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Police hunting for gold shop thief
A thief has broken into the ‘Tanet Hok Gold Shop’ on Hatchananiwet Road in Phuket Town by breaking through the ceiling. The Phuket City Police were notified at 8.40am today (May 2). Police were investigating the scene this morning. They found that the shop had been ransacked and the ceiling damaged. Some gold items and a gun were stolen. The items…
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Planned projects for Karon wastewater treatment
Karon Municipality is planning to construct a sediment trap system or wasteland to prevent black and wastewater flowing into the sea. Today (May 2), officials were inspecting the area. No more black water was found. The Bangla Canal which is about 800 metres long has water flowing into it from the Karon community. Tourists were enjoying the beach as normal.…
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Bryde’s whales thrill tourists off Chumpon coast
People along the shore of Pathiu district in southern Chumphon province have been treated to the sight of a pair of Bryde’s whales today (Tuesday). The whales – commonly referred to as Bruda whales because of the pronunciation of the Norwegian name Bryde – surfaced repeatedly for about an hour near Koh Ran Ped and Koh Ran Kai, about…
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Residents complain about pet crematorium in Paklok
Paklok residents have complained that they are facing problems from smoke from a private pet cremation business. The operator has responded to the complaints at the Damrongdhama Centre saying that they have a legal construction license to conduct the cremation services. Residents are opposing the business after the first three months of operation. The new pet cremation business was established…
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Two race shoot-out brings 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta to an end
PHOTOS: Guy Nowell The 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta has lived up to its reputation for delivering close and competitive racing, and this year the weather made the racing even tougher. Over the past four days sailors have experienced everything from moments of becalm to 25 knot squalls, thunder and lightening, and blue skies indicative of sailing in the…
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Not this year – PM rejects activists calls for a 2018 election
The Thai PM is playing down rallies by pro-democracy groups planned for this month to press the NCPO to hold the long-delayed election this year. Prayut Chan-o-cha is insisting that the election would have to be held next year following a conclusion by the junta-appointed legislative assembly to delay the implementation of the MP election laws. “I have told the…
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Pattaya tour boat operators continue to use beachfront
Many boats have continued to use the beachfront area to pick up and drop off tourists despite being ordered to resume using Chon Buri’s Southern Pattaya Pier (Laem Balihai) from today (Tuesday). Boat owners had been using the beach temporarily during the restoration of the pier. They claimed they could not switch back to using the pier as they were…
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Lights, camera, MONEY – Thailand’s earnings from foreign film makers
PHOTO: PRLog.org. Behind the scenes, filming The Hangover Part II on Phang Nga Bay. Figures are out from the Department of Tourism showing that revenue from foreign film productions shot in Thailand generated 799 million baht in only first quarter of 2018. The Director-General of the Department of Tourism, Anan Wongbenjara, Department Director General Anan Wongbencharat, says that a total…
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One man dead and 3,300 homes damaged by a week of storms
File photo The toll on property has been heavy following a week of storms around the central, north-east and northern regions. One man has died and more than 3,300 houses damaged by windstorms and thunderstorms from April 23-28. According to the director-general of Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, windstorms struck 32 provinces, 84 districts, 172 tambon and 393 villages,…
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WARNING: Shocking accident between motorcyclist and pick-up
WARNING: Graphic photos Gruesome pictures of an accident in Phuket show the aftermath of a collision between a female motorcyclist and the rear of a pick-up truck. The woman was impaled on the back bumper suffering severe injuries to her left leg and losing a lot of blood. Rescue organisations used cutting equipment to get her free then she was…
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Seven year old Trang Twins marry in a big ceremony
Translated from Thai Tharaporn and Tharapong – seven year olds – are the children of Natthapong and Pilanthana Pankhong who own a big agricultural equipment supply firm in the southern Thai town. The twins were married in a lavish ceremony. Some 1000 guests turned up for the ceremony that is held to satisfy old beliefs that by so doing the…
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Brits behaving badly
British nationals are more likely to be arrested in Thailand than in any other overseas country, official figures reveal. However, it’s in Spain and the USA where the highest number of arrests of British nationals were recorded. According to the most recent stats available, which record the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016, a total of 194…
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Peeling back the red tape – Thailand 4.0
A committee tasked with propelling needed reforms under the Thailand 4.0 policy on Monday heard progress updates from state bodies in a meeting chaired by PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha. A series of measures must be implemented to aid in the nation’s digital transformation including, this August, cancelling state agency requirements for photocopies of the Thai national ID card and household…
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Officials raising the yellow flags on Krabi beaches
Officials raised yellows flags at two popular beaches warning tourists against swimming following strong winds and high waves that kicked up from Sunday evening. Champen Phomphakdee, chief of two national parks – Mu Koh Hong National Park and Than Bokkhoranee National Park – said officials put up yellow flags on the beach in front of Koh Hong beach to warn…
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The Good Shepherd Phuket Learning Centre requires urgent funding
The fate of the Good Shepherd Learning Centre Phuket is a matter of concern. The Centre has an urgent need to obtain sustainable funds to continue operations as its initial period of regular, committed funding will cease in May 2018. At The Good Shepherd Learning Centre they provide basic education i.e. science, mathematics and language skills in Thai, Burmese and…
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Police look into deaths linked to Lyn-brand weight-loss products
Fresh on the heels of an investigation into Magic Skin beauty products, police are now looking at another well-known brand, Lyn, after its weight-loss products were allegedly found to contain two dangerous substances. Deputy national police chief Pol General Weerachai Songmetta says the products might contain the appetite suppressant Sibutramine and the laxative Bisacodyl. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…
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20 injured after bus flips over near Surat Thani
A Bangkok – Khanom bus has ran off Highway 41 and crashed into a tree alongside the road injuring about 20 passengers this morning (Monday). (UPDATE: 19 confirmed injured) Thai PBS reports that the bus was heading from Bangkok on the way to Nakhon Si Thammarat with 36 passengers when it ran off the highway in Chaya district of Surat…
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Dutch tourist falls from ladyboy’s condo balcony
PHOTO: Ivy Residence Pinklau, Hipflat.co.th A Dutch tourist has fallen to his death from a condo room of a ladyboy he had just met at a drinking party on Khao San Road, Bangkok early this morning. The tourist has been identified by his driving licence as 21 year old Salmans Rik W F. Police say he fell from the room of 37…
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A Chinese-speaking man dies in bike crash near the Klong Kata Dam
Chalong Police received a report about a motorcycle crash last night (April 28) on the road behind Klong Kata Dam that killed a man whom the police are yet to positively identify. Ruamjai Rescue Foundation and Chalong Police believe that the 35-45 year old man might be a Chinese language tour guide as they found information in his mobile phone…
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Huge rally in Chiang Mai protesting judges’ homes on Doi Suthep mountain
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times Around 1,000 people have rallied in Chiang Mai yesterday to protest the homes being built for Thai judges on forested land on Doi Suthep mountain. The protest is one of the largest protests against the government ever staged. Public frustration has been mounting over the project since aerial images started circulating on social media earlier this…
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Day Two – Top of the Gulf Regatta
PHOTOS: Guy Nowell What a difference a day makes. Yesterday’s grey skies and consistent rain was replaced with hope this morning as blue skies hinted of a better day to come. A full fleet of boats headed out to their respective start lines as 120+ Optimists and more than 70 in the Single-Handed Monohull Dinghy and Double-Handed Monohull Dinghy classes…
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Half a ton of marijuana seized in Mekong sting
A total of 490 kilograms of dried marijuana worth 15 million baht in street value has been seized by Thai authorities in Bung Kan province in the far north-east of Thailand on the Mekong River, Saturday, but the suspected Laotian smugglers managed to flee. Bung Kan Customs checkpoint head Prasongsak Boonma said the four Laotian smugglers, who were bringing sacks…
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Two mysterious objects found in Mai Khao
Thachatchai Police received a report about an items that looked like ancient cannons at an old house in the Mai Khao area. The house, which belongs to a local man Dam Jitchamnan, was being demolished for renovation and the objects were found among the debris as workers were clearing it away. The police found that the rusty items were about…
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Day 1 of 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta
PHOTOS: Guy Nowell The blue skies and tropical conditions for which the Top of the Gulf Regatta is known failed to show up on Day 1 as a downpour which started the evening before never let up all day, making it a grey and wet start to the regatta. That, however, didn’t dampen spirits as the Race Officer kept the…
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27 Cobras found in a Krabi rubber plantation
The owner of a rubber plantation in Lumtub District in Krabi, 45 year old Prapai Yaithong, revealed today (April 28) that he found a den* of cobra on his land. While a worker was using a tractor to level the land surface and to remove a pile of wood in the rubber plantation, the worker saw that the blades from…
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Chinese man arrested with 57 fake ATM cards in BKK
FILE PHOTO A Chinese man has been arrested for allegedly stealing ATM card identities to make fake ones and steal from bank accounts. Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal, the deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau (and earning a reputation as an International Crime Terminator), said the 27 year old Chinese man, named as Xen Dazui, was arrested while he was…
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Samkong & Darasamut underpasses closing
The underpasses at Samkong (Tesco Lotus) and Darasamut School (Central Festival intersection) are to be closed temporarily. The Phuket Provincial Highway Office has announced the temporary closure of both underpasses to remove the mud and rubbish from the pits and give the two tunnels a scheduled maintenance and general cleaning from April 30 – May 2 from 8 pm –…
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Who’s keeping Thailand’s beaches clean?
PHOTO: Daily News Every week there are volunteers heading to the beaches of Phuket to pick up rubbish, mostly washed ashore and landing on the beaches. Some of it has washed out Phuket’s drains and just making its way back to shore. Other rubbish comes from passing boats and fishing fleets. One group, Clean The Beach Bootcamp, organised bi-weekly by…
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Storms hit Bangkok and Central regions
The Big Mango got a battering last night whilst rains are expected sometime on Phuket during Saturday and Sunday, but not the torrential rains that hit Bangkok. Heavy rains and strong winds hit several areas of the capital last night. A bus stop on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, outside the head office of petroleum giant PTT, collapsed as a result of strong…
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Environment Minister presented with 5 demands to protect the Andaman coast
The Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Surasak Karnjanarat has appointed volunteer marine rangers for six coastal Andaman provinces today (Friday). The provinces are: Trang, Phang Nga, Krabi, Phuket, Satun, and Ranong. He officially handed marine ranger badges to the volunteers as he met with the Network for Participation-based Management of Marine Resources, which comprises communities from the Andaman provinces.…
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