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Thailand News Today | Protesters v Police, Quarantine reduction, VietJet passenger arrest | Nov 17
A busy day of news with the protests underway as we were preparing today’s program. We will keep you up to date with the latest at thethaiger.com Police use tear gas and water cannons against protesters outside Thai parliament this afternoon Police in riot gear and gas masks have deployed water cannons and tear gas on protesters out the front…
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Taxi drivers in Bangkok can now charge “handling fees” for luggage
Bangkok taxis can now start charging passengers extra for large luggage items with handling fees ranging from 20 to 100 baht per item. Under the new regulations, taxi drivers are required to tell passengers about the extra costs before the ride. Bags larger than 26 inches will be 20 baht and items larger than 50 inches will be no more…
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UPDATE: Riot police deploy water cannons and tear gas at protest outside Parliament
Police in riot gear and gas masks used high pressure water cannons and tear gas against pro-democracy protesters who attempted to remove a 3 layer concrete barricade set up to block passage to the Thai Parliament building in Bangkok. A police officer confirmed with the reporters on site that the water was laced with tear gas. Photos shared in social…
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Police seize 45 million baht worth of heroin and methamphetamine from Hat Yai home
Police arrested a man on drug charges and seized 45 million baht worth of drugs in the southern province Songkhla near the Thai-Malaysia border. Police raided a home Hat Yai district and found 76 bars of heroin weighing a total of 27 kilograms and 980,000 methamphetamine pills. 28 year old Sompong Mugem, who rents the home, was arrested. Police had…
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Thai VietJet passenger arrested for allegedly saying the “airline should be bombed”
We might think all sorts of things when flight delays inconvenience us. But most of us stew in the departure lounge. Mike decided to vent his anger. A Thai VietJet passenger was arrested after he allegedly muttered “I think this airline should be bombed” just as he was boarding a flight at the Phuket International Airport. 26 year old Mike…
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Thailand’s Covid-19 task force to debate quarantine reduction proposal tomorrow, again
After deciding in last week’s meeting to continue on with the mandatory 14 day quarantine, the issue of a reduction from 14 days to 10, is back on the table. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will meet tomorrow to discuss a proposal, again, to reduce mandatory quarantine from 14 days to 10, for arrivals from low-risk countries. But, again,…
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Thai law on category II narcotics loosens up, allows sale and possession for research
Thai laws on category II narcotics like cocaine, morphine and opium are loosening up. A new regulation by the Public Health Ministry allows the sale and possession of category II narcotics under certain circumstances such as research. Drugs classified as category II in Thailand’s Narcotics Act include morphine, cocaine, ketamine, codeine, opium, medicinal opium and methadone. Under the new regulation,…
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Tourism authority calls for expansion of domestic travel stimulus scheme
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is calling on the government to improve the existing domestic travel stimulus programme, in the hope of boosting home-grown tourism. The current scheme provides Thai tourists with a 40% subsidy on hotel rates, up to a maximum of 3,000 baht a night, for 10 nights. It also subsidises air fares to a maximum of 2,000…
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Women’s rights activists gather at pro-democracy rallies to raise awareness about sexual harassment
While hundreds and thousands gather at pro-democracy protests to call on government, constitutional and monarchy reform, Thai women’s rights activists attending the Bangkok rallies are raising awareness about sexual harassment and rape. The activists say they want to end the “victim blaming” culture where women are said to bring harassment and even rape upon themselves by dressing a certain way.…
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Bangkok police urge drivers, pedestrians, to avoid Parliament area ahead of today’s protest
Police in Bangkok say motorists and pedestrians should steer clear of routes around the Parliament today or risk heavy congestion and road closures. The advice comes ahead of a planned rally in the capital, as Parliament begins a 2 day session to vote on draft charter amendments. Already this morning there has been a protest from Royalist groups, clad in…
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Thai Supreme Court upholds 50 year prison sentence for ex-tourism chief
The Supreme Court upheld the decades long prison sentences for the former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor and her daughter who took bribes from Hollywood producers for a contract to manage Bangkok International Film Festival from 2002 to 2007. The ruling puts an end to the high profile case. The Supreme Court upheld the Appeal Court ruling from May 2019,…
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Thai travel agents propose opening borders to tourists from “low risk” Chinese provinces
Foreign tourists are entering Thailand slowly… very slowly. Only around a couple hundred tourists have entered the country since travel restrictions were put in place 7 months ago. Thailand needs to step up, according to the Association of Thai Travel Agents. Travel agents warn that around 2 million people could lose their jobs if foreign tourists aren’t allowed to enter…
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Alleged drug dealers arrested after help from a stray dog
Police arrested 2 alleged drug dealers after a stray dog dropped off a bag full of amphetamine pills outside a post office in the northern province Phrae. No one knows exactly where the dog found the bag of drugs, but surveillance camera footage shows the dog carrying the bag and dropping it off at the Rong Kwang district post office.…
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Lottery ticket distributors arrested for allegedly scamming sellers for millions of baht
Police arrested 2 lottery ticket distributors in Lop Buri, Central Thailand, for allegedly collecting money from lottery ticket sellers and failing to deliver the tickets for the October 16 and November 1 draws which were worth more than 400 million baht. More than 100 lottery ticket sellers filed a complaint at the Surin province’s Rattanaburi Police Station, saying they purchased…
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Hoteliers to discuss how to revive Thailand’s crippled hospitality industry
The hospitality industry has taken a beating from the pandemic and a 2 year revival plan is now in the works to at least address the urgent problems faced by Thai hotels and hospitality outlets. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is holding a brainstorming session and around 15 hotel operators are expected to join to discuss recovery solutions for the…
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Good samaritans help motorbike stuck in Pattaya construction pit
A 30 year old man has good samaritans to thank after they helped pull his motorbike out of a construction pit in Pattaya. The motorbike became stuck in the pit on South Pattaya Road at about 3:30am yesterday morning. The man claims he didn’t see the pit, despite multiple signs, lights, and barriers. The area under construction was blocked with…
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Qatar Airways set to return to Phuket
Qatar Airways is set to return to Phuket by offering limited flights after the coronavirus pandemic halted services to the resort island. in March this year The middle eastern airline says it is planning a weekly flight between Doha and Phuket from December 4 and is seeking permission from Thai authorities to increase the number of flights between the 2…
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Human skeleton found in a cassava field in Muang district
A human skeleton was found early this morning by a villager in a cassava field in the Muang district of Phitsanulok province in Central Thailand. Police investigators travelled to the field near Rong Wai Fad village in Tambon Don Thong after being informed of the discovery to determine if foul play was involved. 49 year old Lampoey Leepla said she…
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Protest members could face assault charges as police gather evidence
Core protest members could face assault charges as police gather evidence after yesterday’s demonstration in Bangkok, which saw 2 policemen injured. “Mob Fest” and “Bad Student” protest members staged the demonstration at Democracy Monument yesterday, where they wrapped a cloth with insults written on it, around the monument. Pol Ma-Gen Piya Tavichai, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau,…
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‘Mob Fest’ wraps up the Democracy Monument and turns backs on Thai King and Queen
In a peaceful but controversial gesture, protesters yesterday turned their backs on the royal motorcade as it carried the Thai King and Queen to the opening of a new railway line. As their backs were facing the passing cars, the mostly young Thai protesters raised their hands with the 3 finger salute and sang the Thai national anthem. The symbolic…
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Bank robber arrested after CCTV captures him counting money metres from the scene
A man accused of robbing a branch of the Thai Military Bank in Bangkok has been arrested after CCTV showed him counting the money just 300 metres from the scene of the crime. The Pattaya News reports that 35 year old Kanchanok Srisawat is accused of robbing 416,000 baht from the bank in the Vacharaphon area of the capital on…
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Former PM Abhisit warns of more unrest if Parliament votes against charter re-write
Former Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva (2008 to 2011) says if Parliament votes against the proposed re-write of the constitution during its 2 day session next week, it will only serve to worsen the ongoing political crisis. He says the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and a dissolution of Parliament won’t be enough to solve the problem, without a re-write of…
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US President-elect Biden eyes 306 electoral college votes, to Trump’s 232
US President-elect Joe Biden has likely bagged 306 votes in the Electoral College vote that decides who wins the keys to the White House. At this stage Donald Trump has won 232 votes in the tally. First to 270 Electoral College votes wins the US Presidency. Even if the state of Georgia somehow flips in a recount – historically unlikely –…
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Protesters advise police of plan for today’s Bangkok rally, several routes affected
The pro-democracy group, “Bad Students”, has formally submitted details of today’s rally to officers at Chanasongkram Police Station in Bangkok. Posting on its Facebook page, the group says it has advised police of its plans to assemble in front of the Education Ministry on Ratchadamnoen Road at 1pm today, before marching to the Democracy Monument. There, the group will join…
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Crackdown on vehicles emitting black exhaust to tackle Bangkok pollution
Buses, trucks and other vehicles that puff out clouds of black exhaust could be fined and may even be suspended from driving on the road. The Pollution Control Department says the government plans to tighten vehicle inspections in Bangkok to tackle air pollution. In Bangkok, the air quality fluctuates throughout the day and week. Recently, levels of PM2.5 in some…
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Expat awaits trial for drug charges, mother in England worries and works to pay the bills
While 27 year old expat Louis Bentley awaits trial in Thailand for drug charges, his mother back in England is working 12 hour shifts to pay her son’s bills. For his mother, Michaela, the anticipation of waiting for the her son’s February court date, in a country so far from her with laws she’s unfamiliar with, has been “horrendous.” Louis…
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Human feces dumped in watershed contaminates Karen people’s drinking water
A truck allegedly dumped a tank of human feces in a watershed that drains into water sources used by a group of Karen people, leaving the community in Northern Thailand’s Tak province with no clean drinking water. Around 200 Karen people gathered at a police station in the Phop Phra district to file a complaint. For generations, water drained from…
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Pheu Thai MP says charter amendment court hearing is government delaying tactic
The Pheu Thai MP for Ubon Ratchathani has attacked the ruling Palang Pracharat party and members of the Senate for what he sees as an attempt to slow down the charter amendment process. Somkid Chuakong says asking the Constitutional Court to decide if the opposition’s attempt at a charter re-write is in violation of the supreme law, is merely an…
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Singer and political activist plans to fight on, while sticking to bail conditions
A Thai singer-songwriter arrested for his role in pro-democracy protests, says he will continue the fight, while adhering to his bail conditions. Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, aka, “Ammy”, says he plans to continue singing and speaking at political gatherings, having discussed the matter with his lawyer. The singer says his lawyer has advised him that he can still speak at rallies, provided…
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Drugs bust in eastern Thailand nets 11 tonnes of ketamine, worth 29 billion baht
Police in eastern Thailand have confiscated over 11 tonnes of ketamine, thought to be worth around 29 billion baht, from a warehouse in Chachoengsao province. The haul was made up of 457 bags, each containing 25 kilos of the contraband substance. It’s understood officers had expanded their investigation after 300 kilos of ketamine seized in Taiwan was found to have…
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