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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Bangkok governor warns of canal pollution
Bangkok’s governor warns that the volume of garbage in Bangkok’s canals is increasing and is beginning to block the sewer system, causing potentially health-threatening floods in many areas. Governor Asawin Kwanmuang said the removal of garbage from canals in Lat Phrao district and under Pradit Manutham Road alone required 5 trucks. The area is just a kilometre away from a…
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2 killed after truck slams Phuket power pole – VIDEO
2 men are dead in Phuket after a truck slammed into a roadside power pole on the notorious Kata hill road, just out of Chalong yesterday. Police say the two men killed were a Thai and a Burmese national. The deputy chief of Karon police says the accident occurred at about 4:50pm at the mouth of Soi Suksan 1 on…
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2 teens on motorbike killed at infamous Pattaya U-turn
2 teenagers died at the scene after their motorbike collided with a car at a U-turn in South Pattaya just before curfew came into effect on Friday night. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 10:45pm at the notorious U-turn in front of a Pattaya Makro store, the scene of many of multiple deaths and incidents in recent…
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Two men die after truck plows into power pole in Phuket
A Thai and Burmese man were killed after a work truck collided with a power pole on Kata hill, southern Phuket yesterday afternoon. The deputy chief of Karon police reported that the incident happened near the turn off onto Soi Suksan 1, on the Chalong side of the hill. The power pole crashed on top of the truck as it fell,…
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Tourist and environment groups share concerns for new access piers for Maya Bay
The Chairman of Krabi Tourism Industry Council has shared his concerns about new piers and landing facilities on Koh Phi Phi Ley after being made aware that the Department of National Parks had the initiative to build a pier so tourist can travel by foot to Loh Samah Bay area behind Maya Bay, Ao Nang Subdistrict, Muang District, Krabi. Maya…
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Phuket officially reopens Monday, but with restrictions
Phuket is scheduled to reopen to outsiders on Monday, to coincide with the start of Phase 3 of the easing of Emergency Decree restrictions enacted to fight the spread of Covid-19. It will also be a pleasant respite for the islanders who have been cooped up on the island since the last week of March. Phuket’s outgoing governor says his…
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Panthongtae Shinawatra is a free man after AG decides not to appeal acquittal
Panthongtae “Oak” Shinawatra, son of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, is a free man, after Thailand’s Attorney General decided to not appeal against his acquittal for alleged money laundering. He was charged by the Department of Special Investigations after 10 million baht was deposited into his bank account by an executive of the Krisdamahanakorn Group of real estate companies, which was…
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Suspect in Phattalung murder commits suicide as police close in
A murder suspect in Thailand’s southern Trang province committed suicide as police moved to arrest him yesterday. Authorities say he was one of three gunmen in the murder of a driver in neighbouring Phatttalung province last year. 40 year old Haron Usen was hiding out with his girlfriend in a house in tambon Bang Sak. Provincial and local police surrounded…
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Taxi driver attacked and stabbed after accident in Bangkok
A motorbike driver attacked a taxi driver on Wednesday this week after an accident by taking off his helmet and repeatedly hitting the driver with it before stabbing him with a screwdriver. A witness says the motorbike cut in front of the taxi on Phet Kasem Road, or Highway 4, in Bangkok, but the taxi couldn’t stop in time and…
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Nakhonchaiair to resume interprovincial bus services from Monday
In a move bound to thrill many Thais stranded away from their home provinces by the Covid-19 crisis and the Emergency Decree, interprovincial buses operated by Nakhonchaiair will resume service from Monday. The company’s CEO made the announcement today. She added that social distancing measures will be strictly enforced in the seating of passengers, all of whom who will also…
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Transport Company interprovincial bus services to the South remain suspended
Transport Company, Thailand’s interprovincial bus company, announced this week that it is continuing its suspension of all services to the southern provinces as the country will be under the state of emergency until June 30. It did not say when services will resume. The company was expected to resume services from Bangkok to Koh Samui, Phuket and Trang from June…
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Foreigners with work permits to be allowed back into Thailand on case by case basis
Foreigners with work permits or permission from the Labour Ministry (and other some other government agencies) will be allowed to enter the country after registration, under phase 3 of the lockdown relaxation, which begins Monday. The Foreign Ministry made the announcement today. The Foreign Ministry has told Thailand’s foreign chambers of commerce about the relaxation. Eligible foreign nationals are invited…
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PM assures MPs that government knows how to handle trillion baht loan
“Don’t worry, we got this…” Following the Finance Ministry’s securing of a trillion baht loan, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke up to address concerns over how the funds will be administered. Answering questions raised by opposition parties, the PM said the government has clear rules in place on how the funds will be distributed, with the priority being small and medium…
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces re-entry procedures for foreigners
Yesterday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent out a letter to all Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand explaining the details and procedures for non-Thai nationals to re-enter the country. This procedure is not for only for people who legally work in Thailand. Those who don’t have a work permit yet, but your new employer can get permission from the…
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Thai actress allegedly scams Chinese businessman out of 2.5 million baht
A Thai actress allegedly tricked a Chinese businessman out of 2.5 million baht. Nation Thailand reports the woman worked with a gang to pose as high government officials who could help him with his business dealings. The businessman finally made a complaint with police yesterday at the Pak Khlong San Police Station in southern Thailand. The Nation reports he was…
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90 day deadline for farmers to hand over banned agrochemicals
In the culmination of a long-running feud over hazardous farm chemicals, Thailand’s Department of Agriculture has finally given Thai farmers a 90 day deadline to turn in some herbicides and pesticides for destruction, as they are officially illegal. Manufacturers or importers of the chemicals now banned under Thai law have 270 days to destroy their stocks. Yesterday’s announcement was in…
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Radio station gunman confesses, faces murder charges, death penalty
The gunman who allegedly shot 3 of his coworkers at a public radio station is facing murder charges and the death penalty if convicted. The 59 year old Wim Sonsuk was an electrician at the station. He lashed out after problems with his coworkers at the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand in the northern Phitsanulok province. On Wednesday, he allegedly…
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Thai Airways can’t refund 24 billion baht in unused tickets
Thai Airways’ recent declaration of bankruptcy and debt rehabilitation has left many holders of unused tickets high and dry. The carrier grounded its fleet in early April due to the Covid-19 crisis, and is now unable to refund tickets purchased for the period since. The troubled national flag carrier’s PR department said yesterday it is unable to offer refunds at…
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Standard Chartered Bank forecasts 2 year economic recovery for Thailand
Standard Chartered Bank says that it remains conservative on Thailand’s economic outlook, even though signs are emerging with the possibility of a further policy rate cut to below 0.25%. Their latest report forecasts a return to pre-Covid levels could take more than 2 years depending on improving business sentiment as the economy reopens, noting that the government has been disbursing…
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Security chief says country to reopen July 1
The chief of Thailand’s National Security Council announced today that Thailand has set July 1 for the end of all “business and activity lockdowns” ordered to cope with the Covid-19 crisis, include provincial and international travel. The announcement also included the end of the Emergency Decree and curfews, Bangkok Post reports. NSC Secretary-General Somsak Rungsita says the lift of restrictions…
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Bangkok’s UK visa application centre to reopen
Below is the text of a press release from the British Embassy, lightly edited for brevity: “On June 1, UK Visas and Immigration will begin a phased resumption of services and our main Visa Application Centre in Bangkok (The Trendy Office Building, 28th Floor Sukhumvit Soi 13, Klongtoey-Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110) will be open. Customers who were unable to attend…
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Massage shops, boxing stadiums may be allowed to reopen next week
But we won’t know until tomorrow. Phase 3 of the easing of Covid-19 emergency measures could finally see boxing stadiums, massage parlours, spas, cinemas and tutorial schools allowed to reopen next month. Pubs, bars and nightlife venues are expected to remain closed, well that’s the rumours for now anyway. The deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department says activities and…
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Thai man arrested for distributing child porn on social media
A man was arrested for processing and distributing child pornography after a report from a US agency, police announced yesterday. The US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children traced the uploaded pornography back to Thailand and notified Thailand immigration police. The man, Thai media reports as ‘Kittiphong’, uploaded and sold the child pornography on Twitter and the messaging app…
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Man arrested after firing shots at coworker, shoot out with police
A man has been tracked down and arrested after he shot at a coworker and later fired shots at police, one bullet accidentally hitting his brother-in-law. The coworker was not harmed after 27 year old Thirawat Thamkhanthee fired shots at him outside a Rayong factory on Tuesday, the Bangkok Post reports. Rayong is a province to the east of Bangkok.…
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Central buys Family Mart Thailand
Shopping centre operator Central Retail Corporation has bought 100% of Family Mart, one of Thailand’s major convenience store chains, as it “moves forward to develop a new business model to cater to modern consumers”. CRC’s chief executive officer says the acquisition will strengthen Central’s hold on the food market and convenience store business in Thailand, which is burgeoning. Since 2012,…
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More people charged in illegal surrogacy scandal
More people involved in the surrogacy scandal turned themselves in yesterday and are now facing charges. According to the Bangkok Post, 4 doctors and a scientist are looking at charges for their alleged involvement in the illegal ring which uses Thai women to carry babies for people in China. A report yesterday says a Thai doctor faces charges for human…
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Son stabs father multiple times in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A father was stabbed 9 times by his son yesterday in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Bangkok Post reports the 25 year old son was high on drugs and acting erratic. His 53 year old father tried to calm him down, but the son took out a knife and stabbed his father multiple times. The father, a…
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Emergency Decree extended through June amidst accusations of political motivation
As widely predicted, the Cabinet yesterday extended the Emergency Decree for a third month, to its limit at the end of June. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, quickly explained that the decree was enforced because it enabled more than 40 laws to be tied together to allow for quick enforcement at the national level.…
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Gunman kills 3 at Northern Thailand radio station
Thai media reports 3 people are dead after a shooting today at the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand radio station in Phitsanulok, Northern Thailand. One other person is injured. Khaosod English reports that the suspected gunman, Win Sonsuk, has already been arrested. He was a staff member at the radio station. He was working as a transmitter engineer. One of…
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Unemployed elephants: Some return to the wild, others sent to work in logging business
The drop in tourism has had a huge impact on the elephants in Northern Thailand, leaving many elephants, you could say, unemployed. While some elephants are out of business and been taken back to their natural habitat, others are struggling in captivity and might be sent off to work in animal labour which some people may deem as unethical. A reporter…
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