Hot News
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Did you know that treating a broken leg can cost around 200,000 THB for uninsured patients, and a three-day hospital stay for conditions like dengue fever averages 40,000 to 80,000 THB in Thailand? While healthcare in Thailand is more affordable...
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Prawit defends the PM’s brother being appointed to the new Senate
PHOTO: Thai Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan When the media are sceptical, get your wing man to back you up. The deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan has defended the appointment of retired General Preecha Chan-o-cha, the younger brother of PM Prayut, as a senator in the new parliament’s upper house. He said Gen Preecha is qualified as he was a member of…
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Democrats poised to take on the Election Commission over party-list seats
Join the queue. The Democrat party is joining two other political parties in objecting to the Election Commission’s party-list formula used to allocate seats to parties following the March 24 election. They’ve vowed to take legal action over the matter, along with heu Thai and Future Forward All three have now vowed to explore all possible legal channels to deal…
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Massive corals off Rayong start bleaching
PHOTOS: Thon Thamrongnawasawat Massive and aged corals have started to bleach off the coast of Rayong in the Gulf of Thailand. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a marine biologist says, “The coral in Rayong has started to bleach. From a bird eye view we can see clearly the white coral around…
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First batch of practitioners qualify to prescribe medical cannabis
Thailand is now certifying the first batch of 175 professionals who will be qualified to prescribe marijuana-based medication. Medical Services have released the names of the first 175 practitioners who successfully completed the two day course. According to The Nation, 192 attended the training, but only 175 had passed it. The successful professionals will become the first to qualify for handing…
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A Phitsanulok district has been declared a drought zone
The Phitsanulok provincial administration has declared the Wat Bote district a drought disaster zone. They’ve taken the action to speed up assistance for villagers as the volume of water in a local dam has dropped to less than 25% of its capacity. Phitsanulok province is in central Thailand. Chamnarn Chuthiang, director of the Phitsanulok Irrigation Office, said the Wat Bote…
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Man arrested for raising protected Red-backed Sea Eagles in Krabi
A man has been arrested for raising three protected Red-backed Sea Eagles in Krabi. Officers from the Thung Thale Wildlife Sanctuary in Krabi arrested 52 year old Nirat Lakthong at his house in Koh Lanta. Officials found the three Red-backed Sea Eagles aged around two months old in a cage near the house. They say that Nirat was raising them before…
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27 deaths from Dengue fever already this year
27 people have died from dengue fever in Thailand so far this year. That’s the highest fatality rate, year on year, in the past five years. The Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary Dr Supakit Sirilak has reacted by sending an urgent letter to related agencies to prepare measures to prevent more dengue fever deaths. It’s estimated there will be…
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“The water is black and horrible” – Pattaya Beach
PHOTOS: Sophon TV Sophon TV, ever watchful on the state of Pattaya’s beaches, reports that a 2.6 kilometre stretch of the beach in Pattaya was a “filthy mess”. A local operator is blaming the tourists. “From North to South Pattaya the beach is a disgrace”, according to Sophon TV. “The water is black and horrible.” They note that the tide line…
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Election Commission’s ‘formula’ lands 27 parties in Lower House
The Election Commission has announced that a total of 26 parties have secured party-list MP seats in the new Lower House. 11 of the parties didn’t even win enough votes to be entitled to the seats under the guidelines announced before the election. The EC deputy secretary-general Sawang Boonmee refused to explain why the junta-appointed poll authority had chosen this controversial…
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The Election Commission awards 27 parties with seats in the new parliament
PHOTO: The Thai PM warms up for the next round of musical chairs in the new Parliament “Someone has moved the goal posts and changed the soccer ball to a golf ball.” The new Thai parliament has now officially become unworkable, and that’s before anyone even sits down to take a vote. Today the Election Commission awarded 26 political parties…
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Court says party-list seat calculation is constitutional
FILE PHOTO In news unlikely to shock anyone, the Constitutional Court has ruled unanimously that Article 128 of the MP Election Act, regarding the calculation of the 150 party-list seat allocation, is constitutional. They’ve ruled that it does not conflict with Article 91 of the Constitution. The Charter Court’s ruling has been released in a statement which was timed to perfection before the Election Commission was set…
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Maya Bay closed for at least another two years
Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, closed last June to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, will now remain closed to visitors for at least another two years. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a renowned marine specialist says, “The meeting yesterday concluded that Maya Bay is to be closed for…
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Large tree crashes onto car in Chalong
A big tree has fallen in Chalong where it has tried to squash a parked Honda Jazz parked in front of a house in Chalong this morning. Staff from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chalong Office were notified of the big tree collapsing and hitting a car in Soi Kritsada in Chalong in the midst of high winds and rain…
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Warning for boats going to sea off Phuket
The Phuket Marine Office has made another official announcement today for boats that will remain in force until May 10. The announcement was issued yesterday stating that “The weather forecast of strong westerly winds is expected to bring heavy rains to southern Thailand and the Andaman coast from today until at least May 10.“ “The warning is in effect for…
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Second batch of official election results due today
Five weeks after the country’s general election, the Election Commission has endorsed 349 successful constituency candidates for the House of Representatives, of the 350 seats contested. One constituency in Chiang Mai province had its winning candidate disqualified – a bi-election will be held at the end of the month. Today, the EC will reveal the 150 successful party-list MP candidates who…
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Three drug suspects arrested in Phuket
Three drugs suspects have been arrested in Phuket in separate cases. They’ve been caught with methamphetamine pills, crystal methamphetamine and marijuana. Police arrested a 38 year old man Kanut ‘Joe’ Meelarb at Soi Thepanusorn in Wichit. Police seized 30.06 grams of crystal methamphetamine and 1,475 methamphetamine pills. He was taken to Wichit Police Station where he faces charges of illegal…
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60 NLA members resign to become Senators in the new parliament
About 60 members of the National Legislative Assembly are expected to tender their resignations in the next two days to be ready to join the military-appointed Senate. NLA vice president Phirasak Porchit says that about 60 members of the assembly, himself included, as well as NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholachai, NLA vice president Surachai Liangboonlertchai, Somchai Sawaengkarn and Klanarong Chantik, had been handpicked to…
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Game of Thrones, with a grande mocha latte thanks
A paper coffee cup has appeared on a table in the great hall of Winterfell in the (spoiler alert) ‘fictional’ (Aghast!), realm of Westeros in the HBO production of Game of Thrones. Sharp-eyed viewers did a double take in Sunday night’s episode, quickly reaching for the remote and asking ‘was that a Starbucks coffee cup’? The latte or grande mocha…
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NCPO and NLA members resign to take up positions as senators in next parliament
Members of the current Cabinet and the National Legislative Assembly, who are hoping to become senators in the new parliament, are expected to resign as the NCPO prepares senatorial appointments for royal endorsement by the end of this week. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam says that the NCPO will submit its list of 250 appointed senators by this Friday. He said…
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Garbage found inside a dead sea turtle on Kamala beach
PHOTO: Nijut Kamala / Newshawk Phuket Fishing equipment and other rubbish has been found inside a large dead sea turtle on Kamala beach yesterday. Staff from the Phuket Marine Biology Centre at Cape Panwa were notified from locals that the big sea turtle had been washed up on Kamala beach. The turtle was nearly a metre long and weighed about 90…
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Forest fires very close to a revered shrine in Mae Hong Son
Fires continue to rage in the northwestern province of Mae Hong Son over the weekend. One of them got very close to a revered Guan Yin shrine in Muang district last night (Sunday). A fire broke out in the forest behind the shrine on the Mae Hong Son bypass in Ban Mai Ngae village of Tambon Pang Moo at 7pm,…
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Phuket lifeguard service warning of strong currents along Phuket beaches
PHOTOS: Phuket Lifeguard Service / Newshawk Phuket Phuket lifeguards are warning all swimmer at Phuket’s beaches of strong waves and rip currents. The head of Patong Lifeguard Service Somprasong Sangchart has warned of strong currents, even at Patong beach. Red flags have been set up along the beach. Meanwhile red flags have also been set up on other beaches as…
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Junta and government looking to unwind some orders made since 2014
The junta and the government are scheduled wind back orders and announcements originally issued by the junta but which are no longer considered necessary – some of them issued back in 2014 when the Junta took control in May of that year. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam passed on the news earlier today. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the junta and the…
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HM The King confers new royal titles on his family – PHOTOS
“HM The King’s mother will now be addressed as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother.” HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday granted new titles to members of his family in a grand, televised royal ceremony. The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej has a new name signifying he was also the father of a monarch, and that he was a “Maha Raja”…
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Saturday’s Royal Coronation ceremonies – PHOTOS
The 66 year old monarch, dressed in a bejewelled golden robe, was handed the Crown of Victory that weighs 7.3 kilograms, which he placed on his head. HM the King then issued his First Royal Command: “I shall continue to protect, develop and reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people.” His Majesty the King then granted…
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Royal Coronation – Sunday’s Ceremonies
9am The ceremony to bestow His Majesty’s Royal Cypher and Royal Title and to grant the royal ranks to members of royalty takes place at Amarindra Vinicchaya Throne Hall. 4:30pm His Majesty the King rides in the Royal Palanquin in the Royal Procession on Land to encircle the city, affording people the opportunity to attend and pay homage to their…
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Announcement of election results this Tuesday and Wednesday
The Election Commission is, as promised, poised to announce the final election results next Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday’s initial round of results are sure to spark off a new round of political dramas – no matter who is considered the ‘winner’ from the results. The announcements come at a time when tensions are running high over lawsuits and the uncertainty over…
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Thai Airways celebrates 59 years of operations
Thai Airways International has recognised the airlines’ long-serving staff with certificates at a ceremony to mark the 59th anniversary. Thai Airways president, Sumeth Damrongchaitham, presided over a ceremony to present certificates and souvenirs to staff who have completed 35 years and 25 years of service with the national airline. The certificates were also given to staff who were commended by…
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Royal Coronation – Saturday Highlights – PHOTOS
“I shall continue, protect and reign with righteousness for the benefit of the people.” 11.50am: The King goes to the Bhadrapitha Throne and sits under the Royal Nine-tiered Umbrella, where the Chief Brahmin presents him with the Royal Golden Plaque of His Majesty’s official title, the Royal Regalia, the Ancient and Auspicious Orders and the Weapons of Sovereignty. 12.40pm: Their…
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Royal Coronation – Saturday Afternoon ceremonies
After the Crowning and Investiture Ceremony, HM presents the First Royal Command. 1.19pm The ceremony of Assumption of the Royal Residence takes place at Chakrabat Biman Royal Residence. The purpose of the ceremony is to symbolically take up the royal residence. 2pm HM the King grants an audience to members of the Royal Family, the Privy Council, and the Thai…
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