News
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Sponsored The Melting Clock: A sophisticated spot for Italian cuisine and exquisite wine in Bangkok
It’s no secret that Bangkok has a lot of excellent Italian restaurants and wine bars, so standing out in the crowd is no small task. But The Melting Clock, the Italian restaurant and wine lounge in Ekkamai, has shown that...
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Phuket Day Two of ‘seven days of danger’
PHOTO: Newshawk Phuket As reports are tallied for the second full day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ (December 28) road and marine safety campaign, no deaths were reported for the second day but eight people were injured. According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office the island saw 8 road accidents on…
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Watch leather back sea turtle eggs on Phang Nga beach via cams
PHOTOS: DMCR Fences have been set up on Kuek Kak Beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga to prevent thieves and animals from disturbing turtle eggs that were laid there earlier last week. There are now six CCTVs monitoring the area. A mother leather back sea turtle laid 93 eggs at the beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga last week. The 89…
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Ice-cream promotion ‘For Thai Customers Only’ – Huh?!
PHOTO: Thai Visa An ice cream company outlet in the new Icon Siam mall on the banks of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok, has received backlash after a ‘locals’ promotion was misunderstood by staff resulting in a ‘50% off For Thai Customers only’ sign which sparked great criticism on social media. Stick House (specialising in Italian gelato on a stick) …
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More AirAsia flights into Krabi
Air Asia is increasing services to the Krabi in south Thailand to four daily flights starting January 9. Faced with declines in Chinese visitors to neighbouring Phuket island, mainland Krabi has also witnessed a decline in visits and advance bookings through to the end of January 2019. In addition to overnight stays at Krabi’s beach resorts, the province also relies…
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42 die, 400+ injured on Day One of road safety campaign
Forty-two people were killed and 432 injured in 420 road accidents on the very first of the New Year “seven dangerous days” period (December 27-January 2). Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat told a press conference at the Thai RSC that Chiang Mai and Ratchaburi reported the highest number of road accidents with 19 cases each, while Khon Kaen and…
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6.1-magnitude earthquake jolts West Papua
by Ivany Atina Arbi – The Jakarta Post A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has jolted West Papua this morning. The news comes from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. The earthquake struck at around 10am local time, with its epicentre located some 55 kilometres southeast of South Manokwari and predicted to be 26 km deep. “It did not trigger a tsunami,”…
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in is the Time Magazine Person of the Year
by Cod Satrusayang – Asia News Network In a few decades, when people look back on 2018, perhaps they will only remember one or two major headlines. In the field of diplomacy, they may remember the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. If this were to happen it would be one of the biggest injustices of selective history…
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Hundreds of diseased cats & dogs living in Bangkok animal shelter
PHOTOS: Watchdog Thailand Animal rights group Watchdog Thailand have shared photos of dismaying condition in Bangkok’s Prawet animal shelter. The images and video show diseased and distressed animals crammed into metal cages, with the few healthy ones living in small dens. Khaosod English is reporting that ‘Watchdogs Thailand’ say that around 400 cats and dogs have died in their two weeks…
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Thai AirAsia launches new direct flights out of Chiang Rai
AirAsia has confirmed it will launch direct international flights, from Chiang Rai to KL, Macau and Singapore at the end of January, 2019. Operated by AirAsia Thailand, the Chiang Rai-Kuala Lumpur direct service will operate four times weekly from January 31. At the same time Thai AirAsia will launch a direct service from Chiang Rai to Phuket competing head-on with…
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Thailand shopping for Russian helicopters
PHOTO: forceindia.net Thailand has shown interest in Russian helicopter brand Ansat and their Mi171A2 and Ka-32 models, the CEO of the holding company Helicopters of Russia, Andrei Boginsky, told Russian news agency TASS yesterday. “As far as Thailand is concerned, the helicopters Ansat and Mi-171A2 have aroused great interest. Thailand’s police are interested in purchasing Ansats. Also, there has been…
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NACC wearing backlash on social media over Prawit luxury watch case
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is finding itself in the hot seat after it cleared Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon of wrongdoing in the luxury watch scandal, ruling by a majority vote that he did not make a false asset declaration. The Bangkok Post reports that the NACC secretary-general Worawit Sookboon said the commission ruled 5:3 there were no grounds to accusations…
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Ex-Mitsubishi executives confess to bribing Thai port officials
PHOTO: Nikkei Asian Review Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems former executives, 63 year old Fuyuhiko Nishikida and 57 year old Yoshiki Tsuji, have confessed to bribing a Thai public servant to ensure smooth treatment of cargo through a southern port of Thailand. This follows the scandal surrounding the construction of a power plant in Thailand in 2013 and allegations made towards…
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Elon Musk asks court to throw out cave rescue diver’s lawsuit
Elon Musk is asking a California judge to throw out a lawsuit filed against him by a British diver who accused the tech entrepreneur of falsely calling him a paedophile. tvnz.co.nz is reporting that yesterday’s court filing argues that “the public knew from the outset that Musk’s insults were not intended to be statements of fact.” Musk called diver Vernon…
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Samut Prakan karaoke bar raided, under-age sex workers rounded up
FILE PHOTO Nine alleged sex workers, including two 16 year old and four 17 year olds, have been rounded up at a karaoke bar in Samut Prakan’s Bang Sao Thong district, south of Bangkok. Administrative officials raided the bar after an anti-human trafficking non-governmental organisation complained that the bar might have been providing underage prostitution services. Last night’s 8.30pm raid…
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Annual Red Cross Fair ‘Phuket Brand Phuket Best’ begins
PHOTOS: The Phuket PR Office The Phuket Annual Red Cross fair, under the name ‘Phuket Brand Phuket Best’ kicked off at Saphan Hin last night and runs until January 6. The fair was officially opened last night led by Phuket’s Governor Pakkapong Tawipat. The popular 11 day fair features hundreds of stalls selling local delicacies, knickknacks, clothing and a huge…
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UPDATE: Golf cart accident kills two Koreans in Phitsanulok
by Rob Picheta and Kocha Olarn Two men died after one of their golf carts rammed the other into a river on a course in northern Thailand. CNN reports that the men, who were visiting from South Korea, were golfing with their wives Tuesday in northern Thailand’s Phitsanulok province. While mounting a raft in order to cross the river that…
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No deaths in the first day of ‘seven days of danger’ in Phuket
FILE PHOTO As reports are tallied for the first full day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road and marine safety campaign, no deaths were reported but five people have been injured. According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office the island saw 5 road accidents on Day One of the campaign, resulting…
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Southern intelligence contradicts Deputy PM over Songkhla bomb motives
The deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, and national security chief, is linking the Wednesday night bomb attacks in Songkhla to local politics in the southern province. This contradicts intelligence units on the ground who suspect the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) were behind the blasts, in an attempt to disturb the southern business hub. The BRN are the main political organisation…
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Patong’s beach road closed for an hour for new year celebrations
The Patong beach road will officially close for an hour as Patong revelers celebrate New Year 2019 at the island’s most famous beach. Thaweewong Road (Beach Road) will close from 11.30pm-12.30am. The closure is meant to be a safety measure to stop the volume of tourists and new year revelers from being run over. But last new year the traffic was…
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NACC finds Prawit innocent in relation to luxury watches
“The controversy erupted late last year when Prawit showed up at a Cabinet meeting sporting a Richard Mille designer wristwatch said to be worth nearly 3 million baht.” The National Anti-Corruption Commission has ruled in favour of Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, saying he was not guilty of falsely reporting or concealing his assets. The national anti-graft commission’s secretary general Worawit…
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Deputy PM links last night’s Songkhla attack to local issues
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, and defence minister, has linked last night’s Songkhla bomb attacks to politics in the southern province. He says he is confident that the incidents had nothing to do with insurgency in the deep South, claiming that security authorities already knew who was behind the Samila Beach attack. “The aim was to cause chaos during the New…
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Seven arrested with 500 kilograms of kratom in Phuket
Officers have arrested seven suspects in possession of 500 kilograms of kratom. Police seized the kratom and made the arrests in Thalang today. Officers arrested three female and four male suspects – 34 year old Prapawadee Sangiem, 30 year old Kemmika Wongkla, 29 Wanidanut Manratoe, 27 year old Nirat Jaeka, 23 year old Tawatchai Chapharb, 23 year old Bakareeya Waehama…
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Blacklisted Egyptian arrested in Krabi, changed one letter in his passport name
An Egyptian man, who had already been blacklisted for 10 years, has now been arrested in Ao Nang, Krabi after entering the country by making a minor change to his name. Krabi Immigration Police Chief Col Supparueak Pankoson says, “27 year old Egyptian man Motazz Aly Mohammed Alyelnoby was arrested on Tuesday.” “We have found that Alyelnoby was suspected of…
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Thailand’s emerging ‘go to’ location for New Year
Tokyo, Paris, New York City… and Chiang Mai. Whilst the first three are perennial favorites to ring in the new year, Chiang Mai has overtaken Thailand’s capital as THE place to be to see in 2019, according to Agoda. Tokyo’s appeal continues with concerts, parades and light shows on offer. For Thais, Chiang Mai overtakes Bangkok’s crown for the top…
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Three bombs found on a Songkhla beach after blasts damage famous mermaid statue
A bomb squad has discovered three explosive devices at Samila Beach in Songkhla province, hours after two blasts damaged the landmark mermaid statue. The types of bombs are still unknown. The three explosives were found at the beach during a search after last night’s explosions. The landmark golden mermaid statue at Samila Beach was damaged by two explosions on Wednesday…
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Two whale sharks sighted off Kamala Beach
PHOTOS: ชารีพหัวควน VIDEO: Newshawk Phuket Two whale sharks have been spotted off Kamala Beach this week. A Facebook user ‘Niruj Kdtv Kamala’ has posted two photos on his personal facebook with a message reading, “Kamala fishermen have spotted two whale sharks which were swimming with the boat about three nautical miles off Kamala Beach.” Meanwhile, a large whale shark has…
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GoAir expands flights to Phuket with daily operations
Budget passenger carrier GoAir has announced that it is enhancing its operations to Phuket with the launch of daily directly flights from Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. According to the airline, it expanded the services effective December 22. “At the beginning GoAir started two direct flights per week to Phuket from Delhi, three direct flights per week to Phuket from…
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Religious ceremonies held at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao
Three religions ceremony were held yesterday at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao yesterday commemorating 14 years since the deadly tsunami that struck the island. About 100 people joined the ceremony conducted in the style of three religions – Buddhism, Islam and Christian. Flowers were placed at the wall by survivors and the families and friends of those that perished…
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Prawit’s luxury watch probe, delayed outcome by the NACC
Uncertainty over the fate of Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwan continued yesterday after the country’s anti-graft watchdog failed to deliver its report on the probe into Prawit’s collection of luxury wristwatches. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was scheduled to discuss the case and make a decision on the matter yesterday but postponed its meeting yet again, because a commissioner had…
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Tsunami survivors gather for the 14th anniversary of the Boxing Day tragedy
Services remembering the tsunami victims were held in six southern coastal provinces of Thailand, because they all shared in this tragedy. On the 14th anniversary of Thailand’s only recorded tsunami, relatives of those killed by the waves gathered yesterday to remember their loved ones. “I lost 11 family members in that tsunami and I could not locate all their bodies,”…
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