- World News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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…
- Events
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 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
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…
- Chiang Mai News
Heavy rains collapse part of Chiang Mai’s ancient city wall
With continued heavy rainfall, part of the ancient city wall of Chiang Mai collapsed. A section of the wall near the Chang Phuak Gate partially crumbled in last night’s storm. The ancient wall stood in Chiang Mai for about 750 years before collapsing in the rain. The Chiang Mai municipality was joined by authorities from the Fine Arts Department who…
- Northern Thailand News
6-hour whiskey drinking contest draws criticism
A contest to drink booze straight for six hours? Maybe not the best idea. A rice whiskey drinking competition is drawing criticism online from readers questioning the safety of such an event. The contest was advertised online on Friday and is scheduled to take place on October 11. The location appears to be Donna Kham House farm, in Ban Thaen…
- Bangkok News
1.8 billion baht in donations at the Erawan shrine in 2022
The Erawan shrine is a popular place for Thai people to make merit and donate money, and those donations totalled 1.8 billion baht in 2022. The cash donations are gathered and donated to a variety of charities. Over 50 hospitals have benefitted from the offerings, receiving about 100 million baht this year. The Erawan shrine sits at the Ratchaprasong intersection…
- Tourism News
Carnival Magic theme park opens in Phuket to fanfare
After launching on Tuesday, the bright and energetic new theme park Carnival Magic has attracted local Thais and international tourists flooding to Phuket. The park is the first of several scheduled to open throughout the country in the next few months as tourists return to Thailand and companies race to provide exciting new attractions for them. Safari World is the…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand watching BQ.1.1 variant as Covid rules ease
As Thailand prepares to eliminate the last of the Covid-19 protections for the country, a new highly contagious variant of Omicron has been put on the country’s watch list. The BQ.1.1 variant was first confirmed in the UK last month and has so far only infected a meagre 78 people, but those cases have been spread throughout 10 different countries…
- Economy News
Economists foresee 38 baht to 1 US dollar this year
With the US dollar strengthening and Thailand’s struggling economy, economic experts predict the baht may fall to 38 to the dollar by the end of this year. The head of capital markets research for Kasikorn Bank believes the baht will continue its instability along with the global money markets as a result of domestic and international factors. While the US…
- Phuket News
Paragliding accident in Rawai puts 78 year old man in hospital
At the Khao Dang View Point in the Phuket district of Rawai, a paragliding accident left a 78 year old man seriously injured. The incident took place near Naiharn Beach at a spot also called Windmill Viewpoint late in the afternoon on Monday. Officials have not released many details about the victim, only saying it was a 78 year old…
- Transport News
VIDEO: Taxi drivers fistfight in front of customers at Phuket shop
Several minivan taxi drivers got into a fistfight over customers outside Khun Mae Ju, a popular souvenir shop in Phuket. One man struck another in the head with an axe, and it was all caught on video. The video clip went viral on social media after people inside the shops filmed the taxi drivers exchanging punches and kicks through the…
- World News
Malaysia launches new cheaper, easier digital nomad visa
Hot on the heels of Thailand’s grab at attracting long-term residents through their new LTR visa, Malaysia has released a digital nomad visa option that appears to be far cheaper and easier to qualify for. The De Rantau Programme will go live on October 1 and will offer a 12-month digital nomad pass. The website states the goal is to…
- Northern Thailand News
Extreme mud roads not enough to stop commuting teachers
Rain-drenched pavements on city roads are bad enough but, in rural areas of the Tak province, flood waters on the dirt roads have created clay mud swamps. Many roads are practically impassible, but some dedicated teachers are going above and beyond to commute to school each day. In the Umphang district of the northeastern province, roads have been particularly bad,…
- Economy News
Ministry of Labour strives to provide jobs for the elderly
The population of Thailand is collectively getting older, and now the Ministry of Labour is attempting to address the problem of senior citizens without the financial means to sustain themselves. Minister of Labour Suchart Chomklin is working to create a job market for elderly citizens as Thais over 60 struggle to pay their bills without jobs. The plan to reduce…
- Northern Thailand News
Cannabis-stealing school principal thought plants were free
A principal at a well-known school vehemently denied stealing a cannabis plant from a MotoGP event over the weekend, but backtracked when police presented security footage of the theft. The incident took place at the Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram on Saturday, where the newly-legalised plants were being stored for an event meant to promote cannabis tourism. The principal,…
- Northern Thailand News
Prawit billboard comes with note asking for legal leniency
In the northeastern province of Bueng Kan, billboards have been appearing promoting caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. One recently spotted sign in the province’s main city of the same name along the Laos border came with a note attached asking authorities to go easy on them for erecting the billboard, possibly skirting payment and regulations. The sign features a large…
- Tourism News
Tourism is rebounding but travellers expected to spend less
A government spokesperson is saying that tourism is nearly back to pre-Covid levels, though the Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects travellers will spend less money than previously predicted. Since January, 5 million international travellers have now landed in Thailand, about half the amount the government forecasted by the end of the year. One million tourists entered during September, garnering…
- Crime News
Police hunt for gang member involved in Nontha Buri kidnapping
An arrest warrant is out for a man in the Greater Bangkok province of Nontha Buri for the alleged kidnapping of a 16 year old boy in broad daylight. Police believe the kidnapper is a gang member and suspect that the boy, who was later dumped on the side of the road in serious condition, is involved in the gang…
- Crime News
Drug dealer arrested on Bangla, previously threatened tourists with gun
Phuket Police arrested a man for drug dealing on Bangla Road after having previously arrested him for threatening tourists with a gun full of blanks. The man, identified as Kittipong, was arrested after a post online claimed that police have been turning a blind eye to his criminal activities. The man was taken into custody with hand-rolled ganja cigarettes, dried…
