Jon Whitman
- 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…
- World Cup
Somewhere over the rainbow lie Qatar’s homosexuality laws
As the FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022 spotlights the human rights record of the host, what really is Qatar’s laws on homosexuality? The World Cup is being held in a nation with a reputation for poor human rights which forbids same-sex relations. The tournament would normally unite the world but this one has polarised opinions everywhere. Qatari law calls for…
- Tourism News
Tour operators reluctant to fund staff training
Around a quarter of tourism businesses want to increase their workforces, but tour operators are reluctant to fund staff training, concerned about volatile demand. Bosses want taxpayers to pay their training expenses for them, according to the National Institute of Development Administration. Tourism is perhaps the biggest driver of the Thai economy. Employers who can afford to say they want…
- 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.…
- Phuket News
Singapore cruise ship arrives to sample Patong’s delights
A cruise ship from Singapore anchored off Patong yesterday morning, bringing 3,000 passengers for a brief visit to the jewel in Phuket’s crown of insalubrity. The Genting Dream, owned by Resorts World Cruises, arrived around dawn. The ship is on a five-day cruise out of Singapore and had stopped at Penang in Malaysia before arriving in Phuket, so passengers obviously…
- 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…
- World Cup
Free of toxic assets, Manchester United goes on sale
Manchester United is finally free of its most toxic asset, Cristiano Ronaldo, and may soon be free of the club’s widely-hated American owners. The club is on sale. Shares up 17% on the news, adding almost US$400 million (14.5 billion baht) to the club’s value and Glazer’s investment. The Glazer family, American owners of the club, will listen to offers…
- World Cup
Arabs spring surprise – the shocking history of FIFA World Cups
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been a shock from the start, and the road Qatar paved with so many shocking stories that we are immune to whatever surprises the next day springs. Nothing was shocking about FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s meltdown. He’s never given the impression of being anything but an insane Bond villain who should be managing…
- China News
Unswerving Covid-19 policy kills off Shanghai F1 GP
China’s dictatorial Covid-19 policy has killed off Shanghai’s return to the Formula 1 calendar next year. F1 has not visited China since 2019 and was due to return for the fourth time in 2023 on April 16. The key sticking point is that F1 staff would not be given exemptions from quarantine requirements in the event of being infected. F1 refuses…
- 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…
- 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…
- World News
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Queen Suthida meet Xi, Peng Liyuan
The hugely expensive and profitable (for some) APEC Summit has ground to its uninspiring conclusion. World leaders have bidden each other tearful farewells until their next free feed at the corruption buffet. Backslapping over, the leader of the communist world took time out from his oppressive commitments to take tea and selfies with Thailand’s Royal Family, as reported by Xinhua,…
- 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…
- Thailand Protest News
Thailand must drop charges against child protesters – Amnesty
Thailand must drop charges against child protesters. Thai authorities should drop charges against child protesters who took part in demonstrations between 2020 and 2022, Amnesty International said today, in the lead-up to tomorrow’s World Children’s Day Persecution of child protestors in Thailand – intimidation, surveillance, and criminalisation – has been going on for years. Amnesty has recorded instances of police…
- World News
Thai AirAsia plans Chiang Mai – Singapore route
Thai AirAsia plans a Chiang Mai – Singapore route, resuming flights between Chiang Mai and Singapore for the first time in more than a decade. Thai AirAsia CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya said… “Singapore is a complete tourism destination that has always been popular, with a high load factor average throughout the year. “The direct Chiang Mai-Singapore route will give people of…
- World News
Chinese crime boss flees Thailand on private jet
A Chinese crime boss is said to have fled Thailand on a private jet bound for Myanmar. A private jet parked up at Hua Hin airfield in Prachuap Khiri Khan province is said to have been used to help Tuhao, a Chinese crime boss, to escape justice and flee the country. However, the aircraft did not leave Thailand, at least…
- World News
Cambodian wildlife official charged with smuggling temple monkeys
A Cambodian wildlife official has been charged in the United States with smuggling endangered monkeys. Eight people have now been charged with smuggling the endangered monkeys. The Guardian reports that the Cambodian official was arrested on his way to a conference on protecting endangered species. The group arrested are connected to a Hong Kong-based company involved in breeding long-tailed macaques…
- Entertainment
Joyland cleared for cinema screenings in Pakistan
Joyland, the Pakistani film portraying a romance between a married man and a transgender woman was cleared for cinema screenings in Pakistan Wednesday, reversing a ban imposed on filmgoers by the nation’s censors. Loved by critics and audiences alike, Joyland was nominated for the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival and is expected to be Pakistan’s entry at next…
- World News
Thailand takes delivery of Textron T-6C turboprop trainers
Thailand has taken delivery of its first Textron Aviation T-6C Texan II turboprop trainers, for use in training or as attack aircraft. Two T-6Cs have been delivered to Royal Thai Air Force Kamphaeng Saen northeast of Bangkok. A welcoming ceremony was attended by US Ambassador Robert Godec. Thailand desperately needs more military aircraft if the war against Myanmar’s drug billionaires…
