Maya Taylor
- Health
Go easy on the antibiotics, warn Thai medical experts
Antibiotic resistance is a significant threat to the health of Thais, according to leading medical experts who are urging people to cut down their use of antibiotics. There has long been a practice of the drugs being all too readily prescribed – often completely unnecessarily or erroneously – by doctors in the Kingdom. The habit has then been learned by…
- Pattaya News
Chonburi police officer in motorbike accident after suspected epileptic seizure
PHOTO: The Pattaya News Residents in the Banglamung district of Chonburi province, eastern Thailand, have come to the aid of a police officer who crashed his motorbike following what’s thought to be an epileptic seizure. The Pattaya News reports that witnesses saw the officer riding his bike on Sunday afternoon when he appeared to have a seizure and lost control. While…
- Northern Thailand News
Workers at Buriram dog shelter complain of being forced to stay in cages
PHOTO: sanook.com Fifteen workers from an animal shelter in Buriram, north-east Thailand, have filed a police report claiming their employer verbally abuses them and forces them to spend time in dog cages. Thai Residents reports that the shelter employees have also posted on social media, accusing the French man who runs the shelter, named only as ‘Miguel’, of making them…
- Economy News
Shock closure of factory outside Bangkok leaves 1,000 workers unemployed
PHOTO: pcr.co.th A thousand workers have lost their jobs following the sudden closure of the Pongpara Codan Rubber Company, in Samut Sakhon province, just outside the Thai capital. Thai PBS World reports that employees discovered they were out of a job when they arrived for work at the automotive parts manufacturing company yesterday morning, only to find it closed. They…
- Environment News
On Boxing Day the skies will go dark across Thailand – solar eclipse
The skies will go dark in Thailand around midday on Boxing Day. The sun will partly vanish and a ghostly pall will shadow the Kingdom. But it’s all good. It’s a solar eclipse, a completely natural phenomenon. The Nation reports that viewing spots have been prepared in Chachoengsao province, east of Bangkok, in Chiang Mai province in the north, Nakhon Ratchasima…
- Bangkok News
Angry aunty hurls rock at Bangkok truck
PHOTO: sanook.com It will probably turn out to be “a misunderstanding”, but Thai social media is buzzing with speculation as to what might have caused an elderly woman to throw a rock at a parked truck in Bangkok. It’s the curious case of the mystery angry aunty. Thai Residents reports that CCTV footage posted on the “Social Hunter” Facebook page…
- Business News
Keep your phone’s operating system up to date or lose mobile banking, warns Bank of Thailand
The Bank of Thailand says a constant threat from malware and bogus apps requires a robust security response and as a result, phones with outdated operating systems will likely lose full access to online banking. The Nation reports that assistant BOT governor Siritida Panomwon Na Ayudhya says there has been significant growth in the popularity of mobile banking, with approximately…
- Chiang Mai News
English?! Why should we have to learn that? Thai university students grumble over language requirement
Students at Rajamangala University of Technology in Chiang Mai province are whinging about having to demonstrate basic English abilities in order to enrol in courses at the institution. The Daily News reports that the students, with the support of their parents, have made an official complaint about the requirement, which they say should not apply to Thai courses. Students are currently…
- Tourism News
Tourism Authority of Thailand says three websites now provide electronic visa-on-arrival
Visitors from some countries can now apply online for a visa-on-arrival, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand saying they’ve added a third website to the previous two offering the service. Thai Residents reports that citizens of Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nauru, New Guinea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu can now also apply through www.eVisaThailand.com,…
- Pattaya News
Following months of gridlock, Pattaya roadworks suspended, roads re-opened for ‘silly season’
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Following concerns raised by the Pattaya Tourism Association, all roadworks in Pattaya, which have ground the city to a halt in recent months, will be paused for the holiday period, with roads re-opened to allow traffic to flow more freely. The Pattaya News reports that at a meeting held with city officials yesterday, the Pattaya Tourism Association…
- Transport News
Don Mueang tollway fee increase opposed by consumer agency
PHOTO: YouTube Plans to slap a 10% increase on the fee to use the Don Mueang Toll Way have been opposed by the Consumer Protection Board. The CPB is tasked with defending consumer rights and instigating legal proceedings in the case of infringement. Thai PBS World reports that the board claims the toll hike, which is due to come into…
- Business News
Thai Airways presents new recovery plan for board approval
Thai Airways president Sumeth Damrongchaitham says the national carrier will submit a 2020-2025 rehabilitation plan to the Board of Directors in January, with a separate purchasing plan for new aircraft also being put forward. The Nation reports that the rehabilitation plan will consist of twenty projects and four key measures. One of these will be to increase the revenue derived…
- Politics News
Thai parliament officials apologise for Future Forward members’ kiss
“Let’s call a press conference to apologise for the last press conference…” Parliamentary staff have held a media conference to apologise for the behaviour of two male Future Forward MPs who exchanged a kiss during an earlier press conference held in the Parliament building. The Nation reports that the House Speaker’s secretary Tankhun Jit-Issara emphasised the need to behave appropriately in…
- Tourism News
Thai tourism officials hire fortune teller (it’s not what you think)
PHOTO: springnews.co.th A celebrity fortune teller has been engaged to promote the “Positive Energy” campaign being run by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote domestic tourism. Spring News reports that the tarot card reader and feng shui master Dr Khatha Chinbanchorn is being engaged as the face of the project to promote “positive energy”, making merit and environmental awareness.…
- Politics News
Thai PM criticises “fake” rumours about his wife’s religion
The Thai PM has decided to speak out about the “ongoing scourge of fake news” over an incorrect assertion that his wife is Muslim took hold on social media. Thai PBS World reports that Prayut Chan-o-cha says it’s a well known fact his wife Naraporn is a devout Buddhist and is regularly seen paying respect to Buddha images and presenting alms…
- South Thailand News
Doctor in southern Thailand issues warning after manicure goes VERY wrong
PHOTO: Facebook/Arak Wongworachat A doctor at a hospital in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat is warning women to exercise caution when choosing a nail salon and to ensure the facility follows correct sanitation procedures and only uses properly sterilised equipment. Dr Arak Wongworachat posted his warning online after a 35 year old female patient developed a serious infection…
- Economy News
Thailand’s U-turn on agri-chemical ban shows US hitting where it hurts
PHOTO: matichon.co.th The US is piling the pressure on Thailand over its agri-chemical ban, and it appears to be working. A report by the Nikkei Asian Review claims the Kingdom’s proposed ban on three agri-chemicals – Paraquat, Glyphosate and Chlorpyrifos – would have affected American agricultural exports into Thailand. But the US President has weighed into the issue. Following news…
- Thailand News
Thai man’s campaign to find his aunt, allegedly kidnapped by North Korea 42 years ago
Persistence. A Thai man, who believes his aunt was abducted by North Korea several decades ago, says he’s encouraged by Japan’s efforts to track down its citizens also thought to have been kidnapped by the rogue state. Thai PBS World reports that Banchon Panjoi was invited to a meeting in Japan organised by relatives of missing people believed to have been…
- Pattaya News
Sleeping woman seriously injured after car ploughs into her home in Sri Racha
A young woman has sustained serious head and back injuries after an SUV ploughed into her home while she was sleeping in her bedroom in eastern Thailand. It’s understood the incident happened at a house in Sri Racha, north of Pattaya, on Sunday afternoon. Local rescue workers were called to the property near a Caltex petrol station and arrived to…
- Environment News
80% of garbage in the sea comes from the waterways of Thailand’s cities and towns
PHOTOS: Kasetsart University Where does all the garbage floating around Thailand’s waters come from? A survey by a leading university shows that 80% of the rubbish, floating in our waterways and off our coastlines, is sourced in Thailand. It ends up eventually polluting the Kingdom’s beaches. Concerns are again being raised about the level of garbage found in the seas around…
- Bangkok News
Video of couple having sex in Bangkok tuk-tuk goes viral – VIDEO
Social media users in Thailand have had plenty to say about a video that appears to show a couple having sex in the back of a tuk-tuk speeding through Bangkok. Some would say using this particular mode of Bangkok transport is exhilarating enough without adding anything else into the mix, but the Chiang Rai Times reports that one couple decided…
- Environment News
Tax old cars? Relax, it’s just a rumour says Government
The Thai government is dismissing suggestions that it might impose a tax on old cars as just a rumour. The Pattaya News reports that Government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat says there are no plans to introduce a tax for older vehicles, saying it’s merely a baseless rumor circulating in the private sector. She adds that imposing a tax on cars older…
- Bangkok News
Grateful woman tries to find foreigner who saved the life of her boyfriend’s father
A Thai woman has taken to social media in an attempt to track down the foreign man who saved her boyfriend’s father after he had chest pains and an apparent heart attack in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park. The Bangkok Post reports that a foreign man performed CPR on the man after he fell unconscious and his heart stopped beating. Now the family…
- Environment News
Production of degradable replacement is expensive stumbling block in plastic bag ban
As a widespread ban on single-use plastic bags looms, the high cost of producing a viable, environmentally-friendly alternative is proving a challenge. Forty three shopping malls and convenience stores across the country will stop providing single-use bags from January 1, as part of the Government’s commitment to phase the bags out entirely. There’s still a lot more plastic to get rid…
- Crime News
Foreigners and Thais conned out of 45 million baht in Pattaya property scam
Police in Pattaya are hunting for a 49 year old real estate agent, Jidapha Sirikhong, who is alleged to have scammed both Thai and foreigner residents in a 45 million baht property scam. The Pattaya News reports that Jidapha is the owner of Som Property, with an office in an unnamed condominium building near Jomtien beach, where she took deposits for…
- Bangkok News
Shoppers flee smoke-filled mall after overloaded power strip catches fire in central Thailand
PHOTO: sanook.com Customers in a shopping mall in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok, raced for the exits as smoke coming from a toy store began to fill the building. The incident, which happened in the Bang Phli district, home to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, is believed to have been sparked by a poor-quality power strip that appears to have shorted and…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s health chief issues hydrogen balloon warning
PHOTO: City Pass Guide The chief of the Department of Health says people must exercise caution around hydrogen balloons, warning that they can be dangerous, even fatal. The warning comes from Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn after a balloon exploded in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, earlier this month. “Explosion of balloons are reported frequently, since most of balloons contain hydrogen, which is inflammable,…
- Thailand News
Illegal Thai workers in South Korea get offer of amnesty
PHOTO: tacticalinvestor.com The Office of Thai Labour in Seoul, South Korea, says Thai citizens who are working illegally in the country, can apply for an amnesty scheme launched this week. It will run until June 30, 2020. It is estimated that there are between 120,000 and 140,000 illegal Thai workers in South Korea. The Nation reports that the scheme will…
- Economy News
Thai economy not desperate, just a bit slow – Finance Minister
PHOTO: The Nation Thailand’s Finance Minister says the economy is not in a critical situation, it’s just on a bit of a “go-slow” right now. Uttama Savanayana adds that he’s hopeful the situation will improve next year with the go-ahead on a number of large national infrastructure projects. Thai PBS World reports that the minister references the Government’s stimulus efforts…
- Bangkok News
Foreign and Thai business partners cleared of human trafficking charges in Bangkok
PHOTO: Daily News “At the appeal hearing yesterday, the defendants had their convictions quashed after the court doubted testimony from one of the victims.” A foreign man employed as a nightclub manager in Bangkok’s notorious party zone at Nana has been acquitted of charges of human trafficking and acquiring women for prostitution. ThaiVisa reports that Michael Pearl, a 47 year old…
