News
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Kasikornbank bank buys 67% of Indonesian bank, Bank Maspion
One of Thailand’s premier banks, Kasikornbank, has purchased majority shareholding in Indonesian bank, Bank Maspion, for US$220 million. The agreement should be completed by the end of the year, with Kbank owning 67.5% of Maspion shares. Two years ago, rival competitor Bangkok Bank splashed almost US$2.3 billion baht in an Indonesian bank, Bank Permata. Following a plan to spend US$20…
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12 people exposed to monkeypox at BKK show no signs of symptoms
Twelve travellers to Thailand are under watch after coming into close contact with a passenger who was later detected with monkeypox. But none of them have shown any signs of symptoms. The 12 people, a mix of passengers and flight attendants, were with the infected person for 2 hours in transit, after the traveller’s flight from Europe stopped at BKK…
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Bangkok’s Bang Khun Tien district offers free sanitary pads to students
The Bang Khun Tien District Office, near the mouth of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river, has given away 20,000 sanitary pads to female students in 16 public schools, in line with the policies promised by the incoming Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittphun. Last Sunday, the Director of the Bang Khun Tien District Office, Pongjakarin Thawonpong, told the media that the district office…
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4 year old drowns in pool at Chon Buri villa
Yesterday, a 4 year old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a villa in Suthathip district in the eastern province of Chon Buri. Rescue workers from Rojanathamsathan Rescue Unit rushed to the scene at 8:30pm yesterday but sadly couldn’t save 4 year old Falah Senluang. Falah’s family told police they had travelled to the two-story villa from Samut Prakan…
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Animal imports restricted until monkeypox measures implemented
The screening of wildlife imports has been made a priority in Thailand as cases of the monkeypox virus continues to increase throughout the world. The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department today revealed they have introduced severe measures to closely monitor any wildlife entering the country in a bid to prevent monkeypox coming into Thailand. The government agency also…
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Chadchart’s commitment to purging the metropolis of corruption
Newly elected governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed he plans to stamp out corruption as part of his flagship “Bangkok’s Nine Good” policy. Corruption in Thailand has been a national issue for decades. The kingdom is ranked 110th out of 180 countries evaluated in Transparency International‘s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index. The index examines public sector corruption, countries whose public sectors are perceived to be…
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UPDATE: Compensation promised after teenage passenger killed in police chase
Following last week’s report of a teenager who was killed after the motorbike she was a passenger on crashed into a police pickup, the police officers have now promised to pay compensation to the victim’s family. No charges have been filed against the police at this stage as the case is still under investigation. On May 27, a car accident…
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Chon Buri gunman shoots 3 people “because he was slapped in the face”
A man shot three people, killing two and seriously injuring another in Ban Bueng district in the eastern province of Chon Buri on Saturday night. The gunman said he was drinking alone outside a convenience store when a group of men drinking around a nearby table criticised his personality. He said one of the men slapped him in the face,…
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PM Prayut’s 3 trillion baht budget slammed ‘pointless’ by MFP leader
Opposition Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat has slammed PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s spending plans ahead of tomorrow’s budget bill as “pointless.” PM Prayut will defend the government’s 3.2-trillion-baht 2023 budget bill in a three-day House debate starting tomorrow, explain why the sum is so large and his spending plans for the fiscal year. But the MFP leader landed the first…
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Thai woman allegedly murdered in Oman after being thrown from 4th floor of condo
A Thai woman is claiming that her Omani husband murdered her Thai friend. She claims her friend was thrown from the 4th floor of a condominium in Oman after fighting with her husband. Last Friday, the Facebook user Pawarisa Oil posted a sympathy message to her friend, saying that her friend was thrown from a building in Oman. Pawarisa said…
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Buddhism Office says Thai Buddhists shouldn’t judge monks’ behaviour
The director of the National Buddhism Office says it’s not for Thai Buddhists to judge the behaviour of monks, which should be left to Buddhist councils. Instead, Thai Buddhists should continue to respect monks and refrain from judging them for their misdeeds. According to a Pattaya News report, Sippaworn Kaewngam says respect for Buddhist monks is a key component of…
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Victoria’s Secret gives laid off Thai garment workers $8.3 million in compensation
Lingerie company Victoria’s Secret has given a ‘wage theft’ payment of 8.3 million USD to 1,250 laid off Thai garment workers, who have been fighting for severance payments for over a year since their factory in Samut Prakan, central Thailand, went bankrupt and closed down in March 2021. Some workers received the equivalent of more than four years wages under…
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Thai government expects 1 million tourists per month by the end of the year
The Thai government has refuted the opposition’s claim that it is ignoring the plight of the country’s tourism sector. According to a Nation Thailand report, spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the government’s decision to cancel Test & Go has revived the tourism industry, with around 20,000 foreign arrivals now entering the kingdom each day. Thanakorn adds that if this trend continues,…
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Health ministry advises at-risk groups to self-monitor for monkeypox infection
Health officials in Thailand say that while no cases of the monkeypox virus have been detected in the kingdom, at-risk groups should remain vigilant. The Department of Disease Control reports that a patient, with a suspected case of monkeypox, recently tested negative. DDC chief Dr Opas Karnkawinpong says the patient was found to be infected with the herpes simplex virus…
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Bangkok nightlife venues frustrated with June 1 re-opening rules
The owners of bars, clubs, and other nightlife venues in Bangkok have expressed frustration with conditions governing the June 1 re-opening. From Wednesday, such businesses can re-open, provided they are located in the 31 blue or green zones, adhere to disease prevention measures, and close by midnight. It’s the midnight closure that most are finding frustrating, with several business owners…
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After Songkhla storm, tree falls and kills man
Thailand’s monsoon season was fatal for one man in the southern province of Songkhla during the early hours of this morning. After a heavy rainstorm, a large tree crashed down on a house in Sadao district, crushing the man to death. The man is identified as 56 year old Chat, who worked as a driver for a temple. His house…
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Now there’s a Pepsi price surge coming to Thailand, too
Amidst Thailand’s skyrocketing prices on fuel, postal services, and palm oil, another item’s price is set to go up- Pepsi. Suntory Pepsico (Thailand) Beverage announced today that Pepsi’s price will rise by up to 2 baht per bottle starting June 1, now that the cost of plastic bottles and aluminium cans has risen. The company noted, however, that the price…
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Thailand’s annual silk fair in Bangkok helps with ‘soft power’ scheme
The word ‘soft power’ has exploded into Thailand’s lexicon ever since young rapper ‘Milli’ promoted the country’s signature sticky rice and mango dish last month. In its soft power scheme, Thai authorities aim to promote the ‘5 Fs’ to the rest of the world. The 5 Fs are: food, films, fashion, fighting, and festivals. Now, Thai authorities say they will…
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Pattaya tourist says security guards beat him “bloody” near Walking Street
A Pattaya tourist says security guards beat him bloody over a near collision when he was driving near the city’s famous Walking Street in the early hours of this morning. The tourist, an unnamed 31 year old Indian national, said he almost collided with a group of security guards who were standing in front of a venue on Soi 16.…
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Thailand’s DDC stops reporting positive ATK results
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has stopped reporting Covid-19 infections with ATK tests. A spokesperson for the CCSA said that tomorrow, another proposal for changes in Covid-19 reporting will be submitted to the meeting of the Public Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre. The proposal states that, starting June 1, the DDC will only report cases that require hospitalisation. The spokesperson, Dr.…
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Thailand tourism, innovate or die – OPINION
Red flags are flying in Thai tourism circles as the expected wave of international travellers is failing to materialise in the expected numbers. With the post-April 1 and Songkran ‘surge’ out of the way, the daily arrivals have been ‘flat’. So the TAT say they’re pivoting their marketing to short-haul tourism as the long-haul markets and traditional travellers to Thailand…
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Storms rip through areas of Phuket, including food festival
Even the weather is conspiring against Thailand’s tourism recovery. As the annual monsoon season settles in, areas of Phuket have been damaged by storms yesterday, overnight, and into today. A series of wind squalls, preceding heavy rain, hit parts of the tourist island. One of the spots hit by some sudden wind blasts yesterday was the Kata Karon Food Festival…
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Passengers missing after boat capsizes off Indonesian island
A motorboat capsized off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island after leaving the island on Thursday night. The boat was reported missing the next day when it didn’t show up at its destination, according to local media. The South Sulawesi search and rescue agency chief Djunaidi confirmed today that the boat has sunk in the search area. Of the 43 people who were…
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Anutin says suspected monkeypox cases in Thailand were herpes
Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin announced yesterday that suspected monkeypox cases in Thailand turned out to be herpes. The suspected cases were from travellers coming from countries where monkeypox cases have been reported. Anutin said there are so far no confirmed cases of monkeypox in Thailand. Some of the herpes viruses can also present with similar symptoms, including the lesions…
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Thailand’s nightlife can officially open from Wednesday but this will be too late for many businesses
Warnings yesterday from the Thai government health officials as they urge business operators of Thailand’s nightlife – bars, karaoke bars, clubs and the larger massage premises – to “follow strict precautions” against Covid when they re-open next month. That’s next Wednesday. We’ll get back to the absurdity of that warning a bit later. 31 Thai provinces, 14 now reclassified as…
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10 Thailand-Laos bus routes starting June 15
Starting next month, bus travel enthusiasts in Thailand will have 10 bus route options options in Laos. One of the Thailand-Laos bus routes began earlier this month, from Mukdahan to Savannakhet. Now, the president of Transport Co Ltd, Sanyalux Panwattanalikit, has listed 9 new Thailand-Laos routes starting June 15. The new routes will be: Nong Khai to Vientiane, Udon Thani…
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Burning rage: Chon Buri woman allegedly burns down boyfriend’s friend’s house
A Chon Buri woman has allegedly burned down her boyfriend’s friend’s house because she was enraged that she couldn’t find her boyfriend. The incident happened between Thursday night and Friday morning, in Bang Lamung district. The house owner, 33 year old Parichat Yongpanya, told The Pattaya News she and her 2 daughters were sleeping in the house, when the woman came in…
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Prosecutors to delay indictments of suspects in Thailand’s Tangmo case
Prosecutors are delaying the indictment of the 6 suspects facing charges in the now infamous drowning of Thai actress Nida Patcharaveerapong, or ‘Tangmo’, until the end of June. Tangmo’s body was found in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river in February after she had been on a boat trip with 5 of the suspects. The details the suspects provided on how Tangmo…
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Almost 200 cases of monkeypox reported across the globe, according to WHO
After an outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection similar to smallpox, began last week, almost 200 cases have been reported across more than 20 countries, according to the World Health Organisation. The Associated Press noted that this number seems likely an undercount, though. Meanwhile, various health professionals and officials continue to dispute the cause of the virus. Doctors in the UK,…
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Smoking cannabis recreationally is still illegal, warns Department of Public Health
Cannabis smoke is a “public nuisance” and smoking it recreationally – at home or in public – is illegal, warns Thailand’s Department of Public Health. From June 9, growing cannabis plants at home will become legal, but smoking cannabis recreationally will remain a punishable offence. The only prerequisite to legally growing cannabis at home, from June 9, is downloading and…
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