Hot News
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Indian tourists filling the gap as Chinese eschew Thailand
PHOTO: The Vijitt Resort, Rawai, Phuket Thailand’s currently patchy tourism industry, down but not out, is getting some interim support from visitors from the population colossus to its west, India. The new arrivals are filling in the gap, not quite a gaping hole as yet, of bumper arrivals from China. At a beachfront hotel on Phuket’s south west coast, the occupancy…
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Green Island – Thailand’s fully self-sufficient tropical paradise
For those wishing to escape the hectic life, spend a peaceful getaway in the embrace of Thai nature, and take lungfuls of pure air at a place unknown to most tourists, Pha Luai Island is an ideal destination. With a population of only 180 households and situated in Surat Thani’s Ang Thong Islands Marine National Park, just a stone’s throw…
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Bangkok’s MRT to start passenger free ‘test drive’ on Blue Line extension this month
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority is poised to open the MRT Blue Line Thaphra extension for passenger test runs later this month. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) commenced internal test runs on the MRT Blue Line’s Hua Lamphong – Bangkae extension on July 1. The early phase of the test is intended to ensure the preparedness of officials to…
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‘Net idol’ arrested over monetising online porn and gambling
PHOTOS: The Nation | AsiaOne Bangkok police have arrested a “net idol” (a popular Thai social media poster) for allegedly running a closed online group where pornography was sold and gambling promoted. A police source says that 32 year old Jindarat “Amp” Seripaiboonsap was arrested two days earlier at a home on Phetchkasen Soi 48 in Phasi Charoen district. She…
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Nigerian and Thai wife arrested in Chon Buri over $50,000 romance scam
PHOTO: Naewna Nong Prue police say they’ve arrested a Nigerian man and his Thai wife over their alleged collusion in an online romance scam. Police claim 40 year old Uchenna Joseph Amujiogu and 36 year old Wassana Kanchiak scammed a Thai woman out of 2 million baht. The woman contacted police in June after she realised she had been a victim…
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Dugongs ‘live’ from today starring Miriam and Yamil
PHOTO: กรมทรัพยากรทางทะเลและชายฝั่ง Be your own director, choose the camera and follow your baby dugongs live. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and TOT are running live trials for a livestream of the care facilities where the two young dugongs ‘Mariam’ and ‘Yamil’ are now living, one in Trang and one in Phuket. The DMCR and TOT intend to provide…
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Bangkok’s Din Daeng Road area the noisiest in the city
Huh?! I can’t hear you!! Bangkok’s Din Daeng Road in Bangkok is noisiest road in the capital, with the average 24 hour noise levels measuring between 72-82 decibels, exceeding the standard level of 70 decibels, according to the Pollution Control Department Din Daeng is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from north, are Chatuchak, Huai Khwang, Ratchathewi,…
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Windmill GoGo in Pattaya raided: Three arrested over prostitution and underage sex
PHOTO: รอบพัทยา Ok As difficult as it might be to believe, police have found MORE evidence of prostitution in Pattaya. Attention this time turned to the red-light district of Walking Street where regular ‘inspections’ from police and officials in the past have found ‘no prostitution’ (cough…). Police conducted a raid using an ‘undercover informant’ after receiving tip-offs the bar was…
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‘Grow up’ , ‘don’t throw tantrums’ – Palang Pracharat spokesperson
PHOTO: Uttama Savanayana, left, and Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, deputy spokesperson for Phalang Pracharat Party, is lambasting the opposition for being “childish and narrow-minded” as it filed its petition to censure the PM. He says the opposition should give the new government some time to work before launching no-confidence motions against it. “I want the opposition to be more open-minded…
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‘Thailand’ through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers
In addition its current “Drug In Film” project, the Thai Film Archive is also holding a program of historical and contemporary films about Thailand as seen through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers. The series, dubbed “Exotic Thailand”, will run through July and August, and features 15 films made in Thailand by international directors, including historical works like “Chang: A Drama of the…
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Thailand’s Princess Sirivannavari names Krabi’s baby dugong ‘Yamil’
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari has proposed the name ‘Yamil’ for the orphaned baby dugong found stranded in Krabi on July 1. The animal was rescued by villagers and sent for treatment and rehabilitation by marine veterinarians in Phuket. Read about the baby dugong being found HERE. Netizens were invited to name the orphaned baby dugong by officials yesterday. Many…
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Dead dugong, dolphin found off southern Thai beaches
PHOTO: Manoch Wongsuryrat A three-metre long dugong has been found dead off the coast of Trang in southern Thailand. The total number of dead dugong found this year has reached seven, according to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources when they spoke to Thai PBS. Fishermen found the mammal and towed it ashore for veterinarians to examine. The dugong…
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Petition pushing for Prayut’s disqualification as Cabinet member handed to Constitutional Court
PHOTO: The Nation Lower House speaker, Chuan Leekpai, has forwarded a petition to the Constitutional Court calling for the disqualification of PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha as a Cabinet member. The petition, signed by 101 MPs, was handed to Chuan by opposition Pheu Thai Party member Chonlanan Srikieo. The petition suggests that Prayut does not qualify as a Cabinet member, according to…
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PM orders local officials to help Khlong Dan flood victims in Samut Prakhan
The Prime Minister has ordered officials to assist residents in a riverside community which was flooded by a high tide surged through a dike being constructed in Samut Prakhan last night. A deputy government spokesman said that the sudden flooding in the community of about 50 households at Khlong Dan, Bang Bo district, was not caused by the collapse of…
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OPINION: Thailand – Land of false smiles
by Pete Downing, Guest Contributor Every year for the past eight years we have saved and come to Phuket for minimum of a week. More often than not we bring other members of our family, anywhere from four to six at a time, and every time bringing empty cases with a 30kg allowance per person and filling those cases each…
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New Cabinet list submitted for royal approval
The list of Cabinet members has been submitted for royal endorsement, according to Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam. He was speaking after presiding over the opening of Thailand Social Expo 2019 at Impact Muang Thong Thani. Wissanu declined to give further details, saying that any media questions regarding the matter should be directed to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. He explained to the…
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Competition to name dugong calf in Phuket
PHOTO: กรมทรัพยากรทางทะเลและชายฝั่ง The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Phuket is inviting members of the public to participate in a contest to name an orphaned baby dugong, found stranded on a beach in Krabi. The dugong calf is now under the care of DMCR vets to save rare marine animals in Phuket. Jatuporn Buruspat, the department’s director-general visited the…
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Final cabinet posts will contribute to frailty of new Thai government
Before the ink is even dry on the Cabinet list, and before the newly formed government has even sat, along with its PM, rumours continue to swirl over the viability of the Palang Pracharat Coalition and it’s ability to govern. Dean of the National Institute of Development Administration’s School of Social and Environmental Development, Phichai Ratnatilaka Na Bukhet, is quoted…
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Pattaya netizens concerned over dead dolphin found by fishermen
Video of a dead dolphin offshore from the coastal city of Pattaya, east of Bangkok, has upset locals. The video shows the dolphin floating in the waters between Pattaya and Koh Larn in the Gulf of Thailand. The Pattaya Mail reports that the mammal became tangled in a fishing net, with the rope caught in its mouth. The net was cut…
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Mariam the baby dugong ‘goes live’ soon
PHOTO: Hannaret Hripai and Srichai Anuraktichai Officials started installing six CCTVs along the coast of Koh Libong in Trang province today so that netizens will be able to monitor the life of Mariam, the baby dugong that was found washed up on a Krabi Beach in May. Residents and visitors will now be able to ‘bay sit’ (or dugong sit)…
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Bangkok’s BTS becoming too expensive for Thai passengers
The ultra-useful BTS network around Bangkok is becoming too expensive for many Thais, and is more expensive than international equivalents. The BTS Skytrain system is already too costly when compared to basic wages in Thailand, according to a recent research paper by the The Thailand Development Research Institute. It says that low-income earners can only afford to pay 11.7 baht…
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Airbnb estimates direct economic impact in Thailand exceeds 33.8 billion baht
• 80 percent of local Airbnb hosts saying they recommend restaurants and cafes to guests • Airbnb guests saying that 46% of their spending occurs in the neighbourhood where they stay. According to new survey findings and an analysis of internal data released today, Airbnb’s host and guest community generated over 33.8 billion baht in estimated direct economic impact in…
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The Kings Cup Scrabble competition is on in Bangkok
The 34th Brand’s International Scrabble Championships will be held at Central Westgate in Bang Yai, Bangkok, for four days starting today running through to Sunday, July 7. It’s one of the largest Scrabble tournaments in the world, in terms of the number of players, drawing as many as 8,000 players. Thailand has produced two world champions as well as many top…
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Ja New thanks those that support him and updates his health
PHOTO: Facebook/Sirawith Seritiwat Thai political activist Sirawith Seritiwat, aka. Ja New, has posted on his Facebook page for the first time since last Thursday’s brutal attack in Bangkok. In the post, typed by a friend, Sirawith says that he was touched by everyone’s kindness, acknowledging the activity relating to his case and calling for justice both inside and outside parliament.…
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British expat catches world’s biggest carp in Thailand
PHOTO: Bournemouth News 42 year old John Harvey from the UK has caught a fish that was THAT big! The world’s largest carp was a Siamese carp weighing 232lbs (105 kilograms). It beats the old record by 10lbs (4.5 kilograms). John was fishing at the Palm Tree Lagoon at Chedi Hak, just west of Bangkok. The property investor from the UK…
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89 year old Trang grandmother raped by 71 year old neighbour
PHOTOS: Daily News A 71 year old man in Trang has been arrested after confessing to raping an 89 year old neighbour. Daily News reports that Palian police arrived to find that the woman’s granddaughter, Naphawan, had already taken matters into her own hands and beaten up Yap Chaiphak. She admitted to police that she had hit Yap repeatedly with…
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Sukhumvit Gallery showcases images from a bygone era in Bangkok
The Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit has launched a photo gallery and Artistic Afternoon Tea themed around Sukhumvit’s rich history. The new photo gallery, in one of Bangkok’s most culturally diverse areas, is giving guests a glimpse into another era with a permanent exhibition on the history of Bangkok’s most important boulevards – Sukhumvit Road. Sukhumvit Gallery, located on the fourth…
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‘No problems’ in the Palang Pracharat Party – Thai PM
Move on, nothing to see here… The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says there is no problem in the Palang Pracharat party which would warrant his intervention. Asked yesterday by waiting reporters whether he will step in to address conflicts in the coalition alliance, caused by the Palang Pracharat’s ‘Sam Mitr’ faction’, the PM snapped back “What problem? No problem.” Interior…
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Blackwater at Phuket’s Nai Harn beach due to ‘natural causes’
‘Blackwater’ has returned at one of Phuket’s favourite beaches, this time in the lagoon behind Nai Harn beach, which flushes out naturally when the tide conditions are right. For now, it is dammed up by the sand and has developed into an ugly cesspool for passersby to see. Responding to complaints from local residents, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos has denied…
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Another baby Dugong found on a Krabi beach
PHOTO: Thai Rath Another lost baby dugong has been rescued after being found injured in Krabi. The baby dugong was found washed up on the shores in Klongthom District, Krabi yesterday (June 1) and was rescued by the officials from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC). Thai Rath reports that the baby dugong had a lot of scratches on it…
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