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Sponsored Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money
Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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Passengers from Chiang Rai-Bangkok flights considered “low-risk”
Passengers from 4 flights between Chiang Rai and Bangkok are considered at “low risk” of contracting Covid-19, according to a statement from the Public Health Ministry. However, the ministry is asking all passengers to self-monitor for the next 14 days, and report symptoms such as fever, a cough, sore throat, or a loss of taste or smell immediately. The 4…
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Thailand News Today | Deadly floods, Chiang Rai Covid cases, Mekong Forum | December 7
Southern Thailand flood death toll: 24 At least 24 people have now been reported to have died due to flash floods in Southern Thailand following a week of heavy rain. 19 of the victims were in Nakhon Si Thammarat which was hit the hardest. Today, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported 3 more deaths from flooding in the…
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New forum to tackle Mekong challenges
For nearly 20 years, activists have called against the development of hydro-dams and water projects along the Mekong River. But now, the campaign is taking the next step with plans to focus on taking action at the policy level. It took 2 decades, but activists have now launched the “Mekong People’s Forum.” 200 people attended the forum including local villagers, conservationists,…
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Training grenades found along Chon Buri road
5 grenades were found dumped along with some garbage on the side of the road in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team say the grenades are not dangerous and are used in training exercises. A resident contacted police after finding the grenades. Although the grenades are not explosive, police say the grenades were disposed of…
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Man allegedly steals excavating tractor, smashes into police pickup truck
A man was arrested after he allegedly stole a backhoe excavating tractor and smashed the digging bucket into a motorcycle and a police pickup truck. 42 year old Rungniran Songsan was charged with theft and criminal damage. Police were called to the scene after Rungniran allegedly took off on the backhoe in a rural road in Pathum Thani, north of…
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Southern Thailand flood death toll: 24
At least 24 people have died due to flash floods in Southern Thailand following several days of heavy rain. 19 of the victims were in Nakhon Si Thammarat which was hit the hardest. Today, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported 3 deaths from flooding in the southern region. A woman drowned in Surat Thani’s Phrasaeng district and 2…
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New Year countdown events get the “okay,” but under strict health measures
Lockdowns, social distancing, face masks and lots and lots of hand sanitiser… this year has been different to say the least and counting down the last hours of 2020 will be different as well. New Year countdown events have been given the “okay,” but just as long as health safety measures are in place, according to Nattaphon Narkphanit who leads…
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Samut Sakhon karaoke bar raided for alleged child prostitution operation
Police arrested a karaoke bar and restaurant owner for alleged human trafficking and sexual exploitation of teenage girls. After receiving a tip about an alleged child prostitution and trafficking operation, police raided the karaoke bar in Samut Sakhon, southwest of Bangkok, and found a 16 year old girl who officers believe is a victim. She is now at a temporary…
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Drugged up slaughterhouse worker kills 2, injures 5 at random
A drugged up slaughterhouse worker has been accused of killing 2 girls and injuring 5 others while going on a random knife attack on his motorbike in Udon Thani. The man, 31 year old Itthiphol Imphueng, from Udon Thani’s Nong Wua So district, worked in Muang district. His first victim was 16 year old Anchaya Boonyingyuan, who died at Udon…
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The 2020 Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon has been run and won, despite all the challenges
Signs of life, combined with a determined event organiser and keen participants. And so the Laguna Phuket Marathon was staged in Phuket this weekend, despite all the challenges. An 8,000 strong field turned out to Run Paradise in Phuket this weekend at the 15th Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon. Held on December 5 and 6, the ‘new normal’ edition combined stringent…
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China carries out first-ever lunar orbit docking, now heading back to Earth
China has carried out its first-ever lunar orbit docking today with a probe carrying lunar samples collected over the past week during a 48 hour stay on the Moon. The mission is named Chang’e-5, after a mythical Chinese Moon goddess, and is bringing back the first lunar soil samples in over 40 years. The capsule carrying moon rocks and soil…
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Thailand’s political landscape will stay volatile despite PM’s acquittal – Nida Poll
A new Nida poll indicates that people think Thailand’s political landscape will remain volatile despite the recent court clearance of PM Prayut. Around 27% responded to the Nida poll by saying the situation would be more contentious and worrying after his clearance from the Constitutional Court over his occupancy of a military residence after retiring in 2014 as the military’s…
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China lied about the early days of the pandemic – newly leaked documents from Wuhan
Covid-19 was first reported at the very end of last year in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in the central Hubei province in China. The deadly respiratory virus has since infected more than 66.8 million people and led to over 1.53 million deaths around the world, according to Worldometers.info This week, specifically December 1, marks 1 year since the…
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Go looking for mushrooms, find 10 grenades – NE Thailand
You’re just walking along, casually foraging for mushrooms when, behold, you come across 10 grenades! 10 LIVE grenades. That was the surprise awaiting a local mushroom picker in Si Sa Ket, North East Thailand, at the Huai Sala Wildlife Sanctuary. 58 year old Supin Thammaporn, was gathering mushrooms around the park when he found the unlikely cache of grenades. Military officials…
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“Vaccines are no magic bullet” – World Health Organisation
“Vaccines will be no magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis as nations gear up for a massive rollout to tackle surging infections.” The warning of caution comes from the World Health Organisation on the day the US United States recorded a record number of Covid-19 cases for a second day in a row. President-elect Joe Biden is already describing the time…
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Starting a Business In Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is potentially one of the most exciting places to begin a business, due to its young population, wide variety of skills sets within that population, such as those learned on an online MBA degree, as well as how quickly various economies within the region are growing. Places like Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are becoming not just Asian, but…
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Thai jasmine 105 scoops top prize in world’s best rice competition
Competition judges seeking the world’s best-tasting rice have awarded the top prize to Thailand’s jasmine 105. The rice was named best-tasting at the 12th World Rice Conference, an online event this year, held from Tuesday to Thursday this week. After the Thai Rice Exporters’ Association added the 105 jasmine to the competition line-up, it was judged the world’s best after…
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Report highlights glaring disparity among school-age children in Thailand
A report carried out by the National Statistical Office in collaboration with UNICEF has highlighted the significant inequality between children of school-going age in Thailand. Nation Thailand reports that, while students rallied outside the Education Ministry in Bangkok earlier this week, calling for reforms that include an end to strict uniform requirements, the biggest hurdle they face continues to be…
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Chiang Mai man tests positive for Covid-19 after illegal crossing from Myanmar
A 32 year old Chiang Mai man who was employed at the now notorious 1G1-7 Hotel in Myanmar has tested positive for Covid-19 after sneaking across the border into Thailand. The man worked as a DJ at the hotel and entertainment complex in Tachileik until he returned to the Kingdom via an illegal crossing at the Chiang Rai border on…
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US senators introduce resolution in support of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement
The US Senate has called on the Thai government to end violence against political activists, as it introduced a resolution in support of the pro-democracy movement. 9 members of Congress introduced the resolution, including Thai-American senator Tammy Duckworth, who has previously served in the US military. “As a Thai-American who fought to protect the right to peacefully protest here at…
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Thailand News Today | Burmese border #&#!!!, Charges for Penguin, 9 dead in floods | Dec 4
Thailand News Today, coming to you from the relatively dry Phuket, compared to the horrible flooding in parts of southern Thailand. 5 shot and in critical condition after gang clash in Phitsanulok 5 people have been shot and critically wounded in what police believe to be a turf war between 2 rival gangs in Phitsanulok, Central Thailand. Police say gang…
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Ceremony marks 6 months since Thai activist’s disappearance in Cambodia
It’s been 6 months since Thai pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit disappeared in Cambodia. Many, including his family, claim the activist was abducted. The Human Rights Watch says the 37 year old was seen being forced into a vehicle in front of his Phnom Penh apartment in June. A Buddhist ceremony was held today outside the activist’s apartment, marking 6 months…
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Man sets himself on fire at Chon Buri market, 3 others injured
A man set himself on fire at a Chon Buri seafood restaurant in the Angsila district. 3 people were injured and treated at a local hospital after trying to put out the flames, reports say. The man allegedly poured a gallon of oil on himself and set himself on fire using a cigarette lighter. Reports say he was seriously injured.…
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Greenpeace Thailand names 5 local companies “top plastic polluters”
After collecting thousands of pieces of plastic waste, Greenpeace Thailand found that the majority of the trash comes from 5 Thai Companies, naming them the “top plastic polluters.” Volunteers from Greenpeace collected plastic waste from Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai and Wonnapa beach in Chon Buri. Out of the 13,001 pieces of plastic was collected, they say most of the…
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What has the pandemic taught hotels about luxury. Is ‘less’ more?
by Anthony Lark “Let’s say goodbye to all that stale pretence and manufactured pomp” Until the collective nightmare that was 2020, many of the so-called high-end hotels had a reputation for trying to convince guests to pay for often dingy guestrooms lacking any real views inside an otherwise ornate structure with a storied, celebrated past, where the first impression was…
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Khao San Road remains empty during the day, night crowds keep the street alive
Without foreign tourists at Bangkok’s infamous backpacker mecca, Khao San Road has gone quiet. While nights draw local crowds, it’s not what it used to be and the once bustling street remains empty during the day time. While locals frequent the nightclubs and bars on the street, Khao San Road is not nearly what is was like before the pandemic.…
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Pattaya bike rider injured after plunging into large construction hole in road
A motorbike driver has been injured after his bike plunged into a 2-metre deep construction pit in the Naklua area of Pattaya. The Pattaya News reports that the accident occurred around 4am on Thursday morning, with rescue workers arriving to find the bike at the bottom of the pit. The driver, 39 year old Wassapon Thataworn, had managed to climb…
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Chinese probe heads back to Earth after spending 2 days on the Moon
A Chinese space probe, Chang’e 5, is now on its way back to earth after having flown to the Moon, landed, explored, collected soil samples and taken off again. It will bring the first lunar rock and soil samples back to Earth in over 4 decades. The probe is bringing a payload of some 2 kilograms of rocks back for…
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Thai Constitutional Court official files contempt charge against protest leader
A student protest leader is facing charges of contempt after he made statements on Facebook critical of the Constitutional Court ruling to acquit PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, allowing the Thai prime minister and former Army General to continue occupying a military-owned residence. Critics have argued that allowing Prayut, a retired general, to say at the Army residence is a conflict of…
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Schoolgirl bursts into tears meeting Panasaya, fearing for activist’s safety
Protest leader Panusaya Sitthijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, has been pictured consoling a young schoolgirl who broke down in tears, concerned about the activist’s safety. Rattapol Kaiipah Promsuwan, who witnessed the exchange, has shared a photo of the moment on social media. She says the girl, who is in Grade 6 (making her around 11 years old), had gone to the organisers’…
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