Hot News
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Sponsored This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Grab bike ‘taxis’ forced to get commercial licenses in Thailand
A win for ‘Win’ motorcycle taxi riders today after new rules force Grab riders into the same transportation regulations. Of course, the new rules will probably force up the prices for Grab bikes from next month when the app-based ride-hailing service will have to comply with the same rules governing ‘Win Motocy’ motorcycle taxi riders. The orange-safety-vest-clad Win drivers are…
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Deputy PM’s confidence misplaced ahead of no-confidence vote
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon’s confidence that small political parties will support the government in the upcoming no-confidence debate appears to be misplaced. The 76 year old leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party believes the targeted cabinet misters have enough support from small political parties to see off the opposition at the debate planned on July 18 and predicted to…
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Thailand’s former PM Thaksin compares marijuana to opium
Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is the latest to weigh in on the “happy plant.” In a video address to Thais last night, Thaksin compared marijuana to opium, warning that people need “proper science and education.” He said that when opium first came on the scene, it also had many properties that people used it for, however, it was used…
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Getting rid of masks and revised closing times in Thailand – waiting for official rubber stamp
Whilst we might be rid of the Thailand Pass on July 1, there appears to be an administrative delay to the changes in mask requirements and changes to the closing times. In clarifying new face mask guidelines, Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesperson for CCSA says that all 77 provinces in Thailand would be redesignated as green zones. Previously there were…
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BEAM me up! App-based electric scooters come to Phuket
by John Magee What costs 200 baht in a taxi but 30 baht on a BEAM? Chances are that you’ve seen these little purple scooters BEAMing around Phuket, particularly in the Laguna area, Patong, and Phuket Town. Indeed, they are appearing in growing numbers not only in Thailand but also, for starters, in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey, and…
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Japanese restaurant owner makes slippery getaway
The owner of a popular Japanese buffet restaurant, Daruma Sushi, made a slippery getaway from Thailand last week leaving a trail of chaos behind and complaints from over 500 people. A number of those people had lodged fraudulent complaints against the owner with the police and the consumer protection agency. The owner disappeared a day before he closed all 27…
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Novices caught smoking cannabis kicked out of Thailand’s monkhood
A group of novice Buddhist monks were kicked out of the monkhood yesterday after they were caught smoking cannabis from a bong at a famous temple in Buriram province in northeast Thailand. The young men – who had been ordained for a total of 4 days – were taking part in a drug addiction programme jointly run by Thailand’s Buddhist…
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Thailand’s private bus sector threatens to axe services by 80%
Thailand’s private bus companies have threatened to axe services by up to 80% if the government does not allow them to raise fare prices in line with rising fuel costs. Twenty-seven of the nation’s private coach enterprises promised they will run a skeleton service of only 20% from July 1 unless the government allowed them to raise fares by 0.59…
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Jealous policeman murders wife and daughter before committing suicide
A police lieutenant driven by a jealous rage murdered his wife and teenage daughter before committing suicide. Officers from Tung Kru Police Station were called to a resident’s home, in Soi Pracha Uthit 54 in Bangkok, yesterday morning and found the body of 57 year old Pongsakorn Thawekaew and his 39 year old wife, Benjawan Wuttisarn, in one bedroom, and…
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Why your flights are getting more expensive, not cheaper
There’s a short-term situation and a longer-term evolution that will make your flights more expensive than they were in the past. If we briefly look back at the past 65 years of world aviation, there has been a slow, incremental decrease in passenger seat prices on flights. That was until the start of 2020. For the modern era (despite the…
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Thai tourism targets half a million Korean visitors by end of the year
The Tourism Authority of Thailand aims to draw in over 500,000 South Korean travellers in 2022 and hopes to increase that to 1.3 million next year. This comes after the easing of travel restrictions in South Korea and Thailand. In 2019, South Korea was an important market for Thailand, with around 1.9 million visitors bringing in 75 billion baht in…
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Thai Army lifts ban on Lazada to help country boost economy
The Royal Thai Army has lifted a boycott of the e-commerce platform Lazada. The company, owned by the Alibaba Group, was banned from delivering parcels to military premises all over the country for 42 days because of an offensive advert that insulted the Thai Royal Family, and disabled people. Last month Lazada goods were banned from entering Royal Thai Army…
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Thai police given new power to arrest fine-avoiding motorists
A new regulation has given power to the Royal Thai Police to arrest people who fail to pay their driving penalties on time. Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, says if motorists do not pay their fines, a warrant for their arrest will be filed. If a motorist receives a ticket, either in person…
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Thailand No.3 in the global electronic payment hit parade
A new study by ACI Worldwide, Global Data, and the Centre for Economics and Business Research, revealed Thailand is in the world’s top 3 nations in terms of electronic payment transactions. Thailand last year recorded 9.7 billion real-time electronic payment transactions, putting it in 3rd position globally after India (48.6 billion times) and China (18.5 billion times). Deputy government spokesperson…
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Chinese woman dies in road accident in Bangkok
A young Chinese woman was struck and killed while crossing the road in Bangkok in the early hours of this morning. The woman was crossing over the 3 lane road at Ratchavipha intersection on Ratchadapisek Road in Chatuchak district when she was struck by a car at around 00:50am. Police are checking CCTV cameras to confirm the details of the…
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Thai PM to keep ‘special law’ despite opposition
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday dismissed accusations the nation’s emergency decree is only in place to control the anti-government protestors. Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome on Sunday demanded the PM lift the special law, claiming it is only being used to take legal action against protesters rather than curbing the spread of the Covid-19. Rangsiman says the government had eased…
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Cathay Pacific plants 999 mangrove trees in Thailand
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific has planted 999 mangrove trees in the Khlong Khon Mangrove Forest in Samut Songkram, central Thailand as part of its “1 Ticket, 1 Tree” initiative. The airline launched the initiative last year, committing to planting 1 tree for every plane ticket bought in a one-month period. About 50 volunteers, including Cathay Pacific staff and…
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Airline passengers to reach 83% of pre-pandemic figures in 2023
The International Air Transport Association is confident global airline passenger numbers will reach 83% of pre-pandemic figures in 2023, and the aviation industry’s recovery to profitability will be “within grasp” next year despite ongoing uncertainties. The Covid-19 outbreak caused chaos in the aviation industry, with passenger numbers falling by 60% in 2020 and 50% in 2021. Over the course of…
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Giant honey bees swarm home in southern Thailand
A man from Krabi, southern Thailand, was left terrified and thankfully unharmed after tens of thousands of giant honey bees – or Apis dorsata – swarmed his home on Sunday. Thailand’s giant honey bees have been called “the most dangerous stinging insects on earth” by Cornell University apiculturist Roger Morse. Somchai Kaewkasorn, a Department of Highways official, was watching television…
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Thai government to launch info about privacy laws to help small business
The government is to launch 8 law declarations before the end of the month regarding the Personal Data Protection Act, especially aimed at helping small and medium size enterprises. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha assigned the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and relevant departments, to help the nation’s SMEs understand the PDPA because it’s new to Thailand. The PDPA was officially…
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That sinking feeling – the Maldives is building a new ‘floating’ country
Run out of space? No problem. Just build another room. In the case of an entire country that is sinking into the Indian Ocean, the situation becomes a bit more acute. Technically, the Maldives isn’t sinking, the sea levels are rising and slowly swamping the low-lying Indian Ocean nation, scattered south west of India. The Maldives, a country of some…
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Cannabis use is banned on Thai university campuses
The use of cannabis for recreation and cannabis-infused foods and beverages have been banned on the campuses of universities and agencies in Thailand announced the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation. MHESI Minister Anek Laothamatas signed a statement aimed at restricting the use of cannabis in those facilities with immediate effect. The tertiary education rollback is just the…
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Bangkok police hoodwinked by crafty anti-government protestors
Crafty anti-government protestors hoodwinked police into thinking they were holding a “car mob” rally at the Democracy Monument while they gathered to demonstrate instead at Victory Monument, some 6 kilometres away and a 20 minute drive. Knowing police watch their every move on social media, dissident groups Lai Lung Tu (Prayut Get Out) and Kon Daeng Patiwat (Red Shirt Revolution),…
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Second suspect admits beating Thai couple to death with iron rod in Taiwan
Police arrested a second man on suspicion of jointly murdering a Thai couple – the woman pregnant with twins – earlier this month in Taiwan. “Thanawat” admitted beating the couple to death with an iron rod together with Santi, the original prime suspect, and another Thai national. On Friday, Santi handed himself into the police in Chiang Dao, northern Thailand.…
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Russia-Ukraine conflict excuse for energy hike
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to be the excuse by utilities suppliers to raise energy prices. The Energy Regulatory Commission today announced the power tariff would increase to a record high of 4.4 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit) between September and December meaning Thai residents face higher bills. The ERC says the higher power tariff, which is made up…
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Foreigner stabbed in Pattaya refuses hospital treatment
An unidentified foreign man was stabbed near Walking Street in Pattaya in the early hours of yesterday morning. Despite bleeding heavily, the man refused to get his wounds treated at hospital. He refused to explain what happened or give personal details to the police. Eyewitnesses told police that a physical fight broke out between two foreign men who had been…
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Come fly with me in Thailand, with a face mask – OPINION
July 1 is looming as the day Thailand really opens up again, with all the ‘Covid’ paperwork (aka. The Thailand Pass) being binned. They’re even scrapping the TM6 form, at least in the short to medium term (maybe permanently?). But if you want a reminder about some of Thailand’s more hypocritical and absurd Covid restrictions, just go for a flight,…
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July 1 – Thailand more open than ever
OPINION On July 1, Thailand will be more open that it’s been since April 2020 when the boom gates first came down on the borders, locking out international travel. Since then it’s been a tedious and drawn out lessening of restrictions, with a few stumbles on the way. That finishes in just 11 days time as the country rids itself…
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Thailand’s Criminal Court issues warrants for alleged Taiwan murder accomplices
The Thai man who murdered a pregnant woman and her husband in Taiwan might not have acted alone. Thailand’s Criminal Court has now issued arrest warrants for 2 alleged accomplices. Now, police from the Crime Suppression Division are on the hunt for the 2 alleged partners in crime. This news comes after the prime suspect, 35 year old “Santi”, handed…
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Poll shows that Thais like ‘soft power’
Thais are liking their government’s new ‘soft power’ promotion of the Kingdom to the rest of the world and to boost the local economy. The idea of soft promotion, or indirect promotion, took off after young rapper ‘Milli’ promoted the country’s signature sticky rice and mango dish in April. In the scheme, Thai authorities aim to promote the ‘5 Fs’…
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