Tara Abhasakun
- World News
Death toll rises after suicide bomb in Pakistani mosque, expert calls it ‘national security crisis’
UPDATE Following the horrific suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, the death toll has risen from 59 to at least 100, according to a hospital spokesperson. The spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, Muhammad Asim Khan, said that at least 100 people have died following the attack. Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Peshawar Police Moazim Jah Ansari,…
- China News
Chinese province to allow all citizens to have unlimited children
Amid China’s spiralling crisis with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, one province is making some drastic policy changes. Starting on Wednesday, February 15, the western Chinese province of Sichuan will allow all citizens, including unmarried couples, to register as many children as they want. The province has over 83 million people. While current policies don’t explicitly ban unmarried women…
- Tourism News
Tourism council predicts 30 million foreign tourists in Thailand this year
Thailand’s tourist numbers have certainly picked up lately and some groups are very optimistic about numbers this year. The Tourism Industry Council of Thailand predicts that over 30 million foreign tourists will travel to Thailand in 2023, bringing 3 trillion baht to Thailand’s economy. The number of international tourists in Thailand before the Covid-19 pandemic was 40 million in 2019. …
- Koh Samui News
Body of Burmese man swept out to sea found in Koh Samui
UPDATE The body of the Burmese man who was swept out to sea in Koh Samui on Monday has been found, according to a Thai media outlet. The outlet, One News 31, said today in an Instagram post that the man’s body was found at a beach in front of a hotel. The post reads… “The body of the Myanmar…
- Thailand News
Prayut tells everyone to calm down over Thai-Cambodian Muay Thai drama
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is telling everyone to calm down regarding the row that was sparked last week between Thailand and Cambodia over the origin of Muay Thai. Cambodia, the host country of the 2023 SEA Games, changed the name of the kickboxing competition from Muay Thai to Kun Khmer and stated that the origin of Muay Thai is Cambodian.…
- Koh Samui News
Large waves wash away Burmese man in Koh Samui
A recent tragedy in Koh Samui is a reminder of how dangerous large waves can be in Thailand. Large waves washed away a Burmese man in Koh Samui on Monday. Witnesses said the man was a migrant worker travelling with two other male friends, and the three appeared to be drunk. The three men walked to a viewpoint near the sea.…
- Crime News
Police arrest arson suspect in Phuket over a decade after crime, allegedly linked to Tuhao
Police arrested an arson suspect in Phuket on Wednesday, over a decade after he allegedly committed his crime. The suspect, 42 year old Surachai, was allegedly involved in attacking a security guard and setting fire to a snake farm in Phuket on April 23, 2012. Surachai was allegedly involved with the well-known Chinese criminal ‘Tuhao,’ whose name has made headlines…
- Tourism News
Pattaya tourism now close to pre-Covid levels, association says
Tourism in Southeast Asia’s sin city of Pattaya is now close to pre-Covid levels, according to the Pattaya Entertainment Association. The association’s secretary-general, Damrongkiat Pinijkarn, said that tourism is now at 80-90% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Damrongkiat said that on Pattaya’s most buzzing road, Walking Street, over 90% of venues have already reopened. He noted that venues on the road…
- Thailand News
Thai activists warn that new hair guidelines will allow schools to be more strict
A Thai student activist group warns that Thailand’s new guidelines for schools will allow schools to be stricter on students. This news comes after Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong signed an order cancelling the ministry’s 2020 regulation on student hairstyles on January 16. This week, Treenuch said she was preparing a guideline for schools on hairstyles. The draft guideline says that…
- Phuket News
Thai navy rescues tourists caught in large Phuket waves
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) rescued a group of tourists in distress who were caught in large waves on a fishing boat off Phuket. The RTN Third Area Command said they rescued the seven foreign tourists in the south of Phuket on Wednesday. The boat’s navigator was broken, leaving the captain unable to bring the boat back to the shore.…
- Crime News
Cops catch gamblers at Phuket temple fair
Temples are supposed to be sacred spaces, but not for one group of people who cops caught gambling at a Phuket temple fair. Region 8 Police said they busted the 18 people at the Chalong Temple Fair in the early hours of yesterday morning. The gamblers included 15 men and three women. Most of the gamblers were sellers at the…
- Northern Thailand News
Van overturns in northeast Thailand, injuring 22 students
A school van overturned in Thailand’s northeast Nakhon Ratchasima province this morning, leaving 22 students injured. Police and rescuers arrived to find the van overturned along the side of the road, with many students crying in fear. The 22 children injured suffered minor injuries, including bruises and head swelling, Thai Rath reported. The children were mostly kindergarten and primary students. …
- World News
American clinic says nutrient in eggs could increase risk of blood clots
An American clinic says that a nutrient found in eggs could make people more prone to blood clotting. Cleveland Clinic conducted a study suggesting that the nutrient choline could increase the risk of blood clots when consumed in high concentrations. According to Medical News Today, the body makes some choline, but most of it comes from dietary sources. The nutrient supports…
- Northern Thailand News
Narcotics police seize 6 million meth pills in Chiang Rai
Thai narcotics police seized 6 million meth pills in the northern Chiang Rai province earlier this week. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said yesterday that officers stopped a timber truck and two scout cars in the Wiang Pa Pao district. This was after officers had been alerted that a large number of drugs were to be transported from Mae Fah Luang…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui welcomes first Taiwanese tour group in 3 years
Thailand’s tropical holiday island of Koh Samui welcomed its first Taiwanese tour group in nearly three years on Tuesday. The group of 142 tourists enjoyed Koh Samui’s nature tourism, as well as its temples and shrines. The group also plan to travel to Koh Ang Thong, Koh Tao, and Koh Nang Yuan for four days. The group had a three-night…
- Tourism News
Pattaya prepares for return of Chinese tour groups
Cities across Thailand continue to prepare for the expected rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the kingdom. Pattaya is preparing for Chinese tour groups to finally return to the renowned party city. On Tuesday, Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches met with the Thai-Chinese Tourism Association to discuss how best to accommodate the influx of Chinese tourists to the city.…
- Thailand News
Thai netizens predict lucky lottery numbers based on diamond eye cat
Thai netizens are predicting lucky lottery numbers based on an unusual cat with a diamond eye. TikTok clips that went viral today show the cat’s peculiar, piercingly bright left eye. Some netizens predicted lucky numbers for the February 1 lottery based on the TikTok user’s name, @user3026088746242. They have also predicted numbers associated with cats, mainly four, eight, and seven. Many…
- Phuket News
Cops nab Patong entertainment staffer allegedly selling cocaine to tourists
Cops nabbed a Patong entertainment staffer on Saturday who allegedly sold cocaine to tourists. Police patrolling the infamous party hotspot of Bangla Road received a tip-off from an anonymous entertainment venue operator that a staffer was selling cocaine to tourists on the road. The police then caught the staffer, 61 year old Rueng, reportedly with three bags of cocaine weighing 1.77…
- Pattaya News
Mother drowns in Pattaya pond where she previously ‘heard a voice’ (video)
A mother tragically drowned in a Pattaya pond on Monday night. The woman, 49 year old Amnuay Khemram, had gone into the pond twice in the past after she heard a voice telling her to walk into it, according to her son, 26 year old Thammarong Khemram. Thammarong said his mother went missing from their home at 11am on Monday.…
- World News
One Iranian footballer sacked, another suspended, for supporting protesters
Iran’s Islamic Republic regime continues to harass footballers who dare to show solidarity with protesters screaming for freedom. One Iranian footballer has been sacked, and another suspended, for supporting protesters. The footballer who was sacked is 35 year old Voria Ghafouri, the now former captain of the Persian Gulf Pro League club Foolad. IranWire reported yesterday that Ghafouri was sacked…
- Phuket News
Officials remove fence from Phuket beach following complaints
There’s been another incident involving a business allegedly encroaching on a Phuket beach. Officials removed a fence from Kamala Beach following several complaints that the fence encroached upon the beach. The business accused of encroaching on the beach is a beach bed operator. Law enforcement officers inspected the area where the operator was ordered to remove the fence from the…
- Pattaya News
Russian tourists spot foreigner’s body floating off Pattaya beach
Russian tourists spotted a foreigner’s body floating off a Pattaya beach as they were sunbathing on Monday. A hotel clerk said the tourists rushed to tell him to call the police after they discovered the body floating in the sea. Pattaya Police and rescuers arrived to retrieve the man’s body at Wong Amat Beach in front of Soi 16 in…
- Crime News
Police catch Phuket couple with half a kilogram of crystal meth
There’s been another meth bust in Phuket, this time involving a couple. Police caught a Phuket couple with half a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine in the island province’s main city district on Friday night. Officers from the Narcotics Control Board seized 510.98 grams of crystal meth from the couple at Saphan Hin Public Park. They also seized two meth pills.…
- Lifestyle
Thai ladies don kimonos to pose among Himalayan cherry trees
Some Thai ladies really love to dress up, and some are even donning kimonos to pose for photos among Himalayan cherry trees. This trend comes as the trees are blooming in the Phu Lom Lo mountains in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, located in Thailand’s northeast province of Loei. Some Thais call the trees “Thai sakura trees.” One woman…
- Thailand News
Thai woman pays to save pig from slaughter, plans to give it to temple
A Thai woman paid to save a pig from being slaughtered yesterday and plans to give the pig to monks at a temple. The pig reportedly fell off the back of a lorry in the central Nakhon Nayok province on its way to be slaughtered. After the pig fell off the truck, it made its way to the car park…
- Pattaya News
Crash involving motorbike and garbage truck kills woman in Chon Buri
Another road tragedy in Chon Buri has claimed a woman’s life. A crash involving a motorbike and a garbage truck killed a woman in Chon Buri early yesterday morning. The victim was identified as 51 year old Thanaployphan Srikun. The incident happened in the Sri Racha district. Police and rescuers found Thanaployphan lying on the ground with severe head wounds.…
- Phuket News
Officials work to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach
Phuket officials are working to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach. Officials from the Phuket Protection Center for the Destitute said they inspected Patong Beach and the surrounding area from Monday, January 16 to Friday, January 20, along with Patong Police and Patong Law Enforcement officers. The team found eight homeless people including four men, three women, and a young girl. The…
- Northern Thailand News
Thai cops bust Chinese fraudster wanted by Interpol
Thai cops busted a Chinese fraudster wanted by Interpol in the country’s northeast region on Sunday. The Immigration Bureau’s deputy commissioner said the suspect is wanted on an arrest warrant in China and an Interpol warrant for public fraud. The deputy commissioner, Pol Maj-General Phanthana Nutchanart, said immigration police arrested the suspect in the province of Maha Sarakham, in the…
- Pattaya News
Illegal poachers shoot and kill Chon Buri forest ranger
Illegal poachers shot and killed a Chon Buri forest ranger in the Sri Racha district on Thursday night. A group of 14 rangers came across the poachers while on a routine patrol in the Khao Khiao-Khao Chomphu Wildlife Sanctuary. The rangers attempted to arrest the poachers, and the poachers then started shooting at them, leading to a gunfight. One of…
- Pattaya News
Tourist collapses and dies on Pattaya’s major party road
A tourist tragically collapsed and died on Pattaya’s major party road, Walking Street, in the early hours of yesterday morning. Dozens of witnesses watched as the man suddenly collapsed in front of a strip of beer bars. The man collapsed without making any noise and hit his head hard on the pavement. Rescuers tried to provide CPR, but the man…
