travellers from Thailand and 9 more countries. The extension will go the end of this month out of Delta/Covid concerns, the presidential spokesperson said today. Philippine officials are rushing to control a spike in Covid cases that have stayed constant at around 12,000 infections for the second day in a row…
- Crime News
Samut Prakan curfew breaker cries for mother after police find drugs on him
Recently, a man in Samut Prakan, a central Thai province, was arrested after he broke curfew and whose suspicious behaviour led police to discover an array of drugs on his person. The man, 45 year old Pairot Nakbut, was caught outside around 9:30 pm near a police checkpoint. Pairot was reportedly uncooperative and cried out for his mother for an…
- Thailand News
Government delays purchase of antigen tests following quality concerns
The planned purchase by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization of 8.5 million antigen test kits, which cost 70 baht each, has been delayed as the quality of the tests has come into question. The permanent secretary for health and GPO chairperson, Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit, said today that “an organisation” had mentioned concerns about the quality of the tests in the media.…
- Thailand News
Phuket man shot in leg and hit with baseball bat, police investigate
Phuket police are investigating an assault in Patong where a man was shot in the leg and smashed in the head with a baseball bat. The Patong Police learned of the assault through a 191 national police hotline just before 6 pm yesterday following a report from rescue workers where they took a wounded man to the Patong hospital The…
- Thailand News
Bangkok Protester that had hand injured from firecracker tests positive for Covid
A man who recently attended a pro-democracy protest in Bangkok and had a hand “blown off” as he was trying to throw a firework has Covid, says police. Kissana Phatthanacharoen, the deputy spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police Office, said last night that the 14 year old would-be-firecracker-thrower tested positive for Covid while receiving medical attention for his severely injured…
- Thailand News
Possible charges for parents of vandals may be coming, police silent on use of rubber bullets/tear gas
Police are contemplating pursuing legal action against the parents of young protesters that allegedly vandalised public property while attending the recent pro-democracy protests in Bangkok. The police kept silent on their use of rubber bullets and tear gas. Piya Tavichai, the Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner, announced at a press briefing today that multiple suspected vandals are teenagers that have been…
- Thailand News
Ayutthaya ambulance driver tests positive for Covid…again
An ambulance driver from central Thailand’s Ayutthaya province has reportedly tested positive for Covid twice in a 1 month period. The 39 year old ambulance driver, “Wachira”, recently tested positive for Covid. This was a “surprise” for the Wachira as it wasn’t his first time testing positive. The man says he had previously tested positive when other medical officials also…
- Thailand News
Phuket murder suspect charged with attempted rape
Yesterday, Phuket police charged Teerawat Thothip, the 27 year old accused of killing a Swiss tourist, with attempted rape. The commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, Kitrat Phanphet, says there is enough evidence to substantiate an attempted rape charge against Teerawat. Last Saturday, Teerawat was arrested following the police’s discovery of Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf’s body 2 days prior. Kitrat says the…