- Thailand Election News
Google tapped as Election Commission denies helping PM
The Office of the Election Commission (EC) reached out to Google Thailand for support in the upcoming General Election, while they deny accusations of favouring Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They asked the search engine tech giant to help raise awareness about the election and assist in cracking down on fake news. On Monday, EC Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee met with a…
- Phuket News
Passport left in taxi return to tourist just hours before flight
In a heartwarming example of the power of kindness and the helpfulness that can occur in the Land of Smiles, a tourist who lost his passport was reunited with it on his way out of the country. On Sunday, American tourist Edward Freitas accidentally left his travel bag in a taxi in Phuket. The bag contained his passport and important…
- Thailand Election News
Election billboards for Anutin may be illegal
The Rural Doctor Society raised concerns over the possible violation of election laws by 11,000 roadside billboards featuring Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The society posted on its Facebook page calling on the Election Commission (EC) to investigate the matter. The billboards are located outside provincial, district, subdistrict and community-level hospitals under the care of the…
- Crime News
Drug law amendment makes 2 meth pills dealing
To effectively combat the illegal drug trade, a law is being amended in Thailand so that anyone caught in possession of more than one meth pill will now be considered a drug dealer. Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul announced this change yesterday, stating that the current regulation has been exploited by those who actually intend to sell the drugs.…
- Environment News
Truck smoke targeted over PM2.5 pollution
The Pollution Control Department (PCD) announced that they are ramping up efforts to control fine dust pollution in Bangkok and surrounding areas by increasing their scrutiny of public transport vehicles and trucks emitting smoke. The PCD Director-General Athapol Charoenshunsa stated that worsening PM2.5 pollution levels in the capital and its surroundings are partly caused by public transport vehicles that run…
- Bangkok News
Human bones found in rural area of Bangkok
Police are baffled by the mysterious discovery of human bones along Kanchanaphisek Ring Road in a rural area of Bangkok. The bones were just found in the agricultural Khan Na Yao district of the capital city, but it is suspected that they may have been resting there for nearly a year. The discovery of mystery bones was made by the Ruam…
- Thailand News
Revenue Department warns of tax filing scams
The Thai government has taken steps to protect the public from potential scams during tax filing season. They warn that, during this time, scammers posing as Revenue Department officials may attempt to obtain sensitive personal information from taxpayers. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek warned that imposters claiming to be from the Revenue Department will contact potential victims and insist that…
- Crime News
Guards: it wasn’t us who attacked the Indian “tourist”
New information about an Indian tourist who was allegedly attacked by club guards on Pattaya Walking Street yesterday calls into question what really happened. The nightclub guards who were accused of the assault met with Pattaya Police to provide their side of the story. According to the guards, the victim was not a tourist, but an ex-pat and former club…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai ranked No.1 city in Asia on safety index
The northern city of Chiang Mai in Thailand has been ranked as the safest city in Southeast Asia and 31st in the world, according to a recent report. The findings were published as the Crime Index and Safety Index by City 2023 by Numbeo, the largest crowd-sourced global database that tracks these statistics. Chiang Mai was ranked first in Southeast…
- Crime News
Gang of deaf suspects arrested in robberies
Authorities made an unusual arrest in Bangkok after a recent wave of robberies when they took four deaf suspects into custody. Police in Bangkok’s Sutthisan district arrested a gang of four deaf individuals for their involvement in a string of burglaries. According to Siam Rath, the police received a report of trespassing from a caretaker of a property in the…
- Pattaya News
Indian tourist beaten by Pattaya nightclub guards
In an incident sure to fluster the tourism industry’s push to welcome foreign travellers, a group of nightclub guards from an Indian bar were accused of attacking an Indian tourist. The attack went down on the bustling Walking Street in Pattaya in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The tourist reportedly sustained head injuries and was left bleeding on the…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok pub raid can’t find anything illegal to bust
Drug raids have become common around Thailand, but some are definitely less fruitful than others. Sometimes a club is open only during legal operating hours, following all the rules, and packed with law-abiding citizens. Despite receiving complaints from residents in the surrounding neighbourhood, police and army officers found nothing illegal in a recent raid in Bangkok. The raid on a…
- Crime News
Univited hotel guest shoots at resort owner, police
A dramatic pursuit ended in injury for both a police officer and an uninvited guest at a Rayong resort after the guest sharted shooting at the resort owner for denying him a free stay. The incident occurred in the early hours this morning, when police responded to a call from the Klaeng district resort about a reported shooting. Police were…
- Crime News
Police doubt story of teen shot on his 18th birthday
Reports of teen gangs and violence are on the rise in Thailand, and one young man got a mournful birthday surprise, though police are sceptical of what transpired. An 18 year old teen was shot and killed in a tragic incident that occurred in the Greater Bangkok province of Pathum Thani. The incident was reported by Thai Rath, and according…
- Northern Thailand News
Dinosaur footprints found in Kalasin park
Phu Faek forest park, located in the northeastern province of Kalasin, is known for its rich history and geological significance. Recently, the park has made an exciting discovery of fossilized dinosaur footprints. The Department of Mineral Resources, along with park officials, were notified of the finding by a local villager from Ban Nam Kham, in Phu Laen Chang sub-district. Upon…
- Covid-19 News
Covid cases down, international arrivals up
Good news for tourism, bad news for Covid-19: international travellers have surged while infection figures have actually declined. After Thailand relaxed its immigration measures, the number of tourists visiting has seen a steady increase. With extra fears due to Chinese tourism reopening amidst a major Covid wave there, the number of new cases in Thailand has been going down. According…
- Transport News
Phuket taxis: outsiders are undercutting our prices
Operators from outside Phuket are the target of a recent complaint filed by representatives from 30 taxi, van, tuk tuk and bus operators on the island. The association is complaining that outside taxis are invading their province and stealing their tourist customers by undercutting their prices. The complaint alleges that these outside operators are greatly affecting the income of local…
- Environment News
Locals seek 5 billion baht from oil spill
After an oil spill a year ago, villagers and small businesses in Rayong are suing all involved and seeking 5 billion baht in damages. Star Petroleum Refining (SPRC), PTT Global Chemical and several government agencies are named in the suit for their part in the oil spill last January. The lawsuits have been filed by the Rising Sun law firm, which…
- Health
Eat your vegetables! Or don’t, with this new sauce
Science has come up with a solution for all the vegetable haters out there – “Sauce Son Phak” (vegetables hidden in sauce). This new product, developed by Innobic (Asia), the life science branch of oil and gas titan PTT, in collaboration with researchers at Mahidol University, is for all the people who would rather eat dirt than vegetables. According to…
- Tourism News
Sawasdee by AoT app adding e-payment, calendar
The “Sawasdee by AoT” app is continuing to grow, with new features stretching outside the scope of airports. Sky ICT, an aviation technology firm, announced that it will be adding an e-payment feature to the app by April. Sawasdee by AoT now includes 64 active features and growing. Coming next? The payment feature and tourism calendars for different popular regions.…
- Crime News
Bangkok delivery driver nabbed robbing cars on the side
A motorbike delivery driver in Bangkok was busted after police tracked him down and revealed him as a serial thief. The investigation started after a woman reported her car had been burgled earlier in the month. On January 13, a saleswoman named Saowalak reported a break-in of her car. It had been parked outside of the temple of Wat Traimit…
- Tourism News
Chachoengsao temple opens glass sea walk
A glass skywalk jutting out over the ocean is the newest tourist attraction in Chachoengsao province. The skywalk is adjacent to Wat Hong Thong temple, which has long been a draw for tourists in the area of the eastern province, not far from Bangkok. The glass bridge is a 40-metre-long stretch perched high above the sea. It is 3 metres wide and…
- World News
VIDEO: Crocodile helps locate missing boy’s body in Indonesia
In a tragic, shocking outcome, a search and rescue operation in Indonesia was finally able to locate the body of a deceased 4 year old boy, Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya. The child had been missing for two days before the discovery. In a strange twist, it was a crocodile that played a role in the search, as it was seen carrying what…
- Transport News
Pink Line monorail 95% complete, opening soon
The Pink Line monorail project in Bangkok is expected to be completed this year, with construction currently 95% finished. Construction began in 2016 on the 53.5 billion baht public transit project. When it is finally opened, it will connect Khae Rai in Nontha Buri to Min Buri in east Bangkok. The Pink Line monorail Is hoped to bring some breathing…
- Crime News
Law to prevent violent reoffenders with ankle monitor
A new law aimed at preventing recidivism among those convicted of sexual and violent crimes comes into effect in Thailand today. The law increases surveillance measures for offenders already out of prison, possibly even requiring them to wear electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelets for up to 10 years. However, the entire plan may be ineffective at best as the Corrections…
- World News
Vinyl records sales boom in Singapore, worldwide
People in Singapore may be eyeing a new record. No, like, actually looking at an actual record. According to a report by Luminate Data, a provider of data for the music industry, vinyl record sales have steadily grown for over a decade. This growth can be seen in the increasing number of record shops popping up in areas such as Kampung…
- World News
Malaysian PM condemns Swedish politician burning Quran
The Prime Minister of Malaysia condemned the recent act of Islamophobia committed by a Swedish-Danish politician who burned a copy of the Quran. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim released a statement criticising the burning of Islam’s holy book in Stockholm, Sweden by far-right politician Rasmus Paludan. “Malaysia urges the Swedish government to take urgent measures against the perpetrators of this vile act,…
- Transport News
Missed trains and confusion with new station changes
Commuters in Thailand are facing confusion and frustration due to a lack of coordination between railway stations after the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) moved almost half of its long-haul train services from Hua Lamphong station to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. The newly revamped station, formerly known as Bang Sue Grand Station, is now servicing 52 rapid service, express,…
- Technology News
Malware, not charging cable, to blame for phone hack
A man’s Facebook post sparked controversy on social media after he reported that 101,560 baht (about US$3,300) had disappeared from his bank account while he was charging his phone at a public charging station. Many began to suspect that the charging cable had been tampered with to steal data from his device, leading to widespread concerns and panic. People vowed…
- Krabi News
German tourist jumped suddenly from Krabi cliff
A German tourist visiting the Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in southern Thailand was found dead after jumping from a cliff on a nature trail. The man, identified as Loo Kevin Andre, was reported to be suffering from depressive disorder and was being accompanied by park officials at the time of the incident. According to the…
