Search Results for: lion

  • Business NewsGoodbye e-commerce, hello ‘new retail’

    Goodbye e-commerce, hello ‘new retail’

    PHOTOS: Alibaba Group Our lifestyles are quickly evolving as the digital age kills off the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ inexorably creeps in to our daily life. Goodby Kodak and Polaroid – hello smartphone cameras and Facebook. Goodbye newspapers – hello instant news websites, blogs and live-streaming. The same is happening to retail as the shopfront moves to websites and screens…

  • Travel“Phuket, a little piece of paradise” – US News & World Report

    “Phuket, a little piece of paradise” – US News & World Report

    PHOTO: thailandtravel.agency Whilst the annual south-west monsoon continues to kick up dangerous surf along its west coast, the southern island of Thailand has picked up another award. The island has been named the ‘Second Best Beach in the World’ by business publication US News & World Report. Phuket beat Maui, Kauai and Costa Rica in the world standings, according to the…

  • Bangkok NewsBMA backs down to allow Khaosan traders, sort of…

    BMA backs down to allow Khaosan traders, sort of…

    by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun “From around 9pm to 3am, backpackers use Khaosan as “party central”, rather than a shopping fair. Electronic dance beats can be heard blaring from clubs and bars.” There’s been a back down in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday after vendors from Khaosan Road convinced a committee that their stalls, whilst illegal in the past, were a huge…

  • World NewsBoracay closure dents Philippine’s economic numbers

    Boracay closure dents Philippine’s economic numbers

    PHOTO: Wikipedia The Philippine’s economy has slowed in Q2 2018, this year’s second quarter, and fell well short of predictions. Some are blaming policy decisions including the shutdown of tourist magnet Boracay Island. The quarter’s 6% expansion was the weakest in three years and ends a run of 10 consecutive quarters where growth was at least 6.5%. AFP reports that…

  • Thailand NewsStorms raise flood threats in 37 provinces

    Storms raise flood threats in 37 provinces

    Whilst the flood situation in the far north of the country, bordering the Mekong River, has abated over the past week, the situation is still dire for many other communities around the Kingdom today. Disaster warnings have now been issued as heavy downpours threaten to bring flash floods and landslides to 37 provinces across Thailand. A monsoon storm is predicted…

  • Chiang Mai NewsFlash mobs staged to protest the buildings on Doi Suthep

    Flash mobs staged to protest the buildings on Doi Suthep

    By Nisanart Kangwanwong The Doi Suthep protesters in Chiang Mai had their campaign to remove the Thai judges housing development interrupted by the rescue mission at the Tham Luang Caves in nearby Chiang Rai. Now the “Rak Chiang Mai” community network has organised four flash mobs at four key locations of Chiang Mai’s Muang district to highlight what they says…

  • South Thailand NewsSongkhla hospital saves 78 year old British man

    Songkhla hospital saves 78 year old British man

    The Prince of Songkhla University Hospital has performed special surgery valued around 1 million baht to save the life of a retired Briitish naval officer for humanitarian reasons and is organising donations to send him back to the UK. 78 year old Kenneth George Smith told reporters from his hospital bed that he appreciated the help from the Songklanagarind Hospital,…

  • Thailand NewsTwo drug gangs busted

    Two drug gangs busted

    Two big drug hauls today in different parts of the country. Firstly, police arrested six suspects including the alleged drug-trafficking gang leader Phusinthorn Jomtharak, along with over 68,000 methamphetamine pills in Chaiyaphum province. 24 year old Phusinthorn, a Nong Bua Dang district native, was nabbed yesterday (Tuesday) while visiting a drug inmate friend at Chaiyaphum Prison. Police say that Phusinthorn…

  • Hua Hin NewsUpdate: Phetchaburi dam overflows reach town

    Update: Phetchaburi dam overflows reach town

    Downstream communities in Phetchaburi’s main business and residential districts are expected to be flooded for about two weeks after run-off from the overflowing Kaeng Krachan Dam hit the area last night “Although we must discharge water from the dam, we are trying to reduce the volume that will go into the river by diverting some 55 cubic metres of runoff…

  • Northern Thailand NewsGood news from dams in the north-east

    Good news from dams in the north-east

    Whilst provinces bordering the Mekong River, and areas in Phetchaburi downstream of the hillside dams, are all under threat from flooding at the moment, the situation is a lot better in the lower north-east provinces. The Irrigation department has issued assurances today about the water situation covering some 77 dams in the region. The Nation reports that 77 reservoirs in…

  • World NewsCambodian tour guides cry foul over new tour guide audio Apps

    Cambodian tour guides cry foul over new tour guide audio Apps

    Digital technology is disrupting many older technologies – travel bookings, buying real estate, booking flights, media, dating – and now tour guides are getting the digital make-over with new Apps taking their jobs. Tour guides at Cambodia’s historical sites are voicing concern over a new audio tour App they say is threatening their careers. Developed by local company Angkor Audio,…

  • Bangkok NewsOnline romance scam gang busted

    Online romance scam gang busted

    Nigerian nationals are again being rounded up in a concerted effort to get rid of some of the Nigerian-based scams operating inside Thailand. In the latest sting, 8 Nigerians and 6 Thai suspects have been arrested for alleged collusion in an online romance scam, swindling nearly 2 million baht from Thai women in Ratchaburi, Samut Sakhon, Phitsanulok, Chon Buri and…

  • Hua Hin NewsHua Hin gets funding to expand airport

    Hua Hin gets funding to expand airport

    The AoT director-general says they will spend 3.5 billion baht to upgrade Hua Hin’s International Airport over the next five years. Darun Saengchai says the upgrade was part of the “Riviera Thailand” and Southern Economic Corridor projects. Work at the airport would take up to five years and include enlarging the passenger terminal and building a second one. The number of…

  • HealthCould ‘Wolbachia’ mosquitoes be the best fight against Dengue

    Could ‘Wolbachia’ mosquitoes be the best fight against Dengue

    In a big breakthrough in the battle against dengue fever, an Australian research team says an entire city has been protected from viral disease dengue for four years. The BBC is reporting that captive-bred mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacteria were released in the city of Townsville, northern coastal Queensland, where they mated with local mosquitoes. Dengue fever is a…

  • Phuket NewsChinese media invited to Phuket to check on marine safety updates

    Chinese media invited to Phuket to check on marine safety updates

    Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau based in Bangkok, Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn, was in Phuket over the weekend (twice) and yesterday (Sunday) led Chinese media to follow up on marine safety measures on the island. A team of officers led 24 Chinese journalists from 12 Chinese media outlets were invited to Phuket to follow up on marine safety measures…

  • Phuket NewsPhoenix owner fails to meet deadline to salvage the boat

    Phoenix owner fails to meet deadline to salvage the boat

    PHOTO: Director General of the Marine Department Jirut Wisanjit The owner of Phoenix has failed to recover their boat, after it sank on July 5 killing 47 Chinese tourists. The boat company will now be sued for salvage expenses estimated to be around 10 million baht. Director General of the Marine Department Jirut Wisanjit flew down to Phuket from Bangkok…

  • World NewsWill Bamboo Air grow as fast as the real bamboo?

    Will Bamboo Air grow as fast as the real bamboo?

    A new player is about to enter the regional airline market. Based out of Vietnam, Bamboo Airlines is a fresh start-up under the patronage of Trinh Van Quyet who currently presides over a Vietnamese property empire and is betting billions on his new airline. The 43 year old property tycoon says his company has a market capitalisation of around US$200 million. He…

  • Thai LifeThavorn Hotels & Resorts receives Thailand MICE Venue Standard Award

    Thavorn Hotels & Resorts receives Thailand MICE Venue Standard Award

    Thavorn Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce its certification of Thailand MICE Venue Standard (TMVS) by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The certification assesses venues in three key areas – physical, technological, and service requirements. Certified venues appear on an Approved List and are publicised worldwide as venues that meet international standards. MICE – Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and…

  • South Thailand NewsPeaceful Pattani – the other side of the southern province

    Peaceful Pattani – the other side of the southern province

    By Pattarawadee Saengmanee, The Nation Weekend The former capital of the ancient Langkasuka Kingdom, Pattani province in Thailand’s far south has traditionally been feted for its multiculturalism, though sadly the ongoing violence has kept it well off the tourist map for more than a decade. But his southern province bordered by Narathiwat, Yala, and Songkhla has plenty to offer the…

  • Thailand NewsYingluck flies to Dubai – “Dubai flight was pre-planned”

    Yingluck flies to Dubai – “Dubai flight was pre-planned”

    “Yingluck reportedly flew from London on Wednesday, just a day after the media reported the Thai government’s extradition request to the UK government.” Former PM minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s flight from London to Dubai on Wednesday had nothing to do with the Thai government’s extradition request to the UK. This explanation from a Pheu Thai Party member yesterday. The flight was…

  • Thailand NewsNCPO ‘damaged the image of the country’ – Future Forward party

    NCPO ‘damaged the image of the country’ – Future Forward party

    PHOTO: The Nation By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Amy Sawitta Lefevre In a tense stand-off between the establishment and the ‘new guard’, Future Forward party’s brash young leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, is firing verbal missives at the NCPO. Reuters is reporting that the new Thai party, headed up by auto-parts billionaire Thanathorn, and aiming to shake up politics, hit back at the ruling…

  • TravelAustralian travel media coming to BKK for annual conference

    Australian travel media coming to BKK for annual conference

    Thailand is hosting the AGM of the Australian Society of Travel Writers From August 16-19 , 2018. The ASTW has already held its AGM twice in Thailand (1999 and 2009). A total of 113 ASTW members have registered, to date, including writers, photographers, editors, bloggers, influencers, public relations officers, and representatives of various hotel groups and national tourism boards. The…

  • Pattaya News“If you resist arrest, you will be shot” – Chonburi police chief

    “If you resist arrest, you will be shot” – Chonburi police chief

    PHOTOS: THAI Rath When we find you, and if you resist arrest, you will be shot.” Thai Rath is reporting that the head of the Chonburi police force has some strong words for the alleged Phuket-based mastermind behind the slaying of the the Buddha Mountain couple over the weekend. Speaking after a re-enactment of the movement of the couple before…

  • Pattaya NewsEnthusiastic Pattaya media claim “Happy tourists visited in droves over the long weekend.”

    Enthusiastic Pattaya media claim “Happy tourists visited in droves over the long weekend.”

    But where were they? Manager Online appears to have been ‘encouraged’ to write a nice puff piece about the return of the tourists to the sands of Pattaya. “Happy tourists visited in droves over the long weekend.” But evidence was thin on the ground. The Manager photographer seemed to have arrived a day late. There appeared to be one foreigner sunbathing…

  • EntertainmentToon’s back on the road, this time with his band

    Toon’s back on the road, this time with his band

    By Mr Badboy Remember Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai and his epic run – south to north of Thailand to raise money for the country’s public hospitals? Well he’s had a well deserved rest and now getting back on the road, this time with his band ‘Bodyslam’ for a tour of 15 University campuses. The band, one of Thailand’s most popular, is…

  • World NewsSouth Korean medical team arrives in southern Laos with relief supplies

    South Korean medical team arrives in southern Laos with relief supplies

    PHOTOS: Joint Press Corps-Yonhap The Korea Herald is reporting that a South Korean medical team has flown into in Laos yesterday with relief supplies following the deadly flooding that resulted from the collapse of a dam that was being constructed by a Korean builder. An emergency relief team composed of 15 medical personnel and five support staff arrived at Pakse…

  • Northern Thailand News‘The Heroes’ unveiled in Chiang Rai

    ‘The Heroes’ unveiled in Chiang Rai

    A 13 x 3 metre mural has become the latest step in immortalising the Tham Luang cave rescue for generations to come. The mural will shortly be moved to be part of an exhibit which will be constructed at the front of the mouth of the caves. “The Heroes” is a canvas painting which portrays the story and the many,…

  • Bangkok NewsOnline poker casino smashed in Klong Toei raid

    Online poker casino smashed in Klong Toei raid

    Thailand’s favourite crime buster, Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal, aka ‘Big Joke’, has arrested 58 Chinese nationals running casino operations in an upmarket tower block in Bangkok’s Klong Toei district. Daily News is reporting that a large cache of evidence in the form of computers, notebooks, phones and account books was recovered during the raid on two sections of the…

  • World NewsMyanmar tourism growth stalls in first half of 2018

    Myanmar tourism growth stalls in first half of 2018

    (4 minute read) Myanmar has seen a slight contraction in tourist number during the first half of t2018. Tourist arrivals still reached 1,722,049 visits, a drop of 2%, according to the latest update by Hotel and Tourism Ministry. Thai tourists remain the top source market but China is catching up. Other tourists are coming from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Vietnam…

  • World NewsAid and rescuers pour into southern Laos to help flood victims

    Aid and rescuers pour into southern Laos to help flood victims

    PHOTO: The Nation Rescuers from Thailand and China are arriving at Laos’ flooded southern district of Attapeu to assist local soldiers in search and rescue efforts following the collapse of a saddle dam belonging to a major dam construction project that caused massive downstream flooding. The dam broke its banks on Monday night. Scores of Laotians remained on the missing…