Hot News
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Sponsored Why long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht
Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...
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Protest leaders threaten to escalate if authorities interfere with upcoming rally
Protest leaders of The Ratsadon (People’s Movement) group are threatening to escalate the rallies if authorities interfere with an upcoming rally at the Crown Property Bureau in Bangkok this Wednesday. The anti-government group named Dao Din, which is part of the wider Ratsadon group, has voiced its opposition to parliament’s rejection of the charter amendment bill proposed by iLaw, a…
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Grammy executive files lèse-majesté complaint against Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul
A lèse-majesté complaint has been officially filed against Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, one of the leaders of the Ratsadon ‘People’s Movement’. She was the first to read the, now infamous, 10 point manifesto at the Thammasat University in April, and then in a more public forum at a Democracy Monument protest in early August. Nitipong Hornak, a songwriter and judge on Thailand’s…
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The 11.5 tonnes of Ketamine that wasn’t
That huge Ketamine bust in Chachoengsao province last week, some 11.5 tonnes (yes tonnes!) of the drug, has turned out to not be quite what it seems. Originally drug officials seized 475 bags, each weighing 25 kilogram. 66 of these bags were tested. What was inside the bags wasn’t Ketamine, as claimed by police, but trisodium phosphate instead. Which brings…
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Student protesters gathering today under Bangkok skytrain
Despite 2 students recently being summoned for breaking the emergency decree, members of the “Bad Student” protest group are gathering today under the Siam BTS skytrain station in Bangkok to continue rallying. The students set up a stage on the bed of a truck that was parked in front of Siam Paragon shopping mall after rain forced them to move…
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Only taxis travelling to and from Bangkok airports can charge for luggage
The Land Transport Department is clarifying the recent news that taxis in Bangkok can charge special handling fees for luggage after the announcement received public scrutiny. The department’s deputy director Tanee Suebrerk says this special fee only applies to metred taxis travelling to and from Bangkok’s two airports. He says that those taxis who do not deliver passengers or pick…
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PM thanks volunteers for graffiti cleanup after huge anti-government protest
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is thanking pro-government volunteers for their efforts in helping clean up graffiti and paint after last Wednesday’s massive anti-government protest in central Bangkok around the Ratchaprasong intersection. The People’s Movement rally was held that day from 4pm, near the police HQ, with a protest co-leader saying they had acted out of anger after police used water…
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Pattaya Fireworks Festival hoped to boost economy over upcoming weekend
The Pattaya Fireworks Festival is approaching with many hoping it will boost the economy over the upcoming weekend. Stacked with long fireworks shows and some hotels offering promotional fares for advance bookings, officials say they hope it will wake up the weekend as Thais and foreigners alike take part in the annual short list festival. The festival runs over November…
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Personal data of 13 million online users leaked in data breach
The Digital Economy and Society Minister is calling in the experts after revelations that a data breach means the personal data of over 13 million online users has been compromised. The details of the accounts have been found up for sale on an underground website, according to a Thai PBS World report. The news has sparked condemnation of Thailand’s cybersecurity.…
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Rejoice Thailand. 681 tourists will arrive in November!
Rejoice, roll out the red carpet and sound the bells. Here they come! Thailand is about to be flooded with 681 tourists who have applied for, and received, the Special Tourist Visa. Ok, we’ll admit that’s the number is a bit down on last year’s monthly 3.3 million tourist arrivals (average). But, twisting the numbers like only the Tourist Authority…
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Police confirm over 30 protesters from both sides face criminal charges
The deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed that charges will be brought against 31 people from both pro and anti-establishment groups, following protests in Bangkok earlier this week. Piya Tawichai says 14 people face charges for offences committed in the area of the Parliament building last Tuesday, while a further 17 are being charged for crimes committed…
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PM won’t rule out lèse majesté charges for protesters
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has implied in a media address that anti-government protesters may face lèse majesté charges. He has previously threatened to use the full force of the law against pro-democracy activists and was responding to questions from reporters about whether this included the section on lèse majesté. “It is among all those laws. Do you understand the term all…
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The Thai tourism new normal, learning to live with the pandemic
OPINION by Julian Spindler Thailand’s world-class tourism industry, one of the twin drivers of our economy, is in a deep, coronavirus-induced coma, close to death. No life support is currently available. Pandemic paranoia has gripped the nation, freezing our bio-security risk management in full containment mode, meaning zero tolerance for local Covid-19 transmission. The socio-economic, and some might add political, impacts…
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Residents express health concerns as smog engulfs Pattaya
Pattaya residents have expressed concern over air pollution, as the eastern coastal city finds itself engulfed in smog. The Pattaya News reports that the deterioration in air quality has been ongoing for a number of days, with a cloud of haze obscuring the bay and neighbouring islands. Residents are advised to wear masks when outside and to limit outdoor exercise,…
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Over 5 million escape Bangkok by car and public transport as holiday begins
The Transport Ministry says just under 5.3 million Bangkok residents have left the capital as the long holiday gets underway. Anon Luangboriboon says the exodus began on Wednesday, a day before the holiday period began. The Bangkok Post reports that the figures include those travelling by car and public transport, with 2.25 million leaving by bus and van. Anon says…
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Long weekend, busy roads and price gouging
Airfare and accommodation costs have skyrocketed over this long weekend, an artificially added 2 days of holiday by the Thai government to stimulate the local travel economy. Airfares, if you didn’t get the earlier ‘cheapies’, have risen to 2 – 3 times their ‘normal’ discount prices. And accommodation costs have followed suit (although the OTAs are still advertising plenty of…
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Ministry of Finance proposes extension to shopping stimulus scheme
The Ministry of Finance is proposing to get Thais to shop the country out of recession. They’ve proposed an extension to the shopping co-payment scheme, Khon La Khrueng (Let’s Go Halves), first introduced last month. The scheme aims to encourage spending by offering Thai shoppers discounts of up to 150 baht a day at participating stores, to a maximum of…
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PM threatens protesters with full force of the law if unrest continues to escalate
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned pro-democracy protesters that they face the full force of the law if ongoing political rallies continue to escalate. On Tuesday, thousands of anti-government protesters gathered outside the Parliament building, where MPs and senators were voting on draft amendments to the constitution. A draft submitted by human rights group iLaw, with the backing of 100,000…
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Vaccine could be ready by the end of next month – BioNTech/Pfizer
BioNTech has announced the candidate Covid-19 vaccine, the German company is developing with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, could be released for public distribution before the year, at least in the US and Europe. BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin says that both companies plan to apply for “emergency use authorisation” of their candidate vaccine in the US today (US time), while European regulators…
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Man wearing pink raincoat wanted on suspicion of firing shots at Bangkok rally
The Metropolitan Police Bureau in Bangkok are hunting a man they suspect of firing gun shots at Tuesday’s rally outside the Parliament building. The Bangkok Post reports that the man was wearing a pink raincoat and a photo shows him pointing what appears to be a gun at protesters. The Erawan Medical Centre in the capital reported that it had…
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Police violence against democracy demonstrators – letter from Human Rights Watch
OPINION In response to Tuesday’s protests outside the Thai Parliament, and the police response, Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, responds. Published in full… Unnecessary Use of Water Cannons, Teargas; 55 Reported Injured Thai police unnecessarily used water cannons and teargas against peaceful democracy demonstrators outside the parliament in Bangkok on November 17, 2020, in violation of international…
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Red shirt leader says self-serving government has no interest in protecting the Monarchy
A leading government critic from the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has slammed what he calls the government’s insincere claims of protecting the Monarchy. Red-shirt Jatuporn Prompan says the administration of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is only out to protect itself and cling onto power. He says yesterday’s rejection in Parliament of the draft charter amendment submitted by rights group…
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Filipino, Thai woman, arrested in Bangkok for running scam loan company
A woman originally from The Philippines, has been arrested in Bangkok alongside a Thai woman, for running a company that scammed people into parting with their money. The victims were persuaded to invest in a loan company called Filipino Cooperative Investment Loan, run by 30 year old Liny Paengkusan Camaono and 22 year old Thanyares Saiyanoi. Sompong Chingduang, from the…
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Apirat Kongsompong appointed deputy director of Crown Property Bureau
His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn has appointed former army chief Apirat Kongsompong and ardent royalist as deputy director of the Crown Property Bureau. The Bangkok Post reports that Apirat‘s appointment has been announced in the Royal Gazette and is effective immediately. The Crown Property Bureau is the quasi-government agency responsible for managing the property of the Monarchy of Thailand. The bureau…
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Latest traveller trends and top recovering destinations – TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor and Phocuswright have jointly released the findings of a comprehensive research paper into the shifting trends in global travel demand and traveller behaviour, as they chart the industry’s road to a recovery, of sorts, in the wake of the ongoing global pandemic. The report, 2020 – A Year in Travel: Charting the Travel Industry’s Path to Recovery, analyses TripAdvisor’s first-party…
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Bangkok police blame insufficient manpower for failure to control Parliament road clashes
Police in Bangkok have admitted they had insufficient manpower to handle clashes that erupted at protests on Tuesday. Anti-government activists clashed with pro-establishment groups at the Kiakkai intersection in the capital, leading to at least 55 people being injured, including 6 who were shot, according to medical officials at the Erawan Medical Centre who attended to the wounded. The police…
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Domestic violence on the rise amid falling incomes and rising alcohol consumption
The Thai Health Promotion Foundation says the Covid-19 pandemic may be causing a spike in domestic violence, as incomes fall, debt rises, and more people turn to alcohol. The foundation claims incidents of domestic abuse have risen by 66% since March, when Covid restrictions were introduced. The Bangkok Post reports that the biggest rise is in the south of the…
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Police threaten protesters with legal action following Tuesday’s Parliament rally
The Metropolitan Police Bureau is threatening to charge activists involved in Tuesday’s rally outside the Parliament building in Bangkok. At least 55 people were injured when violence broke out between rival protest groups and police. Piya Tawichai, from the MPB, says that, of the 4 groups outside the building, only 3 had applied for permission to hold a rally, including…
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Anti-government activists condemn rejection of iLaw draft, vow to fight on
Protests are set to continue following Parliament’s decision yesterday to reject a draft charter amendment submitted by human rights non-profit group iLaw, with the backing of over 100,000 signatures. Protest leader Jatupat Boonpattarasaksa says the rejection, which happened after the first reading of the bill, has left activists with no choice other than to continue the protests. He added that…
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Morphine, cocaine, opium, to be legalised for medical use in Thailand
Thailand is set to decriminalise 102 drugs, including morphine, opium, and cocaine, for medical use and research purposes. A proclamation in the Royal Gazette declares that, from July 2021, the substances may be sold or used in very specific, limited circumstances. The drugs are classified as category 2 under Thailand’s Narcotics Act and also include fentanyl and codeine. That’s what…
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6 protesters shot with live rounds in Bangkok, but police deny the claims
6 protesters were reportedly shot in yesterday’s chaos as police tried to repel advancing anti-government protesters as they attempted to march to the front of the Thai Parliament. They were shot with live rounds according to medical staff who attended to their injuries. Inside the parliament lawmakers debated proposals for possible constitutional reform. At this stage it is not clear…
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