- Koh Samui News
German hotelier claims he paid 800,000 baht bribe to operate his unlicensed villa on Samui
PHOTOS: Channel 7 A German man has told investigators yesterday that he paid ‘some Thais’ 800,850 baht after they threatened to shut down his luxury villa during construction. 47 year old Ulrich Schmidt claims he was visited during the construction phase of his Best World Vision Villas project and he paid the ‘tea money’ in the belief it would allow…
- South Thailand News
Five metre king cobra caught in Trang – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Trang DDPM (Kantang) / Rak Trang News / Maetee Mueangkaew A five metre king cobra has been caught in Trang, in southern Thailand, yesterday. 74 year old Amphon Srisombat, a resident at a house in Kantang district, Trang, called staff at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to explain that the king cobra was inside her house. A DDPM…
- World News
Sri Lankan death toll revised down
The Sri Lankan Health Ministry has revised down the death toll from last Sunday’s deadly terror attacks on churches and upscale hotels. The latest official toll is now 253, down from the previous death toll, which stood at 359. In a statement, the health ministry claimed the previous death toll released by the ministry was 290, and not 359 as…
- Thailand Election News
Thanathorn says he’s confident he won’t be penalised by the EC
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the leader of Future Forward Party, says he’s confident he won’t be penalised by the Election Commission over allegations he breached the Constitution and the election by holding shares in a media company, V Luck Media, when registering for the March 24 election. Thanathorn says he will submit his defence with the commission by next Monday and insists on…
- Chiang Mai News
Chinese tourist caught stealing GoPro from couple – VIDEO
A Chinese man has been caught stealing a camera from a Spanish couple in Chiang Mai. The incident happened on Tuesday and was captured on CCTV. The Spanish tourists had been visiting Wat Phra That Doi Suthep when they put a GoPro camera on the bench they had been sitting on. After realising they’d left the camera there, they returned but…
- Bangkok News
UPDATE: Armed Mercedes snake man to be charged
No previous mental medical health problems have been identified for the man who released snakes on the road outside Central World in Bangkok yesterday. The incident caused bedlam and stopped traffic outside Central World. A man, armed with a large knife, stopped his new black Mercedes right in the middle of the road. He then got out, posted some signs…
- Pattaya News
Three million baht Central Pattaya stormwater roadworks – FAIL
PHOTO: A representative of the City Engineering Department inspects two side streets in the Soi Arunothai Community. Central Pattaya residents are complaining that 3 million baht in roadworks has been a waste of money – Pattaya Mail Three million baht spent but not a lot to show for the considerable investment. Central Pattaya residents say that nearly 3 million baht…
- Business News
World Bank downgrades Thailand’s 2019 GDP growth to 3.8%
The World Bank is downgrading Thailand’s growth projections to 3.8% from 3.9% for 2019. This compares to last year’s 4.1% GDP. The Bank says that export growth has shrunk to 5.7% from last year’s 5.9%. The World Bank’s senior economist for Thailand, Mr. Kiatpong Ariyapratya, says that the Word Bank also projects that Thailand’s growth rate for next year would…
- South Thailand News
Man found dead after missing in Nakhon Si Thammarat forest for ten days
PHOTOS: Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation A man who has been missing since Songkran in the Nangnon Mountain Ranges in Nakhon Si Thammarat, has been found. The Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation report that the body of the man was found in the forests on Nangnon Mountain Range, Thungyai District in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday. A team of rescue workers from…
- World News
Sri Lanka attacks ‘retaliation for Christchurch’ – Government minister
The Islamist suicide bombings that killed 321 people, and injured many others in Sri Lanka at the weekend, are believed to have been carried out in revenge for last month’s attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Fifty people were shot dead on March 15 at two mosques in the South Island, New Zealand city by an avowed white…
- South Thailand News
Coral in Trang extensively damaged after tourist influx over Songkran
PHOTOS: Prueg Ubonkerd Tourists during Songkran have caused extensive damage to coral in the national park area of Trang, south of Thailand. Matichon Online reports that the damage was caused by the tourist numbers overwhelming the area during the week-long Songkran break. Many boats have dropped their anchors onto the fragile underwater area or tied ropes around corals as there…
- South Thailand News
SUV catches fire sitting in Trang’s hot sun
PHOTOS: Earn Benjakun A SUV has caught fire while it was parked in the hot southern sun in Trang over the weekend. Fire fighters in Trang were notified of the burning SUV in Yan Ta Khao District in Trang at 2pm on Sunday. Fire fighters arrived to find the SUV ablaze. It took about 15 minutes to control the fire.…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Beware exploding phones – warning about leaving phones in hot cars
PHOTOS: Facebook/Ying Yupa Anan Don’t leave your mobile phone in your car if it’s going to be parked outside in the hot Thai sun. That’s the take-away message after an exploding mobile phone punched a hole in this woman’s pick-up truck windscreen after leaving the phone sitting on the dash. Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok city, resident Ying Yupa Anan…
- Thailand News
Thailand is ‘least miserable’ country in the world again
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he’s delighted over Thailand’s rating as the “least miserable” economy in the latest Bloomberg Misery Index. The annual Misery Index is calculated as the sum of a country’s inflation and unemployment rates. The index compares the average of economists’ forecasts for each country. The US moved six places to 13th least miserable and the UK improved four spots to 16th least.…
- Northern Thailand News
History books will have to rewrite the Tham Luang cave story
“Two British divers have today found the 13 team members perched on the Nerm Nom Sao ledge.” “I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thank you for all the support,” 25 year old Cochairs Ekk wrote in a touching letter, nine days after they were found sitting atop a ledge known as…
- Bangkok News
Transport Ministry and State Railways told to pay HK company 11.9 billion baht
The long running issue of Bangkok’s ‘stonehenge’ has been resolved after the Supreme Administrative Court handed down its findings today over the disputed contract of the 60 kilometre link from central Bangkok to Don Mueang Airport. The Thai Ministry of Transport and the State Railway of Thailand have been dealt a costly blow after the Supreme Administrative Court today overturned…
- Phuket News
Seastead structure dragged back to shore by Royal Thai Navy
A floating seastead has today been towed by a naval vessel back to the Port of Phuket in Cape Panwa. Meanwhile the Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam is challenging the owners and builders of the structure to take the Thai Government and Navy to the International Court of Justice. The Royal Thai Navy’s Third Fleet ventured out with a group of…
- Northern Thailand News
Elderly mother of murdered Thai woman is seeking help to bring her daughter’s body home
PHOTO: Matichononline The family of a Thai woman murdered in northern Portugal in March is now calling for assistance with the cost of repatriating the body back to Thailand. According to Portuguese media the woman, Natchaya Saranyaphat, was murdered on March 7 by another Thai woman. Natchaya’s head was found on the Leca da Palmeira beach, 300 kilometres north of…
- South Thailand News
Phuket taxi slams into tree in Phattalung
PHOTOS: Phattalung Rescue Two people have sustained serious injuries after a Phuket taxi slammed into a tree in Phattalung last night. Phattalung rescue workers were notified of the accident in Mueang Pattalung District at 7.57pm last night (Sunday). They arrived at the scene to find the Phuket registered taxi resting in front of the big tree on the side of…
- Travel
Bangkok named most popular city for Japanese tourists
Thai PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha says he was happy after hearing that Bangkok was named the most popular destination for Japanese tourists during their Golden Week, a five-day long holiday which begins in late April. The survey was conducted by Agoda, the online booking platform. Pattaya and Phuket were also ranked among the most popular destinations at #4 and #10…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Freak summer storms damage 1,000 houses around Chiang Mai
PHOTO: Thai PBS Up to 1,000 homes were damaged by gusty winds and storm cells over the weekend around Chiang Mai. Ten districts were blacked out for several hours when a freak rain storm struck on Saturday, ripping off the roofs of homes and flinging debris around the districts. According to the provincial public disaster prevention and mitigation office, the…
- World News
LATEST: Sri Lanka bombings
A wave of explosions rocked Sri Lanka up-scale hotels and churches on Easter Sunday around the capital Colombo. This is what we know… • At least 215 people have been confirmed dead with up to 450 more injured in a series of bombings targeting churches holding Easter services and hotels in Sri Lanka. The toll is likely to rise during…
- Bangkok News
Third runway for BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport
The Thai cabinet yesterday approved the construction of a third runway at Suvarnabhumi International Airport as part of the country’s ambition to become the aviation hub of ASEAN. The 21.7 billion baht project will increase the combined capacity of Suvarnabhumi international airport’s runways to 94 arrivals and departures per hour from the current 64, said Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukonthapatipak, deputy government…
- South Thailand News
Commerce Ministry talks up benefits of palm oil for generating power
While the Thai government is promoting the use of palm oil to produce power, the latest price of the oil remains lower than the cost of producing it because the volume of output was 30% more than the expected quantity. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will survey the real quantity of palm oil to be released onto the market…
- Hot News
The 5th Annual Stargazer talent contest returns to CC’s Hideaway
This year the winner will receive 35,000 baht in prize money! CC’s Hideaway, located in Kata, proudly presents its fifth ‘Stargazer Talent Contest’ which will take place on April 27 between 6 pm and 11 pm. The goal of Stargazer is to create an opportunity for new individuals and groups to perform and promote their special talents and, with media…
- Chiang Mai News
Police investigating death of 33 year old Australian in Chiang Mai hotel
PHOTO: Chiang Mai News Police are still investigating the death of a 33 year old Australian man in Chiang Mai during the week. The man’s body was sent for autopsy whilst police speculate a drug overdose may have been the cause. The body of the man, identified as Daniel Thomas Janse was found at 4pm on April 17 at a…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Summer storms leave 6,900 homes damaged this month
More than 6,900 houses, mostly in a patch through the central-north regions of Thailand, have been hit by summer storms since the beginning of April, according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. Chayapol Thitisak, the director-general, says the department has received reports that 6,940 houses in 1,010 villages in 307 tambon of 115 districts had been damaged by storms…
- Northern Thailand News
Forecast drought will weaken the Thai economy
Thailand suffers calamities at both ends of the annual weather spectrum – both drought and flood. But as the demands on agriculture grow, with a growing population and the rise of tourists and development, the effects of these two extremes are becoming more apparent. Which leads us to this year’s outlook of lower rains which is exposing the poor management…
- Krabi News
Maya Bay’s extended closure “vital to conserve the ecology”
Maya Bay’s extended closure keeps the wraps on one of southern Thailand’s most popular tourist attractions. Worapot Lomlim, chief of the Hat Nopparat Thara Phi Phi Islands national park confirmed this week that he might keep Maya Bay closed for up to five years to allow the current recovery to continue. The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation…
- World News
Mitsubishi testing their new regional jet
PHOTO: The Japan Times Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ new 88-passenger Mitsubishi Regional Jet is testing the skies just as rivals Embraer and Bombardier are moving to sell off their manufacturing operations for jets with up to 160 seats to Boeing and Airbus. At stake, particularly in the market for jets with fewer seats, is US$135 billion in sales in the two decades through…
