News
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5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Hundreds of Thai tourists stuck on mountain while visiting Naga Cave
Hundreds of Thai tourists were stuck on the mountain after visiting the Naga Cave at Phu Langka National Park in Bueng Kan province on Saturday. The cave is known for a giant rock with scale-like marking and a shape that looks like the mystical serpent, Naga. Thai people believe that this is a sacred spot to wish for good luck,…
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Australia calls for the “immediate release” of economist detained in Myanmar
The foreign minister of Australia says officials are using every opportunity to advocate for the release of Australian professor and economist, Sean Turnell, who was detained in Myanmar last year following the February 1, 2021 military coup. Foreign Minister Marise Payne released a statement yesterday calling on the “immediate release” of Turnell, saying his detention “unjust.” Professor Turnell’s detention is unjust,…
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Police arrest man for allegedly stealing 4,900 euros from tourists in Phuket
Police arrested a man who allegedly stole 4,900 euros from a Greek family travelling in Phuket. The family had left nearly their cash in their car, thinking it would be more secure than their hotel room where there was no safe to lock anything away while the maid cleaned. The suspect allegedly told police he spent most of the money…
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US President Biden vows to work with Cambodia to promote US-ASEAN relations
In order to improve ASEAN-US relations, President Joe Biden stated that his administration is looking forward to working with Cambodia as the ASEAN chair in promoting the bloc’s “regional architecture” for bilateral agreements and institutions at the core of the Indo-Pacific. Biden wrote a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 14 saying that he intends to invite…
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Fire breaks out by Phuket viewpoint, 16 Thai and foreign visitors rescued
Around 16 locals and Thais were evacuated from a forest in Phuket after a fire broke out and spread quickly by the Laem Krating viewpoint by the Krating Cape. The flames blocked the exit and authorities had to send a boat to pick the tourists and others up at the bottom of the hill in Phuket’s Rawai district. Phuket authorities…
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China proposes to donate two used submarines to Thai Navy after problems in purchase deal
The Royal Thai Navy is reportedly in talks with China about receiving two decommissioned military submarines. But apparently, the offer is on the table because there was a problem with ordering parts for the submarine currently being assembled by China for Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post. The used submarines would be used for training while Thailand waits for its…
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5 senior police officers demoted for allowing gambling operations
Five police officers were demoted for turning a blind eye to allow gambling venues to operate in their areas of jurisdiction. Those officers were from Khu Kot Police Station in Pathum Thani and Bang Sao Thong Police Station in Samut Prakan, where officers busted two large gambling operations and made dozens of arrests. The officers were demoted due to their…
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Say goodbye to your PayPal account from March 7, services to relaunch in Thailand
Got a PayPal account? Withdraw your remaining balance into your bank account. PayPal is relaunching its services in Thailand. Starting next month, customers in the country will not be able to use their PayPal wallets to shop online. They will also not be able to make a new account until further notice. Casual sellers and entrepreneurs of non-registered businesses will…
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Fear of back taxes preventing some businesses from participating in government co-payment scheme
Signs are popping up outside restaurants and shops across Thailand, advising customers that they don’t accept payment via the government’s 50/50 stimulus scheme. Thai PBS World reports that a number of businesses are refusing to participate in the Khon La Khrueng (Let’s Go Halves) subsidy scheme, fearful that the government will come along and claim back taxes further down the…
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Malaysia battles Omicron surge, daily new infections expected to hit 15,000
Malaysia’s health minister has warned that daily Covid-19 infections may soon reach 15,000 as a result of the highly-contagious Omicron variant. According to a Bloomberg report, Malaysia’s daily case count topped 10,000 yesterday for the first time in 4 months as Omicron continues its rapid spread across the country. Meanwhile, according to health ministry data, nearly 80% of Malaysia’s population…
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Cash, safes, passports seized from Phuket villa in “gangster” murder investigation
Following the murder of an alleged gangster in Phuket, police have seized a number of items from the Indian man’s rented villa. According to a Bangkok Post report, investigating officers have removed 2 safes, 2 passports, and 700,000 baht in cash from the villa in Rawai, in the south of the island. The 32-year-old victim, named locally as Mandeep Singh,…
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Health ministry to propose easing Covid restrictions, in line with other countries
Thailand’s health officials plan to propose the easing of some Covid-19 restrictions in a bid to move away from imposing lockdowns when outbreaks are reported. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says other countries are relaxing some curbs and Thailand is ready to follow suit. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, he did not specify what restrictions…
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Thai PM wants faster vaccines for kids 5 and older
Thai PM Prayut wants health authorities to move faster to vaccinate kids 5 years old and older, as infection rates have gone up for children in the age group 5-11 years of age. From January 1 to February 2, 2022, there were 10,266 Covid-19 cases for kids in this age group, a 5.6% increase from April to December 2021, government…
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Phang Nga village hit by 2004 tsunami opens museum
One Phang Nga village community that was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, Baan Nam Khem, has officially opened a museum about the tsunami, known as the Asian Tsunami (which was commemorated again recently). Thailand’s Minister of Culture, who attended the opening, says the museum will educate people about the history of how the tsunami devastated the Baan Nam Khem…
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Australia to finally open to tourists in March
Vaccinated international tourists will finally be allowed to enter Australia again in March. The country’s borders shut exactly two years before that in March 2020. Skilled migrants and international students were only allowed back in December 2021. But now that Covid-19 cases are down in all states except Western Australia, Australia’s home affairs minister says she’s making the opening a…
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UPDATE: Spotify removes over 100 old Joe Rogan Experience episodes
Streaming service Spotify has now removed 113 episodes of the highly popular Joe Rogan Experience from its platform. It follows an apology from Joe Rogan, for using racial slurs on his podcasts and comes just 2 weeks after another controversy regarding criticism of apparently misleading Covid-19 guests and conversations. The Instagram apology isn’t directly related to the mounting criticism over some…
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VIDEO: Phuket police search for 2 gunmen over shooting death of Jimi “Slice” Sandhu
Police are still investigating the shooting of a former “gangster” who had been deported from Canada 6 years ago. 32 year old Indian Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, was gunned down while getting out of his red SUV around 10pm on Friday night in Rawai, Phuket. He was a former ‘person-of-interest’ for police in British Columbia, Canada, referred to as a “gangster”…
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In Bangkok, almost 90% of cars, motorbikes, public vehicles still don’t stop at zebra crossings
A health organisation and a road safety organisation teamed up to study how many cars, motorbikes, and public vehicles stop for pedestrians at 12 zebra crossings in Bangkok. They found that altogether, 89% wouldn’t stop. For motorcycles, the rate was 92% of 6,449 motorcycles that wouldn’t stop. For cars, the rate was 86% of 7,619. For public vehicles it was…
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Do you legally have to wear masks in Thailand?
With the Covid 19 pandemic came the wearing of masks as the new normal in Thailand, and many other countries around the world. Some people are fine with wearing masks whilst other remain strongly opposed to it, for a variety of reasons. Whether you like it or not it is “strongly encouraged” to wear a mask in Thailand. But do…
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Ex-deputy attorney general from Red Bull case applies join NACC
The controversial ex-deputy attorney who chose not to indict the Red Bull heir who killed a policeman in a hit-and-run accident in 2012 applied for a seat on Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Thursday. The former attorney general, Nate Naksuk, told Thai PBS in an interview that he wants to prove his innocence, and spend the rest of his…
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UPDATE: Gunmen shoot dead a deported Canadian ‘gangster’ in Rawai, Phuket
A former British Columbia “gangster”, who was deported from Canada 6 years ago for “serious criminality”, has been shot to death in Rawai, Phuket. 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, was gunned down while getting out of his car around 10pm last night. Sandhu, who the Vancouver Sun report was affiliated with the ‘United Nations’ gang, was the alleged owner…
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Thailand approves Sinovac and Sinopharm for 6 year olds and up
Thailand will now allow children aged six and older to get Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines without adjusting the dosage. Between January 1 and February 2 this year, 13,600 kids 5-11 years old tested positive, a 6% increase from April to December 2021. The Thai Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), wants children aged 3-17 to be able to get the vaccines.…
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Police crack down on gambling in Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani
Police found a gambling network in an unregistered house in Pathum Thani last night. They seized 112,700 baht in assets and gambling equipment, and arrested forty-two people. They then raided a house in Samut Prakan, and seized 49,300 baht in cash and betting slips. They also seized a security camera system and gambling equipment. In total, 85 people were arrested,…
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Deported Canadian gangster shot and killed in Phuket
UPDATED STORY HERE Two gunmen jumped out from bushes and shot and killed a Canadian man at The Beachfront Hotel Phuket in Rawai, a seaside resort town in the far south of Phuket, last night. Chalong police arrived on the scene at 6.30am this morning and found the victim lying face-down in a pool of blood next to a red…
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Sri Racha’s hemp-marijuana festival starts February 9
Festival organisers will host an event promoting marijuana for health benefits, even though they note that recreational smoking is still illegal in Thailand. The festival is called “Hemp-Marijuana, King of Herbs,” and will last from February 9-14 at the Pacific Park Shopping Mall in Sri Racha. The festival will have concerts, 24 booths that will teach people how to grow…
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Thai staffer arrested after secret cameras found in female toilets at Bangkok’s Australian Embassy
Thai police have now arrested a former staff member at Australia’s embassy in Bangkok. The arrest follows the discovery of of hidden “spy” cameras in the embassy’s female bathrooms. The former embassy staffer was arrested last month. At this stage it is not known how long the cameras had been in place, what they recorded or whose privacy has been…
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Prayut tells Bangkok vocational students to stop violence
After police found more than 32 knives, and gun ammunition at one Bangkok university on Thursday, PM Prayut has called on students and alumni to end to the violence. Police searched the school grounds of the Uthenthawai campus of Rajamangala University of Technology after a video of students firing guns into the air went viral on Wednesday. Uthenthawai is one…
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Thailand’s Covid infections push through the 10,000 milestone again
Thailand has pushed over the 10,000 new Covid infections a day for the first time since October 18 last year. Over the past 5 weeks the daily reports have hovered mostly in the 7,000 – 8,000 infection range. 217 of yesterday’s number scame from overseas arrivals. There were also 21 Covid-related deaths reported in today’s statistics, whilst 88,463 people remain under…
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Chon Buri police report new amphetamine being trafficked in Thailand
Police in Chon Buri say they’ve come across an amphetamine pill they haven’t seen before. The new illicit drug, seized in the province’s Pan Thong district, appears to be coated with substances making it looks “shimmering and glossy”. The authorities are now warning people about the unknown substance as it may have serious and unpredictable effects on the body. The police’s…
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Mother of eye doctor killed at Bangkok zebra crossing calls for justice
Justice is being called on Thailand’s traffic laws system by the mother of the doctor who was fatally hit by a police officer’s Ducati while walking on a zebra crossing in Bangkok’s Phaya Thai area 2 weeks ago. A petition was sent to a parliamentary law committee yesterday. The appeal was addressed to the House law committee by the mother of…
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