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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Indian visitors to Phuket surge whilst total numbers drop
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com The soaring number of Indian visitors to Phuket for the first seven months of 2019 has propelled Indian tourists into the Top 5 arrivals for the first time. Arrivals from India from January – July, compared to the same period in 2018, grew 354%, amassing a total of 186,360 arrivals. Mainland Chinese arrival figures continue…
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Massage parlour busted in Pattaya providing sexual services and underage staff
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Police have raided the Thong Dang Thai traditional massage parlour on Central Road, Pattaya. They allege that staff were offering sexual services to customers whilst employing underage girls. The sting operation was conducted by officers from the Centre for the Protection of Children, Women and Family and the Anti Human Trafficking, a division of the Royal Thai…
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Large heroin bust announced in Bangkok
PHOTO: Naew Na The deputy national police has announced the arrest of two suspects in two large drug seizures. Heroin weighing 100 kilograms, plus one and a half kilograms of cocaine were seized. Deputy chief Pol Gen Chalermkiat Srivorakhan made the presentation to the media at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok. The media conference went through the long list of…
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Police looking for Bangkok taxi driver who stole 3.6 million baht of valuables
FILE PHOTO Bangkok Police are hunting for a taxi driver who allegedly stole valuables valued over than 3.6 million baht from a Chinese businessman early on Sunday. Zhong Ai, a Chinese rubber exporter, told police he had been out drinking with friends in the Royal City Avenue area, and hailed a taxi to take him home at 5am. But he…
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The Suvarnabhumi shopping shambles
Retailers want ‘in’ at the world’s 21st busiest airport in the world. With through-traffic of 60 million+ each year, and growing, Thailand’s biggest retailers want a slice of the passenger spend. But if you can’t get a shop inside the airport, build your own shopping centre just outside to capture passengers, and some of their money, just before they arrive at the…
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British man found dead in Rayong condo
PHOTO: Sanook A 49 year old British teacher at a language college in Rayong, eastern Thailand, has been found dead in his Cherng Nern apartment. Work colleagues told police that it was unusual that the man failed to turn up for work and wasn’t answering phone calls. Security at the condominium checked on the man’s room and found his body…
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Swimmers at Surin Beach left without lifesavers as Council removes funding
The President of the Cherng Talay OrBorTor (municipality), Ma Ann Samran, has not renewed the monthly contract for lifeguards protecting Surin Beach on Phuket’s west coast. As of yesterday, there are now no duty lifeguards keeping swimmers out of the water when the waves become dangerous, or saving them when they get into difficulty. Police arrived late yesterday afternoon at…
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Rescuers evacuate residents from Phitsanulok villages in north central Thailand
PHOTO: Phitsanulok HotNews A village in Phitsanulok’s Wang Thong district in north-central Thailand, has been totally inundated after a river burst its banks early this morning. Water started rising in the Fuangfah village in the Wang Thong district around 2.30am when the Wang Thong River overflowed. Rescuers rushed to the village by boat to evacuate the residents. Levels rose very…
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Alleged killer of British man wandering free around Phuket
PHOTOS: Gustavo Valiente, Bajaj Family The killer of a British father has been seen wandering free around Phuket just nine days after allegedly choking him to death in a frenzied 4am attack at the Centara Grand Resort on Karon Beach. 54 year old Norwegian Roger Bullman has been staying at a Phuket guesthouse on bail awaiting an appearance in court in…
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Changing Thailand’s helmet culture
by Patrick Mattimore On a recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I was struck by an interesting phenomenon traveling from the airport to my hotel. I saw perhaps more than a thousand motorcycle riders and passengers, and only one person was not wearing a helmet. Yet, the entire two weeks I spent in that city, I didn’t see…
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Thai Immigration police arrest two more “undesirables”
PHOTO: Immigration.go.th Immigration officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport have arrested a Syrian national travelling on a fake United Arab Emirates passport. The 18-year-old man was en route to London, with a layover in Thailand. He told officials he was planning to seek asylum in the UK but was also in possession of a plane ticket from London to Germany. The…
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Thai Immigration announces improvements to online TM30 process
PHOTO: Bangkok Post Thai immigration officials say that improvements made to the online TM30 system will help reduce waiting times and that those using the system should now receive a username and password sooner. Until a user receives this information, he or she cannot report online, a huge source of frustration for many. Khaosod English reports that Col Thatchapong Sarawanangkul…
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PM’s oath-taking ruled unconstitutional
PHOTO: South China Morning Post The PM’s omission of an important sentence when taking his oath of office has been ruled unconstitutional by Thailand’s ombudsman. The matter is now being referred to the Constitutional Court to rule on whether the government was legally established. The controversy began on July 16, when PM General Prayuth Chan-o-cha left out a key sentence…
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New Central Village luxury outlet opens for business at BKK
Wonder if anyone from Airports of Thailand were invited to this morning’s opening? The Central Pattana president and CEO Preecha Ekkunagul, and directors Suthikiatis Chirathivat and Sudhitham Chirathivat, presided at the official opening ceremony of Central Village next to Suvarnabhumi airport this morning. Central Village has cost more than 5 billion and was five years in the planning. The new…
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Pattaya motorbike repairman arrested over sexual harassment of a 14 year old
A 24 year old motorbike repairer was arrested early yesterday morning for the alleged sexual harassment of a 14 year old girl at a Nong Prue motorbike repair shop in Pattaya. The repair shop was located on Soi Khao Noi. A urine test turned up positive for drugs, according to local police. The arrest follows a tip-off from the Children Families…
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Happy Birthday PAWS Animal Shelter in Bangkok
PHOTO: Paws Bangkok “Saving lives one paw at a time.” On September 5, one of Bangkok’s much loved animal shelter, PAWS Bangkok, is throwing a celebration for its seventh birthday. It will a major fundraiser for the shelter to continue their great work. The cats and kittens from PAWS Bangkok will also be on site to provide some cuddles and thank…
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Thai Army chief writing a thesis about the spread of ‘fake news’
Thailand’s Army Commander-in-Chief, General Apirat Kongsompong, says he has “serious concerns” over the spread of fake news in Thailand, “some of which seems intended to discredit the government and the military”. General Apirat is also finishing a thesis about the change of political behaviour in Thailand. He said that, while he did not want to describe the use of fake news as “mind manipulation”, he had observed that some people, when repeatedly exposed to fake…
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Pattaya Cricket Club competes in the Koh Chang Beach Cricket Tournament
Nine members of the PCC toured to Koh Chang to compete in the 5th International Beach Cricket Tournament from August 23-26, 2019. Simon Philbrook (Captain) and Dave Samways were already experienced beach cricketers, whilst Clive Rogerson, Bernard Lamprecht, Trevor Moolman, Ian Liddell (Reds), Gavin Perfect, Wesley Masterton and John Harvey were beach cricket virgins. Twelve teams from Koh Chang, Phuket,…
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Phuket’s Patong beach temporarily closed due to poor weather
PHOTO: Thai Meteorological Department The lingering remnants of tropical storm Podul passing through the north of Thailand, and currently making itself felt in Phuket, has lead Patong Chief Lifeguard Somprasong Sangchart to declare Patong beach closed for the day, with red flags posted the length of the beach. Mr Somprasong urges beach-goers to heed the warnings and stay out of…
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Burmese restaurant workers arrested for murder of Chinese businessman
Police have arrested four Burmese migrant workers suspected of being involved in the murder of a Chinese businessman at a Bangkok restaurant which he was about to take over from the Thai owner. The four suspects were arrested in Pattaya last night and were handed over to the Wang Thong Lang police in Bangkok for questioning. At this stage Police…
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Thai tourist numbers recover mid-year after a shaky few months in Q2
After a few dips in April and May, tourists to Thailand flocked back, up 4.72% for July compared to a year earlier. Tourist arrivals in June were up a much more modest .89%. 3.33 million tourists visited the country during July and spent 167.3 billion baht (USD5.47 billion), up 3.11% from a year earlier. Visitors from China, where there’s been…
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More trains and more carriages for the Bangkok BTS fleet
Bangkokians will enjoy better services on the BTS Skytrain after the operator added an extra 27 trains into service, bringing the total number to 79. BTS Group Holdings MD Surapong Laoha-anya says they’ve taken delivery of 27 new trains out of a total of 46 it currently has on order, according to Thai PBS. He added that all the new…
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Burmese Koh Tao murder ‘guilty’ conviction upheld by Thai Supreme Court
The Thai Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences for two Burmese 26 year old men convicted of murdering two British backpackers on Koh Tao in 2014. After spending two hours reading the 60 page verdict, the Judge upheld the rulings by two lower courts that found Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo guilty of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller…
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Thailand’s Supreme Court upholds ‘guilty’ death sentence of migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo
The Thai Supreme Court has handed down its verdict following an appeal lodged last year by Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo against their death penalty sentence in the Koh Tao murder case. The judge has upheld the ‘guilty’ death sentence and conviction of Koh Tao murder case accused Rakhine migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo. The pair…
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Tropical storm Podul heads for Thailand
PHOTO: khaosodenglish.com Provinces across Thailand have been put on high alert as tropical storm Podul heads this way. The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a warning that Podul is a category 3 storm likely to bring torrential rain and very strong winds to many parts of the country. The storm is currently moving west through Hainan to the Gulf of…
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Koh Samui is looking to the skies, an island tethered to an airline
by Bill Barnett “I’m looking to the sky to save me. Looking for a sign of life” There is much to be said about the Thailand’s phenomenal rise in tourism over the past decade and that trend has eclipsed the borders of the Kingdom into other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Fueled by a rising Asian consumer…
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Bangkok Airways posts losses, Samui routes performing badly
Following the opening of its swanky new passenger lounges at the Phuket Airport last week, Bangkok Airways has just posted a net loss of 190 million baht for the first half of 2019. In posting the figures yesterday the company’s President promised to turn results around in the second half of the year to ensure an annual profit. The Koh…
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Thailand Supreme Court’s hands down verdict on Koh Tao murder case appeal
The Supreme Court’s verdict in the Koh Tao murder case appeal by Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo against their death penalty sentence, will be read at 10 at tomorrow at the Nonthaburi Court. The announcement was reported in a Tweet from Andy Hall, labour rights activist, writer and researcher.
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Four beaches in Trang closed to swimming due to unsafe conditions
Officials from the Haad Chao Mai National Park have posted red flags along four popular Trang beaches to warn tourists against swimming because strong onshore winds were whipping up the waves to more than two metres in height. Haad Chao Mai National Park is a protected area located in the Sikao and Kantang Districts of Trang Province, Thailand. It is…
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Plans to ease Arrivals congestion at Bangkok’s airports
PHOTO: Bangkok.com The government has ordered an increase in the number of check-in counters and officials at Bangkok’s Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports from next month. It’s understood that the move is a result of severe overcrowding, as both airports struggle to cope with the growing number of tourists in need of visas on arrival. A government spokesperson says the…
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