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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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The price of opposition in Thailand
“They create an atmosphere of fear by attacking us, even in broad daylight in the streets.” Sirawith Seritiwat, aka. ‘Ja New’, is not new to politically motivated violence. As the metal bars beat him again and again in broad daylight in a Bangkok street last month, he wondered if this time the attackers were going to kill him. Suddenly others…
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Economists predict Thai exports could fall 3.1% this year
Economists are forecasting that Thailand’s exports will drop by up to 3.1% for 2019 after June figures fell when compared to the same period last year. After the Commerce Ministry reported a 2.1% fall in June, the SCB Economic Intelligence Centre projected the country’s exports will drop this year by between 1.6-3.1%. “Although the US-China trade meeting after the G20…
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Airbnb welcomes new Thai Tourism Minister support of ‘short term’ accommodation
Airbnb welcomes the new Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan’s and his commitment to grow tourism and support short-term accommodation in Thailand. Speaking to local media on his first day in office, Minister Ratchakitprakan identified short-term accommodation reform and growing tourism in secondary cities as a priority area for the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy for…
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Hua Hin Hospital sued for overcharging foreigners
PHOTO: Kapook, Channel 3 A Dutch man is suing the Hua Hin Hospital for overcharging foreigners and tourists. In a novel suit, the litigant says Thai citizen are charged 50 baht for an appointment with the doctor, but foreigners are being charged 300 baht. 50 year old Erwin Robert Bucher claims this is a form of “corruption”. Channel 3 ran…
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Dongtan Beach speed bumps deter after hours racing in Jomtien
Jomtien Beach now has new speed bumps and lines painted on the roads to help deter motorbikes and cars speeding down the road along the beach late at night. The local Pattaya council has now installed speed bumps in Dongtan Beach in Jomtien to discouraging the speeding. While vehicles are currently prohibited from 10am – 5pm daily, cars and motorbikes have…
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North-central Thailand’s Yom River in Phichit runs low
Stories keep emerging about river systems, the lifeblood of agriculture in northern and north-eastern Thailand, drying out or dropping dramatically in level. A section of the Yom River that runs through the Sam Ngam in district in Pichit, north-central Thailand, has almost run dry following months without rain. The river was already reported as unseasonally low during April this year.…
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TMB – strong baht hits foreign investment funds
TMB Bank are reporting that the strong baht has cut the value of the foreign investment fund under fund management, falling by 27 billion baht from 1.2 trillion baht at the start of the year. TMB said the drop reduced the fund’s return by 0.47%. The least impacted funds are those covering oil investment, gold, and property funds, at 0.53%,…
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Repair budget for decaying bridge on Koh Larn postponed to next year
Plans to fix up the Koh Larn Tien Beach bridge have been put back to next year. In recent months news stories have reported that the bridge is in urgent need of repair. Locals are claiming the structure is “close to collapse”. The bridge and walkway link Tawaen Beach and Tonglang Beach. Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor says that a 4.5 million…
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Cambodian authorities crackdown on registration of foreigners
Cambodian authorities are cracking down on foreign residents staying in the Kingdom. Sar Kheng, the Cambodian Interior Minister, says all accommodation owners must now report foreigners who stay in their residences, citing a strengthening of immigration law enforcement. The Interior Ministry says that most residential and accommodation owners have respected the 2010 law but some residence owners still did not understand…
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Spanish tourist remains missing in Koh Samui mountain trek
PHOTO: Thai PBS A Spanish tourist remains missing after being lost on Na Muang Mountain 2 on Koh Samui. Police and rescue workers spent over three hours searching for 57 year old Louise Cavelo Ortega yesterday afternoon but the search was suspended as night fell. Heavy rain and the dark made it almost impossible for police to proceed. The search resumed this…
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X2 Vibe brand adds third hotel in Phuket
PHOTO: Existing X2 Vibe Patong hotel Cross Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with PT Three Land for its third Phuket property, the X2 Vibe Phuket Patong Centre. Poised to open middle of 2021, it is a 50 minute drive from Phuket International Airport and a 10 minute walk to Patong Beach and the bustling Bangla Road walking street.…
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Government unveils 12 policies – BKK street food return and a higher minimum wage
One of the new parliament’s first debates, when it sits on July 25 and 26, is over a formal policy listing 12 living standard priorities. The list laid out in a briefing paper lists surprisingly progressive policies for the new coalition. The government says it wants to reduce obstacles blocking people from earning a decent living and would utilise digital…
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Co-working spaces in Bangkok are re-shaping small to medium business office options
PHOTO: The Great Room Co-working spaces are opening up around Bangkok and providing a more flexible framework for businesses to grow. Advances in technology, a more mobile workforce, and unpredictable economic growth are reshaping the business environment. In the Bangkok office market, a traditional three-year lease with options to renew and the tenant fitting out the space remains the typical way…
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Mekong River drops to lowest level in a century around Thai, Lao, Myanmar border
Water levels in the Mekong River are now at the lowest point in a century as of July 19, lower than a record set in April 1973. South East Asia’s Stimson Centre claims that, based on recent satellite images, the drastic lowering of the water level in the river has exposed many islets and sandbars adding. The Centre’s report refers…
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Pattaya man in custody for killing horses and selling horse meat
A man being held by police for questioning after being accused of killing horses and selling their meat in Chon Buri province, east of Bangkok. Chon Buri police arrested 33 year old Nirun Kamlon at his house in Banglamung district near Pattaya yesterday on the orders of the provincial governor. Watchdog Thailand Foundation lodged a complaint with the governor that…
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Missing Filipino’s body found in Phuket, identified by family
PHOTO: AsiaOne A body, found washed up on Freedom beach in Phuket on Friday, has now been identified by family to be one of the two missing Filipinos. The family of Noah Ibay arrived at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to identify the body and meet the Phuket Governor, Pakkapong Tawipat. Mr. Val Simon Roque from The Philippines’ Embassy in Bangkok also…
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Thai PM has “grave concerns”, orders army to be on standby over drought in north
PHOTO: Thai army water trucks are on standby to help northern farmers Acknowledging the severity of the potential crisis looking over northern and north-eastern provinces, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is instructing the armed forces to provide help to areas affected by drought, a situation which may be made worse by the test run of the new Xayaburi dam on the Laos…
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“That’s one small step for man” – Armstrong steps on the moon 50 years ago
Where were you when Neil Armstrong fist stepped on the moon? The momentous, and enormously complex project, proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, came to fruition on July 21, 1969 when Neil Armstrong, then Buzz Aldrin, stepped onto the lunar surface. It was an expensive endeavour with five other missions to follow that would also walk men on…
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One small step for man – 50 years ago today
On this day, a mere 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the powdery surface of the moon. It was the first time humans had stepped anywhere other than the ‘pale blue dot’ of Earth. Everyone alive at the time can recall ‘where they were’ at this historic moment. It was a triumph of American ambition and engineering. Some 300,000…
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Ministers visit Thai southern provinces for economic brainstorming session
PHOTO: Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, centre, arrives for a meeting in Yala yesterday – The Nation The new Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit (and leader of the Democrats), along with the Deputy Transport Minister Thavorn Senniam and Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee, held a multi-party discussion yesterday at the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre in Yala province. The meeting aimed…
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“Worst drought in living memory”, Thai farmers in the north
Parts of Thailand are facing their worst drought in 50 years. Farmers in some parts of the north and north east say that the situation is the “worst in living memory”, as reported in Sanook. Meanwhile, The Meteorological Department says Thailand will experience the worst drought in at least a decade, with average precipitation across large regions of the country falling…
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Phuket’s water shortage solution – pump it from the mainland
For the Thai island surrounded by water, Phuket now faces acute water shortage problems and local officials are scurrying for solutions. This week a 3.5 billion baht plan was announced to pipe potable water across the channel from Phang Nga to Phuket as a remedy for the looming water crisis on the island. At this stage there’s no approval for…
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Egyptian tourist stabbed in the neck at a roti street store in Phuket
PHOTO: Daily News A roti roadside vendor has been arrested after attacking a tourist by stabbing a man in the neck outside a Family Mart store. 30 year old Mahmoud Abbas is now recovering in hospital following surgery. He was admitted with a 7 centimetre gash on his neck. According to reports in Daily News, the roti seller stabbed the…
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Constitutional Court accepts petition over Prayut’s fitness to be PM
The Constitutional Court yesterday accepted a petition from opposition MPs questioning PM Prayut’s “qualifications” to hold the post of Thai prime minister. The Court announced its decision on its website, commenting that the petition had been signed by a total of 110 MPs from various opposition parties but declaring that Prayut was free to continue carrying out his duties as…
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15 baht flat fares for BTS Skytrain – Transport Minister
The government’s new Transport Minister, Saksayam Chidchob, has reiterated its intention to reign in the costs of the city’s Green Line trains, the BTS Skytrain, around Bangkok. They’re even mooting a capped flat fee of 15 baht per ride. The policy was proposed by the Democrats during the election campaign and accepted as party platform for the new coalition in…
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Zambian arrested on overstay and animal cruelty charges in Samut Prakhan
PHOTO: khaosod.co.th Thai immigration police have arrested a Zambian man for an alleged overstay and committing acts of cruelty following a Facebook post that sought help for the dog. The Nation reports that 27 year old Wachisa Sikwese has been arrested by Immigration police. They reported that Sikwese was arrested shortly after Watchdog Thailand spotted a Facebook post that sought help…
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Wild animals and wild flowers – tulip season at the Khon Kaen Zoo
PHOTO: Khon Kaen Zoo Blooming fields of colourful Siam tulips are now competing fort attention with white lions, tigers, orangutan, camels, white rhinoceros and exotic animals at the Khon Kaen Zoo. Th zoo, in Khao Suan Kwang district, has a new seasonal attraction to its collection of wild animals. The combination of wildlife and wild flowers makes for an unbeatable…
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Allegedly drunk motorcyclist hits 14 year old on a bicycle – VIDEO
Police are looking for a motorcyclist who was caught on surveillance camera in Bang Pakong, a district in southern Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok, driving the wrong way – ghost riding – down a street and hitting a 14 year old boy on his bike. The teenager was just waiting on the side of the road with the bicycle’s wheels sitting…
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Bangkok’s Blue Line from Hua Lampong to Bang Kae launched for 3 month trial
Bangkok Expressway has started a 3 month trial run of the extension of the Blue Line train service from Hua Lampong station to Bang Kae station. Thai PBS report the the Blue Line, between Taopoon terminal and Bang Kae, is expected to be officially launched at the end of this month. Another extension of the same line from Taopoon to…
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Phang Nga Governor puts region on alert for flash flooding
Phang Nga’s governor Siripat Pattakul has ordered all government agencies in the southern province to be on alert after surface run-off from a mountain flooded a village in Takua Pa district early this morning. Following hours of heavy rains, the run-off from Khao Lak-Ram Ru mountain flooded Moo 3 village in Tambon Khuek Khak at 3 am. The floodwaters, about 50…
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