- World News
NZ suitcase murders go to court
The woman charged with the New Zealand suitcase murderers of two children whose bodies were found in earlier this year was their mother, an Auckland court heard as the suspect made her first appearance in the country. Appearing in court, the 42 year old stood silently in the dock wearing a beige hooded jacket. She was remanded in custody without…
- Thailand News
Chinese gangs in Thailand take another hit as “Tony” falls
Chinese gangs in Thailand are in more trouble as police arrested another suspected gang boss in Bangkok Wednesday. Teams of police raided 34 locations in eight provinces, at the behest of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn. Big Joke, as Surachate is playfully known, said that in Samut Prakan, a company was identified as owning a private aircraft…
- Thailand News
Planning a small conference? Try Thailand’s super-luxury villas
If you are planning an international get-together, or a training conference for local staff, why waste your time and money on a decaying Bangkok hotel meeting room with ugly furniture, toxic air conditioning and a buffet prepared by the kitchen intern? Try a super-luxury villa. Thailand is home to some of the most spectacular meeting spots in the world. And…
- World News
Indonesia’s environmental protection plan- trust the billionaires
Indonesia’s environmental protection plan will take the revolutionary step of selling off “development” rights – not “protection” rights – to an entire archipelago of more than 100 coral islands next week. More or less anyone who happens to have enough cash washing around offshore is welcome to bid. The Widi reserve in Indonesia is described by Sotheby’s – those bastions…
- Crime News
Raids on drinking and gambling dens expose Chinese influence
Raids on illegal drinking and gambling dens in Bangkok and Pattaya have done little to solve the problem. Rather, they have drawn attention to the number of Chinese nationals involved in Thailand’s burgeoning organised crime scene. But don’t worry, celebrity sleuth “Big Joke” is on it. Deputy national police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn is ready to prosecute and extradite…
- World News
Bangladeshi-Burmese border conference offers model for Thailand
A Bangladeshi-Burmese border conference between security forces finishes today in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw. Does Thailand have anything to learn from the Bangladeshis who face perhaps greater problems dealing with the kakistocracy across the river? The situation on the border is tense, due to internal conflict in Myanmar, violations of airspace, terrorism, cross-border crime and the Rohingya refugee problem.…
- Things To Do
Thailand’s monkey feast festival in Lopburi attracts raucous crowd
Thailand’s monkey feast festival in Lopburi is definitely not to everyone’s taste but it certainly attracts a raucous crowd. A banquet fit for the Monkey King was laid before Lopburi’s massed monkeys on Sunday – the last in November – at the annual simian celebration in central Thailand. Lopburi is one of the oldest cities in Thailand, home to King…
- Health
Newborn baby found in Pattaya trash can
A newborn baby was found in a trash can in a middle-class residential area of Pattaya, early on Sunday. Pol Lt Col Nathawat Ploenchit said the healthy baby boy was discovered by Surachai Kaewpha, 54 years old, who told police that he made the shocking find at about 6am while taking his dog for a morning walk. Surachai was passing…
- Northern Thailand News
Military mum calls for justice over slain son
A military mum called for justice over the death of her son, an army private from Uthai Thani province. She called for a full investigation, accusing 11 other soldiers of beating her son to death in a punishment cell. The funeral of Pvt Kajornsak, 24, of the Fourth Infantry Division, took place at Thung Luang temple in the Nong Chang…
- Crime News
A burglar, in a hole, in the roof, in the night
A Nakhon Si Thammarat burglar, well-known to authorities, who dropped in from the ceiling rather than breaking in through a window or door was taken to the police by his long-suffering mother following his latest exploits. At about 2am the morning before, a thief had dropped in from the roof of a teacher’s home in the district and demanded 500…
- World News
UK exports to Japan slump after ‘landmark’ free trade deal
UK exports to Japan have slumped after a “landmark” free-trade deal exacerbated an already awful situation. Sold as Britain’s first major free-trade agreement since Brexit, the deal with Japan has been an abject failure. Trade between Britain and Japan has actually declined since the deal was signed. Trade secretary at the time, Liz Truss – then still believed by some…
- World News
Thai gangs traffic Kenyans to Myanmar scam factories
Thai gangs trafficked more than 60 Kenyans who have been rescued from Laos and Myanmar over the last few months after call-centre jobs turned out to be a cover for cybercrime, prostitution and even organ theft. According to Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry, at least one Kenyan has died as a result of a botched operation in Myanmar. A 31 year…
- Tourism News
Russian invasion takes Thailand’s tourism forces by surprise
The Russians are coming! The recent mass Russian invasion of Thailand has taken the country’s tourism forces completely by surprise. Unexpected numbers of tourists from the war-torn county have tourism operators scrambling to cope with an army of independent travellers, more than capable of looking after themselves, and left commentators scrambling to occupy the moral high ground. Despite the ongoing…
- Transport News
Thai Airways appoint new CEO
Thai Airways appointed CFO Chai Eamsiri as CEO. Chai will take up his new role on February 1. Chai was chosen from 53 internal and external candidates, including domestic and international aviation executives. The recruitment processes involved psychometric testing for leadership capability. Applicants also presented their vision for the company to the selection committee. With an MBA from Kasetsart University…
- Crime News
Private jet in ‘Tuhao’ case still flying free
The private jet in the “Tuhao” case has not been seized by authorities. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board’s (ONCB) Wichai Chaimongkol yesterday denied that the office had seized the private jet being serviced at Bo Fai airfield in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Chaiyanat Kornchayanant – alias Tuhao, aka “rich guy” – will have his assets seized if the ONCB…
- Transport News
F35 fighter jets head RTAF wish list
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is keen to buy two shiny black F35 fighter jets from the United States. Despite outcry from opposition parties, F35 fighter jets head RTAF’s wish list. The decision now rests with the US Congress which is yet to confirm whether Thailand is a good enough friend to receive such sought-after toys. The plane’s technology…
- World News
‘Fake’ seed blamed for Thailand’s disgrace in rice Olympiad
“Fake” seed has been blamed for Thailand’s embarrassing second place in last week’s international rice Olympiad in Phuket. Following national humiliation at the hands of Cambodian farmers, a government investigation into the disaster blamed “fake seed” for the disgrace. Natthakit Khongthip, the man carrying the can for the catastrophe, on Thursday described the offending seed behind Thailand’s national as “inauthentic.”…
- Crime News
Tuhao refused bail as celebrity wife enters equation
Alleged gangster ‘Tuhao” was refused bail yesterday in Bangkok. The nickname “Tuhao” – Chinese for a rich guy – tells us a lot about Chaiyanat Kornchayanant, a supposedly respectable businessman, known among other rich guys as “rich guy.” What can that possibly mean? In many places, this kind of nickname would mean “broke guy,” but Chaiyanat appears to be anything…
- World News
Afghanistan’s public floggings remain popular entertainment
Afghanistan’s public floggings have regained their popularity with spectators since becoming more commonplace in recent months. Twelve people, including three women, were flogged in front of a rapt crowd of thousands of onlookers at a football stadium in Afghanistan this week. The convicts had been found guilty of crimes including adultery, robbery and homosexuality, a Taliban official told the BBC.…
- Crime News
Another Tinder crypto-scammer arrested
Police have arrested another Tinder crypto-scammer, the seventh member of a gang of fraudsters who allegedly dupe people into investing in a fake cryptocurrency scheme using fake profiles on dating apps. Chinese national Baoxun Zhan, 35 years old, was arrested outside the government complex on Chaeng Wattana Road in Thung Song Hong on Wednesday. Zhan will face charges of collusion…
- Thailand News
PTSD cat seeks new home following Narathiwat terror blast
A PTSD cat seeks a new home following the Narathiwat terror blast. Apart from the tragic loss of life and destruction of property, the car bomb that destroyed Narathiwat police apartments on Tuesday left one former resident homeless and hungry. A cat that was owned by one of the Narathiwat police officers lost in the blast is suffering from PTSD.…
- World News
Thai visitors to Japan up fourfold
Thai visitors to Japan are up 26,000. The number of Thai people holidaying in Japan increased from 7,600 in September to 34,000 this month as Japan ended its Covid-19 restrictions and eased visa rules. At least a million Thais are expected to visit in 2023. President of the Thai-Japan Tourist Association Anake Srishevachart expects Japan to welcome more than 100,000…
- Entertainment
Iconic “Goonies” house on sale in Oregon
The Victorian home featured in the film “The Goonies” is on sale in Astoria, Oregon. Buyers are said to be planning to make the iconic house accessible to fans of the classic movie. The 1896 home with majestic views of the Columbia River flowing into the Pacific Ocean has an asking price of US$1.7 million (60 million baht). Realtor Jordan…
- Thailand News
Venomous snake rescued from beer in Australia
Australian reptile rescuers have come to the rescue of a thirsty snake found with its head wedged inside the ring-pull opening at the top of a beer can. Photos and video posted to Facebook by Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation show rescuers responding to a report of a snake trapped in a beer can in Brighton, Queensland. The rescuers arrived to…
- Transport News
Royal Thai Air Force airbus sets flight record
A Royal Thai Air Force Airbus A340-500 completed what appears to be the longest flight ever operated by the aircraft. The record-breaking flight took place with much less fanfare than Singapore Airlines’ commercial record in 2018. The flight from Bangkok to Charlotte, North Carolina, took 18 hours and 14 minutes and covered 14,555 kilometres. The flight landed on Wednesday, November…
- Entertainment
Kick-boxing Kent mum aims for Guinness World Record
Kick-boxing Kent mum Nicola Ireland, 40 years old, is on her way to breaking a Guinness World Record this month. Ireland plans to kick more than 59 items off people’s heads in just one minute, according to the Kent Messenger. Before she became a mum, Ireland had a stellar career in Muay Thai, with British, European and World belts to…
- World News
Thai scientists develop flood-resistant rice
Thailand is one of the world’s largest rice exporters, but unpredictable weather conditions such as severe drought and heavy floods have driven Thai scientists to develop flood-resistant rice. Researchers are working on a new strain of rice that can survive floods and resist pests, and perhaps someday even taste better than Cambodian rice. The team of Thai scientists developing flood-resistant…
- Crime News
Middle-aged Thai meth head bemoans falling customer-care standards
A middle-aged Thai meth head and small-time dealer in Maha Sarakham expressed his anger at falling standards in the consumer narcotics market. A team from the provincial administration caught up with the man named only as Buasawan during a drug sweep in the province Thursday, according to the Bangkok Post. Much wronged by the world, the 55 year old man…
- Environment News
Three rare cetaceans sighted in Gulf of Thailand
Three rare species of cetacean (whales and dolphins) have been sighted by members of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department trawling the Gulf of Thailand. Scientists were surveying waters along Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, and Phetchaburi last week when they observed an Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) at the mouth of Tha Chin River in Samut Sakhon and near the coast…
- Road deaths
Crane driver electrocuted in freak N Thailand accident
A crane driver was electrocuted and two others injured when hoist lines from the truck crane’s boom touched a live electricity transmission wire at the roadside in Nong Bua Rawe district, Chaiyaphum province, northeastern Thailand. The tragedy happened at 3pm yesterday on the Nong Bua Rawe – Phakdi Chumphol Road in tambon Nong Bua Rawe. The driver was electrocuted when…
