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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9 year old killed after truck hydroplaned into Phuket restaurant and shop
A 9 year old girl was killed after a pickup truck driver lost control of his vehicle, hydroplaning on the wet road and crashing into a roadside restaurant in Phuket. 7 other people were injured. The outdoor restaurant had tables set up in front of a motorbike shop. The truck ploughed through the tables and crashed into the motorbike shop’s window.…
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Disaster plan in place as Tropical Storm Noul puts agencies on high alert
Agencies are on high alert after Tropical Storm Noul is set to hit the country tomorrow through Sunday. The Agriculture Minister says a disaster plan is in place to help prepare for an emergency from the effects of the storm which strengthened from a tropical depression to a tropical storm on Tuesday. The Thai Meteorological Department has warned that the…
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Covid-19 mysteries still unsolved, health officials brush off risk of reopening borders
What’s the risk of spreading Covid-19 if borders are reopened? None apparently, just as long as tourists go through a 14 day quarantine when they enter the country, according to the Department of Disease Control. Long stay tourist visas were just approved by the Cabinet and the DDC deputy director general Tanarak Plipat says the move will not raise the…
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Students choose Thammasat University for September 19 protests without permission
Students protesters are moving forward with rally plans for this Saturday, September 19, at Bangkok’s Thammasat University Tha Prachan campus, despite failing to get permission from university administration. The campus has been chosen before for such rallies and some students are reportedly threatening to break into the campus if they have to. The United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration Group…
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Budget airlines ask for lifeline, no answers from PM
No surprise that one of the biggest industries to suffer from the border closures and travel restrictions was the airlines. Whilst there has been a gradual reboot of domestic travel within Thailand, there is still a ‘fear’ factor and reticence to travel. And the carriers are restricted to the domestic routes and have lost an entire sector of their businesses…
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Police crackdown on major drug syndicate, make 3 more arrests
“A warrant was issued for his arrest in 2018, but he wasn’t arrested until June of this year.” Police made 3 arrests in an effort to take down a major drug syndicate, totalling up to 16 arrests related to the gang. The 3 arrests, which included a man in monkhood, are all connected to a major drug dealer named Jittaphan…
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Thai traditional trades staying alive in ‘new normal’
Thai silk and craft-related trade is staying alive in the ‘new normal’ era thanks to the Support Foundation created and backed by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. The Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, was initiated in 1976 with the hopes of introducing original handicrafts to the younger…
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Coconut milk manufacturer denies international drug trafficking involvement
After news came of 100s of litres of methamphetamine making its way from Thailand to Australia in coconut milk cans… the Thai coconut milk manufacturer, Thaveera, is denying having anything to do with the alleged trafficking. The company said it would take legal action over the situation as it says it has damaged its brand. Thaveevong Agriculture co. did not,…
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Heavy rain across Thailand coming this weekend
The Thai Meteorological Department has announced this morning that heavy to very heavy rain is slated to grace the skies this weekend, September 18-20, all across the Kingdom (there goes the weekend!) . The forecast comes after a category 2 tropical depression over the middle of the South China Sea officially ‘strengthened’ around 1 am this morning to a category…
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3 local government officials killed in head on collision
2 local village chiefs and a local secretary were killed in a head on collision in Ayutthaya last night when their car swerved across the road and collided with an oncoming 18 wheel lorry, police say. The local government officials were on their way home from a friend’s birthday party in the Nakhon Luang district. The 3 men served in…
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Protesters not “tough enough” – Thai security official
Thai security agencies are downplaying this weekend’s anti-government student rally, predicting that it will only attract 20,000 people and not the 50,000 predicted by the protest organisers. They’ve also said they’re confident it won’t become violent. The last big rally, early in this phase of opposition demonstrations, was on August 16 and was held at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. It attracted…
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Methamphetamine found in coconut milk cans, shipped from Thailand to Sydney
Thailand police are looking suspects who smuggled nearly a tonne of liquid methamphetamine in cans of coconut milk. The cans were shipped from Thailand to Sydney. Australian police seized the 600 litres of methamphetamine and arrested 2 people for taking the delivery. 86 boxes of cans of “coconut milk” were shipped from Thailand to Sydney last month, according to the…
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Twitter user faces charges from immigration police for false post
Make sure what you post on social media is true. Charges could be pressed for false information. A Twitter user is being sued by Immigration Police for a post allegedly claiming some foreigners could enter the country without a 14 day quarantine. The Twitter user made a post saying he was recently at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and he noticed that 80%…
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7 charged with libel, allegedly spread false information about PM’s daughters
7 people turned themselves into police following a defamation lawsuit filed a few weeks ago by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s twin daughters, Thanya and Nittha. The lawsuit was filed against more than 100 social media accounts for spreading false information about the women. 6 of the 7 who face charges were photographed at the police station, protesting their charges and holding…
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Ready for another holiday? Cabinet considers a long weekend to boost the economy
There might be another long weekend coming up soon. So much revenue was brought in from the recent 4 day holiday weekend earlier this month that some government officials think another couple days off could help give the slumped economy another shot in the arm. The 4 day weekend earlier this month (a Songkran replacement) circulated some 8.8 billion baht…
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Mother allegedly kills 3 year old daughter in Surat Thani
A mother allegedly slashed her 3 year old daughter’s throat in Surat Thani’s Phun Phin district. The child was sleeping beside her at their rubber plantation home. Police say they found the child dead on the mattress, soaked in blood. They say the child’s throat had a deep cut. 43 year old Bupha Yuensuk admitted to the murder, police say.…
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Methamphetamine pills found in tamarind shipment addressed to South Korea
Methamphetamine pills were found stuffed in packs of tamarind, a local fruit, about to be shipped out from Bangkok to South Korea. A shipping agent noticed the package was “suspicious” and contacted Bangkok’s Khlong Tan Police. Officers inspected the package and opened the bundles of dried tamarind. They found methamphetamine pills wrapped in a black plastic bag, hidden in dried tamarind.…
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Business closures up 38%, pandemic ‘scarring’ the economy
“The pandemic is scarring the economy, especially with the business closures and unemployment.” The coronavirus pandemic has led to a spike in business closures in Thailand, increasing nearly 40% since last year, and those numbers are expected to continue to go up. Many of those businesses were in the tourism industry, a sector that has been crippled by the halt…
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World Tourism Organisation reports on destinations re-opening to tourists
53% of the world’s tourist destinations have now started easing travel restrictions government’s imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic – the claim from the UN World Tourism Organisation in its latest update on the state of the world’s re-openings in the Covid-era. The UNWTO acknowledges that many destinations “remain cautious” and some are even re-closing borders and tightening up restrictions…
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Samut Prakan men arrested for counterfeit bills
Check your wallet. Fake 500 baht and 100 baht bills are being passed around. Samut Prakan police just arrested 2 brothers for possession of counterfeit banknotes after receiving numerous complaints over the past month. Apparently, the counterfeit money has been used to buy various merchandise. 49 year old Boonmee Kerddee and his brother 39 year old Veerawat were arrested in…
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Samui charity battles to feed island’s remaining residents
by Ann Carter As around 2,000 Thai workers have reportedly left the island of Koh Samui due to the Covid-19 economic fallout, ‘Sisters on Samui’, the island’s largest charity is changing up the way in which to help feed those remaining residents. Keyt Topcu, co-president of SOS, says the effort involves cutting out bags as the organisation realised that they could save over 500 USD…
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Asia Pacific’s smartphone market declines by 20% during pandemic
“The region’s smartphone market was hardest hit in the second quarter when many countries here entered lockdown mode. This was also when we started observing new trends emerging and the corresponding shifts in consumer demand for durable goods.” People are buying fewer smartphones this year. The once robust and thriving industry has been on a downward slope in the Asia…
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Bankruptcy Court approves Thai Airways debt restructuring plan
The Central Bankruptcy Court approved Thai Airways International’s debt restructuring plan. An official says the approval is just a “tiny step” in the process estimated to take years. With the approval, the international airline company can now start discussions with debt holders. The 60 year company is reportedly facing its biggest challenge: bankruptcy during a global pandemic with international travel…
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Parliament to host a ‘safe zone’ forum for students’ demands on September 22
A ‘dialogue’ is to be held in a Thai parliamentary setting on September 22. A parliamentary committee is responding to the demands from student and opposition protesters, who are calling for reform of the government, a new constitution, and even reform of the Thai Monarchy – the latter previously considered a ‘no go’ zone. The committee describes the upcoming forum as an…
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Thailand’s prisons to release thousands monitored with ankle bracelet
Thailand’s prisons are overcrowded. To fix the problem, they’re sending some of the inmates home and monitoring them with ankle bracelets. Just 39 prisoners have been given the electric monitoring, or EM, ankle bracelets, but the Justice Minister says he expects the bracelets to be used on thousands of convicted criminals to free up space in the prisons. 2 former…
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Bangkok expo planned to fill 1 million job vacancies
Thailand has a lot of job opportunities. About a million. The Labour Ministry is hosting an expo to connect job seekers, especially recent university graduates, with companies. For recent graduates, a new government initiative co-payment system will take care of half the salary. Job Expo Thailand 2020 will run from September 26 to 28 at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre,…
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Tourists flock to Sichon temple, worship a spirit known for granting wishes
Thai tourists destinations have gone quiet due to the pandemic, but one southern Thailand temple is thriving. Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Wat Chedi is known for granting wishes, and apparently many come true (although people don’t tend to talk about the ones that don’t come true). It is packed with visitors not just on the weekends, but every day. Visitors worship Ai Khai, the…
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150 million baht makeover for Bangkok klongs
Bangkok’s BMA is poised to spend 150 million baht revamping 15 kilometres of canal network in Thon Buri as part of an initiative to revive Bangkok’s reputation as the Venice of the East, a popular tourist phrase of the past referring to Bangkok’s extensive canal (klong) network, now mostly filled in and replaced with roads. The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority is…
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Lights are out on Ibiza – the world’s party islands go dark
“The party scene, by its nature, is all about getting together, dancing, celebrating ‘closeness’ and being social – the antithesis of social distancing and staying away from other people in the Covid-era.” Some of the world’s tourist islands are suffering badly from the lack of travel, it’s not just Bali and Phuket. The Spanish party island of Ibiza is also…
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Tourism chief appeals for patience, but admits things will “never be the same”
“The primary source markets would be Northeast Asia and the ASEAN countries, with a customer target of people in good health and high-purchasing power.” Patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn. The TAT chief is appealing to the Thai tourism industry to be “patient, united, and confident in…
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