- Northern Thailand News
British man Barry found 3 days after getting lost in forest
Barry Weller enjoys nature and taking his motorbike to cruise through the local scenery in Khon Kaen. He would regularly go out for afternoon rides to explore the rice paddies and forest in the area, but would always return before dark. But on Tuesday afternoon the British man told his Thai wife that he was off for a ride through…
- Northern Thailand News
4.6 million methamphetamine pills found on som tam vendor turned smuggler
If you like your spicy papaya salad with a little extra kick, a som tam vendor in Nakhon Phanom was arrested today with 4.6 million speed pills. The woman was apprehended when border patrol police in Tambon Saenphan searched her pickup truck and discovered 10 big fertiliser bags holding 4,622,000 speed pills. The woman told police she earned her money…
- Northern Thailand News
Gold shop robbed by officer from investigating police station
A policeman’s swagger was the downfall that led to the identification and subsequent arrest of a gold jewellery shop robber today in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima. A man dressed in a food delivery outfit robbed a gold shop and shot the shop owner on Wednesday and was later identified as a local police officer. The robber entered…
- Politics News
Coalition of parties said to be plotting for PM Prayut’s removal
Members of some of the parliament’s smaller parties confirmed the existence of a rumoured plot brewed amongst a coalition of parties to unseat PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The revelation and confirmation of this plot details the effort of several parties to come together and remove the Prime Minister from power. The New Palangdharma Party said that it will take a coalition…
- Phuket News
Phuket daily Covid-19: 235 infections, no death, no Sandboxers
As Phuket prepares to carefully allow domestic tourists back onto the island, Covid-19 numbers remain relatively stable. Daily infections were 235 today, with 6 of the last 7 days reaching above 200. No new deaths were reported and no new Sandbox infections were identified. With the influx of new hospital beds yesterday, the bed occupancy rate remained around 70% though…
- Politics News
PM Prayut accused of cash bribes to MPs for censure support
On the third day of the censure debate in Parliament, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha responded to charges that he gave cash bribes to MPs to secure their support to vote in his favour at the end of the debate. Pheu Thai MP Visarn Techateerawat levelled the accusation, saying that in a third-floor room of the parliament building PM Prayut met privately…
- World News
Langkawi plans reopening amid high vaccination, Covid-19
Taking a cue from the Phuket Sandbox, Malaysia is launching a plan to reopen the tropical resort island of Langkawi in a similar fashion. The plan calls for a travel bubble to begin on September 16 in an effort to begin to restart the economy for Langkawi island which relies so heavily on tourism revenue and has been damaged so…
- Crime News
Extorted women held in chicken fighting dog kennel by fake police
A woman went out for a shopping trip but ended up at the centre of a bizarre story after she alleges she was arrested by fake police and detained in a dog kennel while being extorted for 50,000 baht. The woman was reported missing on Monday by her mother after she never came home from her shopping trip and today police arrested…
- Hua Hin News
Meme elephant Bunmee breaks into house 3 times, history of hijinks
You probably don’t know or recognise the name of 58 year old Hua Hin resident Supha, but you know her tragic and/or hilarious plight. The woman nicknamed Pa Yai (translated to English: “Big Aunty”), like many people in Thailand has to deal with the occasional pest in her house, rummaging through her food and making an unintentional mess. For many…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok ranked #1 best “workation” city in the world, Phuket #10
Bangkok has been ranked as the number one city in the world for a ‘workation’ – a portmanteau combining work and vacation – with Phuket also ranking in the top 10. The two Thai destinations ranked among the top cities in the world where people can get a break from their office life and have a holiday while still actively…
- Phuket News
No deaths, 2 Sandboxers with Covid-19 in Phuket
While Thailand has begun to see a downward trend in daily infections that is hoped to continue, Phuket’s infection trend has been rising over recent weeks. A few days this week have dropped to below 200 Covid-19 but today there’s been 238 new infections reported over the past 24 hours. The province extended strict entry requirements in hopes of curbing Covid-19…
- Politics News
PM Prayut accused of embezzlement in Sinovac vaccine purchases
Complex, tricky accounting, embezzlement or a government going about its work in the middle of a pandemic? Accusations by the Pheu Thai opposition party are demanding Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha explain a 2 billion baht gap between what was allocated for Sinovac vaccine purchases and what was actually spent. The charges, made under parliamentary privilege in this week’s no-confidence debate,…
- Pattaya News
Coffee shop attackers surrender, face assault charges
Police have taken into custody 2 suspects accused of beating a 23 year old coffee shop employee in Si Racha in Chon Buri on Monday. The pair of attackers face charges of assaulting the shop worker in the middle of the workday with other staff witnessing the incident turning themselves in yesterday. The suspects were identified as a 29 year…
- Covid-19 News
Study: recovery from Covid-19 gives more immunity than Pfizer
A new study appears to contradict previous data about the efficacy of vaccines, claiming that those who have recovered from Covid-19 previously have more immunity from the Delta variant than those who are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines. Conducted by Israeli researchers, it is the largest real-world study that compares the natural immunity people get from having…
- Covid-19 News
National Vaccine Institute defends opting out of COVAX
The chief of the National Vaccine Institute spoke out defending Thailand’s decision to forego the COVAX vaccine programme as the government comes under renewed fire as part of the ongoing censure debate. He maintains that Thailand is better off without the program. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the members of the ruling party in the cabinet are currently facing a vote…
- Covid-19 News
Mu variant as a Covid-19 “variant of interest” by WHO
By now, news of the Delta variant, a much more contagious strain of Covid-19 that has spread around the world, is well understood. Now, ‘Mu’, a new Covid-19 variant that may be resistant to vaccines, is making headlines as a new “variant of interest” according to the World Health Organisation. The Mu variant was first identified in Colombia 8 months…
- Covid-19 News
Bloomberg Covid-19 Resilience list has Thailand 5th to last
At one point, Covid-19 seemed like it may be under control and on its way out. But then the Delta variant emerged, throwing once-stable countries into infection chaos. Bloomberg compiles a monthly Covid-19 Resilience Ranking that tracks a number of metrics to rank what countries are the best to be in to weather the pandemic, and Thailand has fallen on…
- Pattaya News
Friends find body of man trapped under motorbike for 8 days
The discovery of the body of a man who died after a motorbike accident was made more tragic as police believe the victim survived the crash, but was trapped under his heavy motorbike, obscured by tall grass, just a few metres from a busy road. Nong Kham Police in Si Racha were notified this week after friends went looking for…
- World News
Cambodia upset over Thai temple’s resemblance to Angkor Wat
Temples are generally known to inspire peace and tranquillity, but a new 100 million baht temple complex in Northeastern Thailand has launched a feud with Cambodia which claims the temple is copying Angkor Wat, the largest temple complex in the world and the pride of Cambodian history and culture. The cultural official in Buriram, the site of the new temple,…
- Technology News
Porn may open the door to the mainstream for cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency has grown a strong following of hardcore supporters but has yet to gain widespread acceptance and ease of use. But now another hardcore faction might help bridge the gap and open the doors to wider usage: porn. After OnlyFans became the latest website/porn service to see its value and success hanging in the balance of a battle between its…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to get Covid-19 foreign aid from China and Korea
While a government spokesperson announced that Thailand expects to have 140 million Covid-19 vaccines received in the country by the end of the year, many wondered with the slow rollout so far exactly where all these vaccines are coming from. Today we received a hint as foreign aid was offer by both China and South Korea who announced donations of…
- Technology News
Bangkok Airways breach may have compromised customer data
A cyberattack hit Bangkok Airways and now the boutique airline is warning its customers of a possible compromise of personal data. The airline released a statement on their website and sent email to its customers informing them of the data breach. Bangkok Airways first became aware of a possible hack on August 23 and began investigating. They confirmed now that…
- Pattaya News
Heavy rains in Pattaya bring some fun but also casualties
The rains that have been battering Pattaya over the weekend have come with a light side and a dark side. Many locals were seen finding the silver lining in the heavy rains, having fun going with the flow, sometimes literally. But for others, the rains turned deadly. The rain caused floods on streets and neighbourhoods, dumping water into people homes…
- South Thailand News
Bomb rocks train en route to Bangkok from the Deep South
This afternoon a bomb exploded on a train bound for Bangkok as it was departing the Deep South province of Narathiwat. The explosion rocked a freight car, obliterating the wooden floor of the train and spilling its cargo onto the runway. The train had departed the Su-ngai Kolok district of Narathiwat heading for Bangkok, and had only travelled about 40…
- Pattaya News
Motorbike accident victim presumed dead, actually asleep drunk
Rescue workers arrived to an all-too-familiar scene: an accident with a motorbike strewn across the pavement and, a bit beyond, its unfortunate rider lying motionless on the road. They assessed the accident and approached the body to conduct an examination and physical health check. But as they began, they were shocked when the man suddenly woke up. The incident took…
- Crime News
Fears police chief Thitisan won’t be held accountable for murder
Many, especially on social media, have expressed worries that Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon will escape harsh punishment or perhaps any punishment at all. With the hashtag #StopLyingJoe trending on Thai Twitter yesterday and the bizarre press conference allowing the now-fired police officer to speak to the public and defend his actions, many believe that after his surrender Thursday,…
- Phuket News
Bangkok Hospital Phuket offers expats vaccines including Pfizer
Another round of free Covid-19 vaccinations for expats was announced yesterday, this time with the option of receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Bangkok Hospital in Phuket made the announcement stating that they would be providing expats the free vaccines in partnership with the Department of Disease Control, but they would only be offering inoculation for those who have never received any…
- Bangkok News
Genders separate at field hospital after alleged orgies, drugs
After allegations were revealed yesterday of rampant sex, fights, and drug use in a field hospital in Samut Prakan province just south of Bangkok, the facility will separate men from women. The Samut Pra Ruamjai 5 houses around 1,000 patients currently being treated for Covid-19 infections. Stories emerged of patients there engaging in group sex, doing illicit drugs, and event…
- Crime News
Court approves Thitisan custody extension, investigate further
As police in the Crime Suppression Division continue their investigation into Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon, the Nakhon Sawan court approved an extension to keep him in custody for 12 days. The Muang district police say they need time as they still have 10 witnesses to question. In Thai law, an indictment must be made as quickly as possible,…
- Thailand News
New York TAT says US travellers look for trips without quarantine
The New York Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says that Americans who are fully vaccinated are looking to travel to destinations without complex restrictions. American travellers are looking away from previously popular destinations like Europe and Canada, and when they look for tropical beach destinations, quarantine-free destinations like the Maldives and the Caribbean are drawing the customers that…
