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Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort puts sustainability at its heart
The term sustainability is often thrown around as a buzzword in the hospitality industry, but at Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, it’s genuinely part of their mission. Located in Makham Bay, just south of Phuket Town, the beautiful resort puts...
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Thailand plans to relocate macaque monkeys from Phra Nakhon Khiri historical park
Phetchaburi authorities are currently working on a plan to relocate the large and mischievous macaque population at the Phra Nakhon Khiri historical park, better known as Khao Wang, to a place where they can live a more natural life and cause no disturbance to the peace, provincial governor Natthachai Nampoonsuksan announced on May 1. The number of monkeys in the…
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Conflict at Patong massage shop leads to car ramming and injuries (video)
A conflict at a Patong massage shop led to a car ramming and injuries on Monday night, The Phuket News reported. The incident happened at around 8pm. The driver, Panudet, had a dispute with the co-owner of a luxury massage shop, Chatchanan “Patty” Charoenjai. Panudet previously reported to police that Chatchanan had slapped him across the face. The reason for…
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Singapore ignores UN’s pleas and executes man over 1kg of cannabis
Singapore ignored pleas from the United Nations and executed a man this morning found guilty of conspiring to traffic 1 kilogramme of cannabis. At dawn, 46 year old Tangaraju Suppiah was hanged at Changi Prison in eastern Singapore, the Singapore Prison Service reported. His family received his body and a death certificate at the prison this morning. Tangaraju was sentenced…
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Increase in international fights expected for Hua Hin Airport this year
The number of international flights to and from Hua Hin Airport is expected to increase in the near future, according to John LaRoche, CEO of the Phoenix Group, which is leading the upgrade of the airport. Speaking at the recent meeting of the Royal Coast Riviera Club on Friday, April 21, LaRoche said that despite various setbacks, including the pandemic,…
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Chinese doctor arrested for selling herbal medicine without permit
Thai authorities arrested a Chinese doctor for selling herbal medicine in Thailand without a permit and seized 60,000 herbal medicine tablets and pharmaceutical machines. The Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released details of the Chinese doctor’s arrest during a press conference yesterday. The 45 year old doctor, Lijun Cheung, reportedly operated a clinic…
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Stray dogs intimidate foreign tourists at Krabi’s Ao Nang Beach
There’s been more drama involving stray dogs at Ao Nang Beach in Krabi province. A pack of stray dogs intimidated two foreign tourists on the beach, The Phuket Express reported yesterday. The couple was walking their pet dog along the beach when the pack of five to six strays aggressively barked at them. The couple tried to chase the dogs away, but…
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India’s girl power: Newborn tops population milestone
India has officially become the world’s most populous nation, with a newborn baby girl marking the milestone moment. Manu Bala, a 22 year old housewife, gave birth to her as-yet-unnamed daughter in a government hospital in the country’s Himalayan region on Monday. The mother and her child were among the more than 67,000 born across India that day when the United…
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China accelerates nuclear arsenal expansion amid potential future conflicts with the US
China’s nuclear arsenal is expanding at an unprecedented rate, with experts suggesting that the nation is increasingly focusing on the potential for future conflicts with the United States. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China’s stockpile currently comprises around 350 warheads, a small number compared to the US and Russia. However, the Pentagon has predicted that this…
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EU to unveil major pharmaceutical reform for cheaper drugs and faster access
The European Union is set to announce significant reforms to its pharmaceutical regulations today, aiming to reduce costs, prevent drug shortages, and expedite the introduction of new medicines. These changes represent the EU’s most extensive overhaul of pharmaceutical legislation in two decades, partly inspired by the benefits of more streamlined processes, joint action, and improved transparency observed during the Covid-19…
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Thailand welcomes new controversial Chinese-built amphibious assault ship
Thailand yesterday welcomed a new Chinese-built amphibious assault ship to its naval fleet. The HTMS Chang, a Type 071E landing platform dock, arrived at its homeport in southern Thailand a week after its official handover at the Chinese shipyard. The ship, which left Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s facility in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 18, travelled through the Taiwan Strait before arriving at…
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New Balance kicks out of Thailand
American sports footwear brand New Balance closed all of its stores in Thailand after the contract with its importer and distributor in Thailand, CRC Sports, expired. CRC Sports, a retail company under the Central Group, was established on December 26, 1996, with a registered capital of 370 million baht. It operated under the Supersports brand and offered sports products. According…
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Pattaya tourism boom leads to a traffic nightmare
As tourism in Pattaya continues to recover at an incredible pace, the city is faced with a downside – heavy traffic. Two significant bottlenecks were observed this month: one on Thepprasit Road, close to the Kaan and Colosseum theatres, and another on Second Road close to the South Road intersection. Additionally, areas such as Soi Regional Land in south Pattaya…
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Kanit Sangsubhan joins Palang Pracharath Party to boost southern Thailand’s economy
The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) recently announced the appointment of Kanit Sangsubhan, previously a special adviser to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office, as a member of its economic team. This move is intended to bolster the economy in Thailand’s southern border provinces. PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwon expressed his delight at welcoming Kanit as a key member of the party,…
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Woman arrested for stealing from foreigners at Bangkok airports and malls
The Thai Tourist Police arrested a woman for stealing money and assets from foreigners at Don Mueang International Airport and shopping malls in Bangkok. The officers also discovered 293 tablets of methamphetamine and 1.26 grammes of crystal meth at her accommodation. The arrest was made after a Chinese woman reported that her designer YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) handbag worth over…
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Japanese startup loses communication with lunar lander, assumes mission failure
A Japanese start-up hoping to realise the first private Moon landing announced today that it had lost contact with its spacecraft, suggesting a disappointing outcome for the ambitious mission. Ispace confirmed that communication with the unmanned Hakuto-R lunar lander could not be re-established after the expected time of landing, signifying a premature end for a mission launched from the United…
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British American Tobacco to pay over US$600m for violating US sanctions on North Korea
British American Tobacco (BAT) agreed to pay over US$600 million to settle allegations that it sold cigarette materials to North Korea for a decade in breach of United States sanctions, the US Justice Department announced yesterday. This is the harshest action ever taken by US authorities against a company for violating North Korean sanctions, with BAT’s Singapore subsidiary agreeing to…
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Krabi shop owner demands cops ‘make an example’ of thieving tourist (video)
An angry shop owner is demanding that police “make an example” out of a tourist who stole clothes from her shop in the town of Ao Nang in Krabi province. The owner told Ao Nang Police that over the weekend, a female foreign tourist came to her shop alone. She said the tourist took clothes off a mannequin before dashing…
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Thailand’s Supreme Court upholds death penalty for school director who killed 3 in gold shop robbery
The Supreme Court of Thailand ruled today that the death penalty will be upheld for the former primary school director who shot dead three people – including a two year old child – and wounded another during a gold shop robbery in Lop Buri province three years ago. On January 9, 2020, then-39 year old Prasitthichai “Golf” Khaokaew entered the…
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Thailand detects 6 new cases of Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant and one XBB.1.16.1
Thailand‘s Department of Medical Sciences announced yesterday that it has identified six new cases of the Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant, as well as one case of the closely related XBB.1.16.1 subvariant. This brings the total number of people in the kingdom infected with the XBB.1.16 subvariant to 34. The department’s director-general, Supakit Sirilak, confirmed that XBB.1.16 is responsible for 9.8% of…
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Thai Senate committee discusses foreign satellite regulations
The Thai Senate committee yesterday met to focus on information technology, communication, and telecommunications and convened to discuss the proposed changes by the state telecommunications regulatory body regarding the regulations governing the utilisation of foreign-owned satellites to offer domestic telecommunications services. The gathering presided over by General Anantaporn Kanchanarat, focused on assessing concerns and suggestions raised by the National Broadcasting…
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Thai man stumbles upon human skeleton near Pattaya reservoir
A Thai man stumbled upon a human skeleton at the rim of a reservoir near Pattaya yesterday morning. The man, 48 year old Praphat Namsuphat, was walking along the edge of the Chak Nok Reservoir with his child when he spotted what he at first thought was a canine skeleton. But after looking closely, Praphat was shocked to discover that…
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Democrat Party plan to transform Hat Yai into major economic hub
The Democrat Party in Thailand recently revealed its intentions to rejuvenate its previous plan to turn the commercial district of Hat Yai, located in Songkhla province, into a significant economic centre. This attempt aims to attract more investors to the area. Democrat Party officials mentioned that they are considering the enactment of a special law that would promote the growth…
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Thailand offers 11 billion baht subsidy for low-income electricity bills
The Thai government announced plans to allocate over 11 billion baht to support low-income earners with their electricity bills over the next four months, with the subsidy set to begin in May. However, the proposal needs to be reviewed and approved by the Election Commission (EC) before it becomes official. Following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha addressed the…
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Vietnamese woman performs ritual for sacred objects in Thailand
A Vietnamese woman who sells sacred items and amulets with a Thai cult leader performed a ritual on some sacred objects in Supha Buri province, much to the chagrin of some Buddhists. The foreign woman revealed that the items were very popular among her customers in Vietnam. The Vietnamese woman, Thut Tam Che, travelled from Hanoi in Vietnam to join…
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China moves to regulate ChatGPT-like AI chatbots
The Chinese government is moving to regulate the nation’s burgeoning chatbot industry, taking a cautious approach to the technology to maintain tight control over its development. The draft rules unveiled by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) this month, which will affect artificial intelligence (AI) systems like ChatGPT used to generate text and images in response to user requests, demonstrate…
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China reaffirms commitment to ex-Soviet sovereignty after controversial comments
China reaffirmed its respect for the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet countries yesterday, following controversial comments made by its ambassador to France. The statements, which questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet states, have triggered a backlash in Europe and cast doubt on Beijing’s attempts to position itself as an impartial mediator in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Ambassador Lu Shaye’s remarks prompted…
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Netflix to invest US$2.5 billion in South Korean content over next four years
Netflix has unveiled ambitious plans to invest US$2.5 billion in South Korean content over the next four years, following a meeting between the streaming giant’s CEO Ted Sarandos and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol in Washington. The announcement comes as South Korea’s star continues to ascend as a global cultural heavyweight, bolstered by the phenomenal success of the Oscar-winning…
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Vigilante justice in Haiti: More than a dozen alleged gang members stoned, burned alive by angry mob
More than a dozen alleged gang members were brutally stoned and burned alive by residents in Port-au-Prince, Haiti yesterday. This horrifying act comes as the United Nations warns that the levels of insecurity currently plaguing the country’s capital are comparable to those in nations experiencing war. In an incident that has incensed many and underlined the desperate situation in Haiti,…
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US Navy aircraft carrier arrives in Pattaya, Thailand
The USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier belonging to the US Navy, anchored at Laem Chabang Port just north of Pattaya in Thailand yesterday accompanied by the Nimitz Strike Group for a five-day visit that aims to strengthen Thai – US security relations. The Nimitz Strike Group includes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, and guided-missile…
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6 Chinese men arrested for 10 million baht fake gold scam in Thailand
Police arrested six Chinese men for selling fake gold to rich Thai people resulting in a profit of more than 10 million baht. The suspects were reported to be former members of a scam call centre gang based in Indonesia. The gang confessed that their criminal act was inspired by a television series about scammers. One victim, a Chinese man…
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