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The best luxury pool villas in Phuket, Koh Samui, and Bali to book this summer
Phuket, Koh Samui, and Bali share several things in common: vivid blue oceans, beautiful beaches, and lush tropical landscapes. Alongside these natural beauties, they also house luxury pool villas for rent that provide the perfect setting for a dream vacation....
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Creamfields Festival is coming to Thailand
Get your rave gear ready because one of the world’s most prestigious electronic dance music festivals is coming to Thailand next month. The UK’s Creamfields Festival will take place in Pattaya from May 28-29 and the line up so far doesn’t disappoint. Early bird tickets are sold out, so if you want to attend the festival, be prepared when the…
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Khao San Road businesses cancel Songkran party plans for third year running
Splash-happy tourists can cross out Bangkok’s Khao San Road from their water bucket list this year, after local business owners officially cancelled their plans to hold and Songkran celebrations in the capital’s tourist hotspot, formerly referred to as a “backpacker haven”. It’s the third consecutive year Khao San area operators have halted their famous water fights, much to the chagrin…
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Green sea turtle eggs hatch at Surin Islands National Park
A total of 97 endangered green sea turtle hatchlings made their way into the sea for the first time at Surin Islands National Park, 55 kilometres off the coast of southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province, on Monday. Park rangers had kept a close eye on the nest since the mother turtle laid the eggs two months ago. The eggs showed…
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Chakri Day 2022: All you need to know about Thailand’s public holiday
Chakri Memorial Day is an annual public holiday that’s observed on April 6 in Thailand. Officially called “King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great Day” and “Chakri Dynasty Memorial Day”, the holiday commemorates the coronation of General Chao Phraya Chakri as Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, aka Rama I, establishing the Chakri Dynasty in 1782. One of King Rama I’s first significant…
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Burmese continue to flood across Thai-Myanmar border, fleeing unrest
Police raided a house in the northern province of Chiang Rai yesterday to find 71 Burmese migrants hiding inside. A Thai man who was also inside the house told police he was hired to pick up the migrants who had illegally crossed over the border from Myanmar and transport them to the house. The migrants told police they were heading…
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Thailand’s 1330 hotline primed for post Songkran spike in Covid-19 infections
With Songkran holiday just around the corner, the National Health Security Office, or NHSO, is ready to deal with an expected increase in Covid-19 cases with it’s 1330 emergency hotline. The number of new infections in Thailand is expected to increase after the Thai New Year, according to NHSO deputy secretary-general Atthaporn Limpanyalert. Vulnerable groups can dial 1330 ext 18…
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Boeing’s China syndrome, big problems for the US aircraft manufacturer
China Eastern Airlines has grounded its fleet of Boeing 737-800s – some 108 planes in the China Eastern fleet along with another 117 planes it flies with subsidiary airlines. That’s a lot of planes, in either the first or second largest aviation market in the world, depending how you measure it. Number of passengers on airlines worldwide in 2020, by…
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Boost in car sales, enthusiasm for EVs – Bangkok’s annual motor show – VIDEO
Petrol-powered cars are still in vogue, but electric vehicles, or EVs, are on the rise. That’s the takeaway from this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show, which recorded sales of some 34,000 vehicles, nearly a 14% increase compared to last year. The 43rd edition of the popular motor show took place over a span of two weeks at Impact Muang Thong…
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TAT promotes Thailand as top Indian wedding destination, no elephants included
To register on the romantic radar of soon-to-be-wed couples from India, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, invited 15 Indian wedding planners to highlight popular wedding destinations in the Land of Smiles. The wedding planners visited seminars in Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui in Surat Thani province and Khao Lak in Phang Nga province from March 15 to 22. The…
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Foreign directors shoot 196 movies, series and adverts in Thailand
Foreign film crews shot a total of 196 movies, series and advertisements in Thailand since July 2020, generating over 6 billion baht in revenue for the country. The Ministry of Culture (MOC) plans to increase revenue from foreign filmmaking by implementing more tax measures. The country’s Culture Minister plans to use ‘soft power’ to “promote the image of Thailand” on…
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Thai netizens share video of mysterious woman standing still on Pattaya sidewalk for hours
A Thai TikTok user has shared a video of a woman standing still on the sidewalk in Pattaya in the middle of the night. Thai netizens commented on the post, saying she might be homeless, and she only took one or two steps then stood without moving for hours. Many people urged authorities to take care of her to prevent…
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Asia News Today | South Korea Committed To Re-opening Plans
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is urging the Philippine government to steer clear of external “disturbances” to its China policy and work to prevent tension arising from their South China Sea dispute The issue of China’s claims over the island’s in the South China Sea has become one of the issues in the run-up to the Philippine presidential election next…
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Woman wields sword, tries to slash man who refused threesome
Armed with a Samurai sword, a deranged woman knocked on the door of her male friend after he and his wife reportedly refused to have a threesome with her. At least, that’s what he said. The couple shared that they were threatened several times until they had to flee from Bangkok, but the woman could still stalk them. Thai netizens…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 21,088 new cases; provincial totals
91 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,603 with 3,905 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The daily infection numbers are a sharp drop from the steadily rising numbers over the past 2 – 3 weeks. But the Covid-related death numbers are still on a slow rising…
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Thailand issues stormy weather warning for Phuket, Andaman coastline
Residents along Thailand’s western coastline are bracing for stormy seas, after the Thai Meteorological Department, or TMD, issued a stormy weather warning for Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Satun and Phang Ng, as a large storm front blows in from the Andaman Sea. “More rain and isolated heavy rains are likely in the South. People in the South should beware of the…
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Songkran: MOPH to measure blood alcohol levels during festival’s ‘7 Dangerous Days’
The Ministry of Public Health plans to use blood testers to measure the alcohol level of drivers during the “Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran”. Authorities say the blood test would be used in addition to the standard breathalyzer test. If anyone refuses to get tested, officers will assume them to be drunk. The crowded roads during the annual Songkran Festival…
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Thai navy won’t buy Chinese submarine switcheroo, must have German engine — PM Prayut
No engine, no cigar. That’s the hard line Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha set on Monday regarding the navy’s deal to purchase a Chinese submarine without the most important part — the engine. If China doesn’t include the German-made engine as stated in the purchase agreement, then it’s “Hasta la vista, baby.” “What do we do with a submarine with…
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France donates over 3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Thailand
France has shown its support for Thailand’s fight against Covid-19 by donating over three million doses of Pfizer vaccines to the Kingdom of Thailand. The donation will be well-received by Thai people as surveys reveal that Thais have more confidence in the effectiveness of the U.S.-produced Pfizer vaccine than they do in Thai vaccines. The French ambassador Thierry Mathou officially…
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Bank of Thailand updates 20 baht banknote for improved hygiene and longevity
The Bank of Thailand has launched a new 20 baht banknote made of polyester. The banknote is said to resist moisture and grime, resulting in a longer shelf-life. The central bank began distributing the shiny new baht greenbacks on March 24. The Bank of Thailand announced that people used the 20 baht banknote the most frequently, making them dirty and…
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PM Prayut wants to fix Bangkok’s smelly canals
It’s no secret that Bangkok stinks. When you take a breath of “fresh air” on the street, it’s not rare for a concoction of barbecued chicken, pollution and sewage to enter your nose. Even after living in Bangkok for a number of years, the smell never gets any less pungent, especially in the summer months. The issue is untreated wastewater…
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Teenage boy trampled to death by wild elephant in Hua Hin forest
The body of a teenage boy was found lying on the road near Kaeng Krachan National Park in Hua Hin district of the southern province Prachuap Khiri Khan in the early hours of Saturday morning. Local residents reported seeing a wild elephant wandering around the community foraging for food. They say the teenage boy might have been riding his motorbike…
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Thai netizens complain election banner forces Western woman in wheelchair into street
A video of a wheelchair user who got stuck on the sidewalk due to Bangkok’s governor election ads and had to take a dangerous detour into the street has gone viral on Thai Twitter. The incident follows many more complaints about the election banners, which have been blocking almost every sidewalk in Bangkok. The city’s banner bombardment has given Thai…
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1 groom, 3 brides at unusual Thai wedding… who paid the dowry?
Thai traditions went out the window at an unusual wedding last week in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand. The groom was in for a surprise when his three girlfriends asked for his hand in marriage and presented him with a dowry of 100,000 baht each on his 35th birthday. Together, the women have a total of nine children with the groom,…
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Singapore won’t restore pandemic-era restrictions if Covid cases rise
If Covid-19 infections rise in Singapore, the city-state will not increase or strengthen current pandemic combatting measures, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told The Straits Times. After two years of battling the spread of the virus, Singapore is on the alert for a possible rebound in infections, having lifted most of its most pandemic-era restrictions beginning April 1. Axed policies include…
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UPDATE: Police arrest Asoke gold necklace thief, trans woman wanted to pay gambling debt
Police have arrested a transgender woman who allegedly stole a gold necklace off the body of a farang in Bangkok’s Asoke neighbourhood last week, after a video of the incident went viral. The thief reportedly said she stole the golden accessory because she’d lost her job and had to pay off a gambling debt. CCTV footage of the incident shows…
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Monday Covid Update: 24,892 new cases; provincial totals
97 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,512 with 3,814 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,892 new Covid-19 cases and 27,254 recoveries. There are now 256,667 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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New Test & Go station eases entry for Malaysian motorists at Sadao border crossing
After a two-year closure due to the pandemic, international travellers can now enter Thailand from Malaysia through the Sadao land border in Songkhla province. A hotel at the border began serving as a Test & Go station from April 1, so that travellers don’t have to commute to the city of Hat Yai for Covid-19 testing. Travellers from Malaysia entering…
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Tangmo: Suspect ‘Sand’ surrenders to police
Police have arrested a third suspect in the death of drowned TV actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong. On Sunday, Wisapat Manomaikrat, aka “Sand” — a transgender woman — surrendered to police in Nonthaburi, after they issued a warrant for her arrest. Sand was taken into the police superintendent’s office for questioning. She was accompanied by her lawyer and prepared a surety…
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Thailand stocks its Covid-19 war chest for Songkran fever fight
Health authorities are stocking up on medical supplies to fight Covid-19 as Thailand prepares to celebrate Sonkgkran next week. Infections have been spiking to more than 20,000 a day with the death toll occasionally approaching 100. By mid-April, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation plans to deliver some 30 million Favipiravir tablets to the Public Health Ministry, just in time for Songkran.…
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Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran
Travellers are flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement. Arrivals to Suvarnabhumi International Airport have almost doubled to around 12,000 passengers per day, arriving on a flurry of new inbound flights. On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels. They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who…
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