- Phuket News
Patong Hill road closed to cars just 2 days after reopening
Heavy rains have continuously closed down the road between Patong and Kathu in Phuket. The road had opened to pedestrians for a while, and then motorbikes only, before reopening to cars. But now, the road over Patong Hill has been closed to cars again, starting early this morning due to road repairs and soil shifting. The announcement was made late…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand ends emergency Covid vaccine procurement
The winding down of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit a new milestone as the emergency use procurement of vaccines has now ended. The Ministry of Public Health announced that it has officially cancelled its plans to obtain more vaccines against the coronavirus. The end of the programme was officially published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday and was put into…
- World News
Malaysian celeb Diva AA drops out of election on dead mother’s advice
And you thought Thai politics and elections were crazy! A celebrity candidate, Diva AA, running for Malaysian parliament has pulled out of the race against his brother because his mother told him to. His dead mother. Malaysia is holding its 15th general election this year, commonly referred to as GE15. Voting will take place on November 15 across the country. A…
- Northern Thailand News
Body of Thai woman from Korea stampede returned to family
After the tragic stampede at a Halloween event in Seoul, Korea, the body of the Thai woman who died in the crush has been returned to her family in Thailand. Natthicha Makaew was a teacher who had been studying the Korean language before she was crushed in the Halloween stampede in Itaewon. The 27 year old studied to be certified…
- Technology News
Twitter employees lay off begins after Musk takeover
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has been swift and rattling after months of trying to back out of the deal. It is rumoured that Musk plans to lay off 75% of Twitter’s 7,500 employees. And the axe started swinging on Friday. Stay-home orders were given to thousands of employees at Twitter which may signal they’re being laid off. Some new sources…
- Events
AoT bans lanterns near airports for upcoming festivals
Loy Krathong is upon us, and with it, Yi Peng, the lantern festival. Thousands of lighter-than-air lanterns drift up into the sky in a peaceful show for celebrating onlookers. But the Airports of Thailand (AoT) have issued a reminder warning that flying lanterns are strictly banned in the areas around the six main airports in Thailand. As beautiful and tranquil…
- Pattaya News
Rescuers save 2 year old boy with head stuck in gate
Every parent’s worst nightmare came true on Thursday for a Chinese mother. Her two year old son sustained serious injuries in a freak accident that saw his head get stuck in an automatic gate mechanism. The terrifying incident occurred in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri on Thursday, and luckily police were on the scene to jump in and…
- Pattaya News
Police bust 2 drug parties, arrest 43 teenagers
Move over adults, it’s time for the kids to join in. After a series of high-profile raids on entertainment venues around Thailand, in part as a crackdown on drugs after the meth ties to the daycare centre killer, police busted two parties full of mostly teenagers in Chon Buri this week. Police officials announced that in the early hours of…
- Phuket News
Police raid 4 Phuket venues for underage drinking
Raids in Phuket last night saw police targeting businesses accused of selling alcohol to minors. Police say they received numerous complaints that some venues in the area were selling alcohol to children. The legal age for drinking in Thailand is 20 years old. Last night officials from many local and provincial police forces and government departments descended on a number…
- Tourism News
Tourism Authority of Thailand: 18 million tourists in 2023
After arriving tourist numbers crossed seven million last month, inching toward the goal of 10 million for the year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is making middle-of-the-road projections for 2023. While they don’t believe that Thailand will see anything like the 40 million tourists per year they saw before Covid, the TAT is estimating 18 million international arrivals next…
- Technology News
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook all see hiccups
Social media has always been a crapshoot of information, updates from friends, conspiracy theories, racism and hate speech, and photos of your favourite holidays and foods. But recently, platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook themselves have become a part of the hot mess that they contain. Elon Musk bought Twitter and is publicly arguing with horror author Stephen King over…
- Events
Too big to fail: Full Moon Party revives Koh Pha Ngan
In the US, the phrase “too big to fail” is applied to financial institutions whose defaulting would cause the national or even global economy to collapse. So these institutions receive bailouts to keep them afloat in times of economic crisis. In Thailand, our too-big-to-fail institution might be the Full Moon Party. The legendary party, running for nearly 40 years on…
- Technology News
Musk fires Twitter board, launches subscription service, resurrects Vine
Elon Musk isn’t doing much to quell the fears of Twitter users, advertisers, and investors about his takeover causing chaos. In fact, now that he has officially become the legal owner of the popular social media site, he has launched a barrage of new actions that have left advertisers and executives reeling. It is rumoured that Musk plans to lay…
- World News
Call centre trafficked forced labour to sell crypto via Tinder
When was the last time you got a legitimately good investment tip from Tinder? Never? Scammers continue to use dating apps to con people into fake crypto investments. On Monday, Thai police announced the arrest of a Chinese leader of a multi-country gang who trafficked people to work in call centres selling crypto scams. The phoney call centre was uncovered…
- Events
Are people worried about events in Thailand after the Korean stampede?
Tourism officials and industry operators are nervously assessing what effect the Halloween stampede in South Korea may have on travellers’ confidence in upcoming events in Thailand. Operators in the tourism industry have asked police and other authorities to be ready for crowd-related incidents. But the vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Suthiphong Phuenphiphop, says that he does not think…
- World News
Man sentenced to 2 years in jail for false information on Facebook
In Vietnam, a man was sentenced to two years in jail after questionable information on his Facebook posts caused investor panic and a corporation’s value to plummet. The People’s Court of Nam Tu Liem district in Hanoi found the man guilty of “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to violate interests of the state, rights and legitimate interests of…
