Hot News
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Thailand exempts cryptocurrency transfer VAT until 2023
The Royal Thai Government Gazette has formally announced a VAT exemption for transferring cryptocurrency from now until the end of 2023. The cabinet had approved the exemption of the value added tax, or VAT, for transferring cryptocurrency or digital tokens in March. Yesterday, the decision was passed into Thai law and will be in effect from yesterday until December 31,…
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As fuel prices climb, Thailand’s delivery workers struggle
As Thailand’s fuel prices climb, some delivery drivers are saying the country’s attempts at subsidies aren’t helping them much. One motorcycle taxi driver told Thai PBS World that, even though the government offers a 250 baht discount per month on benzene or gasohol, it’s not worth it when he has to travel a long distance for it. The driver added that…
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Notorious hitman arrested in southern Thailand
Yesterday, police and military forces in Thailand’s southern province of Ranong arrested a notorious hitman. The hitman, 41 year old Nirut Krajang, had fled to Myanmar when a Chumphon court issued an arrest warrant for murder. There, he worked for 4 months in forestry before his eye was injured and he returned to Thailand for treatment. But coming back home…
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Former air force officer murders ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in Bangkok
A former Royal Thai Air Force officer murdered his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend at a house in Ratchathewi district in Bangkok yesterday morning. The perpetrator broke into the couple’s home and shot dead 24 year old Fah and 25 year old Korakot before fleeing the house. Fah was shot twice in the head and body and Korakot was shot…
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Phuket police search for kidnapper and young girl he abducted months ago
Police are still on the hunt for a man who kidnapped a young girl on Rawai Beach in the main city district of Phuket in February. The girl’s mother reported the kidnapping on February 9, saying that a 33 year old man named only as ‘Camp’ abducted her 13-year-old daughter while the girl was selling flowers on Rawai Beach in…
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Thai nurse arrested for conning the public out of millions of baht in flu vaccine scam
A Thai nurse has been arrested, accused of defrauding the public in a flu vaccine scam that netted millions of baht. According to media reports, 38-year-old Thonglim Jitpeng was arrested in the Bang Na district of Bangkok. She has denied the charges against her. According to reports, Thonglim ran a business selling hand sanitiser during the pandemic, which enabled her…
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Bangkok governor-elect calls for calm and unity to get through the political storm
Chadchart Sittipunt has called for the citizens of Bangkok to put their differences to one side and come together in unity. The Bangkok governor-elect celebrated his 56th birthday yesterday with twin brother, Dr Chanchai Sittipunt, an associate professor and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, but still made time to send out a positive message amid squabbling…
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Government says PM listening to concerns over draft law on public gatherings, NGO funding
The Thai PM is paying attention to, and welcomes, the opinions of those opposed to a draft law on NGO funding and public gatherings. So says deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, according to a report in the Bangkok Post today. Wissanu says Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to compile a list of objections to the…
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Teenage gunman goes on rampage killing 19 children and 2 adults at a Texas primary school
Nineteen children and 2 adults have been shot dead at a Texas elementary school. The 18 year old gunman burst into the Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde just before noon on Tuesday, Texas time, and opened fire on students aged between 5 and 11, fatally shooting 19 victims before making his escape. The alleged shooter, identified by Texas…
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Phuket officials announce plans for 2 big tourism events next month
Phuket’s Deputy Governor Pichet has announced yesterday that the island province will host 2 major tourism events in June, which will each host hundreds of guests. One event is the Thailand Tourism Congress 2022, which will be held at Beyond Resort Kata from June 6-8. The other event is Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2022, which will be held at Angsana…
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Woman suffers burns as bus bursts into flames after brake failure
A woman suffered burns to her arm as passengers fled a blazing bus outside a busy shoppin mall yesterday evening. The airconditioned and gas-fuelled bus caught fire in Nonthaburi, northwest of Bangkok, due to a failed brake system which lead to it overheating, according to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. Around 30 passengers fled the blaze but, unfortunately, one female…
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Chadchart’s victory is a triumph for democracy says former PM
Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra says Chadchart Sittipunt’s landslide victory in the Bangkok governor election was a result of pro democracy followers voting for him, and declared the result will be mirrored in the kingdom’s next national election, in an interview with The Room 44. Move Forward’s candidate, Wiroj Lakhanaadisorn, was predicted to win the popular vote but electors chose…
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AirAsia plane lands on wrong runway in Bangkok
Today, Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority – or CAAT – reported a “serious incident” which took place earlier this month. On May 4, an AirAsia Airbus A320-200 landed on the wrong runway at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport. The Thai AirAsia aircraft departed Ranong city at 12:43 and landed on Don Muang’s unassigned 21L runway at 13:36, instead of the 21R runway…
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Thailand defends human trafficking record
Thailand yesterday defended its human trafficking record and hit back at US accusations that the illegal transportation of people is a critical national problem. A Thai delegation, led by Chettaphan Maksamphan, director-general of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs, met with US Department of State officials in Washington last week to discuss the matter ahead of the 2022…
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11 Malaria patients found in Thailand’s east, blood from monkeys on Koh Chang tested
The eastern Thai province of Trat has reported 11 malaria patients, 9 from Koh Chang and 2 from the Bor Rai district. The type of malaria found in the residents is the parasite plasmodium knowlesi. The disease was first detected in the local monkey population and then transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Blood from random monkeys on Koh Chang has…
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5,000 prisoners in Thailand are suffering from mental health illness
There are 260,000 prisoners across 143 jails in Thailand, and around 5,000 convicts are dealing with mental health problems. Psychologists have revealed reports of anxiety and depression that is most common among prisoners sentenced for drug-related offences. A large number of offenders already suffer from mental illness before arrest while others deteriorate once they are jailed, according to the Corrections…
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Thai tourism officials aiming for 50% hotel occupancy rate this year
Tourism officials in Thailand have set a target of 50% hotel occupancy this year, in order to revive the tourism sector, following a further easing of restrictions from June 1. According to Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, hotel occupancy dropped to 29% during 2020 and then plunged to 14% in 2021. It needs to climb back…
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“Eat Out with Marriott Bonvoy”: enjoy food discounts all the way
Sponsored Foodies, rejoice! This May and June, Marriott Bonvoy is celebrating the timeless pleasures of good company and excellent gastronomy in Thailand with the launch of “Eat Out with Marriott Bonvoy”. But, what is “Eat Out with Marriott Bonvoy”? It is a nationwide food festival that promises Marriott Bonvoy members a series of rewarding dining discounts at nearly 40 hotels…
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Unemployment rate dropped with removal of Covid-19 restrictions
Thailand’s unemployment rate dropped significantly since the coronavirus outbreak. The quota fell to 1.53% from 1.64% since the beginning of 2022 meaning just over 600,000 people are currently unemployed. Before the Covid-19 pandemic the unemployment rate was at 1% in Q1 of 2020, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). But the good news is that the…
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Thai Airways to auction off Boeing 737-400 Airframe via Facebook Live
After reporting a net loss of nearly 3.4 billion baht on revenue in Q1, cash-strapped Thai Airways are continuing their online yard sale in a bid to make some extra money. This time, the airline is auctioning off an entire Boeing 737-400 airframe via Facebook Live on their page TG Warehouse Sale this Wednesday, May 25, at 3pm. A TG…
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Landslide victory for elected Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt
Yesterday, Bangkok held its first governor election in eight years. Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt won the vote by a landslide, gaining almost 1.4 million votes, breaking the record for the highest number of votes ever in a Bangkok gubernatorial election. Of the 4.36 million people eligible to vote in the election, a total of 2,635,283 people voted yesterday, or 60.48%.…
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Flooding situation worsening in Chiang Rai, waters recede in Chiang Mai
The flooding situation in easing in the northern province of Chiang Mai, but getting worse in neighbouring Chiang Rai. That’s according to a Thai PBS World report, which says the levels in several Chiang Rai waterways have been rising steadily since yesterday, as a result of heavy rain on Saturday. The Chan River has burst its banks in Chiang Rai’s…
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Australian voters sweep conservative government out of power
Australian voters have delivered a stark rebuke to both of the major political parties, awarding votes to a raft of new independent MPs who will take seats in the new lower house of the Australian parliament. Both major parties – the Liberal/National conservative coalition and the centre-left Australian Labor Party – lost their way in a sea of big changes…
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Thailand tourism authorities expect 1 million arrivals per month starting June
Thailand’s tourism authorities say their goal for the number of foreign arrivals in Thailand is expected to happen earlier than they predicted it would. The Tourism Authority of Thailand previously said it expected 1 million tourists per month to arrive in Thailand between October and December, leading up to the high season. But now, the TAT says Thailand should reach…
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Police under investigation in central Thailand after viral video
Police have transferred 2 officers to inactive posts in Thailand’s central province of Nakhon Pathom following a viral video of the officers kicking and stomping on 2 young men. A fact-finding investigation of the 2 officers is now underway. The video first shows the officers pulling over on the side of a road in their truck, as 3 young men…
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Phuket Food Festival 2022 will feature hemp recipies
As Phuket hosts Thailand’s biggest light festival, Aqua Lumina, another event on the island province is on the way next week. Phuket’s Food Festival 2022 will start on May 28 (Saturday) and run until June 5. It will be held at Saphan Hin Centre Stage area, on the east side of Phuket Town, from 4pm – 11pm every night. This…
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Thailand’s biggest light festival kicks off on Phuket shores
Thailand’s biggest light festival arrived on the shores of Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach yesterday. Officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand welcomed partiers to the Aqua Lumina Illumination Festival with, as you’d expect, lots of colourful lights. The Phuket edition of the festival is set to last until May 31. Aqua Lumina’s theme in Phuket is “Land of the Guardians…
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UPDATE: GoFundMe page for victim of Pattaya gym assault – VIDEO
THE LATEST Following a violent attack at a Pattaya gym earlier this week, the victim has come forward and given a video interview with Youtuber Bryan Flowers. The victim, 46 year old British national Gary Reed, recounts how a fellow gym goer struck him hard in the face with a dumbbell when he wouldn’t move from the bench he was…
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UPDATE: Chief in Phuket says black water is “not from businesses”
THE LATEST After a popular Facebook page claimed this week that dirty black water at a Phuket beach is being caused by nearby businesses, an official insists it is not. The page, titled Monsoon Garbage Thailand, posted a damning video of the water flowing into the ocean at Kamala Beach. But Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation Chief Jutha Dumlak told The Phuket…
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In Phuket, Indians are the top tourist group since Test & Go scrapped
Now that Thailand Pass has dropped its much hated ‘Test & Go’ scheme, Indian tourists are the biggest tourist group on the island province, according to Phuket International Airport Immigration. Between May 1-18, 12,200 Indians have travelled to Phuket. The other countries on a list of 10 with the most tourists in Phuket, in order, are Australia, Singapore, UK, Russia,…
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