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Electricity discount has been switched off
Yesterday the Ministry of Energy announced that the national electricity discount from March to May, which differed based on the amount of electricity used and size and type of the venue, has ended and will not be renewed. But, at best, the discount was merely a perfunctory political gesture, not a useful saving for most Thai residences. The discount was…
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Bangkok braces for Black Lives Matter rally
The death of black American George Floyd at the hands of police burgeoned into a storm of protests reaching across the globe; one that will reach Bangkok this weekend. The vast majority of demonstrations over the past 8 days in the US have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed after looting in a number…
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TAT will use domestic tourism as dress rehearsal for international returns
“…the tourism sector will continue to be stifled by disease control measures until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.” Due to the current ban on international arrivals, extended several times and now in effect until at least July, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has created a strategy to support domestic tourism and “learn from the experience”, as it eases into the…
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Internet scam offers dodgy amulets for lottery wins
Police are warning of new internet scam offering lucky amulets to guarantee lottery success, claiming, falsely, that they’ve had helped celebrities win the lottery multiple times. The announcement from the deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai police yesterday. “Investigation officers have looked into this matter and found a group of people who offered to buy lottery tickets after they had…
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Pattaya mayor responds to video showing black water gushing into the sea next to Walking Street
With Pattaya’s beaches reopening this week, for the first time since they were closed in March, there is still concern about what the City’s officials are pumping into the Gulf of Thailand off the Pattaya coast. Last Monday, filthy black water was seen gushing into the Gulf of Thailand right next to Pattaya’s famous Walking Street. The video, from the ‘We…
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Woman in southern Thailand accused of murdering daughter
A 54 year old woman, named by police as Prateep Chindawong, has been arrested for the murder of her 29 year old daughter in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Police say Chonthicha Jindawong was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. Thai media reports say the accused had claimed her house was broken into and that the intruder killed…
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Heavy rains, thundershowers predicted nationwide
Thailand’s Meteorological Department says the southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea and Thailand is getting stronger today, while the low pressure area covers upper Vietnam. Isolated heavy rains are likely in the North, the Northeast, the Central region including Bangkok and its vicinity, the East and the South. People should prepare for severe conditions. Here is the forecast for the…
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As Thailand’s beaches reopen, crowds flock back
Yesterday, the Queen’s birthday and a public holiday, saw many of Thailand’s popular beaches heaving with visitors as they reopened for the first time since their closure by the Emergency Decree in March. People across the country took advantage of the easing of inter-provincial travel restrictions that took effect Monday. Chon Buri’s Bang Saen beach in Chon Buri was almost…
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No date for resumption of international arrivals: PM
In an apparent effort to quell rumours and undue optimism, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is downplaying the notion that international tourists will be allowed to return to Thailand in July. The government had set a tentative deadline of 1 July for lifting all restrictions put in place under the Emergency Decree to combat the spread of Covid-19. Last week it was…
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Major makeover proposed for Pattaya’s Walking Street
… but few are impressed. Images on the Facebook page of Pattaya City reveal plans for a major re-imagining and makeover of one of the resort’s most notable, and notorious, landmarks – Walking Street. Gone are the grotty road, broken pavements and lurid signs and frontages, and in their place will be an easy to navigate walking area fit for…
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PM distancing himself from party room clashes
PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha appeared to distance himself from party politics, and internal strife within the ruling Palang Pracharat party, after 18 members resigned en masse to pave the way for the election of a new executive committee, party leader and secretary-general. He repeatedly deflected questions from reporters about speculation that the resignations were intended to replace party leader Finance Minister…
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Thai Airways may not need to file for bankruptcy in US
Contrary to earlier reports, Thai Airways may not need to seek bankruptcy protection in the United States to avoid seizure of its planes and other assets. A senior official made the announcement after a meeting led by Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam with the struggling carrier’s senior management and the airline’s board. The meeting was to discuss the airline’s rehabilitation plan…
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Chiang Rai policeman fired over torture death of university mascot dog
When the body of Tia, the mascot dog of Chiang Mai University was found in May, suspicions arose immediately. It was initially announced that Tia, or “Shorty” in English, had been run over by a car, and police later said a student had come forward to confess. But animal rights group Watchdog Thailand, based in Chiang Mai, investigated the incident…
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High-ranking police officers try and extort 40,000 baht from woman
A police chief has dismissed 8 high-ranking officers after they told a woman to pay them 40,000 baht or they would drug test her. The woman said she could only pay 33,000 baht, but the police allegedly demanded more. Video footage of officers demanding money was taken, probably from her phone, and posted online. The police chief at the Nong Chok…
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Sergeant says he’ll go to court to fight army corruption
After accusing the Thai army of corruption, a sergeant says he’ll now go to court to hash it out and strip his rank to get justice. Sgt. Narongchai Intharakawi, a clerk for the Army Ordnance Department, is accused of deserting his post amid a complaint he made against the army regarding alleged fraud. A video of the a superior officer…
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4 metre python caught after eating school’s pets
Cats and chickens have been going missing at a central Thailand school for the past month or so. Turns out they ended up in the stomach of a 4 metre, 70 kilogram python. The Pranchanukul Rescue Team in Ratchaburi eventually caught the python yesterday and released into the wild, away from villages. Ratchaburi is on the Burmese border, west of…
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Chinese man arrested with 1,000 cannabis plants, involved in ‘Heaven Herb’ illegal business
Police arrested a man yesterday for growing 1,000 cannabis plants in a Bangkok warehouse and selling it online through a service called “Heaven Herb.” 41 year old Wu Ding Bin, from China, grew “organic cannabis of foreign varieties.” Police say the foreign strains are priced up to 700,000 baht per kilogram. “Heaven Herb” marijuana was sold and delivered through a Line…
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Village head dies in train accident in central Thailand
The head of a central Thailand village was killed yesterday morning when a oncoming train slammed into his truck. Dokrak Meemuk, the head of Village Moo 14 in Nakhon Sawan, had just left his house to attend a meeting, according to his family. Railroad construction workers, who also guide vehicles crossing the tracks at the Ban Tharnwai railroad crossing, told…
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Guns used in majority of Thai crimes, criminologist calls for stricter laws
The country’s rise in firearm violence has the Bangkok Post describing the problem as “Thailand’s other pandemic.” More than half of crimes in Thailand involve firearms according to statistics. In many reports, people lose their temper, even over petty comments, and turn to a gun to solve the problem. Last week, a man shot and killed 3 of his coworkers…
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Chemical ban now in effect, farmers say they have few alternatives
Thailand’s ban on 2 toxic chemicals in herbicides and pesticides, is now in effect. While the move focuses on a sustainable, eco-friendly future, farmers say they are at a loss with no alternatives to keep bugs and weeds from killing their crops. The 2 chemicals, paraquat and chlorpyrifos, have been shown to be toxic to humans in some studies, in…
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Bangkok man shoots, injures friend
A Thai man has shot his best friend in Bangkok over the weekend after he found out his friend had an affair with his ex-wife. The 34 year old man, reported as ‘Paratkorn’, found photos of his wife and friend, 31 year old Pongsitthat. In a fit of rage, he shot and injured Pongsitthat. Police say Paratkorn has a history…
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Thailand’s Central Bank will act to restrain soaring baht
The rapidly strengthening Thai baht is proving a worry for Thailand’s Central Bank, which has said it’s ready to act to limit its rise, given the already damaged economy. The baht’s climb, strengthening nearly 2% against the dollar in the past month alone, makes it one of the highest climbing currencies in Asia. Its recent rise is being attributed to…
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Prawit tipped to become leader of ruling Palang Pracharat party executive
Whilst the attention of the country has been on the CCSA, with the PM at the helm, and their handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, there has been ongoing dissent inside the ruling Palang Pracharat party which boiled over yesterday with the resignation of 18 members of the party’s executive committee. There’s been building conflict within the party whilst the PM…
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Thailand may hold a July Songkran event if Covid-19 situation remains stable
Thai citizens are being dangled a carrot – the chance to celebrate Songkran in July. Usually the annual water festival, traditionally the end of the dry season and the start of the wet season, is held on April 13. The event has become a big tourist magnet over the past decade as it’s morphed from traditional Buddhist festival into organised…
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Pattaya police arrest intoxicated Chinese man, Thai girlfriend in front of station – VIDEO
A Chinese man and his Thai girlfriend were arrested in front of the Pattaya City Police Station in the early hours of this morning, after causing a disturbance and allegedly damaging a police car. Officers say the man was highly intoxicated. Authorities were notified at around 1:30am that a couple was having a domestic dispute at an apartment. Police arrived…
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LA’s Thai Town hit by protesters and rioters
Thai Town businesses in Los Angeles were raided yesterday as rioters and looters across the US hit the streets, enraged over police brutality after a white police officer killed George Floyd, an African American, by pinning him to the ground, with his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck, restricting his breathing. Protesters in Minneapolis, where the officer patrolled, set the police…
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25 arrested after police raid online gambling base in Mae Sot
Police arrested 25 people involved in online gambling after a raid Saturday night at a house in Mae Sot, Northern Thailand, right on the Burmese border. Police also confiscated equipment used for the online gaming. Out of the 25 people arrested, 5 of them were Thai and the rest were foreigners, mostly from China. Since people have been staying at…
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Southern mayor backs bounty for shark hunt after boy’s foot was bitten
People are searching for a shark after it bit a boy’s foot at the Chebilang pier in the southern province of Satun. The Chebilang mayor Mahmadneesum Bilungload even said he’ll give a cash reward of 1,000 baht to whoever catches the shark. He took a long tail boat out on Saturday afternoon to scope out the scene and try and…
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No “new normal” for Thailand’s deadly road toll
In what will come as no surprise to most, the death toll on Thailand’s roads has resumed its upward trend after a brief interruption during the Covid-19 lock-down. As restrictions are gradually lifted across the country, more people are back behind the wheel or the handlebars, and with that, the carnage returns on Thailand’s roads. In Phuket, a truck ploughed…
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Monarchy satire Facebook group under government scrutiny
Police are investigating a popular Facebook group that posts satirical commentary about the Thai royal family. One man was even detained and questioned about his posts on the satire group page, Thai media reports. There was also talk about a few other members questioned, but that has not been confirmed. The group dubbed “Royalist Marketplace” (in Thai) is run by Pavin…
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