Neill Fronde

Neill is a journalist from the United States with 10+ years broadcasting experience and national news and magazine publications. He graduated with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of California and has been living in Thailand since 2014.
  • Crime NewsPolice patrol Pattaya Beach looking for guns, booze, prostitutes

    Police patrol Pattaya Beach looking for guns, booze, prostitutes

    Police in Pattaya is continuing their commitment to crack down on law-breaking along the beach. They were out on patrol Monday night and added prostitution to the list of illegal activities that they were on the lookout to prevent. The police plan to operate regular patrols and be much more strict on things like drinking on the beach and carrying…

  • World NewsKanye West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt at Paris Fashion Week

    Kanye West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt at Paris Fashion Week

    Controversial attention-seeking right-wing rapper Kanye West has once again made waves. Kanye hosted a surprise fashion show during Paris Fashion Week where he wore a t-shirt reading “White Lives Matter.” The American rapper made headlines recently after all ties were cut between his Yeezy sneaker line and GAP and Adidas. The unannounced fashion show took place at a secret venue…

  • World NewsJapanese warned to take cover over North Korea missile test

    Japanese warned to take cover over North Korea missile test

    Japanese residents were warned to take cover as North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan. It was the first time in five years that the nuclear-capable isolated country had taken such action. The missile was launched from North Korea and passed over Japan before plunging into the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time since 2017 that the country…

  • Thailand NewsElon Musk angers Ukraine president with Russia tweets

    Elon Musk angers Ukraine president with Russia tweets

    Controversial tweeter and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, stirred a new dispute, this time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Musk angered Zelensky, along with many top Ukrainian officials and the people of Ukraine, by proposing his solution for the Russian invasion. The founder of Tesla and SpaceX posted on Twitter that Ukraine should take part in new referendums overseen…

  • Covid-19 NewsSchools no longer need to close for Covid outbreaks

    Schools no longer need to close for Covid outbreaks

    With Covid-19 being downgraded to a communicable disease of concern, schools and universities will no longer require closures for outbreaks. Minister of Education Trinuch Thienthong spoke at a press conference yesterday and said that new control measures won’t include definite closures, should an outbreak of the coronavirus afflict a school. With many students often packed into a tight area, schools…

  • Covid-19 NewsBang Sue’s Central Vaccination Centre officially closed

    Bang Sue’s Central Vaccination Centre officially closed

    Bang Sue Grand Station served as a hub for Covid-19 vaccines but now it has officially closed as the Central Vaccination Centre. The centre was opened last May to provide Bangkok residents with a place to receive their initial vaccines and follow-up boosters. But on September 30, the final needle was jabbed into a patient’s arm, the last vaccine at…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesBangkok area flood caused by 100 sandbags in drain

    Bangkok area flood caused by 100 sandbags in drain

    A neighbourhood in Bangkok that has been flooded since September 10 just discovered sandbags shoved into the main drain. With rain failing to drain throughout the neighbourhood for three weeks, the still water was stinking and infectious. People in the Lat Krabang neighbourhood have been suffering from knee-high water. Flood waters have never been this much of an issue on…

  • Bangkok NewsMurdered woman buried in 7 bags under expressway

    Murdered woman buried in 7 bags under expressway

    A condominium in the Bangkok suburb of Samut Prakan was the site of a gruesome murder, as a jealous man slaughtered his lover. After he murdered her, he chopped up her body and buried it in seven separate bags under an expressway in the area. Samrong Nua Police were called to the condo in tambon Theparak on Soi Sukhumvit 115…

  • World News127 dead in Indonesian football stadium stampede

    127 dead in Indonesian football stadium stampede

    After a football team in Indonesia lost 3-2, angry fans mobbed the stadium pitch resulting in a stampede and 127 deaths. The riot took place in the Eastern Java city of Malang, at the Kanjuruhan stadium. When supporters of Arema FC flooded the field, two police officers were killed in the mayhem. The police fired tear gas into the crowd…

  • Pattaya NewsPolice to curb Pattaya Beach drinking after student gun fight

    Police to curb Pattaya Beach drinking after student gun fight

    After a group of rival students fired guns on the beach in front of the Pattaya Police Station, police vowed to crack down on illicit activities including drinking. Police are stepping up their nightly patrols, searching for illegal drugs, alcohol, weapons and firearms. The shooting incident happened on September 28. A group of about 20 teenagers – some still wearing…

  • Phuket News9th and 10th monkeypox infections found in Phuket

    9th and 10th monkeypox infections found in Phuket

    A German man and a Thai woman have become the 9th and 10th confirmed cases of monkeypox in Thailand. The two were identified this week in Phuket and are now receiving treatment at a public hospital there. The Department of Disease Control has released details about the two new infections. Public health officials are already investigating and have traced a…

  • Covid-19 NewsFace masks still required on public transport, in cinemas

    Face masks still required on public transport, in cinemas

    Thailand recently celebrated lifting all remaining Covid-19 restrictions and fully reopening its borders to international travellers. But, while tourists can enter without proof of vaccination or negative tests, face masks are still mandatory on public transportation throughout the country. A deputy director of the Department of Health has explained that some Covid safety and prevention measures remain in place. In…

  • Politics NewsVladimir Putin officially annexed four parts of Ukraine

    Vladimir Putin officially annexed four parts of Ukraine

    In an elaborate ceremony in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially annexed four parts of Ukraine. The move has drawn condemnation as he tries to lay diplomatic claim to lands that Ukraine forces have been regaining on the ground. Putin announced ominously that anyone living in the four regions is now permanently a Russian citizen, and in response, attendees chanted…

  • Transport NewsPhuket Airport officials pulled tourist from van, insisted they use airport taxi

    Phuket Airport officials pulled tourist from van, insisted they use airport taxi

    The Phuket taxi situation has been under a microscope recently after accusations of taxi mafias, bad behaviour by drivers, and several outright brawls between cab drivers in front of tourists have blemished the reputation of Thailand and Phuket in particular. Another recent incident at the Phuket International Airport went viral on social media when passengers were asked to get out…

  • Tourism NewsReopening Thailand has a busy activity schedule

    Reopening Thailand has a busy activity schedule

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) took the occasion of the country’s full and unrestricted reopening today as an opportunity to point out a busy event and attraction schedule they hope will bring a variety of people from around the world to the kingdom. From new flight schedules to international political and business meetings to sporting events, exciting new restaurants,…

  • Tourism NewsToday is the day! Full post-pandemic Thailand reopening

    Today is the day! Full post-pandemic Thailand reopening

    After nearly three years, today is THE DAY. In July of 2021, officials cheered the reopening of Thailand with the Phuket Sandbox. Then we had other sandboxes, Test & Go, the Thailand Pass, and numerous other stepping stones. Then in July of this year, we ditched so many regulations and declared a reopening. But today, October 1, Thailand officially declares full and…

  • World NewsBomb scare on flight from San Francisco to Singapore

    Bomb scare on flight from San Francisco to Singapore

    A flight from San Francisco California to Singapore suffered a bomb threat midway through the journey. Singapore Airlines flight SQ33 alerted the Singapore Police Force early this morning that a passenger had become unruly and claimed to have a bomb on board the flight. While the claim was found to be false, the flight was on high alert and the…

  • Tourism NewsTourism fee to go to Cabinet to enact or delay

    Tourism fee to go to Cabinet to enact or delay

    The controversial 300-baht tourism fee is set to be reviewed by the Cabinet at the end of the month. They may decide to enact it or postpone the implementation to a later date. But, according to the Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, the fee is not going away. He says it is already set in law and can’t…

  • World NewsNASA crashes DART spacecraft into distant asteroid

    NASA crashes DART spacecraft into distant asteroid

    A crashed spacecraft normally calls for mourning, not celebration, but this one could potentially save the world. NASA officials at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland cheered yesterday as they watched a live feed of their Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft smashing into a faraway asteroid. The planned collision was the ship’s explosive conclusion and 10…

  • Thailand NewsAmid flu fears, Thailand destroys 24 tonnes of smuggled pork

    Amid flu fears, Thailand destroys 24 tonnes of smuggled pork

    In a blow to meat lovers in Thailand, 24 tonnes of smuggled pork were destroyed yesterday. The tragedy took place after the Department of Livestock Development identified Brazilian pork snuck across the border illegally with no documentation. The pork was seized on September 11 when it was uncovered in Samut Prakan. It was being stockpiled in a cold storage facility…

  • Northern Thailand NewsDrug chase ends in flipped car, 6 million spilled Yaba pills

    Drug chase ends in flipped car, 6 million spilled Yaba pills

    Chiang Rai police chased suspected drug traffickers until a truck flipped and nearly six million Yaba pills spilled out. The drug bust was the culmination of an ongoing drug smuggling investigation by the police. Several suspects are still wanted in connection to the incident that was reported yesterday. Police had been alerted to a group of drug traffickers earlier and…

  • World NewsEdward Snowden received Russian citizenship

    Edward Snowden received Russian citizenship

    Controversial American whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin. The former United States intelligence contractor fled to Russia for his safety after revealing to the public secret surveillance programmes the US National Security Agency had been running on its citizens. While US and Russian relationships are strained over the invasion of Ukraine, Putin included Snowden on…

  • Covid-19 NewsNasal spray to prevent Covid hits stores October 1

    Nasal spray to prevent Covid hits stores October 1

    Hibiocy announced the release of their anti-Covid nasal spray, set to hit the shelves on October 1. The spray is a homegrown invention, developed in Thailand by medical researchers at the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University. The design blocks Covid from entering the body through the nose. The company producing it is a subsidiary of Rojukiss International, and its…

  • EventsMeatfest will host meat cooking and eating contests in Pattaya

    Meatfest will host meat cooking and eating contests in Pattaya

    Perhaps in response to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival getting underway this week, Pattaya has announced a different type of festival: Meatfest. The barbeque event is scheduled to take place on October 29 and 30. It is being billed as the first BBQ and music festival in Thailand. Jaybees Bar in Jomtien, in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province,…

  • Central Thailand NewsWhale watching season begins in Phetcha Buri

    Whale watching season begins in Phetcha Buri

    In Phetcha Buri province in central Thailand, whale watching season is underway. Bryde’s whales are in the region and they are usually most visible between October and December. The province, famous for its tourist hub of Cha-Am and National Park rainforest, expects to see these majestic sea creatures between now and the end of the year. At one point about…

  • Tourism NewsAirport expansion plans hastened across Thailand

    Airport expansion plans hastened across Thailand

    With High Season approaching and the Thai government predicting big numbers, airport expansion plans are being fast-tracked. One of Thailand’s goals as international travel begins to return in greater numbers is to become a transport hub for Southeast Asia. To help realise the goal and make room for an influx of travellers, facilities are being expanded in both domestic and…

  • Politics NewsGen-Z students oppose an unelected senate 17 to 1

    Gen-Z students oppose an unelected senate 17 to 1

    A new poll of university students revealed that Generation Z does not want an unelected Senate to be a part of the government anymore. The survey showed that by an overwhelming margin of 17 to one, the emerging generation does not want appointed officials. They believe that senators not elected by the people only hinder and undermine the democratic rule.…

  • Northern Thailand NewsLarge, endangered Indochinamon Bhumibol crab spotted

    Large, endangered Indochinamon Bhumibol crab spotted

    Officials stumbled upon a nearly-extinct freshwater crab this week in Phetchabun. The Indochinamon Bhumibol crab is the second one that has been found in the northern province in the last year. And it’s just in time, as September is believed to be mating season for the two rare crabs. The crab close to extinction was found in the Wang Pong-Chon…

  • Thailand NewsDead woman in car pulled out of Kanchana Buri canal

    Dead woman in car pulled out of Kanchana Buri canal

    Police made a grisly discovery in the Tha Muang district of Kanchana Buri yesterday. A car was pulled out of an irrigation canal and, inside, the body of a school director was found. Investigators identified the body as a 45 year old Thai woman who was the director at Ban Nong Ya Plong School in tambon Chorakhae Phuak in Dan…

  • Thailand Election NewsPOLL: Top 2 picks for prime minister are “nobody” and Ex-PM’s daughter

    POLL: Top 2 picks for prime minister are “nobody” and Ex-PM’s daughter

    A new NIDA poll shows the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is leading the pack of hopefuls to replace suspended PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra is a member of the leading Pheu Thai Party and is currently the second choice for prime minister, just behind “nobody is suitable.” The poll was conducted by the National Institute…