Jon Whitman
- China News
Chinese billionaire tech banker Bao Fan is missing
Chinese billionaire tech banker Bao Fan is missing. The disappearance of the China Renaissance renegade chair is not a huge surprise but raises fears of a fresh crackdown on China’s finance industry With billionaire boss either banged up or on the lam, Renaissance, one of the country’s top investment banks has plunged into turmoil. ‘Do not believe the rumours’ Bao…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s new lotteries sold via Pao Tang app
The Government Lottery Office approved a plan for Thailand’s new lotteries – the six-digit (L6) and three-digit (N3) lotteries. The move was proposed by the Finance Ministry. Entry into the L6 lottery will be 80 baht (US$2.30), the same as lotteries currently available. The L6 lottery will only be available in digital format. Tickets will be sold via the Pao…
- 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…
- 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…
- Health
Smuggled cigarettes hazardous to health – Thai Tobacco Trade Association
Thailand is choking under a cloud of illegal, untaxed smoke from smuggled cigarettes, according to the tobacco industry. Thai Tobacco Trade Association (TTTA) director Thanyasarun Sangthong is worried about the health of the nation’s children. Only genuine cigarettes can keep them safe, she says. Double trouble Sales of smuggled cigarettes have increased online due to low operational costs – paying…
- 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…
- 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…
- Environment News
Undersea kingdom: Bangkok to sink beneath the waves
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that Bangkok will go underwater as low-lying communities and entire countries disappear under rising seas. According to Al Jazeera, Guterres warned of the threat posed by rising sea levels to hundreds of millions of people living in low-lying coastal areas and small island states as new data reveals seas have risen rapidly since…
- 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…
- 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…
- Visa Information
Should Millennials (and you) refuse to get married?
Millennials who refuse to get married are saying “I don’t” in record numbers, radically changing a stumbling institution. According to some wide-awake experts at Massachusetts’ Bentley U, traditional marriage has been on a downward trajectory for generations. Among Millennials – the oldest are now 40 years old — the ancient horse and carriage are no longer viable in today’s urban…
- 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
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…
- Crime News
Axing for trouble in Nothanburi
The family of a man killed by his neighbour over a parking dispute in Nonthaburi believes the murder scene was staged. Veera Prasitthong, 54 years old, was killed in his neighbour’s shop in Pak Kret last week. Veera was home when he found his path blocked by neighbour Visit Chanakul, who had parked outside his shop to unload some goods.…
- 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…
- 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…
- Environment News
Great Wall Motor targets 50% growth in Thailand this year
China‘s Great Wall will target 50% growth in Thailand this year. Great Wall Motor’s Ora Good Cat is already the top-selling electric vehicle in the kingdom. Great Wall Motor aims to increase sales in Thailand by 50% this year, the privately owned automaker said on Friday, while also planning to launch production of electric vehicles in Thailand in 2024. GWM…
- 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.…
- 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 Election News
Consumer borrowing in Thailand in the red zone
The effects of consumer borrowing in Thailand during the pandemic is a serious campaign issue, with populist politicians pushing for a multi-year debt holiday. According to Nikkei, Thais owe more than any other people in the region, reflecting a huge jump in borrowing forced on an economy that relies heavily on tourism. Thai consumer debt last September stood at 15…
- 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…
- 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…
- Thailand News
Septic tank drained in search for missing baby boy
Parents of the 8-month-old baby boy missing in Nakhon Pathom province were questioned separately by police for about nine hours Tuesday. Early in the day, the order was given for a septic tank to be drained in the search for the missing baby boy. The parents of the missing child, 16 year old Philaiporn Korcharoen and 19 year old Sittichok…
