Jon Whitman
- Thai Law News
Pakistan’s transgenders dragged back into Dark Ages
Early last month, Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan proposed the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights amends the Transgender Protection Act of 2018, leading to a firestorm of online abuse on both sides of the argument. Despite its desire to be known as a conservative society with strong Islamic inclinations, Pakistan is one of only a few countries with legislation…
- World News
‘Strange and unusual’ punishment for Filipino lottery winners
There are some easy ways NOT to win your national lottery. The easiest way not to win is to play the numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6 – or however many numbers your particular lottery demands. That particular sequence of numbers is no more likely or unlikely to arise than any other, yet it is the most played set of numbers in all lotteries, worldwide.…
- Things To Do
LIV golfers trundle pointlessly into Bangkok’s ‘billionaire’s paradise’
LIV golfers competing in Bangkok this weekend will not earn any world ranking points, the UK’s Guardian newspaper reports despite very public claims to the contrary. The move is a considerable embarrassment to Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf and leader of the rebel tour. Norman had claimed that a partnership with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Tour,…
- World News
Slaughtered Thai grandfather celebrated in street sign
A thoroughfare in San Francisco was renamed last weekend in commemoration of the 84-year-old Thai grandfather who was killed in a brutal attack last year that spurred the Asian-American community into action against increased physical and verbal assaults during the pandemic. According to usnews.com a short lane in Sonora, close to the University of San Francisco was renamed “Vicha Ratanapakdee…
- Crime News
Police snag 2.5 meth pills in checkpoint stings
A massive 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and 700 kilos of crystal meth have been found by police in Lampang, Chiang Mai and Phrae provinces. Eighteen suspects were arrested and eight vehicles impounded in three separate cases, according to top cop Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas at a press conference yesterday. According to reports in the Bangkok Post, two pickups fully loaded…
- World News
Strong emotions and tea on the Myanmar border
As Myanmar heads for a full-blown civil war, a cafe on the border with Thailand has become a haven for exiles. The tea shop is named “Freedom” and the tea is brewed strong. Food is cooked over a gas stove by a woman forced to flee Myanmar for her support of the opposition, reported The Independent. The cashier is a…
- Crime News
Shark warning – illegal Chinese money lenders nailed in Pattaya
Sixteen Chinese nationals suspected of running an illegal online money-lending business were arrested during a police raid in Pattaya on Wednesday. Following a tipoff, police and immigration officers in Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district, raided a three-storey townhouse at around 3pm on Wednesday. The officers were given information that a gang of foreign nationals were using the house as their operational base,…
- Entertainment
Immersed in coffee on Ratchadamri Road
Visitors to CentralWorld on Bangkok’s Ratchadamri Road, have a chance to try and buy the best coffee beans from around the world, and gourmet coffee from across Thailand at Coffee Hub until Oct 11. It’s the first big public event by the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand and promises a so-called immersive experience, perhaps a little too much for someone who does…
- Entertainment
Hot tip – Don’t pay hot tips!
To tip or not tip is becoming a hot issue among Thailand’s restaurant goers and waiting staff. For foreigners, tipping can be problematic in this part of Asia with expectations ranging from Chinese-style (no tips ever, anywhere, for anything) to Filipino (tips with everything). No matter what your situation is though, according to the law, 10% is enough. On Tuesday,…
- Health
Construction work is Bangkok’s most dangerous job
For years, fishing was considered the most dangerous job in Thailand. It’s common for fishing boats to have children working long hours on board. The climate, physical effort and bad diet are responsible for many fishermen, including a lot of children, dying or putting their lives in danger. The good, or bad, news, depending on your position, is that there…
- Crime News
Danish heroin smuggler dies in Klong Prem Prison
Danish national Niels Jørgen Jensen has died in Bangkok’s maximum security Klong Prem Central Prison in Chatuchak District. The news was confirmed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an email to Danish media, Ekstra Bladet. Jensen is the real name of the prisoner known in the Klong Prem as Peter Effersøe, a convicted heroin smuggler. According to the ministry, Jensen’s…
- World News
Malaysian beauty salon gets makeover as dentistry school
As the world supply chain collapses and unemployment rises, why not think about retraining as a small-town dentist? And why not rebrand your beauty salon as a school of dentistry? That was the plan of the owner of a fly-ridden hole-in-the-wall beauty salon in Malaysia’s in Setapak district. The former manicure parlour not only provided dental courses and issued certificates…
- World News
Xi’s Bangkok APEC trip to open tourist floodgates
If Chinese President Xi Jinping shows up at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok that could go a long way to securing 12 million tourists this year, according to Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakan. Phiphat believes as many as 1.5 million Chinese travellers could visit Thailand in December if Xi allows outbound tourism to resume. The Chinese…
- Crime News
Police seize 60 suspects in online ‘ghost guns’ sting
Mass shootings and gun violence are sweeping over Thailand as firearm misuse continues to make headlines every day. A nationwide sting has netted 61 suspects and seized 145 firearms together with almost 9,000 rounds of ammunition, part of a countrywide operation to stamp out the online illegal arms trade. New national police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas marked his first…
- Thailand News
King Charles III debuts on UK coins
The British Royal Mint has unveiled the image of King Charles III to be used in the country’s coins. The first coins to be emblazoned with the regal portrait are to be commemorative five-pound crowns and the reverse of a 50-pence coin commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth II. King Charles has been next in line to the throne for…
- Politics News
The long goodbye – Which way now for PM Prayut?
No matter which side you are on, yesterday’s Constitutional Court ruling gives us some measure of much-needed clarity. After weeks of debate and rumour, we now know that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term started on April 6, 2017, the date the present charter came into force. His previous leadership as part of the junta government does not count. What we…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Hurricane Ian lashes South Carolina
A reinvigorated Hurricane Ian battered South Carolina Friday, deluging neighbourhoods with calf-high water. The storm caused calamitous damage in Florida and trapped thousands in their homes. Streams of rain whipped trees and power lines and left many areas under water. Four piers along the coast collapsed into the waves and were washed away. Online cameras showed seawater in Garden City…
- Tourism News
5-star squatters evicted from Layan Beach
Heavy earth-moving equipment was taken to Layan Beach, Phuket, yesterday to demolish the last remaining illegal beachfront buildings. Eviction notices were served in 2017 when the Supreme Court ruled that occupiers were illegally encroaching on state land. Several “final warnings” were issued, with the last eviction notice delivered on September 12. Layan Beach is a beautiful but little-known bay on…
- Thailand Protest News
Anti-Prayut rallies expected across Bangkok
Following the reinstatement of General Prayut Chan-o-cha as Prime Minister by the Constitutional Court yesterday, anti-Prayut activists have called a mass demonstration at the Victory Monument on Saturday to show their contempt for the court’s wisdom. Led by activist Thatchapong Kaedam and dressed in black, a contemptuous crowd of Ratsadon movement members gathered at Pathumwan skywalk in front of Bangkok…
- Technology News
What role for Thailand in China’s great European EV invasion?
Just over a month ago, China’s top electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD announced its first overseas factory, in Thailand. The company bought 96 hectares at Rayong industrial estate. The factory is expected to start producing in 2024 with an annual production capacity of about 150,000 vehicles. Vehicles made in Thailand will be sold locally as well as exported to neighbouring…
- Thailand Protest News
Activists plan protests across Bangkok
Thai authorities have ramped up security in the capital ahead of expected protests when the Constitutional Court releases its decision on the future of suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha later today. The court will rule on whether General Prayut’s constitutionally stipulated eight-year term is up. General Prayut came to power following a 2014 coup. Anti-government activists will hold rallies in…
- Crime News
Marijuana growers dazed, confused by legal smoke and mirrors
It’s been months since marijuana became legal in Thailand, or semi-legal, or not illegal, or potentially quasi-legal. On June 9, Thailand became the first country in Asia—and only the third in the world, after Canada and Uruguay—to decriminalise cannabis nationwide. Or so we thought. Sellers, smokers, patients and tourist operators are trying to work almost completely without any legal framework.…
- Thailand News
Exit Prayut? Court rules today on PM’s future
The Constitutional Court will today rule on whether suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has exceeded an eight-year limit as premier. General Prayut seized power in a 2014 coup and became prime minister soon after. The air has been filled with speculation and conspiracy theories since the court accepted the opposition’s petition on August 24 and suspended Gen Prayut as PM…
- Environment News
For health reasons – Bangkok’s proposed congestion charge
It’s a widely quoted truism that residents of Bangkok lost eight days of their lives last year, stuck in traffic. So it comes as no surprise that a congestion charge is being suggested. Unbelievably, this would make Bangkok only the second major city in Asia with such a charge. Proposed fees range from 50 baht (US$1.30) to 120 baht across…
- Environment News
“Billy” murder suspect reinstated at Kaeng Krachan NP
Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, former chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, has been reinstated despite facing charges over the disappearance and alleged homicide of a Karen rights activist. The charges include premeditated murder, criminal intimidation with weapons, unlawful detention, and concealing a corpse. Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Jatuporn Buruspat signed the order to reinstate Chiawat, effective…
- Entertainment
The tax returns don’t lie – Shakira prepares for court battle in Barcelona
Pop star Shakira is to stand trial in a Spanish court accused of defrauding tax collectors out of 14.5 million euros (536 million baht) between 2012 and 2014. The singer, whose real name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, said she didn’t move to Spain until 2015. A court in Barcelona charged the megastar with tax crimes but no date has…
- World News
‘Drowsy’ driver crashes van, killing 3 Laotian workers
Three women were killed in the early hours of Monday when a van carrying 14 Laotians rammed into a ten-wheel truck that had stopped at a red light in the Klaeng district of Rayong province. When police and volunteers arrived at the scene of the accident, the van was on fire with passengers trapped inside. The rescuers used cutting equipment…
- Thailand News
Is the dream over? China walks back Belt & Road ambitions
China has splashed more than a trillion dollars on a wild campaign to expand its influence across the developing world through its Belt and Road program. As Beijing begins to count the cost of the troubled initiative, more and more countries are struggling to repay their debts to China. Tens of billions of dollars of loans have been misused and…
- Transport News
Thai Airways flying high at Skytrax Awards
Thai Airways (THAI) has been named the fourth best airline in the world for cabin crew while its staff was rated No.1 in Asia at the Skytrax 2022 World Airline Awards at The Langham hotel in London. The carrier also did well in Skytrax’s global rankings, coming eighth in the airport services category, eighth in economy class catering, and 10th…
- Thailand News
Canadian gangster in Phuket killing faces death penalty in Thailand
Thai police are convinced that Canadian Matthew Dupre and accomplice Gene Karl Lahrkamp gunned down Vancouver gangster Jimi Singh Sandhu on the island of Phuket in February. The extradition hearing of a former member of Dupre began in Edmonton on September 27. Dupre is on the run from Thai police who claim the Alberta man took part in the killing…
