Hot News
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Government postpones controversial submarines deal
With a recent poll revealing that one of the public’s biggest concerns is the government’s decision to spend billions of baht on 2 submarines, many will welcome the news that officials have decided to shelve those plans… for now. If not the polls, the outrage on social media was a good indication about the public mood over the matter. The…
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1 killed, another critically injured in Chon Buri 5 car pile up
A 40 year old motorcyclist has been killed instantly while the passenger ended up seriously injured after a 5 car pile up in the Ban Bueang district of Chon Buri on Saturday. Emergency responders arrived at the fatal crash scene on the Ban Bueang – Klaeng road after 9pm on Saturday night. A blue motorcycle was seen badly mangled and embedded…
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Protest paint-throwing incident draws mixed reactions
A singer who threw blue paint on police during Friday’s protest in front of Samranrat police station in Bangkok has drawn mixed reactions from all sides of Thailand’s political spectrum. The lead singer of the Bottom Blues Band, Chai-amorn “Ammy” Kaewviboonpant, hurled blue paint at officers during a brief commotion in front of the station, where anti-government protesters had gathered…
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UPDATE: Pushback from local associations over the Thai government’s “Phuket Model”
UPDATE: Amidst the “plans” and “models” being proposed by the government to re-open Thailand to some form of general tourism (nothing confirmed yet), there’s also been some pushback from operators in some of the hardest hit areas. The government had proposed the Phuket Model as a way of kicking off tourism from early October. But the model involves a mandatory…
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3 Cambodian men arrested for Pattaya knife attack
Police in Chon Buri province’s Phan Thong subdistrict say 2 Cambodian men were seriously injured this after 3 co-workers attacked them with knives. The incident happened at 1pm on Friday. The 2 men, named only as 28 year old “Rai Rai” and 30 year old “Suporn”, were both bleeding from several slash wounds on their arms and torso when police…
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Bangkok clinic accused of botched cosmetic surgery after patient dies
“Polchana says the victim found the clinic on social media on August 10 and decided to go ahead with liposuction and breast augmentation.” A cosmetic surgery clinic in Bangkok’s Yannawa district is being accused of negligence over the death of a patient. 29 year old Polchana Chantarakasem lodged a police complaint against the clinic and demanded an autopsy into the…
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Pattaya man arrested after firing pistol in public
A 7-eleven employee in Pattaya has been arrested after firing a gun in public. Pattaya City police arrested 20 year old Jakkrit Paleang, a 7-eleven staff worker, yesterday and seized a handgun with several bullets. The arrest came after an 18 year old man, whose name was not given to reporters, filed a report to police that Jakkrit threatened him…
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Bankruptcy court finds Thai Airways sunk by graft and mismanagement
“Thaworn also claims to have evidence of bribes of at least 5%, or about 2.6 billion baht, to politicians, officials and company executives…” Troubled national flag carrier Thai Airways, which has filed for bankruptcy protection and business rehabilitation, was “sunk by mismanagement and graft”, according to a court investigation. Thaworn Senneam of the Democrats revealed that the investigation focused on…
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Plan on the table to allow Europe’s ‘snowbirds’ into Thailand for up to 9 months
Another day, another ‘plan’ flown up the pole to see if it will catch some wind. This time a prominent health provider claims the government is developing a new ‘visa’ for sunseekers. If adopted it could allow foreigners to stay in Thailand on a long-stay visa for up to 9 months. Nothing has been finalised as yet but Boon Vanasin, the…
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TAT launches “White Vest” tourism campaign
The Tourism Authority of Thailand this week launched its “White Vest” tourism campaign this week, based on intensive training to promote safety, hygiene and world class customer service at tourist spots throughout the country. Those who pass the campaign will be awarded a white vest and a certified ID badge that they can wear to signify to all tourists, both…
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House committee postpones meeting on subs purchase… again
A Parliamentary committee meeting on the Royal Thai Navy’s controversial purchase of 2 Chinese submarines has been postponed for a third time, until Monday. The Democratic party vehemently opposes the purchase, saying the 22.5 billion baht would be better spent on Covid-19 relief efforts and aiding the recovery of the nation’s battered economy. Democrat MP Akkharadet Wongphithakrot, acting as spokesman…
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New developments in “Boss” hit-and-run case
The chairman of the committee investigating the alleged mishandling of the 2012 hit-and-run case of Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya has found solid evidence to prove serious problems with both the police and the prosecution. Speaking at yesterday’s committee meeting at the end of its 30 day mission, Vicha Mahakun said the findings will not only convince PM Prayut…
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Bangkok police say they’ll charge “rioters”
Bangkok police say they’ll press charges against pro-democracy activists who caused chaotic scenes in support of their colleagues yesterday, even throwing paint on some officers. Supporters of the pro-democracy activists who arrived at Samran Rat police station to acknowledge charges stemming from a rally on July 18, broke police barriers and 1 of them threw a container of paint at…
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3 Nabbed for illegal online gun sales
Authorities in Thonburi, just south of Bangkok, yesterday announced the arrest of 3 Thai men for selling guns online. a GSG .22 calibre semiautomatic pistol, a .22 pen gun, a magazine and a great deal of ammunition, along with many tools. They were arrested in the Petchkasem area west of the capital. Bangkok. Police say 25 year old Sukkasem or…
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There is no date for the reopening of general tourism in Thailand, except Phuket
Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul says Thailand will not be “fully reopened to foreign tourists” along the lines of Phuket’s “safe and sealed” model, because the government and CCSA has to consider too many details. Thailand’s largest island, Phuket, is going to be a pilot program for the partial re-opening to any tourist that wants to visit – but with…
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Man steals 10,000 baht from Chon Buri hospital donation boxes
A 37 year old man was arrested for allegedly stealing donations from 2 hospitals in Chon Buri. Police say Arnon Kruanamkam took off with 10,000 baht in stolen donations. Arnon allegedly took money from the donation boxes in Bang Bueng Hospital and Panat Nikhom Hospital. Surveillance camera footage shows Arnon taking the money, police say. They arrested him in Rayong.…
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Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe to step down over health
Japan’s media today reported that PM Shinzo Abe will resign over health issues, in a shock development that will end a record-setting tenure with no clear successor decided. There was no immediate confirmation, and the reports came just hours before Abe was to hold a press conference about his health. The news sent Tokyo stocks tumbling more than 2%, the…
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Debate rages behind closed doors on allowing return of foreign tourists
The debate over allowing foreign tourists back into Thailand is heating up, even as plans are being made for the “Phuket model” and airlines cautiously begin announcing charter flights for long-stay foreign tourists later in the year. Thailand has gone nearly 100 days without a confirmed locally spread case of Covid-19, putting it in a tough spot compared to countries…
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Democrat MP gets 2 years in prison for vote buying
Both Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong and his brother have been sentenced to 2 years in prison for election fraud. If the verdict is upheld by a higher court, Thepthai would be banned from politics for the next decade. The Court found Thepthai and his brother Manote guilty of vote buying. Thai PBS says the illegal bribes took place at a…
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New lease on life for 7 of Thailand’s budget airlines
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today threw a lifeline to 7 of Thailands’ domestic low-cost airlines, beginning with the injection of 24 billion baht in soft loans for the struggling aviation sector, battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Representatives of Thai Air Asia, its long haul division Thai Air Asia X, Thai Smile, Thai Lion Air, Thai Viet Jet, Bangkok Airways and Nok…
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19 year old arrested for allegedly recruiting teens for prostitution
A 19 year old woman was arrested for allegedly recruiting young girls on social media for prostitution. Police say some of the girls that she recruited for sex work were teenagers. Some of them as young as 15 years old. The woman used Twitter to lure the girls in and provide them with prostitution work. Police did not report the…
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Should foreigners go to protests and get involved in Thai politics?
Should foreigners get involved in the Thai protests? Is it any of our business? Is there a danger of being targeted and thrown out of the country? Most foreigners, certainly the vast majority, will say they’re uncomfortable even discussing local politics with Thais, especially THAT other big topic. Most are happy to walk the beaches, explore or sit in the…
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Police do nothing as alleged gangster threatens Phuket family
A Phuket woman has posted a video on Facebook showing a local man harassing her family. The incident happened in the southern province’s Kathu District. The man, who she claims is a gangster named “Dam”, says the woman’s father owes him money. Thai Residents reports that police have been notified but have done nothing. The gangster, carrying a gun and…
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Satellite captures flood devastation in Thailand’s lower-north
The devastation wreaked by heavy floods in Sukhothai and Phitsanulok, provinces in the lower-north of the country, can be seen from space. A report in Nation Thailand says an Italian satellite, Cosmo Skymed-1, has captured photos that show over 125,000 rai of land is submerged as a result of heavy rainfall in the area. PHOTO: Nation Thailand Around 100,000 rai…
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Environmentalists concerned with rise of takeaway trash during lockdown
How much plastic do you toss in the garage bin when you’re done eating your takeaway order? An environmentalist says 1 person throws away about 1.5 kilograms of trash each day. With many stuck at home during the lockdown period, food delivery sales skyrocketed, but so did the amount of trash each person throws away. Thai environmentalists are concerned and…
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Thai Government puts wheels in motion for constitutional reform
The coalition government has approved a motion that sets the stage for the 2017 Thai Constitution to be amended. A report in the Bangkok Post today says a 200 member panel is being formed to oversee the process. Members will include 150 elected writers, as well as senators and academics, while student representatives may nominate a further 50 members. It’s…
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TAT governor says tourism sector must learn lessons from pandemic
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says the sector must take on board the lessons of Covid-19, including the need to shift to a “value over volume” tourism model. Yuthasak Supasorn says, should a second wave of Covid-19 engulf the world in 2021, effective risk management will be crucial in overcoming the challenges thrown up by the outbreak.…
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Experts agree: “Boss” was speeding
A police panel probing the alleged mishandling of the case said yesterday that every expert who has weighed in believes Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, heir to the Red Bull drinks empire, was definitely speeding when he hit the motorcycle of a senior policeman and dragged him some 100 metres, killing him. The panel’s deputy chairman, assistant national police chief Jaruwat Waisaya,…
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Thai Airways launching direct flights to Phuket for “Safe & Sealed” campaign
Thai Airways is dusting off its fleet and getting ready to relaunch international travel, with direct flights to Phuket from 6 countries planned to take off in the next few months. It’s all designed to co-incide with the announced “safe & sealed” campaign which the Thai government hope will re-boot tourism for the beleaguered island. Thai Airways flights have been…
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Expats to be offered travel deals at Bangkok event
Ready to go on a holiday? Expats are being offered some travel deals to boost domestic tourism. The Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to hold an event next month for foreigners. “Expat Travel Deal 2020” is September 11-13 from 10am to 10pm at Quartier Gallery at Bangkok’s EmQuartier shopping centre. It’s free to attend. Travel agencies from all over the…
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