News
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Weather for January 14
Bangkok Partly cloudy. High 34C. Winds light and variable. Chiang Mai Partly cloudy. High 32C. Winds light and variable. Phuket Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 km/h. Chance of rain 50%. Udon Thani Partly cloudy. High 33C. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 km/h. Songkhla Mostly sunny. High near…
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Explore the best of Patong from Patong Bay Hill Resort, Phuket
Patong Beach is the most popular beach destination in Phuket. Known the world over, the neighbourhood is the beating heart of the island’s vibrant nightlife scene and also offers up a variety of dining options and unique places for shopping. This bustling neighbourhood is also home to the classy Patong Bay Hill Resort. Perched high above the beach in the…
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Three reasons Thailand is winning on same-sex rights *Thaiger Bites
Success for the gay rights cause in Thailand lies in, as the old Chinese formula goes, the “right time, the right place, the right people” Last month, the Thai government supported a bill that would make Thailand the first Asian jurisdiction to allow same-sex civil partnerships. It is significant progress in the battle for sexual equality in Asia, in contrast…
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Omura whale found dead on Chumphon beach
PHOTO: DMCR A young Omura whale has been discovered dead along the Chumpon coastline. Experts believe it died as a result of an infection. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resource (DMCR) was notified about the whale that was found dead near shores Sawee, Chumphon last week. The DMCR is reporting that the female Omura whale was nearly 5 metres…
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Bangkok in the Top 10 cities in the world with the worst air pollution
Bangkok is placed Number 9 in the world’s top 10 cities with the worst air quality, Greenpeace Thailand was quoting the US air quality index measuring pollution floating around in the air we breathe. The Thai capital is not in good company. Thai PBS reports that, on top of the list, is New Delhi with 309 on US AQI, Dhaka in…
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Burmese journalists lose appeal, and the article that put them there
PHOTO: Washington Post A Myanmar court has rejected the appeal of two Reuters reporters sentenced to seven years in jail on charges of breaking the Official Secrets Act, saying the defence had not provided sufficient evidence to show they were innocent. 32 year old Wa Lone and 28 year old Kyaw Soe Oo were convicted by a lower court in…
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Policeman murdered in brazen Pattani ‘drive by’
A policeman is dead after being shot outside his precinct station in Pattani’s Khok Pho district yesterday. Security officials believe it might be in possible retaliation for the deaths of two suspected insurgents the day before. The incident caps off a violent week in the deep south provinces. 32 year old Pol Corporal Chalermpol Khomkham was manning the sentry box…
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Thai Tourism chases the pink dollar as one of its “new shades”
by Phatarawadee Phataranawik and The ThaigerWhile Thailand is waiting for a Life Partnership Bill to become law, and maybe a move towards full same-sex marriage down the track, advocates say they are encouraged by the country’s efforts in attracting LGBT tourists. The recent approval of the Life Partnership Bill by the Thai cabinet was a significant step – the first such move…
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Army chief claims election delay critics are “bent on creating trouble”
In a country where the Army has played such a prominent part in the politics of Thailand for so long, we shouldn’t be surprised by commentary today from the Thai Army Commander-in-Chief. General Apirat Kongsompong says that those campaigning against the election delay have a “one-track mind and bent on creating troubles”. “They are being told to think this way,…
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Bangkok’s air-pollution alarming, rain-making being considered
PHOTO: An eerie start to Sunday in Bangkok – The Nation Bangkok’s air pollution has reached dangerous levels for multiple days in the past few weeks. Today, air pollution in the greater Bangkok area was again threatening residents’ health. The amount of PM2.5 – airborne dust particles 2.5 microns in diameter or less – exceeded the safe level of 50…
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BOI approves new rail services, new port investment
PHOTO: Duangjai Asawachintachit, BOI secretary general The Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) has laid out strategies to boost the development of rail services and the country’s cruise tourism. Duangjai Asawachintachit, BOI secretary general, says the latest BOI meeting chaired by the Prime Minister had resolved to instigate measures to attract investment in rail development and related infrastructure for continued…
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Chinese foreign policy – On track
by Nikkei Asia Review “When Japanese trading house Itochu and train maker Hitachi withdrew from a soon-to-be-decided $7 billion tender for a high-speed rail project near Bangkok, it appeared to be another victory for China and its grand plans to connect Southeast Asia with railways. Thailand has for decades been the centerpiece of Tokyo’s strategy for Southeast Asia, and long-discussed plans…
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Chinese, Taiwanese, Lao involved in making fake credit cards – Pattaya
FILE PHOTO “Police found 17 fake credit cards, three computers and a card writer and reader.” Pattaya police and immigration officials have arrested a Chinese and Taiwanese man over allegations of making fake credit cards with stolen information for an accomplice in Laos. Pattaya police held a press conference yesterday to announce the arrest of 27 year old Taiwanese citizen,…
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Eight days in southern Thailand
mtv.co.uk have visited Thailand recently and come up with their own short, cool, stays in the southern region. If you have a spare eight days, here is their guide for a quick southern beach holiday. Phuket: 2 nights How to get there It’s time to switch it up and head to the Southern region of Thailand. The easiest way is…
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Seven arrested over illegal pre-wedding photo shoots in Phuket
Seven foreigners have been charged over illegally working as pre-wedding photographers and assistants in Phuket yesterday. The Phuket Immigration Office Chief Col Kathatorn Kumthieg ordered officers to inspect Kathu Temple and Kata Noi Beach, popular locations for foreigner pre-wedding photo shoots. The Phuket Immigration Office reports that all staff in the pre-wedding photo shooting team were foreigners who only held tourist visas. They…
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Rahaf al-Qunun arrives in Canada – no mention in Saudi media
The 18 year old Saudi runaway who says she feared her family and possible death if she was deported back to Saudi Arabia, has arrived in Canada. Canadian officials offered her asylum in a case that became global news after the plucky woman mounted a Twitter storm, barricaded in her airport hotel room last weekend. The Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia…
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Hua Hin officials roll up their sleeves to clean the beaches after recent storms
PHOTO: Talk News Online Hu Hin’s local Talk News Online is reporting that a team of local government officials and soldiers were out in force to clean up the Gulf coast beaches yesterday. The action focussed on Hua Don beach at Khao Takiap causing a lot of selfies to be taken among the large numbers of appreciative tourists using the…
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VIDEO: Woman has meltdown in Thai airport
A video posted on social media has been doing the rounds. In the video a woman is seen yelling at an Air Asia airport staff for being told her carry on must be checked in because it was 7.2 kilos over the 7 kilogram weight limit. The woman is calmly told that she will have check-in the extra luggage and…
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Event Round-Up – January 2019
Into a new year and a month packed with activities around the country. The highly anticipated Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous 2019 kicks off at Phuket Royal Marina on January 10-13. A collaboration between some of the most respected and experienced figures in the Southeast Asian yachting industry, Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous is the country’s new and improved yacht…
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Thai cabinet extends visa-fee-waiver until after Songkran
Tourists from over 21 countries will continue to benefit from an extension to the visa fee waiver introduced in November last year. In a move to boost tourism, the cabinet has extended the 2,000 baht visa-on-arrival fee waiver, according to Tourism and Sport Minister, Veerasak Kowsurat this morning (Tuesday). The waiver was set to end on Sunday, January 6, 2019,…
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Family of British Phuket property developer say “he was murdered”
PHOTO: Lawyer Vincent McOwen holding up a photo of Steven James Granville – Khaosod English A lawyer representing the family of Steven James Granville has filed a complaint with the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) in Bangkok over police reports about injuries sustained in a 2013 ‘cycling incident’. The TCSD is now overseen by Immigration Chief Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn.…
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Myanmar Court rejects appeal of imprisoned Reuters journalists
A court in Myanmar yesterday decided to uphold the convictions of two Reuters journalists who were sentenced to seven-year prison sentences. The case that has drawn international criticism. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were found guilty last year of violating the Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act. They were investigating the massacre of Rohingya men amid a military crackdown on the country’s…
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Social media the key in the run up to the 2019 election
“Newspapers, once the beneficiary of political advertising, will now be side-lined in favor of targeted social media in the lead up to this year’s election.” by Asina Pownwasin Your social media platforms are about to be filled with banter, arguments and lots of advertising. The topic? The forthcoming Thai election (when a date is eventually announced). For the first time…
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Medical cannabis crops to be tightly controlled
The Thai narcotic control board head says that only Thai citizens who join hands with the government will be allowed to cultivate medical cannabis. The board yesterday stressed that growers of the potentially lucrative crop must be cooperatives, community enterprises or social enterprises made up of citizens – and not private companies. Their business will be under the scrutiny of…
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UPDATE: Phuket’s injured Leopard Cat dies
The leopard cat, which was found severely injured in front of a Mai Khao Graveyard on December 31, has unfortunately passed away. Read more about the locals finding the cat HERE, Read more about the injuries and care for the leopard cat HERE The can was transported to Soi Dog Foundation on January 1 for treatment and was under constant care from the…
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Missing 14 year old girl now under government care
by Kornkamol Aksorndej – The Nation Weekend A 14 year old girl, reported missing for more than two weeks and later found with an older man in a Chiang Mai apartment, is now under government care. Pol Maj General Jirabhop Bhuridej of the Crime Suppression Division, says, “We won’t give details about the case. The minor must be protected.” The…
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Saudi refugee: Friday milestones and developments
Confusion reigned today over where the 18 year old Saudi woman, who fled from Kuwait to Thailand to escape her allegedly abusive family, would be resettled. Here are some of the key developments in the story today… • Surachate Hakparn, Thailand’s Immigration Police Chief, initially spoke to CNN saying that Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun had been offered asylum by Australia as…
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Company reports 80K beer cans disappeared after truck accident in Phuket
A logistic company representative has filed a report to police after more than 80,000 beer cans, valued at more than two million baht, mysteriously vanished after a beer truck overturned in Rassada this morning. The truck overturned and beer cans were scattered all over the road outside a 7-11. Read more about the incident HERE. Locals nearby helped clear up…
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No sign of elections, but election officials want 22 million baht of new cars
Voters were disappointed to see yesterday’s deadline for publication of the royal decree slip away, which means the intended February 24 election date is unlikely. To add salt to the wound, the election commission has now announced that its directors will be needing new cars, and the lucky tax payers will be providing them. The budget for the new fleet…
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Man takes a naked stroll in Sabah, Malaysia
by The Star – Asia News Network A naked man, wearing only a wide-brimmed hat (sun smart!) has been caught on camera walking along a road near Pavilion Bundusan in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia. This comes after a couple were photographed skinny-dipping in a water fountain at the start of this week in the famous Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu. The photo…
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