News
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Two killed, granddaughter wounded, in southern Thailand drive-by shooting
SCREENCAPTURE: Channel 8 A couple have been shot and killed, and their granddaughter wounded, during a drive-by shooting in the southern province of Yala. Thai media report that the couple were the parents of a local police sergeant, Surakarn Khunkaew. The attack took place in Mae Lan district of Pattani on Friday. Police found the bodies of Anukul Khunkaew and…
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Bank clerk sacked for allegedly stealing millions, bank reimburses customer
A 34 year old Bangkok Bank clerk has been sacked amid claims she stole millions of baht from a wealthy customer. The woman denies the charge and says she plans to fight the matter in court. Earlier in the week Hia Maa, the owner of a well known restaurant in Samut Prakan province, south east of Bangkok, went to the police…
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French tourist dies taking selfie in Koh Samui – VIDEO
A French tourist has died attempting a selfie, in the exact spot where a Spanish tourist died just months ago. Read that story HERE. Thirty three year old Bastien Parmier plunged to his death while trying to take a selfie at the Na Mueang 2 waterfall in Koh Samui. It was the same spot where Spaniard David Conesa died in…
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American arrested for sexually assaulting Chiang Mai school girls
FILE PHOTO Chiang Mai police confirm they have arrested a 75 year old American pensioner who allegedly groped and sexually assaulted a Thai girl on her way home from school. The man was already wanted on a warrant issued from September after an incident outside a school in August. The warrant was for the “forceful molestation of a child under…
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Police raid Sukhumvit ‘hookah’ establishment, seize barakus
PHOTOS: Attending police pointing to one of the seized ‘hookahs’, just in case you were confused – The Nation Police have raided a Sukhumvit Road pub in Bangkok and seized a huge number of hookahs (smoking apparatus). The raid of the entertainment venue was carried out in collaboration with the special investigation team from the Thonglor Police Station. The results of…
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Police confirm death of American ex-fugitive Bart Helmus
Police have confirmed that the former American fugitive, Bart Allen Helmus, who broke out of court and shot himself when confronted by police, died on Thursday evening at 6 pm after falling into a coma at Sa Kaew Hospital. He was taken off life support on Thursday after doctors revealed that he had been ‘braindead’ since admission a week before.…
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Sexually transmitted dengue case reported in Spain
A senior Thai medical official is passing on information that it is possible to contract dengue fever through sexual contact after Spanish authorities reported a 41 year old patient was found to have contracted the disease from his homosexual partner. Deputy governor of the Department of Disease Control says that it was possible for dengue to be contracted through sexual…
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Two Thai restaurants grab their second Michelin star – new guide 2019
Traditional Thai restaurants ‘R-Haan’ and southern-style ‘Sorn’ have each scored two Michelin Stars for 2020, while ‘Le Normandie’, ‘Mezzaluna’, and ‘Sühring’ held onto their two stars. Another 24 restaurants in Thailand received their first Michelin gongs. The awards were announced at the launch of the 2020 Michelin Guide for Thailand, featuring award winning restaurants in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and…
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Chonburi man high on drugs stabs friend to death with a sword
A man has been arrested in Chonburi province for allegedly stabbing his friend to death while drunk and high on drugs. The Pattaya News reports that the 21 year old man, named as Paitoon Kaewsanot, was hallucinating at the time of his arrest and so intoxicated he could hardly talk, and was unable to cooperate with police. He eventually claimed…
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Deputy PM claims US tech giants eager to invest in Thailand
The Deputy Thai PM and government ‘Finance Tzar’ Somkid Jatusripitak claims that Amazon and an unnamed American digital company are both keen to invest in the Kingdom. Somkid says both organisations have enquired about meeting the relevant ministers and have been advised to hold talks with the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The Deputy PM…
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Bank of Thailand scammers arrested
“If it appears too good to be true, it probably is.” Ten individuals are now in custody, after being arrested, accused of scamming investors by claiming to be from the Bank of Thailand and persuading them to invest in a fake foreign currency transfer business. The Nation reports that victims were each invited to invest 1,000 baht in the business…
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“Does Thailand plan to continue swinging between military coups and civilian rule?” Thanathorn
PHOTO: asia.nikkei.com “It is about time we make some noise and guide our society out of this cycle.” Appearing at the Thai Constitutional Court, in defence of his media shareholding case, Future Forward’s party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit used his written closing statement to ask judges if they were happy for Thailand to continue swinging back and forth between civilian rule…
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Prostitution, the CIA, David Bowie and Patpong – Undercover in Bangkok infamous red light district
PHOTO: patpongmuseum.com Let’s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start. Where did Bangkok’s Patpong get its name? It actually goes back to a Chinese immigrant named Luang Patpongpanich. He purchased the land when it was just a banana plantation (I can hear the Benny Hill theme already). During World War II, so the story goes, Patpongpanich’s son and…
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Now paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos are banned, what do farmers use?
PHOTO: sugar-asia.com In just two weeks the ban on paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos kicks in – a total ban on the three controversial agri-chemicals. Now officials are ramping up efforts to find effective alternatives for the popular agricultural herbicides and pesticides, especially the two herbicides (maybe this would have been a good idea before they imposed the ban?). Thai PBS…
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Facebook hackers steal 34 million baht in online scam
PHOTO: INN News “…never set your password with your phone number or personal information that is easy to hack.” Thais Wuttiwat Chuenmanoh and Chawan Kornraknugpai have now been arrested after many victims filed complaints that the pair had been stealing their identities. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Puttaphong Punnagun, and Police Colonel Ek Siriwat from the Technology Crime Suppression…
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Thai PM will sit down with rebel members of coalition
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is again being forced to sit for chats with leaders of the 20 coalition parties to patch up differences ahead of a no-confidence debate being brought against the fragile government. The no-confidence debate is likely to happen early next month. Given the close numbers between the multi-party government and the opposition, a full quorum for the…
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85 year old Swiss man drowns off Mai Khao Beach, Phuket
An elderly Swiss man drowned yesterday at a beach in Thalang district of Phuket on Thursday afternoon. Paul Brunner, who would have turned 86 next month, was found dead at Mai Khao beach in the northern section of the island around 5.30pm, according to Tha Chatchai police. Police report that he was wearing black swimming shorts. His body was discovered…
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American fugitive, Bart Helmus, taken off life support in Sa Kaew hospital
PHOTO: Bart Helmus and his Thai wife during an earlier police questioning session in Pattaya 39 year old American Bart Allen Helmus has finally been taken off life support at the Sa Kaeo hospital at 6pm last night. He had been reported to be ‘braindead’ by police sources since his admission to hospital a week ago. After having been declared…
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Man arrested over armed robberies in Bang Lamung
PHOTO: Re-enactment of the alleged crimes held yesterday – The Pattaya News A suspect is now in custody following a series of armed robberies in the Bang Lamung area. Bang Lamung police arrested 33 year old Weerayut ‘Aun’Keandee earlier this week. According to the police report, on November 7 the suspect robbed local residents in Soi Plaifan in Nong Plalai. The…
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5 million baht vanishes from Samut Prakan bank account
PHOTO: Sanook A well-known restauranteur in Samut Prakan, south east of Bangkok, 61 year old Ekkaphat, has filed a report with the Samut Prakan Police over a missing 5 million baht from his bank account. Ekkaphat told police that he had previously deposited 5 million baht into a bank in the Bangpoo Industrial Estate. He went to update his bankbook…
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Police net haul of crystal meth and yaba valued at 360 million baht
PHOTOS: INN News Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Division of the Royal Thai police have carried out three separate busts across the country, confiscating over a tonne of crystal methamphetamine and 40,000 yaba pills. They say the haul is valued at 360 million baht. Thai Residents reports that the first arrests took place in Phichit province, central Thailand, where a…
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Future Forward calls for an end to compulsory military conscription
PHOTO: Thai Army Conscriptees are selected with a lottery system – Al Jazeera Pongsakorn Rodchomphu and several other members of the opposition Future Forward Party have submitted a formal draft revision to the Conscription Act that would make military conscription voluntary, except in emergency situations. The Nation reports that the proposal was put forward to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai yesterday.…
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Two Thai companies caught producing banned agri-chemicals
PHOTO: INN News The Department of Special Investigations has discovered two companies producing toxic chemicals, including the recently banned Paraquat and Glyphosate agri-chemicals. Thai Residents reports that production was taking place across five different sites, with the companies mixing the banned substances with organic fertilisers without informing customers. The result was products that were not registered or approved by any…
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Bangkok’s office rental hot spots
PHOTO: brandinside.asia And the winner is…? A survey carried out by Colliers International (Thailand), a global commercial real estate organisation, reveals that the highest office rent in Bangkok is at Gaysorn Tower on Ratchaprasong Road. The Nation reports that premium office space in the building is leased for 1,600 baht per square metre per month. Coming in at slightly less are spaces…
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The curious tale of the second-hand BMW – Future Forward MP winds back the clock on events
PHOTO: For sale. One slightly used BMW Series 7 – SiamRath It won’t be the first time a dodgy second-hand car dealer has wound back the clock on a car. But this deal involved a sitting Future Forward MP as well, who is now trying to ‘wind back the clock’ on the series of events. A Swedish businessman has filed…
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Still clearing the krathongs – post Loy Krathong
PHOTO: Krathongs being cleared out of a lake at Saphan Hin in Phuket – Newshawk Phuket The clean up is still underway in many parts of Thailand following Monday’s Loy Krathong. ‘Favourite’ waterways are still being cleared of the pre-loved Krathong floats. The good news, authorities say there was a lot more natural products used in this years’ krathongs following…
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Russian nabbed for 7 year overstay in Samui
PHOTO: Matichon Online A Russian man has been arrested for overstaying his visa by 2,861 days, 7 years and 9 months. The man was arrested on Koh Samui. In a completely serendipitous inspection, immigration and tourist police were doing spot inspections on the island hen they were checking a man on Soi 3, off Maenam Road, in the north of…
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MP removed after murder conviction
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that convicted murderer Nawat Tohcharoensuk is no longer a member of Parliament, effective as of October 16. Nawat was found guilty in Khon Kaen in September of arranging the murder of a local official six years ago. He was sentenced to death and ordered to pay 300,000 baht for the victim’s funeral. His request for…
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Anti-corruption commission says government officials guilty of taking bribes in power plant agreement
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is accusing the Thai government of accepting bribes from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, the Japanese company awarded the contract to build a power plant in the southern Thai city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. NACC secretary-general, Worawit Sukboon, alleges that four government officials accepted a 20 million baht bribe from the Japanese firm in exchange for…
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School funding challenge for bilingual curriculum
The secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), Amnat Wichayanuwat, says plans to introduce a bilingual school curriculum at all grade levels have thrown up an obstacle for meeting funding requirements. The bilingual curriculum plans were announced by the Education Minister last week in an effort to improve English proficiency among the Thai population. It’s hoped to…
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