Bob Scott
- Politics News
Prayut confesses it’s not easy being Thailand’s leader
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha admitted yesterday that being Thailand’s prime minister is not easy amid the kingdom’s cost of living crisis. Gen Prayut made the confession at a royally-initiated groundwater project aimed at addressing water shortages during the dry season in Kanchanaburi’s Huay Krachao district. The Thai PM was questioned about the kingdom’s cost of living crisis during the visit. The…
- Covid-19 News
3 Covid-19 drug smugglers face 5 years in Thailand jail
Three smugglers face a five year prison sentence after trafficking 10 million baht worth of Covid-19 drugs into Thailand. The two women and one man were seized as part of a police sting for allegedly smuggling Favipiravir, Molnupiravir, and Remdesivir drugs from India. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reported that police officers confiscated about 80,000 pills from the suspects who…
- Visa Information
Thailand launches new 10-year visa to attract foreign experts
Thailand next month is launching a new 10-year visa to attract foreign experts to the country to boost industry and commerce. The Thai Board of Investment Deputy secretary-general Narit Therdsteerasukdi revealed the kingdom is looking to invite about one million skilled workers to develop and advance the nation’s economy, particularly in the electric vehicle, electronics, medicine, and defense industry. Narit…
- Property News
Survey names Lat Phrao as most desired district in Bangkok
A recent survey by Kaidee Property makes interesting reading for those interested in Bangkok’s real estate market. The online buying and selling platform revealed that during the first six months of this year Lat Phrao district was the most searched residential area in the capital, followed by Chatuchak, Bang Khae, Suan Luang, and Lat Krabang. Turns out these five areas…
- Crime News
Guilty Thai Army to pay dead soldier’s family 17 million baht
The Royal Thai Army yesterday was found guilty of gross negligence in the death of a trainee soldier by the Supreme Court. The court ordered the army to pay the family of the dead soldier 17 million baht in compensation. Lt Sanan Thongdeenok drowned while participating in a royal guardsmen training program, an intense course known by its codename UKBT in…
- Crime News
Woman accuses bank of stealing 4 million baht in north Thailand
A Thai woman has accused a bank of stealing 4 million baht from her account in the Khemmarat district of Ubon Ratchathani Province in northeastern Thailand. Wanida Wantaprom yesterday filed a complaint at Khemmarat Police Station after money had been withdrawn from her account at the Kasikorn Bank, Central Rama 2 branch. The mother of one complained to her bank…
- Politics News
Thai PM denies he is jumping ship to join another political party
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday dismissed claims he is about to jump ship and join another political party. It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the leader of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP). The PM survived the censure debate and a no-confidence vote a little over a week ago while political activists this week have called for the 68…
- Road deaths
Thailand second most dangerous place in the world to drive
Thailand has been ranked as the second most dangerous country to drive in according to a driver’s educational platform. Only South Africa is deemed to be a more dangerous place to drive than the Kingdom of Thailand with the US coming in third place. The Transport Ministry reported that there were 32,190 road accidents in 2020 and 2021 and that…
- Entertainment
Love Destiny a box office holiday smash in Thailand
The cinema proved to be a popular destination over the four-day holiday weekend in Thailand with Love Destiny proving to be a box office smash. The movie, a spin-off from the 2018 TV series of the same name, registered record takings at the box office for a Thai movie in over two years, raking in almost US$5 million (about 178…
- Pattaya News
Homeless Thai man turns to crime so he can get food in jail
With no prospects of a job, no home, and no money to buy food, an old man from Chon Buri turned to a life of crime so he could get fed and have a roof over his head… in prison. The 60 year old man called Pichit was arrested in the Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, at about 3.30pm on…
- World News
Singapore still refuses to recognise same sex marriage
The Catholic Church in Singapore sent a strong message to the LGBTQ+ fraternity yesterday stating that while it respects the community it still won’t recognise gay marriages. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore yesterday issued a statement saying the LGBTQ+ community should respect the rights of the Catholic Church to maintain its position on marriage – that a family comprises…
- World News
3 tourists from Thailand die in Laos road accident
Three tourists from Thailand were among six people killed and 18 injured in a road accident on a road in the Savannakhet province of Laos last night. The bus driver and two tour guides also died in the crash. The bus was bringing Thai tourists back from a four-day trip to Vietnam when it collided with an 18-wheel truck at…
- Crime News
Son shoots mother after drunken row in luxury Bangkok condo
In a scene that had all the hallmarks of a Greek tragedy, a 41-year-old businessman shot and killed his 65 year old mother and threatened to murder his wife and two children after a drunken row broke out in a luxury condominium in Bangkok. Kelvin Shuo Gao, an Australian citizen, shot his Chinese mother Xing Liu twice to the body…
- Crime News
Naked couple found dead in deep grave in Northern Thailand
The bodies of an unnamed couple have been discovered in a freshly dug grave in Chok Chai district Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand. The man and woman were found on Thursday evening by a local villager who had been foraging in the woods. He stumbled over some freshly-dug soil covered with branches near Ban Don Lai village in tambon Tha…
- Politics News
Thailand Cabinet appoints a moral guardian
Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda probably breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as the Cabinet embarked upon a mini reshuffle. There was something of a mini coup against Anupong from within his party at last week’s censure debate and it was expected he would be replaced by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha after he received the most no-confidence votes with 212. But…
- Politics News
Thai pop star flees to UK after fearing for her safety in Thailand
A controversial pop star from Thailand has relocated to the relative safe haven of the UK after fearing for her life. Constant fears of being incarcerated because of the clash between the kingdom’s conservatism and her contentious musical lyrics have driven Peeralada Sukawat from her homeland. It’s been something of a meteoric rise for the 29 year old musician, known…
- Tourism News
Heavy rain kills 2 elephants at a Thailand national park
Tragedy hit Khao Yai National Park this week when park rangers discovered the carcasses of two dead elephants among the rocks near Heo Narok Waterfall. Access now has been closed to the waterfall in Nakhon Ratchasima Province as rangers try to remove the bodies. Khao Yai National Park chief Chaiya Huaihongthong yesterday revealed that the elephants died as a result…
- Business News
Opposition to foreign land ownership in Thailand
The government scheme to allow foreigners to buy one rai of land may have been met by enthusiasm in the expat community but not everyone has welcomed the idea. The Interior Ministry’s proposal to allow foreigners to own a bit of land if they invest 40 million baht is seen by many as a short-term fix to the kingdom’s economy…
- World News
37 million baht fines issued to Cambodian contraband thieves
Customs and excise chiefs revealed they will be handing out fines of 37 million baht after seizing contraband worth about 6 million baht on the Cambodian border. Excise officials, soldiers, and police yesterday captured almost 39,000 packs of various foreign cigarettes near a canal on the Cambodian border in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo. They were discovered in 49…
- Pattaya News
Loan sharks steal Pattaya mother’s electrical items
Cruel loan sharks have stolen a single mother’s electrical appliances after she failed to keep up with repayments on a high-interest loan. The woman from Chon Buri now can’t cook for her children, store food in a fridge or watch television because they were stolen by the heartless thugs. Orawan Chunaka reported the burglary to the police and confessed she…
- Economy News
Tenfold tourist increase due after Thailand-Saudi route opens
Thailand is expecting a tenfold increase in visitors from Saudi Arabia after the launch of the Bangkok to Jeddah route on August 19. Deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek estimates that the upcoming launch of the direct air route between the holy city of Mecca and the Kingdom of Thailand’s capital city will push up the number of visitors from 30,000…
- Tourism News
Thai celebs join Olympic Day Walk-Run fun at Pattaya Beach
A number of famous Thai celebrities have signed up to make an appearance at the Olympic Day Walk-Run of 2022 at Pattaya Beach in Chon Buri. The final of the Olympic Day Walk-Run of 2022, which is scheduled to kick off at 6pm on Saturday, September 10, will be attended by Thai actors Phakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak, and Nuttanicha “Nicha” Dungwattanawanich,…
- World News
Illegal massage therapists from Thailand arrested in Malaysia
Malaysian police swooped in to arrest the author of a sex syndicate trafficking Thai massage therapists in and out of Malaysia. The man was one of 28 people apprehended by the Malaysian Immigration Department as part of a three-day operation from July 21 to 23 around Johor Bahru. Immigration Director General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud revealed the 40 year…
- Politics News
Thailand deny Uyghurs deportation to China
Fears Thailand is in the process of deporting asylum-seeking Uyghurs back to China have been denied by the government. News broke yesterday that dozens of Uyghurs from all around Thailand had been rounded up and impounded in a detention facility in Bangkok, raising fears among non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that the government plans to deport them back to China. It sparked…
- Politics News
Irony of mini coup not lost on Thailand’s Interior Minister
The irony doesn’t appear to be lost on Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda that there was something of a mini coup against him from within his party at last week’s censure debate. Gen Anupong, of course, is one of the three generals at the centre of the military coup which took place in Thailand in May 2014 along with Prime Minister…
- Cannabis News
Thailand’s cannabis cottage industry set to fly high
Yesterday, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul once again defended his decision to decriminalize cannabis. Calls to reverse or suspend the legislation, by physicians, doctors, universities, and religious groups, fell on deaf ears and hundreds of new cannabis-related businesses in the kingdom breathed a sigh of relief. The decriminalization of the drug on June 6 has led to something of…
- Politics News
Bangkok governor vows to root out government corruption
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he is to introduce five new policies in an attempt to wipe out corruption in the capital. The 56 year old City Hall leader announced the scheme at a press conference sitting alongside members of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT). Chadchart acknowledged that Bangkok citizens do not fully trust City Hall in issues…
- Road deaths
Pheu Thai Party leader’s car kills woman crossing road
A 77 year old woman in Amnat Charoen died this morning after being hit by a car carrying the Pheu Thai party leader Khathathep Tejadejruangkul. Khathathep was on his way to Ubon Ratchathani Airport to catch a flight to Bangkok where he was scheduled to attend a House meeting. But his driver, 32 year old Sergeant Wirayut Phariwong, hit Pua…
- Tourism News
Airbnb’s travel revolution plans for Thailand
Airbnb plans to be at the forefront of a travel revolution in Thailand now the kingdom has eased all of its entry restrictions. The US, California-based vacation rental company revealed that there was an increase of more than 180% in international travel searches in the first quarter of this year for stays in Thailand. Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and…
- Crime News
Armed robber makes off with 160,000 baht from Phuket Tesco
Bank robberies are generally violent affairs, with lots of drama, some shots fired, and an injury or death. But this wasn’t the case when a stick-up occurred yesterday afternoon at a Tesco Lotus department store in Phuket. The cheeky armed robber wandered into the store in the Rawai area of Muang district shortly before 1pm and casually made off with…
