Hot News
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Sponsored Promoting sustainable tourism at Blue Tree Phuket: Initiatives and impact
Blue Tree Phuket has been offering experiences that are both fun and environmentally conscious for many years. The comprehensive entertainment hub and waterpark has implemented numerous programs to enhance the sustainability of its practices, with its most recent endeavour being...
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Facebook page advocates violence against ‘shit tourists’ in Phuket
Following up from yesterday’s report there has been no action taken to remove a Facebook page advocating violence against “shit tourists” stranded in Phuket. ‘Spotlight Thailand’, usually a ‘whistleblower’ for local corruption and fuelled by the admin’s political views, has nearly 600,000 followers. Now this week’s posts are going viral, spreading a disturbing message from local Phuket ‘vigilantes’, commenting about…
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Not recommended: Smoking marijuana at a police checkpoint
Most of us approach a police checkpoint with a bit of anxiety and apprehension but sometimes the “sabai sabai” approach makes for a more interesting interaction when you roll down your window. Last night in Chaiyaphum province, central Thailand, a tattoo-adorned man was stopped at a checkpoint in Kaeng Khro district around 9pm. His behaviour led police to believe he…
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Police hunt Burmese man accused of killing Chon Buri boy
Police in Chon Buri have launched a manhunt for a Burmese worker who is a suspect in the murder of an 11 year old boy. The boy’s body was found in a cassava farm in the province’s Sri Racha district on Sunday. Police believe the 49 year old Burmese national known only as “Wan,” may still be hiding in Chon…
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Trio arrested with 47 kilograms of marijuana they were selling on Facebook
Pattaya police have arrested 3 people on Saturday who were caught with 47 kilograms of marijuana that they’d been selling around Chonburi and Bangkok 20 year old Nakarachai or Pon-noon, 21 year old Muay Subboonto and 20 year old Nawee Cherndecha were arrested after police received a tip-off. The enterprising trio had also been brazenly selling their ‘consumables’ through a Facebook…
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Chiang Mai firefighters chased up a tree by wild elephants
Firefighters in Thailand’s North were chased up a tree by a herd of elephants yesterday. The group were on patrol searching for fires in Chiang Mai province’s Omkoi district. The men told reporters they were patrolling for fires when they ran across a small herd of wild elephants. Fearing for their safety, the fled up a nearby tree and stayed…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, April 2
Hosted by Tim Newton Thailand confirms 104 new coronavirus cases (Thursday) Thailand now has at total of 1,875 Covid-19 coronavirus cases, another drop in newly announced cases. 104 new cases were confirmed over the last 24 hours and 3 more patients died. Total deaths now stand at 15. This continues a hopeful trend of new cases in Thailand dropping as…
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Paramotor crash in Chonburi kills British man
A British man, aged 60, has been killed in a flying incident. He was flying when the paramotor developed engine troubles and plummeted into the ground in Bang Saray Tambon in Sattahip district, south of Pattaya. Bang Saray police and rescuers from the Sawangrot Thammasathan Foundation were called to the crash site, that occurred in a grassy field near Moo…
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Thailand’s reservoirs and dams reaching critically low levels
The start of the annual wet season isn’t far away, maybe this month, but Thailand’s water sources are running on empty. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported today, that Thailand has seen a large drop of useable water in dams and reservoirs by an average of 30% of their capacity, due to the lack of rain in the…
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Woman convicted for 2005 stabbings, allegedly kills 5 year old
A mental patient who served prison time for the 2005 stabbings of 4 girls in Bangkok has turned herself in to police after allegedly stabbing a 5 year old girl to death. 50 year old Ms. Jitrlada Tantiwanitchasuk gave herself up to police in Nakhon Pathom province otside Bangkok yesterday. The 5 year old victim was pronounced dead on arrival…
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Former US gangster arrested after Chon Buri 7-11 robbery
A man with a rather colourful past is now in police custody in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province. The suspect, a former US gangster, who speaks five languages, allegedly robbed a 7-eleven shop of 5000 baht using a BB gun last week. 37 year old “Roger” Phayungsak Wasuwat, was taken by police to the convenience store branch…
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“Hot to very hot” in the North and Northeast, thundershowers predicted
A thermal low still covers upper Thailand, while southerly and southeasterly winds prevail over the Northeast and the East regions. Thailand is now in the ‘shoulder’ season, between the dry season and wet season, which is set to kick in sometime in April. (Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai 5 day forecasts below) Chiang Mai is poised for another week of…
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Chiang Mai fire spikes air pollution up to 20 times ‘safe’ levels
A bushfire roaring away in the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang Mai is causing continued concerns for Chiang Mai residents because of the dangers to nearby villages and the smoke filling the skies of the city. 500 local officials and soldiers from the 3rd Army Region were called in to fight the blaze and spent 14 hours bringing it under…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, March 26
New cases in Thailand – 111, pushes total over 1,000 Thursday’s total for new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus is out as announced today by the Public Health Department. The number of newly confirmed Covid-19 cases in Thailand is now over 1,000. 111 new cases were announced to the media today by spokesperson from the Ministry of Public Health. At…
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“Comply or I’ll tear it down myself” Pattaya mayor tells encroaching resort
Pattaya’s mayor Sontaya Khunpluem yesterday ordered his staff to post notices at Ban Sukhawadee, or “Sukhawadee House” as it’s known in English, a luxury beachfront property and tourist attraction on a total of 80 rai in the Bang Lamung district, that encompasses Pattaya. The company that runs the resort, HealthFood International, has two weeks to comply with a judgment relating…
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BOT predicts 5.3% contraction in Thai economy for 2020
Even the Thai economy, which was still maintaining respectable growth before January, is now spluttering under the siege of the Covid-19 virus. Now the Bank of Thailand has crunched some numbers and believes the Thai economy will sharply contract by 5.3% this year as the virus continues to weigh on global financial markets, the local economy and people. GDP growth…
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Chiang Mai smog reaches dangerous levels – 12 x ‘safe’ levels
As if the northern city doesn’t have enough to worry about with the coronavirus and scorching daily temperatures, residents are still having to face choking smoke and smog from, mostly, deliberately lit forest fires in the region. PM2.5 levels in some areas soared up to 592 micrograms per cubic metre yesterday, more than ten times the ‘safe’ level. This morning…
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Hot with showers in the North, cloudy in the South
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said today is a “hot to a very hot day for the North and the Northeast” as a thermal low covers upper Thailand. A combination of southerly and southeasterly winds prevails over the Northeast, the East, the Central and the lower North regions. Thundershowers with gusty winds are forecast in some areas of the upper country (hey,…
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The almighty baht set to fall further despite rate cuts, stimulus
A lot has changed for the baht. It was only months ago that The Bank of Thailand considered drastic measures to rein in the rambunctious baht, whose massive gains in currency markets made it the darling of speculators. In December Kasikorn Bank released a report outlining reasons the baht “will remain strong into 2020.” The bank’s research arm forecast the…
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Pattaya motorbiker seriously wounded in early morning shooting
A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver was seriously early this morning when he was allegedly shot by another motorbike taxi driver following a dispute over money. Police were notified of the incident at 2:30am. Officers, and emergency responders and reporters rushed to the motorbike taxi stand, where the supervisor, 52 year old Pairoj Laipueangthong, and 21 year old witness Jennapa Kaewta…
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All time high – Thai drug smuggling in Thailand
2019 was Thailand’s worst year to date for smuggling of MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy,” mainly from Germany, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Slovenia. Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) says that since October, many seizures were of ecstasy pills originating from drug syndicates in the Netherlands, indicating attempts to broaden markets in Thailand. The drug gangs are now attempting…
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Former Thai minister sentenced for forgery, faces murder, kidnapping charges
A former deputy commerce minister, police colonel and Member of Parliament has been sentenced to eight years in prison for forgery. The Bangkok South Criminal Court yesterday sentenced Banyin Tangpakorn for forging documents to transfer 263 million baht worth of shares to himself through two associates. The ruling concludes the case believed to be behind Banyin’s alleged decision to kidnap…
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Hot and stormy in the North, cloudy with possible showers in the South
The Thailand Meteorological Department announced today that a “thermal low still covers upper Thailand and southerly and southeasterly winds are bringing humidity from the South China Sea to the Northeast, the East and the Central region”. Chiang Mai is forecasting another scorcher today with temperatures reaching 39 degrees. The region’s smoke and smog problem is also ‘hazardous’ today with readings…
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Forest fire hikes up PM2.5 in Chiang Mai
Yesterday some 200 firefighters were struggling on a Chiang Mai mountain slope to extinguish a forest fire that was pouring more hazardous PM2.5 smoke particles into the skies and, eventually, into the lungs of northern Thailand residents. And smoke from the forest and plantation fires, the vast majority deliberately lit, ends up in the capital when the winds are blowing…
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7 swim to Koh Samui to raise marine ecosystem awareness
7 swimmers, including actor and singer Phakhin Khamwilaisak, also know as “Tono”, have begun an 82 kilometre ocean swim for over 18 days to increase public awareness of the environment and the need to reserve Thailand’s marine ecosystem. They are also raising money to buy equipment for hospitals treating rare marine animals. The campaign hopes to raise the profile of…
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Hot to very hot in the North, possible thundershowers in the South
Thailand’s Meteorological Department says today that a thermal low is covering upper Thailand, while the southerly and southeasterly winds are bringing humidity to the Northeast, the East and the Central region. Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen forecasts below. Basically, it’s HOT. The South is currently getting an easterly airflow across the Gulf of Thailand. In upper Thailand, hot to very…
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Heat, showers predicted for the North, clouds in the South
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said today that a thermal low is covering upper Thailand, while weakened southerly and southeasterly winds are bringing humidity to the Northeast, the East, the Central and the lower North. Meanwhile, easterly winds are blowing across the Gulf to the South. In upper Thailand, hot to very hot conditions prevail while fewer thundershowers are expected in the…
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Summer storm batters Prachin Buri
About 10 houses were damaged and the power supply cut off when a summer storm lashed a village in Prachin Buri province, east of Bangkok, last night. The violent storm that lashed Krok Hua Chang village in tambon Khao Mai Kaew lasted only a few minutes, but caused major damage. 65 year old Amporn Thaenghom says she was home alone…
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Airlines offered drop in landing fees and fuel excise at Thai airports
Airlines, international and domestic, have been hit hard with the impact on travel following the Coronavirus outbreak. Over the past month there’s been daily announcements of cancellations of flights and rescheduling to cope with border closures and daily changes in the coronavirus evolution. The Thai Cabinet yesterday approved a relief package which had been proposed by the Transport Ministry for…
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Vendors flock back to Phuket’s Surin beach
Driving past Surin Beach, Phuket, over recent weeks you’d be wondering if you hadn’t travelled back in time to the days, pre-military coup (2014), when the umbrellas and cheap white plastic sun lounges were ubiquitous lined up along Phuket’s beaches. Cherng Talay President MaAnn Samran, has confirmed that the beach chairs and umbrella operators have, indeed, returned to Surin Beach…
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Cabinet approval to reduce water, power bills by 3%
The Cabinet has approved 17 billion baht in measures to tackle the Covid-19 crisis and drought. They plan on doing this by reducing water and electricity bills by 3% and returning deposits for installation of electricity meters. The Thai cabinet meets every Tuesday at Government house in Bangkok. During a ‘grace period’ of not more than six months, the cabinet…
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