- Environment News
Hunt for wild tiger sighted at maize plantation in northern Thailand
A drone has been deployed in the hunt for a wild tiger believed to have wandered outside its natural habitat at the Huey Kha Kheng wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary, in the northern province of Uthai Thani, has brought in forest rangers in an attempt to track down the tiger, whose footprints were spotted in a nearby maize plantation. PHOTO: Thai…
- Thailand Protest News
Kasetsart school bans use of name, logo, at political events on grounds of “neutrality”
A school forming part of Bangkok’s Kasetsart University has banned students from using its name or logo in any political activities. Anti-government protests have been ramping up around the country since mid-July, with a large rally set to take place at Thammasat University in the capital on September 19 (although Thammasat officials have currently denied permission for the demonstration to…
- World News
Tak immigration officials arrest 30 Burmese migrants and Thai driver
Immigration police in the northern province of Tak have arrested 30 Burmese migrants, along with the Thai driver who tried to drive them back into the Kingdom illegally. Police chief Sompong Chingduang says the Burmese nationals crossed the border via the Moei River and were then picked up by a Thai man, named only as Chinathip. He is accused of…
- Pattaya News
160 million baht project to renovate Pattaya beach set to begin by year end
A 160 million baht project to renovate Pattaya beach looks set to begin by the end of this year. Yet ANOTHER renovation project in a long list of makeovers for the city’s naturally slim beachfronts. Talks on the project have been ongoing since September 2019 and, while movement may have stalled for a while due to the Covid-19 ‘interruption’, it…
- Politics News
Thammasat University officials ban September 19 protest
Thammasat University, once a bastion of democratic voices and student expression, has refused permission for an anti-government protest, set to take place on its Tha Phra Chan campus in Bangkok, on September 19. University officials say they are banning the gathering as organisers have “failed to follow the institution’s guidelines” on hosting political events on campus. Officials are referring to…
- World News
Thailand tries to seal land borders to prevent migrants bringing virus into country
Officials have ordered all provinces bordering Myanmar to increase patrols and surveillance, in an attempt to stop illegal migrants crossing over the leaky borders into Thailand. Myanmar is currently experiencing a spike in Covid-19 infections, leading to concern here that illegal Burmese migrants entering the Kingdom without health checks or quarantine may spread the virus. Security has been stepped up…
- Politics News
PM ignores opposition calls for him to step down… “I have a job to do”
Calls from opposition parties for Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign have been brushed aside by the Thai leader, who insists he has a job to do. Politicians from the Pheu Thai and Kao Klai parties have called for him to step down, with Jiraporn Sinthuprai from the Pheu Thai Party even going as far as to say she’s prepared…
- Phuket News
Airport officials deny French tourists were allowed to travel in Thailand
The general manager of Phuket International Airport denies reports that 2 French nationals were allowed to visit the country while its borders are shut to international tourists. Thanee Chuangchoo says the French visitors’ arrival was in accordance with all the usual Covid procedures, and that both spent their time in Thailand at a quarantine facility. “It’s just the same as…
- World News
Thai Health Minister accepts chairman role with WHO Regional Committee
Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has been appointed chair of the World Health Organisation’s Regional Committee for Southeast Asia. The colourful and controversial minister made the announcement at a press conference yesterday afternoon. He says 14 countries put his name forward for the role, which has a fixed term of 1 year, partly due to Thailand’s success in controlling the…
- Koh Samui News
Salvage effort on Samui ferry delayed due to bad weather
An operation to lift the sunken Raja company ferry from the seabed off Koh Samui has been delayed due to strong winds and high tide. The salvage operation is aimed at recovering the ferry and a number of garbage trucks it was transporting at the time of the sinking. The ferry sunk on the journey back from Samui to the…
- World News
Deserters from Burmese military confirm Rohingya massacres
2 army deserters from Myanmar have testified on video to the ritual slaughter of the country’s Rohingya Muslims, by order of the nation’s military – the Tatmadaw. 33 year old Myo Win Tun and 30 year old Zaw Naing Tun, are now believed to be in the custody of the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, after fleeing to Myanmar’s…
- Tourism News
Tourism authority says Thailand must prepare for virus cases as part of re-opening
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the country must re-open its borders by the last quarter of the year and prepare to manage new Covid-19 cases as a result. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn says the impact of new cases can be contained with careful risk management. The reality of the situation is now sinking in as Thai officials are now…
- Crime News
Leaked transcript allegedly shows attempt to get Red Bull heir off the hook
A report published by Thai-language outlet, Isra News, allegedly contains a leaked transcript of 2 police officers and a public prosecutor discussing how to change the recorded driving speed of Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya. The Red Bull heir was accused of killing Bangkok police officer, 47 year old Wichian Klanprasert, in 2012, by crashing his Ferrari into the officer’s motorbike, dragging…
- Phuket News
Phuket airport sees increase in domestic arrivals over long weekend
The general manager of Phuket airport, Thanee Chuangchoo, says domestic arrivals were on the up over the course of the recent 4 day holiday. The long weekend, from September 4 to 7, was brought in to replace the annual Songkran holiday in April, cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The jump in domestic arrivals will have provided some…
- Pattaya News
Investigation ongoing following armed robbery of Chinese tourists in Pattaya
Police are continuing their investigation after a gang broke into a luxury property in Pattaya and robbed the Chinese residents at gunpoint. The original report said the thieves stole around 10 million baht worth of cash and valuables. This amount has now been revised by officials, who estimate it at around 3 million baht. The incident took place in the…
- Phuket News
Phuket Airport prepares for eventual launch of tourist pilot project
Phuket Airport carried out a trial run yesterday, going over all the steps necessary to admit tourists under the much-discussed, not-yet-happening, off-and-on “Phuket Model”. The plan to use Phuket as a pilot, to test a limited return of international tourists, was set to launch in October but has now been postponed. The brakes were applied when Thailand recorded its first…
- Politics News
Deputy Finance Minister dismisses doubts over his educational qualifications
The President of the Engineering Association of Thailand has called on Kim Chaisaensook, Associate Professor of Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng University, to respond to allegations that Deputy Finance Minister Santi Prompat was dismissed from the faculty for cheating. Tortrakul Bunnag made the call in a Facebook post, after a suggestion from Santi that he is qualified to replace former Finance Minister Pridi…
- Bangkok News
Hundreds of taxi drivers gather at Government House to present demands
Hundreds of taxi drivers have held a rally outside Government House in Bangkok, calling for 6 key demands to be met. Around 500 drivers attended the rally yesterday, submitting a petition addressed to the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. It’s not the first time the strong taxi ‘union’ has banded together to push demands to improve their pay and conditions. The…
- Northern Thailand News
Family say car crash monk is battling mental health issues
Relatives of the monk behind a car crash that killed 1 person in the north-eastern province of Roi Et say he has been suffering with mental health problems. The monk crashed his car into a power pole at the weekend, killing his male passenger, 82 year old Noi Chuenchom, and causing serious injury to a 36 year old female passenger,…
- Crime News
Armed robbers in Pattaya target Chinese tourists in 10 million baht break-in
An armed gang of 5 men have broken into a luxury property in Pattaya, making off with around 10 million baht worth of cash and valuables. A group of Chinese tourists were staying in the property at the time, which is part of the Siam Royal View development, in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. A report in the Bangkok…
- Northern Thailand News
2 Burmese nationals arrested while crossing river into Thailand
Border forces have arrested 2 Burmese nationals as they were crossing a river in the northern province of Chiang Rai in an attempt to enter Thailand. There has been an increase in security patrols along the border with Myanmar in recent weeks, as the country experiences a spike in Covid-19 cases. There have been reports of Burmese nationals attempting to…
- Crime News
Anti-corruption officials call on PM to reveal details of “Boss” inquiry
The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand is calling on the Thai PM to disclose the findings of a recent inquiry into the handling of the “Boss” case. The hit-and-run case against Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, has been mired in controversy for years, and a decision in July to drop all charges was greeted with uproar around the country. The…
- Politics News
Activist vows university rally will take place, with or without permission
The political activist Parit Chiwarak, aka. “Penguin”, says a rally planned for September 19 at Thammasat University will go ahead, even if permission is refused from the University’s management. The gathering is set to take place at the university’s Tha Phra Chan campus in Bangkok, with Parit saying he expects around 50,000 people to attend. Khaosod English reports that the…
- Politics News
Protest leaders Anon and Panupong freed from jail on court order
Two prominent anti-government protest leaders have now been released from Bangkok Special Prison, where they were being held on charges of violating their bail conditions. The human rights lawyer, Anon Nampa, and political protester Panupong Jaadnok, have been in and out of prison in recent weeks and, while out on bail, addressed the crowd at an anti-government rally, thereby breaching…
- Pattaya News
Car bursts into flames as the new owner drives home after buying it
A 28 year old man who bought a second-hand car in the central province of Angthong got the shock of his life when the vehicle burst into flames as he was driving it home. The Pattaya News reports that Charaswit Bank was driving his just-purchased second hand Honda Civic home to Sattahip, in the eastern district of Chon Buri, when…
- World News
Tak hospital doctor pleads for medical supplies to treat Burmese Covid patients
A hospital doctor in the northern province of Tak has taken to Facebook to plead for donations of medical supplies and personal protective equipment. Nattagarn Chuenchom works in a state-run hospital currently treating Covid-19 patients from neighbouring Myanmar, which is experiencing a small surge in virus numbers. The current total of cases in Myanmar is 1,419. Yesterday another 166 cases…
- Phuket News
Minister eases local concerns over Phuket tourism plan
The Minister of Tourism and Sports has rushed to reassure Phuket locals who have voiced concern over a tentative plan (now postponed) to re-open the province to foreign visitors. Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn says there may have been some miscommunication, as he reassured Phuket residents that they would not be forced to accept any tourism plan. The minister, along with a…
- South Thailand News
Foreign tourist dies after falling from cliff at Ranong waterfall
A tourist from Uzbekistan has died after slipping from a cliff edge while taking a photograph in the southern province of Ranong. The man, named in a Nation Thailand report as Soipov Abdullokh, was visiting Ngao Waterfall National Park with 5 Russian tourists. Ngao Waterfall National Park is between Ranong and Chumpon in Southern Thailand. The incident happened around 1.00pm…
- Tourism News
Chinese official rules out return of China-Thailand tourism anytime soon
China is not yet ready to welcome international tourists, says a senior embassy official in Bangkok. Speaking to Nation Thailand, Yang Xin from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand, says that, while domestic tourism has resumed in China, the country is not yet ready to open its borders to foreign tourists, nor is it encouraging its…
- Pattaya News
Car damaged by construction debris falling from high-rise building in Pattaya
Construction debris has fallen from a 23 storey building in Pattaya, badly damaging the parked car it landed on. Police in the city were notified of the incident, which the Pattaya News reports happened around 7.30pm last night. Khok Kriat, the 51 year old owner of the white Honda Jazz, filed the police report as a result of his hatchback…
