- Transport News
Dongtan Beach speed bumps deter after hours racing in Jomtien
Jomtien Beach now has new speed bumps and lines painted on the roads to help deter motorbikes and cars speeding down the road along the beach late at night. The local Pattaya council has now installed speed bumps in Dongtan Beach in Jomtien to discouraging the speeding. While vehicles are currently prohibited from 10am – 5pm daily, cars and motorbikes have…
- Pattaya News
Repair budget for decaying bridge on Koh Larn postponed to next year
Plans to fix up the Koh Larn Tien Beach bridge have been put back to next year. In recent months news stories have reported that the bridge is in urgent need of repair. Locals are claiming the structure is “close to collapse”. The bridge and walkway link Tawaen Beach and Tonglang Beach. Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor says that a 4.5 million…
- Phuket News
Body of second missing Filipino found off Phuket
PHOTO: ejan.co The body of the second Filipino who went missing late last Wednesday afternoon at Freedom Beach in Phuket has now been found and recovered. The body was found between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi by a local fisherman around 12pm yesterday. His body was brought back to Phuket and arrived at Chalong pier yesterday afternoon. The body has…
- World News
Cambodian authorities crackdown on registration of foreigners
Cambodian authorities are cracking down on foreign residents staying in the Kingdom. Sar Kheng, the Cambodian Interior Minister, says all accommodation owners must now report foreigners who stay in their residences, citing a strengthening of immigration law enforcement. The Interior Ministry says that most residential and accommodation owners have respected the 2010 law but some residence owners still did not understand…
- World News
KL’s Petronas Tower architect Cesar Pelli dies at 92
“It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our founder, mentor, and great friend, César.” – business partner Fred W. Clarke. From Malaysia to the US, famed architect Cesar Pelli, known for his innovative skyscrapers and use of coloured glass, has died at the age of 92. “He was a gifted architect and teacher, two callings he…
- Business News
Co-working spaces in Bangkok are re-shaping small to medium business office options
PHOTO: The Great Room Co-working spaces are opening up around Bangkok and providing a more flexible framework for businesses to grow. Advances in technology, a more mobile workforce, and unpredictable economic growth are reshaping the business environment. In the Bangkok office market, a traditional three-year lease with options to renew and the tenant fitting out the space remains the typical way…
- World News
Mekong River drops to lowest level in a century around Thai, Lao, Myanmar border
Water levels in the Mekong River are now at the lowest point in a century as of July 19, lower than a record set in April 1973. South East Asia’s Stimson Centre claims that, based on recent satellite images, the drastic lowering of the water level in the river has exposed many islets and sandbars adding. The Centre’s report refers…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya man in custody for killing horses and selling horse meat
A man being held by police for questioning after being accused of killing horses and selling their meat in Chon Buri province, east of Bangkok. Chon Buri police arrested 33 year old Nirun Kamlon at his house in Banglamung district near Pattaya yesterday on the orders of the provincial governor. Watchdog Thailand Foundation lodged a complaint with the governor that…
- Events
Pope scheduled to visit Thailand this November
Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Thailand and Japan this November, according to reports in Catholic websites in Rome. sanook.com reported the news yesterday. His visit will coincide with the 350th year anniversary of the presence of the Roman Catholic Church in Thailand. As of 2018, there are 379,975 Catholics in Thailand, a figure that represents 0.46% of the total…
- World News
Thai PM has “grave concerns”, orders army to be on standby over drought in north
PHOTO: Thai army water trucks are on standby to help northern farmers Acknowledging the severity of the potential crisis looking over northern and north-eastern provinces, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is instructing the armed forces to provide help to areas affected by drought, a situation which may be made worse by the test run of the new Xayaburi dam on the Laos…
- World News
“That’s one small step for man” – Armstrong steps on the moon 50 years ago
Where were you when Neil Armstrong fist stepped on the moon? The momentous, and enormously complex project, proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, came to fruition on July 21, 1969 when Neil Armstrong, then Buzz Aldrin, stepped onto the lunar surface. It was an expensive endeavour with five other missions to follow that would also walk men on…
- World News
Mystery 90 kilogram load was added to cargo flight list on MH370
French investigators looking into the disappearance of the Malaysian Boeing 777, flight MH370, say they have discovered a previously undeclared 89 kilogram load that was only added to the cargo list after takeoff. The sun.co.uk reports that French engineer Ghyslain Wattrelos, who lost his wife and two of his three children in the crash, detailed the claims to judges investigating…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s water shortage solution – pump it from the mainland
For the Thai island surrounded by water, Phuket now faces acute water shortage problems and local officials are scurrying for solutions. This week a 3.5 billion baht plan was announced to pipe potable water across the channel from Phang Nga to Phuket as a remedy for the looming water crisis on the island. At this stage there’s no approval for…
- Crime News
Egyptian tourist stabbed in the neck at a roti street store in Phuket
PHOTO: Daily News A roti roadside vendor has been arrested after attacking a tourist by stabbing a man in the neck outside a Family Mart store. 30 year old Mahmoud Abbas is now recovering in hospital following surgery. He was admitted with a 7 centimetre gash on his neck. According to reports in Daily News, the roti seller stabbed the…
- Phuket News
Man stabbed by street vendor in Chalong
PHOTO: Facebook A foreigner, known as ‘Mahmoud’, was stabbed in Soi Ta-iad in Chalong, southern Phuket last night outside a Family Mart. The man was taken to Bangkok Phuket Hospital and is now reported to be in a stable condition following surgery. Doctors have told friends he will have to remain in hospital for observation for at least two days.…
- Transport News
15 baht flat fares for BTS Skytrain – Transport Minister
The government’s new Transport Minister, Saksayam Chidchob, has reiterated its intention to reign in the costs of the city’s Green Line trains, the BTS Skytrain, around Bangkok. They’re even mooting a capped flat fee of 15 baht per ride. The policy was proposed by the Democrats during the election campaign and accepted as party platform for the new coalition in…
- Bangkok News
Allegedly drunk motorcyclist hits 14 year old on a bicycle – VIDEO
Police are looking for a motorcyclist who was caught on surveillance camera in Bang Pakong, a district in southern Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok, driving the wrong way – ghost riding – down a street and hitting a 14 year old boy on his bike. The teenager was just waiting on the side of the road with the bicycle’s wheels sitting…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s marijuana and massage-led tourism recovery
The new Thai minister for tourism and sports says he can lure Europeans and Americans back to Thailand with the promise of massage and marijuana – medical marijuana! The newly sworn-in political “newbie” told the media on Wednesday that he is well aware of the drop in visitors from the US and Europe. He says he hopes plans to promote the…
- Environment News
Controversial “Law of the Jungle” episode in Thailand pulled by South Korea’s SBS
In an official statement, South Korean TV network SBS says it has pulled an episode of the massively popular “Law of the Jungle, the Lost Island” from its streaming platform and suspended the producer. The statements says that the network’s executives were responding to negative viewer reaction caused by a scene, filmed in Krabi, Thailand, which featured show host Lee…
- Hot News
UPDATE: 3,000 baht Phuket van fare for Australians tourists “all a misunderstanding”
As a follow up of the complaint about an overcharged van fare of 3,000 baht from Phuket International Airport to Kata by two Australians, a meeting was held yesterday between the driver, the tourists and a representative from the Phuket Land Transport Office. They agreed, in the end, that it was all “a misunderstanding”. The complaint about the expensive fare…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s tourism copes with surging baht headache
PHOTO: Thailand’s new tourism & sports minister, Piphat Ratchakitprakarn, hoping the finance ministry will listen to his pleas about the high baht Thailand’s new tourism & sports minister, Piphat Ratchakitprakarn, is blaming the surge of the baht for sucking the life out of tourist arrivals into Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. Piphat yesterday said he’ll discuss with the Bank of Thailand…
- Crime News
43 year old British man arrested over Phuket dog attack
PHOTO: Facebook/Naiharn Beach Dogs Mervyn Harding, a 43 year old British expat, has ben charged over animal cruelty after he was identified on CCTV attacking a dog with a long rod on Tuesday morning (July 16). He was charged after attacking the dog in front of a massage shop near Nai Harn Beach around 7am on Tuesday. Police started investigating the…
- Transport News
UPDATE: Thai PM tells Phuket people to “stop ripping off tourists”
PHOTO: Two Australians file their report with Karon police this morning Everyone is having their say about a van charging two Australian tourists 3,000 baht for a trip from the Phuket International Airport to Kata, even the Thai PM. The PM took time out today to issue a warning to “Phuket people” that its reputation as a tourist destination will…
- Tourism News
New Thai Tourism & Sports Minister has a wish-list to improve tourism
PHOTO: Tourism and Sports Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakan – mots.go.th The new Thai Tourism and Sports Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, has set out a shortlist of priorities in his new role. He says setting and maintaining better safety standards are vital to regain the confidence of foreign tourists. The minister says he would also discuss the high baht with the Finance Ministry and…
- Phuket News
Fire destroys 12 shops in Patong market
PHOTOS: Siam Rath A fire at a market in Patong early this morning has caused damages estimated at 1 billion baht in value. Five fire trucks raced to the scene at the SB Plaza on Rat-U-Thit road at about 2am. It took firefighters an hour to bring the fire under control. 12 shops were destroyed. No one was injured in the…
- Thailand News
TMD issues a new weather warning for tropical storm Danas
The Thai Meteorological Department has issued another warning about tropical storm Danas since saying it’s on the move, from the Philippines’ Luzon, north and north-eastward into the East China Sea. The storm appears headed for Taiwan and likely to dump plenty of heavy rain on the way. The storm is ‘sucking’ in moisture from the Indian Ocean across southern Thailand,…
- Phuket News
Aussie tourists ripped off 1,500 baht each for a van ride in Phuket
A Facebook post in the “Phuket People Voice“ page has published the photos of two Australians who reported to Kaon police after being ‘ripped off’ in a van ride from the airport to their Kata hotel. A policeman at Karon says… “An Australian citizen came to report the situation in Karon saying that they ‘called’ (hired) a van from Phuket Airport…
- Crime News
15 year old Thai student dies following attack in SOTUS hazing tradition
PHOTO: Anti-hazing activist Panuwat Songsawatchai/Facebook Khaosod English is reporting that a high-school student, who was in a coma following ritual hazing at a Nakhon Pathom school, has died today. Pisit Kumniw, a 15 year old student at the Phra Pahtom Wittayalai School, in Nakhon Pathom north-east of Bangkok, allegedly died from injuries sustained from hazing by senior students in a class three…
- Crime News
Bangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs
PHOTO: 77kaoded Three men have been arrested in Pattaya and 833 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 6,700 methamphetamine pills seized. Police also seized a car and two motorcycles. Three Thai men – 23, 29 and 35 year old – were arrested and charged with possession of Category One drugs with intent to sell. Daily News reports that the three man gang was…
- Bangkok News
BMW speeds away as policeman tries to hang on at Bangkok toll booth
SCREENSHOTS: Sanook A policeman has ended up in hospital after being dragged along by a white BMW after trying to stop the car. CCTV footage from the Thanyaburi Toll booth on a Bangkok ring road shows the BMW driving away from the booth, with the policeman clinging on to the roof. The car veered to the left suddenly to ‘shake off’…
