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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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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…
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Election Commission admits they haven’t decided on the formula to determine lower house
by Kas Chanwanpen In a stunning admission yesterday, the Election Commission admitted they didn’t know the exact formula to work out the final make up of the lower house seats. The Election Commission secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma says that he expected the agency to make a decision this week on their interpretation of the new Charter that sets out, broadly, how…
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Pattaya hit by sudden topical deluge
PHOTOS: Pattaya One Pattaya was inundated with two hours of unseasonal and sudden rain yesterday late morning-early afternoon, the result of a random ‘summer storm’ system that dumped heavy, localised rain on the seaside resort. The rains started at about 11am and continued for two hours, leaving many roads under water and impassable. The roadside drains struggled to get rid…
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Fix the smoke haze problem in 7 days – PM
“Go and hit the fires with this spade!” The Thai PM in Chiang Mai today by Saksit Muttafa, Krissana Porjit PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government was ready to support the integration of related agencies’ work to tackle the north’s smoke and haze problem within seven days. Prayut, who visited Chiang Mai today, also said HM the King was concerned about…
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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,…
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The EC’s magic formulae. Thais want to know how it all works.
by Kas Chanwanpen More confusion today, nine days after after the national ballot, as multiple formulae have been cited to come up with a tally on the number of MPs each party would have. Meanwhile, authorities appear reluctant to clear the air. Political scientist Stithorn Thananithichot warns that this confusion could lead to lawsuits which will further complicate post-poll politics.…
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Kudo Beach Club in Patong charged after allowing under-age entry
A lawyer of a night club in Patong and a representative of an event organiser yesterday presented themselves to police to face charges after allowing customers younger than 20 years of age to enter the venue. The incident was highlighted by the Spotlight Thailand’ Facebook page. At Patong Police Station last night, the lawyer for the ‘Kudo Beach Club’ and…
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Protests demand results and transparency from the EC
by Kai Chanwanpen and The Thaiger The Thai Election Commission has to keep fending off criticism after protests yesterday were staged over its performance and the number of people demanding its members’ resignations was approaching one million. A former EC commissioner Sodsri Satayathum is calling on the agency to clear up all issues immediately before citizens launch an impeachment process,…
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King revokes royal decorations from former PM Thaksin
PHOTO: Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra welcomes Princess Ubolratana of Thailand as they arrive for the wedding of Thaksin’s daughter last weekend in Hong Kong. HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped the royal decorations of former PM and fugitive billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, alluding to his convictions and “extremely inappropriate” flight from the country. The statement in yesterday’s Royal Gazette from…
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Academics urging a State of Emergency for the North
by Pratch Rujivanarom An academic is calling on the government to declare a state of emergency as Chiang Mai and most Northern Provinces face ‘disastrous’ levels of PM2.5 smog and smoke haze.Citizen in the North are being advised to stay inside air conditioned buildings and avoid all outdoor activities, as some areas of Chiang Mai recorded PM2.5 levels reaching higher…
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Two killed in Songkhla after their pick-up is sprayed with bullets
by Santiparb Ramasuta A man and a woman riding in a pickup have been killed this morning after a group of assailants opened fire on them in Songkhla’s Sabaiyoi district. The victims were identified as 34 year old Preecha Phetkaewthng and 33 year old Sathiya Saisuwan. Both were residents of the Sabayoi district. They were rescued from the scene of…
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Polystyrene containers ditched by Southern province
by Somchai Samart You would expect the Capital to lead the way. But this time it’s one of Thailand’s southern provinces showing the way forward with one of Thailand’s biggest disposable waste problems. Songkhla in Thailand’s south, is now well on the way to establishing itself as a foam container-free city as green trends continue to grow. During the past…
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Head to Chiang Mai for Songkran – getting wet with a northern touch
Thailand’s best-known regional Songkran celebrations take place in the northern city of Chiang Mai This year the Chiang Mai Songkran Festival runs from April 1-16 and with the theme “telling the story of the Lanna culture while celebrating the auspicious new year with safety and without alcohol.” In Chiang Mai, Songkran is often called Paweni Pi Mai Muang. Chiang Mai…
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Roll out the water trucks – Phuket’s water runs low
by Salinee Prap Many areas of Phuket have suffered a shortage of tap water, with inconsistent or no flow, prompting business operators and residents to buy water from the private sector. Phuket as an island, is usually self-sufficient with its water supply, with three large catchments on the island serving locals, expats and the 12 million annual tourists. Phuket governor…
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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…
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“No need to join coalition government” – Democrat politician
PHOTO: Facebook/Parit Wacharasindhu With around 55 seats won after Sunday’s election, the Democrats are one of a few political parties which will hold the balance of power. They will be able to choose between joining an alliance with a Pheu Thai-led bloc or siding with the Phalang Pracharat-led camp. But Parit Wacharasindhu, a new generation Democrat Party member, says he…
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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…
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Democrat’s 50 parliamentary seats up for grabs
The Democrat Party is hedging their bets at the moment with differing views among the remnant of the political party as to where they should throw their support in the new parliament. Yesterday they were juggling their options, as both Pheu Thai and Phalang Pracharat claimed legitimacy to form the next government. Senior Democrat politician Thaworn Senneam, who won the…
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Nine arrested for sharing ‘fake election news’
PHOTO: Thai News Agency A Thai official has announced that nine people have been arrested for allegedly sharing fake news on Facebook. In the posts they claimed two EC commissioners had been fired and that 600,000 illegitimate ballots were mixed into the vote count. If convicted, the accused could face up to five years in jail and a 30,000 baht…
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Three Samut Prakan residents arrested with 868 kilograms of marijuana
Three men have been arrested with a whopping 868 kilograms of marijuana hidden in two houses in Samut Prakan, south-east of Bangkok. Police held a media conference to announce the arrest of two 33 year olds, Somporn Kimya and Supachai Neesungnone along with an 18 year old Thawatchai (surname withheld). Metropolitan Police Lt Gen Sutthipong Wongpin says police seized the…
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Bomb making equipment discovered in Krabi cave
Krabi officers have discovered bomb-making equipment inside a cave in Krabi. Yesterday officers raided the cave on Koh Talu in Ao Lueak, Krabi after they found that the cave is part of an area of a company who received a concession to produce and farm bird nets. To men died from their injuries after stepping on mines along the shores…
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“Palang Pracharat will not rush to form government”
PHOTO: Palang Pracharat party leader Dr. Uttama Savanayana “He also called on the Pheu Thai-led alliance to stop calling themselves the “pro-democracy camp” and their rival parties “pro-dictatorship”, pointing out that both camps had been elected by the people.” The Palang Pracharat party leader Uttama Savanayana says there is no need for the party to rush to form a government because the official election results have yet to be…
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Count continues amid surging complaints
Four days after the national election and we are still no closer to knowing the ‘winner’ as the county’s Election Commission continues the counting of the remainder of the votes amid accusations of delays and mishandling of ballots in some locations. 95% of the voting has now been completed. The EC says that the results after counting the remaining 5%…
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Patong announces ‘Songkran Festival on the Beach’ schedule
Patong Municipality has announced details for this year’s ‘Songkran Festival on the Beach’ in Patong which will be held at Bangla Park on April 11-13, at the end of Bangla Road. April 11 Sand pagoda forming contest Miss Songkran Beauty Contest Thai dancing shows April 12 Shows from entertainment operators EDM music show April 13 Food offering to monks on…
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Anti-Junta bloc announces coalition with at least 255 seats
by Kas Chanwanpen The Pheu Thai Party’s de facto leader Sudarat Keyuraphan has announced this morning that an ‘anti-junta’ bloc had mustered at least 255 MPs from seven parties to form a coalition government. She said their shared aim was to stop the military junta from retaining power. She also said that negotiations are still underway for more parties to…
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Six parties poised to announce coalition government at 10am
Six pro-democracy parties, led by Pheu Thai, are announcing their intention to form a coalition government this morning. The number-crunchers say, even without the support of BumJaiThai and the Democrats, they have 252 house seats to form a majority government (they need at least 251 seats in the 500 seat parliament). The parties siding with Pheu Thai to form the…
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EC urged to clear public doubt, announce results immediately
by Pratch Rujivanarom Facing a major public outcry over suspicious election processes and problematic vote counting, the Election Commission has been warned by both international and local election observers to promptly resolve all public doubts and prevent the escalation of political problems and conflicts. During the release of an interim report by Asian Network for Free Election (ANFREL) in Bangkok…
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Whoops. The Thaiger was down
We sincerely apologise for our service being down for three hours this afternoon. The situation was out of our control but the Thaiger Team did a magnificent job getting everything sorted. We are committed to bringing you fast, reliable news, in Thai and English and will work hard to ensure that this type of interruption to services doesn’t happen again.…
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Fourteen kilograms of marijuana seized in pre-Songkran drug crackdowns
Phuket police have sized a total of 14 kilograms of marijuana in three separate cases, including intercepting parcel post yesterday. It’s all part of the annual pre-Songkran drugs crackdown. Phuket Provincial Police have seized a parcel box sent via Thai Post in Rawai where they found 12 kilograms of marijuana. Police are now tracking down the sender. In the second…
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Petition aims to impeach Election Commissioners
PHOTO: Election Commission chief Ittiporn Boonpracong – The Nation More than 670,000 people have signed a petition at the change.org website calling for the Election Commission’s five commissioners to be ‘stood aside’ pending an investigation in the aftermath of the March 24 Thai election. Petitioners contend that the election was marred by mistakes, blunders and tampering. The campaign could actually become…
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