Bob Scott
- Crime
Police raids uncover gambling network tied to Thai actress’ husband
A luxury home belonging to the husband of Thai actress Yardthip Rajpal was among 17 locations raided by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) police and police commandos in Bangkok and surrounding provinces today. The raids were part of a crackdown on suspected online gambling networks. Phuket hotelier and businessman Mek Rama, who owns the targeted home in Soi Yothin…
- Tourism
Rare display of Bryde’s whales wows tourists in Andaman Sea
Tourists enjoying a boat trip yesterday were treated to a rare display of a pair of Bryde’s whales showing off in the Andaman Sea off Phang Na province. According to Lertsak Ponklin, the president of Phang Nga Tourism Business Association, the two giant sea mammals were spotted frolicking in the Similan Islands National Park. The tourists aboard the Wow Andaman…
- Expats
‘Water Festival 2023’ promotes traditional Thai culture
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced plans to promote traditional Thai culture with a series of events for Songkran under the “Water Festival 2023” banner in four regions between April 13 and 16. The event is a collaborative effort between TAT, Thai Beverage Public Co Ltd (ThaiBev), and several other partners, including the Culture Ministry, the Royal Thai Navy,…
- News
Painting stolen by Nazi Party to be returned to Jewish decendants
A painting from the 19th century that was once owned by Hermann Goering, a high-ranking member of the Nazi Party, is going to be returned to the descendants of its original Jewish owner. The Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University in Britain agreed to return a painting by French artist Gustave Courbet to the descendants of its original Jewish owner, who…
- Politics
Thailand’s neutrality ensures exclusion from US Summit for Democracy
It appears Thailand’s nonpartisan stance toward China and Russia ensured their exclusion from the United States’ Summit for Democracy meeting yesterday. Thailand pledged to remain neutral in regard to the Russia-Ukraine conflict last year and also refused to get drawn into the US’ latest warmongering plans against China ensuring the kingdom’s absence. Just like in 2021, only the Philippines, Malaysia,…
- Cannabis
FDA urge parents to be cautious after several children ate cannabis edibles in southern Thailand
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged parents to be cautious after several children in southern Thailand were hospitalized for consuming cannabis-infused edibles. The FDA was informed that the children had eaten chocolate cookies that contained high levels of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which the FDA did not approve. The cookies were labelled “Twix Chocolate and THC 600 MG…
- News
Bangkok’s Le Du the toast of Thailand after scooping ‘Best Restaurant in Asia’ award
Bangkok’s Le Du was the toast of Thailand last night after being crowned “The Best Restaurant in Asia 2023” at the exclusive culinary award ceremony, climbing three places to No.1 from No.4 last year. According to new rankings released by the 50 Best Organizations, Japan is the top destination in Asia for gastronomes this year, with 17 of the “best”…
- Air Pollution
Chiang Mai tour operators concerned over pollution, bookings down 50%
Tour operators in Chiang Mai raised concerns after the latest tourism figures revealed bookings were down 50% after the popular tourist destination was ranked the world’s most polluted city. But that’s not all, respiratory diseases in the province continue to rise The air quality index produced by Swiss company IQAir revealed that Chiang Mai had a reading of 216 at…
- Politics
Keir Starmer’s cowardly betrayal of Jeremy Corbyn (video)
The decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to stop Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour Party candidate will be seen by many members as a cowardly betrayal of Biblical proportions, of Brutus stabbing Caesar in the back, and ironically Stalinesque! The NEC yesterday voted 22-12 in favour to prevent the former Labour Party leader from standing as an…
- Songkran
Get soaked in fun, frolics and Thailand’s Songkran Festival
Filled full of festivals, fun and frolics, April is one of the most celebrated months of the year in Thailand with the traditional Thai New Year of Songkran one of the most culturally important celebrations in the kingdom. The Songkran festival is known worldwide and is celebrated to honour family values, pay respect to seniors, and participate in traditional ceremonies…
- Expats
Police close nightclub after raid on Pattaya Walking Street
Pattaya Police will recommend the closure of a popular nightclub to the provincial governor after the venue’s repeated license violations on the district’s notorious Walking Street. Flexx Club on Walking Street in tambon Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, was raided by police in the early hours of this morning for violating legal operating hours. The raid, led by Pattaya Police…
- Environment
Managing blacktip reef sharks in Maya Bay, Thailand
The National Parks Department of Thailand aims to enhance the management of the country’s popular tourist conservation areas following the return of blacktip reef sharks to Maya Bay. Maya Bay was closed for four years, from 2018 to 2022, to facilitate the recovery of the island’s wildlife. The bay’s popularity surged after the release of the 2000 movie The Beach,…
- News
Thailand set to be the location of White Lotus season III
The location for the next series of the award-winning HBO drama White Lotus is Thailand, according to Variety magazine. Series creator, writer, and director Mike White was seen in Thailand at a Four Seasons location late last year setting media tongues wagging that the Land of Smiles would be the destination for series three of the gripping drama. Series one…
- News
Motorists in Thailand warned to pay outstanding fines this week or else!
Motorists in Thailand have been warned that they will not receive their annual vehicle registration tax sticker if they have outstanding traffic fines by this weekend. The government today announced that motorists have until Saturday, April 1 to settle any unpaid traffic fines otherwise they will not receive their annual vehicle registration tax sticker to display on their windshields. Furthermore,…
- News
People in Thailand spend too much time on their backsides, a new report reveals
People in Thailand spend too much time sitting on their backsides, a new study reveals. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) revealed that 76% of Thai people spend seven hours or more sitting down, underlining the need for the nation’s population to get off their arses and engage in more physical activity to improve their health and wellbeing. MOPH director-general…
- Crime
Online pranksters warned they could face time in jail ahead of April Fool’s Day
The Royal Thai Police issued a warning to online pranksters ahead of April Fool’s Day that their tomfoolery could land them in jail and a heavy fine. The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) urged the nation’s natural jokers to be careful that their shenanigans on April Fool’s Day, also known as “Wan Dek Foo” in Thailand, do not break the…
- News
Not all trips to a police station in Thailand end in tragedy, with some there’s a happy ending
Heard the joke about the police officer in Thailand offering massages, soothing herbal sweets and a cold drink instead of a cuff around the ear and a night in the slammer? No? Well, that’s because it’s not a joke. A visit to a police station in Thailand is usually a daunting exercise for most whether you’ve committed a crime, filed…
- Crime
Pattaya Police says two women shot were wrongly targetted
Pattaya Police believe the two women wounded in a shooting in Pattaya in the early hours of this morning were wrongly targeted. Pattaya Chief of Police Thanapong Photi reported a Thai woman and a Chinese woman were shot at about 2am today at the entrance of Soi Chalernprakiat 4/1 in Bang Lamung district. Forensic officers and police discovered a black…
- Environment
Fruit to the rescue: governor eases contamination worries by eating some mango
To alleviate concerns about radioactive contamination in the province following the theft of a Caesium-137 cylinder last week, the Governor of the Prachinburi Provincial Office organized a fruit-eating exercise. The caesium-137 cylinder was stolen from a National Power Plant 5A Company facility at 304 Industrial Park in Prachinburi province, central Thailand on February 23, but it wasn’t reported missing until…
- Automotive
Porsche celebrates 30 years in Thailand with multi-coloured 911 model (video)
Porsche Asia Pacific is celebrating 30 years of its high-performance sports car in Thailand with a new multi-coloured bespoke Porsche 911 Carrera GTS in honour of the importance of colours in the kingdom. The German luxury car was first introduced to the Thai market in 2002 with the establishment of Porsche (Thailand) Limited, a subsidiary of Porsche Asia Pacific Pte…
- Environment
Japan voted top sustainable country, Thailand ranked fifth
Japan has been praised by fellow Asian countries for its sustainability and conservation efforts in a new poll with Thailand claiming fifth place, would you believe? Over 13,000 respondents from more than ten countries participated in the Sustainable Impact Survey 2023 conducted by the online travel agency Agoda. The respondents were asked to rank countries based on their sustainability efforts, and…
- Crime
Police arrest 2 women in Buriram for alleged online child sexual exploitation
Police in Buriram arrested two women for alleged online child sexual exploitation in a raid on a bar-restaurant in the province this week. Officers reportedly uncovered two underage girls working in the establishment and two women were charged with exploiting the girls. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD Police) arrested the owner of the bar-restaurant, 35 year old Tuenjai ‘Kukkik’…
