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Stormy skies for Boeing as Coronavirus compounds dire situation
As the world’s Covid-19 cases continue to rise, aircraft manufacture Boeing is watching its stocks slide. From around US$384 a share back in September last year to as low as US$154.84 last week. It’s since bounced back to US$170.20, but a long, long way from its peak. Most of the losses kicked in from mid-February when the extent of the…
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Summer storms batter Korat, Buri Ram
Sudden summer storms caused extensive damage in two provinces in Thailand’s northeast yesterday: many villages in tambon Nong Ma Nao in Khong district of Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, were struck by a summer storm late last night. Numerous houses were severely damaged by the storm, which started at about 11pm. Some structures were entirely demolished. The roofing sheets…
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Health minister denies racist tweets
“Many farang dress dirty and don’t shower. As hosts we have to be very careful.” Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul certainly knows how to grab the spotlight: just days after messages posted on his Twitter account caused a social media uproar and prompted the account to be shuttered, he has denied making the tweet. In a short…
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Khon Kaen University students in anti-government demonstration
“We are afraid of the virus. But, we are also duty-bound to study and seek the government’s ouster.” Adding to a growing trend, students at Khon Khaen University in northeastern Thailand held a second demonstration last night, despite fears of the Covid-19 coronavirus spread, saying they’ve “had enough” of the government. Students from all departments gathered at the multi-purpose ground…
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Wife and sister stabbed to death in Chon Buri, second domestic murder in a day
Police in Chon Buri province are hunting a suspect who allegedly stabbed his wife and her sister to death in the central province’s Panthong District yesterday. Panthong police were notified of the incident, at a shrimp fishing pond on Panthong-Baankhao Road, at 6:30pm. Police arriving at the pond and adjacent home found it locked. They broke the bedroom door to…
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PM urges unity in the face of adversity
In a nation battered by drought, a slowing economy and the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has appealed to the public to unite and join the government in its efforts to overcome. In a public statement yesterday, the PM said some of the measures adopted by his administration to cope with the threat of coronavirus contagion are…
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Thailand News Today, Friday, March 13, 2020 – Daily TV News
Thai health minister has a slash at ‘dirty farang’ Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is at it again making public disparaging and xenophobic comments about ‘white’ foreigners (farang). This time he’s warned his fellow Thais about the foreigners fleeing their own countries for the ‘safe haven’ of Thailand. “Today I visited Chiang Mai and noticed that there are almost…
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Amazon cafe suspends ‘bring your own cup’ campaign
Thai coffee shop chain ‘Amazon’ announced today the suspension of their promotional campaign called “Café Amazon for Earth” which was aiming to reduce plastic waste by allowing customers to bring their personal cup when buying a beverage and receive a discount of 5 baht. The company says the decision to end the promotion was made to increase customers’ awareness to…
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Thai stock exchange pulls 30 minute circuit breaker
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) had pulled a 30 minute “circuit breaker” to suspend trade between 9:59 and 10:29am leading to a fall at 11am, when the SET fell by 78.95 points, or 7.08%, to 1,035.96. Foreign investors made net sales of 1.929 billion baht in the stock market and 13.646 billion in the bond market. Most global stock…
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Serial thief who robbed Russian couple at knifepoint in Pattaya re-arrested
Police in Pattaya have re-arrested a thief who was involved in a robbery and knife attack on a Russian couple five years ago. A team of Pattaya City Police arrested 29 year old Thai national “Manat” yesterday afternoon. Another Thai man, 60 year old Niphon Meechaiyo, was also arrested for buying stolen items and allegedly fencing them. Police seized six…
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Tuk-tuk driver assaults Grab driver in Bangkok
Another Thai tuk tuk driver has been caught out trying to defend his ‘turf’. Tuk Tuk driver Ek has been charged with assaulting a grab car driver after dropping off passengers in front of a mall on Ratchadapisek Road, Bangkok. After the incident went viral online, Police Colonel Purit Jintranan invited both drivers for a talking at the Huai Khwang…
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Soldiers sent to fight forest fires in the North
With Chiang Mai again declared the world’s most polluted city today, and with air quality worsening across northern Thailand, soldiers from Royal Thai Army 3rd Army Region have been deployed to detect and fight forest fires. Forest fires and agricultural burning, both in Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia, have created extremely poor air quality levels. Rangers from the 35th Scout Regiment…
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Old “falangs” are Pattaya beach vendors’ lifeline in coronavirus downturn
Old expats and Thais are the only thing keeping Pattaya beach vendor in business, through the coronavirus tourism downturn. One vendor, Pha Aree, who has been renting beach chairs and umbrellas for 30 years, says she’s survived more than her share of crises, the tourism downturns during the 2004 tsunami, SARS, political strife and numerous military coups. She’ll get through…
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Thailand News Today, Thursday, March 12. Daily TV News.
Tourism officials ponder moving Songkran to July, boosting domestic tourism The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Tourism and Sports ministry are examining the postponing of Songkran celebrations to July 4-7 this year. The idea already has the nod from Tourism and Sports Minister but still needs approval from the Culture Ministry and cabinet. Meanwhile, the Tourism Council of Thailand has…
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Body in oil drum discovered in Chiang Rai reservoir
Police in Chiang Rai discovered a dead body stuffed into an oil drum floating in a reservoir. The 200 litre drum has allegedly been floating in the reservoir for over a week. Investigators learned from local villagers that the oil drum had been floating in the middle of the reservoir since last about March 3. Only when the drum brought…
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30 year old woman jumps from 14th floor in Nonthaburi
Police are still investigating an incident in Nonthaburi, just west of Bangkok. Yesterday at 7:30pm, 30 year old Thanaporn jumped from the 14th floor “from fear of getting arrested by police officers” in a Muang Thong Thani housing estate in Nonthaburi. Thanaporn was wanted for attempted murder of her sister and two other relatives earlier this month. Earlier in March…
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UPDATE: SCB becomes third bank to stop exchanging foreign cash
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) today became the third Thai bank to cease exchanging foreign cash, shut down its exchange booths and quarantine booth staff for fourteen days as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The move comes after a similar move by Kasikorn Bank over the weekend – see original story below. Yesterday afternoon saw Krungthai Bank follow suit.…
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Grab driver turns himself in over missing wallet: cash still missing
A Grab taxi driver has turned himself in to police in Chiang Mai police after a Dutch tourist lost 500 euros at an exchange booth in the city. The 27 year old Duct national, identified as “Edwin T.” reported to police after dropping his wallet at a booth at in the city’s Saphan Lek on Monday. CCTV showed a Grab…
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200 landmines cleared from old battleground near Burmese border
The army’s Thailand Mine Action Centre (TMAC) has announced that they’ve cleared more than 200 landmines from a former battlefield in the southern province of Chumphon, near the Burmese border. TMAC chief Wisut Uthitwattana says the 6.6 square kilometre area was marked as a potential landmine zone as it was the site of battles between ethnic insurgents and Burmese troops.…
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Scorcher in the North, weekend storms predicted
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said today that a thermal low is covering upper Thailand, causing hot to very hot weather there. Meanwhile, weak easterly winds across the Gulf are bringing less rain to the South. From Saturday to Monday, another high pressure system from China will extend to upper Thailand and the South China Sea, where many areas of the upper…
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Thai stocks tumbles, SET drops nearly 6%
Thailand’s stock exchange, the SET, plunged yesterday along with the region’s other bourses. The index dropped amid concerns over the growing global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The SET dived 74.57 points, or nearly 6%, to 1,175.32 points. This all happened shortly after the open in a turnover of 9 billion baht. The SET50 index, Thailand’s top 50 listed companies, faired even…
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Monkey brawl shocks Lop Buri – VIDEO
Central Thailand’s Lop Buri province was a battleground yesterday, with fierce skirmishes raging through city streets. Fortunately no casualties were reported. No human ones, anyway. Rival monkey gangs took to the streets and brawled for hours. Lopburi is home to two monkey clubs, with thousands of members: city monkeys and temple monkeys. The temple monkeys control the area around Phra Prang…
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Thailand News Today, Wednesday, March 11, 2020
400 billion baht stimulus announced to boost Thai economy Yesterday’s Thai cabinet meeting gave the greenlight to a new stimulus package. The government expects the approved 400 billion baht to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Last week’s 2,000 baht cash stimulus proposal, which was largely roasted in Thai social media after being proposed by the economic ministers,…
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Thailand cancels visas-on-arrival and some visa exemptions for 21 countries
On top of all the changes announced in the past few days for passengers arriving in Thailand, today the government has announced an additional measure. The Thai government has now cancelled the automatic granting of the visa-on-arrival for 18 countries as well as cancelling visa exemption for three other countries in additional efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.…
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Police intercept huge meth shipment and a tonne of marijuana
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau have reported a number of cases in the Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. Both dugs cases involve a truck and an attempt to hide the illicit drugs in large sacks which were packed with dog food. In the first case, 38 year old Jiradech Isipriya from Chiang Mai as well as 3 other members of a…
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Thailand News Today, Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Thai road toll, worst of the year yesterday Yesterday 90 people, including 2 foreigners, died in Thailand. This was the year’s single worst death toll day on Thailand’s roads this year. 3,200 lives have already been lost this year. 69 deaths were motorcyclists, 2 were foreigners and 2 children died as well. Hotting up in northern Thailand Hot, damn…
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Thailand CP Group’s take over bid for Tesco Asia
The 332.6 billion baht deal between the UK’s Tesco-branded Asian interests and Thai conglomerate CP Group, is coming under scrutiny as there are fears it could lead to a mega-retail monopoly. In the deal, the Chareon Pokphand Group will acquire all of Tesco Asia. CPAll and CPF informed the Stock Exchange of Thailand of their surprise investment in Tesco Asia…
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Hotting up in northern Thailand
Hot, damn hot! The Thailand Meteorological Department says that a “thermal low” currently covers upper Thailand, while westerly winds prevail over the region, making the weather hot to very hot in some parts of the North, the Northeast, the Central and the East regions. Unpredictable weather and hotter days are normal for this time of the year leading up to…
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Frenchman found hanged at Patong hotel
A 47 year old Frenchman was found hanged from a hotel balcony in Phuket’s seaside party town Patong yesterday afternoon. Police say they are investigating the grisly incident. Initial reports indicate the man may have been a member of a motorcycle gang, and involved with drugs, though this remains unverified. Officers were called to the scene, in Soi Patong City,…
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Worst case scenario – Thailand loses 10 million tourists this year
Thailand’s tourist industry could be decimated in the wake of the world coronavirus outbreak. Tourism accounts for an estimated 16% of Thailand’s total GDP. The Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yutthasak Supasorn, says that, in a worst case scenario, Thailand could bleed 10 million of it’s projected 40 million tourist arrivals this year. He says his estimates were based on…
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