Hot News
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Sponsored Why traders in Thailand are choosing EC Markets for gold and forex trading
Gold and forex trading have long been favourites among investors in Thailand, but why are so many traders now turning to EC Markets? The answer lies in a combination of tight spreads, ultra-fast execution, Thai baht (THB) deposit support, and...
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Keeping hopes alive – Feeding the people of Phuket | VIDEO
To make contact with Shaun or his team, go to their Facebook page, follow the progress of the project and contact them if you can help. https://www.facebook.com/5StarMarinePhuket After a year of zero foreign tourism, the Thai island of Phuket is now at a critical juncture. There are hundreds of thousands of people, previously employed or sustained from the tourist industry,…
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Market down as good US economy drives interest rate fears
After US inflation exceeded targets and increased 4%, global stock markets including Thailand plummeted yesterday with fears of rising interest rates. Almost 144 billion baht was traded yesterday with the market at one point diving down 70 points in the late afternoon before recovering to a 23.72 point loss, closing at 1548.13. 2% is a high rate of inflation so…
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Is Thailand the best country for digital nomads?
Is Thailand the best country in the world for digital nomads? Some think so. The French travel and tourism operator Club Med recently did a study and found that Thailand tops the list of best countries for digital nomads with Phuket as the number one ‘city’ to live in while working remotely. (We acknowledge that Phuket can hardly be regarded…
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Krabi police search for 3 murder suspects after body and car found buried at plantation
Police in Krabi are searching for 3 brothers suspected of shooting a man before dousing his body in acid and setting him on fire. The body of 54 year old Suchart Khaoluan was found buried in a rubber plantation after he was reported missing for 2 weeks. Suchart had been missing since May 3. One of the suspects, 32 year…
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Bank of Thailand announcing 3rd phase case-by-case debt aid
Today the Bank of Thailand will announce the third phase of their plan to reduce debt strain on people affected by the third wave of Covid-19. The phase is part of a continued effort to help individual borrowers cope with their debts by implementing restructuring measures. Financial aid is planned to be given to those in need after evaluation on…
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Inmate escapes from hospital in Rayong after Covid-19 test, arrested in Chanthaburi
Still dressed in a hospital gown, a prison inmate hopped on a motorbike and fled a hospital in Rayong after being tested for Covid-19. He was arrested in the neighbouring province Chanthaburi and now faces theft charges for stealing the motorbike. The results from his Covid-19 test have not been released. Thailand has reported numerous Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons in…
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PM representatives file police complaint against Thai singer and government critic
Representatives of Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, have filed a police complaint against the Thai singer Suthipong Tadpitakkul, aka, “Heart”. Suthipong has criticised the government’s vaccine procurement plan, a move that has led to accusations of violating the Computer Crime Act and Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. The PM’s lawyer, Apiwat Kanthong, and his assistant minister, Seksakon Atthawong (aka “Rambo Isan”)…
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Tourism authority downgrades domestic tourism forecast
The third wave of Covid-19 has led the Tourism Authority of Thailand to cut its forecast for domestic tourism for this year. The TAT was already forced to cut its goal at the end of April from 160 million trips to 100 – 200 million, as a result of the resurgence of the virus over the Songkran period. During the…
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Lungtoo, A PM Prayut-themed Thai meme crypto, debuts
For those looking to get into the cryptocurrency craze in the shadiest way possible while also offending the Thai government, the perfect option now exists. Say hello to Lungtoo, the newest meme crypto be making its way through the Thai blockchain community. The name is pronounced like the Thai translation of Uncle Tuu, the affectionate nickname given to PM Prayut…
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Phuket woman impaled by steel rod in motorbike accident
Police were called to the scene of a gruesome motorbike accident just after midnight in the Kathu area of Phuket, where a woman was impaled by a steel rod. The 34 year old woman crashed her motorbike into a concrete power pole on Wichit Songkram Rd between the Kathu Shrine and Kathu Municipality. rescue workers responded, and together with police,…
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This Saturday marks the first day of Thailand’s rainy season
Saturday, May 15, Thailand will mark the official start of the 2021 rainy season, with 5 to 10% more rainfall expected compared to last year. The Thai Meteorological Department says the first half of the rainy season, from now until July, the total amount of rain is expected to be 10% more than the average, while the second half of the…
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Activist who was denied bail tests positive for Covid-19 in jail
Activist leader Panupong Jadnok, or Mike, has tested positive for Covid-19 while remaining in jail after the Criminal Court has denied his requests for bail. The news, according to Noraset Nanongtoom, his lawyer, is that now Panupong will ask the Criminal Court to consider a bail request by video conference. If granted, he would be released and able to be…
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“Penguin” publishes letter 1 day after being granted bail, says hunger strike is over
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, a student activist who was charged with violating Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, or lese majeste, has penned his first letter after being released on bail Tuesday. He calls it “Letter of Freedom,” and says more will come. He published the letter 1 day after being released on bail, or May 12. He has also announced…
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TAT looks forward to welcoming 129,000 foreign tourists to Phuket
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says it expects 129,000 tourists to arrive on the southern island of Phuket in the first 3 months of its re-opening. Officials still insist the island will re-open for quarantine-free travel for vaccinated foreign tourists from July 1. And according to the Bangkok Post, the TAT also plans to team up with airlines to offer…
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Thailand’s airlines call for meeting with PM to discuss soft loans
The Thai Airlines Association says 7 member airlines are pushing for a meeting with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to discuss the option of soft loans. The carriers have been seeking this financial aid for some time and have even decreased the amount being asked for, from 24 billion baht last year to 14 billion now. The Bangkok Post reports that representatives…
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UPDATE: Phuket restrictions and bans extended, new ‘party’ clause added
UPDATE: Including a new clause… “5.2 Participating in eating or drinking of alcohol, in the family home or in any other place of residence, must not be attended by outsiders. In addition, gathering together or the organising of any other activities is prohibited. If the person who violates or commits this offence is a foreigner, the permission to remain living…
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Phuket restrictions and bans to stay in place until end of May
Phuket’s list of current ‘Covid’ restrictions have been extended until at least May 31. All the current levels of restrictions will remain until the end of the month after the Phuket Governor announced the continuation of restrictions this afternoon. Daily new infection numbers continue to add to the island’s total of 556 since the start of April. The island’s latest…
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Bangkok’s Union Mall will close until May 27, casualty of Covid-19
In another sign of Thailand’s Covid-19 battered economy, the Union Mall in Bangkok has announced that it will close temporarily, purportedly for Covid-19 safety but likely because of a lack of customers during the pandemic. The mall, in Ladprao opposite the Central Ladprao shopping mall, took to Facebook this week to announce that they were closing. Mall management made an exception…
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Pineapple defamation case finally dismissed for activist Andy Hall
After fighting multiple defamation charges for nearly 10 years, British activist Andy Hall has been finally cleared of the last pending charge. Hall had lived for 12 years in Thailand before leaving in 2016 after fighting charges brought by the pineapple company Natural Fruit in Prachuap Khiri Khan when he had reported on their poor work conditions. In 2012, Hall…
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Nakhon Phanom man struck and killed by lightning bolt
An unfortunate farmer seems to have been killed by a lightning bolt in his rice field in the Phon Sawan district of Nakhon Phanom. His wife found his body on Monday afternoon in a condition described as unconscious and burned. Kamol Praking was 49 years old and lived and farmed near Huay Hai Village. After calling for emergency help, medics,…
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University student carves “112” into chest after being charged with violating lèse-majesté law
A Chiang Mai University student now has the numbers of “112” carved across his chest after using a razor blade on himself in defiance of the Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lèse-majesté law. The student took to cutting himself after arriving at the police station to face charges of violating the law. He was also…
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Police step up border patrols and checkpoints, arresting 49 illegal migrants today
Police are stepping up border checkpoints and patrolling as 49 more illegal migrants from Myanmar are arrested today. In the North, Trairong Piewpan, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, says checkpoints have been set up along the roads, waterways and natural foot trails in an effort to block all possible channels for illegal border crossings from Myanmar. In Songkhla, a…
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Travel bubble talks to pick back up once Covid-19 is under control
Once the Covid-19 outbreak is under control, Thailand will pick back up on travel bubble discussions with countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. Travel bubbles could start as soon as October if the daily Covid-19 count significantly decreases by the end of the month. The country’s Covid-19 immunisation plan needs to be accelerated and the daily Covid-19 count…
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Royal Thai police say new uniforms will help in pursuit of criminals
The Royal Thai Police say new uniforms will help them be more “agile” in their pursuits of criminals. The uniform’s prototype is still under trials and has yet to be launched. The move to change uniforms has been attempted in the past, with tourist police once seeing their usual long-sleeved khaki shirt with shoulder pads and metal badges morph to…
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Third supsect arrested in bomb attack of Maldives ex-president
After a bomb attack in the Maldives attempting to assassinate former president Mohamed Nasheed, police have arrested a third suspect. The Manhunt has continued in the Maldivian capital city of Malé as the police appealed to the public for any information they may have about another suspect. Religious extremists have been blamed for the attempt on the former president’s life.…
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Thailand Consumer Confidence Index hits record low
The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce has reported that the Consumer Confidence Index has hit another new record low of 46.0 in April. The Covid-19 global pandemic has had a devastating effect on the economy and consumer confidence has fallen frequently to the lowest points that it has seen since 1998. The president of the UTTC believes that…
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Covid-19 third wave cuts Thai domestic flights predictions by 38%
The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand is predicting a 38% drop in travel by domestic flights due to the effect of the third wave of Covid-19. Aerothai is a department under the Ministry of Transport that provides aeronautical communication and air traffic control in Thailand. With Covid-19 experiencing a rapid spread beginning in April and not yet under control, infections across…
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Thailand ploughs ahead with plans for re-opening tourist areas
The Thai government says they’re pressing ahead with plans to waive the current mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors to Bangkok and and 5 other major tourist destinations from October this year as an effort to reboot the country’s battered tourism industry. Dr. Traisulee Traisoranakul from the CCSA says the new measures will provide easier access to the main tourist locations…
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Today’s Chinese rocket debris not expected to hit land
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has assured the public that the debris from a large rocket re-entering the atmosphere today is not likely to do any harm. They said the majority of the Chinese rocket will mostly be burned up on re-entry. The Long March 5B rocket left the Earth on April 29th, launching from Hainan island in China. This…
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Can foreigners get vaccines in Thailand? | VIDEO
There is a lot of confusion about the vaccination of foreigners in Thailand. Tim Newton tries to paint the current picture for you. Thailand reaching a 70% level of vaccination, I think is more wishful thinking than anything else. Even in the US it appears very unlikely they will be able to reach the 70% immunisation level. In some states…
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