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Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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NIDA Poll: majority oppose legalising gambling and casinos
The National Institute of Development Administration released a poll recently that showed that the majority of Thai people are opposed to the legalisation of casinos and gambling. The NIDA poll showed that most people think that online gambling and video games with betting should also remain illegal. 1,318 people were surveyed by telephone between December 6 and December 8 for…
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Traffic expected as 4 separate protests planned tonight in Bangkok
Four different groups of demonstrators are planning protests in 4 different areas around Bangkok and the Metropolitan Police Bureau is warning that traffic around the city is likely to be affected. Police have already made preparations to deal with the hordes of protesters expected, and will be fully equipped to maintain law and order at each of the four rally…
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Holiday travel: Poll finds most don’t have New Year’s plans
A new survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University finds that most people do not have plans to travel over the New Year’s holiday, citing costs and worries of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as the main reason to stay put. The Suan Dusit Poll was conducted from December 6 to December 9 and interviewed 1,304 people across all locations, ages,…
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Family pleas for help repatriating British man who died in Thailand
After a 44 year old British man died suddenly shortly after arriving in Thailand, his devastated family is trying to raise cash to pay his hospital bills and bring him home. Daniel Skipper came to Thailand with friends from his home town of Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge in Lancashire, England and only a few days later he suffered a heart…
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40 year old arrested for sexually harassing 12 year old girl
In Bang Lamung, a 40 year old man identified as Mr Fai was arrested, accused of sexually harassing a 12 year old girl after breaking into her house. The Nong Prue Police received notice of the break-in that took place on Wednesday in the Pong sub-district. The father of the 12 year old girl called the police after catching the…
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9 inmates escape temporary prison facility, 4 captured
After a group of 9 prison inmates made a daring escape from a detention facility in Nakhon Pathom, 4 have now been rounded up while a manhunt is on for the remaining 5. The group of men – 6 drug offenders, 2 charged with theft, and 1 charged with physical abuse – broke free from a temporary prison in the…
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500 cannabis clinics successful, Health Ministry plans to expand
The Ministry of Public Health has opened more than 500 cannabis clinics throughout Thailand since the first one opened its doors in August of 2019. 60% of public hospitals now have cannabis clinics in 878 districts, and can be found in every single province in Thailand. More than 40,000 patients have now been treated with the use of cannabis. The…
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Finance Minister: economy of Thailand will recover in 2023
Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says that the economy of Thailand should see a full recovery, not next year, but by 2023. The economy is expected to grow by about 4% next year so 2022 would begin economic recovery, but it will take longer for Thailand definitely bounce back after the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Finance Minister believes…
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International flights into Thailand up 24% from last month
While the tourism industry is still a long way from recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, the high season is getting underway, and international flights to Thailand have increased more than 20%. Airports of Thailand reported the increase last night. AoT reported 9,483 of the flights scheduled in landing slots into Thailand were originating from international cities this month, which is…
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How to get a Thai driver’s license as a foreigner
Foreigners who live or travel to Thailand frequently may be interested in the steps needed to get a driver’s license in the Kingdom. For those who are applying for the first time, and do not have an international drivers license, the information below can help you navigate the process. One thing in which to note, is that the process of…
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First international flight to Krabi launches, Finnair from Helsinki
Finnair has launched the first international flight to Krabi with a flight running from Helsinki 4 times a week. The inaugural test flight came last week on December 1 and brought 96 travellers to the tourism hotspot that has been struggling to reopen. After the first flight last week, regular service began on Wednesday and will run through March 24.…
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Anti-Corruption Commission says Vorayuth hit-and-run case “completed in 14 months”
The hit-and-run case against Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya is expected to be wrapped up within 14 months. Nation Thailand reports that the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission says the case should be complete by the end of next year. The incident is now 9 years old and many Thais wonder why it’s taking so long to prosecute the…
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Man stabbed and killed his mother, wrapping plastic bags on her head
A man in Bangkok has been charged with the brutal murder of his mother after she was found stabbed and with plastic bags wrapped tight around her head and neck. The murder took place last night in the Lumphini district of Bangkok, where the 26 year old engineer killed his mother in a wild attack in the food court where…
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Italian-Thai Development is in good health, CEO Premchai is not
Italian-Thai Development CEO Premchai Kanasutra has been sentenced by the Supreme Court to over 3 years in jail for poaching. Now officials at his company say operations will be unaffected while officials at the Corrections Department report Premchai is in poor health. The ageing tycoon was sent to Thong Pha Phum Prison yesterday, and doctors at the hospital there are…
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PR Thailand reminds of the “VUCA” plan to keep reopening safe
The public relations department posted a reminder on their Facebook page today of the 4 main measures the government is focusing on after reopening Thailand to international tourism at the beginning of last month. The post on the PR Thai Government Facebook page reiterates the criteria they laid out in November using the acronym VUCA to keep the reopening safe…
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Two arrested for allegedly kidnapping a woman, posting video her tied up on TikTok
A Burmese man and woman were arrested for allegedly kidnapping another Burmese woman, and then posting a video of her with her ankles chained and hands tied on the social media platform TikTok. The suspects allegedly abducted the woman, who is said to be a popular social media influencer among Burmese netizens, in Pathum Thani, which is north of Bangkok. …
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Opposition parties predict election between March and July 2022
The next general election could be held in as soon as 4 months, with opposition parties predicting elections between March and July of next year. A coalition of opposition parties met yesterday to discuss the current administration’s failures and put pressure on the ruling government. The coalition saw Move Forward Party, Pheu Thai Party, Puea Chat Party, Thai Liberal Party,…
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Omicron not affecting domestic tourism sentiment this holiday weekend
A survey carried out by the Tourism Authority of Thailand shows that for the most part, people are not letting the Omicron variant affect their travel plans. The poll’s findings show that domestic tourism is set to generate 5.72 billion baht during the upcoming long weekend, with over 1.8 million trips planned. The Bangkok Post reports that, while Omicron has…
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PM and Prawit put on show of unity over lunch, amid rumours of political infighting
Following murmurings of a rift, the Thai PM has had lunch with deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon in what may be an attempt to dispel such rumours. The Bangkok Post reports that the lunch took place yesterday, at the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation. Both men had just attended a meeting at the Army Club with Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda.…
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Bank of Thailand concerned with banks trading in digital assets
The Bank of Thailand said they don’t want commercial banks to directly trade in cryptocurrency and digital assets due to their extreme volatility. Thai lenders have been investing more and more in digital asset exchanges in Thailand with several banks making deals in the digital currency space. Siam Commerical Bank recently purchased a 51% share of Bitkub for 17.85 billion…
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“Thailand Tourism with SHA” festival set for December 17 to 19
“Thailand Tourism with SHA” – the blandly titled event the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya City created jointly – is set to run on Pattaya Beach from December 17 to 19. The event is scheduled to include dozens of vendors and attractions in hopes of encouraging tourists to visit Pattaya, a quest that will likely be aided by the…
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Tycoon Premchai sentenced to 3 years, 2 months for poaching
Thailand’s construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in jail without parole by the Supreme Court today for poaching and hunting a black panther in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi in February 2018. The Office of the Attorney General rushed out the announcement earlier so hurriedly that it underreported the sentencing of Premchai…
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Ford factories in Thailand to receive a US $900 million upgrade
In an announcement today, Ford Motor Company committed to investing US $900 million – about 30 billion baht – to upgrade their factories in Thailand. The American car manufacturer vowed to modernise its production plants in Thailand that support the building of the Everest SUV and Ranger pickup truck. The 30 billion baht is the biggest single investment that Ford…
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Kunming-Bangkok flight third relaunched flight from China Eastern
China Eastern Yunnan Airlines launched its third flight route between China and Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand just put out a welcome announcement. The flight will bring Chinese tourists from the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming to Bangkok. Kunming is the capital of the Yunnan province and the TAT’s local Kunming made the announcement today welcoming the new…
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Authorities warn of “unhealthy” levels of air pollution in Bangkok, elsewhere this week
Authorities have warned that particulate matter 2.5 levels in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand will reach an unhealthy stage this week. According to a Pattaya News report, the Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation says PM2.5 pollution levels are exceeding safe standards in many central parts of the country, including the capital. The CAPM operates under the authority of the…
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Chiang Mai street vendor with busty top files sexual harassment complaint with police
The Chiang Mai street vendor who went viral for her revealing cardigan-style top just filed a sexual harassment complaint with Thai police. The 23 year old known as Nong Olive is known for wearing an open chest shirt, showing her cleavage and midriff, while making Thai-style pancakes, which is a popular street food known in Thai as “khanom Tokyo.” Nong…
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Three arrested in human trafficking crackdown near Myanmar border
Three people are accused of being involved in a transnational human trafficking operation where Burmese migrants were promised help entering Thailand for jobs and later forced into labour, even prostitution. The suspects were arrested in Tak’s Mae Sot district, which borders Myanmar. The suspects allegedly lured migrants into Thailand by helping them cross the border illegally, evading immigration checks and…
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Thai Airways offering round trip Sydney-Phuket flights
To boost tourism and promote Phuket’s island quarantine “sandbox” scheme, Thai Airways will run round trip flights between Phuket and Australia with three flights a week starting on today. The flights will be offered until January 25. The flight from Phuket to Sydney is available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Flights depart from Phuket at 6:50pm and arrive at 7:30am.…
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Recovery of Thailand’s international tourism sector likely to take years
International tourism demand for Thailand is still low, according to a Bangkok Post report, with a full recovery predicted to take years. Just 133,061 foreign arrivals touched down in Thailand between November 1 and 30, well below the 3 million visitors a month of pre-pandemic times. However, despite low visitor numbers to his province, Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn from the Tourism Council…
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A bird strike may have caused Royal Thai Air Force F-5 fighter jet’s recent crashing
A bird strike is thought to have caused the recent Royal Thai Air Force F-5 fighter jet crash, which saw the pilot suffering injuries after being ejected from the plane. The Air Vice Marshal, Prapas Sornchaidee, says a large bird struck the plane, confirming Wing Commander and pilot, Suthimet Ouamdee’s statement. He says he was forced to eject from the…
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