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  • Can your Embassy protect you from the local police in Thailand?

    Can your Embassy protect you from the local police in Thailand?

    To what extent can your embassy save you from local authorities in a foreign country? How much power do they have and can you rely on them to protect you? Tim newton sits with Ben hart from Integrity Legal to answer all your questions in Part 2 of the role of embassies in a foreign country.

  • Have your rain poncho ready until Tuesday in Thailand!

    Have your rain poncho ready until Tuesday in Thailand!

    Get your 20 baht 7-11 rain poncho ready for the next 2 days! Thailand is expecting heavy rain showers to cover most of the country through until Tuesday. This news comes after monsoonal troughs have already spread through Phuket and the Andaman coast. Now, winds and precipitation are expected to pick up in the northern, north-eastern, central and eastern regions…

  • Why Investors Spend Millions on Virtual Real Estate

    Why Investors Spend Millions on Virtual Real Estate

    Designer furniture, floor-to-ceiling windows, sun terrace, infinity pool – a few weeks ago, the Mars House luxury estate was sold for more than half a million US dollars.  A bargain, one might think, given the rising prices on the real estate market. But the house does not exist physically, but purely digitally. You can only walk through it in augmented…

  • Thailand’s PM Prayut invites US to invest in supply chains

    Thailand’s PM Prayut invites US to invest in supply chains

    As part of his visit to the US, Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has attended the 2nd ASEAN-US Special Summit in Washington last week. Now, he is inviting the US to invest or set up supply chains in Thailand to fill gaps created by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. And not the least the ongoing disruption of China’s part in the supply chain…

  • Woman arrested in Chon Buri over alleged gambling scam

    Woman arrested in Chon Buri over alleged gambling scam

    A woman’s relaxing day at the beach in Chon Buri province has been postponed! Police have arrested a woman in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province on Friday for allegedly being involved in a Chinese gambling website. The report for an arrest warrant from the Rayong provincial court claims that the woman, 41 year old Daeng Chansingto, opened a…

  • Phuket tourism hopes for cash flow from the long weekend

    Phuket tourism hopes for cash flow from the long weekend

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket office, is hoping for cash to flow over this 4 day weekend (Friday was a public service holiday for Ploughing Day and tomorrow is the substitute holiday for today’s Visaka Bucha Day). TAT Phuket’s director, Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, said yesterday that the average hotel room occupancy rate is 44.5%, and it’s expected to jump to…

  • Romanian tourist dies after falling from Koh Samui waterfall

    Romanian tourist dies after falling from Koh Samui waterfall

    A young tourist has tragically perished in Koh Samui yesterday. The woman, 23 year old Romanian national Nane-Iosana Bodea, fell from Koh Samui’s Na Muang waterfall near the centre of the island, and hit her head on a rock. She reportedly had large wounds on the back of her head. There are numerous signs and internet articles warning people about…

  • Singaporeans rush to get passports as travel restrictions ease

    Singaporeans rush to get passports as travel restrictions ease

    After being trapped on their tiny island nation for the past 2 years since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, hordes of Singaporeans are rushing to get passports now that travel restrictions have eased, a lot. The country finally removed pre-departure testing requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from all countries last month. Local media reports long queues of people waiting for…

  • Up, up and away – the annual Thai rocket festivals are here! VIDEO

    Up, up and away – the annual Thai rocket festivals are here! VIDEO

    Look up! Rockets, made from cheap PVC plumbing pipe roaring into the skies, parades featuring cross dressers and phallic symbols, mud fests, all fuelled by rice wine and other local brews (many as potent as the whatever-it-is used to launch the rockets). Yes, it’s time for the annual Rocket Festival or Bun Bang Fai, held in May, mostly in Thailand’s…

  • Another Full Moon Party in southern Thailand coming up this LONG weekend

    Another Full Moon Party in southern Thailand coming up this LONG weekend

    Mark your calendars for another Full Moon Party in Thailand’s south, coming up this Monday, May 16. The Full Moon Party has historically been held on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani on the night of, before, or after every full moon, although it was cancelled for 2 years during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the party is coming up on…

  • Chon Buri man believed to have been killed by electric shock

    Chon Buri man believed to have been killed by electric shock

    An installation worker in the city district of Chon Buri province has been killed on the job yesterday when building a roof. The victim, 42 year old Yuttana Wanthayat, is believed to have been electrocuted when he stepped on a live power outlet on a wet floor. Officers from Chon Buri Police Station found Yuttana’s body facedown on the floor,…

  • Bangkok fire kills 2 women

    Bangkok fire kills 2 women

    A fire in Phra Nakhon district in central Bangkok has killed 2 women early this morning. The women tragically lost were 33 year old Saengsom Kotchakornkamut, and 75 year old Wararak wangsathitwong. Police believe Saengsom and Wararak died of suffocation, however their bodies were sent to a hospital for a post-mortem examination. The fire engulfed 2 buildings, each 3 storeys,…

  • University in Bangkok developing new gel to treat cancer

    University in Bangkok developing new gel to treat cancer

    A university in Bangkok is working on an exciting new potential cancer treatment. Mahidol University and Ramathibodi Hospital are collaborating to develop a biopolymer gel with a drug that can be directly injected into a brain tumour without affecting the surrounding area of the brain. This news comes after the two institutions have been collaborating on the potential treatment for…

  • Thaiger Weekend Update – Saturday, May 14 – VIDEO

    Thaiger Weekend Update – Saturday, May 14 – VIDEO

    The hot topics remain to be how and when the remaining restrictions are going to be removed, the fate of the Thailand Pass, getting Thailand’s nightlife open again (officially) and the things stopping travellers returning to Thailand at the moment. Throw your comments and questions at Tim as we travel on the good ship ‘Thailand’ for an hour. Good morning,…

  • South Korea to add 230 international flights to meet demand

    South Korea to add 230 international flights to meet demand

    As South Korea’s Covid-19 situation improves and several restrictions have been eased, the country also plans to add 230 international flights next month, to meet a jump in travel demands. South Korea has been known as a Covid hotspot earlier this year after being one of the World Health Organisation’s ‘postcard’ countries for controlling the virus in mid 2020. But…

  • UPDATE: CCTV footage of missing German tourist in Phuket

    UPDATE: CCTV footage of missing German tourist in Phuket

    THE LATEST The German tourist who went missing from a hotel in Phuket’s Thalang district on May 9 was last seen on CCTV footage, walking on a road in Mai Khao-subdistrict (far north on the west coast). The footage is reportedly from a hotel nearby. It has not yet been reported what date the footage is from, or which road…

  • Chon Buri thief snatches wheels reportedly worth 35,000 baht

    Chon Buri thief snatches wheels reportedly worth 35,000 baht

    A sneaky thief has stolen all 4 wheels off a factory worker’s truck in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri yesterday. The disheartened worker, 30 year old Wattana Sareetham, told The Pattaya News that the alloy wheels are worth 35,000 baht. He said he doesn’t have enough money to replace them, and therefore is crossing his fingers for police to catch…

  • Tourists pack Pattaya’s Koh Larn, hotels 100% occupied

    Tourists pack Pattaya’s Koh Larn, hotels 100% occupied

    Hotels on Koh Larn, and island off Pattaya, are 100% occupied today, according to a hotel operator there. The operator says that tourists who couldn’t find rooms had to return to the mainland after enjoying their day of fun. Thousands of tourists are crowding the island, marking the first night of the 4 day long weekend (public service holiday today…

  • Former soldier says he sleeps better at night since throwing shoe at Cambodian PM

    Former soldier says he sleeps better at night since throwing shoe at Cambodian PM

    A former Cambodian soldier threw a shoe at Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen in Washington, USA, on Wednesday. PM Hun Sen visited the US capital for the first time to attend the US – ASEAN summit. The shoe didn’t actually hit PM Hun Sen, but the former soldier is proud of his attempt nevertheless. “I feel so relieved and slept…

  • Islands in Krabi to temporarily close for restoration

    Islands in Krabi to temporarily close for restoration

    Following last week’s announcement that Krabi’s Maya Bay will close from August to September, other national park tourist attractions in the province also plan to temporarily close for restoration. The Mu Ko Lanta National Park has announced in a legal notice that several islands under its control will close from May 16 to October 14. The islands to close are…

  • Carnival in Pattaya coming up next week

    Carnival in Pattaya coming up next week

    A recreation centre called Wonder Space Pattaya is hosting a an event dubbed ‘The Carnival’ next week on Saturday, May 21. The carnival will feature a concert by Thai singer Singto Numchok, and of course, food and drinks. There will be a play zone for children, a circus parade, dog shows, and games. The event will start at 3pm, and…

  • First group of ‘official’ Burmese migrant workers enter Thailand to bolster labour market

    First group of ‘official’ Burmese migrant workers enter Thailand to bolster labour market

    Thailand’s PM and the Minister of Defence Prayut Chan-o-cha is asking all relevant departments to recruit migrant workers using the Memorandum of Understanding or MOU system. The PM has also directed the Ministry of Labour to “take care of each worker”, and ensure that Covid-19 prevention measures are adhered to. Today, the PM’s Spokesperson, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, told Thai media that…

  • Chiang Rai businessman gives away cash with a mini treasure hunt

    Chiang Rai businessman gives away cash with a mini treasure hunt

    A man in the northern province of Chiang Rai has been giving away money to locals in a make-shift mini treasure hunt. He’s posted videos on TikTok to show people where he has hidden the money, allowing locals to figure out the clues and find the money. He told Thai media that he wanted to help people and encourage tourists…

  • Government hospitals in Thailand allowed to prescribe cannabis oil for free

    Government hospitals in Thailand allowed to prescribe cannabis oil for free

    Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Health announced that 3 types of cannabis oil have been added to Thailand’s National List of Essential Medicines, or NLEM. Now that cannabis is listed as an “essential medicine”, government hospitals may freely prescribe cannabis extract oil to patients in selected circumstances, according to Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, or the GPO. The first type of…

  • Birds seized by police during drug raids auctioned off

    Birds seized by police during drug raids auctioned off

    Yesterday, birds seized by police during drug busts were auctioned off at an event held at Rajamangala University of Technology’s campus in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The stars of the show were 6 South American blue-and-yellow macaws which sold for over 500,000 baht collectively. The event marked the first ever official bird auction in Thailand. A total of…

  • More than 600 endangered or prohibited animals seized at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    More than 600 endangered or prohibited animals seized at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Wildlife officials and the Thai Customs Department have seized more than 600 endangered or prohibited animals at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The animals were delivered from a middle east country via Egypt Air. The information about the sender hasn’t been reported at this stage of the investigation. Yesterday, the Manager of the Wildlife Checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Yossathon Kongngen, told…

  • Big storm plunders homes in Patong

    Big storm plunders homes in Patong

    A storm of fierce rain and wind caused several large trees to fall down and plunder 3 houses in Patong on Phuket’s west coast yesterday. No injuries were reported, and staff from the local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office arrived to cut and remove the trees from the area. But photos by The Phuket Express revealed that the houses were…

  • Sleepy driver crashes into truck, rebounds into canal, doesn’t escape in time

    Sleepy driver crashes into truck, rebounds into canal, doesn’t escape in time

    A man died in a serious road accident in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, at around 6:30am this morning. Thought to be asleep at the wheel, he crashed into a 6 wheel truck, flinging his car into a canal. He didn’t escape the car in time and died at the scene. The truck driver tried to swerve the car, but…

  • Thailand’s public health officials proposing ‘Endemic Sandboxes’ to legally reopen nightlife

    Thailand’s public health officials proposing ‘Endemic Sandboxes’ to legally reopen nightlife

    Thailand is getting closer and closer to the endemic phase of its Covid response. Achingly slow but now with at least a proposal to be tabled at the next CCSA meeting. The Ministry of Public Health will propose ‘Endemic Sandboxes’ as a plan to allow entertainment venues to legally reopen in 3 tourist islands including Phuket, Koh Chang, and Koh…

  • Pattaya police announce ‘specialised’ patrol after several gold theft incidents

    Pattaya police announce ‘specialised’ patrol after several gold theft incidents

    In the wake of a string of gold theft incidents in Pattaya in the past month, a Pattaya police chief has announced that a ‘specialised’ police patrol force will be formed to monitor any inappropriate incidents in tourist areas, or crimes against tourists. This news comes after four separate occasions in Pattaya where Indian tourists reported thieves snatching their expensive…