- World News
Independent Chinese travellers demand freedom
Independent Chinese travellers are set to shake up expectations in Thailand and across all of Southeast Asia. More than 10 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in 2019. Almost all of them were on a strict schedule overseen by a terrifying tour guide. Almost all spent most of their money on Chinese-owned operations. Many were riding around in buses provided by…
- Education
Thailand’s cheating lecturers – the lazy academics faking their research
Thailand’s cheating lecturers are under investigation as eight of the kingdom’s universities claim that a third of lecturers have submitted research papers that they bought on the Internet and claimed as their work. Sirirurg Songsivilai, permanent secretary of the department of higher education, told the media that… “Thirty-four universities have conducted separate investigations into research papers submitted by more than…
- South Thailand News
Police major killed in Yala bomb blast
The police major killed in a Yala bomb blast has been named Pol Maj Prasan Kongprasit, an inspector at Bannang Sata District Police Station. Prasan succumbed to injuries yesterday sustained when a homemade explosive device went off earlier in the day. Four others were wounded by shrapnel when the bomb exploded as they examined a crime scene in the southern…
- Lifestyle
All the single ladies… Unmarried Thai women sick of being bad-mouthed
As a foreigner who is not married and has no intention of ever marrying, unmarried Thai women are not happy with me, and neither is anyone else. It seems to me that Thai society is composed of everyone knowing their own place and knowing everyone else’s place too. There actually is a place for a “man like me” – it’s…
- Politics News
Chuwit stirs up nest of triad rats
The pied piper of Bangkok, Chuwit Kamolvisit, is whistling out another nest of triad rats. King Rat, toots Chuwit, is none other than a certain Chinese national known as Yu Xinqi. Triads show up in Thailand under the protection of Yu’s “Shaanxi Association of Thailand,” nothing more than a trafficking ring that allows the wrong sort of Chinese people to…
- Thailand Election News
Thai election explainer – Constitution, House and Senate
Thailand’s democratic structure consists of a Constitution, House of Representatives and Senate. The constitutional monarchy is ruled by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the head of state. The king has limited formal power but is highly influential in politics. He has significant influence over the military. Constitution, House and Senate – Constitution The current constitution was developed by a committee appointed by…
- Environment News
Parks and sanctuaries closed by fire in N.Thailand
Thailand’s air pollution centre has asked the Department of National Parks to close eight parks and wildlife sanctuaries in northern provinces to control forest fires. Department head Pinsak Suraswadi said that the closures will allow firefighters greater flexibility to deal with problems in the parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Average PM2.5 levels in the past 24 hours increased 67%, while hotspots…
- Health
Sierra and Sahara – Thailand’s search-and-rescue superstars
Two golden retrievers from Thailand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team are starring in the international efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude quake and aftershocks that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6 rose to more than 41,000 on Wednesday, with millions more lost or homeless in both countries. Two…
- World News
Expect cheaper airline meals (for them, not you)
Don’t expect cheaper airline meals just because one of the world’s biggest airline caterers is swapping prawns for chicken on menus to save on costs. Singapore’s Airport Terminal Services (SATS) handles in-flight catering at Changi Airport. SATS controls about 80% of Changi Airport’s ground handling and catering business. SATS said prawns which used to be available on some flights are…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Thunderstorms in north Thailand, floods in Bangkok
The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms in north Thailand until Friday. The met office expects temperatures to fall by up to 3 degrees Celsius and has cautioned residents to beware of big trees and unsafe advertising hoardings. The department advised farmers to prepare for crop damage. Meanwhile, the weather in Bangkok turned from swelteringly suffocating…
- Visa Information
Dating apps won’t help you find love and here’s why
For most of human history, relationships were relatively simple for a banal yet immovable reason: it was extremely hard to meet anyone acceptable – and everyone knew it. Dating apps won’t help you if there are only a few people in the village if travel is expensive and when social occasions are few and far between. History had many drawbacks.…
- Environment News
Australia and New Zealand best places to survive nuclear apocalypse
As Valentine’s Day casts its mushroom-cloud shadow over ambivalent or forgetful lovers everywhere, it’s heartening to know where the best places to survive a nuclear apocalypse really are. A recent study by the University of Otago, Wellington, reaches the same conclusion as every other such survey in living memory. ‘Continuing’ civilisation It’s probably best not to survive, but if you…
- Tourism News
Small hotels recover in Thailand as foreigners move downmarket
As small hotels recover in Thailand, returning tourists are choosing different options from pre-pandemic staples. A study of small hotels and hostels found booking growth is now higher than before the pandemic, with bookings from overseas tourists exceeding those of local travellers. As small hotels recover in Thailand, bookings are up by a quarter from the pre-Covid levels, according to…
- Environment News
Thailand’s forest fires close Mae Hong Son Airport
Thailand’s forest fires were so bad, with many parts of Mae Hong Son‘s Muang district covered in such dense smoke Sunday that several airlines rescheduled morning flights. The local pollution control department in Mae Hong Son reported that PM2.5 – particles of dust less than 2.5 microns in diameter – in the Muang and Pai districts reached 90 micrograms and…
- Tourism News
Remembering the dead – Koh Tao dive master mystery
Twenty-three years before diving instructor Neil Giblin from Birmingham died on Koh Tao last month, a fellow Brummie diver lost his life there. Giblin is the fifth Koh Tao dive master to die on the island where Ian Jacobs, from Sutton Coldfield, died on January 18, 2000. Jacobs was found at the bottom of a well on the island. Giblin…
- Tourism News
Take the slow train to monkey city
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is offering trips on a slow train to monkey city, from Bangkok to Lopburi in the Northeast Thailand, on the refurbished Kiha 183 diesel-powered trains from Japan. The trips this weekend and next will cost 599 baht. Only 200 seats will be available each day. The train leaves Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong Railway Station…
- Thailand News
Sufficient life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai – RTN
The Naval Supply Department insisted that there were 130 life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai when it sank in December, more than enough for the 105 crew. Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet yesterday said that the RTN is finding out why some of the survivors claimed that there were not enough life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai. Regarding…
- Crime News
Death Wish Thailand: Who is ‘Inspector Sua’?
Lt-Colonel Wasawat Mookarasakul, the senior police officer named as “Inspector Sua” in an explosive Facebook post last week, has been suspended from duty pending an investigation by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD). When the Central Investigation Bureau promises a straightforward investigation that is “strictly in line with the law,” questions have to be asked about what goes on during other…
- Road deaths
Latest ambulance crashes in Thailand dismay researchers
The grim statistics on ambulance crashes in Thailand worsened on Friday night when a patient was badly injured in a horrific late-night crash. An ambulance smashed into the back of a truck in the Lom Sak district in the northern part of Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, close to midnight on Friday. The patient, who was being rushed from Khao Kho…
- World News
Japanese crime ring masterminded from Thailand and Philippines
A Japanese crime ring operated from Thailand and the Philippines is behind a string of crimes across Japan. The international crime syndicate was coordinated remotely from Thailand. The crimes being investigated include the murder of a 90 year old woman as well as cash-card fraud involving a number of elderly victims. Yuki Watanabe, 38 years old, and another senior member…
- World News
Anwar demands tougher ASEAN pressure on Myanmar
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for tougher ASEAN pressure on Myanmar. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he said, must take measures to pressurise the Myanmar government into ending atrocities against its people. Anwar, on a two-day official visit to Thailand, said in a speech to the Malaysian-Thai Chamber of Commerce that ASEAN members have to be…
- Hot News
Victims of romance scams ‘at their wits end’
Most victims of romance scams in Thailand are women in their 40s. Middle-aged women are the main targets of criminal gangs who prey on those who have taken the questionable step of seeking true love online. Online fraud, including romance scams, has become a serious problem in Thailand, judging by the number of complaints filed with the Royal Thai Police.…
- Travel
Do fewer shark bites mean fewer sharks?
Shark attacks worldwide fell in 2022, resulting in fewer shark bite incidents compared to the past decade. In 2020, travel restrictions and beach closures were thought to have resulted in fewer encounters between humans and sharks and fewer shark bites. The majority of the 57 unprovoked bites last year occurred in the USA and Australia. Five proved fatal, down from…
- Technology News
Is Google chatbot smarter than a pigeon?
Embarrassing stammering by Bard, the Google chatbot, has prompted the global public and stock markets to unreservedly rejected machine-generated garbage. The likes of Donald Trump and Elon Musk must be delighted that a talking Google chatbot is held in higher regard than talking billionaires. Google’s response to ChatGPT got off to an embarrassing start when its chatbot gave a wrong…
- Thailand News
Whistle-blower Chuwit toots against online gambling
Whistle-blower Chuwit Kamolvisit has been tooting on his flute again. The ex-MP, ex-emperor of sleaze and current arch-nemesis of organised crime throughout the kingdom, has been blowing off that PM Prayut failed to honour two promises made when he seized power eight years ago. It’s anyone’s guess how Chuwit choose a particular two from the wide variety available, but he did.…
- Thailand News
The 4 Traveller Tribes of the next decade
Travel-tech outfit Amadeus has identified what it calls the four “Traveller Tribes” of the next decade – experientialists, influencers, memory makers and pioneers. According to the Nation, Singapore’s Amadeus examined emerging traits, behaviours, and preferences, to pinpoint what travellers will want a decade from now. Pioneers, more than 40% of all travellers globally and the largest tribe, live fast-paced lives…
- Transport News
Thai Airways rehabilitation ahead of schedule
Thai Airways expects to exit its rehabilitation plan ahead of schedule. The airline is already looking for new aircraft as the recovery in global tourism bolsters earnings. CEO Chai Eamsiri said Thursday that the carrier will be able to leave its court-supervised debt plan “much earlier” than the late-2024 target, according to Bloomberg. The company is also in talks with…
- World News
Anwar’s visit to Thailand brings ‘Deep South’ to top of agenda
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is due in Bangkok today to meet Thai PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha. Anwar’s visit to Thailand brings issues in the “Deep South” to the top of the diplomatic agenda. The provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and parts of Songkhla are an important crossroads for trade between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. China’s plans for high-speed trains from…
- Travel
Plant-based Thai food tours NSW
“My message on plant-based Thai food is simple – if you can, try to incorporate more vegetables in your weekly routine, because it will change your life.” Thomas Thong and his wife run a food stall serving contemporary, plant-based Thai food. The stall travels throughout Australia’s New South Wales regularly. Thong’s parents lived in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge and…
- World News
Mitsubishi SpaceJet grounded to a halt
Japan has finally admitted that building the Mitsubishi SpaceJet, the nation’s first passenger aircraft, was not a good idea. The project appears to have been grounded forever. Japan abandoned plans to build its first passenger jet after years of technology setbacks and costs running out of control. According to the Guardian, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will cancel the public-private SpaceJet partnership,…
