Hot News
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Sponsored Siam Paragon's 'The Luxury Watch Destination' presents exclusive showcase of luxury timepieces
Siam Paragon reaffirms its positioning as the "Luxury Watch Destination," Thailand’s epicentre of over 43 prestigious watch brands. This underscores the confidence of leading watch houses and Siam Paragon’s commitment to delivering world-class and unparalleled experiences to the customers continuously....
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Popular Thai teenage game streamer killed in motorcycle crash
A well-known teenage game streamer died after he crashed his Ducati motorcycle while riding with a group of his friends. The 17 year old, Chanon Chuchart, made videos playing popular games like Grand Theft Auto V. He has more than 11,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel Omnuay Studio and his Facebook has more than 100,000 followers. Witnesses told local TV…
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Student Union denies protests are being engineered by opposition Thai politicians
The Student Union of Thailand has hit back at a suggestion from “royalist” groups that political activists are being manipulated by politicians. Spokesperson Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul says it is the students themselves who are organising everything, including coming up with a 10 point manifesto, which includes a controversial call for reform of the Thai Monarchy. Last month, Panusaya read out the…
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Home-grown cannabis bill ready for parliament review
Cannabis could be grown at home, if a draft revision to the Thai Narcotics Act is passed. Those who want to grow cannabis, both for personal use or to sell, would need permission from the Food and Drug Administration. The bill is ready to be reviewed by parliament. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says he is going to keep pushing…
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Bank of Thailand issues stark warning over ongoing ban on foreign tourists
The Bank of Thailand has issued a sombre warning that the ongoing ban on foreign tourists returning to Thailand may have an even worse impact next year. Don Nakornthab, from the BOT’s economic and policy department, says if international tourists are not allowed back into the country soon, Thailand’s tourism industry will face even bigger threats next year. A report…
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MP proposes opening casinos in Thailand, legalising online gambling
A Thai politician is pushing for the legalisation of gambling and proposing Thailand open casinos at popular tourist destinations like Bangkok and Phuket, saying that it would increase tax revenue. A leader of the Thai Civilised Party Mongkolkit Suksintharanon says he wants to start a committee to research plans for so-called entertainment complexes which would have a casino, hotel, theme…
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90 day Thai Immigration reporting deadline passes
Today was the last day to update your 90 day report if you weren’t doing the reports during the visa amnesty Thai immigration set the end of today as the deadline for foreigners, with current visas, to do their 90 day report. Otherwise fines will be imposed. You had to report, or update, your residential address before the end of…
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Phuket man arrested for posing as a monk, asking for money
A man allegedly posing as a monk to solicit donations and 3 others allegedly involved in the scam were arrested by Phuket police. Some complaints regarding the fake monk had reached the governor. Police say they found a man dressed in the orange robe and 3 others sitting in the back of a pickup truck with a bag full of money.…
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PM says probe on Boss case released tomorrow
“It is clearly written, nothing hidden, all the names, their ranks and their respective units.” Details of an investigation into the alleged mishandling of the Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya hit-and-run case will be made public tomorrow (Tuesday), according to Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. A fact finding committee set up by the PM has been reviewing the 2012 hit-and-run case where the Red Bull…
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Thailand hopes to welcome long-stay visitors escaping winter in Europe
The Thai government is understood to be finalising a plan to open the borders to long-stay visitors escaping the European winter, aka. snowbirds. With borders closed to to most international arrivals, the country’s tourism sector is devastated and in desperate need of a kick-start. Boon Vanasin, from Thonburi Healthcare Group, says officials are considering the introduction of long-stay visas, enabling…
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Families call on government for answers to alleged activist abductions
Families of those who were allegedly abducted while abroad are calling on the government to give answers to the missing cases. The families gathered together yesterday in remembrance of those they lost from enforced disappearances. Recently, protests sparked after the June disappearance of Wanchalearm Satsaksit who was living in exile in Cambodia. Surveillance footage shows Wanchalearm, a Thai Monarchy critic,…
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Activist burns copy of public assembly law handed to him by police
The pro-democracy activist, Panupong Chadnok, also known as “Mike Rayong”, has responded to police handing him a copy of the Public Assembly Act by setting fire to it. Panupong is currently out on bail, having been arrested on charges of sedition. The Bangkok Post reports that this latest act of defiance took place at a rally in Bangkok yesterday, with…
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Thai critics abroad get threatening packages
Threatening packages have been sent to 3 Thai critics of the monarchy that live overseas including well-known Thai journalist Jom Petchapradad and Red Shirt activist Phontip Weeden who both live in Los Angeles in the US. Another who received a package was Andrew MacGregor Marshall, a Scottish journalist and writer of the 2014 book “A Kingdom in Crisis,” which is…
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Royalist group says it will fight any changes to Thai Constitution
A Thai pro-monarchy group has issued a manifesto in which it pledges to oppose any changes to the 2017 Thai Constitution. The Thai Pakdee group’s policies include protection of the institution of the Thai Monarchy, no constitutional amendments, and strict enforcement of existing laws, including the prosecution of individuals who offend the Monarch or the Thai Royal Family. Thai PBS…
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60 Surat Thani women report their photos posted online soliciting sex
Dozens of women from southern villages in Surat Thani found photos of themselves shared online with messages soliciting prostitution. 1 woman says her Facebook account was hacked and messages offering sexual services were sent from her personal account. Chai Buri district police say 60 women reported their photos being used online with what looked like personal messages from them offering…
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Government postpones controversial submarines deal
With a recent poll revealing that one of the public’s biggest concerns is the government’s decision to spend billions of baht on 2 submarines, many will welcome the news that officials have decided to shelve those plans… for now. If not the polls, the outrage on social media was a good indication about the public mood over the matter. The…
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1 killed, another critically injured in Chon Buri 5 car pile up
A 40 year old motorcyclist has been killed instantly while the passenger ended up seriously injured after a 5 car pile up in the Ban Bueang district of Chon Buri on Saturday. Emergency responders arrived at the fatal crash scene on the Ban Bueang – Klaeng road after 9pm on Saturday night. A blue motorcycle was seen badly mangled and embedded…
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UPDATE: Pushback from local associations over the Thai government’s “Phuket Model”
UPDATE: Amidst the “plans” and “models” being proposed by the government to re-open Thailand to some form of general tourism (nothing confirmed yet), there’s also been some pushback from operators in some of the hardest hit areas. The government had proposed the Phuket Model as a way of kicking off tourism from early October. But the model involves a mandatory…
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Survey: majority support students’ freedom of expression
A recent survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll, found that a majority of Thais agree with students across the country giving the anti-government”3 finger salute” and wearing white ribbons, saying that they have the right to free expression. The study was conducted August 25-27 on 1,317 people aged 15 and over, of various levels of…
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3 Cambodian men arrested for Pattaya knife attack
Police in Chon Buri province’s Phan Thong subdistrict say 2 Cambodian men were seriously injured this after 3 co-workers attacked them with knives. The incident happened at 1pm on Friday. The 2 men, named only as 28 year old “Rai Rai” and 30 year old “Suporn”, were both bleeding from several slash wounds on their arms and torso when police…
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Bangkok clinic accused of botched cosmetic surgery after patient dies
“Polchana says the victim found the clinic on social media on August 10 and decided to go ahead with liposuction and breast augmentation.” A cosmetic surgery clinic in Bangkok’s Yannawa district is being accused of negligence over the death of a patient. 29 year old Polchana Chantarakasem lodged a police complaint against the clinic and demanded an autopsy into the…
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Bankruptcy court finds Thai Airways sunk by graft and mismanagement
“Thaworn also claims to have evidence of bribes of at least 5%, or about 2.6 billion baht, to politicians, officials and company executives…” Troubled national flag carrier Thai Airways, which has filed for bankruptcy protection and business rehabilitation, was “sunk by mismanagement and graft”, according to a court investigation. Thaworn Senneam of the Democrats revealed that the investigation focused on…
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Chinese Coast Guard nabs fleeing Hong Kong activists
Chinese authorities have captured and arrested around a dozen Hong Kong activists from Hong Kong who were attempting to leave the former British colony by speedboat. The incident shows the intensification of Beijing’s campaign to seek out protest leaders and those resisting the Communist Party’s tightening grip there. The arrests, made last. Sunday, are the first confirmed case of such…
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Plan on the table to allow Europe’s ‘snowbirds’ into Thailand for up to 9 months
Another day, another ‘plan’ flown up the pole to see if it will catch some wind. This time a prominent health provider claims the government is developing a new ‘visa’ for sunseekers. If adopted it could allow foreigners to stay in Thailand on a long-stay visa for up to 9 months. Nothing has been finalised as yet but Boon Vanasin, the…
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TAT launches “White Vest” tourism campaign
The Tourism Authority of Thailand this week launched its “White Vest” tourism campaign this week, based on intensive training to promote safety, hygiene and world class customer service at tourist spots throughout the country. Those who pass the campaign will be awarded a white vest and a certified ID badge that they can wear to signify to all tourists, both…
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New developments in “Boss” hit-and-run case
The chairman of the committee investigating the alleged mishandling of the 2012 hit-and-run case of Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya has found solid evidence to prove serious problems with both the police and the prosecution. Speaking at yesterday’s committee meeting at the end of its 30 day mission, Vicha Mahakun said the findings will not only convince PM Prayut…
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Spokesperson says “Phuket Model” won’t be enacted nationally anytime soon
The deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul said yesterday that the so-called “Phuket Model”, the island’s proposed “safe and sealed” program to reintroduce tourism from October, will not be implemented in the near future and rolled out to the rest of the country. She also encouraged Thai people ti “go on vacation to help the local economy”. She made no mention…
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Bangkok police say they’ll charge “rioters”
Bangkok police say they’ll press charges against pro-democracy activists who caused chaotic scenes in support of their colleagues yesterday, even throwing paint on some officers. Supporters of the pro-democracy activists who arrived at Samran Rat police station to acknowledge charges stemming from a rally on July 18, broke police barriers and 1 of them threw a container of paint at…
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3 Nabbed for illegal online gun sales
Authorities in Thonburi, just south of Bangkok, yesterday announced the arrest of 3 Thai men for selling guns online. a GSG .22 calibre semiautomatic pistol, a .22 pen gun, a magazine and a great deal of ammunition, along with many tools. They were arrested in the Petchkasem area west of the capital. Bangkok. Police say 25 year old Sukkasem or…
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Man steals 10,000 baht from Chon Buri hospital donation boxes
A 37 year old man was arrested for allegedly stealing donations from 2 hospitals in Chon Buri. Police say Arnon Kruanamkam took off with 10,000 baht in stolen donations. Arnon allegedly took money from the donation boxes in Bang Bueng Hospital and Panat Nikhom Hospital. Surveillance camera footage shows Arnon taking the money, police say. They arrested him in Rayong.…
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Protesters push through barricades at Bangkok police station
Paint was splattered on a police officers and police barricades were pushed away by a crowd of people protesting the recent charges filed on 15 activists involved in the July 18 rally. The protesters were able to force their way to the Bangkok’s Samran Rat police station’s front entrance and the charged activists entered to confront police. Police recently charged…
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