Bangkok News
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TAT opens 100 baht tourism scheme
TAT’s ambitious ‘฿100 Travel Around’ scheme opened yesterday. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has opened registration for its “100 Baht Travel Around” campaign. According to the TAT website, the project is to promote domestic tourism by providing 100 baht packages for domestic tours and rooms. Registration will only be open on the four “catchy dates” of 11-11 (November 11),…
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Police tracking down Mercedes driver who wouldn’t give way to an ambulance – VIDEO
MONTAGE: Daily News Police are tracking down the driver of a Mercedes Benz who gave ambulance drivers ‘the finger’ after refusing to give way to the screeching sirens of the ambulance trying to get a patient to hospital. The ambulance travelling between Phyathai 2 and Phyathai Hospital (Sri Racha) in central Bangkok on Saturday. The relatives of the patient described the incident as…
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Police arrests forger of fake Thai ID and driving licences in Bangkok
PHOTO: TNA A special Thai task force has announced arrest of a serial forger, 28 year old Thongchai Apiyangkoon. Thongchai was offering customers fake Thai ID cards for 5,000 baht, fake Thai drivers’ licences for 4,000 and even fake migrant cards for 3,000 baht. Police raided his room in Ramkhamhaeng in eastern Bangkok after investigating the Facebook site, “Ku Do Kung”.…
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300 Bangkokians victims of the ‘copyright’ extortion scam
Following last week’s fine from someone calling themselves a ‘copyright agent’ (in that case the use of Japanese cartoons on Krathongs for today’s festival), more than 300 people in Bangkok alone say that have faced payment demands from other alleged “copyright agents.” Vendors already fined by such agents are seeking the Justice Ministry’s help to countersue and get their fines…
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Chinese and Indian nationals arrested for fake visas, entry stamps
PHOTO: Immigration.go.th Two Chinese nationals and an Indian couple have been detained by Thai Immigration police in two separate arrests at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai Residents reports that the Chinese nationals were attempting to check in for a Cathay Pacific flight from Bangkok to Canada using fake Canadian visas. When airline staff got suspicious over the visas’ appearance and contacted Immigration…
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Transport Ministry succumbs to increase in luggage charges for airport taxis
Items of luggage that measure 26 inches (66 centimetres) or more in length will now incur a taxi ‘handling fee’ of an additional 20 baht in an agreement reached between airport taxi drivers and the Transport Ministry. It’s understood the Ministry approved the increase after caving in to a protest by taxi drivers on Thursday. Over 100 members of the…
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Cabinet go-ahead for 3.6 billion baht spend to put electrical cabling underground
The Cabinet has approved expenditure of 3.6 billion baht to help the Metropolitan Electricity Authority speed up the moving of power lines underground in areas along MRT lines – the announcement from deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul. “The project length is a total of 215.6 kilometres and the MEA has finished just 46.6 kilometres, leaving another 169 km to complete.…
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Bangkok to move all motorcycle taxi ranks off sidewalks
PHOTO: Win Drivers in Bangkok awaiting their next fare – Yahoo News The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says they will move all motorcycle taxis ranks (also known as “Wins”) off the city’s pavements by the end of this year. The awaiting motorcycle taxis, with their colour-coded high-viz jackets, are ubiquitous around the capital Naew Na reports that 495 ranks currently use the…
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BMA adds pedestrian walkways and better disabled access
PHOTO: Bangkok Post The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has launched a program to improve flyovers in high-traffic areas with pedestrian crossings which will also include facilities to help the elderly safely cross Bangkok’s busy roads. The report says that road-crossing signals will be established along with flyovers with lifts for the elderly and disabled, particularly in high-traffic areas. Flyovers with ramps linking…
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Vets claims con-man employee stole more than 3 million baht
PHOTO: INN News Two veterinarians who were robbed by a conman, who was also an employee, have filed a police report in Bangkok accusing him of stealing millions of baht, along with medication and a car. Thai Residents reports that the police report was filed by Sirilak Junjuem, known as Dr. Nam, owner of the Happy Vet Care Clinic, and…
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Lecturer from Bangkok uni sues social media user for defamation
PHOTO: Chalita Bandhuwong, accused of “inciting rebellion” – The Nation A Facebook user, ‘Captain Songklot Chuenchoopol’, is being sued by a lecturer from Kasetsart University in Bangkok, who is accusing him of defamation. The Nation reports that Chalita Bandhuwong, from the university’s Social Sciences faculty, filed the suit yesterday after Songklot used Facebook to accuse her of trying to “provoke…
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Bangkok will be underwater in 30 years says new study
Glug, glug, glug… An NGO that analyses and reports on climate science, says many cities, including Bangkok, will be under water in 30 years due to rising sea levels. The dramatic and frightening report from Climate Central says sea levels are expected to rise up to 2.1 metres or even more in this century, putting more than 300 million people…
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“Three year ban is too long” – Bangkok ‘win’ riders complain about new penalties
Win riders, Bangkok’s ubiquitous and slightly notorious motorcycle taxi drivers, are claiming that proposed penalties for riding on the sidewalk are too severe. Currently the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority has laid down bans of up to three years for motorbike riders caught riding on the city’s pavements. But Win riders say losing their jackets for three years is unfair. The Bangkok…
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Bangkok airport taxi drivers protest over ride-sharing apps
With app-based ride services set to be legalised in Bangkok from March next year, taxi drivers at Suvarnabhumi airport are threatening to protest over what they see as the government’s failure to ensure fair competition. The Bangkok Post reports that the drivers are threatening to limit the number of bags they will accept from November 1, accusing both the Transport…
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The lights are on, but there’s no-one home: villagers report empty police station in central Thailand
Villagers in Pathumthani province, central Thailand, have lodged complaints about a local police station claiming it was unmanned at night when they went to file a report. Thai Residents reports that local residents who went to Klong Luang police station were left waiting so long for someone to return that they ended up sleeping at the station. It was also…
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High-speed rail link approved
Plans for a new 7.4 billion dollar high-speed rail link from Bangkok to Pattaya got the thumbs-up Thursday (October 24). The approval comes after months of acrimonious negotiations. The government said it had signed an agreement on Thursday to begin construction with a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) and including China Railway Construction Corporation. Japanese banks have…
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Grab driver beaten up by ‘win’ thugs in Bangkok – VIDEO
Artit Chitnok posted a 20 second video on his Facebook page a video that showed 3 ‘win’ motorbike drivers (motorcycle taxi drivers) beating up a Grab Bike driver on the road. The incident took place on the night of October 26 under the Thonglor BTS Skytrain Station in Bangkok. The video was taken from inside a car while they were…
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Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport moves domestic passenger security screening
From 5.00am on November 19, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok will relocate screening of domestic passengers to alleviate overcrowding on the fourth floor. The Nation reports that the airport is moving the security screening to concourse screening, including Concourse A and B on the second and third floors. The measure is also being put in place to address the confusion and…
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Thirty public parks in Bangkok to open for Loy Krathong festival
Bangkok will open 30 public parks for the forthcoming Loy Krathong Festival, which is set to take place on November 11. Thai Residents reports that the parks will enable both locals and tourists to participate in the festival by floating krathongs in the parks’ ponds. A krathong is a floating container that holds various items including incense sticks, a candle,…
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Thai Red Cross issues appeal for blood donations
Blood supplies are running low and The National Blood Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society is urging members of the public to give blood in order to help meet demand. Thai PBS World reports that a decrease in the number of people donating blood since the beginning of the month has led to a significant drop in supply. The…
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Six top officials sacked on King’s orders
His Majesty the King has sacked six senior palace officials attached to Royal Guard units and the Royal Household Bureau, stripping them of their rank and recalling their royal insignias, citing severe disciplinary misconduct and accusing them of exploiting their positions for personal gain. The dismissals were announced in two royal commands, reported Wednesday October 23 by the Royal Gazette.…
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Airline on brink of collapse, TG president warns
The president of Thai Airways has announced that the national flag carrier is in deep financial trouble and may have to fold unless staff members unite to work harder. He also said that there may still be time, though not much, to save the company. “Otherwise speculation that THAI is going bankrupt will materialize and there is a chance that…
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Another Thai hotel management dispute flares up – The Peninsula Bangkok Hotel
PHOTO: The Peninsula Bangkok Hotel The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, which operates luxury brand The Peninsula Hotels, says it will “vigorously defend its rights” to manage The Peninsula Bangkok, following a legal win by the hotel’s Thai shareholder that paves the way for the management agreement to be terminated. And so the open wounds of a business saga are now…
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Tax on salt content being considered
The Excise Department is considering imposing a tax on the salt content of food to encourage food producers to reduce the sodium content of snacks, instant noodles and seasoning cubes. The director of the Office of Tax Planning said that the department is discussing a limit on the amount of sodium food can contain, in line with the standard set…
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Noble consort has Royal titles removed
The Nation reports that Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi has had her “noble consort” (Chao Khun Phra) title removed by King Rama X along with her military rank. Yesterday, The Royal Gazette reported that His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua had recalled Sineenat’s Royal citing undesirable behaviour and disloyalty to the Royal Family. It also reported that Sineenat had been opposed to…
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Green Day heading back to BKK in 2020
Green Day, five-time Grammy Award winners, are embarking on a global tour in 2020, including a stop-over in Bangkok during March. The rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame inductees will perform a series of concerts throughout Europe, UK, North America and Asia. “Green Day Live in Bangkok” takes place on March 11, 2020 at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. But…
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10 billionaires among Thailand’s 500 MPs
Thailand has 10 billionaire MPs, while the poorest MP has just 5,064 baht in his bank account, according to reports from the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Of the 10 billionaire MPs, Mrs. Nathee Ratchakitprakarn, of the Bhumjaithai Party, wife of Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat, is the richest, with declared assets of about 4.675 billion baht. The other…
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PM will act on opposition’s recommendations
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Saturday that he was satisfied with the deliberations over the budget bill in the previous two days and promised to act on the constructive suggestions offered by opposition parties. Regarding the 400 billion baht allocated for the Central Fund, the Prime Minister admitted that the figure seems high, but it actually isn’t when measured…
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BTS thief and credit card skimmers arrested in Bangkok
Tourist police in Bangkok have arrested a thief accused of pick-pocketing tourists on the city’s BTS Skytrain, along with an Indonesian couple charged with credit card fraud and card skimming. Kasem Masan Jantaro, a 44 year old food vendor in the Huay Kwang market, says he started pick-pocketing when business became too slow for him to adequately support his family. The…
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Colourful European ecstasy tablets targeting Thai youth
PHOTO: CTN News The Narcotics Control Board are warning about cartoon-character labelled ecstasy pills that are being smuggled from Europe and heading for Thailand and a growing market of younger users. Some of the colourful pills had been cast as characters from Minions movies and The Simpsons. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board deputy secretary-general Niyom Termsrisook told reporters…
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