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5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Police hunt suspect for stabbing ex-girlfriend at work
Police in Chonburi province are hunting a suspect over the stabbing his ex-girlfriend whilst she was at work. Authorities in the Bowin district of Sri Racha, just north of Pattaya, were notified of the incident at about noon on Friday. The incident happened at at a factory in Hemmarat. 21 year old Sasiwimon Mutaphon survived the attack but was seriously injured…
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“This is just the beginning” – Thanathorn warns the government
PHOTOS: Thousands gathered in the first large anti-government rally in over five years – Khaosod English He tried to do it legitimately by running for office in the March election. His party performed above expectations, garnering the third highest number of votes after less than 12 months of existence. And Thanathorn was just votes away from being elected Thailand’s Prime Minister.…
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Baby dumped on the steps of a bank in Rawai, Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket Newshawk/Phuket Hotnews On December 13, at about 4pm, Chalong police received a report about a baby found abandoned in front of Siam Commercial Bank, in Rawai. At the scene, police found a baby boy with fair skin and appeared like a mix caucasian/Asian. The infant was crying but the witnesses who called police were trying to hold, comfort…
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Video of couple having sex in Bangkok tuk-tuk goes viral – VIDEO
Social media users in Thailand have had plenty to say about a video that appears to show a couple having sex in the back of a tuk-tuk speeding through Bangkok. Some would say using this particular mode of Bangkok transport is exhilarating enough without adding anything else into the mix, but the Chiang Rai Times reports that one couple decided…
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Chonburi police arrest nine Chinese nationals for alleged amulet scam
Police have arrested nine Chinese nationals in an investigation into alleged amulet fraud in Chonburi, eastern Thailand. The Nation reports that the accused were running a shop at a Chonburi temple, where they sold fake amulets and Buddha images for prices that ranged from 1,000 baht to over 10,000 baht. They are accused of working with tour agents to target…
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Phuket’s economy is entering a period of recession – PSU report
PHOTO: kapumail Phuket’s Prince of Songkla University Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism has completed a lengthy report about the health of the island’s tourism, saying that tourism and Phuket’s economy are in poor condition. Part of the report says that, despite a 4% rise in visitor numbers in 2019, revenue from tourism is falling. “The economy of Phuket is entering…
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Social media meltdown over tuk-tuk sex trip in Bangkok
PHOTO: Facebook/Khun-Khachen Thai netizens are in a frenzy over two posted video clips showing a woman sitting on a male passenger’s lap and, it appears, enjoying sex with him in a the back of the tuk-tuk on a Bangkok street early in the morning. The videos have since been taken down (just to save you the effort). There are two…
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Public hearings on Pattaya Tram Project start Monday
Whilst Phuket’s tram project has been shelved temporary, the much-discussed Pattaya tram project starts public hearings on Monday when the city hosts its first public sessions on the feasibility study. First proposed in 2016, the tram would make a circle around Beach Road and Second Road and then into Jomtien Beach. Finally however, with more funding now allocated and a…
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Thanathorn invites supporters to a rally in Bangkok at 5pm
PHOTO: time.com The Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is inviting his supporters to join him at a rally today. In a live video broadcast via his Facebook page, he invited people to a gathering at 5pm this afternoon at the Pathumwan intersection skywalk on Rama I Road. Stripped of his MP title he is now aiming to rally the voice…
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Apple’s Tim Cook drops into Bangkok during Asia tour
PHOTO: Apple’s Tim Cook Visits Bangkok to meet with photographers, Students and WWDC (Apple Web Developers) scholarship winners Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was in and around Bangkok yesterday. Apple’s boss has been documenting the journey on his Twitter account. Tim kicked things off with a visit to the Wat Arun Buddhist temple on the Thonburi west bank of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya…
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Thai Immigration Chief softens stance on tourist and expat visas
#shutdoorafterhorsehasbolted The head of Thai Immigration has told his department not to be too strict on tourists and scare them away from returning to Thailand. According to PattayaOne, the Chief has asked for his staff to “show some humanity”. Lt-Gen Sompong – also known as Big Oud, after his predecessor was nicknamed Big Joke – was doing a presentation during a…
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Tourist numbers down 40% compared to last year, and last year was bad – Pattaya
PHOTO: pinterest.com “Tourists are down 40% for Pattaya’s high season.” This from the Pattaya Entertainment and Tourism Industrial Association when speaking to Sophon Cable TV today. And last year wasn’t good either. Damrongkiet Pinitkarn, secretary of the association says that this high season before the New Year, the number of tourists at night clubs and bars has significantly decreased compared…
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Forecasts are in negative territory for south east and wider Asia
PHOTO: asiahouse.org The Asian Development Bank has trimmed its forecasts for economic growth in developing Asia this year and next as growth in the People’s Republic of China and India are weighed down by both external and domestic factors. Closer to home, south east Asia’s growth projections have also been revised down slightly to 4.4% for 2019. Economic woes of…
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Foreigners and Thais conned out of 45 million baht in Pattaya property scam
Police in Pattaya are hunting for a 49 year old real estate agent, Jidapha Sirikhong, who is alleged to have scammed both Thai and foreigner residents in a 45 million baht property scam. The Pattaya News reports that Jidapha is the owner of Som Property, with an office in an unnamed condominium building near Jomtien beach, where she took deposits for…
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Shoppers flee smoke-filled mall after overloaded power strip catches fire in central Thailand
PHOTO: sanook.com Customers in a shopping mall in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok, raced for the exits as smoke coming from a toy store began to fill the building. The incident, which happened in the Bang Phli district, home to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, is believed to have been sparked by a poor-quality power strip that appears to have shorted and…
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Thailand’s health chief issues hydrogen balloon warning
PHOTO: City Pass Guide The chief of the Department of Health says people must exercise caution around hydrogen balloons, warning that they can be dangerous, even fatal. The warning comes from Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn after a balloon exploded in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, earlier this month. “Explosion of balloons are reported frequently, since most of balloons contain hydrogen, which is inflammable,…
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Three year old daughter of migrant workers killed at construction site
PHOTO: The Nation A three year old Cambodian girl has died after being crushed by a truck at the construction site where her parents were working. The Nation reports that the incident took place yesterday, at a construction site in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok. It’s understood the nature of the parents’ work patterns meant they were unable to…
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Pattaya officials warn residents about outbreak of Chikungunya virus
Health officials in the Bang Lamung area of Pattaya say that many cases of the Chikungunya virus have been reported this year. Most commonly, the infected mosquitoes involved are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, two species which can also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue. From January to the end of October there were 90 cases in Bang Lamung. The virus,…
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Aung San Suu Kyi shows contempt for case against Myanmar army in international court
PHOTO: LA Times Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has shown contempt for UN judges investigating the genocide case relating to the Myanmar army’s attacks on the Rohingya in 2017. In her speeches she defended the generals she once defied, for their genocide against the muslim minority living in the Rhakine state, west of the country. Her supporters gathered…
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So you want to move to Vietnam?
“Whilst Thailand is often nicknamed the ‘land of a thousand 7-elevens’, with a convenience store on just about every corner, there are very few of these in Vietnam, for now.” With the Thai Baht on a high at the moment, along with stricter enforcement of visa rules, some expats say they’ve had enough and are heading to Vietnam, or some…
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Thai economy not desperate, just a bit slow – Finance Minister
PHOTO: The Nation Thailand’s Finance Minister says the economy is not in a critical situation, it’s just on a bit of a “go-slow” right now. Uttama Savanayana adds that he’s hopeful the situation will improve next year with the go-ahead on a number of large national infrastructure projects. Thai PBS World reports that the minister references the Government’s stimulus efforts…
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Foreign and Thai business partners cleared of human trafficking charges in Bangkok
PHOTO: Daily News “At the appeal hearing yesterday, the defendants had their convictions quashed after the court doubted testimony from one of the victims.” A foreign man employed as a nightclub manager in Bangkok’s notorious party zone at Nana has been acquitted of charges of human trafficking and acquiring women for prostitution. ThaiVisa reports that Michael Pearl, a 47 year old…
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Chiang Mai mountains introduce two new camping facilities
PHOTOS: asia.one.com Two new camping grounds are now open and ready to receive visitors in the mountains around Chiang Mai. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says the Sui Tang and Doi Lang camping grounds are now open and ready for customers. The Nation reports that Sui Tang is located in the district of Chai Prakan, at…
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Mother cat and 4 kittens poisoned at Sai Kaew Beach, Phuket
On December 11, a report was made following a post from the Facebook page ‘Rain Forest’ about 5 cats that were dumped and poisoned at Sai Kaew Beach, at the far north end of Mai Khao Beach in Phuket. The post shows pictures of a cat and her four kittens that had been poisoned with water and food, probably laced…
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Government plans to lure Chinese tourists back by easing visa procedures
PHOTO: India Post “The scheme is due to run from New Year until Chinese New Year on January 25, into early February.” The Thai Sports and Tourism Minister says the government is planning a range of stimulus measures to increase Chinese visitor numbers and boost Thailand’s currently sluggish tourism sector. Though there hasn’t been any radical drop in numbers, the…
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Search still on for missing Phuket kayakers
The search for a Polish tourist and his Thai female off Phuket continues after five days by police, volunteers and the navy. Rescuers are still focusing around the coastlines after scouring the Andaman Sea up to 20 nautical miles offshore earlier in the week. They admit they now have grave fears for the safety of the pair. 27 year old…
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Will the Constitutional Court dissolve Future Forward Party?
“The party’s 80 elected MPs would be then be free to join other parties.” The Election Commission is poised to approach the Constitutional Court to disband the Future Forward Party, saying party executives accepted donations from an illegitimate source. It’s the latest move to officially discredit the party that made surprise inroads in its first outing at last March’s election.…
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Teacher arrested for death of twins who stole his limes in Phattalung
PHOTO: Assawin Pakkawan A 55 year old teacher has been arrested for the murder of twin brothers who, according to the police report, stole limes (lemons) from his farm in Phatthalung Province, southern Thailand. Police announced the arrest of Madyusup Chaisukkho, an English teacher at a public school in Pak Phayun district, for the deaths of 31 year old Manop Khongchan…
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Canadian senior seriously injured after fall in Pattaya
PHOTO: View over Pattaya from the Pratunmak Hill area A Canadian museum owner has been injured after a fall in the upscale Pratumnak Hill area in Pattaya. Rescue workers were notified of the incident at 4pm yesterday (Tuesday) and rushed to the scene to find the 86 year old man with a broken leg. He was rushed to hospital. According to…
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Bangkok less popular, Taipei heads the list – World’s favourite city for expats
PHOTO: This year’s #1 city for expats – Taipei, Taiwan – Time Out Bangkok has dropped from #5 (in 2018) to #20 this year in the annual Expat City Ranking – a big drop from its former position as a darling of the world expat community. But Asian cities continue to dominate the annual global Top 5 in the Expat City…
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