- Environment News
Air quality for Thailand – February 25
Central Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Northern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to…
- South Thailand News
Six marine officials killed as van slams into tree, Chumpon
PHOTO: A van is almost totally destroyed after slamming into a tree on Highway 41 in Sawi district of Chumphon yesterday (Sunday) – Facebook/Chumphon Rescue Volunteers at Khao Ka Rong Investigators are blaming a burst tyre on a passenger van that crashed, killing six Marine Department officials in Chumpon, heading back from Phuket towards Bangkok. The officials were killed and five others…
- Northern Thailand News
Rain-making efforts will continue until end of month in Khon Kaen
The Northeastern Royal Rainmaking Operation Centre is extending the royal rainmaking operation period, as part of air pollution reduction efforts, until the end of February. The Director of the Northeastern Royal Rainmaking Operation Centre, Wassana Wongrat, says the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation set up a rapid deployment unit to conduct royal rainmaking operations to improve the air…
- Koh Samui News
Tourist finds old tunnel on Koh Samui
PHOTOS: Sanook Authorities are investigating a 100 meters long, 3.5 meters wide and 5 meters high tunnel that had been contstructed from one side of Ban Tai hill to the other. The tunnel was found in the Mae Nam area. After local Samui authorities dug into their paperwork they determined that the area was private land bought by a developer from a…
- Thailand News
“New drug laws don’t legalise unlicensed marijuana cultivation”
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rushed to clarify that the new narcotics law does not legalise the unrestricted planting of marijuana in an apparent response to the Bhumjai Thai political party’s manifesto pledge to legalise marijuana cultivation. The party trotted out the election platform last week during their campaigning. FDA secretary-general Dr. Tharet Kratnairaveewong has clarified that the…
- Bangkok News
Plastic surgery furore and first transgender contestant at Miss Universe in Bangkok
PHOTO: Spain’s Angela Ponce becomes first trans woman to compete for Miss Universe After the beauty dust has settled and the glitter is wiped away, it seems all is not well with the latest Miss Universe Pageant. Taking place in Bangkok recently, new revelations have surfaced surrounding one of its entrants and, notably, her plastic surgeon. Aesthetic and rhinoplasty surgeon,…
- Bangkok News
Scrapped: Back to the drawing board for Suvarnabhumi Terminal 2 design
It’s back to the drawing board for the AoT and the new Terminal 2 project at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The contract to design the much needed second terminal has been the subject of a lot of bitter criticism in the Thai architectural community. The board of Airports of Thailand Public Company, the operator of Suvarnabhumi international and five other major airports…
- Thailand News
Golden Triangle drug labs increase shipments 1000% – Speed and Ice pouring over the border
The number of seizures of high-purity crystal methamphetamine are surging into northern Thailand. The demand rises and the methods of detection and enforcement also improve. It’s a vicious circle. Authorities say the number of drug seizures have risen 1000% in just the past 2 years, a stark indication of the growth in industrial-scale production in neighboring Myanmar. Some 18.4 tonnes…
- Chiang Mai News
American backpacker refuses to pay for girl he brought back to hostel, punches staff
An American backpacker tourist, visiting Chiang Mai, had to be restrained after getting into a squabble with hostel staff after being asked to leave the premises. The video of the altercation was shared on Reddit by ‘EatPrayFart’. Following a night out, the backpacker brought a girl back to the mixed dorm room that he shared with nine other people. The report…
- Northern Thailand News
19 year old mother slashes three year old son’s throat in Yasothon
WARNING: This story may be shocking to some readers PHOTO: Sanook A 19 year old mother has used a kitchen knife to slash the throat of her three year old son in Yasothon in Thailand’s north-east. Thairath reports that Yasothon Police were notified of the incident at the woman’s lodgings last night at 7 pm. Police and rescue workers arrived…
- Koh Samui News
Luxury hotel raided in Koh Samui over alleged money laundering
PHOTO: Oriental Lodge Koh Samui A luxury hotel in the south of Koh Samui was raided yesterday in an international money laundering probe. The raid was conduced by the Department of Special Investigation officers and Ministry of the Interior officials. The Komchadluek website reports that investigators allege that 100 million baht has been funneled through illegal activities at the Oriental Lodge…
- Environment News
Poor air quality and smoke continue to dog Chiang Mai
PHOTO: Sanook Chiang Mai continue to suffer from a smog and haze crisis. Residents are suffering the affects of the poor air quality for the second week in a row in the northern Thai city. A high reading of 176 has been recorded just north of the city centre but the areas all around Chiang Mai are registering high readings recorded…
- Pattaya News
16 year old praised for rendering first aid at an accident in Pattaya
Sanook reports that Jiraphon Madeua, an M4 student at the Photisamphan Pitthayakarn school in Pattaya, was on his way home and was first to respond to a to man who had come off his motorcycle. He was judiciously applying his first aid knowledge to assist the stricken man. The 16 year old says that he received first aid training at…
- Pattaya News
Three year old savaged by local dogs in Chon Buri
The overly-dramatic photo montage was compiled by Daily News Daily News is reporting that a 3 year old child remains in a serious condition in the Sri Racha hospital in Chon Buri after being attacked by a pack of ten dogs. It is the second attack reported in two days in Thailand. On Wednesday afternoon a young Finnish boy was…
- Phuket News
Patong motorbike racer arrested and fined – VIDEO
PHOTO: Patong Police Patong Police yesterday arrested a motorbike racer after identifying him and his motorbike from video clips that were popular in social media this week. Patong Police are investigating alleged foreign motorbike racing gangs in Patong after video clips went viral in local social media. Read more about the racing around Patong’s streets HERE. Patong Police report that they…
- Thailand News
Weather for February 22
Bangkok Generally clear. High 35ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. E winds shifting to S at 15 to 25 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 36ºC. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h. Pattaya Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Partly cloudy. High 33ºC. Winds SSE…
- Business News
Thailand’s sponsorship market grew 19% – 2018
ASN (Asia Sponsorship News) has just released its Sponsorship Market Overview for Thailand 2018. Local agencies have had their say on the performance of the Southeast Asian sponsorship marketplace. 2018 was a robust year for Thailand’s Sponsorship market, growing 19% year-on-year to US$223.4 million (2017’s total investment was US$188.2 million) and making grounds on reaching its previous (outlier) market peak of…
- Thailand News
Chinese tourists spend big during Chinese New Year holiday
Spending by Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year holiday around the world was the highest in Thailand. Alipay, a leading digital payment platform offered by Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba Group has done the sums. The transactions were recorded between February 4-10, and data drawn from the 54 international markets where Alipay is accepted. The number of transactions in…
- Thailand News
Young elephant found dead with plastic in intestines – Chachoengsao
PHOTO: Department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation The body of a young elephant has been found with plastic inside its large intestine in Chachoengsao (north of Chon Buri) yesterday. Officials at the department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation (DNP) were notified from a villager headman that the young elephant has been founded dead in the forest. Veterinarians…
- World News
Students are dropping out along Cambodia’s border with Thailand
by VOA A Cambodian official has reported that about 23% of children in three provinces along the border with Thailand have stopped attending school. The Cambodian Education Minister Hangchuon Naron was speaking about the student dropout rate. He said that the rate in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Oddor Meanchey provinces was much higher than in other areas, where rates are…
- Environment News
Air quality for Thailand – February 21
Central Thailand It is a great day to be active outside. Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand It is a great day to be active outside.
- Thailand News
Weather for February 21
Bangkok Generally clear. High 35ºC. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. ENE winds shifting to W at 15 to 25 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 36ºC. Winds SE and variable. pattaya Partly cloudy, with a possible thunderstorm. High 30ºC. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h. Chance of rain 30%. Hua Hin Generally…
- Business News
Thai baht surges against weakening US dollar
The Thai baht is soaring to its highest level against the US dollar in more than half a decade. Analysts are expecting the Thai currency to continue marching past the 31 baht to the US dollar mark. Currency experts believe the baht’s strength could be partly due to the weakness of the US dollar as investors speculate on the current…
- Phuket News
Police investigate motorbike hoons in Patong
PHOTOS: Patong Police Patong Police are investigating alleged foreign motorbike racing gangs in Patong after a viral video clip in local social media. The Patong Police report that the clip of tourists who have been driving their motorbikes at high speed around the streets of Patong has been very popular and provided them with a lot of information about the…
- Travel
Japan’s legendary cherry blossom is only 5 hours away
by Kaoru Do you travel frequently between Thailand and North America and want to break your journey on the way? Or are you simply looking for somewhere to escape the scorching weather forecast for the next few months? Japan has become a very popular holiday destination among Thais with visitor numbers expected to reach one million a year. Many of…
- Hua Hin News
Thief steals rescuer’s wallet on Hua Hin beach
A tourist has drowned whilst swimming at Hua His Beach near Soi 69. Tragic indeed. But a foreigner Good Samaritan who went in to help the man has had his wallet stolen from the beach whilst trying to save the man. A video taken around 1 pm yesterday shows a group of foreigners doing their best to revive the man;…
- Health
The legalisation of marijuana for medical purposes, is now in effect
Grass, pot, ganja, marijuana… cannabis. Whatever you want to call it, it can now be grown legally in Thailand and used in medical and scientific applications with the consent of the authorities, under strict guidelines. The Narcotics Act 2562, which seeks to amend specific provisions of the Narcotics Act of 1979 to enable the use of marijuana for the treatment of patients, study, research and development, has now…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai’s sword-wielding song thaew driver charged over intimidating tactics – VIDEO
Story from Sanook. Video from Thai Rath The red song thaew driver, who followed a white sedan around the moat road waving a sword in Chiang Mai, has now been charged by the police. Sanook reports that 69 year old ‘Son’ has now been charged with having a knife in public and behaving in an intimidating manner that could scare…
- Thailand News
Weather for February 20
Bangkok Generally clear. High 34ºC. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 35ºC. Winds SE and variable. Pattaya Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SE at 10 to 15 km/h. Ko…
- Thailand News
Syrian woman arrested with fake Spanish passport at Suvarnabhumi Airport
PHOTOS: Immigration Bureau Immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport have arrested a Syrian woman with a fake Spain passport. The Immigration Bureau reports that, while they were patrolling the airport, they found the woman who was acting suspiciously. They asked to see her passport which had her name listed on the passport as Alampana Albana, a Spanish national. She was waiting for…
