Hot News
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Sponsored Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand
Moving to Thailand offers a prospect full of excitement and adventure, but in the same vein, if any injuries were to occur (and god forbid it does), the local healthcare system can be confusing at first glance for many expats...
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Daughter of former PM calls for ‘landslide win’ in Thailand’s general election
Panthongtae Shinawatra, the daughter of exiled former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, has repeated her call for supporters to vote for the Pheu Thai Party in Thailand’s upcoming general election. Addressing party members at her party’s general assembly on Sunday, she said only a “landslide win” would do. “Pheu Thai is ready to work after a House dissolution. A landslide win.…
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Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand
Fishermen discovered the body of a man floating on the surface of the sea around 500 metres away from the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand yesterday. The man’s wrists and ankles had been tied up with ropes and weighed down with rocks. His identity remains unknown. The swollen corpse of a man, around 165 centimetres tall…
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Cyber police work with Thai mobile providers to block scam call centres
The Police Cyber Taskforce in Thailand have been working with the leading Thai mobile operators to prevent contact from scam call centres. From now on, Thai mobile users will be able to report the ‘scam’ phone numbers directly to the mobile operators, and the PCT will ban those numbers within 72 hours. Thai media has been reporting about a series…
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Tourism to Thailand is increasing, but still has nothing on pre-pandemic levels
As entry restrictions into Thailand continue to ease, tourists are trickling back into the kingdom. Numbers of foreign arrivals are high compared to last year, but numbers are still low when compared with pre-pandemic levels. Tourism is expected to increase further from May 1, when tourists will no longer have to undergo any pre-travel or on-arrival Covid tests, and unvaccinated…
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UPDATE: Policeman who killed eye doctor at Bangkok zebra crossing out on bail
UPDATE: The Thai policeman who earlier today was sentenced to 1 year and 15 days in prison for driving his Ducati motorbike into a woman killing her at a zebra crossing in Bangkok, has now been released on bail. Bail was posted this afternoon at 200,000 baht. The 21 year old policeman will now be free whilst his lawyer and…
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Thailand wants to eradicate malaria ‘for good’
Cases of malaria in Thailand have decreased 72% in recent years, but the country’s Department of Disease Control is planning to completely eradicate the mosquito-borne disease by 2024. Today, the DDC is observing World Malaria Day 2022 under the theme “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives”. A malaria vaccine is also under evaluation and is…
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Group of Vietnamese stole over 450,000 baht from Uniqlo
Popular Japanese clothing brand, Uniqlo at Gateway shopping centre in Bangsue has been robbed by a gang of Vietnamese thieves, 1 male and 3 females, who allegedly stole 19 polo shirts and 62 long sleeve shirts valued at 64,000 baht. Police told reporters the theft wasn’t the gang’s first time as it happened in 5 department stores between April 17…
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Price of Thai consumer goods might increase due to diesel price hike
The price of diesel in Thailand is set to increase next month, beyond the 30 baht per litre cap, but the Commerce Ministry has promised to do everything it can to keep consumer goods costs under control. The public is now worried about the products being more expensive due to the increase in diesel price. The diesel prices, connected to…
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Officer who killed eye doctor at Bangkok Zebra crossing sentenced to prison
The crowd control police officer who killed an ophthalmologist with his motorbike at a zebra crossing in Bangkok in January, has been sentenced to prison today. The officer will serve a 1 year and 15 day prison sentence and pay a 4,000 baht fine. He has been charged with 9 different counts. On January 21 this year, 21 year old…
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Thailand to host ‘economic roadshows’ to attract foreign investors
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the relevant authorities to host “economic roadshows” to draw foreign investors back to Thailand. The first event was held in Japan earlier this month, from April 13 – 23, with similar events planned for European countries, as well as the US, South Korea and Taiwan. During a press conference this morning, deputy spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul…
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Thailand’s labour ministry hopes to export 50,000 workers
Now that the Covid-19 situation across the world has calmed down a bit, Thailand’s Labour Ministry expects to send about 50,000 workers abroad this year. The Department of Employment’s PR office said now that restrictions have largely eased, Thailand’s labour exports are set to resume in large numbers. So far, labour export agreements have been signed with two countries, Saudi…
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Wildlife workers rescue injured dolphin in Phuket
Tourists and locals at Phuket’s Nai Yang beach, near the Phuket International Airport, spotted a dolphin stranded and grounded in shallow waters this morning. The dolphin had 3 key injuries, one on its tail, one on its side, and one near its mouth. Thalang officials notified the head of Sirinath National Park about the dolphin after the tourists and locals…
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Pattaya’s ‘happy water’ drug problem under fire
After Pattaya police busted over 20 teenagers using ‘happy water‘ at a party last month, there’s now an increased effort to crack down on the ‘drug’ cocktail. The chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau said happy water is usually made by combining ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, caffeine and painkillers, mixed into a curious liquid cocktail with hot water and mixing it…
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Hong Kong to let in non-residents starting May 1, but with quarantine
After lifting suspensions on flights from 9 overseas locations on April 1, Hong Kong now plans to let in non-residents from all countries starting May 1. In the past month, average daily arrivals have risen in the territory to about 1,200 from a meagre 300, according to the Hong Kong government’s Covid website. The ban on non-residents has been in…
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Bangkok taxi driver photographs himself raping 17 year old girl from Myanmar
A Bangkok taxi driver has photographed himself raping a Burmese teenager earlier this month. The girl had been in Bangkok seeking a job, and she told police her aunt made a Facebook post to try to help her find one. Investigators say the alleged rapist, 39 year old Adirek Sae Bae, commented on the post and said he would employ…
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Thailand Pass – Am I fully vaccinated? The fine print.
With the changes to the Thailand Pass, scheduled to kick on from May 1 (after the changes have been detailed and endorsed by Royal Gazette), there will only be 2 categories of people coming into Thailand, vaccinated and unvaccinated. There will be no Test & Go or Sandbox programs. So what is considered ‘fully vaccinated’? • Information about the changes…
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Thai commerce chairman welcomes end of PCR test requirement
Following the announcement for major changes to Thailand Pass, a commerce leader is giving the government a great big thank you. Yesterday, the chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Sanan Angubolkul, thanked the government for getting rid of mandatory RT-PCR tests for visitors on arrival, starting May 1. “The private sector believes the decision will help trade, investment, services…
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Thailand Pass Q&A – your questions answered
There are many changes now to the Thailand Pass. Love it or hate it, the ‘pass’ remains. But the process for entry to Thailand is now MUCH easier after May 1 and will surely spur a much-needed revival of tourism back to the country. Tim is here for a Saturday morning ‘catch up’ and to answer your questions on the…
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Thailand’s venues to be allowed to ‘officially’ serve alcohol slightly later
Along with several back-peddles for the Thailand Pass, Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday it also plans to ease another Covid-19 restriction- the alcohol curfew. Restaurants, and ‘restaurants’, will be able to serve alcohol until midnight, instead of 11pm. Like the Thailand Pass changes, the alcohol curfew change is set to start on May 1. Thailand’s 11pm alcohol curfew has given venue managers…
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Thailand agrees to fund Zinc-ion batteries for electric vehicles
A Thai tech executive director says Thailand’s government has agreed to fund 192 billion baht to asset finding for the development and production of zinc-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The executive director of the National Science and Technology Development Agency says the funding will go to the agency for the project. The Thai government has swung their full support around…
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BREAKING: Thailand ENDS Test & Go and Sandbox, changes for unvaccinated travellers
Thailand plans to scrap its unpopular Test & Go entry scheme, opting instead to adopt the simplified categories of “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated” for international travellers arriving in the kingdom. The actual Thailand Pass – the online pre-registration system – will remain, although the paperwork has been vastly simplified by these changes. The CCSA announced those major changes, among others, about…
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Man in eastern Thailand tries to sell motorcycle to shop it was stolen from
A man in Thailand’s eastern province of Trat was (rather embarrassingly) busted when he tried to sell a used motorcycle to a shop it was stolen from two weeks before. The man told police in questioning that he got the bike from a friend in Laem Ngob district, who told him to sell it, and they would split the money. But the…
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Surging violence at Al Aqsa mosque, Israel and Palestine
A new round of violence has broken out between Palestinians and the Israeli forces. Witnesses say this morning, young Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli police stationed at a gate outside the Al Aqsa mosque compound. The mosque is a sensitive spot between Israelis and Palestinians due to religious tensions. After the Palestinians threw rocks, the police, dressed in full riot…
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Former Phuket prison to transform into spooky tourist attraction
An old Phuket prison no longer housing inmates is now set to become a spooky tourist attraction, providing visitors with a “Twilight Zone” experience. Phuket Prison was built in Phuket Town about 120 years ago, and Phuket officials now plan to turn it into a ‘live museum’ to teach both tourists and locals about its history. In addition to the…
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Pattaya tourist claims thieves in ‘sexy dresses’ stole his 33,000 baht necklace
An Indian tourist in Pattaya claims that last night, a Thai woman, and a ‘transgender individual’, who both wore ‘sexy dresses’, stole his gold necklace worth about 33,000 baht. The tourist, 45 year old Sathishkumar Govindarju, told The Pattaya News the pair also tried to convince him to sleep with them. “I was walking along the road alone, returning from a…
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Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand
Four police officers from the main city Samut Sakhon Police Station, south west of central Bangkok, were dismissed from their positions after being reported for allegedly selling “special tickets” to trafficked Burmese migrants. The tickets required Burmese migrant workers to pay a monthly fee of 500 baht and carry the tickets everywhere to avoid arrest. On April 19, Thai media…
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Koh Phang Ngan looking beyond Full Moon parties to more sustainable tourism
The Koh Phang Ngan Hotel and Tourism Association says the island is looking beyond its legendary full moon parties and aiming for more sustainable tourism. The association’s president, Chantana Limsuwan, says the island hopes to welcome 100,000 visitors this year, following the easing of travel restrictions. The Bangkok Post reports that the Full Moon Party on April 16, coupled with…
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Members of Thailand’s Move Forward Party banned from renewing passports
A member of Thailand’s Move Forward Party told the press today that she and two other party members had been banned from renewing their passports on suspicion that they have committed treason. MFP member Pannika Wanich made the announcement after meeting with Phaya Thai police today, who she said made the order for the ban. The Department of Consular Affairs…
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European airlines assess mask rules for flights to United States
After US airlines stopped requiring people to wear masks on domestic flights last week, European airlines are assessing their mask rules for flights to the US. European carriers are now divided over policies on trans-Atlantic flights. British Airways told customers that the requirement to wear masks onboard depends on restrictions in the arrival destination. KLM, a Dutch airline, told passengers…
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Trash still a major problem for Phuket beach
Although Phuket officials have repeatedly called on local administrations to clean their areas, one beach on the island province continues to struggle with its trash problem. At Nai Harn beach, plastic trays are often left near the water, and sometimes, people even leave their trash right next to a garbage bin (instead of in it). One unnamed local resident told…
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