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  • Forest fires very close to a revered shrine in Mae Hong Son

    Forest fires very close to a revered shrine in Mae Hong Son

    Fires continue to rage in the northwestern province of Mae Hong Son over the weekend. One of them got very close to a revered Guan Yin shrine in Muang district last night (Sunday). A fire broke out in the forest behind the shrine on the Mae Hong Son bypass in Ban Mai Ngae village of Tambon Pang Moo at 7pm,…

  • Phuket lifeguard service warning of strong currents along Phuket beaches

    Phuket lifeguard service warning of strong currents along Phuket beaches

    PHOTOS: Phuket Lifeguard Service / Newshawk Phuket Phuket lifeguards are warning all swimmer at Phuket’s beaches of strong waves and rip currents. The head of Patong Lifeguard Service Somprasong Sangchart has warned of strong currents, even at Patong beach. Red flags have been set up along the beach. Meanwhile red flags have also been set up on other beaches as…

  • Junta and government looking to unwind some orders made since 2014

    Junta and government looking to unwind some orders made since 2014

    The junta and the government are scheduled wind back orders and announcements originally issued by the junta but which are no longer considered necessary – some of them issued back in 2014 when the Junta took control in May of that year. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam passed on the news earlier today. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the junta and the…

  • HM The King confers new royal titles on his family – PHOTOS

    HM The King confers new royal titles on his family – PHOTOS

    “HM The King’s mother will now be addressed as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother.” HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday granted new titles to members of his family in a grand, televised royal ceremony. The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej has a new name signifying he was also the father of a monarch, and that he was a “Maha Raja”…

  • Saturday’s Royal Coronation ceremonies – PHOTOS

    Saturday’s Royal Coronation ceremonies – PHOTOS

    The 66 year old monarch, dressed in a bejewelled golden robe, was handed the Crown of Victory that weighs 7.3 kilograms, which he placed on his head. HM the King then issued his First Royal Command: “I shall continue to protect, develop and reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people.” His Majesty the King then granted…

  • Royal Coronation – Sunday’s Ceremonies

    Royal Coronation – Sunday’s Ceremonies

    9am The ceremony to bestow His Majesty’s Royal Cypher and Royal Title and to grant the royal ranks to members of royalty takes place at Amarindra Vinicchaya Throne Hall. 4:30pm His Majesty the King rides in the Royal Palanquin in the Royal Procession on Land to encircle the city, affording people the opportunity to attend and pay homage to their…

  • Announcement of election results this Tuesday and Wednesday

    Announcement of election results this Tuesday and Wednesday

    The Election Commission is, as promised, poised to announce the final election results next Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday’s initial round of results are sure to spark off a new round of political dramas – no matter who is considered the ‘winner’ from the results. The announcements come at a time when tensions are running high over lawsuits and the uncertainty over…

  • Thai Airways celebrates 59 years of operations

    Thai Airways celebrates 59 years of operations

    Thai Airways International has recognised the airlines’ long-serving staff with certificates at a ceremony to mark the 59th anniversary. Thai Airways president, Sumeth Damrongchaitham, presided over a ceremony to present certificates and souvenirs to staff who have completed 35 years and 25 years of service with the national airline. The certificates were also given to staff who were commended by…

  • Royal Coronation – Saturday Highlights – PHOTOS

    Royal Coronation – Saturday Highlights – PHOTOS

    “I shall continue, protect and reign with righteousness for the benefit of the people.” 11.50am: The King goes to the Bhadrapitha Throne and sits under the Royal Nine-tiered Umbrella, where the Chief Brahmin presents him with the Royal Golden Plaque of His Majesty’s official title, the Royal Regalia, the Ancient and Auspicious Orders and the Weapons of Sovereignty. 12.40pm: Their…

  • Royal Coronation – Saturday Afternoon ceremonies

    Royal Coronation – Saturday Afternoon ceremonies

    After the Crowning and Investiture Ceremony, HM presents the First Royal Command. 1.19pm The ceremony of Assumption of the Royal Residence takes place at Chakrabat Biman Royal Residence. The purpose of the ceremony is to symbolically take up the royal residence. 2pm HM the King grants an audience to members of the Royal Family, the Privy Council, and the Thai…

  • Royal Coronation – Saturday morning’s ceremonies – PHOTOS

    Royal Coronation – Saturday morning’s ceremonies – PHOTOS

    Today, May 4, is day one of the three-day Royal Coronation ceremony in Bangkok. Today, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been anointed and officially enthroned as the 10th monarch of the Chakri Dynasty. 10.45am: The Royal Purification ceremony completes. The King proceeds to Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where the Anointment Ceremony takes place. 10.09am: His Majesty the King attends…

  • Summer storms forecast for the central and north of Thailand

    Summer storms forecast for the central and north of Thailand

    The Thai Meteorological is warning provinces in the North, Northeast, Central and East about the threat of ‘summer storms’ until Monday. The latest storm warning was issued at 5am today. The Thai department said the thunderstorms were being caused by a high pressure system from China that covers the upper part of the Northeast and the South China Sea, while…

  • Royal Coronation – Schedule of events

    Royal Coronation – Schedule of events

    The Coronation of HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will run over three days from Saturday, May 4 to Monday, May 6. The actual coronation takes place on the first day. Here is the latest LIVE link to the ceremony, mostly in English… The Coronation ritual so far The collection of sacred waters from different sources around the Kingdom, followed by the consecration…

  • Future Forward candidates deny claims of media shares, again

    Future Forward candidates deny claims of media shares, again

    Future Forward party candidates have again denied a pro-Junta activist’s accusations that some of their members have shares in media companies. Srisuwan Chanya, describing himself as a social activist, earlier this week asked the Election Commission to take legal action against 11 candidates of the party, claiming they owned shares in media firms. If a candidate is found guilty of the…

  • HM The King pardons thousands of prisoners

    HM The King pardons thousands of prisoners

    Six former leaders of a political group which was active over a decade ago, the People’s Democratic Alliance (PAD), are among thousands of inmates pardoned by His Majesty the King on the occasion of the Coronation Ceremony which started today and continues through the weekend and Monday. The pardons were announced in the Royal Gazette today. It said that HM King…

  • Facebook bans political fanatics and conspiracy theorists

    Facebook bans political fanatics and conspiracy theorists

    Facebook is banning prominent US conspiracy theorists like the Infowars founder Alex Jones and the outspoken activist Louis Farrakhan in its crackdown on hate speech and fake content. Others blocked from Facebook and Instagram (owned by Facebook) were Milo Yiannopoulos, a high-profile right-wing provocateur; Paul Nehlen, a political candidate espousing white supremacist views; and conspiracy theorists Paul Joseph Watson and…

  • Huawei grows 41%, Apple tanks in China

    Huawei grows 41%, Apple tanks in China

    PHOTO: Huawei remains a popular brand in Thailand with models at both ends of the price spectrum Huawei has dominated the Chinese smartphone market in Q1 2019, taking a record 34% share as rivals Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Apple all struggled. Huawei may feeling the heat from a US-led campaign against the Chinese tech company, but in China its smartphones are outselling…

  • Thai property startup FazWaz heads overseas

    Thai property startup FazWaz heads overseas

    FazWaz, the Phuket startup that has built a tech-first platform to take on Thailand’s real estate giants, is announcing its overseas expansion today. The move underscores just how far and fast the company has moved since being founded in 2015 in the small beach town of Kamala in Phuket. While real estate markets go up and down, FazWaz has definitely…

  • EC reassures Thai voters the results will be announced by May 9

    EC reassures Thai voters the results will be announced by May 9

    Thailand’s Election Commission is confident that it will be able to announce official results from the March 24 general election by May 9. This reassurance came from the commission’s chairman, Mr. Itthiporn Boonprakong. He says official results of the election have been delayed mainly by the EC’s indecision on the method of calculating the allocation of the 150 party-list seats…

  • Weather warnings for northern and central summer storms

    Weather warnings for northern and central summer storms

    The Thai Meteorological Department yesterday has announced some more weather warnings for summer storms in upper Thailand and the South China Sea. From May 3-6, a high pressure system from China will extend to upper Thailand and the South China Sea. The southwesterly prevailing winds in upper Thailand will strengthen and the weather continue to be hot over upper Thailand.”…

  • His Majesty marries Suthida and names her Queen, days before coronation

    His Majesty marries Suthida and names her Queen, days before coronation

    FILE PHOTO: Queen Suthida with His Majesty the King and Prince Dipangkorn Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced earlier this evening that he has married his bodyguard, Gen. Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, and named her Queen Suthida, just days before the Royal Coronation this weekend. The announcement was made tonight in the Royal Gazette. In 2014 HM appointed Suthida Tidjai, a…

  • A new Queen for Thailand

    A new Queen for Thailand

    His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has issued a Royal Command declaring General Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya to be Queen of Thailand, effective as of May 1st. According to the Royal Gazette, HM the King has married General Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya “legally and in accordance with Royal tradition.” The new Queen is regarded as a member of the Royal…

  • Public transport arrangements for people attending royal coronation

    Public transport arrangements for people attending royal coronation

    PHOTO: NNT For people attending the royal coronation ceremony, especially on May 5, 2019, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) will provide air-conditioned shuttle buses for 11 routes while the Purple and Blue Line MRT and Airport Link will provide free service throughout the day. Pol. Lt. Gen. Kraibun Suadsong, the Commissioner of the Police Strategy Office, announced that the…

  • Facebook revamp. Less about business, more about people and relationships.

    Facebook revamp. Less about business, more about people and relationships.

    Facebook is aiming to foster real-world relationships and make the platform a more intimate place for groups of friends. Facebook’s shift comes response to criticism over failing to curb misinformation and manipulation of the platform used by 2.3 billion people, and missteps on its handling of private user data. The new strategy will emphasise private communications and small groups according to…

  • Future Forward’s Thanathorn says he’s confident he will be endorsed as an MP

    Future Forward’s Thanathorn says he’s confident he will be endorsed as an MP

    Thanathorn had prepared some 27 items of evidence to prove to the poll authority that he had divested his media shares on January 8, well before he registered to run in the election that took place a month later. A defiant Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit emerged from yesterday’s marathon ‘chat’ with the Election Commission over charges he still owned…

  • Boeing 737 Max ‘sensor’ issues flagged 216 times to the US FAA

    Boeing 737 Max ‘sensor’ issues flagged 216 times to the US FAA

    A small sensor, sitting just outside the cockpit of the Boeing 737 Max jets, was previously flagged in more than 200 incident reports submitted to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). But Boeing admits it did not flight-test the scenario which may have caused the crashes of two of its brand new jets – one in Ethiopia and one in…

  • Royal Coronation ceremonies in the inner sanctum of the Grand Palace

    Royal Coronation ceremonies in the inner sanctum of the Grand Palace

    The historic Coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn this weekend will be based on long held traditions that were included in coronations of the preceding nine Kings of the Chakri Dynasty since 1782. Three halls in the Phra Maha Monthira section of the Grand Palace will be used for the royal coronation. Off limits to the public, the Phra Maha Monthira…

  • Thanathorn says other MPs now in the firing line, including from Phalang Pracharat

    Thanathorn says other MPs now in the firing line, including from Phalang Pracharat

    PHOTO: Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit emerges defiant after spending six hours with the EC yesterday – The Nation by Kas Chanwanpen The political tactics of going after Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and other party members for alleged shareholdings in media companies, could come back to haunt the pro-junta camp after a similar allegation was made against one of its…

  • Beware: Fake coronation brooches being sold

    Beware: Fake coronation brooches being sold

    PHOTO: NNT The Office of the Permanent Secretary, under the PM’s Office, is warning manufacturers and sellers of fake coronation brooches that they could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined up to 400,000 baht. Sompas Nilphan, says the government has assigned his agency to produce and sell the coronation brooches to the general public. “All proceeds from…

  • Phuket Airport passenger arrivals dip

    Phuket Airport passenger arrivals dip

    by Bill Barnett, c9Hotelworks.com To date, 2019 is shaping up to be a slightly volatile year for tourism to the island. Passenger arrivals at Phuket International Airport rose 1% year-on-year in January, but took a step backwards in February with a substantial 6% decline. While we are still early in the year, overall visitor arrivals to Thailand on a country-wide…