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- Covid-19 News
Number of calls increases, Thailand’s Covid hotline struggles to keep up
Since Covid-19 cases soared in recent weeks due to the highly infectious Omicron strain, the hotline has been getting around 40,000 and 70,000 calls each day, with inquiries requesting beds and medical treatment. Several people were unable to get through due to the huge volume of calls received each day and the lack of corresponding employees to meet the demands.…
- Travel
City Guide: Top 5 Hotels to stay with family in Phuket 2022
Phuket has a lot to offer for a family holiday — amazing beaches, family-friendly activities, fresh seafood and some of the world’s most stunning sunsets. If you’re planning to visit Phuket with your family this year, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our Top 5 hotels to stay with your family in Phuket 2022. Sunwing Kamala Beach Resort…
- Property
Centara plans to build 100 new hotels by 2026, launch 20 per year
Centara Hotels and Resorts plans to open 100 new hotels in Thailand, the Middle East, China and neighbouring countries over the next 5 years, with the intention of managing them through agreements with partner companies, according to the Bangkok Post. Centara’s 5 year goal from 2022 aims to add 20 hotels each year, bringing the total number to more than…
- Thailand News
Fire breaks out at luxury Koh Kut resort burning villa to the ground, guests narrowly escape
A fire broke out at a luxury resort on Koh Kut, an island off the coast of Trat by the Cambodian border on Sunday morning, burning a villa to the ground where a group of 15, including a famous paediatrician, were staying. The Soneva Kiri resort released a statement saying all guests staying at villa 63 were evacuated and the…
- Transport News
Commercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in Yala to take off on March 14
Commercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in the southern province Yala are set to take off on March 14. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the first flight to Yala’s Betong Airport will depart from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport this month. The new airport is a part of the government’s strategy to strengthen the economy and stability in the three southern provinces,…
- Visa Information
Travelling to Thailand in 2022? Here’s all you need to know from March
Thailand is regarded by travellers the world over as one of the best countries to visit for countless reasons… We need not remind you about the beaches, the bars, the Buddha… But there’s o-so-much more to the Land of Smiles. With the pandemic entering year 3, many countries in Southeast Asia are changing their approach to the virus in an…
- World News
Philippines to raise the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16
The age of sexual consent in the Philippines is being raised from 12 to 16 years old. President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a bill raising the minimum age in an effort to protect adolescents from rape and sexual assault. The bill says statutory rape is when an adult has sexual contact with a person 16 years old or younger, unless the…
- Thailand Travel
Majority of Thailand hotels not profitable under Test & Go
A majority of hotels in Thailand are in the red, following the relaunch of the Test & Go program earlier this year. The bleak outlook for Thailand’s hotel industry follows nearly 2 years of little, or no, patronage with only a select few able to take advantage of the limited travellers coming through the turnstiles. According to a survey of…
- World News
Vietnam considers treating Covid-19 as an endemic
With Covid-19 cases on the rise, Vietnam’s PM Pham Minh Chinh has urged the Health Ministry to begin the process of preparing the country to live with Covid-19 and approach it as an endemic. During a cabinet meeting, he directed authorities to explore how other countries had handled the shift. As they confront the virus and the impact of the…
- Food
City Guide: Top 5 supermarkets to buy groceries in Thailand
If you’re visiting Thailand for an experienced period, or planning to buy or rent an apartment and call the country home, then you’re bound to run out of essentials from time to time. Fortunately, Thailand’s numerous supermarket store franchises provide everything you need, from kimchi to toilet paper. But if you’re not sure which chain best suits your shopping wants…
- Property
Sena to expand housing, warehouse portfolio in 2022
Sena Development intends to expand into warehouses, serviced apartments and asset management in 2022, while also developing 49 new residential properties valued at 27.5 billion baht. This year, the company intends to venture into new sectors in order to increase stable earnings from regular income, with the majority of new operations connected firms that can help with property development, the…
- Thailand News
Thai Army’s Channel 5 spreads fake news on Russian attack in Ukraine
Earlier this week, two anchors of the Thai army-owned TV station Channel 5 falsely stated that Ukrainians “faked casualties” in a broadcast of their Lao Khao Khon (เล่าข่าวข้น). The footage was actually from a climate change protest in Austria last month where activists lay on the ground with body bags as a demonstration. From the original clip that went viral…
- Thailand News
Thick smog in Mae Hong Son causes pilot carrying acting US ambassador to detour
Due to poor visibility caused by haze above Mae Hong Son airport in nothern Thailand, a private plane flying the acting US ambassador this morning cancelled a landing and returned to Chiang Mai International Airport. Smog has been a longstanding problem in northern Thailand and kicks up every year during burning season from February to April. Today, the local air…
- Property
Origin to launch 31 projects, targets 17.5 billion baht
Developer Origin Property intends to introduce 31 new residential properties in Thailand totalling 42 billion baht, targeting 35 billion baht in presales and 17.5 billion baht in revenue, according to the Bangkok Post. Of the projects, 19 are apartments, costing a total of 28.6 billion baht, followed by 12 low-rise residences, costing 13.4 billion baht, says Origin’s chief executive. “The…
- Thailand News
Autopsy report shows TV actress Tangmo drowned
An autopsy report indicates that TV actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong drowned. Forensic examiners also noted that there the large cut on her leg was likely caused by the speedboat’s propeller. (Bangkok Post and Thai PBS have published differing facts about which leg was cut) The other people on the speedboat last Thursday night when Tangmo drowned in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya…
- Property
Thailand developer Sansiri to focus on low-end, affordable apartments in 2022
Sansiri says it will put lower-end apartments on the market a month before they are finished, and will collaborate with banks to secure the transfer of units with reduced mortgage loan rejections. The approach can assist the company in achieving sales and transfers in lower-end sectors with greater mortgage rejection rates than others, according to the assistant executive vice-president for…
- Thailand News
Suspect in Jimi Sandu murder case arrested in Canada
A suspect in the Jimi Sandu murder case was arrested in Canada and a request for his return to Thailand has been submitted. Matthew Dupre, from Canada, was allegedly one of two hitmen who fired multiple shots at Sandu outside a villa in Phuket. Sandu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and had entered Thailand…
- Road deaths
Drunk driver crashes into motorbike, killing woman and 9 month old
A 60 year old woman and her nine month old grandson died after their motorbike was slammed from behind by a pickup truck early Sunday night in Samut Prakan, southeast of Bangkok. The 35 year old mother survived. She told the police she was riding her motorbike home with her nine month old son and mother. Her motorbike was hit…
- Thailand News
First direct flight from Saudi Arabia to land in Thailand after mending diplomatic relations
The first direct flight from Saudi Arabia to Thailand will land at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, a significant step after bilateral ties between the two countries were patched up. Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV846 from Riyadh will arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 6:05pm today. The airline will operate three flights per week between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Bangkok, with more flights…
- Travel
Travel Guide: Top 5 magical night markets in Thailand 2022
Thailand’s night markets are sure to provide a memorable holiday experience. These colourful community hubs of local trade and fares can be found in every major city across the country, from Chiang Mai to Phuket, from Bangkok to Krabi. Each the top night markets in Thailand has something unique to offer, whether it’s a unique type of item at extremely…
- Property
Thailand real estate market to see post-pandemic boom by 2024
Real estate developers in Thailand should brace themselves for a post-pandemic boom, despite the current inflation and higher development prices, economists say. After a 2 year slowdown during the pandemic, Thailand will enter a new economic phase from 2022 to 2024, according to Bangkok Bank’s Senior Executive Vice-President Kobsak Pootrakool in the Bangkok Post. “We are getting close to the end…
- Thailand News
Thai actress missing after falling off a Chao Phraya speedboat
A Thai actress, who goes by the name Tangmo (water melon), fell from a speedboat into the Chao Phraya River near Rama VII Bridge last night. Authorities are still searching for her body. The speedboat had five others who were travelling with her. She fell in at around 10 pm, in Nonthaburi’s Muang district, just north of Bangkok. She was…
- Thailand News
Covid-19 cases rising among children in Thailand ages 5 and under
Covid-19 infections are on the rise among young children in Thailand, with more than 100,000 children ages five and under affected since the pandemic began. Last month, around 1,000 children under six years old tested positive for Covid-19. But that number spiked last week to 6,000 children in that age group infected, according to the deputy director-general of the Department of…
- Property
AP to launch 5 condo projects for 13 billion baht in 2022, early pre-sale gains
AP Thailand is planning to develop 5 apartment complexes at a projected cost of 13 billion baht in 2022, citing a significant increase in presales in Bangkok’s condo market in Q1 this year. The chief of the condominium business group says the condominium market in Bangkok has shown positive signs in the last six weeks, with AP registered 1.08 billion…
- Property
Pruksa plans to invest 3.5 billion baht in property, healthcare and tech startups
Pruksa Holding plans to spend 3.5 billion baht in property and healthcare technology businesses to improve its primary operations and increase cash flow, following a 2 year restructure and stock clearance. The CEO stated that the company’s two major operations, property development and hospitals, will be synergised with technology and innovations. Their plan is to invest in startups via joint ventures…
- Destination Guide
City Guide: How to get around Bangkok 2022
There are many ways to get around Bangkok. You’re not limited to the typical big city transpiration options of train, bus or taxi. In fact, there are many other ways that are convenient to get around, though some take more time to do so. Those who have visited Bangkok before will know how to navigate the concrete jungle, but newcomers…
- Thailand News
Low hanging cable flings a man off his motorbike – VIDEO
A low hanging electricity cable caught a man by the neck and dragged him off his speeding motorbike in Khon Kaen, north eastern Thailand. The rider, who also was wearing a full face helmet, was able to bounce back, repair his broken bike, and continued on his journey. The footage was captured by a security camera at a car maintenance…
- Covid-19 News
Mor Prom’s chatbot gives you free Covid-19 advice and online diagnosis
A chatbot has been added to the Covid-19 application, Mor Prom. The update allows users to examine information about their Covid-19 symptoms, and it’s about 85% accurate according to an assistant to the public health minister. “The Mor Prom chatbot is not a medical diagnosis but it helps those who are infected with Covid-19 if they should seek urgent treatment.” Users…
- Property
Central Pattana reports B7.1 billion profit in 2021
Central Pattana, a retail and property developer in Thailand, made 7.1 billion baht in net profit and received 28.9 billion baht in revenue in 2021, despite Covid-19 challenges. CPN’s Chief Financial Officer described 2022 as another difficult year for the company since the pandemic has had a greater impact on customers’ lifestyles and numerous businesses than the previous year. “The…
- Property
Thailand’s real estate sector to remain depressed until 2024, despite strong predictions
Despite big plans and strong earnings predictions from local real estate developers, Thailand’s real estate market might not even return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024. This from the Government Housing Bank. Factors cited include a slow economic recovery, inflation, and the latest variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, which has depressed local business activity since the middle of December…
