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5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Thailand’s south in mourning after insurgent attack killed 15 in Yala
Thailand’s south is grappling with grief after 15 people died in an insurgent attack in the southern province of Yala on Tuesday night. Those who died were mostly defence volunteers, manning a security checkpoint in Yala – sitting ducks for the much-better organised and resourced southern insurgents. The south, accustomed to attacks from militant groups for nearly two decades, has been…
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Thai baht dips after rate cut
The baht continued losses yesterday after the Thai central bank cut interest rates. Other Asian currencies dipped as markets assess the latest details of the US-China tariff talks. The Bank of Thailand cut rates for the second time this year, with the benchmark one day repurchase rate now at a record low, as the bank tries to manage inflation and…
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American fugitive remains on life support
PHOTO: MONTAGE: 77kaoded The American man who escaped from a Pattaya court has not died, according to the director of a hospital in southeastern Sa Kaeo province. Now Thai media are using the word “Coma!!” in their latest headlines. A doctor says 39 year old Bart Allen Helmus is in critical condition and remains on a respirator. ER staff confirmed to the…
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Phuket police arrest man for attempted rape in Krabi
PHOTOS: Phuket Hot News Phuket police have arrested a man who attempted to rape a woman in Krabi. Phuket police held a press conference to announce the arrest of 29 year old Nantachai ‘Loob’ Boonrak, who was earlier reported trying to rape a woman harvesting mushroom in a forest in Ao Luek district, in Krabi. The man was arrested at…
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Cabinet go-ahead for 3.6 billion baht spend to put electrical cabling underground
The Cabinet has approved expenditure of 3.6 billion baht to help the Metropolitan Electricity Authority speed up the moving of power lines underground in areas along MRT lines – the announcement from deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul. “The project length is a total of 215.6 kilometres and the MEA has finished just 46.6 kilometres, leaving another 169 km to complete.…
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Volunteer village guard system in Thailand’s south up for review after Tuesday’s deadly attack
PHOTO: Facebook/Yala ToDay The village guard system, used as part of the local volunteer security in the Deep South of Thailand, is set to be completely reviewed, or replaced by a more mobile system where village defence volunteer units will be on regular patrol to seek insurgents, instead of being a “sitting duck”. 15 volunteers and villages were killed after…
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Alibaba promoting Thai products to Chinese buyers
PHOTO: Jingsourcing Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, is hosting a special section on its website dedicated to Thai products. The move has now confirmed by Deputy PM and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit following a meeting with the Alibaba group at the recent Shanghai Trade Exhibition. “It will be a portal for Thai makers of quality products to access the online markets…
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Foreign woman saved from drowning at Patong Beach, Phuket
PHOTO: Achadtaya Chuenniran A foreigner, either Swiss or Russian, has been plucked out of the water at Patong Beach, early this morning morning, before sunrise. The incident occurred opposite the beach road post office, according to tourist police. An Ethiopian, named as ‘Ephrem’, told police that he found the woman lying face down and unconscious in the shallows just metres from…
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UPDATE: The latest FACTS we have about American and Thai wife in Sa Kaew
COMPILATION: The Pattaya News As one commenter rightfully said today, “more twists than the road to Pai”. Information, and plenty of rumours, have been fast and furious in recent days in regards to the story of the American and two Thais who escaped from the Pattaya Court holding cells on Monday after stabbing a man and threatening staff with a…
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Leave something behind? Man forgets finger in Chinese taxi after dash to hospital
A man in China has been reunited with the severed finger he left in the back of a taxi after a mad dash to hospital in Wuhan. Thai Residents reports that the man, named only as Xu, is a construction worker who lost his finger in an accident at the site where he was working. After a local doctor told…
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Thailand drops to #74 out of 100 countries rated for English language skills
PHOTO: Study International For the third year in a row, Thailand’s ranking on the English Proficiency Index has dropped and the country now ranks 74th out of a total of 100 countries. Thai PBS World reports that the index was prepared by Education First (EF), a Swiss organisation specialising in language training and educational travel. The company reports that in…
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Thai road death toll tops 12,000 in 2019
PHOTO: Motorcyclist skittled by pick-up and killed in Ranong this week – Daily News Thai media report 12,304 people have been registered as dying at accident scenes in Thailand so far this year. Academics caution that this figure only relates to those who die at the scene, and the actual death toll is far higher when when all all data…
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Russian swimmer drowns at Karon Beach
A 61 year old Russian tourist has died after getting caught in a rip at Phuket’s Karon Beach. Police say the man, whose name was withheld pending family and Embassy notification, was swimming alone at the northern end of the beach, just a few hundred metres from the “Tourist Service Centre”. He was seen struggling after currents dragged him out…
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Police arrest dangerous Phuket robber
PHOTO: Patong Police A 24 year old, wanted for a theft and robbery, including robbing hotel staff in Phuket Town at knifepoint, is now in custody following a Wednesday night arrest. Phuket News reports that Provincial and Phuket City Police arrested Chanchai Chaona at a motorbike repair shop in Patong on Wednesday. He was wanted for two separate charges of…
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Thai security officials search for attackers after 15 killed on Tuesday in Yala
The 4th Army continues to hunt down suspects responsible for Tuesday’s brutal gun attack on a security checkpoint in Yala’s Muang district. The attack left 15 village defence volunteers dead and five others injured. The attack is believed to be a retaliation for extrajudicial killings of two insurgent suspects in Pattani’s Sai Buri district last week, according to a source.…
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Phuket Airport officials warn about sky lanterns during Loy Krathong
Phuket airport officials are urging people not to release sky lantern (khom fai)on Loy Krathong as well as the forthcoming New Year. Vijit Keawsaitiam, the Deputy Director of Phuket International Airport, held a meeting about safety measures and discussed about banning lanterns and firework activities during Loy Krathong festival and the New Year celebrations. The Deputy Director said that releasing…
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Airbnb shares research and best practices for Thailand’s short-term rental industry
Yesterday The Thaiger published a story about Airbnb, supplied through The Nation, that contained a number of inaccuracies. We now publish the entire original media release from Airbnb… Airbnb has today released its proposed regulatory principles for short-term accommodation which would support the Thai Government’s objectives of making Thailand the premier tourist destination in Asia and one of the top…
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Thai passengers warned not to write on passports if they wish to travel
Thai-language news outlet Sanook reports that a Thai citizen, travelling as part of a group tour to South Korea, has been refused permission to fly as a result of writing found in the passenger’s passport. The story, covered by ThaiVisa, says that one of the pages in the passport had a ‘mystical’ symbol drawn on it. It’s understood that this…
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Bangkok to move all motorcycle taxi ranks off sidewalks
PHOTO: Win Drivers in Bangkok awaiting their next fare – Yahoo News The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says they will move all motorcycle taxis ranks (also known as “Wins”) off the city’s pavements by the end of this year. The awaiting motorcycle taxis, with their colour-coded high-viz jackets, are ubiquitous around the capital Naew Na reports that 495 ranks currently use the…
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Strong Thai baht helps Central Group invest overseas
PHOTO: CEO of Central Group, Tos Chirathivat, taking advantage of the strong Thai baht – The Nation Whilst the strong baht is a concern for exporters and foreign tourists visiting Thailand, many Thai businesses are reaping the currency advantage and investing overseas with their strong baht. Tos Chirathivat, CEO of Central Group, has confirmed that the family-owned conglomerate is investing…
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Malaysian PM confirms Anwar will be successor
PHOTO: Malaysian PM, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad inspecting some Malaysian silks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok – Twitter The Malaysian PM, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has confirmed publicly that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, president of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party) will be his successor. The 94 year old PM was speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald in…
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Copyright police sting, arrest 15 year old girl over krathong floats
PHOTO: Prasit Tangprasert A 15 year old girl in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima was arrested and fined 5,000 baht for making krathong baskets showing copyrighted cartoon characters. The baskets were ordered by undercover copyright police in, what appears to be, an attempt to lure the girl into infringing copyright laws. The girl, identified only as “Orm”, says her…
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Pattaya fugitives’ pick-up truck found, two people arrested
PHOTO: The Pattaya News The pickup truck used by three drug defendants, who attacked police and escaped from a Pattaya Court, has been located and seized in Chon Buri. Police have arrested two people suspected of helping the three escapees. The Isuzu truck was silver\white in colour, not bronze as originally reported. Police found the truck at an industrial park…
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Foreign investment applications rise 69% in first nine months
PHOTO: Bloomberg Thailand continues attracting foreign direct investment, with applications rising 69% in the first nine months of 2019, according the Board of Investment (BOI). Applications in the electronics and electrical sector, and the digital and automotive sectors, represented 131.78 billion baht, or 65% of the total. The value of applications, up to September this year, was 203.37 billion baht,…
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American firms want to relocate to Thailand to counter US-China trade war
PHOTO: “You’re all welcome!” – Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at the ASEAN Business Summit – Bangkok Post US business leaders visiting Thailand are looking for opportunities, especially relocating their production bases, as they try to sort out heir businesses in the wake of the US-China trade war. The US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and executives of 16 American companies…
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5,000 Samui residents diagnosed with depression in 2019
Thailand’s second largest island may be renowned for its beautiful beaches and laid-back atmosphere, but a new report indicates that the number of people diagnosed with depression on Koh Samui has increased to over 5,000 this year. Thai-language Daily News says Songyot Chayaninporamet, deputy director at Samui Hospital, blames several factors, including the high cost of living, crime, unemployment and…
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US accuses ASEAN nations of trying to “embarrass” Trump with meeting snub
PHOTO: All smiles for the official pics, but backroom tensions emerged between the US and other ASEAN delegations – Reuters An American diplomat, speaking anonymously, says the US is concerned by the ASEAN nations’ partial boycott of the ASEAN-US summit held in Bangkok yesterday. It was certainly an intentional rebuff to the US after sending a sub-par delegation to the…
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8 Vietnamese arrested – investigation into 39 container deaths in the UK
PHOTO: BBC.com Eight people are now in custody in Vietnam in connection with an ongoing investigation into the deaths of 39 migrants in the back of a refrigerated container truck in the UK on October 23. The New York Times reports that the arrests have been covered by Vietnamese state media, with senior police vowing to fight the people smugglers responsible…
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Chiang Mai Police forced into investigating hazing incident at University
Chiang Mai Police report that they are investigating a hazing attack on a junior student at Mae Jo University in Chiang Mai. Police were pressured into investigating after pictures of the victim went viral at the weekend. The University, also prompted to respond, are saying the incident did not occur on their campus. The student, “Nong Folk”, was allegedly attacked…
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15 countries poised to sign onto the world’s largest trade bloc
Whilst the US is consumed with polarised internal politics and building walls, and the UK economy withers under nearly four years of paralysing Brexit farrago, leaders from 15 Asia Pacific countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, are poised to sign onto the world most powerful trade bloc – RCEP. Yesterday, despite some concerns from the Indian…
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