Bob Scott
- Tourism News
Cabinet announces change to holiday calendar
The government yesterday announced a change to the Thai holiday calendar. Government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul revealed the Cabinet has declared Friday, May 5, a special holiday, making it a four-day holiday for Coronation Day. The Cabinet agreed to change the date because this year’s Coronation Day falls on a Thursday, reported Bangkok Post. “The long holiday for Coronation Day will…
- Politics News
Soapy king makes PM Prayut’s inauguration slippy
Former soapy king turned amateur super-sleuth Chuwit Kamolvisit tried to gatecrash Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s inauguration into United Thai Nation (UTN) Party yesterday. PM Prayut officially joined the UTN Party yesterday where he gave an impassioned speech on how he values the democratisation process, seemingly forgetting that he toppled the democratic process when seizing power in a 2014 army coup.…
- Crime News
Police close unlicensed cannabis stalls in Pattaya
Pattaya Police swooped on unsuspecting cannabis stalls operating without a license in the Bang Lamung District at the weekend and closed them down. Officers closed five unlicensed cannabis shops, and arrested one man, after inspecting hundreds of stalls in Pattaya over the weekend, reported Pattaya Mail. Pattaya Police chief Pol. Col. Kullachart Kullachai and Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, director-general of the…
- Transport News
Thailand’s second-hand car sales industry predicted to rise modestly
The Association of Used Car (AUC) predicts the second-hand car market in Thailand will increase by 15% this year despite the ongoing shortage of semiconductors needed for the production of new vehicles. The worldwide shortage of semiconductors is exacerbated by a political game of cat and mouse between China and Taiwan. Taiwan is largely known as the semiconductor capital of…
- World News
Indian man jailed for urinating on 70 year old female passenger
An Indian man has been jailed after he urinated on a 70 year old woman passenger on an Air India New York to New Delhi flight. A New Delhi court sentenced Shankar Mishra to 14 days in prison for outraging the modesty of a woman while police investigated the incident on Saturday, November 26, 2022. If convicted, he faces up…
- Expats
Two Thailand population reports reveal conflicting data
Statistics provided by the Central Domicile Registration Office revealed that on December 31, 2022, Thailand’s official population stands at 66,090,475. The Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data contradicts this however, saying it is over 70 million residents. Last year, an announcement formally published in the Royal Gazette stated that the official population of Thailand as of December 31,…
- Expats
Italian legend Gianluca Vialli dies after long battle with cancer
Former Italy, Sampdoria, and Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli died at the age of 58. The Cremona-born Italian, who also managed Chelsea and Watford, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 but was cleared three years later only for it to return in 2021. Vialli played in Serie A, for Sampdoria and Juventus, before moving to Chelsea in England to finish…
- Tourism News
Etihad Airways doubles flights to Bangkok
Etihad Airways is doubling its flights from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok this year. The United Arab Emirates flag carrier will fly twice a day, making 14 nonstop flights between Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, starting Sunday, March 26. Business and Economy Class cabins will be available to passengers. Etihad Airways Chief Revenue Officer Arik De said he is delighted…
- Crime News
Eight found dead with gunshot wounds in a Utah family home
The United States added yet another senseless shooting statistic to a cast of thousands when a family of eight, including five children, were found shot dead in a house in Enoch City, Utah. Police discovered the bodies while conducting a welfare check at the property yesterday. No motive has been determined and no further information has been released about the…
- World News
Over a quarter of travellers from China test positive in Taiwan
Thailand may want to rethink its pandemic prevention strategy for Chinese tourists after news broke this week that more than a quarter of passengers from China landing in Taiwan tested positive for Covid-19. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) in Taiwan reported that over a quarter of the 500 plus travellers who arrived in Taiwan from China returned positive Covid…
- China News
Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, Guangzhou and Chiang Mai resume
Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, and Guangzhou and Chiang Mai, will resume this month says Shanghai-based Spring Airlines. The budget airline also revealed that flights from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and Taipei, will also be relaunched in January while the resumption of flights between the metropolis and Singapore is being considered. Another Shangai-based airline, Juneyao Air, announced late last month…
- Covid-19 News
VIDEO: The WHO accuses China of massaging Covid data
The World Health Organization (WHO) accused China of not being transparent about the true impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese mainland or about its death toll. The WHO believes Beijing is massaging data since it removed its strict restrictions and mass-testing last month. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, said… “We believe that the current numbers being published…
- News
Love affair between Japanese porn star and Thailand goes on
The love affair between a Japanese porn star and Thailand continues. Adult movie star Rae Lil Black is back in the Land of Smiles to try and find a Thai husband, so she says. The 26 year old actress arrived in the kingdom on December 10 last year. Since then, the smoking-hot actress has been pictured in several locations boosting…
- Bangkok News
Thailand records a drop in the sale of used homes
A survey by Thailand’s Real Estate Information Center (REIC) revealed there was a drop in the sales of used homes throughout the kingdom in the third quarter of last year. REIC acting director-general Vichai Viratkapan reckons the decrease is down to the cut in transfer and mortgage fees, the easing of loan-to-value (LTV) limits, and an increase in second-hand home…
- World News
Indian tourists cancel Thailand trips after govt impose Covid test
The Thai Hotels Association last night reported that tourists from India are cancelling trips to Thailand in their droves after their government insisted that returning travellers produce a negative Covid-19 test before reentering the country. The new mandate has come as a shock to Indian holidaymakers as the rest of the world contemplates what to do with returning Chinese tourists.…
- Crime News
Muay Thai fighter laughs off sexual assault in video
A well-known Muay Thai fighter joked and showed no remorse after uploading videos of sexually assaulting women at a friend’s birthday party. Thaworn Sudchanham, also known as Wanchalong PK Saenchai, was slammed for his inappropriate behaviour by a British campaigner against gender-based violence, and by many others, after videos emerged of him sexually assaulting women at a party. Thaworn uploaded…
- Covid-19 News
Thai restaurant develops Flu-Shot Soup to prevent flu and Covid-19
A Thai restaurant in the United States has cooked up a tasty dish to feed its hungry customers and at the same time found a remedy to prevent them from getting flu and Covid-19 – Flu-Shot Soup! The family-owned Thai restaurant, Taste of Thailand, in Denver, Colorado, developed the special recipe some 20 years ago but it only came to…
- News
CNN needs geography lesson after mistaking Taiwan for Thailand
United States-based news platform CNN needs a geography lesson after confusing Taiwan for Thailand, or more specifically, Taipei for Bangkok. The multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, confused Thailand for Taiwan several times during their live broadcast countdown to New Year’s Day CNN Hong Kong reporter Kristie Lu Stout asked her Taiwan counterpart in Taipei, Will Ripley, how…
- Economy News
Electric vehicles to hit the accelerator this year, says FTI
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) predicts a bold future for Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, unlike the International Monetary Fund which believes the kingdom is heading for a recession. The FTI reckons the EV industry will hit the accelerator this year and sell between 25,000, to 35,000 cars, reports Bangkok Post. But, to achieve that target the EV industry…
- World News
IMF predicts a recession in Thailand
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts Thailand and Southeast Asian countries will suffer from recession this year along with the rest of the world. Kristalina Georgieva believes a third of the global economy will be in recession this year, including Thailand, and Vietnam. The 69 year old Bulgarian economist reckons 2023 will be “tougher” than last year…
- Politics News
Deputy PM’s cunning plan to remain in power? There isn’t one
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has a cunning plan to remain in power. The plan is so cunning that there is no plan. No, it’s not an episode of Blackadder. Deputy PM Prawit reckons the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) will remain in office after the May 7 election this year without having to woo the electorate. The Pheu Thai Party was out…
- Environment News
Pattaya reveals ugly side of Sin City: rats, rubbish, & rat-arsed
The morning after the night before in Pattaya reveals the ugly side of the popular party city. “They danced and sang, and the music played in a da boom-boom town” on New Year’s Eve but now the clean-up of Sin City begins. Pattaya woke this morning to garbage strewn all over the pavements and beach areas, witnessed drunks sleeping among…
- Expats
Indian passengers to be charged over air rage incident on Bangkok-Kolkata flight
Police in India reported that two of the men involved in the air rage incident on a flight from Bangkok to Kolkata will be charged. Bidhannagar City Police, in Kolkata, drew up a First Information Report and slapped an Indian Penal Code charge on the men of assault, wrongful restraint, and criminal intimidation, after a complaint by the Bureau of…
- South Thailand News
No New Year’s Eve cheer from Deep South insurgents
New Year’s Eve sparked may have sparked hundreds of thousands of celebrations throughout the kingdom last night but festive cheer was in short supply as insurgency continued its reign of terror in the Deep South. Police reported several incidents last night intended to create a disturbance in four districts of the southern border province of Pattani last night. The incidents,…
- Thailand News
Thai King hails nation’s triumph over adversity
His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua last night praised the Thai people for their triumph over adversity after the nation’s almost three-year struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic. His Majesty himself had a difficult end to the year with news breaking that his eldest daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, collapsed with a heart condition. But the 70 year old monarch still…
- News
Palestine welcomes UN vote on Israel’s illegal occupation
Palestinian leaders last night welcomed a United Nations General Assembly vote insisting on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to answer the legal consequences of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. The General Assembly voted 87 to 26 with 53 abstentions on the resolution, reported Aljazeera. A number of Western nations were split on the vote while the Islamic world…
- Politics News
Pheu Thai Party electioneering promise of 600-baht daily minimum wage
The Pheu Thai Party was out in full force electioneering ahead of the New Year’s Day celebration promising life-changing policies. The party, founded by Thaksin Shinawatra and now in its third incarnation, was out and about the kingdom with its pre-election billboards and promises that included a 600-baht daily minimum wage for Thai workers. Pheu Thai Party Secretary General Prasert…
- Crime News
Andrew Tate spat with Greta Thunberg leads to his arrest in Bucharest
A spat with Greta Thunberg last night led to the arrest of controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking in Romania. The former British-American kickboxer and his brother, Tristian, were detained in Bucharest where they will be held for questioning for up to 24 hours. Romanian television last night showed the 36…
- News
Punk pioneer & avante garde British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood dies, aged 81
Tributes poured in on hearing the news that punk pioneer and British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood has died aged 81. In a statement on Twitter, her fashion house said she died “peacefully and surrounded” by her family in Clapham, South London. Westwood came to public prominence in 1976 for the controversial clothes she made for a boutique that she run…
- World News
Pakistani rapist freed from prison to marry victim
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called a court’s decision to release a convicted rapist from prison so he can marry his victim a “gross violation of law” and a “miscarriage of justice.” A Pakistani court freed convicted rapist Daulat Khan after it was “agreed” he would marry his victim, enraging human rights activists who say the ruling risks…
