Search Results for: lion
- Cannabis News
Medical marijuana is now legal in Thailand
• Possession of marijuana and krathom within legal limits will be allowed for treatment of certain diseases, for first aid or in cases of emergency •The committee has the authority to give permission to requests for production, import and export of marijuana A new law that legitimises the use of marijuana for medical purposes has sailed through the National Legislative Assembly…
- Phuket News
Chinese parents present four life insurance policies to Kamala police
“They believed that Zhang didn’t have money of his own.” Chinese parents have presented four life insurance policies, valued at almost 100 million baht, to Kamala police after their daughter was murdered in Phuket in October. A Chinese man, who allegedly murdered his wife, ‘Xiaojie’ (not her real name), remains in custody at the Phuket Provincial Court. The Kamala Police…
- Bangkok News
AOT gives green light to new Suvarnabhumi terminal
Following a few hiccups, the board of the AOT has now given the green light for the construction of the second passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi international Airport. In past months there have been demands from leading architects and engineers for the project to be scrapped. AOT managing director Nitinai Sirimatthakarn says that after the board’s approval of the project, the company…
- Opinion
OPINION – The devil is in the detail. Phuket tourism
“Last year Phuket International Airport hosted a record number of passenger arrivals both on overseas and domestic flights exceeding 8.4 million.” – Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com An article appeared this week providing a misleading, dare I say ‘fake’, impression about the current tourist situation in Phuket. Given the highly selective and well-timed photos you would think that Phuket has been deserted…
- Travel
Hospitalised British backpacker to fly home on Christmas Day
by Miranda Aldersley – Mail Online The British backpacker who broke her neck jumping into a pool in Thailand is to fly home on Christmas Day after well-wishers raised £65,000 (2.678 million baht) towards her treatment and travel. 24 year old Sophie Wilson from Leicestershire, damaged two vertebrae diving into the shallow end of her hotel pool on December 1. Her…
- Bangkok News
Thai artist uses sex workers’ hair to make social critique in BKK installation
PHOTOS: Vivianne Chow Thai artist, Imahathai Suwatthanasilp new work at the Bangkok Biennale has brought attention to the prostitution industry in Thailand. Through her work the artist critiques preconceptions on sex workers while highlight their prevalence. Imahathai’s new work involved hair, specifically hair collected from a number of sex workers in Thailand. Her passion for hair started when her father was…
- Bangkok News
The Chao Phraya lights up for new years eve
Heading to the capital for new years eve? Looking for some spectacular fireworks? The Tourism Authority of Thailand will host the longest fireworks display ever staged along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok as part of New Year celebrations at midnight on December 31. Called the “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019”, the spectacular display will last five minutes and is expected to…
- Phuket News
Pulp Fiction – Phuket tourism by numbers
by Bill Barnett This week netizens have been captivated over a photo in the blogosphere proclaiming that “Phuket high-season was dead as a dodo.” Excuse me as I digress for just a minute on the subject of dodo’s, which is clearly something I know nothing about, hence putting myself on par with the individual proclaiming the ‘end of days’ for…
- Bangkok News
Natural birth son fathered by Thailand’s first test tube baby
PHOTO: The Nation Pavornit Srisahaburi a 31 year old engineer stands in the maternity ward at Chulalongkorn University waiting to visit ‘Delta’ his first baby. Unlike many fathers who have share the same magic moment, Pavornvit is special as he was born and created by artificial insemination, or intro-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in the very same ward. “In Vitro Fertilisation is…
- Thai Life
Plain tobacco packaging by September 2019
The Thai government has made a new legislative announcement regarding plain packaging for cigarette packets, making it the first country in Asia, and first low and middle-income country to do so. This legislation adds to the 2017 Tobacco Control Act, which currently mandates an individual must be 20 or older to purchase tobacco, bans tobacco advertising in the media, sponsorship,…
- Business News
Bangkok Airways starts flights to Cam Ranh, Vietnam
Bangkok Airways is the latest airline to signal its intention to fly to Nha Trang beach and the Cam Ranh International Airport, the gateway to one of Vietnam’s popular holiday destinations. Cam Ranh is also an emerging destination in is own right with unspoilt beaches closer to the airport than the popular Nha Trang. Starting on January 25, Bangkok Airways…
- Bangkok News
Political parties throwing extravagant dinners to raise election funds
The pro-Junta Palang Pracharat political party is expecting to raise 600 million baht from a grand fund-raising dinner named “One Thailand”. The event will be held tonight at Muang Thong Thanee in Bangkok. The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) appears to be winning over business leaders and the elite after selling most of the tables for tonight’s event. The event will…
- Thai Life
Phuket vs Penang – The two pearls go head to head
…including some reflections by guest writer TravellingMitch There was a time when Penang was the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, for some western travellers the only ‘orient’ they would know outside of Singapore and maybe Hong Kong. It was the 1950s and 60s when jet travel had just started making the world smaller and the western middle class were in search…
- Bangkok News
Thai Rath downsizes newspaper workforce citing crippling decline in revenues
Thai Rath, the country’s biggest newspaper, is buckling under the weight of digital change and downsizing its staff. In yet another sign of the woes in the Thai media industry, the mass-circulation Thai Rath newspaper is downsizing through a voluntary early retirement scheme. Thai Rath, which at its peak claimed a daily circulation of one million, said in a statement…
- Northern Thailand News
Narcotics officers arrest three with 370 kg of ‘ice’ and heroin in Chiang Rai
Three Hmong men from Tak province have been arrested in Chiang Rai while allegedly attempting to smuggle 300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 70 kilograms of heroin from Myanmar into Thailand. The arrest was made by Army troops from the Pha Muang Taskforce with cooperation from Chiang Rai’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) on Friday night. A…
- World News
No tickets. No travel agents. Back in 2001 the new Air Asia was a gamble.
Stepping onto an Air Asia plane these days, or one of its regional affiliates, it’s hard to imagine that back in 2001, ex-music business executive had to mortgage his house and raise venture capital to buy a failed airline. That new airline would revolutionize the aviation business. Re-lanching it as Air Asia, the airline has re-shaped the Asian aviation industry…
- Thailand News
Blood is thicker than water. But not always in Thai politics.
PHOTOS: The Nation, Thai PBS The Juangroongruangkit family may share genes and parts of the family empire. But there’s one thing they can’t agree on. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the young and charismatic leader of the new Future Forward party, has tow members of his immediate family show have teamed up with the pro-government Palang Pracharat party. In an interview, Thanathorn says he regretted…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s digital economy and data use to expand x 4 in the next 3 years
by Nophakhun Limsamarnphun Data use in the country’s fast-paced digital economy is forecast to jump four times over the next three years, resulting in massive demand and growth for data storage facilities. The managing director of Supernap Thailand, Sunita Bottse, says that the number of Thailand’s mobile device users has reached 46 million out of the country’s 69 million population, while…
- Northern Thailand News
Saman Kunan’s bronze statue arrives in Chiang Rai
The bronze statue made in commemoration of Lieutenant-Commander Saman Kunan, aka. Ja Sam, a former Navy SEAL member who died in the dramatic rescue operation at Tham Luang caves, has arrived at Wat Rongkhun. The wat is a famous temple of the Chiang Rai province. The statue arrived on a truck from a foundry in Ayutthaya province where it was…
- World News
Vietnam’s sixth airline takes off on December 29
The local airline business in Vietnam is hotting up with Bamboo Airlines poised to take to the skies. The new airline says it intends to fly its first domestic service on December 29. The first flight will depart Hanoi for the resort town of Quy Nhon where the airline’s parent company operates a hotel. ttrweekly.com is reporting that Vietnam’s fifth…
- Northern Thailand News
Cave-rescue mural now moved to official Tham Luang memorial
by Natthawat Laping The large mural depicting “The Heroes” from the dramatic cave rescue in Chiang Rai in June/July this year has now been installed at the new memorial pavilion at the mouth of the Tham Luang cave. The 14×3 metre canvas was moved from Wat Rong Khun this morning, along with another two paintings of the smaller size (each…
- Phuket News
US ambassador shares concerns about tourism in Phuket
The acting US ambassador has met with Phuket’s Vice Governor to discuss long-term tourism and environment issues whilst visiting the island. Peter Haymond, the acting US Ambassador, met with Phuket’s Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung at the Phuket Provincial Hall today. The Phuket PR Office reports that Vice Governor Prakob says, “The ambassador is interested in Phuket as it is an…
- World News
BTS sweeps first night of Asian Music Awards
BTS did not attend the first night of the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards, but the group’s presence was still felt, as its team swept four awards at the event. The AMAs are being spread across three events in three countries this year. Held Monday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the first part of the three-day event saw awards…
- Health
Fighting age with exercise
by Krix Luther The female beauty industry in 2017, was worth US$265 billion. That’s 8.7 trillion baht, with a further US$21.9bn (719bn baht) spent on cosmetic surgery. The desire to stay forever young dates at least as far back as the ancient Egyptians, many of whom used an ointment made from myrtle plants to avoid getting wrinkles, while Cleopatra bathed…
- Things To Do
Top 10 most popular Asian cities 2018 – Agoda
Bangkok ranks on top of the list of most-visited Asian city tourist destination for 2018. This is from Agoda, a fast-growing online travel booking platform. With millions of online bookings each year they have the data to back up their findings. Other cities in the top 10 include Tokyo, Kuala Lumpor, Hong Kong, Osaka, Taipei, Seoul, Singapore, Bali and Pattaya.…
- Thailand News
Tobacco giant survey says Thais want smoke-free alternatives
Thai people prefer less harmful products to cigarettes, due mainly to health concerns. These are some the results from a new survey on the tobacco industry and providing smoke-free alternatives. The study, by Philip Morris (Thailand) part of the largest transnational tobacco company in the world, found that 64 per cent of 1,200 smokers and non-smokers nationwide said they would…
- Thailand News
Luxury watch probe to be wrapped up this month
The long-running investigation into the scandal surrounding the luxurious wristwatches worn by Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan is to be wrapped up and the findings announced at the end of this month. NACC (National Anti-Corruption Commission) secretary-general Worawit Sukboon says the panel conducting the investigation had already received information from the watch manufacturers about the expensive wristwatches and their serial numbers.…
- Northern Thailand News
Second major shootout and drug haul in Chiang Rai this week
A drug suspect has been killed in shootout with soldiers. A drug suspect has been shot dead during a shootout with soldiers in Chiang Rai province. An estimated 15 million methamphetamine pills were found in the back of the man’s pickup. Soldiers came under fire late on Thursday night from the pickup truck in an apparent bid by the driver…
- Thai Life
Tail-rotor control failure linked to Vichai helicopter crash
A British investigation centered on the helicopter of the late Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanprabha, reports that his helicopter had spun and lost control only moments after clearing the stadium’s roof. The investigation found that the blue and white helicopter was used for most home matches as Vichai would always land and take off from the centre. The report indicates that…
- Thailand News
Thailand meets its emissions target as richer nations fail
by Pratch Rukivanarom “Emissions in Thailand have also been higher this year, with the energy sector having released 196.5 tonnes of CO2 in the first nine months of this year, marking a 0.98 per cent increase compared to the same period last year,.” The emissions of greenhouse gases has been rising for two years in a row, reversing efforts based…