Tara Abhasakun
- World News
Australian voters sweep conservative government out of power
Australian voters have delivered a stark rebuke to both of the major political parties, awarding votes to a raft of new independent MPs who will take seats in the new lower house of the Australian parliament. Both major parties – the Liberal/National conservative coalition and the centre-left Australian Labor Party – lost their way in a sea of big changes…
- Pattaya News
Alleged motorbike cart thieves arrested in Chon Buri
A couple that allegedly stole motorbike carts in South Pattaya and Chon Buri has been arrested. The suspects, 25 year old Mee Yinsai and 43 year old Fon Sakonban, reportedly confessed that they stole the carts for their own personal use. They allegedly stole one bike in South Pattaya, and the other in Chon Buri’s Ban Lamung district. Pattaya police…
- Phuket News
Phuket authorities launch campaign against dengue fever in schools
Now that Thailand’s new school year has started last week, Phuket’s authorities are on their guard for dengue fever. On Thursday, the Public Health and Environment Division of Phuket City Municipality brought fogging machines to schools, kindergardens, and vocational colleges, to fight mosquitos. Phuket hasn’t had dengue outbreaks in recent years, however, a Songkhla doctor warned this week that the…
- Tourism News
Thailand tourism authorities expect 1 million arrivals per month starting June
Thailand’s tourism authorities say their goal for the number of foreign arrivals in Thailand is expected to happen earlier than they predicted it would. The Tourism Authority of Thailand previously said it expected 1 million tourists per month to arrive in Thailand between October and December, leading up to the high season. But now, the TAT says Thailand should reach…
- Central Thailand News
Police under investigation in central Thailand after viral video
Police have transferred 2 officers to inactive posts in Thailand’s central province of Nakhon Pathom following a viral video of the officers kicking and stomping on 2 young men. A fact-finding investigation of the 2 officers is now underway. The video first shows the officers pulling over on the side of a road in their truck, as 3 young men…
- Pattaya News
2 Chon Buri factory workers suffer burns after fire
A fire has rapidly ripped through a Chon Buri factory yesterday in the province’s main city district, burning 2 workers. Both men, 44 year old Suthep Chinram and 18 year old Suthat Duangnate, were rushed to a hospital. Suthat sustained slight burns, and was choking on smoke. Suthep’s sustained serious burns. Police are now investigating what caused the fire. Thai…
- World News
Japan government says masks not needed outside if you don’t talk too much
Japan’s government is saying it’s not necessary for people to wear masks outside, as long as they aren’t talking to others a lot. On Friday, Health Labor and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto, said that even indoors, masks aren’t necessary if people are not talking a lot, and they can properly socially distance. The recent change to the Japanese government’s position…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok virologist says Thais should stay calm over monkeypox
Amidst a recent global outbreak of monkeypox, which is usually only found in Africa, an acclaimed virologist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University is saying Thais should stay calm, or jai yen. Last week, a handful of European countries, the US and Australia, reported their first cases of monkeypox, a viral infection similar to smallpox. But the virologist, Dr. Yong Poovorowan, wrote…
- Pattaya News
UPDATE: Suspect in assault case with Russian woman in Chon Buri released
THE LATEST The suspect who police said admitted to assaulting a Russian woman in Chon Buri has now been released from police custody last night. This was after the suspect had just been summoned to the Nong Prue Police station on the same day. Police told local media they couldn’t issue an arrest warrant without a positive testimony from the…
- World News
5 countries’ representatives walk out when Russian official speaks in Bangkok
Thailand may be claiming ‘neutrality’ following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but representatives of 5 countries at a Bangkok event today certainly weren’t. Two Thai officials and 2 international diplomats told Reuters that at the Apec trade ministers’ meeting in Bangkok today, representatives of 5 countries walked out when Russia’s economic development minister Maksim Reshetnikov was speaking. The 5 who walked out…
- Phuket News
Thailand’s biggest light festival kicks off on Phuket shores
Thailand’s biggest light festival arrived on the shores of Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach yesterday. Officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand welcomed partiers to the Aqua Lumina Illumination Festival with, as you’d expect, lots of colourful lights. The Phuket edition of the festival is set to last until May 31. Aqua Lumina’s theme in Phuket is “Land of the Guardians…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri teen tries to steal air conditioning equipment while high
An 18 year old man in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province allegedly tried to steal various air conditioning equipment while high on paint thinner yesterday. The air conditioner store clerk told Nong Prue police he saw the suspect sneaking into the back of the store, and going through the equipment. The Pattaya News reports that the unnamed suspect couldn’t…
- Pattaya News
UPDATE: GoFundMe page for victim of Pattaya gym assault – VIDEO
THE LATEST Following a violent attack at a Pattaya gym earlier this week, the victim has come forward and given a video interview with Youtuber Bryan Flowers. The victim, 46 year old British national Gary Reed, recounts how a fellow gym goer struck him hard in the face with a dumbbell when he wouldn’t move from the bench he was…
- Pattaya News
Alcohol ban in Pattaya and Bangkok from 6pm Saturday
We know you just can’t get enough of Thailand’s alcohol bans, so here’s another one coming up tonight for you in Pattaya and Bangkok! From 6pm tonight (Saturday) until 6pm tomorrow night, alcohol sales will be banned in Pattaya and Bangkok due to the Pattaya mayoral election, and the Bangkok governor election, both of which are tomorrow. Those who break…
- Northern Thailand News
Man in northeast Thailand stabs wife on train
A man in northeast Thailand stabbed his wife on a train yesterday, after suspecting she was romantically involved with another man. Police said the woman, 31 year old Ratchanok Yimsa-ngob, had decided to go and live with her grandmother in a different district of Nakhon Ratchasima, and the couple was headed there on the train. Along the trip, Ratchanok and…
- Environment News
UPDATE: Chief in Phuket says black water is “not from businesses”
THE LATEST After a popular Facebook page claimed this week that dirty black water at a Phuket beach is being caused by nearby businesses, an official insists it is not. The page, titled Monsoon Garbage Thailand, posted a damning video of the water flowing into the ocean at Kamala Beach. But Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation Chief Jutha Dumlak told The Phuket…
- Phuket News
In Phuket, Indians are the top tourist group since Test & Go scrapped
Now that Thailand Pass has dropped its much hated ‘Test & Go’ scheme, Indian tourists are the biggest tourist group on the island province, according to Phuket International Airport Immigration. Between May 1-18, 12,200 Indians have travelled to Phuket. The other countries on a list of 10 with the most tourists in Phuket, in order, are Australia, Singapore, UK, Russia,…
- Economy News
Thailand’s bottled palm oil price continues to skyrocket
Efforts by Thailand’s palm oil farmers, extractors, and producers to cap the price of bottled palm oil at 64-66 baht per litre have proved fruitless. The price has now skyrocketed to 70-76 baht in some markets, according to a survey by Thai PBS. The survey says that in department stores, the price is 68 baht per litre or lower. Palm…
- World News
Thai official says Karen refugees receiving humanitarian aid
A Thai security official says that Thailand is giving humanitarian aid to Karen refugees who have fled to the Burmese-Thai border following a new wave of fighting between Karen rebels, and Myanmar’s junta forces. National Security Council secretary-general Supoj Malaniyom says Thai provincial authorities will set up a shelter to care for the hundreds of Karen refugees. This news comes…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri monk claims illegal drugs helped him meditate
Another monk scandal in Thailand! Police in the Nong Yai district of Chon Buri have busted a local monk with 6 methamphetamine pills, as well as a bag of crystal methamphetamine or ‘ice’. The police found the drugs in a temple raid earlier this week after locals alerted them about a monk who they were concerned was taking illegal drugs.…
- Crime News
As travel opens, Phuket officials gather to fight drug problem
Now that Thailand’s travel restrictions are easing, Phuket officials are on guard for an expected increase in demands for illegal drugs. This morning, a group of officials held a meeting at Phuket City Hall to discuss drug issues in the island province. The meeting was led by a director from the Region 8 Drug Enforcement Administration. Officials from other government…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s health officials say flu shots available for 36% of ‘vulnerable’ people
Thailand’s health officials are calling on elderly people and other vulnerable groups to get free flu shots from government clinics. The country’s National Health Security Office considers 7 groups of people ‘vulnerable’. These include women over four months pregnant, children 6 months to 2 years old, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, people with asthma, people with heart disease, people…
- Pattaya News
Russian woman assaulted in Chon Buri
A Russian woman was assaulted last night in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. A driver found the woman, 38 year old Elena Zyalkova, bleeding as she walked along the road to Mab Prachan reservoir. Police from Nong Prue municipality examined Elena and found she had head injuries, bruises on her neck, and abrasions all over her body. She was…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri man allegedly attacks neighbour for asking about parcel
Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district is always buzzing about with drama it seems. A man in Bang Lamung said yesterday that his next-door neighbour hit him in the head twice with his motorbike helmet, after he went to the neighbour’s room to ask him about a Lazada delivery he was waiting for. The victim, 34 year old Kongnouanhak Dang, was…
- Phuket News
Thai officials vow to solve household debt problem at Phuket event
Thai officials held a ‘Household Debt Reconciliation Fair’ in Phuket yesterday. At the event, Thailand’s Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsutin said the government has designated 2022 as the “Year of Solving Household Debt”. He said that 2,810 people had registered for the event. Somsak said that several government departments have organised events to “facilitate the mediation process of household debts…
- Northern Thailand News
Stolen gold found scattered in northern Thailand
After a robber stole several pricy items from a gold shop earlier this week, police found 7 trays of gold ornaments in the middle of a river in northern Thailand’s Tak province. Local people showed the gold to police after they spotted it on an islet in the middle of Ping River in the main city district. The locals also…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri man shot and killed trying to collect debt
A man in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district has confessed to shooting and killing another man who tried to collect a large debt from him. 45 year old Kanpongpisut Yaichaingnua told police on Monday that he killed the man at a restaurant. Kanpongpisut’s stepdaughter told the police that the victim, 50 year old Pairoj Runroj, had come to the restaurant to…
- Education
Thai officials say schools can set their own hair rules, but no harsh punishment
Thailand school haircut drama continues as the Education Ministry has announced yesterday that schools are free to set their own hairstyle rules. While Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong added that schools have been ordered not to impose harsh punishments on students who violate hairstyle rules, the secretary-general of Thailand’s Basic Education Commission reiterated that responsibility over the rules lies with schools.…
- Pattaya News
Alcohol sales ban planned for Pattaya and Bangkok elections
Following Thailand’s alcohol ban for the Buddhist holiday of Visakha Bucha Day, Pattaya and Bangkok dwellers can prepare for yet another alcohol ban coming just a week later! The upcoming alcohol sales ban will begin on Saturday, May 21, at 6pm, and last for 24 hours until Sunday, May 22, at 6pm. The ban is in light of Pattaya’s Mayoral…
- Environment News
Black water still flowing into ocean at Phuket’s Kamala Beach
A popular Facebook page has posted a video and photos this week of black, dirty water flowing into Phuket’s Kamala Beach on the island’s west coast. The page, titled Monsoon Garbage Thailand, claims that the dirty black water was released from nearby businesses without any treatment. The Phuket Express reports that local business owners and government representatives have not yet responded…
