Hot News
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What are they smoking? More tweaks to cannabis rules
Small changes to the rules on the sale and use of cannabis have been made in the face of intense lobbying from vested interests about recreational marijuana use. In June, Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise the use of cannabis, while introducing legal controls including banning sales to people under the age of 20. Cannabis liberalisation was…
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FTX crypto exchange files for bankruptcy
The American crypto exchange FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today following several days of turmoil amid a failed buyout. Founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried announced his official resignation yesterday. The cryptocurrency world has been severely shaken by the second-largest exchange collapsing. In 2020, FTX was valued at only a few hundred million US dollars but skyrocketed to a US$1…
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Despite poor Republican election showing, Trump expected to announce presidential bid Tuesday
Amidst a host of hotly contested races in the United States midterm elections, former President Donald Trump is expected to announce his run for president in 2024. Longtime advisor Jason Miller said yesterday that Trump is expected to officially throw his hat in the ring for the 2024 race on Tuesday, despite a relatively poor showing for his Republican Party,…
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57k passengers – 49k international – arriving at Suvarnabhumi daily
Tourism is ramping up in Thailand. Bangkok’s primary airport and the main international hub of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, reported 57,000 international travellers arriving on Thursday. That number is inching shockingly close to 60,000 people a day that was arriving each day before the Covid-19 pandemic. The National reported that 25 international flights arrived, with 49,000 out of the 57,000 total…
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Ayutthaya gold robbery suspect is former local politician
Ayutthaya gold robbery suspects involved in the 2-million-baht (US$55,000) raid on a bullion shop at a shopping mall in the Sena district were rounded up by police overnight. In news which will shock many readers, one of the alleged robbers turns out to be a local politician. Investigators from provincial police region 1 and Ayutthaya police swooped on two of…
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4am curfew proposal protested by drunk driver victims
Entertainment venue and nightlife operators are fervently pushing for a 4am closing time and have gained support from many key government officials. But a protest outside Government House pushed back against a later curfew, fueled by victims of drunk drivers and a coalition of anti-drink driving activists. The 4am curfew extension is expected to be officially proposed to the Cabinet…
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Phuket prison cookery contest stirs the taste buds
Inmates at Phuket prison have been learning new cooking skills and taking part in a cookery contest to prepare them for release. Street Food Cooking Contest to Build a Career (Season 2) event, organised by Phuket Provincial Probation Office concluded the food and nutrition department of Phuket Polytechnic College Thursday. Judging the contest, Phiphat Wongteerakijkosol, director of the probation office,…
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More civil servants fall victim to Thailand’s drug ‘war’
Twenty-one civil servants in Khon Kaen tested positive for drugs during a recent campaign in Thailand’s “war” on drugs. More than 760,000 pills, many weapons, explosives and rounds of ammunition were seized during raids at 900 locations in the province in the previous four weeks, said Governor Kraisorn Kongchalard. Some 192 suspects were arrested for firearms offences with 180 weapons…
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Russians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far
Russians have made up Phuket’s biggest group of tourists so far in November. From November 1-10, Phuket saw 18,370 Russian tourists. The total number of foreign tourists was 75,247, The Phuket Express reported. The next top four countries for tourism in Phuket were: India with 8,939 tourists, Australia with 5,275 tourists, the UK with 4,511 tourists, and Germany with 4,152…
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Kentucky Fascist Chicken – It’s window breakin’ good
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has apologised for inviting German customers to celebrate the anniversary of Kristallnacht by ordering fried chicken and cheese. According to the Guardian, the fast-food giant sent the message to its customers on Wednesday, the 84th anniversary of the night when Nazis gangs attacked Jewish shops, businesses and synagogues across Germany, and the beginning of the Nazis’ attempt…
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Disgraced Thai MP refutes illegal activities with Chinese
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) stumbled upon a former disgraced politician as the department’s crackdown on Chinese gangsters operating in the kingdom continues. Thai media made known yesterday that the RTP is investigating the former secretary-general of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), Thamanat Prompow, and his alleged links to Chinese triads. The 58 year old denies the allegations. “I…
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Bullet train in fake “ambassadorial residence” shocks cops
Police were shocked when they searched the “ambassadorial residence” of the fake Chinese diplomat with a false ID card collared in his fake consulate yesterday. As the police seize assets of Chinese gangs operating in Thailand, the arrest of a middle-aged businessman in the heart of the city would hardly make the headlines. Except this businessman is accustomed to being…
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Thailand welcomes 50,000 foreign tourists in one day
Nearly 50,000 foreign tourists arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand yesterday. Reassuring statistics reported by immigration indicate a revival of Thailand’s tourism industry, although arrivals are still nowhere near close to hitting pre-pandemic levels. Today, Commander of the Immigration Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimphadee confirmed that the picture of a giant queue at immigration posted on social media is…
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Video of pickup trucks racing in Phuket goes viral
A video of pickup trucks racing on a road in Phuket last night has gone viral. The video shows at least three trucks driving at a lightning fast speed, racing from an intersection near the Saphan Hin Public Park in the main city district. The Phuket Provincial Police commander said that officers caught five of the drivers. Commander Major General…
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Wife’s ex-husband shoots new husband in the penis
A man was arrested yesterday after he shot his ex-wife’s husband in the penis. The man claims that the shooting was an accident. Officers from Mueng Chumporn Police Station investigated a shophouse on Klomma Luang Road in the Mueng district of Chumporn province in southern Thailand after being notified of a shooting. A shophouse can be used as a shop…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects invitation to APEC Summit in Thailand
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bangkok next week, despite Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs confirming the Russian leader’s attendance last month. Yesterday, the Russian Embassy informed Thailand’s foreign ministry that Putin would no longer be attending the meeting on November 18-19. Instead, he is sending First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei…
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Thai woman accuses couple of forcing her to have threesome in exchange for debt forgiveness
A woman contacted police after she says a couple forced her to have a threesome with them in exchange for forgiving a 500,000 baht debt. But, the husband of the couple says the woman was actually having an affair with his wife. The 32-year-old woman’s lawyer took her to the complaint centre at the Central Investigation Bureau to seek legal…
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VIDEO: robber snatches 1 million baht worth of jewellery from Pattaya gold shop
There’s been another gold shop robbery in Thailand, this time in Pattaya. On Wednesday, the robber threatened staff at the Aurora Gold Shop in Tesco Lotus in South Pattaya at gunpoint. The robber reportedly first gave the staff a piece of paper detailing his demands. The staff were hesitant, so the robber then walked behind the counter himself, and took…
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Putin gets G20 Summit cold feet
Russian President Vladimir Putin may have cold feet as news comes that he may attend the G20 Summit virtually. According to Thai PBS World, Western countries have put pressure on the Summit’s host country of Indonesia to withdraw Putin’s invitation, but it has resisted. The host country says it does not have the authority to withdraw such an invitation without…
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Is your sacking really necessary? Elon Musk’s ship of twits sails on
Head twit Elon Musk told employees your sacking is necessary. What he told Yoel Roth and Robin Wheeler, two ex-members of his new “leadership” team, no one knows. But the word is, they have jumped ship anyway, necessarily. When Musk bought Twitter last month, one of the first things he did was fire most of the board and appoint some…
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Why Thailand is Considered a Luxury Tourist Destination
Thailand, a diverse country known internationally for its spicy food and beautiful beaches, has been attracting travellers for decades. Recent figures show that nearly 40 million tourists visit the country every year. Visitors flock from: China Japan South Korea Russia Australia New Zealand United Kingdom As well as around a million from the United States annually. Thailand was never colonised…
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Dangerously ill elephant returns to Thailand for veterinary treatment
Muthu Raja, a 30-year-old bull elephant who was born in Thailand, is dangerously ill and has been handed over to the Thai Embassy in Sri Lanka to be repatriated for veterinary treatment. Muthu Raja is one of two elephants given by Queen Mother Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakar to former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga back in 2001. He was chosen…
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Man takes 4 Ya Ba pills and rides motorbike with no hands in Thailand
Police arrested a man in Nakhon Phanom, northeast Thailand, yesterday after a video of him riding his motorbike and swerving all over the road went viral on social media. He admitted that he was high on four pills of Ya Ba (“crazy drug”) – a type of methamphetamine – when the clip was taken. Officers from Nakhon Phanom Provincial Police…
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Subsidised Toyota bZ4X finally on sale in Thailand
The long-awaited new electric Toyota bZ4X went on sale in Thailand Wednesday, taking advantage of new government subsidies. In February, the Thai government introduced subsidies of up to 150,000 baht (US$4,000) per electric vehicle (EV). The new Toyota is the first Japanese car to qualify. The tax break for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) covers passenger cars with no more than 10…
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Phuket man arrested with over 10,000 meth pills
There’s been another methamphetamine bust in Phuket’s main city district this week. Border Patrol Police arrested a man in the Rassada sub-district. They seized 10,504 meth pills from him, in addition to crystal meth. The police arrested Ban at the entrance of Soi Bang She Lao on Thep Kasattri Road, The Phuket Express reported. They then brought him to Phuket…
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Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin
Local authorities tightened rules against local businesses yesterday after tourists complained about beach chairs being too expensive on Hua Hin Beach. The Deputy Mayor of the Hua Hin Municipality, Butsaba Choksuchart, brought the issue to light after tourists made known that beach chairs they rented near Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin were more expensive for them than…
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A cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t bank on it anytime soon
Looking for a cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t count on it just yet says airline industry executives. The world’s industry chiefs made known, as if we didn’t already know, that airfares are expensive and they expect to remain that way for the time being. Flights are pricey for a number of reasons, ranging from surging fuel costs, labour shortages, and…
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Bangkok police arrest fake Chinese diplomat
Immigration police in Bangkok arrested a 33 year old Chinese man, found with a fake Thai ID card, a fake police motorcycle and a fake military uniform. Shao Xiaobo was arrested at a rented building in Bangkok’s Sutthisarn area on Wednesday, the office of an unnamed commercial association. Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nuchanart, the deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau,…
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Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks
The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…
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Police arrest bat-eating YouTuber in northeast Thailand
UPDATE Yesterday, the Thai woman who ate bat soup on YouTube was arrested in Sakhon Nakhon province in northeast Thailand. Officers from Phon Kaew Police Station arrested the YouTuber – who is also a teacher – under suspicion of “possession of protected wildlife carcasses,” violating Section 17 of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (2019). Police also charged the YouTuber…
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