PHOTOS: khaosod.co.th

A female DJ has been charged over the killing of 27 stray cats at her home in Thon Buri, according to Khao Sod, a Thai online news portal.

According to the police investigation, Miss Wararat Krasae, better known as ‘DJ Sun’, picked up stray cats found on the streets into her home before killing them.

The arrest followed several complaints from a group of cat lovers who claimed that the suspect had killed 27 cats and posted video clips online. She was selling access to the videos on an ‘underground’ website in exchange for bitcoin payment, according to the police report.

SOURCE: khaosod.co.th

Thailand’s rainy season might be bad for the country’s beach hot spots but is typically associated with travel to the western regions of the country, where nature becomes its most beautiful during the period.

New data from Hotels.com reveals a 26% jump in searches among Thai travellers for accommodation in the Western region over the past 12 months. The data shows the strengthening of tourism to Thailand’s second tier destinations as an alternative to the traditional tourist magnets.

According to search data from Hotels.com, local searches for hotels located in Thailand’s western region, including Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Tak and Prachuap Khiri Khan, soared 26% during May to September 2019, compared with the same period last year.

The most desired province for Thai tourists in the Western region this year during the rainy season is Ratchaburi – which experienced an 83% rise in searches for overnight accommodation in 2019. Other Western provinces experiencing an increase in search volume included Phetchaburi (31%), Tak (19%) and Prachuap Khiri Khan (18%).

According to Jessica Chuang, the Hotels.com regional marketing director for Greater China, Southeast Asia and India, travellers are now staying in hotels they never knew existed, off the well-beaten tourist tracks of Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

“The data indicates a positive, upward trend in travel to Thailand’s Western region, especially during the rainy season.”

Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says he is confident Thailand’s gross domestic product will pick up in the fourth quarter as a result of the launch of 316 billion baht economic stimulus package from the Thai government.

He claims the new rice price guarantee scheme will also assist the agricultural sector.

The Cabinet approved the new packages at its Tuesday meeting. The National Rice Policy Committee approved a budget of 21 billion baht to guarantee the price of rice harvested in 2019 and 2020 the following day.

Somkid recently held a meeting with the Bank of Thailand and Finance Ministry to discuss a plan to set up a joint committee to steer the Thai economy.

Meanwhile, Standard Chartered Bank has downgraded its 2019 GDP growth forecast for Thailand to 3% from 3.3%. The bank expects growth in the second half to improve from a weak 2.6% in the first half.

According to the National Economic and Social Development Council, the country’s GDP expanded 2.3 per cent in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter’s growth of 2.8 per cent.

According to the Finance Ministry, the country’s debt level in the next five years is expected to be 46.73%, while the GDP next year is expected to expand by 3.5%, then 3.6% in 2021, 3.8% in 2022 and 4% in 2023.

SOURCE: The Nation