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Thailand’s economy defies global recession fears with post-election boost
Thailand’s economy is predicted to gain momentum during the last three quarters of this year, despite the looming threat of a global recession, partly due to the boost from the May 14 General Election, according to analysts. The country’s GDP growth for the first quarter was 2.7% year-on-year, surpassing the expected 2.3% and marking an improvement from the 1.4% growth…
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Huge brawl erupts at Thailand v Indonesia SEA Games football final (video)
The SouthEast Asia (SEA) Games football final between Indonesia and Thailand turned into a Muay Thai match yesterday when Thailand netted an equalising goal in injury time, sparking a dramatic brawl. But Indonesia ran out victors scoring three more goals in extra-time to win their first SEA Games men’s football medal in 32 years with a 5-2 victory. After a…
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Groups urge Senate to back Thai majority’s choice for PM, Pita Limjaroenrat
Two prominent civil society groups urged the Senate to honour the majority’s decision in favour of Pita Limjaroenrat, the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) candidate for prime minister. The Rural Doctors Society (RDS) and the Law CU Student Committee, Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University (CU), expressed their support for the MFP to lead a coalition government with Pita at the helm.…
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MP candidate loses election but wins 24 million baht lottery
He may have lost out trying to be a Member of Parliament (MP) in Sunday’s General Election but Pheu Thai Party MP Udom Kanmuang was a lucky winner in yesterday’s Thai lottery, scooping an incredible 24 million baht. Udom represented the Pheu Thai Party in the 1st constituency of the Mueang district of Samut Sakhon. The former village chief of…
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MFP candidate demands General Election in Sattahip to be void
A Member of Parliament (MP) from the Move Forward Party (MFP), Nitchanan Wangkahart, demanded the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) invalidate the General Election results in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri province after corruption allegations emerged. On Monday, May 15, a Thai voter, Wiranda Pandee, and others spotted that votes in the 10th constituency of the Sattahip district exceeded…
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Buddhist monk wins lottery in Thailand
A Buddhist monk won the 6 million baht jackpot in Thailand‘s national lottery draw yesterday. He says he will spend the money on making repairs at his temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province. Phra Ajahn Praphas, a 63 year old monk residing at Wat Nong Bua in Ban Pho subdistrict of Korat’s Mueang district, won the lottery’s first prize of 6…
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American drunk driver tried to switch seats with dog to dodge arrest
In some rather embarrassing news, an American drunk driver in Colorado tried to switch seats with his dog who was in the passenger seat, to dodge arrest as police approached his car. Springfield Police wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday, the man had been driving 52 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone near 7th and Main Street. The…
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American tourist rescued from 4-hour nightmare in Pattaya sewers
An American tourist was rescued from the sewers beneath Pattaya, eastern Thailand, yesterday after getting trapped in the murky, pungent pipe system for more than four hours. A security guard was bewildered when he heard a voice coming from beneath a covered drain at the entrance of Soi 8 Thep Prasit, Moo 11, Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. He…
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Cleaners find Chinese businessman’s body with stab wounds at South Thailand resort
Cleaners at a resort in South Thailand‘s Trang province found a Chinese businessman‘s body with stab and slash wounds yesterday. Police were alerted of the incident in the Tub Tieng sub-district of Trang’s main city district in the afternoon. The victim was 43 year old Zhiru Li, The Phuket Express reported. According to resort staff, a room cleaner attempted to…
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Interfering mother-in-law’s secret affair exposed after accusing daughter-in-law of cheating
An interfering mother-in-law’s secret affair was exposed after she accused her daughter-in-law of cheating. The meddlesome mum-in-law’s remarks on how different her new granddaughter looked compared to other members of the family forced the new mother to insist on DNA tests for all of the family. The woman had given birth to a beautiful daughter with mesmerising green eyes that,…
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Over 1,000 Care Bears toys seized for failing to meet TIS
The Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) confiscated more than 1,000 Care Bears toys worth 900,000 baht after a raid at a shop in the Sampeng Market in Bangkok. The CPPD conducted the raid after they stumbled upon a TikTok advertisement inviting netizens to buy Care Bears toys. They found that the toys did not comply with the Thai Industrial Standard…
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Police help 9 foreign tourists stranded at the border of Thailand
The Royal Thai Police helped nine foreign tourists who were stranded near the Cambodian border in Sa Keao province, eastern Thailand, to find a place to rest their heads last night. The tourists, including six Spanish nationals, one Ukrainian national, and two Indian nationals, were “very impressed” with the work of Sa Keao Tourist Police, soldiers of the 13th Ranger…
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Prayut’s political career uncertain as United Thai Nation suffers election losses
Bangkok’s Deputy leader of the United Thai Nation, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, expressed doubt yesterday over whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will continue his political career after their party’s losses in the General Election. Wangboonkongchana mentioned that 69 year old Prayut has not discussed his future plans, but he may have to step down from politics. The preliminary results from Thailand’s Election…
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Thailand opposition faces hurdles despite election win
The formation of a new government in Thailand faces significant challenges following the opposition’s victory in the May 14 General Election. The 500 newly-elected Members of Parliament (MPs) are required to vote for a new prime minister alongside 250 senators appointed by military generals who staged the coup, according to Professor Duncan McCargo, director of the Nordic Institute of Asian…
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Polish killer asks Bangkok taxi driver to help cut up Ukrainian woman’s body via Google Translate
UPDATE In an interview with Thai news platform CH3, a taxi driver revealed that the Polish man, who was arrested for allegedly murdering his Ukrainian girlfriend, “Alona,” and attempting to dismember her in a Bangkok condo room, asked him to help get rid of her body via Google Translate. The taxi driver said that he picked up the suspect, Lagoda…
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Burmese people celebrate MFP General Election victory
In astonishing scenes, thousands of Burmese people gathered in Myanmar to celebrate the 2023 General Election victory of the Move Forward Party (MFP). Burmese netizens made known that the MFP triumph will have a positive effect on the rights and well-being of Burmese workers in Thailand. Local media agencies in Myanmar reported yesterday, May 15, that thousands of Burmese took…
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China’s April economic data falls short amid low demand, high youth unemployment
Official figures have revealed that China’s economic data for April failed to meet expectations, with low demand and high youth unemployment contributing to an uneven recovery after the easing of strict Covid-19 regulations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), retail sales, a crucial gauge of domestic consumer activity, grew by 18.4% year-on-year. However, this fell short of the…
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CIA seeks Russian whistleblowers with emotional Telegram video
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ramped up its efforts to encourage Russians to disclose their country’s secrets, releasing a poignant video on Telegram targeting individuals dissatisfied with President Vladimir Putin‘s regime. The brief video portrays a Russian bureaucrat and a woman at home with a child, both seemingly discontent with their lives, and asks if this is what they had…
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Som Tam served at 31 baht in Chon Buri to celebrate MFP’s victory
A restaurant in Chon Buri province is celebrating the General Election victory of the Move Forward Party (MFP) by serving discounted som tam (also known as papaya salad). The restaurant, Loei Ma Tam Na Nar Pa (เลยมาตำ ณ. นาป่า), usually serves som tam for 50 baht but reduced it to a mere 31 baht, mirroring MFP leader Pita “Tim” Limcharoenrat’s…
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Taiwan permits joint adoption for same-sex couples in marriage equality milestone
Taiwan‘s parliament approved an amendment permitting same-sex couples to adopt children jointly, a significant milestone for marriage equality in the country. Taiwan has been a leader in Asia’s growing LGBTQ+ rights movement since becoming the first nation in the region to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019. However, same-sex couples still faced limitations, such as being unable to adopt children together.…
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Future MFP MP arrested for drink driving in Bangkok
A soon-to-be Member of Parliament from Thailand’s Move Forward Party (MFP) was arrested for drink driving in Bangkok in the early hours of the morning. Today, she apologised for her behaviour and announced her resignation from the party. The drink driver held the 27th spot on the MFP’s party list, meaning she would have definitely become an MP once MFP…
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Dresden heist verdicts due: Historic jewels’ fate hangs in balance
A German court is set to announce verdicts for six members of a criminal gang accused of stealing priceless 18th-century jewels from Dresden’s Green Vault museum in a heist dubbed the biggest in modern history by German media. The theft, which occurred in November 2019, saw the criminals make off with artefacts worth over US$123 million. The trial, which began…
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AI revolutionising search engines, shifting from links to direct answers
The online search experience, which has been dominated by Google for the past 25 years, is set to undergo a significant transformation as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the way users seek answers to their questions. AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing are revolutionizing the classic search-and-click method, enabling users to receive direct answers to their queries rather than sifting…
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Active gunman training in Thailand with FBI boosts police crime response
In a proactive move to address the increase in crime, Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukwimon organised an active gunman training session yesterday. The event took place at the Border Patrol Police Headquarters in the Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province, located in western Thailand. A total of 150 police officers participated in the training, which aimed to enhance…
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Vietnam PM approves $134.7bn power plan, unlocking G7 green-transition funds
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has approved a power development plan requiring US$134.7 billion of funding for new power plants and grids, a move that could potentially unlock billions of dollars in foreign investment. The plan, known as PDP8, aims to ensure energy security for the Southeast Asian country while transitioning from its current heavy reliance on coal to…
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Family, friends bid farewell to Thai-British teen murdered in Thailand
UPDATE 3 Family and friends bid farewell to Thai-British teenager Woramet “Ben” Taota in an emotional funeral ceremony held in Lampang province in northern Thailand yesterday. Ben was murdered by local criminal 44 year old Chaiwat in what police suspect to be a drug deal gone wrong. He was last seen riding away from his house on a motorbike with…
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Dead body of Swedish man found in house in Isaan
Residents in the Isaan province of Udon Thani discovered the dead body of a Swedish man in a house. Police believe he had been dead for a week and the cause of his death remains under investigation. Yesterday, May 15, locals were hit by a foul stench emanating from a one-storey house belonging to a Swedish man and his Thai…
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Argentina hikes interest rate to 97% amid soaring inflation and election
Argentina’s central bank has raised its base interest rate by six points to 97% to combat soaring inflation, which reached nearly 109% year-on-year in April. This marks the second increase in less than a month, as the government plans to announce a series of measures to address the economic crisis ahead of the General Election in October. The central bank…
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Environmental DNA tracking raises privacy, surveillance concerns
Scientists have recently discovered that environmental DNA (eDNA) could potentially be used to track individuals or even entire ethnic groups, raising concerns about privacy and surveillance. The technique, which can gather a wealth of information from small samples of genetic material, has potential applications in medicine, science, and even criminal investigations. However, the ethical implications of using eDNA in this…
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Six dead, dozens missing in devastating Wellington hostel fire
A devastating fire engulfed a four-storey hostel in Wellington, New Zealand, claiming the lives of at least six people and leaving many others unaccounted for. The blaze at Loafers Lodge hostel raged throughout the night, with 80 firefighters and 20 trucks battling the flames. A total of 52 people were rescued, while the final death toll remains uncertain reported Bangkok…
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