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Panel announces plans to boost tourism, create 1 million jobs
The new panel established by PM Prayut Chan-ocha to steer the economy through the Covid-19 crisis got off to a blazing start yesterday, announcing measures to boost tourism and create a million jobs. Created after the Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, the panel’s first meeting was chaired by the PM and attended by economics ministers and experts. After the meeting,…
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Appeals court upholds Lao drug kingpin’s life sentence
The Appeals Court today upheld the lower court’s sentence of life imprisonment for Lao drug kingpin Xaysana “Mr. X” Keopimpha for colluding to possess large quantities of methamphetamine pills in 2015 and 2016. The ruling was handed down at the Criminal Court today. Xaysana and 2 accomplices, Chumphon Phanompai and Ratchapon Ratsaponpakorn, were arrested and charged with collusion in the…
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Education minister says free speech should be allowed at Thai schools
“The students are concerned about their future which is a good thing.” Hundreds of self-called “bad students” gathered in front of the Ministry of Education in Bangkok voicing concerns over free speech after they were reprimanded earlier this week for expressing their political beliefs during a morning flag ceremony. The students raised their hands in a 3 finger salute during…
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Police bust online rifle ring
Police arrested 3 people yesterday for illegally making and selling firearms online, as well as 45 customers. In separate, coordinated raids, they seized 120 guns and more than 2,200 cartridges, breaking up a network operating in 39 of Thailand’s 76 provinces. The commander of the Crime Suppression Division said today that a series of raids targetted premises in 39 provinces…
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Covid-19 update: 7 imported cases found in state quarantine, no new deaths (August 20)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this morning reported 7 new Covid-19 cases over the previous 24 hour period. The latest new cases include 3 male hotel employees, 28, 38 and 46 years old, who returned from the United Arab Emirates on August 7 and tested positive on August 18 in a Bangkok state quarantine hotel. A 33 year old…
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Suspected child rapist arrested in Isaan forest
A man accused of raping an 11 year old girl has been arrested while hiding out in a mountainous forest in the north-eastern province of Khon Kaen. A report in Nation Thailand says 50 year old Prathan Wangson was arrested after villagers in the Manjakhiri district tipped off police when he emerged from hiding to ask for food and water.…
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Human rights lawyer Anon arrested again in Bangkok
Thai human rights lawyer Anon Nampa is in custody once more after being arrested last night in relation to his involvement in an anti-government rally in Bangkok on August 3. Anon was apprehended while appearing at the Criminal Court in his role as defence lawyer in an unrelated case. He has been charged with inciting public unrest, along with a…
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NSC extends Emergency Decree through September
The National Security Council has officially approved the fourth extension of the national state of emergency, for another month, as a revision of the Communicable Diseases Act is yet to be completed, but the NSC confirmed it will not enforce the Emergency Decree on political rallies. NSC secretary-general Somsak Rungsita said today that the state of emergency will be effective…
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Retired nurse helps choking passenger on Thai AirAsia flight
A retired nurse is deemed the hero of a domestic AirAsia flight after she helped a choking passenger. Those onboard the Bangkok to Krabi flight noticed a man was choking and called for the flight attendants. The nurse rushed over to help. A passenger on the flight shared the story on Facebook and called the woman the hero of the…
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Woman’s body pulled from Mae Ping River in Chiang Mai
Police and rescue staff in Chiang Mai have retrieved the body of a woman from the Mae Ping River near Nawarat Bridge. The woman, aged estimated to be 40-45 years old, was wearing a white T-shirt, a pair of shorts and white socks. Forensic staff estimate she had been dead for at least 2 days before the body was discovered.…
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Probe finds 20 police officers allegedly mishandled ‘Boss’ report
20 police officers are accused of allegedly produced a misleading report about the Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya hit-and-run case, a Royal Thai Police panel announced. In 2012, the Red Bull heir allegedly ran over and killed a police officer in Thong Lor, Bangkok. An independent, government-appointed panel says, due to a botched police report, the office of the attorney general, under…
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3 Free Youth activists arrested
3 members of the Free Youth movement, which arranged the July 18 protest at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument which sparked the ongoing wave of anti-government protests sweeping the nation, were arrested last night. Warrants were executed for wanted activists Baramee Chairat, Suwanna Tarnlek and Korakot Saengyenphan. The 3 face several charges, including provoking unrest, illegal gathering of more than 10 people…
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Heavy rains expected in Northern Thailand. ‘Higos’ reaches China’s coast.
Category 3 tropical storm Higos is expected to bring heavy rains to Northern Thailand for the next few days. The Thai Meteorological Department issued a warning saying “people should beware of the severe conditions”. China suffered a double blow of flooding and landslides from unusually heavy seasonal rains and a storm that barrelled into its southern coast yesterday evening. 5 people…
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Immigration announce the arrest of 18 Chinese illegal migrants in Chiang Rai
Immigration officers yesterday announced the arrest of 18 undocumented Chinese immigrants Chiang Rai on August 2, who reportedly attempted to cross the Mekong River from Laos to enter the kingdom illegally. A team of investigating officers from the Chiang Saen Immigration Checkpoint was patrolled the Mekong River area after receiving a tip that a group of unlawful migrants would be…
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Austrian man dies in head-on collision in Phuket
A 77 year old Austrian man died on the way to hospital after his motorcycle collided head-on with a passenger van in Phuket’s Kata district last night. Officers from Karon Police Station and rescue workers learned about the incident around 7:30pm. A passenger van was found with major damage to its front, and a wrecked motorbike was 4 metres away…
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Covid-19 case detected outside state quarantine, first in weeks
Medical authorities in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok, say a Thai man tested positive for Covid-19 at a hospital there today. The man, whose name was not released, was diagnosed at Ramathibodi Hospital and is currently being treated there, according to Piyamit Sitra, dean of the medical faculty at Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, an agency specifically charged with treating…
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“Free-flow” tech to eliminate Bangkok’s toll gate barriers
Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority is studying the implementation of Multi-Lane Free-Flow technology that will eliminate the need for gates at tollbooths and enable traffic to flow faster without the need to slow down or stop to pay toll fees. According to MRTA governor Surachet Laophulsuk: “The study is being carried out in parallel with the Department of Highways’ Free…
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Activists plan more protests nationwide in September
Student activist groups across the country are threatening to step up anti-government protests in September if their demands are not met. The secretary-general of the Free Youth Movement said today that the planned protests include a march through the streets of Bangkok and prolonged nationwide protests. Tatthep Ruangprapaikitseri cited Sunday’s protest at the Democracy Monument as a “big show of…
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Lao man in Isaan died of tuberculosis, not Covid-19
A Lao man who died of unknown causes yesterday while visiting his daughter in the northeastern Udon Thani province, prompting panic among locals, has tested negative for Covid-19. The cause of death has been determined as tuberculosis. 61 year old Khampoun Phimphadee, and his wife, who was not named, arrived in tambon Nong Mek of Nong Han district about 2…
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Surat Thani murder suspect nabbed after 12 years
The prime suspect in a Surat Thani murder investigation has been arrested after 12 years on the run, in the western Kanchanaburi province. Police from the Crime Suppression Division arrested 77 year old Sakol Wichaidit today, in the parking lot in front of Sangkhlaburi Hospital. He was subseqently transferred to central district police station in Surat Thani. The arrest follows…
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Hashtag urges netizens to boycott media company’s sponsors
There’s a new hashtag trending on Twitter today: #แบนสปอนเซอร์เนชั่น (ban Nation’s sponsors), as netizens vow to boycott all of the local digital news outlet Nation Thailand’s sponsors for alleged “frequent errors and pro-government editorials”. The social trend was partly brought about by the revelation that a Nation Thailand and Nation TV reporter allegedly lied to protesters last Sunday, claiming to…
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Cadet threatened with legal action for draft dodging – 3 years after dying in training
The family of a young army cadet who died in suspicious circumstances while in military training, has received a letter threatening him with legal action over his failure to show up for service. 18 year old Pakapong Tanyakan died nearly 3 years ago, while undergoing training at a military academy in the central province of Nakhon Nayok, north-east of Bangkok.…
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Separate licence to be required for big bikes
The Cabinet yesterday approved rules on the issuing and renewal of drivers’ licences as proposed by the Transport Ministry, agreeing that “big bike” motorcyclists will require a different licence from those of smaller, less powerful motorbikes, and applicants will need to pass special training and a test before being granted a licence, according to a government spokesperson. “The details of…
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Thai PM voices concern over students’ 3 finger salute
Thailand’s PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says he’s concerned about students using a controversial 3 finger salute, saying he’s heard that those who disagree with the political gesture are being unfairly targeted. The PM says that, while he understands the political motivations behind the salute, which has been embraced by anti-government activists, he disagrees with the alleged bullying and intimidation of those…
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Emergency Decree set to be extended again
While no local transmission of Covid-19 has been detected since May, the Emergency Decree appears likely to be extended through September. Nattaphon Nakpanich, an army deputy commander and vice president of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said this morning that they may extend the decree for another month because they “worry the public will let its guard down”, leading…
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Education commission says students can protest, but must remain vigilant over Covid risks
After students at a number of high schools around the country used the flag-raising ceremony to flash a 3 finger salute in solidarity with political protesters, the Office of the Basic Education Commission is weighing in on the matter. OBEC is writing to schools at the request of Anek Laothamatas, the Minister for Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. The…
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2 strong quakes shake Indonesia’s Sumatra
2 large, shallow earthquakes, of magnitude 6.8 and 6.9, struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island early today, according to the US Geological Survey. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Terrified residents fled their homes when the twin offshore quakes rocked Bengkulu city on Sumatra’s western coast. Bengkulu resident Jumentrio told AFP:…
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No probe from prosecution commission after deputy attorney-general drops “Boss” charges
Deputy Attorney-General Nate Naksuk will not be investigated by the Public Prosecutor Commission after his decision to drop a charge of reckless driving against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya. It is alleged the Red Bull heir ran over and killed a Bangkok policeman in 2012, while speeding and under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Since announcing the dropping of charges, Nate…
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Deputy PM brushes off ‘Hunger Games’ resistance symbol as scouts’ salute
The 3 finger gesture used by pro-democracy protesters is probably better known as the “Hunger Games” salute. Just like in the popular film franchise, the gesture is being used by protesters in Thailand as a symbol of ‘resistance’ against the government. While it has been used by Thai activists for years, recently crowds of high school students used the gesture…
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SE Asia’s most popular islands still ‘on hold’ as they wait to re-open to international tourists
Foreign tourists may be allowed back on to Boracay’s famed beaches in the Philippines as early as October. Meanwhile the Indonesian beach resort of Bali has shelved any immediate plans to re-open the island. In Thailand, the beaches of Phuket remain largely empty whilst the provincial government tries to promote the island as a “safe and sealed” destination to limited…
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