- Thailand News
Cash-strapped Thai Airways sells aircraft seats for 35,000 baht a pair
If you miss that in-flight feeling but don’t want to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or if you are simply a Thai Airways superfan, tomorrow is your chance to buy a pair of limited edition Thai Airways aeroplane seats. The seats, which come in three colours, are only available to buy through Facebook Live tomorrow at 2pm through the…
- Thailand News
Prayut pushes pre-Songkran Covid boosters, 6 walk-in centres open in Bangkok
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is encouraging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 prior to the Songkran festival next month, according to a spokesperson. Many Thais will visit their families during the Songkran, which is the Thai New Year celebrated from April 13 to 15, and officials worry the gatherings could cause a spike in Covid-19 cases. The Public Health Ministry has…
- Visa Information
Deadline to apply for “Covid” visa extension now May 24, immigration gets stricter
The deadline to apply for the 60-day “Covid” visa extension scheme has been pushed back another two months. The deadline was set for last Friday, March 25, but Thai Immigration quietly pushed the deadline back to May 24 (as they have in the past). No formal announcement was made, but a signed document was leaked by expats on social media.…
- Thailand News
No breathalyser test for Phuket resort owner after crash, police say he didn’t smell like alcohol
Police did not test the alcohol levels of the well-known owner of the Sri Panwa luxury resort in Phuket after he lost control of his Bentley, crashing into a steel barrier and causing the car to flip multiple times before it set on fire. The owner of the five-star resort had crashed another car almost exactly a year prior and…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Putin “cannot remain in power”; Russia narrows war goals; Ukraine counter attacks; Auchan’s Russia stores stay open
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its second month, here’s the latest headlines… • In a speech in Poland on Saturday, US President Joe Biden said Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” His remarks have increased international pressure and further united NATO allies against Putin over his illegal invasion of Ukraine… “A dictator, bent on rebuilding…
- World News
LATEST: China Eastern plane crash, search for second ‘black box’ continues
More than 10 kilometres from the main crash site where a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 jet crashed, a Chinese farmer has found what he suspects is a piece of the aircraft. The potential find indicates the challenges investigators face as they piece together answers as to why the six year old plane plunged from the skies over southern China.…
- Phuket News
Thailand, a yacht racing destination
It all started in 1986 when a select group from the elite Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) got together and decided to launch a regatta in Phuket in 1987 – as a special tribute for the 60th birthday of the then King of Thailand, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thus the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (PKCR) was born. Royally connected…
- Thailand News
Three fishermen found clinging to a foam crate in the middle of the sea
Three fishermen were found clinging to a foam crate in the middle of the ocean yesterday by another group of fishermen after their boat sank in the middle of the night. Facebook user Yuranan Thongprem posted at 10:04am yesterday: “A bit of an exciting story. We took our boat out to go deep-sea fishing and saw a foam crate far…
- Crime News
Two Thai women allegedly drug tourist at Bangkok hotel, steal US$4,000
A foreign tourist who took two Thai women back to his hotel room in Bangkok was reportedly drugged and robbed. The women allegedly took off with US$4,000 and 15,000 baht in cash as well as other belongings. It is believed that drugs were mixed in the man’s coffee cup. The tourist, who is a firefighter from Kuwait, travelled to Thailand…
- Songkran News
To splash or not to splash? Bangkok mulls Songkran parties on Khao San Road, after tourism industry rebuke
Fret not, splash happy expats. The tourism industry is fighting for your right to a Songkran water fight. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is mulling whether to allow Songkran water splashing festivities to be held on Khao San Road, after the CCSA’s unpopular announcement banning water splashing activities for a third consecutive year sparked much backlash from local businesses last…
- Thailand News
Owner of Phuket’s Sri Panwa luxury resort crashes again, Bentley engulfed in flames
A year after a serious car accident, the owner of Phuket’s Sri Panwa resort was in another accident where he lost control of his Bentley as he drove around a bend, causing it to flip multiple times. He and his friends were able to escape the car before it was engulfed in flames. No one was injured. The owner of…
- Thailand News
Endangered tiger tracked by Thai wildlife officials dies aged 9
An endangered tiger known as ‘Thanakorn’ who lived in a national park in the northern province of Uthai Thani has died at age nine. The news was posted yesterday on Thailand Tiger Project’s Facebook page. On Tuesday evening, Thailand Tiger Project received an electronic notification saying “expiration detected” linked to an ID number belonging to Thanakorn the tiger. The team…
- Thailand News
Footage shows three pit bulls breaking into home, children run to safety
Three pit bulls from a temple broke into a family home on Tuesday in the western province Kanchanaburi causing two young boys to run to safety. The boys were not hurt but the pit bulls savagely killed one of their pet cats. In the footage posted by Santi Kasinthuram on Facebook, the pit bulls can be seen charging into the…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Ukraine counter offensives prevail; Nato, G7 & EU convene in Brussels; US condemns Russian ‘war crimes’
As Russia’s war against Ukraine marks one month today, here’s the latest headlines… • The Ukrainian Navy claims they have destroyed a large Russian ship in the Russian-occupied port of Berdyansk in southeastern Ukraine. Social media videos show a large fire with secondary explosions in the port. Berdyansk is roughly 70 kilometres southwest of Mariupol on the Azov Sea. The…
- World News
Singapore to end pandemic-era restrictions, embrace ‘living with covid’ strategy
Singapore is set to end most of its Covid-19 restrictions starting next Tuesday, March 29, as the country shifts from a pandemic to an endemic state of mind — learning to live with Covid, instead of trying to eliminate it. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the significant policy changes in a national address on Thursday… “Our fight against COVID-19…
- Thailand News
Family in Prachinburi find poisonous centipede in tin of fish
A family in Prachinburi, east of Bangkok, were put off their dinner on Sunday after opening a tin of fish to find a 2-centimetre long, poisonous centipede. The family never expected that such a creature would be found in the tinned fish, produced by a famous brand. The family, from Si Maha Phot district, ordered two tins of fish from…
- Thailand News
“Thai Riviera” coastal road planned for province along the Andaman Sea
CORRECTION: An earlier report incorrectly stated the cost of the road. The proposed budget for the design is 80 million baht and the total cost for construction has not been determined. A “Thai Riviera” road is being planned to be built along the coast six of Thailand’s Andaman provinces, if the Office of Transport’s request for 80 million baht for…
- China News
Black box flight recorder found in China Eastern wreckage
One of the black box flight recorders, a key for determining the cause of the China Eastern Airlines crash, was found today by aviation investigators searching the wreckage. The Boeing 737-800, known as the workhorse in commercial aviation and one of the safest aircraft, suddenly declined into a nosedive during a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou carrying 132 people, crashing…
- Thailand News
Department of Special Investigation releases music video to warn about call centre scams
A music video was released by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations, warning people about call centre scams and advising them to think before they transfer money. But the video, featuring celebrities, has drawn criticism from Thais. Many have been questioning why the DSI, which is known to be Thailand’s counterpart to the FBI in the US, is spending time and…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Zelensky warns Italy of Putin’s end game; Russia could use nuclear weapons under ‘existential threat’
As Russia’s invasion of a sovereign European nation under false pretexts marks one month, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine…. • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Italian parliament via video call on Tuesday. He warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goal is to take Europe. He said that Putin’s aim is “to have influence and…
- Pattaya News
Night shift employee at Pattaya guest house robbed while asleep at reception desk
An employee working the night shift at a guest house in Pattaya fell asleep at the reception counter and woke up to find valuables missing from the lobby, which are said to be valued at a total of 160,000 baht. The 49 year old staff member filed a report to police and provided surveillance camera footage showing a man entering…
- Thailand News
Non-profit Watchdog Thailand saves over 20 cats locked in house, 5 found dead
Over 20 cats were found starving inside a locked house yesterday in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok. Activists from the non-profit organisation Watchdog Thailand saved 17 of the cats while four escaped and a total of five dead cats were found inside the house. The cats are now being cared for at Watchdog’s shelter. Villagers contacted Watchdog Foundation…
- Thailand News
Couple having sex in car allegedly attempt to run over security guard after confrontation
A security guard narrowly dodged getting run over after asking a couple who were having sex in a parked car at a Bangkok market to move along. When the head of security approached the car in the early hours of Sunday morning, the driver attempted to run him over and fled the scene. No one was injured. 20 year old…
- Thailand News
Tourism officials push for all entry restrictions for vaccinated travellers to be lifted by June 1
Thailand’s tourism officials want an end to all entry restrictions for vaccinated travellers by June 1. That means no quarantine, no Test & Go rules, no Sandbox zones, no Covid-19 tests. A plan to gradually lift restrictions over the next few months, leading up to the removal of all restrictions by June 1, has been drafted by the Tourism and…
- Crime News
Thai police charge 32 university students for involvement in fatal hazing incident
A total of 32 university students in Thailand’s Isaan region are facing criminal charges for a brutal initiation where a first-year student died after being beaten. Of those students, seven of them have reportedly confessed to using excessive violence against the student and are facing charges of colluding in physical assault causing death and assault. First-year students at the Rajamangala…
- World News
No survivors in China Eastern Boeing 737 crash carrying 132 people
Rescuers searching the wreckage of the China Eastern Airlines passenger jet say there are no survivors. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 132 people crashed into a mountainside in southern China’s Guangxi region after a sudden nosedive. Rescuers are searching a deep pit in the mountainside to find the plane’s black box, which holds flight data and voice recordings from the…
- South Thailand News
No flights to new Betong airport, Yala tourism officials talk promotions to boost travel
After the highly-publicised launch of the new airport in Southern Thailand’s Yala went sour, with Nok Air suspending flights to the airport due to a lack of passengers, tourism officials in the Betong area plan to offer discounts on hotel rooms and food for travellers to help the flights takeoff. Nation Thailand says the Betong Airport was “built to boost…
- Crime News
Southern Thailand police find large haul of methamphetamine hidden in deep fryers
Officers in Southern Thailand found hundreds of kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden in electronic deep fryers packaged to be shipped overseas. A couple was arrested after officers raided a home and a motorcycle repair shop, seizing methamphetamine from both locations, which, in total, weighed more than half a tonne with a street value of 117 million baht. Officers suspect the…
- Thailand News
Ranger wanted for murder found dead in Thailand forest after week-long search
After a week-long search involving around 100 officers, the body of a forest ranger wanted for murder was found hanging from a tree in Buriram. The senior ranger was wanted for firing shots at his ex-wife’s home, killing the woman’s 20 year old son. 45 year old Phitphirun Phiraphop was a senior forest protection ranger at Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary.…