Search Results for: lion
- Technology News
True to introduce 5G with help from China Mobile
Kittinut Tikawan, president of Thai communication giant True Corporation, says True Move H Universal Communication plans a soft launch of 5G wireless broadband in Thailand within 2-3 months, through close collaboration with China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator. 5G mobile communications will allow virtually ‘instant’ delivery of video and services with remarkable leaps in speeds, at least 10-fold. The…
- Health
New Wellness venture in Thailand, Singapore multi-national teams up with Anantara Hotel Group
Verita Healthcare Group, a Singapore-based multinational company, just announced their collaboration with Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas. The two groups team up to provide a global network of coordinated and property-based wellness centers. As a result of modern lifestyle habits, the levels of chronic disease is increasing and the population is aging. This leads to a rapidly growing demand for…
- Tourism News
Thai Airways must modify rehabilitation plan to survive: Airline President
PHOTO: gta5-mods.com “Thai Airways will have to modify its rehabilitation plans to survive in the face of tight competition.” This frank admission by the airline’s president Sumet Damrongchaith. The national carrier is now carrying a total debt of over 2.45 billion baht and losses of more than 20 billion, despite being able to reduce its debts by 48 billion baht…
- World News
The K-pop Olympics: performers battle in the K-pop festival
by Claire Lee On the streets, in parks and garages, seven Cuban youngsters spent seven months practising K-pop moves to secure a spot on their dream stage: an appearance in South Korea to imitate their idols. 13 final teams from 80 countries are competing in the 2019 event. At the grandly titled and government-funded Changwon K-pop World Festival contestants from…
- Economy News
TAT says ‘all go’ for tourism discount campaign
PHOTO: Thailand Shopping and Dining Paradise The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s governor says that the TAT will introduce two domestic tourism promotional measures – a 100 baht nationwide tourism campaign, and “shocking-price weekday” discounts. The 100 baht campaign will offer some 40,000 products and services at only 100 baht each. Registration is required and will be open on November 11-12…
- Pattaya News
Torrential rains again wash away parts of Pattaya Beach, more on the way
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News Heavy rains have caused flooding and beach erosion on Pattaya’s recently reclaimed beach yesterday afternoon. The torrential rain continued for many hours around Central Pattaya. Heavy rains are also expected again today (forecast below). Many areas ended up flooded causing local traffic hazards and delays. Water flooded down storm drains and onto Pattaya’s beaches and into…
- Transport News
Thai High Speed Railway linking airports now to be signed off on October 25
The State Railway of Thailand and the Charoen Pokphand Group-led consortium are putting pen to paper and signing the contract for the high-speed train project on October 25. The much-discussed high speed railway will link Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and U-Tapao international airports. The new SRT board was approved by the Thai cabinet today. Deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul says he is…
- Tourism News
The world’s fastest growing tourist destinations
PHOTO: Hello Phuket – destined for huge tourist growth in the next six years – fodors.com In 2018, international tourist arrival traffic grew by 6% to reach a total of 1.4 billion world tourists, according to research by UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. And there’s a lot more to come with international travel predicted to increase by a massive 35% over the…
- Health
21% of Thai teenagers are gambling
PHOTO: Gambling, local style, Rai Et, north-east Thailand – Pinterest Early in October the Thai Health Promotion Foundation met to discuss the gambling situation in Thailand in 2019. Also present were the Centre for Gambling Studies, Stop Gambling Foundation and related groups. The meeting was set up after a report revealed that more than half (57%) of the Thai population,…
- Environment News
New controls on three toxic agri-chemicals take effect on October 20
A number of ministers and officials are vowing to continue pushing for a ban on three controversial agri-chemicals – Paraquat, Glyphosate and Chlorpyrifos – all still widely used in Thai agriculture. Meanwhile, strict measures on using the three chemicals, announced on April 5 and set take effect on October 20, have brought cheers from consumers and NGOs but protests from…
- Bangkok News
Festival of lights will decorate 13 Bangkok bridges until October 25
PHOTO: TakeMeTour Thirteen bridges over Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, as it snakes its way through the metropolitan areas, will be lit up in a festival that runs through to October 25. The Department of Rural Roads is decorating Rama III, Rama IV, Rama V, Rama VII, Maha Jesadabordinthanuson, Somdet Phra Pinklao, Phra Phuttha Yodfa, Phra Pok Klao, The King Taksin…
- Economy News
“Eat, Shop, Spend” drive reaches registration target
Ten million people signed up for the first Eat, Shop, Spend stimulus campaign since its launch on September 23. The organisers have expressed thanks to all who have participated. The first phase of the campaign aimed to boost domestic spending by offering 10 million people a 1,000 baht voucher via the G-Wallet mobile application to spend in specific shops, outside…
- Hua Hin News
Tale of two cities – Hua Hin vs Pattaya
by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun Property buyers looking to buy a seaside villa or condo in a coastal town in Thailand, relatively close to Bangkok, confront one question – should I buy a property in Hua Hin or Pattaya? And rightly so, because these two choices have similar aspects. Both have kilometres of coastline, good beaches, and are just a couple of…
- Economy News
Thailand’s growth forecasts for the rest of 2019 slashed again
Following their most recent meeting, the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking has announced Thailand’s economic growth this year has been revised downward to between 2.7 – 3.0% from the previous projection of 2.9 – 3.3%. It has also revised down its prediction of this year’s exports to between minus 2 – 0%. The committee says the revised…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Typhoon Hagibis kills 11 in Japan, rescue underway with up to 100 missing
“Hagibis smashed into the main Japanese island of Honshu around 7pm Saturday as one of the most violent typhoons in recent years, with wind gusts of up to 216 kilometres per hour (134 miles per hour).” by Hiroshi Hiyama and Natsuko Fukue Japan’s military is racing to help people trapped by flooding after powerful Typhoon Hagibis as it ripped across…
- Thailand Weather Updates
‘Unprecedented’ Typhoon Hagibis slams into Japan
Powerful typhoon Hagibis has made landfall in Japan as torrential rain and winds have already lashed the country causing floods and mudslides. “The eye of Typhoon Hagibis made landfall shortly before 19:00 (1000 GMT) in Izu Peninsula”, southwest of Tokyo, said the Japan Meteorological Agency. Powerful Typhoon Hagibis roared towards Japan’s coast on Saturday, killing one person and bringing “unprecedented”…
- Tourism News
Thai government introduces new measures to improve tourism
Proposed measures to improve tourism in Thailand have been approved in principle by the council of the economic ministers. The steps, proposed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry, are expected to be put in place before the end of 2019 and will mean an increase in the number of places and agents offering a VAT refund service to visitors to…
- Property
Stricter controls and paperwork putting brakes on residential property market
The honorary president of the Thai Housing Business Association, Atip Bijanonda, is tipping the local residential market may fall by up to 10% this year starved of economic confidence, the global economic slowdown and the loan-to-value limits. But he also believes the situation is far from the situation leading up to the 1997 economic collapse. The Greater Bangkok residential market…
- Business News
Thai Airways under pressure to deliver workable business plan
Thai Airways is coming under more pressure, after being given 30 days to deliver its new rehabilitation and business plans. Thaworn Senniam, the Deputy Transport Minister, gave the instruction yesterday while meeting with the executive of the national carrier for an update on its financial status. He says the business plan must provide clear information on how the fortunes of…
- World News
Trade talks resume between China and US but hopes fade
Expectations are low as trade talks between China and the US resume today. US President Donald Trump has taken an aggressive stance with China and says he will decide the outcome of the talks. “They want to make a deal. The question is do I want to make a deal.” With $250 billion worth of Chinese imports facing an increase…
- World News
BTS first foreign artists to perform solo concert in Saudi Arabia tonight
PHOTO: BTS performing in front of 60,000 fans during their “Love Yourself” tour in Hong Kong – SCMP No band has ever commanded a concert stage, alone, in Saudi Arabia. Remarkable but true. But South Korea’s BTS is breaking down yet another barrier with tonight’s stadium concert in the Kingdom. Aside from being their first ever concert in Saudi Arabia,…
- Tourism News
Chiang Mai hotels face a quiet end to 2019
PHOTO: Spice Roads Chiang Mai hotels are bracing for a quiet end to 2019, along with other Thai tourist hotspots, due to the strength of the baht, an over-supply of rooms and the growing popularity of home-sharing accommodations like Airbnb. Hoteliers in the northern city are also suffering the fall-out from the smoke haze crisis earlier in the year which…
- Travel
Study shows Phuket has highest number of tourists per square mile
PHOTO: Bao Menglong (Unsplash.com) A study published by Travel Daily News reveals that Phuket has the highest number of tourists per square mile, with 5,090. The research was carried out by Columbus Direct, who examined visitor numbers in the world’s most popular places. With over 9 million visitors a year, Thailand’s largest island has ten times more tourists per square…
- Tourism News
Pattaya getting set for the Indian era – OPINION
by Dan Cheeseman I was a bit taken back by posters across the social networks where I shared the post that simply would not accept the Indians were bringing any value to Pattaya. Claiming Thailand would regret squeezing out the Western market and turning to the Chinese and Indians. It came across as sour grapes to me and also a…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai Zoo announces results of the inquiry into celebrity panda’s death
PHOTO: SCMP – Original story written by Kay Johnson Chiang Mai Zoo have announced the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death of celebrity panda Chuang Chuang. They announced the cause was heart failure. Special ‘panda vets’ from China flew into Chiang Mai last month to assist with the investigation into the death of the much-loved Panda who…
- Technology News
Samsung Electronics flags 56% fall in third quarter profits
“Samsung took advantage of the US trade ban against Chinese rival Huawei.” PHOTO: CNBC Samsung Electronics says it expects operating profits to drop more than 50% in Q3 amid a continued slump in the global chip market. Operating profits for July to September was expected to reach 7.7 trillion won (US$6.4 billion), down 56.2% from a year earlier – this from…
- Health
57% of Thais gamble – new report
The Thai Health Promotion Foundation has hosted a meeting today to discuss the gambling situation in Thailand in 2019, as a report indicating that a whopping 30.42 million Thais, or 57% of the population, gamble. The meeting was also represented by the Centre for Gambling Studies, Stop Gambling Foundation and related associations. The director-general of the Centre for Gambling Studies,…
- World News
Second Trump whistleblower comes forward with “first-hand information”
“Biden wrote in The Washington Post that Trump was “frantically pushing flat-out lies, debunked conspiracy theories and smears against me and my family, no doubt hoping to undermine my candidacy.” MONTAGE: Wall Street Journal A second whistleblower has come forward, this one with first-hand information about events that triggered an impeachment investigation into US President Donald Trump. The original whistleblower…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s changing tourist demographic – the Indians
Take a walk around the markets of Pratunam in downtown Bangkok and you’ll soon discover there’s a new type of tourist in town. For years, Thailand’s tourism scene was dominated by Chinese visitors, with 10.5 million in 2018 alone, accounting for about 28% of total foreign arrivals. It still is. But after the tour boat Phoenix, carrying mostly Chinese tourists, sank off…
- Economy News
Chim-Shop-Chai stimulus scheme set for a second roll-out
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is hinting the government may launch a second phase of the “Chim-Shop-Chai” (Eat-Shop-Spend) scheme. He says he’s waiting for officials to complete an assessment of the first phase and its ability to boost the sluggish economy. Chim-Shop-Chai was a raging success. Up to one million Thais were able to register each 24 hours to apply for…
