Neill Fronde
- Koh Samui News
British man falls from waterfall cliff on Koh Samui
In Koh Samui, a British man was rescued after slipping from a dangerous waterfall. The man was part of a group of eight international tourists who were holidaying on the island of Koh Samui. They had climbed to the top of Na Muang Waterfall despite warnings not to when the man fell off the cliff. The group of hikers said…
- Crime News
Police ordered not to name nationalities, arrest Swedish man with gun and meth
The Royal Thai police have given foreign troublemakers a bit of a Christmas gift. In an order put out late on Christmas Eve, the RTP told all provincial police bureaus to no longer release to the media the nationality of any foreigner arrested in Thailand. A spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police said that people accused of a crime in…
- Road deaths
Road accidents involving motor bikes on the rise in Phuket
As we head into what has become known in Thailand as the “Seven Days of Danger” – the holiday period from December 24 to January 4 that always sees an increase in road deaths – a new report initiative is shedding light on an increase in motorbike accidents in Phuket. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation has begun releasing a report…
- South Thailand News
Backpack found on Koh Tao from sailor on HTMS Sukhothai
As search and rescue efforts enter their seventh day after the wreck of the HTMS Sukhothai, a tourist on Koh Tao found a grim relic of the tragedy. A Norwegian tourist on holiday on the tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand stumbled upon a backpack on the beach belonging to one of the missing sailors from the shipwreck. The…
- World News
Record number of Thai people travelling abroad
Most tourism discussions in Thailand centre around incoming international travellers to the kingdom. But Thai people are also travelling abroad in record numbers, the highest in three years. In the last quarter of 2022, an average of 28,000 Thai people are travelling outbound each day to other countries. That average has already climbed a bit in the first 20 days…
- Events
No official plans to cancel countdown parties
The government of Thailand has not officially cancelled any New Year celebrations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand informed. The TAT said all New Year’s countdown events can operate as planned, though some provinces and areas have chosen to scale back their parties. Perhaps most notably, the chief of the Khao San Road Business Association has announced a cancellation of the…
- World News
Codeshare deal between Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways
A strategic partnership expansion was just signed between Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways. The two airlines have had a partnership for years, as both are members of the Star Alliance network, but the new deal will allow them to codeshare more flights to offer each of their customers more variety when travelling in Southeast Asia and the world. Codesharing is…
- Central Thailand News
A Christmas tradition: Santa elephants at school
In central Thailand, school children were thrilled with a visit from a very Thai version of Santa Claus. The school kids were thrilled as the group of elephant trainers dressed as Santa led their elephants to greet the children and distribute Christmas gifts yesterday. The uniquely Thai experience saw nearly 2,000 children receive presents of toys, dolls, balloons, and candies,…
- World News
Tourism groups in South Korea sign deals with TAT
To boost the tourism link with South Korea, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just inked three new deals. By partnering with Korean Air, the Korea Association of Travel Agents, and SOOBAK, the TAT hope to increase visitors from the nation and strengthen the friendly relations between South Korea and Thailand. TAT News reports that the department’s governor Yuttasak Supasorn…
- World News
New artefacts in the Cave of Salome, nurse to Jesus
New light has been shed on just how long a cave in Israel has been held as a religious holy site. The cave is believed to be the burial place of Salome, the apocryphal nurse to the newborn baby Jesus. After a recent excavation, new evidence has reinforced the long-held belief that the biblical figure is in fact buried there. Excavations…
- Transport News
AoT app expanding: flight info, taxis, shopping and more
Airports in Thailand are hard at work souping up their travel app in hopes of making it an essential super-app for the incoming flood of tourists. Their “Sawasdee by AoT” app currently provides flight and airport information for people landing at six AoT-run airports. But they plan to add a host of tourism services, to aid the predicted 90 million…
- Tourism News
Thai AirAsia predicts 90% post-pandemic recovery
Thai AirAsia is predicting a great year next year, forecasting passenger load to reach 90% of the levels it was at before the Covid-19 pandemic. The rosy outlook was stated as foreign arrivals have been pouring into Thailand. The popular budget airline also has faith that the mega-demographic of Chinese tourists will be able to rejoin the tourism world next…
- Technology News
Twitter poll respondents tell Musk to step down, so he changes rules
Elon Musk’s Twitter has been the definition of a hot mess. After the latest round of controversies, Musk – now fallen to the world’s second richest man – launched a poll asking if he should step down. When the poll didn’t go the way he planned (or did it?!), he changed the rules of who could participate in future polls.…
- Tourism News
Anutin promises no 4am curfew; Tourism Ministry suggests Bangla Road trial
The chances of a 4am national nightlife curfew are looking dim. Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul says his ministry strongly opposes the measure. Meanwhile, proponent Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn has reduced his campaign from a nationwide extension to just making Bangla Road in Phuket a pilot area for the 4am curfew. The Ministry of Tourism had…
- World News
Punishment uncertain for boy who threw cat from 22nd floor
What is the appropriate punishment for a 10 year old boy for remorselessly throwing a cat out of a 22nd story window? That’s what authorities and web commentators are grappling with in Singapore after the horrific incident was caught on security video last week. The disturbing video captured a young boy picking up a neighbourhood black cat named Panther on…
- Tourism News
Thailand tops BBC poll for Southeast Asia travel
A recent BBC poll saw Thailand on the top of the list of most desired destinations to travel to in Southeast Asia. BBC News conducted a poll of people planning a trip from Europe and North America to Southeast Asia in July. Thailand topped the list with 57.4% of people responding that they would be likely to visit the kingdom.…
- Tourism News
Pheu Thai Party wants to reform tourism, cut red tape
The Pheu Thai Party is calling for reform of the way Thailand approaches tourism, though its focus seems to be the same as the ruling party’s. The opposition party held a brainstorming session on Friday to discuss how to improve tourism in Thailand. They stressed branching out and eliminating outdated red tape, but also put their hope squarely on medical…
- World News
Buddha statue in Cambodia will be world’s 3rd tallest
The owner of the hotel group in Cambodia is taking on a big challenge. A big, tall challenge. The owner of the Sokha Hotel Group in Cambodia has pledged to build one of the world’s tallest Buddha statues. His scheme would see the construction of a 108-metre tall Buddha on Bokor Mountain. While news coverage in the Phnom Penh Post,…
- Eastern Thailand News
Falling power pole kills woman in Chantha Buri
A woman met a surprising and untimely demise after a power pole fell on her in Chantha Buri province. She’s been walking through a waterfall park in the province yesterday morning when strong winds suddenly felled the power pole, killing her instantly. The freak accident took place in the Priew Waterfall National Park did the far eastern province bordering Cambodia.…
- Politics News
POLL: Thai politics unchanged, honesty and transparency wanted
A new poll shows that most people in Thailand don’t believe that politics have really changed much. They like responsible, honest politicians and hate people who break promises and abuse authority. They want their political parties to be honest and transparent with a clear goal. Corruption is the biggest issue they want to be tackled. Poll respondents said that they…
- South Thailand News
UPDATE: Irish kayaker Odhran O’Neill’s body found
Though not a lot of information has been confirmed or released yet, the body of a 22 year old Irish traveller has been recovered from the waters in Khao Sok National Park. He had been kayaking, a popular activity in the region, though the weather has been windy and rainy in the south of Thailand recently, making the waters more…
- World News
Largest cylindrical free-standing aquarium in the world bursts
One million litres of water and 1,500 exotic fish were splashed into a busy intersection in Berlin on Friday when the largest cylindrical free-standing aquarium in the world burst. The debris and water flooded onto a major road in the Mitte district in front of Sea Life Berlin, home of the Aquadom aquarium. The aquarium shares a building with a Radisson…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Heavy rains close Gulf ferries, Surin Islands for 2 days
Heavy rains, high winds and thunderstorms have ferries cancelled and areas closing down for the next few days in the south of Thailand. In the Gulf of Thailand, all ferry services between the mainland and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao have been suspended for two days. On the Andaman Sea, the national park on the Surin Islands has…
- South Thailand News
Northern Irishman missing in Khao Sok after kayak capsized
[UPDATE: His body has been found.] The family of a missing Northern Irishman is desperately seeking help on social media after his kayak capsized and he hasn’t been seen since. Odhran O’Neill has been travelling in Thailand and went kayaking in Khao Sok National Park yesterday afternoon. His boat capsized around 1pm and Facebook posts suggest he said that he…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui welcomes second cruise ship, 2,500 tourists
For only the second time in the last 3 years, a large cruise ship has arrived today at Koh Samui, four times larger than the first. After cruising came to a halt worldwide as cruise ships became the perfect petri dish for the spread a Covid-19, only one other cruise ship has arrived on the holiday island previously just three…
- Tourism News
Tourist police warn travellers of Thai scams
Spiderman’s uncle once said, “With great tourism, comes great scamability.” We might be paraphrasing a bit, but as Thailand is welcoming international tourists once again pouring into the country, the tourist police are warning that perhaps not-so-welcomed scammers are also returning to prey on fresh foreign victims. The commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau says that they are increasing police presence…
- Phuket News
Phuket Immigration crackdown nets 138 total violations
After spending the first half of the month vigilantly and vocally cracking down on immigration violations, Phuket Immigration announced the results of its efforts. They focused mainly on people overstaying the stamp on their passports and not being registered correctly at the place where they lived. Immigration was working under the slogan of getting “Phuket to be Crime Free” running…
- Covid-19 News
King and Queen test positive for Covid-19
His Royal Majesty King Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana have been infected with the Covid-19 virus. The announcement was made today by the Bureau of the Royal Household, according to Prachachat. The statement was issued after the king and queen were administered Covid screening tests late yesterday evening. It is common for them to be tested regularly for the…
- Environment News
Bill committee removes section stating cannabis isn’t a narcotic
Section 3 of the draft law being debated in the government right now states that cannabis and hemp are not considered narcotic substances under the Narcotics Act. The House committee that is currently scrutinizing the bill agreed to remove that section, causing controversy and hinting at the possibility of redefining the status of cannabis in Thailand. Ever since legalising cannabis…
- Crime News
Police raid Pattaya club, find no license
Police in Pattaya seem to believe that tourists crave the safety and security of club raids each night. That was the reason given for the latest in a long series of nearly nightly raids on clubs and nightlife entertainment venues last night. In the early hours of this morning, police shut down a club that was operating after legal hours…
