Hot News
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US in Asia: President Biden to ASEAN meeting, VP Harris to APEC
Top US officials are set to visit Southeast Asia, with US President Joe Biden joining the ASEAN summit in Cambodia next month, and Vice President Kamala Harris heading to Bangkok for an APEC meeting. The White House has now confirmed that Biden will join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for their meeting on November 12 and 13. Harris…
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Thailand hits 7 million international tourists
Thailand’s tourism has hit another milestone. As of October 26, the kingdom witnessed 7,349,843 international tourists arriving, surpassing the 7 million mark. It’s put the country within its goal range set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) of 7 to 10 million visitors for 2022. The TAT announced that over 7 million tourists have arrived since January 1 in…
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Shots fired by Bangkok police in drugs bust car chase
Plainclothes police officers fired at a car they believed to be driven by a drug dealer who was attempting to flee. The suspect remains at large. The incident took place on Phetkasem Road on Friday evening, causing panic in the area. It is the latest skirmish in Thailand’s war on drugs, triggered by this month’s day car massacre in the…
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Last Pakistani in Guantanamo Bay goes home
Saifullah Paracha has been in Guantanamo Bay detention centre since he was taken into custody in Bangkok in 2003. The 74 year old was never charged with anything, nor was he accused of any crime, merely “having links” with the al-Qaeda leadership. The oldest inmate at Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba and an innocent man by every legal definition, Paracha…
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Musk’s Twitter: hate speech spikes, execs sacked, Trump happy
The takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk began with an awkward stab at a humorous tweet, the sacking of some top executives, and a LOT of hate speech. The site saw an immediate sharp rise in hate speech and disinformation posts by users who believe Musk’s anti-censorship stance will usher in a Twitter free-for-all. Public feelings are mixed about the…
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Turkey raises terrorism red flags over nordic NATO apps
Finland and Sweden plan to join NATO at the same time, but such a united front has prompted Turkey to raise questions about both applications. The two Nordic countries applied to join the alliance in May, partly in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but have since run into trouble from Turkey. Ankara accuses the two of harbouring dissident groups…
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“Where is Nancy?” Man attacks US Speaker Pelosi’s husband with hammer
Fueled by rhetoric from former President Donald Trump and Q-Anon conspiracy theories, a man broke into the home of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer while demanding to see her. The attack is seen by many as a foreshadowing of potential political violence with the upcoming midterm elections in the United States just one…
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This weekend: Thailand Comic Con 2022 in Bangkok
For those who need a bit of an escape from reality, Thailand Comic Con 2022 is being held in Bangkok this weekend. The pop culture event has long been massively popular in the US and around the world. And from Friday to Sunday, the people of Thailand and those currently residing in Bangkok can experience the convention of all things…
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Palang Pracharath Party could be dissolved, ex-acting PM banned
The fallout continues after a drug bust at a karaoke venue in Bangkok revealed that the owner had previously donated 3 million baht to the Palang Pracharath Party. Now, the political party may face dissolution due to accepting what is believed to be “grey money” donations, with top officials being banned from politics. Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said that…
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Thai policeman & govt official arrested for selling personal info to scam call centre
A police officer and a government official have been arrested for selling the personal information of Thai people to scam call centre gangs. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, revealed today that two government officials were involved with a scam call centre gang, and have been prosecuted for their actions. The first officer is a police…
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Police say US gunman’s weapon was taken from him a week before attack
More details have emerged on the horrific shooting in the US on Monday. Police said that the gunman’s weapon had been taken from him about a week before he shot and killed a teacher and student at the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in St. Louis. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, also injured seven others in…
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Stockholm’s fugitive king cobra found hiding in wall cavity
While Thailand suffers a plague of serpents, driven out of their natural hiding places by recent flooding, a king cobra, broke out of a new enclosure in a Swedish zoo only days after it arrived. The frightened reptile was found early on Thursday morning, hiding only a few metres from its enclosure. The reptile escaped by squirming through a light…
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Thai police seize drug kingpin’s luxury Bangkok house on Facebook Live
Thai police from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) went live on Facebook this morning to seize a 21 million baht luxury home in Bangkok’s Saphan Sung district. The house belonged to an alleged transnational drug trafficker and money launderer who police suspect has already fled Thailand. In August, police seized 945 kilograms of “Ice” (methamphetamine) hidden in…
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Police raid Bangkok clinic with unhealthy attitude to sex workers
A woman has been arrested on charges of operating a health clinic as a front for prostitution in a housing estate in Bangkok. The KL Health Clinic on Soi Nuanchan in Bung Kum was a front for sex services, according to police who raided the premises yesterday. Investigators arrested the owner of KL clinic Manthira Boonnipan, 35 years old, for…
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China’s ‘secret police stations’ anger Canada, Netherlands
Canada is investigating reports that secret Chinese “police stations” are operating in Toronto, amid reports of a global network used to target overseas dissidents. The Royal Canada Mounted Police is investigating “reports of criminal activity about the so-called police stations.” The revelations come days after the Dutch government said it was investigating two suspected stations. The news is also hot…
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Malaysian man arrested in Bangkok for smuggling liquor
A Malaysian man was arrested yesterday after police discovered he smuggled liquor from abroad and manufactured alcohol with fake brand-name labels to sell in Bangkok. Police from the Patrol and Special Operation Division discovered the illegal activities of a 55 year old Malaysian man named Chan when they raided his house in the Min Buri district of Bangkok yesterday at…
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Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
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THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan
Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) announced Thai Airways (THAI) needs to raise 10 billion baht to ensure the company’s shareholding does not dip below 40%. The Finance Ministry, THAI’s biggest shareholder with a 47% stake, revealed plans are already underway to raise the finances and preserve its shareholding in the company. SEPO Director General Pantip Sripimol reported that the…
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After Bangkok drug party raid, police investigate possible Chinese connections
After police raided a Bangkok drug party with hundreds of Chinese nationals on Wednesday, they are now investigating possible connections with a group of wealthy Chinese business owners. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, said the police are probing whether the business owners are behind the increasing number of unauthorised night venues in Bangkok’s Ratchada…
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Chinese tycoon busted in drug party donated 3 million baht to govt
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin admitted that the Chinese businessman busted in the illegal drug party in Bangkok this week donated three million baht to Palang Pracharath Party last year, but added that the donation was rendered legally. The police raided a Chinese karaoke venue named Jin Long which was secretly operating outside legal hours in the Sathorn area of Bangkok…
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2022 World Cup will be free to watch in Thailand
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan confirmed that every football fan in Thailand would be able to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for free. The Deputy PM had meetings with the Sports Authority of Thailand and the National Sports Development Fund yesterday. Discussions took place on how to develop Thai sports over the next three years, the latest…
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Man arrested for selling fake car license plates
A man was arrested today for selling fake car license plates to Thai drivers. The man, who earned more than 50,000 baht a month, said it was the easy way to make a living. The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Damrongsak Kittiprapas ordered a special investigation into the fake license plates after a drug trafficking gang was spotted using…
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4 men arrested in connection with death of a Chinese woman
A Thai man, two Chinese men, and a Vanuatu man were arrested for covering up the death of a Chinese woman who died from a drug overdose after visiting a nightclub in Bangkok. The Chinese media reported on Saturday, September 17 that a 32 year old Chinese woman, You Zhue Hua, travelled to Thailand and disappeared. The media speculated that…
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Police chief removed from position after massive raid on Bangkok drug party
UPDATE The saga around the hundreds of Chinese nationals arrested in Bangkok continues… After police conducted a massive raid on a drug party in Bangkok early yesterday morning, one police chief has been removed from his position. Police Colonel Thanachot Rerkdee was removed from his position as Yannawa district police chief for reportedly accepting bribes and allowing the operation of…
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Higher than us all – Germany’s toke on the weed issue
Germany wants adults to be able to buy as much as 30 grammes of weed for recreational use and will allow everyone to grow three marijuana plants, setting a precedent that the whole of Europe may soon follow. German health minister Karl Lauterbach said… “If this law comes to pass, it would be the most liberal project to legalise cannabis in…
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Poverty in Thailand has been halved says govt
The Ministry of Interior insists that 1.9 million poor families have been rescued by the Thai government and that the state has halved the poverty problem in Thailand. The Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Suttipong Juncharoen, said poverty is a problem residents have to face and that the government cannot solve the problem by itself. Suttipong announced that the…
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Thai-Brit teen returns home from millionaire’s harem
UPDATE The 14 year old Thai-British girl who ran away from home and turned to prostitution has returned to her mother after a month of staying inside a millionaire’s harem. The millionaire refused all allegations even though police found four young girls, used condoms, and pornographic filming equipment inside his house. The 50 year old mother, Naruemon (surname reserved), appealed…
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Burmese escapees rounded up in annual Florida snake wrangle
In stark contrast to the activities of a single reticulated python that recently swallowed a woman in Indonesia, a 19-year-old south Florida man has captured 28 Burmese pythons in an annual 10-day competition to rid the state of invasive species. Matthew Concepcion was among the 1,000 people who participated in the annual snake hunt, which this year “removed” 231 of…
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Officials drug stray dogs for visit of PM Prayut in Sing Buri
Animal rights activists and Thai netizens were outraged after learning stray dogs in the central province of Sing Buri were drugged so that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could visit the area without any drama. PM Prayut visited Sing Buri on Monday, October 24, to check the province’s flood situation and offer his support to victims affected by the floods. The…
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Thaksin libel case to touch on Krue Se, Tak Bai massacres
President of the National Assembly of Thailand Chuan Leekpai has acknowledged a libel charge he made about former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chuan, who also serves as Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives, gave a lecture to members of the Democrat Party on October 28, 2012, blaming Thaksin for making “mistakes” regarding the Krue Se, and Tak Bai…
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