- Expats
Thai Immigration Chief warns law-breaking foreigners “this is just the start”
PHOTOS: Naew Na The chief of Thai Immigration, Lieutenant General Sompong Chingduang, also known as ‘Big Oud’ (because the head of Immigration has to have a nickname starting with ‘big’ apparently), is warning foreigners breaking the law in the country that the latest crackdown “is just the beginning”. ThaiVisa reports that the immigration chief made his announcement at Immigration HQ…
- World News
Second bridge connecting Thailand and Myanmar opens
The second bridge connecting the Thai north-western province of Tak and Myanmar is now open. The bridge crosses the Moei river in the Mae Sot district of Tak and is expected to give Thai exports a significant boost, up from the current 78 billion baht a year to 100 billion. The second friendship bridge was opened by the Thai Transport…
- Pattaya News
Bar dancers in Pattaya claim boss owes them 400,000 baht
PHOTO: “Each dancer was promised a daily salary of 1,200 baht” – The Sun Bar girls, employed as go-go dancers in a bar on Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street, have filed a police report alleging their foreign boss has withheld 400,000 baht in unpaid wages. The Bangkok Post reports that around 30 girls allege they have not been paid since starting work…
- Northern Thailand News
Sand dunes exposed as water in Mekong River falls to critical level
PHOTO: AFP Sand dunes are now being exposed for the first time in a century along many sections of the Mekong River, as water levels fall to a new low milestone of 1.5 metres. Sand dunes can now be seen along many sections, causing problems for fishing vessels and cargo boats trying to travel along the river. The Bangkok Post…
- Thailand News
Extra day off added to Thailand’s end-of-year holidays
PHOTO: Thaizer.com Monday, December 30, has been approved as an additional public holiday, meaning one extra day added to the year-end celebrations as an official day off. The Nation reports that the Cabinet approved the extra day, which brings the holiday period to a total of five days, beginning on Saturday, December 28 and running until Wednesday, January 1. It’s…
- Chiang Mai News
74 year old woman injured in motorbike hit-and-run in Lamphun
PHOTOS: sanook.com Thai Residents reports that a 74 year old woman has been hospitalised after being struck by a motorbike and knocked to the ground while crossing the road in Lamphun, northern Thailand. The bike did not stop, according to witnesses. Footage of the incident has been posted on social media by the woman’s granddaughter, who attacked the driver in…
- Crime News
Chiang Mai police hunting for bus driver suspected in millionaire murder case
“The victim’s hands and legs were tied, and her body had been covered with cement after being placed in the refrigerator.” Chiang Mai police have confirmed they have sought an arrest warrant for 39 year old Vitoon Sritabutr, known as Tum, a song thaew (local public bus) driver who is the main suspect in the murder of a local millionaire.…
- Northern Thailand News
Ambulance driver arrested in north-east Thailand for being on drugs
A 30 year old ambulance driver has been taken into custody after he was found to be under the influence of narcotics while on duty. Thai Residents reports that the man had collided with a motorbike, injuring both the driver and his pillion passenger. The ambulance driver told police that he had turned on the vehicle’s emergency light and siren…
- News
The lights are on, but there’s no-one home: villagers report empty police station in central Thailand
Villagers in Pathumthani province, central Thailand, have lodged complaints about a local police station claiming it was unmanned at night when they went to file a report. Thai Residents reports that local residents who went to Klong Luang police station were left waiting so long for someone to return that they ended up sleeping at the station. It was also…
- Thai Life
Government promoting “active ageing” for Thailand’s elderly
Deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek says that as of 2018, the number of Thai citizens who are aged over 60 is 12 million, or 18% of the population as a whole. She was speaking after the recent National Elderly Person Committee Meeting, at which the government discussed how best to help the ageing population to continue contributing to society while…
- World News
Recession hits Hong Kong as no end in sight for anti-government protests
More than five months in to the anti-government protests that have shaken Hong Kong, Paul Chan, the city’s Financial Secretary says Hong Kong is in recession and the economy is unlikely to grow this year. Thai PBS World reports that Mr Chan says the protests have had a devastating effect on the economy and that achieving the government’s forecast of…
- Tourism News
Viral video of Pattaya bus driver arguing with suspected illegal tour guides sparks investigation
Pattaya Tourist Police have begun an investigation into suspected illegal tour guides after a video of a frustrated bus driver arguing with the guides went viral on social media. The Pattaya News reports that the bus was carrying Chinese tourists and the video shows the driver asking the tour guides where they wanted to go. The guides appear to be…
- World News
Report into Lion Air crash blames variety of factors
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has released its report into the Lion Air crash of October 29 last year. Thai PBS World says the report blames a combination of aircraft design flaws, inadequate training and maintenance problems for the accident that killed 189 passengers and crew. The report states that Lion Air flight 610, which had taken off from Jakarta…
- Thai Life
Four hundred made redundant as tyre factory in eastern Thailand shuts down
The closure of a tyre canvas production plant in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, has led to four hundred workers being left unemployed. Thai PBS World reports that the SRF Industries (Thailand) factory shut down yesterday, blaming operating losses caused by the slowdown in the country’s economy. It’s understood that management at the plant informed workers of the crisis on September…
- Tourism News
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport moves domestic passenger security screening
From 5.00am on November 19, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok will relocate screening of domestic passengers to alleviate overcrowding on the fourth floor. The Nation reports that the airport is moving the security screening to concourse screening, including Concourse A and B on the second and third floors. The measure is also being put in place to address the confusion and…
- Thailand News
Thai dog rescue service named Rescue of the Year in global contest
Walkin’ Pets by HandicappedPets.com is proud to announce Thailand’s own Michael Baines, and his rescue The Man That Rescues Dogs, as the first ever Walkin’ Pets Rescue of the Year award. Michael Baines is the founder of the Man That Rescues Dogs and is a true champion for special needs dogs. Michael Baines is a chef by profession and a…
- Health
Second phase of government’s economic stimulus package off to a good start
The government has launched phase 2 of its Chim-Shop-Chai scheme, aimed at boosting the country’s economy. The second phase is aimed at those who missed out on subscribing the first time round, with each person entitled to a 1,000 baht giveaway and a 15 – 20% rebate on spending between 30,000 and 50,000 baht. Thai PBS World reports that the…
- News
Thirty public parks in Bangkok to open for Loy Krathong festival
Bangkok will open 30 public parks for the forthcoming Loy Krathong Festival, which is set to take place on November 11. Thai Residents reports that the parks will enable both locals and tourists to participate in the festival by floating krathongs in the parks’ ponds. A krathong is a floating container that holds various items including incense sticks, a candle,…
- Health
US pushing for delay to Thai ban on glyphosate in order to protect imports
The US is urging Thailand to delay its forthcoming ban on glyphosate, saying it will have a significant impact on the country’s import of soybean, wheat, coffee, apples, grapes and other produce from the US and elsewhere, which totals around 51 billion baht annually. The Nation reports that the US Agricultural Department made the request after Thailand announced a ban…
- Crime News
Korean man in coma after Pattaya stabbing
A 28 year old tourist from South Korea has been left in a coma after being stabbed 17 times in Pattaya. The Nation reports that the incident happened in the Bang Lamung district in the early hours of yesterday morning. The victim has been named as Park Jin-hyung. It’s understood that a local taxi driver called the police at around…
- Northern Thailand News
Ubon Ratchathani collision kills seven, seriously injures four
An accident between a mini-bus and a six-wheel truck has left seven dead and seriously injured four others. Thai PBS World reports that the collision happened in Ubon Ratchathani, northeast Thailand, yesterday morning. Witnesses say the mini-van was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control, crossing into the path of oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with the truck.…
- World News
Indonesia safety committee to meet families of Lion Air crash victims
The Asean Post reports that the families of the passengers who died when a Lion Air flight from Jakarta crashed into the Java Sea, will meet Indonesian safety investigators next week. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashed shortly after take-off last October, killing all 189 passengers and crew. Now the families of those who died will receive a briefing on…
- Crime News
Police foil attempt to smuggle one million yaba pills from north to south of Thailand
Thai Residents reports that acting on intelligence reports, Border Patrol Police (BPP) in Chiang Mai have busted a drug smuggling operation that was attempting to transport a million yaba pills from the north of the country to the south. The operation began on October 22, with the gang planning to transport the pills from Chiang Dao district through the forest…
- Thai Life
Grieving husband on a mission to take his wife’s ashes to all the places she longed to see
Every day, Sakchai Suphanthamat can be seen pushing his cart along the highway, in the company of three dogs, two of whom he has picked up along the way. Sakchai carries his wife’s ashes, on a pilgrimage to take her to all the places she longed to see while she was alive. The Bangkok Post reports that the bereaved man…
- Crime News
Immigration police arrest German man in connection with death of German woman in Pattaya
A German man who has overstayed his visa has been arrested in Pattaya in connection with the death of a German woman found dead in a canal in Chonburi province. The Pattaya News reports the dead woman as 77 year old Marg und Schaefer and says she ran a bar with the man who was taken into custody on Tuesday.…
- News
Hotel guest in Chiang Mai runs up bill of nearly 50,000 baht before fleeing
A man who claims to be a doctor stayed in a Chiang Mai hotel for 21 nights, running up a bill of nearly 50,000 baht, before instructing the hotel to invoice the Ministry for the Interior and then fleeing the premises. Employees of the hotel say they didn’t expect the man to abscond as he has stayed there on three…
- News
One dead, three in coma, ten seriously ill after drinking moonshine mixed with poisonous toad blood in Chonburi
A dangerous concoction of herbal alcohol known as ya dong, mixed with poisonous toad blood, has left one man dead, three others in a coma, and ten seriously ill in Chonburi province. The Pattaya News reports that the incident happened in the sub-district of Samet, with local police notified after a man was found dead at Samet temple on Monday…
- Northern Thailand News
Tourism Council of Thailand cites Thai baht as biggest challenge to tourism
The strong Thai baht is proving to be the biggest obstacle in trying to lure tourists, according to The Tourism Council of Thailand who have had to lower its projection of over 40 million foreign visitors this year down to 39.7 million. The president of the council says the surging baht is the main reason for the decline. “It’s frightening…
- World News
Thai Airways announces cancellation of six routes to four ASEAN destinations
The President of Thai Airways International says the airline is set to cancel six flight routes to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The Nation reports that Sumeth Damrongchaitham says the routes in question are all from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport to Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Yangon. “These routes are all covered by a small number…
- News
Army chief not planning a leap into political life
Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong will have to wait for two years after he retires before he can run for PM, the Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam has declared – while Apirat himself claims it’s not even something he’s considering. The Nation reports that Prawit Wongsuwan, another Deputy PM, had suggested that Apirat should be Thailand’s next PM, but Wissanu insists…
