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Sponsored Hot Phuket property deal: Arise Vibe launches limited offer on only four units, now from 2.5m baht
Phuket's property market is full of big names and high prices, but some of the most exciting opportunities are happening just outside the spotlight. That’s where you’ll find Arise Vibe. Set in Si Sunthon, one of Phuket’s fastest-growing areas, this...
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Krabi – Number One for growth on Trip Advisor
Krabi Town has ranked Number One for growth in year-on-year search results for Thai holiday destinations on TripAdvisor. According to TripAdvisor, searches rose 41% compared to the same time last year. The rising number of flights heading to the coastal town is being attributed as the main reason the growth has been so high over the past 12 months. To read…
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Back in Bangkok after Phuket court case dropped
Jonathan Head is back in Bangkok following his two day visit to Phuket. His case came to an abrupt conclusion when the man suing him, Phuket lawyer Pratuan Thanarak withdrew the charges. He was suing Mr Head over a story that appeared on the BBC in 2015 where the lawyer claimed he was defamed. Jonathan Head investigated foreigners being scammed…
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Yingluck is now a fugitive following non-appearance at Court
Thailand’s Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra after she was a no-show at today’s verdict announcement in the negligence trial involving her Government’s rice-pledging scheme. The verdict has now been postponed to September 27. The Court has also ordered the seizure of the 30 million Baht bail. If Khun Yingluck doesn’t show up on…
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High drama in Bangkok with no-show from Yingluck
Yingluck did not show up at the Supreme Court today to hear the verdict over the Rice Pledging Scheme case. Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwan confirms that he has been informed about Yingluck’s no-show in the court on a claim that she suffered from a disorder in the inner ear. He says the court has issued an arrest warrant against…
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World Bank upgrades Thailand’s growth projections
The World Bank on Thursday upgraded its economic growth projections for Thailand to 3.5 per cent from the 3.2 per cent estimated previously. The Bank said that economic growth in Thailand is gaining momentum, with global growth and recovery from severe droughts buoying an expansion of GDP by 3.3 per cent in the first quarter and 3.7 per cent in…
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Sneaky snake slips into Krabi house
Another python has been found in the bedroom of a Krabi house. Early today (August 24), 72 year old Subin Kongban found a 15 kilogram python crawling in the house after eating his chicken at the back of the house. “I was going to the toilet and found it crawling in the house, almost by my bed, so I called…
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Tech school student shot dead by rival-school students in Pak Kret
A vocational school student was fatally shot by a group of students from a rival school in Nonthaburi province on Wednesday evening, police said. The shooting incident happened at 5.30pm on Tiwanon Road in Tambon Bang Phood in Pak Kret district, said Pol Captain Supachoke Phorkhathai, deputy inspector of Pak Kret Police Station. Mongkol Khampradit, 20, a student of Pathum…
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The new, non-flammable, Samsung Galaxy Note 8
It’s impossible to appraise the sleek new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 without recalling it’s fiery predecessor, the Note 7. It got somewhat of a reputation for with catching fire or even exploding, being banned on aeroplanes and eventually just about everywhere else. It was a costly and embarrassing gaff for the South Korean electronics giant. The Galaxy Note 8 phablet…
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Phuket Town gambling raids – 4 dens and 30 gamblers
Last night (Tuesday), police arrested 30 gamblers in 4 football gambling dens in the Phuket Town area. They started with a bistro calleded Lucky on Takuapa Road where police received complaints from locals that there was football gambling going on inside. The front of the shop looked like a normal bistro selling food and beverages but walking further into the…
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Saphan Hin green upgrades and Old Phuket Town cabling goes underground
Phuket’s Mayor plans to make Saphan Hin Park the ‘lungs of Phuket’ and to put all the electric cables for the whole Phuket Old Town area underground. “Saphan Hin Park is a seaside public park that now needs renovation as it has been decayed because of the content exposure to salt water and the sea air damaging the stone retaining…
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‘Run 2 Gether Phuket Town’ heads to Old Phuket Town on October 1
The Phuket Disabled People’s Association, together with the Phuket Municipality, is holding a new event, “Run 2 Gether Phuket Town” on October 1. 600 runners are expected to join the charity event. “Run 2 Gether Phuket Town” aims to gather both disabled and able-bodied runners to run together to promote the importance of exercise. So far, more than 200 disabled…
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Bus and truck curfew in place for Patong Hill
Following the sucession of accidents involving buses and trucks in recent months, Traffic Police have placed official restrictions on access to Patong over the notorious Patong Hill for during certain hours of the day. Buses carrying 21 passengers or more, 10-wheel trucks, as well as trailers, won’t be allowed on Patong hill (Phra Baramee Road) from 6 am to 9 am…
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HM Bhumibol Adulyadej commemorative coins popular at reservation locations
Specially minted coins, commemorating the forthcoming funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, are causing long queues at locations around the country. Long queues formed at various designated locations across the country on Tuesday morning as members of the public waited to reserve commemorative coins minted for the funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. There…
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Heir today, gone tomorrow. Tracking down Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya.
The disappearance of difficult-to-find Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is not a simple police conspiracy to ‘protect’ the hi-so heir to the Red Bull fortune. There is a complex web of strategies by the Yoovidhya family to make sure he is difficult to track down – not just Boss but the whole family, and their money. The Bangkok billionaire family responsible for…
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New traffic tickets, now in both Thai and English
New Gen traffic tickets are going to be printed in both Thai and English. Apart from a new barcode to assist in the paying of fines, there are a few other changes as well. The new approach would also allow accused motorists to object to the officers’ charges and explain themselves within 15 days. The new ticket would have a…
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Mother alleges her 21 year old son was beaten to death at military camp
A complaint has been lodged with Surat Thani police by the mother of a conscript who suspects her son was a victim of a beating at the 45th Military Circle based in Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp. The mother of 21 year old Private Noppadol, Mrs Malaiporn Worakitpan has told police that her son was brought home by two conscripts on Saturday.…
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240,000 methamphetamine pills seized after northern car chase
Police have seized a huge haul of 240,000 methamphetamine pills after a hot pursuit of drug smugglers near Chiang Rai yesterday morning. Acting on a tipoff that a substantial shipment of ya ba was to be smuggled across from Myanmar into Mae Sai, heading south for the capital, police immediately set up road blocks to intervene. At about 1am yesterday…
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NIDA poll shows 81 percent of Thais admire Prayut
The majority of respondents in a NIDA poll are giving PM Prayut Chan-o-cha good poll numbers for his administration’s performance over the past three years following the 2014 coup. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan was also named the most impressive Cabinet member in the same survey. The poll by the National Institute of Development Administration says that 49 per cent of…
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Southern violence moving further north. Former Minister recommends martial law in Songkhla.
In the aftermath of a truck robbery in which one hostage and one suspect were killed, officials are now floating the idea of reintroducing martial law in the southern provinces – specifically districts in Songkhla. Thavorn Senniam, former deputy interior minister and former member of Songkhla’s House of Representatives, says that the government should consider declaring martial law in some…
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Ratsada drug purge continues
A 21 year old man from Ratsada sub-district, Wanchana Saelim, was arrested yesterday (August 19) with 589 amphetamine pills plus 50 grams of meth amphetamine. The arrest follows a report from an undercover officer in the Ratsada area who had followed Khun Wanchana for a while and discovered he was trafficking drugs to the locals on a regular basis; the…
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Chinese tourists get in trouble in strong Nai Thon surf
Lifeguards saved two Chinese swimmers at Nai Thon beach yesterday after they’d decided swimming in a red flag zone was a good idea. As the shore along Nai Thon has sudden drops off, the red flags were placed along the beach yesterday with quite heavy surf and strong onshore winds. Somporn Wareekul, Head of Nai Thon beach lifeguards, says there…
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Three metre python caught snacking on chickens
A 3 metre python weighing around 20 kilos has been caught in the act swallowing two small chickens near a salvage yard of Mr. Poonsap Sae Ngang at 8am. A Kusoldharm rescue team tried to catch it using a rope lasso but the snake headed for a nearby tree. After a few attempts the team finally got the snake with nobody…
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New ‘smart visa’. No work permit, annual reporting.
We’ve just had the announcement of the new ten year ‘Geeza Visa’, the long-term ‘retirement’ visa. Now the Thai Cabinet has just announced plans for a new ‘Smart Visa’. Under the new Smart Visa, people can stay in Thailand, along with their spouse and children if applicable, for up to four years. The big change here is that you won’t…
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Animal shows in Phuket. ‘Not in my back yard’!
OPINION by Tim Newton Three years ago the issue came into sharp focus in Phuket when a Ukraine company established ‘Nemo’, the first dolphinarium in Phuket, right next door to the Chalong Zoo. The dolphinarium drew a lot of kick-back from locals who took the NIMBY approach – Not In My Back Yard. They were applying their western values about the…
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A tale of two drug hauls. Drugs found in Ratsada and Tha Chat Chai.
Police arrested 32 year Teerapong “Jane” Wonganansup with 522 pills of amphetamine, 42.47 grams of crystal meth, a 9 mm. semi-automatic pistol, a .22 semi-automatic pistol, 130 bullets and a digital scale. After a report from an undercover officer, police made a visit to Teerapong’s house in Soi Paniang, Ratsada. They initially found 50 pills of amphetamine and 2 grams…
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Two years and no convictions. Erawan Shrine bombing, Bangkok.
Only one person has been interrogated about the horrific Ratchaprasong bomb of August 2015 and it is now feared justice may not be reached for several more years. Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the deadly bomb attack at the famous Erawan Shrine tourist destination in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and injured 125 others. Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw)…
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Fire in Patong Mexican restaurant
A Mexican restaurant, Coyote, caught fire late this morning. The restaurant owner, Matthew Warton, said the cause of the fire is believed to be an electric shortcircuit from the air-conditioning system. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties reported. The second storey of the 4-storey Mexican restaurant, located on Thaweewong Road in Patong could be seen on fire from the street. Fire…
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“It was a Barracuda”. Phuket Provincial Fisheries investigate the mystery bite of Japanese man.
Phuket’s Governor, with the help of a local specialist, says that the mystery fish attacking 36 year old Japanese man, Keira Kosigoe, while surfing 15 metres offshore in Kamala, wasn’t a shark but a barracuda. Following the incident yesterday (August 16), Governor Norapat Plodthong says that after asking the specialist from Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office to investigate the wound, the…
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Muslim insurgents suspected in this morning’s bombing outside police living quarters
Muslim insurgents are suspected in the detonation of a car bomb in front of a row of townhouses, the official living quarters of staff at Pattani’s Mayo Police Station. No one was killed or injured in this morning’s bomb attack. Luckily police spotted the vehicle while it was being parked around 4am. The official barracks for the local police are…
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Police arrest two men with a kilo of meth-amphetamine
Border Patrol Police are searching for a third man, named only as “Gong”, implicated by one of the two suspects, after the arrest of 23 year old Teerasak “Dome” Somwang and 33 year old Non Rittichai, a Nakohn Si Thammarat resident, with one kilogram of crystal meth valued at 2 million Baht. The arrests follow an investigation by an undercover…
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