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    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...

  • Swimmers, beach-goers advised to avoid 3 areas of beach affected by Rayong oil spill

    Swimmers, beach-goers advised to avoid 3 areas of beach affected by Rayong oil spill

    Red flags have been placed at Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng beach, following a recent oil spill in the eastern province, with officials advising swimmers to stay away, again. According to a Thai PBS World report, the Pollution Control Department says high levels of total petroleum hydrocarbon have been detected in the areas and people should not swim in the water…

  • Indian mafia member arrested in Pattaya, confirmed no links to Phuket murder

    Indian mafia member arrested in Pattaya, confirmed no links to Phuket murder

    An Indian mafia member was arrested in Pattaya after a red Interpol notice. He was allegedly involved in robbery, murder, human trafficking, ransom and money laundering in India. But Thai police have already confirmed that there is no links between the arrested man and the ‘hit job’ on Indian citizen Jimi “Slice” Sandhu on February 4. The Pattaya suspect reportedly…

  • CCSA says no travel restrictions over Songkran this year, but no parties either

    CCSA says no travel restrictions over Songkran this year, but no parties either

    Even though it’s still 7 weeks away, the Thai government is taking the front foot on the forthcoming Songkran “new year” celebrations. The CCSA will meet next week to discuss potential disease prevention measures for the big Songkran holiday. However, it says it will not impose travel restrictions to prevent Thais from heading home for the annual commemoration. Supot Malaniyom,…

  • Pro-democracy activist Parit granted bail after proving he has to sit university exams

    Pro-democracy activist Parit granted bail after proving he has to sit university exams

    Pro-democracy protest leader, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, has been freed on 3 months’ bail after proving to the Bangkok South Criminal Court that he needs to sit final university exams. The court had refused to grant bail until the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University issued Parit with a certificate to prove his status. Thai PBS World reports that bail…

  • Foreign man arrested for allegedly smuggling 1.28 kilograms of cocaine into Thailand

    Foreign man arrested for allegedly smuggling 1.28 kilograms of cocaine into Thailand

    Thailand’s Customs Department seized 1.28 kilograms of cocaine from a man at a quarantine who had just entered the country from Guinea Bissau. Authorities suspect the man may have ingested the packages drugs as a way to get passed security at the airport. The 41 year old man from Sierra Leone arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on February 12. He…

  • Top 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

    Top 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

  • 7 men arrested for allegedly posing as monks, asking for cash donations

    7 men arrested for allegedly posing as monks, asking for cash donations

    Seven men are accused of posing as monks to scam residents in the eastern province Rayong by asking for cash donations. Reports say police found the men carrying fake monk identification cards. The seven “monks” were seen as unconventional as they refused to accept food and other offerings, and only accepted money. A local monk then reported them to the…

  • Travel Guide: Thailand Pass “Test & Go” 3.0 – All you need to know!

    Travel Guide: Thailand Pass “Test & Go” 3.0 – All you need to know!

    There’s good news on the horizon for those looking to travel to Thailand. The CCSA has just updated requirements for entry into Thailand, making it easier to enter the Land of Smiles — with a big smile of your own. Beginning March 1, travellers by air, land and water will be able to register to enter Thailand under the revised…

  • Cabinet approves the use of chemical castration on repeat sex offenders

    Cabinet approves the use of chemical castration on repeat sex offenders

    The Thai Cabinet approved a bill aimed at preventing repeated sexual offense cases, which includes chemically castrating sexual predators, if at least two medical professionals agree with the procedure and the offender gives consent. MP and spokesperson from the Palang Pracharath Party, Pacharin Sumsiripon, and Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin had proposed the so-called “Sex Act” to prevent repeated sexual offense…

  • Teenager reports sexual assault at co-ed isolation centre for Covid-19 patients

    Teenager reports sexual assault at co-ed isolation centre for Covid-19 patients

    A teenager staying in a community isolation centre while recovering from Covid-19 says she was sexually assaulted by a young man staying in the same room, adding that there were no authorities monitoring the patients. Many of Thailand’s field hospitals and isolation centres have numerous beds made from cardboard boxes all in one large room, like a gymnasium. The 15…

  • Bangkok court rejects bail applications of prominent pro-democracy activists

    Bangkok court rejects bail applications of prominent pro-democracy activists

    Bail applications from anti-government activists Anon Nampa and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak have been rejected by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. The decision follows an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court that granted bail of 2,079,000 baht in relation to other charges. The pro-democracy Ratsadon group did not have sufficient funds to pay the requested amount and launched an online crowdfunding…

  • Pending bill could help families of disappeared Thai activists take legal action

    Pending bill could help families of disappeared Thai activists take legal action

    A bill awaiting senate approval that criminalises torture and forced disappearances could help parents and partners of missing Thai activists take legal action. Those convicted of political disappearances and torture cases involving death could be imprisoned between 15 and 30 years. After it had been delayed for decades, lawmakers in the house of representatives unanimously passed draft laws on Wednesday.…

  • Phuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced

    Phuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced

    Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars. Now, Phuket officials have launched new plans to…

  • Thailand Test & Go update: No more Day 5 pre-paid hotel or PCR test

    Thailand Test & Go update: No more Day 5 pre-paid hotel or PCR test

    From the start of March, the requirement for the 2nd pre-paid PCR test on Day 5 after your arrival in Thailand will be dropped. But it will instead be replaced with a rapid antigen test you can take yourself (freely and cheaply available at any convenience store). In addition, the required ‘Covid’ insurance will be reduced from $50,000 to $20,000.…

  • After pipeline spills, Rayong officials say beach is “still unsafe”

    After pipeline spills, Rayong officials say beach is “still unsafe”

    After 3 separate oil spills from the same company within a month, Rayong officials say the Mae Ramphueng beach is still unsafe. Health officials tested urine samples of officials who had to collect the oil. Out of 534 officials, 3 showed unsafe levels of volatile compounds. 18 other officials still await their results. The Rayong Pollution Control Centre also said…

  • Mor Prom’s chatbot gives you free Covid-19 advice and online diagnosis

    Mor Prom’s chatbot gives you free Covid-19 advice and online diagnosis

    A chatbot has been added to the Covid-19 application, Mor Prom. The update allows users to examine information about their Covid-19 symptoms, and it’s about 85% accurate according to an assistant to the public health minister. “The Mor Prom chatbot is not a medical diagnosis but it helps those who are infected with Covid-19 if they should seek urgent treatment.” Users…

  • Thailand’s businesses appeal to government to lower labour import cost

    Thailand’s businesses appeal to government to lower labour import cost

    Thai businesses say they need more workers, and have appealed to the Labour Ministry to reduce costs of importing migrant workers from surrounding countries like Myanmar and Cambodia. Labour ministers said business operators are concerned that if not enough workers are brought in on time, their businesses won’t be able to meet orders and will have to pay fines. PM…

  • Officials to review Test & Go requirements at CCSA meeting today

    Officials to review Test & Go requirements at CCSA meeting today

    The government’s Covid-19 task force meets today to review the country’s entry requirements, with a decision expected on whether to ditch the day 5 PCR test. Under Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme, overseas arrivals are required to take 2 PCR tests, despite already having a negative test result prior to departure from their home country. The first test is…

  • UPDATE: Junior policeman admits guilt over 9 charges relating to Bangkok zebra crossing death

    UPDATE: Junior policeman admits guilt over 9 charges relating to Bangkok zebra crossing death

    UPDATE: In an evening session, Pol L/C Norawich Buadok admitted guilt to the nine charges laid over the incident on January 21 where opthalmologist Waraluck Supawatjariyakul was hit and killed when the officer’s Ducati motorbike hit her on a zebra crossing in downtown Ratchethewi, Bangkok. The nine charges include driving a vehicle with no licence plate, using a vehicle without…

  • TAT says Phuket sandbox has generated over 43 billion baht in revenue

    TAT says Phuket sandbox has generated over 43 billion baht in revenue

    The Phuket sandbox scheme has so far generated over 43 billion baht in revenue, with visitor numbers steadily increasing. So says the Phuket office of the TAT, in a Bangkok Post report today. According to TAT Phuket director, Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, the sandbox scheme initially welcomed around 300 foreign tourists a day when it first launched last July. Since then, that…

  • Police arrest key suspect in Nakhon Nayok murders

    Police arrest key suspect in Nakhon Nayok murders

    Standing shirtless in the sun on the roadside, a local man in Nakhom Nayok had a rude awakening this morning when police arrested him as a key suspect in the murder of two men and the wounding of another earlier this month. The man was arrested this morning when around 300 local and provincial officers searched the Bang Somboon area…

  • Star Petroleum vows to seal underwater pipeline and “clean up” oil slicks in Rayong

    Star Petroleum vows to seal underwater pipeline and “clean up” oil slicks in Rayong

    Star Petroleum Refining, the petrochemical company behind 3 separate oil leaks about 20 kilometres off the Rayong coastline, has now been approved by Map Ta Phut Provincial police and Marine Department to seal leaks in their underwater pipeline. The company says that works have begun today, starting with clearing the most recent oil leak of around 12,000 spare metres that…

  • PM Prayut insists former police investigator into human trafficking in Thailand can return from exile

    PM Prayut insists former police investigator into human trafficking in Thailand can return from exile

    Following the human trafficking of Rohingya people at the border of Thailand and Malaysia reported yesterday, PM Prayut declared that Thailand “was serious about human trafficking”, and the situation was “improving”. He also said that the former Thai policeman in exile in Australia, who shared the story about the case back in 2015, left the country “by himself “and insisted…

  • Prosecutors decide today if officer who fatally struck pedestrian will stand trial

    Prosecutors decide today if officer who fatally struck pedestrian will stand trial

    Prosecutors will today decide whether to indict a police officer who fatally struck a pedestrian while riding a Ducati motorbike at speed. Norawich Buadokw was off duty and riding the un-licenced superbike when he hit Bangkok ophthalmologist Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul on a pedestrian crossing. The incident happened on Phaya Thai Road in the Ratchathewi district of the capital on January…

  • Saudi Arabia will have flights to Thailand available starting February 28

    Saudi Arabia will have flights to Thailand available starting February 28

    After Thailand and Saudi Arabia patched things up last month after decades of cold relations, flights from Saudi Arabia to Thailand will be available starting on February 28. Thai International Airways also plans to have direct flights between Bangkok and Riyadh in May. Thai tourism authorities have set a lofty goal of 20 billion baht from an expected 200,000 Saudi…

  • Thai tourism industry demands Covid restrictions to be lifted, PM urges caution

    Thai tourism industry demands Covid restrictions to be lifted, PM urges caution

    The Thai Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling on all 77 provincial governments to do everything they can to reduce the spread of the latest Covid surge in Thailand. There has been more than 18,000 new infections over the past 2 days. Today, Thailand logged 18,953 official new cases with numerous additional un-official cases which have been registered from ATK tests. So…

  • Thailand will purchase stealth jets if United States okays

    Thailand will purchase stealth jets if United States okays

    Thailand will purchase Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jets if the United States approves it. In January, Thailand set aside US$413 million for four jets, but one Thai air marshal said Thailand wants to buy as many as eight. A US State Department spokesperson said the department doesn’t confirm or comment on proposed transfers or sales until congress has been formally…

  • Is the new Boeing 737 Max safe to fly? New Netflix documentary argues the case against Boeing

    Is the new Boeing 737 Max safe to fly? New Netflix documentary argues the case against Boeing

    A new Netflix documentary, directed by Rory Kennedy, is a withering and forensic critique of the Boeing company and their complicit cover up of problems with their new Boeing 737 Max aircraft. “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” lacks overt drama or re-enactments of screaming passengers, but it catalogues a two decade-long decent from a company paranoid about safety to a…

  • Thai officials talk of replacing second PCR test for Test & Go entry with ATK

    Thai officials talk of replacing second PCR test for Test & Go entry with ATK

    Day 5 requirements of Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme has been discouraging some potential tourists from travelling to Thailand. Not only is a second RT-PCT test needed on the fifth day of their stay (the first test on arrival), but travellers are required to book a night at a hotel approved by the Safety and Health Administration while the…

  • 7 arrested for alleged sex with underage girls, police looking for more suspects

    7 arrested for alleged sex with underage girls, police looking for more suspects

    Seven people were arrested for allegedly having sex with underage girls in the southern province of Surat Thani. A 14 year old girl also faces human trafficking charges for allegedly enticing other teen girls into prostitution. With one of the suspects being the son of a politician, Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn, known as “Big Joke,” says all suspects will…