- Phuket News
False Killer Whales sighted of Koh Similans in Phang Nga – VIDEO
VIDEO: Wow Andaman About ten killer whales have been sited off Koh Similans in the Andaman off the Khao Lak coast this week. Thai Rath reports that tour guides from the Wow Andaman Tour were on a speedboat with tourists in the morning at Koh Similans this week. They say they sighted about ten False Killer Whales near the boat. The…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Pattaya’s wide new beaches have been washed out to sea
The Pattaya Harbor Department admits that their plans to extend Pattaya’s eroded beaches didn’t go to plan. In fact around 400 million baht was just washed out to sea. Now the sand has been flushed away in this week’s storms and Pattaya’s landmark project is in tatters. Following Monday’s unseasonal torrential rain storm a huge chunk of the new sand…
- World News
Thai AirAsia connects Phuket direct to Phnom Penh
Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia has announced direct flights between Phuket and the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. The new route comes as part of the airline’s ongoing establishment of a network across Asia and its push into the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) market. The new route starts June 1 and will be available four times a week. Thai AirAsia…
- Thailand Election News
“We have sufficient evidence against Thanathorn” – Police
Deputy national police chief says that police likely have sufficient evidence to support the sedition charge filed against Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. Future Forward eclipsed even their own projections with a surprising performance on the Mach 24 election, coming in a close third behind the heavyweights Pheu Thai and Palang Pracharat, at the expense of the Democrats. Thai PBS reports…
- Chiang Mai News
Cameroon man and three Thais arrested over fake email money scam in Chiang Mai
PHOTOS: Immigration Bureau A Cameroon citizen and three Thai suspects have been arrested after sending fake emails to victims saying they owed them money. Immigration Bureau Chief Lt Gen Surachet Hakparn says, “The Four suspects had sent fake emails to victims saying that they were from educational institutions abroad where their children have studied. They had to transfer money to…
- South Thailand News
Four kilograms of marijuana found in delivery pickup in Nakhon Si Thammarat
PHOTOS: Infantry Division 5 A parcel delivery driver has been found with four kilograms of marijuana in his Kerry Express pickup truck in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Infantry Division 5 reports that while soldiers from the Infantry Division 5 were on their duty at a normal checkpoint in Chulabhon District, they stopped a pickup truck doing parcel deliveries. They found…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya city officials investigate Big Buddha Hill makeover
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Having cleared encroachments around Big Buddha Hill’s Chinese shrine, Pattaya officials are now investigating options for the cleared land. Deputy city mayors Manote Nongyai and Pattana Boonsawat toured the Phra Yai Temple area with engineering and public works staff on Pratamnak Hill at the end of last month with an eye toward redevelopment of the temple, the…
- Phuket News
Luxury beachfront suites at The Bay & Beach Club
The Bay & Beach Club boasts luxurious beachfront accommodation in the heart of Patong. Situated right on the soft sands of the beach in an area lined with palm trees, the resort is just a few steps away from the clear waters of the Andaman Sea. The Bay & Beach Club offers luxurious accommodation all designed with the finest contemporary…
- Thailand Election News
Future Forward’s Thanathorn summoned to acknowledge sedition charges
“I believe that millions of people who cherish justice will stand by me and are ready to show they will not put up with dark power that intends to destroy Future Forward.” Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is complaining that his Future Forward party is being intimidated by a “dark power which refuses to let go of Future Forward”. He has been summoned by the police…
- Bangkok News
Swiss/Thai children run away from home claiming Thai mother beats them
PHOTO: The Nation Two children, who fell off a drying rack at a Bangkapi apartment block last May, have now run away from home saying their Thai mother had been beating them. Their remaining sibling is staying with the mother. One of the four siblings, a boy, died in the fall that happened when their mother was out at work…
- Phuket News
Police raid illegal Chinese call centre in Chalong, Phuket
FILE PHOTO A total of 16 Chinese nationals, 13 men and 3 women, have been arrested in Chalong, over the alleged operation of a call centre scam which targeted Chinese victims. Officers believe that the operation started sometime in the middle of March. The 16 were arrested at a housing estate on Moo 1, Chalong, southern Phuket, yesterday morning. “We were…
- Opinion
Is Thanathorn the new Thaksin? Will the ‘establishment’ tolerate his new political vision?
Is Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit a popular fad or does he, and his party, have the staying power to make him a sustainable threat to the entrenched Thai political elite? Many analysts are comparing Thanathorn to Thaksin in his early days. They say there are clear similarities. First off, Thanathorn is facing the kind of legal trouble that…
- Pattaya News
Iranian tourist fleeced during visit to Walking Street in Pattaya
PHOTO: Sanook Sanook reports that an Iranian man was robbed by a female pickpocket while walking along Walking Street in Pattaya with his girlfriend. The 32 year old Sadej told investigating Police that a Thai woman had come up to the wandering couple and gave him a hug. But he says he politely pushed her away and the woman just melted back…
- Thailand Election News
Activist’s car torched – Election Commission impeachment petition damaged
PHOTO: Thai PBS A car belonging to one of the activists campaigning for impeachment of the Election Commissioners at a rally in Rajaprasong intersection, Bangkok on Sunday, has had his car torched this morning, the second time in a week. Aekkachai Hongkangwan claims in a Facebook post today that his car was burnt beyond repair and some of his documents,…
- Phuket News
Patong tourist attackers remain in custody – investigation continues
PHOTO: Patong Police Six Patong taxi and tuk tuk driver suspects remain in custody following the assault of a middle eastern tourist. Two video clips of taxi drivers attacking the tourist in Patong went viral in social media last week. Read more about the attack HERE. Six suspects were arrested by Opting Police last week. Read more about their arrests HERE. Patong…
- Phuket News
Pickup truck crashes into power pole in Wichit, causes five hour blackout
PHOTOS: PEA A pickup truck accident in Wichit has caused a blackout for over five hours. The Phuket Provincial Electric Authority (PEA) reports that at 10.20pm last night the pickup truck ran into the pole, pulling down the high voltage pole. The accident caused a blackout in the area around Soi Bang Yai (behind Big C Super Centre) for over…
- Northern Thailand News
PM heads north tomorrow to tackle smoke and haze issues
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha flies to Chiang Mai tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to host a meeting of the upper northern provincial governors to discuss the haze and smoke which has enveloped the region for the past two months. A deputy spokesman for the Government, Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukondhapatipak, says the PM has been closely monitoring the haze situation and wants first-hand information…
- Thailand Election News
Poll shows Thais are wary about the new government’s potential to end conflict
A new Suan Dusit Poll shows 31.8% of the respondents believe that the political situation will worsen due to the lack of stability of the new government while 28.1% are more optimistic. Most Thais believe the new government, be it led by Palang Pracharat or Pheu Thai, will not be able to end political division that have lasted almost two decades. The opinion poll sampled 1,752 people across the country. Nearly half said that…
- Thai Life
“Easier, faster and more watertight” – Surachate’s vision for Immigration
Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, Thailand’s Immigration chief, has outlined a few new directions for visitor and expat visas in Thailand. Speaking to TNA MCOT, the chief acknowledged the 1979 Act was “out of date” and “not in line with modern countries” and travel procedures. Surachate said that Thailand was the third most visited country in the world and was a place…
- Bangkok News
Canadian woman rescued from air-conditioning shaft at luxury Silom hotel
PHOTO: Daily News A 76 year old Canadian woman, missing since last Thursday in Bangkok, ended up spending 12 hours trapped in an air conditioning shaft at a luxury Silom hotel before she was finally found and rescued. Daily News reports that 76 year old Siona Aloni, who suffers from Alzheimers, went missing from her room at the hotel on…
- Thai Life
Child drowning cases – dramatic drop over two decades
The leading cause of death in Thai children, below the age of 15, is drowning. “Even though the cases have recently fallen to an all time low, it’s still not low enough.” “In nearly two decades there have been 22,700 drowning cases, that’s between the years 2000 and 2018. That averages nearly 1,300 child drownings every year.” These numbers from…
- Travel
New airport duty free bid split into two
The Government has insisted that the AoT rejig its awarding for the concession of duty-free shops at its airports. Up to now King Power Duty Free has had a monopoly on the lucrative duty free concessions. So the Board of the Airports of Thailand Company has now decided to split the concession to operate airport duty-free shops into two contracts – one for Suvarnabhumi…
- Phuket News
Will Young sells Brit Awards to raise money for Soi Dog Foundation
British singer Will Young sold two of his Brit Awards, highly-respected popular music awards for the British music industry, for a Phuket charity. But he says he only raised £800 (33,000 baht) for them. The singer told Chris Evans, a Virgin Radio Breakfast show presenter, he went through with his pledge to auction off the gongs after announcing he was…
- World News
Thai rice exports facing strong regional competition
Rice exports are down in February’s sales figures, in both total volume and value. High prices and competition from Vietnam are being blamed, along with the ongoing strong baht. Rice farmers also say they are concerned how long the hot season will last which will also affect their planting schedules for this year. The Thai Rice Exporters Association says that…
- Business News
Thai businesses feeling pinch from china-US trade wars
Since the US China trade war kicked off in the middle of 2018, Thai businesses have begun to feel the pinch as indicated by a small downward trend in Thai export numbers. In the short run, some Thai export items may benefit from trade diversion as US and Chinese importers shifted to certain Thai products to avoid punitive tariffs. However, indirect…
- Hot News
Anti-stall system activated in Ethiopian Boeing crash – Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that officials probing the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash have made preliminarily conclusions that a flight-control feature automatically activated before the plane plummeted to the ground. The US newspaper, which declined to name its sources, says the findings have been passed on at a briefing to the US Federal Aviation Administration. The flight-control software feature…
- Phuket News
Darasamuth Underpass closing this Saturday and Sunday night
The Darasamut Underpass (adjacent to Central Festival) will temporarily close tomorrow and Sunday from 9pm until 5am (overnight). The Phuket Highways Chief Somwang Lohanut says, “Both the northbound and southbound lanes through the underpass will be temporary closed at those times.” “Workers will be carrying out repairs and replacing light bulbs and fans as part of the normal scheduled maintenance.”…
- Bangkok News
Wife of ‘lovely motorcycle taxi driver’ has her say
There’s always two sides of a story. This time the wife of the ‘lovely’ motorcycle taxi driver who had his ‘heart-breaking’ story posted all over social media on Tuesday, is having her say. The man, at the time, claimed that he had paid the mortgage for eight years but the house was in her name and she now had another man. So…
- Northern Thailand News
Two day rescue of six baby elephants stuck in mud pool in Nakhon Ratchasima – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: DNP Six baby elephants have been rescued from mud pool in Nakhon Ratchasima following two days of delicate efforts from officials. The Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plants Conservation reports that they found the baby elephants on Wednesday while forest officers were patrolling in the forest in Sengsang, Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of Thailand. During the afternoon they stumbled…
- Songkran News
Event Round-Up – April 2019
by The Sponsorship Experts – Paul Poole (South East Asia) The first ever ASEAN Gastronomy Tourism Fair will kick off on April 9-10 at CW Tower Ratchadapisek Bangkok. Hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, it is the first time all 10 member states of ASEAN will come together to build a strong foundation for gastronomy tourism in the…