Bob Scott
- Transport News
Cabinet to discuss cap on rising fuel costs
Energy Ministry permanent secretary Kulit Sombatsiri yesterday revealed the Energy Policy and Planning Office is going to support measures to buffer the rising cost of fuel resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kulit says the ministry will look for government help when the Cabinet reassembles for its weekly meeting on Tuesday. “The price of diesel oil will be maintained at…
- Tourism News
Retire to Thailand? Think again, unless you’ve got the dosh!
Retiring to Thailand is the dream of many foreigners. And why not? The Land of Smiles has it all: sun, sea, sand, sexy senoritas, and a cheap way of living so, let’s do it! But what about the red tape? Is there any? How does Johnny Foreigner retire to Thailand? Well, Thailand’s Board of Investment is set to make an…
- Politics News
Luxury house in US belongs to my son, says Bangkok governor
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday insisted he has nothing to hide after it became public knowledge his family owns a luxury house in the US worth 72 million baht. The 56 year old city chief says the 4-bedroomed house on South Jackson Street, Seattle, Washington, belongs to his son, Sanpiti Sittipunt. Chadchart added the property, with 2 floors covering 302…
- Thai Law News
New draft law will allow ex-cons to expunge criminal records
A new draft law will allow people who have been convicted of a crime and served their sentence to wipe the slate clean and start again. In the past ex-cons have found it difficult to find gainful employment after serving their sentence and as a consequence have gone on to reoffend. But if this new bill is passed it will…
- Thailand Protest News
Injuries as police clash with anti-government protestors
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday expressed concern over the resurgence of protests in the city after police and anti-government protestors clashed over the weekend and again last night. The 56 year old Chadchart says he is increasingly worried about the confrontations and has assigned a deputy governor to work out how the city’s authorities can help in case people are seriously…
- Tourism News
Government to temporarily waive TM6 immigration forms
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha briefed media yesterday after the cabinet’s weekly meeting and revealed the government has agreed to temporarily scrap the Tor Mor 6 immigration form. The TM6 form is the arrival/departure card foreigners fill in providing passport details, name and address, etc., on their entry and exit from Thailand. Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul says scrapping the TM6 would…
- Politics News
Court upholds 8-month suspended jail sentence for ex Thai MP
Former Palang Pracharath MP for Ratchaburi province, Pareena Kraikupt, yesterday says she is undecided whether she will challenge the Appeal Court decision to uphold a lower court sentence of an 8-month jail term, suspended for 2 years, and a 66,666 baht fine for defamation. A defamation case was filed against the 46 year old by former Future Forward MP Pannika…
- Expats
British pensioner in Chiang Mai dies in motorbike accident
A Chinese motorist has been threatened with the full force of the law if she is to blame for the death of a British pensioner in a road accident in northern Thailand. Keith William McVeighty died in a motorbike crash involving a car on a motorway in Chiang Mai on Sunday morning. Footage from CCTV reveals a female driver allegedly accelerated…
- Thailand News
Chaokoh deny any monkey business amid PETA investigation
Thai coconut-milk producer Chaokoh say there is no monkey business going on in the production of their products, in response to a PETA investigation. The US-based animal rights non-profit organisation conducted an investigation in 2019 singling out Chaokoh for the abuse of young monkeys in Thailand. PETA’s report alleged monkeys are “chained, abused, and forced to climb trees to pick…
- Crime News
Police step up search for minister’s missing father
Police stepped up a search for the missing father of a government minister charged with land encroachment by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission. Soonthorn Vilawan, father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan, is allegedly on the run after failing to turn up in court on Thursday to face charges of forest encroachment. The NACC told media Thursday the anti-graft watchdog had…
- Thailand News
Governor pledges to make Bangkok better for its most vulnerable
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt called for “cooperation” after he pledged to make the city better after chairing a task force meeting designed to help improve lives of the city’s most vulnerable. The 56 year old city chief met with several associations on how best to promote the rights and interests of those most vulnerable in the metropolis. Attendees included associations…
- Cannabis News
UN to take high ground on Thailand’s decision to delist cannabis
The United Nations is likely to take the high ground following Thailand’s controversial decision to delist cannabis, says an adviser to the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board. Thai-born Viroj Sumyai, who served as president of the UN’s INCB from 2017 to 2018, says Thailand will have to answer to the UN, and added that if it decides the bill violates…
- Thailand News
2 monks questioned about temple fund embezzlement scheme
Two senior monks have been released without charge after answering questions in connection to a temple fund embezzlement and money-laundering scheme. The monks, one from Lop Buri province in central Thailand, and the other from Nonthaburi province, deny any wrongdoing. Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, commander of the police Anti-Corruption Division and police investigators, yesterday met with the abbot of…
- Crime News
Alleged Thai paedophile arrested on child pornography charges
An alleged paedophile has been arrested in Phetchaburi in connection with human trafficking, child exploitation and production, and the distribution of child pornography. Nitikorn Manop was arrested by police on Thursday at a house in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, in central Thailand, bordering Myanmar, after gaining a warrant by the Criminal Court. Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Khamchamnarn, head of the Anti-Trafficking…
- Crime News
Chinese-British national charged with trafficking illegal drugs
A Chinese-British national faces a life in prison after being extradited from Thailand to Melbourne in connection with the illegal trafficking of drugs into Australia. Chung Chak Lee appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon where he faced a charge of conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug of which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment. The…
- Thailand News
Amateur crime sleuths warned they could be prosecuted for breaking PDPA
Amateur crime sleuths have been warned they could be prosecuted under the Personal Data Protection Act despite their good intentions. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, head of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, urged the nation’s unofficial detectives against posting video clips or pictures of others on social media, regardless of their good intentions, as it may violate the PDPA. A new…
- Crime News
Gov’s 1 million cannabis plant hand out poses a danger to the health of Thailand’s youth
Chairman of the Royal College of Paediatricians of Thailand admits he is worried that the government’s 1 million cannabis plant hand out poses a danger to the health of the nation’s youth. Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Mananya Thaiset yesterday revealed 2 cannabis plants can be distributed to each household to a maximum of 500,000 interested families throughout the kingdom.…
- Thailand News
Gunman with a grudge murders 3 members of a Thai village fund committee
Three members of a village fund committee were murdered yesterday by a man allegedly holding a grudge in Loei, northeast Thailand, near the Laos border. The gunman, Pitakchai Chairaksuk, was arrested for shooting and killing three members of a village fund committee during a meeting in Muang district. The 62 year old man was caught at the provincial prosecution office after…
- Crime News
Drug trafficker caught with 78 million baht worth of crystal meth
A drug trafficker was arrested yesterday for being in possession of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of 78 million baht. Sompong Arun, of Samut Sakhon province, was stopped by officers, at Ban Khuan Meed permanent checkpoint on the main Asian Highway in Chana district, who searched the driver’s pickup truck and found 10 sacks of hidden crystal meth weighing…
- Crime News
Cop gets 50 years for taking bribes from Thai massage parlour
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases yesterday sentenced a cop to 50 years in prison for taking bribes, totalling 641,000 baht, from a Bangkok massage parlour. The unnamed police officer was indicted on 65 counts of bribe-taking after turning a blind eye to illegal activities at the massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road. The ruling was published in…
- World News
Myanmar to execute 4 activists despite appeals
The Myanmar junta still intend to execute 4 activists despite appeals from around 200 civil society organisations pleading with the military government to drop the ruling. The UN Amnesty International, and 199 civil society organisations have all backed a statement calling for the Myanmar junta to reverse their decision over the 4 activists. “We, the following organizations and world citizens…
- World News
China-Laos-Thailand railway already ‘exceeded expectations’
Former Thai Deputy PM Pinit Jarusombat believes the extension of the China-Laos Railway into Thailand “has exceeded expectations” and will eventually provide the kingdom with a number of investment and business opportunities. The China-Laos Railway, which opened only six months ago, connects Kunming in China with the Laotian capital Vientiane and stretches out around 1,035 kilometres. The route has delivered more…
- Thailand News
Landmark Thai booze bill passes 1st reading
Smashing the hold of corporate Thai brewery conglomerates in the booze business moved one step closer last night after the Move Forward Party’s Progressive Liquor Bill sailed through its first reading in the Lower House. The landmark bill, originally rejected by the cabinet in February, seeks to break the monopoly of corporate brewers and provide business opportunities for small-scale brewers…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s tourist entry charge delayed until Q4
Tourist tax, tourist surcharge, call it what you want. The Tourism and Sports Ministry yesterday said that they need more time before the 300 baht tourism “fee” is introduced. The tourism fee was penciled in for discussion at this week’s cabinet meeting but the ministry withdrew the proposal. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Tourism and Sports Minister, says fee collection for tourists arriving…
- Thailand News
Swedish men get more time with the kids thanks to new ‘Paternity Pledge’
Sweden’s ambassador to Thailand says he is delighted 12 companies from his native homeland have promised to give male employees one month’s paid paternity leave. Twelve Swedish firms in Thailand, including ABB, Astra Zeneca, IKEA, Electolux, and Volvo, have agreed to give 30 days’ paid paternity leave to all male staff. Jon Astrom Grondahl, was speaking at the opening ceremony…
- Thailand News
Governor to introduce intelligent transportation system to resolve Bangkok’s endemic gridlock
Newly elected Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt intends to introduce an innovative “intelligent transportation system” to fix the city’s endemic traffic congestion. The 56 year old governor says he is going to introduce a highly sophisticated technology program to put an end to Bangkok’s perpetual transport problems and resolve the outcome within a year. Chadchart is in the process of putting…
- Thailand News
New tax law could provide spark to Thailand’s global EV hub dream
A new tax law introduced today could provide the spark to realize Thailand’s global electric vehicle hub dream. The Excise Department in Bangkok revealed a law governing the reduction of the EV tax from 8% to 2% will be published tomorrow in the Royal Gazette and come into effect on Friday, after the Council of State finished vetting the law,…
- Thailand News
BREAKING NEWS: Former police chief ‘Joe Ferrari’ sentenced to life in prison
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Bangkok today sentenced to death former cop, Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, before later commuting his sentence. Thitisan was the police chief in Nakhon Sawan in central Thailand, when he led the torture and eventual death of a suspected drug trafficker in August last year. The Court today ruled that…
- Crime News
Policeman attacked as former Sgt major causes mayhem at a Pattaya housing project
A Pattaya policeman was seriously injured after a former senior sergeant major went on a violent rampage. Jetsadabhon Reungrit was arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment after a number of anti-social incidents at a Na Jomtien housing government project, in Chon Buri. Residents alerted security guards to a scene after Jetsadabhon began hammering on residents’ doors and…
- World News
Indonesia opens office doors to remote workers with 5 year visa offer
Temping tourists to travel to Indonesia shouldn’t be a difficult task. After all, the largest archipelago in the world is rich with cultural gems, stunning beaches, and every kind of natural beauty. But the Indonesian government has decided against taking the scenic route, instead they are tempting the business community with an appetising 5 year visa. The nation’s Tourism Minister,…
