Hot News
-
Pathum Thani man allegedly lights building on fire, sticks around to laugh and smile
Over the weekend, a man in the central Thai province of Pathum Thani allegedly lit a residential building on fire but rather than fleeing the scene after his criminal act, the man allegedly stuck around to laugh and smile at the destruction. The man allegedly started the fire in the early morning hours, around 2am in the Lam Luk Ka…
-
Bangkok residents warned of flooding risk as torrential rain forecast this week
The Meteorological Department has warned of the risk of flooding in Bangkok as a result of torrential rainfall forecast for this week. The capital has been experiencing wet weather for 3 weeks in a row now, meaning the water level in eastern Bangkok canals is already high. Bangkok governor, Aswin Kwanmuang, says water pumps need to be deployed to drain…
-
Government seeks to regulate infectious waste disposal charges
Government officials are seeking ways in which to regulate the fees being charged for the disposal of infectious waste. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Internal Trade Department will meet tomorrow with the National Municipal League of Thailand, the Health Department, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and waste disposal companies. The rates for disposing of contaminated waste have jumped significantly…
-
Meth busts yield 882,000 pills and 5.6kg of meth in Songkhla
2 drug busts over the last few days in Hat Yai and Bang Klam netted over three-quarters of a million methamphetamine pills and over 5 kilogrammes of crystal meth. Police in Songkhla had been conducting surveillance in order to uncover both suspected drug dealers before carrying out the raids that found 882,000 meth pills. On September 13, police arrested a…
-
Phuket domestic travel rules need streamlining, officials discuss
Officials in Phuket met yesterday to consider ideas about how to ease travel restrictions for domestic travellers in hopes of enabling domestic tourism to grow. With current harsh restrictions, mostly people with an imminent need to travel in and out of Phuket can jump through the hoops to access the island. Many business owners say they have seen little benefit…
-
Nida Poll: PM Prayut shouldn’t take over PPRP or form new party
A new Nida Poll about the recent shakeups in the government with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and 5 cabinet members defeating a vote of no confidence shows that only 16% of people believe that the Prime Minister should become the new leader of the Palang Pratharath Party, while many feel it’s time for him to move aside and make way for…
-
Unemployed Bangkok chef arrested after allegedly trying to sell rare butterflies to undercover agents
An out of work Thai chef was arrested for allegedly trying to sell 8 preserved butterflies, all of which are rare species, to undercover officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation at a shopping centre in Bangkok. The unidentified 29 year old unemployed chef, who previously worked at a Japanese restaurant in a Sukhumvit hotel, allegedly…
-
Local businesses say they aren’t profiting from Phuket Sandbox
While large resorts and big businesses in Phuket might be seeing revenue from the Phuket Sandbox, interviews with small local businesses suggest they are seeing little to no benefit from the reopening with its strong restrictions. Most business owners agree there won’t be any real income for most until there is a full reopening with fewer rules and more nightlife…
-
No “October reopening” plan has been approved – CCSA
While there have been numerous reports on the proposed October 1 reopening date for 5 provinces, many quoting the tourism minister, a spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says nothing has been approved. No date on the potential reopening was announced. Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the CCSA report in English, says the current measures for a 14-day quarantine…
-
Torture and forced disappearances bills pass House vote 368-0
4 bills on torture and forced disappearances have now successfully passed the House of Representatives in a triumph for human rights in Thailand. One member of parliament abstained from voting while the rest voted unanimously in favour of the 4 bills in a vote of 368 to 0. The bills include 34 sections covering a wide range of facets of…
-
Bangkok Governor: NO reopening October 15 despite PM plans
As any well-informed reader of the news in Thailand knows, Bangkok will definitely be reopening on October 1. Also, it won’t be. It will be pushed back 2 weeks to October 15, the definitive date of Bangkok’s reopening for sure. Or… not. The Governor of Bangkok avowed today that despite the national government’s ever-changing and lofty plans, Bangkok will NOT…
-
Foreign Minister Don to US for meetings with UN, ASEAN, more
An anonymous source has reported that Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai will be in the United States next week for several high profile meetings. The trip will see Minister Don attending the United Nations General Assembly as well as meetings in Washington DC and New York related to ASEAN matters. Numerous bilateral meetings with US counterparts and Thailand’s friends are…
-
Occupancy at alternative quarantine hotels takes a nosedive
Bookings at alternative quarantine hotels have plummeted, with Prin Pathanatham from AQ Club Thailand saying average occupancy is currently around 25 – 30%. It’s believed rumours the quarantine period may be reduced from next month have led to the drop in bookings, coupled with signs that infections may have peaked. And Prin says the resumption of domestic flights from dark…
-
Desperate hotel operators look to Bangkok re-opening for signs of hope
Even with plans still up in the air and nothing confirmed, Thai hotel operators are pinning their hopes on Bangkok’s proposed re-opening next month. The president of the Thai Hotels Association says that while hotels don’t expect a huge uptake in bookings immediately, they are hopeful that average occupancy might reach 15 – 20% in the last 3 months of…
-
Will it, won’t it? October re-opening in doubt as Anutin defers to medical experts
Thailand’s public health minister has responded to comments from top medics who have questioned the wisdom of re-opening the country next month. Anutin Charnvirakul says any re-opening will need the go-ahead from the Department of Disease Control, adding that nothing has been confirmed yet. “No one said the country will re-open on October 1.” The Bangkok Post reports how, back…
-
Pattaya reopening likely to snub nightlife, favor other attractions
While Pattaya and indeed the rest of Thailand are struggling to figure out when and how they will really be able to reopen for international tourism, it looks likely that when Pattaya does reopen the entertainment and nightlife the city is famous for may not be open. As reopening comes into sight welcoming back international travellers that would be free…
-
Man allegedly poses as famous DJ on Facebook to get donations for Covid, keeps the money
A man who posed as a famous disc jockey, DJ Poom, on Facebook is being investigated by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau after 2 banks lodged complaints against him for allegedly soliciting donations for Covid and then allegedly pocketing the money. He is also accused of stealing data and cash after making a site that sells products. The 2 banks are the…
-
PM orders government officials to get ready for Thailand’s re-opening
The countdown is on to the October re-opening of Bangkok and 4 other provinces and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the tourism, health, and interior ministries to get ready. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM has instructed officials to prepare to boost tourism while still living with Covid-19 restrictions. However, not everyone agrees with the October re-opening, with…
-
Re-opening of Bangkok pushed back 2 weeks to reach 70% vaccination goal
Following a meeting between the Bangkok governor and the tourism minister, officials have decided to delay the re-opening of the capital by 2 weeks. Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the capital’s re-opening will be pushed back to October 15, as most residents are still waiting for their second vaccination. Currently, just 37% of residents are fully vaccinated. The Bangkok Post…
-
Samut Prakan man allegedly extorts residents for their registration plates
A man has allegedly been extorting people in the central Thai province of Samut Prakan to get their car registration plates back. The alleged criminal entrepreneur was exposed when a young woman posted on Facebook to say that a man had forced her boyfriend to hand over 100 baht to get his plate back after it came loose in floodwaters.…
-
Motorbike accident kills 26 year old woman near Pattaya
A 26 year old woman from Chiang Rai died in an accident when her motorbike crashed into a power pole in Bang Lamung late Monday night. The Nongyai Police received word of the accident at around 10:45 in the evening. They arrived along with emergency responders at the crash site at Soi Chaiyapruek 1 in Huayyai. The woman was found…
-
Department of Airports to lose 3 facilities to Airports of Thailand
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has confirmed that 3 airports under Department of Airports management are to be transferred to Airports of Thailand in a bid to boost tourism. Udon Thani, Krabi, and Buriram airports will all be managed by AoT in the hope that they can be transformed into hubs that can handle higher tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok…
-
Tourists from Middle East put off Thailand due to bureaucracy, costs of Covid tests
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the high cost of Covid-19 tests, coupled with Certificate of Entry bureaucracy, is proving a deterrent for tourists from the Middle East. According to a Bangkok Post report, Chaiwat Tamthai from the TAT’s Dubai office says would-be tourists from the Middle East are in favour of the Phuket sandbox concept, but put off by…
-
Covid or no Covid, October 1 re-opening going ahead – Tourism Minister
There will be no rowing back on the planned October 1 re-opening of Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Chiang Mai, despite the Covid-19 crisis. So says Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, confirming that the government is sticking to the re-opening date previously announced by the PM. According to a Bangkok Post report, the minister has also…
-
Cabinet approves measure to entice “high potential” foreigners to Thailand
The cabinet has approved a measure to entice “high potential” foreigners, such as wealthy retirees and specialists, to spend a prolonged period in Thailand. The measure is a bid to promote foreign investment and to improve the struggling economy. The 4 groups that the government hopes to attract to Thailand are high income earners, foreign retirees, experts in different fields,…
-
Teen allegedly robs gold shop after losing money in investment scam
A 17 year old girl was arrested for allegedly robbing a gold shop and threatening the manager with a kitchen knife after she lost money in an apparent scam. The teenager reportedly told officers that she had gotten involved in what appeared to be an online investment website. She had seen an advertisement on Instagram and decided to invest the…
-
Tourism Minister says Pattaya will become part of “Sandbox 7+7” extension
Pattaya’s forthcoming re-opening to foreign tourists will see it join the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 extension programme, according to Thailand’s Tourism Minister. According to a Pattaya News report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed the plan while on a visit to the area on Sunday. It’s understood the proposal will go to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this Friday, along with proposals for…
-
Quarantine, sealed routes may be ditched as government revises re-opening plan
Mandatory quarantine and sealed routes could be scrapped as officials reconsider the rules for re-opening the country. The adoption of the “One SOP, One System” model for the re-opening of Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Cha-am, and Bangkok from October 1 is being submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next week and also includes a proposal to halve…
-
NACC nearing conclusion in case of police allegedly smuggling liquor
The National Anti-Corruption Commission is nearing a conclusion in their case of police planes being allegedly used to smuggle liquor out of Hat Yai, a southern Thai province, to Bangkok, says deputy secretary general of the commission, Niwatchai Kasemmongkol. Niwatchai’s comments are in response to a post on the Facebook page “@Watchdog.ACT”, which brought up the investigation into the case.…
-
Nakhon Si Thammarat named Thailand’s most murderous province
Nakhon Si Thammarat, a southern Thai province, is proving worrisome for the Crime Suppression police as they have named the area the country’s most murderous province since the start of 2021. Police suspect the abundance of households that possess guns is partially to blame for the high murder rate. The Crime Suppression police have expressed their alarm at the number…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.