News
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Thailand and UK sign ambitious bilateral trade deal
Thai Deputy PM and Minister of Commerce, Jurin Laksanawisit, met UK Minister of State for Trade Policy, Penny Mordaunt, in London yesterday to explore ways of increasing bilateral trade and committing to an ambitious trading relationship. The 2 politicians concluded business at the UK-Thailand Joint Economic and Trade Committee by signing a programme of work, including Government-to-Government and Government-to-Business activity,…
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Getting rid of masks and revised closing times in Thailand – waiting for official rubber stamp
Whilst we might be rid of the Thailand Pass on July 1, there appears to be an administrative delay to the changes in mask requirements and changes to the closing times. In clarifying new face mask guidelines, Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesperson for CCSA says that all 77 provinces in Thailand would be redesignated as green zones. Previously there were…
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Weather wreaks havoc on Pattaya
Heavy rain, wind, and floods have wreaked havoc on Pattaya yesterday. Areas with serious flooding and damage included South Pattaya, Central Pattaya, Soi Siam Country Club Pattaya, Soi Buakhao, and Pattaya Third Road. Glass panels knocked out by fierce winds fell from buildings onto several cars in Central Pattaya. Meanwhile, several roads including Sukhumvit Road were under water, disrupting traffic.…
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BEAM me up! App-based electric scooters come to Phuket
by John Magee What costs 200 baht in a taxi but 30 baht on a BEAM? Chances are that you’ve seen these little purple scooters BEAMing around Phuket, particularly in the Laguna area, Patong, and Phuket Town. Indeed, they are appearing in growing numbers not only in Thailand but also, for starters, in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey, and…
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Thailand offers 5-year income tax exemption for foreign actors
The cabinet approved a 5-year personal income tax exemption for foreign film stars who earn income from foreign movies shot in Thailand. The government revealed they wanted to attract more film crews and expected the movie industry to generate about 17.5 billion baht over those 5 years. The PM’s Deputy Spokesperson, Ratchada Thanadirek, says that the government wants to encourage…
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Japanese restaurant owner makes slippery getaway
The owner of a popular Japanese buffet restaurant, Daruma Sushi, made a slippery getaway from Thailand last week leaving a trail of chaos behind and complaints from over 500 people. A number of those people had lodged fraudulent complaints against the owner with the police and the consumer protection agency. The owner disappeared a day before he closed all 27…
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Novices caught smoking cannabis kicked out of Thailand’s monkhood
A group of novice Buddhist monks were kicked out of the monkhood yesterday after they were caught smoking cannabis from a bong at a famous temple in Buriram province in northeast Thailand. The young men – who had been ordained for a total of 4 days – were taking part in a drug addiction programme jointly run by Thailand’s Buddhist…
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Thailand’s private bus sector threatens to axe services by 80%
Thailand’s private bus companies have threatened to axe services by up to 80% if the government does not allow them to raise fare prices in line with rising fuel costs. Twenty-seven of the nation’s private coach enterprises promised they will run a skeleton service of only 20% from July 1 unless the government allowed them to raise fares by 0.59…
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Government launch mental health app to combat depression
A mental health evaluation app by the Department of Mental Health, and collaborators, has been developed to identify the early signs of depression. The app can be downloaded to your smartphone as part of the Mor Prom application. In Thailand, more than 1.5 million people suffer from depression, with over 4,000 cases of suicide every year. Another 53,000 people have…
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Jealous policeman murders wife and daughter before committing suicide
A police lieutenant driven by a jealous rage murdered his wife and teenage daughter before committing suicide. Officers from Tung Kru Police Station were called to a resident’s home, in Soi Pracha Uthit 54 in Bangkok, yesterday morning and found the body of 57 year old Pongsakorn Thawekaew and his 39 year old wife, Benjawan Wuttisarn, in one bedroom, and…
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Why your flights are getting more expensive, not cheaper
There’s a short-term situation and a longer-term evolution that will make your flights more expensive than they were in the past. If we briefly look back at the past 65 years of world aviation, there has been a slow, incremental decrease in passenger seat prices on flights. That was until the start of 2020. For the modern era (despite the…
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New passenger terminal and driverless trains at Suvarnabhumi will be ready next year
The Airport of Thailand announced that the new passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok will be ready for use by April 2023. The Automated People Mover train, which will be the nation’s first driverless electric train used in Thai airports, will be available for passengers to travel between each terminal at the same time too. The President of the…
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Thai Army lifts ban on Lazada to help country boost economy
The Royal Thai Army has lifted a boycott of the e-commerce platform Lazada. The company, owned by the Alibaba Group, was banned from delivering parcels to military premises all over the country for 42 days because of an offensive advert that insulted the Thai Royal Family, and disabled people. Last month Lazada goods were banned from entering Royal Thai Army…
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Thai police given new power to arrest fine-avoiding motorists
A new regulation has given power to the Royal Thai Police to arrest people who fail to pay their driving penalties on time. Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, says if motorists do not pay their fines, a warrant for their arrest will be filed. If a motorist receives a ticket, either in person…
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Thailand No.3 in the global electronic payment hit parade
A new study by ACI Worldwide, Global Data, and the Centre for Economics and Business Research, revealed Thailand is in the world’s top 3 nations in terms of electronic payment transactions. Thailand last year recorded 9.7 billion real-time electronic payment transactions, putting it in 3rd position globally after India (48.6 billion times) and China (18.5 billion times). Deputy government spokesperson…
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Thai PM to keep ‘special law’ despite opposition
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday dismissed accusations the nation’s emergency decree is only in place to control the anti-government protestors. Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome on Sunday demanded the PM lift the special law, claiming it is only being used to take legal action against protesters rather than curbing the spread of the Covid-19. Rangsiman says the government had eased…
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BMTA bus driver uses umbrella to keep rain out of his cab
A bus driver has embarrassed his bosses at Bangkok Mass Transit Authority by driving his vehicle while holding an umbrella over his head to keep the rain off. The bus driver uploaded the picture of himself on Facebook to show his bosses the old bus he drives desperately requires some much-needed maintenance. Unsurprisingly the post went viral. The picture was…
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Cathay Pacific plants 999 mangrove trees in Thailand
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific has planted 999 mangrove trees in the Khlong Khon Mangrove Forest in Samut Songkram, central Thailand as part of its “1 Ticket, 1 Tree” initiative. The airline launched the initiative last year, committing to planting 1 tree for every plane ticket bought in a one-month period. About 50 volunteers, including Cathay Pacific staff and…
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Airline passengers to reach 83% of pre-pandemic figures in 2023
The International Air Transport Association is confident global airline passenger numbers will reach 83% of pre-pandemic figures in 2023, and the aviation industry’s recovery to profitability will be “within grasp” next year despite ongoing uncertainties. The Covid-19 outbreak caused chaos in the aviation industry, with passenger numbers falling by 60% in 2020 and 50% in 2021. Over the course of…
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Macaques test negative for monkeypox in southern Thailand
Veterinarians from the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department revealed there have been no traces of monkeypox found during a neutering project of wild macaques in Prachuap Khiri Khan, in southern Thailand. The neutering campaign to control the population of wild macaques began on June 1. The goal of capturing 600 macaques, roaming the hills of Khao Ta Kiap…
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Thai government to launch info about privacy laws to help small business
The government is to launch 8 law declarations before the end of the month regarding the Personal Data Protection Act, especially aimed at helping small and medium size enterprises. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha assigned the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and relevant departments, to help the nation’s SMEs understand the PDPA because it’s new to Thailand. The PDPA was officially…
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Canadian woman killed by a truck in Kanchanaburi
A truck driver has been charged with negligent driving after allegedly killing a Canadian cyclist on Saturday. Pickup truck driver Chaiwat Chutoh hit Marnie Scott while she was out cycling with her husband, Joseph, on a bypass in Muang, a district in central Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province. The mother of two was killed instantly while trying to change lanes to do…
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Chadchart’s plan to complete a cable project started in 1984
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed a plan to complete a project to rid the metropolis of its eyesore cables that was first started in 1984. Chadchart revealed a 2-part plan to finish the 38 year old project to remove the city’s messy power cables, replace them with new, and bury them beneath the ground. The 56 year old governor yesterday…
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Cannabis use is banned on Thai university campuses
The use of cannabis for recreation and cannabis-infused foods and beverages have been banned on the campuses of universities and agencies in Thailand announced the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation. MHESI Minister Anek Laothamatas signed a statement aimed at restricting the use of cannabis in those facilities with immediate effect. The tertiary education rollback is just the…
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A Cat Gave Me Covid: Vet in Thailand “first in the world” to catch Covid-19 from a cat
A cat sneezed in a veterinarian’s face and gave her Covid-19, according to a recent study conducted by Songkhla University in southern Thailand. Worldwide, no other cat-to-human cases have been reported. The case study reports that a father and son from Bangkok tested positive for Covid-19 back in August last year, but because there were no hospital beds available in…
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Bangkok police hoodwinked by crafty anti-government protestors
Crafty anti-government protestors hoodwinked police into thinking they were holding a “car mob” rally at the Democracy Monument while they gathered to demonstrate instead at Victory Monument, some 6 kilometres away and a 20 minute drive. Knowing police watch their every move on social media, dissident groups Lai Lung Tu (Prayut Get Out) and Kon Daeng Patiwat (Red Shirt Revolution),…
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Russia-Ukraine conflict excuse for energy hike
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to be the excuse by utilities suppliers to raise energy prices. The Energy Regulatory Commission today announced the power tariff would increase to a record high of 4.4 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit) between September and December meaning Thai residents face higher bills. The ERC says the higher power tariff, which is made up…
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Siam Piwat welcomes world’s women leaders at Global Summit of Women 2022
Press Release Thailand is hosting the 32nd Global Summit of Women 2022, or the world’s major international forum for the world’s women leaders, during June 23-25, 2022. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the country’s readiness and capabilities to host an international-standard forum and the potential to become a “Global Destination” for international convention and tourism following the recovery of the…
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