- Hot News
Coconut farmers fight back with monkey-free certificates
Coconut farmers in Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon provinces have received Department of Agriculture monkey-free certificates in an attempt to combat a PETA Asia campaign against traditional coconut farming. The certificate confirms that no monkeys were used during collection. PETA Asia found the issue of Thai farmers using monkeys to collect coconuts sufficiently photogenic to bring it to the world’s attention…
- Politics News
Suthep graft case dismissed by Supreme court
Former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has been cleared in a graft case, dismissed by Supreme Court Friday. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is to appeal against the ruling acquitting Suthep of massive corruption. Suthep is accused of malfeasance in construction projects for police stations and officers’ living quarters more than a decade ago. NACC chairman Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said Friday…
- Entertainment
Too much free time – Malaysian puzzler slices and dices Mr Potato Head
A Malaysian puzzle enthusiast has broken a Guinness World Record through the worthy activity of slicing and dicing a Mr Potato Head toy in 5.43 seconds. After countless hours of arduous practice, Lim Kai Yi of Butterworth finally achieved his sad little dream of taking the record for the fastest time to assemble Mr Potato Head. Applicants must start with…
- Phuket News
Canadian hitman in Phuket killing moves closer to extradition
The Canadian hitman accused of killing a Vancouver gangster in Phuket is one step closer to extradition after a ruling from an Alberta judge. Matthew Dupre was committed to extradition Friday, to be surrendered to Thailand to be tried for his involvement in the death of Jimi Singh Sandhu. Dupre was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan…
- Thailand Protest News
Teen protestor claims police harassment
A child protestor aged only 13 is claiming he was followed and harassed by police after a protest at Sanam Luang – Democracy Monument – on Fathers’ Day earlier this week. “Oia” (pseudonym) said that on Monday he tried to stage a protest calling for the repeal of the royal defamation law during an event commemorating the birthday of the…
- Hot News
License to own unicorn issued by LA animal care authority
Los Angeles animal control authorities have apparently been smoking something pretty strong, or are suffering from a massive lack of anything useful to do. A California girl named Madeline has been issued with a license to own a unicorn — if she can find one. The first permit of its kind came with strings attached – though judicious use of…
- Technology News
No link between phishing and Shopee transfer scam
E-commerce platform Shopee has stopped Internet bank transfers as a payment method for purchases, as it wants to improve the user experience. The company says the move is unrelated to the case of a buyer’s account being allegedly hacked. In an email to The Thaiger, Shopee said… “The phasing out of manual bank transfers as a payment method on Shopee…
- World News
Sold or stolen – South Korean adoptees seek truth
South Korean adoptees seek the truth as the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) begins to look into the stories of hundreds of adoptees taken to Europe and the United States. Thousands of South Korean “orphans” were adopted by Western families in the latter part of the 20th century, many of whom suspect that their origins were falsified or obscured…
- Transport News
Last jumbo – the last Boeing 747 leaves the gate
After 50 years of production, the last Boeing 747, perhaps the world’s most iconic aircraft, rolled out of Boeing’s massive factory in Everett, Washington, on Tuesday night. The final customer is cargo carrier Atlas Air, which ordered four 747-8 freighters early this year. The 747 jumbo jet has taken on a wide variety of roles during its lifetime. It’s a…
- Thailand News
What next for Bali as Indonesia bans sex?
In a Draconian overhaul of the country’s criminal code, Indonesia criminalized sex outside marriage. The reforms include a ban on cohabitation between unmarried couples and would apply to both Indonesians and tourists. This angered rights activists and prompted protests in Jakarta. However, the reactions in Bali range from scepticism to concern. Santi Aprilia, an Indonesian housewife, told the Guardian… “These…
- World News
Public executions return to Afghanistan
A convicted killer has been shot and killed by the father of his victim in western Afghanistan, with the full approval of Kabul. It is the first officially-confirmed public execution since US-led forces allowed the Taliban to assume control of the country last year. According to the Guardian, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the executed man stabbed and killed another…
- South Thailand News
Patani Colonial Territory designer summoned for game of truth or dare
The designer of Patani Colonial Territory, a game based on the recent history of Thailand’s southern regions, is believed to have been summoned by police after the game was confiscated from a café in Yala. Chachiluk Games said that the game designer was not involved in the conceptualisation and production process. Reporting on Thailand involves at least one truly absurd story…
- World News
Thai Vietjet resumes Bangkok-Da Lat flights after 3-year break
Thai Vietjet resumed its international service between Bangkok and Da Lat Sunday, after almost three years of suspension since the Covid-19 outbreak. Passengers were greeted with a special dance “Blooming in the Sky” at Lien Khuong International Airport along with a lucky draw for air tickets from Thai Vietjet. The arrival of flight VZ940 was welcomed by leaders of the…
- Politics News
Whole new world of censorship pain on its way to Thailand
A whole new world of censorship pain is on its way to Thailand, with the latest act by the thought police becoming law on Christmas Day. Online platforms must abide by a new regulation to deal quickly with complaints about content deemed to violate the Computer Crimes Act. A new regulation issued by Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut…
- Technology News
Apple plans to move production out of China and into Thailand
Apple Inc. plans to move production out of China, by far the dominant country in the company’s supply chain. Suppliers are being to asked plan for moves elsewhere in Asia, particularly India, Thailand, and Vietnam, to reduce the influence of Foxconn Technology Group. In a series of tweets, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the main production location outside of China for…
- Transport News
A few good apples – Taxi drivers are not all bad
Taxi drivers are not all bad. A Pattaya motorbike-taxi driver handed into police a foreigner’s wallet he found. The wallet contained about 18,000 baht. Identification found inside the purse was Franz-Joseph (surname withheld), a German national. The wallet contained 320 euros (12,000 baht) and 6,150 baht (US$180). The honest taxi driver, Amnuay Plungklang, contacted the media last week to publicise…
- Northern Thailand News
Bloody end to innocent celebratory nap
An Udon Thani woman who was attacked by her husband last week is now looking around for someone new. Husband Somchai returned home early, and threw her lover out of her bed, before stabbing him. Chanoknat says she is unhappy with her husband Somchai Sonangam. According to Bangkok Post, the 44 years old says her rude husband barged in on her…
- Thailand Election News
‘Big Joke’ goes back to school to hunt visa crooks
As Big Joke leads his investigation into Chinese gangs operating in Bangkok, the probe is expanding so fast that it is only a matter of time before the cops are investigating every business in the nation’s capital. There are no untouchables as criminal Chinese businesses appear to have pervaded almost every corner of Thai life from the scum floating at…
- Bangkok News
Fire at Bangkok’s CentralWorld mall sends shoppers scurrying (video)
A fire broke out at Bangkok’s CentralWorld mall Saturday afternoon. A small fire broke out in Groove, the mall’s semi-outdoor dining area, around 4.15pm. Coughing shoppers were forced to flee along smoke-filled corridors. Fire 🚒🔥 alert at #ctw #centralworld #เซ็นทรัลเวิร์ล , please go outside in safe area 🙌 pic.twitter.com/cIlNRXJd2r — @chai_prod (@chai_prod) December 3, 2022 Firefighters were quickly at the…
- Tourism News
Air Canada’s Vancouver-Bangkok flight touches down Thailand
Air Canada’s Vancouver-Bangkok flight touched down in the Kingdom of Thailand early this morning and, for the first time in 10 years, there is a nonstop flight between North America and Thailand. On December 1 at 11pm local time, the Air Canada Boeing 787 Dreamliner AC65 took off from Vancouver International Airport to begin its 15-hour and 55-minute journey to…
- Education
Thai student allegedly raped by Hyderabad U professor
Students at the University of Hyderabad are staging protests in support of the Thai student allegedly raped by her professor yesterday. The Thai student claimed that she was raped at the home of a senior professor last night. Local police arrested the suspect, Ravi Ranjan, said to be in his sixties. Ranjan is a faculty member in the department of…
- Transport News
Bangkok airport expansion prepares for bidding war
Bidding will open next year on Bangkok’s airport expansion at Suvarnabhumi International and Don Mueang International, according to Thailand’s transport minister Saksayam Chidchob. The expansions are needed to meet rising demand since Thailand dropped COVID entry restrictions on October 1 this year. Some 3 million passengers used Thai airports in October, compared with average monthly traffic of about 1.2 million…
- Road deaths
Red-Bull hit-and-run prosecutor dismissed
Red-Bull hit-and-run prosecutor Chainarong Saengthong-aram has been dismissed by the Public Prosecutors Commission. The former senior prosecutor at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was discharged after tampering with evidence in the case involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya. An initial report showed that Vorayuth was driving his Ferrari at 177 kilometres per hour when he hit and killed…
- Tourism News
Bullets-in-bag Israeli given 18 months in Thailand
The bullets-in-bag Israeli police officer was handed an 18-month jail sentence on Friday for arriving in Thailand with a deadly cargo of live ammunition. Gal Shmuel Farjun was arrested in October at Phuket Airport with two loaded magazines in his suitcase. The 29 year old claimed to have left the bullets in his bag “by accident.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry…
- Transport News
Thai Vietjet plans new routes to China, India, Japan, Vietnam
Thai Vietjet has big plans for next year with new routes in the pipeline to destinations in China, India, Japan, and Vietnam. Woranate Laprabang, chief executive of TVJ said… “We want to be driving the Thai economy by bringing in more foreign tourists.” Domestic flights accounted for about a third of flights operated by the airline this year. At the…
- Tourism News
Thai AirAsia Melbourne and Sydney connections take to the air
Australians can expect cheaper flights to Thailand, thanks to the arrival of a Thai AirAsia X on the busy Melbourne and Sydney routes. For the first time since the pandemic began, a non-stop Melbourne to Bangkok flight took off yesterday afternoon from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. The budget airline’s first flight on its new Sydney to Bangkok route departed today. Thai…
- Northern Thailand News
Resurgence of AIDS in Thailand overshadows UNAIDS summit
News of the resurgence of AIDS in Thailand, blamed on the proliferation of dating apps, has dismayed many. Historically, Thailand has one of the best records of all countries in the region in caring for people living with AIDS. The government is now setting out to eradicate AIDS in Thailand by 2030, according to deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul on…
- Economy News
Thailand’s Board of Investment unveils transformation plans
Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) has come up with new ways to attract more investment into Thailand. The board’s target is an easy-to-swallow group of companies dubbed “smart and sustainable” according to Bangkok Post. The government’s effort to create a “new” economy in Thailand is focused, like almost every other Asian nation, on buzzwords. The board’s chosen buzzwords are “innovation”…
- Tourism News
Indian pervs arrested after harassing tourist in Mumbai
Two men have been arrested in Mumbai after the attempted abduction of a South Korean tourist while she was livestreaming. On Tuesday night Hyojeong Park, known as Mhyochi on social media, was livestreaming as she walked through the city. The video shows a man forcibly putting his arm around Park and kissing her on the cheek. Park, who has more…