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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Phuket Zoo to close down following Covid-19 economic destruction
Phuket Zoo is the latest casualty of Covid-19 restrictions’ devastation on the island province’s tourism economy. The zoo is closing down, and all its animals have been sent to new homes, according to the owner. The zoo’s owner and operator, 42 year old Suriya Tanthaweewong, told The Phuket News this week that the zoo started to close when the pandemic broke…
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‘Phuket Durian Fair’ promotes Thailand’s popular fruit for tourism
Hold your nose. Agriculture officials in Phuket have opened the ‘Phuket Durian Fair’ this week, seeking to promote the famous Thai fruit to bring income to local farmers. The Phuket Provincial Agriculture Office held the opening event in front of its offices on Narisorn Road in the island province’s main city district. The late Anthony Bourdain once said of the…
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‘Travellers’ caught smuggling cocaine worth millions of baht to Phuket and Bangkok
The big bad international criminals Thai police warned of earlier this month have made their way to Bangkok and Phuket. Four ‘travellers’ have been caught smuggling cocaine valued at millions of baht into Phuket and Bangkok in the past 2 weeks. A South African man allegedly smuggled in 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, valued at 4.5 million baht, to Phuket International…
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Thailand to lift 2 – 5pm alcohol sales ban in hotels from July
Thailand seems to be lifting gazillions of restrictions lately. In its latest move announced yesterday, Thailand’s CCSA plans to lift its notorious alcohol sales ban from 2 – 5pm, in hotels at least, starting July 1. According to Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, restaurants and tourist attractions may also sell alcohol during this time, at provincial governors’ discretion. Phiphat…
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More drama with Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach vendors
There’s been more drama between beach goers and vendors at Jomtien Beach in the south of Pattaya. A photo posted earlier this week on the Facbeook page ‘Footpath Thai Style’ raised alarm bells about the lack of walking space available on the beach. The photo shows the beach crowded due to street vendors, entrepreneurial locals and other beachgoers. In April,…
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Fare hike on ferries to Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan from July 1
Surat Thani province in the south of Thailand announced that fares of ferry services to Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan would increase from July 1 onwards due to the rising diesel price. The report revealed that fares had not been raised in more than 14 years. Following the meeting between Surat Thani officials and representatives from ferry businesses on…
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Thai hackers target high-ranking official in 200,000 baht swindle
Cyber police yesterday swooped to arrest a Thai hacker group who targeted a high-ranking government official in a more than 200,000 baht swindle. The cyber punks managed to gain access to a Facebook account belonging to former government official, Suthee Pattanayongyot, who used to serve the Judiciary of Thailand. One of the hackers, Somchai Saenthilert, pretended to be Suthee, contacted…
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Sri Lankan officials say country has enough fuel for 5 more days
Sri Lanka’s crisis is going from bad to worse. The country’s energy minister announced yesterday that Sri Lanka’s fuel stocks will last for about 5 more days. Fuel shortages have already worsened this week with kilometres-long lines at some gas stations across the country. Some of the horrendously long lines have broken into protests as car owners wait, sometimes overnight,…
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Cabinet to discuss cap on rising fuel costs
Energy Ministry permanent secretary Kulit Sombatsiri yesterday revealed the Energy Policy and Planning Office is going to support measures to buffer the rising cost of fuel resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kulit says the ministry will look for government help when the Cabinet reassembles for its weekly meeting on Tuesday. “The price of diesel oil will be maintained at…
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Thai family’s dream holiday turns into cockroach-infested nightmare
An extravagant vacation home infested with worms, rats and cockroaches, turned one family’s dream holiday in Pattaya into a nightmare. A Thai woman paid 47,000 baht for 2 nights’ accommodation at an 8-bedroom luxury villa in the Palm Spring Housing area of Pattaya but the stay turned into a disaster from the moment the family crossed the threshold. Primnapaphas Aite…
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Retire to Thailand? Think again, unless you’ve got the dosh!
Retiring to Thailand is the dream of many foreigners. And why not? The Land of Smiles has it all: sun, sea, sand, sexy senoritas, and a cheap way of living so, let’s do it! But what about the red tape? Is there any? How does Johnny Foreigner retire to Thailand? Well, Thailand’s Board of Investment is set to make an…
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Cannabis flowers to become a “controlled herb” in Thailand
In response to public concern about recreational abuse of cannabis since its decriminalisation last week, Thailand’s Health Minister has signed a ministerial regulation to make cannabis flowers – the part of the plant with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol – a “controlled herb.” The legislation specifies who is and isn’t allowed to access the THC-rich flowers. The legislation will come into…
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Free massages in Pattaya until end of June
Feeling stressed? A project training aspiring massage therapists is providing free massages at Pattaya City Hall from Monday to Friday from 9am-3pm, on the fourth floor. The project began this week, and will last until June 30. If you’re dying for relief from your hectic daily life, 20 massage trainees are happy to help. Massages are free for both Thais,…
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Police arrest suspects in illegal lending network across Thailand
Police across Thailand have arrested 29 alleged members of an online illegal lending network. Police from the Economic Crime Suppression Division said small-business operators filed a complaint that they had borrowed money from the website, and were charged unusually high interest rates. When the business operators couldn’t make the payments, the websites’ operators sent men to intimidate them, according to…
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Pakistani government tells people “drink less tea” amidst economic crisis
Pakistan is the latest of several countries hit by an economic crisis. In the midst of the crisis, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning and Development has some interesting instructions for citizens: drink less tea. Pakistan is the world’s largest importer of tea, buying more than US$640 million worth in 2020, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. The minister, Ahsan…
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Muslim groups discuss legislation contrary to their religious beliefs
Twenty-five Muslim organisations met yesterday to discuss the government’s new cannabis law and other legislation contrary to their religious beliefs. The religious groups met at Baan Nuer Mosque Hall in the southern province of Songkla, to set up an Unethical Laws and Regulations Opposition Association, in opposition to the new law to decriminalise cannabis on June 9, same-sex marriage proposals,…
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Democrat MP gives blessing for party-goers to get high
Democrat Party MP, Kanok Wongtrangarn believes the nation’s party zones should be allowed to throw “ganja parties” to draw in more tourists in a bid to boost the Thai economy. Kanok, who quit as deputy leader in April after the party failed to take stronger action over a sex-abuse case, says specific areas, like the Koh Pha Ngan Full Moon…
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Upper Thailand warned to be extra cautious on floods next week
Grab your rain boots once again! As rain pours down on Thailand (well, it’s the wet season), the country’s meteorological department has warned today flash floods and overflows are expected in upper Thailand from June 19-21, Sunday to Tuesday. During these days, the southwest monsoon will strengthen and the monsoon trough will move down from across Myanmar and upper Laos.…
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Luxury house in US belongs to my son, says Bangkok governor
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday insisted he has nothing to hide after it became public knowledge his family owns a luxury house in the US worth 72 million baht. The 56 year old city chief says the 4-bedroomed house on South Jackson Street, Seattle, Washington, belongs to his son, Sanpiti Sittipunt. Chadchart added the property, with 2 floors covering 302…
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Former Bangkok police inspector gets 20 years for murdering girlfriend in 2020
A former inspector from Bangkok’s Wang Thoglang Police station has been sentenced yesterday to 20 years in jail for murdering his girlfriend in 2020. The man, 31 year old Songklod ‘Boy’ Boonsong, shot and killed his girlfriend, 30 year old Pimchadaporn ‘Nim’ Puyamsai at a townhouse in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi. Boy shot Nim in the head. Boy claims he accidently…
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Officials in eastern Thailand scramble to save tree from tourists
Officials in eastern Thailand are scrambling to save a lone tree on a tiny islet off Trat province from tourist destruction. The islet is only a few metres wide, with nothing on it except the tree and its roots. The director of maintenance at Koh Mak Tambon Administrative Organisation, Lertrob Saithongpu, said the wee little islet can only handle 5…
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Phuket vice governor announces 5 year goal to cut road deaths in half
Phuket’s Vice Governor Anupap announced a 5 year goal for reducing Phuket’s road deaths at a meeting yesterday. Anupap said the goal for 2027 is to have only 12 deaths per 100,000 people. This would mean 41 road deaths a year in Phuket. Last year, Phuket saw 70 road deaths. To meet the 2027 goal, Phuket would have to cut…
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Sri Lanka to start 4 day work week so people can grow food amidst crisis
Amidst Sri Lanka’s unrest, the country’s government announced yesterday that it will start a 4 day work week for public sector workers for the next 3 months. The Department of Government Information said the day off could be a day for people to grow food, since Sri Lanka is expecting a food shortage. The department said… “It seems appropriate to…
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Domestic violence victim allegedly confesses to conspiracy to murder
A victim of domestic violence allegedly confessed to a conspiracy to murder charge on her arrest yesterday. The woman, Charoensri Thongkham, allegedly admitted to hiring a hitman to kill her husband because she couldn’t take any more of his violent abuse and long string of affairs. The 41 year old woman told police she had lived with her husband for…
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Full Moon Party in Koh Pha Ngan sees double the tourists
The third Full Moon Party of the year on Koh Pha Ngan has drawn double the number of tourists to South Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan since the first party back in April. Last night, about 20,000 visitors arrived on the shores of Haad Rin. The tourists passed through 5 checkpoints to be screened for weapons and drugs before they could…
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Thai tourist robbed of more than 65,000 baht in assets in Pattaya
A 24 year old woman was robbed while on a vacation with her family on Koh Larn Island in Pattaya. Nantapak Saelim’s shoulder bag containing over 65,000 baht in cash and jewellery was stolen from outside of her Airbnb holiday home on Friday night while she was inside the accommodation with her husband and 2 daughters. The Thai woman admitted…
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Policeman shot dead on duty in central Thailand
A group of teenagers on motorbikes fatally shot a policeman on duty in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, in the early hours of yesterday morning. One 18 year old man admits to firing a gun in the direction of the policeman, but isn’t sure if it was the shot that killed him. Commander-in-chief Anan Orsuwan went to Soi Erawan 12…
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Artificial reefs placed around Pattaya’s Koh Larn and Koh Sak
Thailand’s authorities are building new homes for Pattaya’s marine critters, hoping to boost coastal tourism. Yesterday, government authorities placed 300 sets of artificial reefs around Koh Larn and Koh Sak, 2 small islands off Pattaya. Pattaya’s Deputy Permanent Secretary, Kiattisak Sriwongchai, said the island’s coral reef had been especially damaged by people walking in them. The artificial reefs are made…
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Brother of pregnant Thai woman murdered in Taiwan demands justice
The brother of a Thai woman murdered in Taiwan is calling on police to catch the killer. Thirty-eight year old Yingyot Sae Li said the man who murdered his sister and her husband had been very close to his family, and grew up in the same village as them. His sister, Potjanee, had been 5 pregnant with twins when the…
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Men brutally attack group of women at restaurant in China
Several men attacked a group of women at a restaurant in northern China last week after one of the women rejected a man’s advances. Security footage shows a man in a restaurant in the city of Tangshan approach a woman dining with 2 of her friends. The man puts his hand on the woman’s back, and she pushes him away.…
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