Search Results for: Bangkok
- Politics News
Academics defend protests
Legal scholars at 2 Bangkok universities defended students’ right to protest today, and a prominent opposition politician reacted to yesterday’s arrest of student leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak by slamming PM Prayut Chan-o-cha for “breaking his promise” to listen to young protesters. Law experts at Thammasat University called on the government to stop using the law to deprive students of their…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya spending millions on “facelift”
The world famous resort town of Pattaya is spending 160 million baht to improve the city’s beaches in a bid to attract domestic tourists. Pattaya’s mayor says the landscape redevelopment, on a 4 kilometre stretch of Pattaya Beach, will begin in October and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. “The City of Pattaya needs to…
- Crime News
Forensic scientist says he was pressured to change estimate in Vorayuth hit-and-run case
A police forensic scientist is claiming that he was pressured to reduce the estimated speed of Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya’s Ferrari when it hit and killed a policeman in 2012. Thanasit Taengchan of the Police Forensic Science Office says a high ranking commander brought an official from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology North Bangkok to convince him to…
- Events
Major police presence expected at rally
Authorities yesterday announced that 4 companies of Bangkok police will be deployed to maintain peace and order at the major pro-democracy rally planned for this afternoon at Democracy Monument. The Metropolitan Police Bureau has arranged for 4 companies, 600 officers in total, to be present at the venue. Traffic police will also be dispatched to facilitate movement in the area.…
- South Thailand News
Toddler, locked in hot van, dies after 4 day coma
A 2 year old boy is dead after 4 days in a coma, due to being left in a hot van outside a daycare centre in the southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Staff at Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital confirmed the death of Thanakit “Nong Kongbin” Yodmanee yesterday afternoon, saying his organs failed. The boy was taken to hospital on…
- Politics News
“Penguin” released on bail
22 year old anti-government activist Parit Chiwarak, known by his nickname “Penguin”, was released on bail this afternoon around 2:15 in Bangkok. He was arrested yesterday and charged with breaching internal security rules and breaking the Emergency Decree enacted in April to stop the spread of Covid-19, among other charges, by co-organising a protest on July 18. Since that July…
- Covid-19 News
COVID-19 update: 0 new cases, 82 days without a local transmission
After reporting its biggest single-day increase of confirmed Covid-19 cases in weeks – 17 – Thailand reported not a single new case today, its 82nd consecutive day without a locally transmitted case. Total infections in Thailand, to date, are 3,376, with 3,193 recoveries, a rate of 94.5%. 125 people are still in hospital. Of total infections, 2,444 were locally acquired…
- World News
Joint operation nabs 29 illegal Cambodian migrants in a Kaeo
Officials in the eastern border province of Sa Kaeo, with help from other law enforcement agencies, arrested 29 illegal migrant workers from Cambodia last night in the Ta Prayha subdistrict. Led by the deputy commander of the Burapha Forces, an elite squadron also known as the Tigers of the East, a large team located the group, who were on foot…
- Bangkok News
Phathum Thani man finds cobra in commode
A homeowner in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, got quite a start when visiting the loo yesterday. 51 year old “Phayop,” a baker for an airline, told a rescue foundation that he went into his downstairs toilet to sit down and relieve himself. He felt something brush against his backside and immediately jumped up. He says he couldn’t see…
- South Thailand News
2 bombing suspects dead, 3 soldiers wounded in Pattani shootout
2 suspected insurgents allegedly involved in Thursday’s bombings in Pattani’s Nongjik district, which killed 2 security officers and injured 3 others, were killed in a shootout yesterday in the southern province’s Yaring district. 3 more soldiers were wounded. The clash erupted in Buenaejuerae village in tambon Kolam where a combined team of soldiers, police and local officials were patrolling, according…
- Tourism News
Phuket proposes to welcome tourists by November
PHOTO: Willy Thuan Phuket business owners are pressing forward with a proposal to turn around province’s tourism industry by allowing long-stay tourists to resume visits to the southern resort island as early as November. Under the “4T” model put forward at a meeting of the provincial disease control committee, long-stay visitors have been identified as having the best potential to…
- Politics News
Police pinch “Penguin” ahead of student rally
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, the outspoken leader of recent student protests, was arrested yesterday as tensions mount ahead of a major pro-democracy rally planned for tomorrow afternoon in Bangkok. He faces multiple charges, including sedition. The arrest was made as the Thammasat University student prepared to join a pro-democracy event at the campus in Nonthaburi. After a policeman read out the…
- Expats
Richard Barrow is dusting off his luggage in case he can’t renew visa
Yesterday, Richard Barrow, a popular British blogger and school employee in Samut Prakan, who has been living and working in Thailand for decades, says he had a surprise visit from the immigration bureau in regards to the renewal of his visa. Kapook reported the incident on their page saying that many Thai people admire the work he does for Thailand…
- Politics News
Uni students defy rain to hold pro-democracy rally; more planned
In the latest of what have become near daily protests calling for change, some 100 students protesters defied the rain early yesterday evening at Bangkok’s Srinakharinwirot University to voice anger at the government and demand a return to democracy. Speakers took turns addressing their peers huddled under an awning at about 5pm. A a fourth-year International Relations student told reporters:…
- Tourism News
Thai minister encourages hotels to stop price-gouging expats
The thorny issue of dual pricing has raised its ugly head again, this time with the current offerings for hotels as Thailand slowly winds up its tourism industry again. Tourism and Sports Ministry, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, is asking hotels to offer “fair packages to expats and resident foreigners, and avoid price discrimination”. He said that there are 2 million foreign residents who…
- Covid-19 News
NZ Covid-19 oubreak spread beyond Auckland with 12 new confirmed cases
In a major blow to New Zealand’s efforts to contain Covid-19, health officials there announced today that the resurgent coronavirus outbreak has spread beyond Auckland, its largest city. Health Minister Chris Hipkins said there were 12 confirmed cases of local transmission and 1 probable, following the shock reemergence of the virus in Auckland on Tuesday. He said 2 of the…
- Crime News
Doctor urges investigation into widespread healthcare fraud
A doctor representing 74 medical clinics yesterday petitioned the House of Representatives to investigate fraud allegations in patient access to Thailand’s universal health coverage scheme and ensure transparency in its implementation. The move follows an order by the Department of Health Service Support last week to temporarily close 2 Bangkok clinics for allegedly defrauding the scheme. That order came after…
- Politics News
Prominent social activist speaks out in defence of student protesters
A leading academic and social critic has spoken out in defence of the current student protests, saying those involved have a right to freedom of expression. Sulak Sivaraksa defends the new 10-point manifesto put forward by the activists, denying that it goes too far in its calls for reform of the monarchy. “The 10 demands are reasonable, since for the…
- Northern Thailand News
Suspect arrested in Korat murder of 29 year old mother
Police in Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima province yesterday arrested an air-conditioning repairman for the murder of a 29 year old mother, the Thai wife of a Singaporean businessman at her house in the central city district. Police found 26 year old Theeraphol Duangkrathok, of Chaiyaphum province, hiding in a rough shelter in a paddy field in the province’s Nong Bunmak district.…
- Northern Thailand News
Police: No foul play in Vorayuth witness’s death
Police today ruled out the possibility of murder in the death of a key witness in Red Bull drinks heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya’s hit-and-run case. The regional police commander in Chiang Mai, where the witness died in a motorcycle incident last month, said new autopsy results found no trace of any suspicious substance apart from alcohol in Jaruchart Mardthong’s body.…
- Economy News
US dollar denominated gold trade to be allowed
Ending decades of regulations limiting gold trade in Thailand to the baht, the US dollar will now be allowed as well. 2 weeks ago, in a bid to slow the rapidly rising baht and avoid landing on the US list of “currency manipulators”, the Bank of Thailand announced a policy to allow trading gold products in US dollars. Market players…
- Politics News
Protesters add more demands as academics defend manifesto
Pro-democracy demonstrators yesterday called on schools and colleges to allow on-campus rallies as pressure grows on them to ban “risky” political activities. The leader of the opposition Move Forward Party posted on Facebook that safe places for students to air their views are dwindling and that youngsters “should be allowed to carry out activities there”. Pita Limjaroenrat’s remark came after…
- Crime News
Appeals Court upholds 6 month sentence for Premchai on weapons charge
The Appeals Court has upheld the 6 month prison term handed down to construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for illegal possession of firearms. Premchai, the president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, appeared on Tuesday to hear the verdict. The court ruled to uphold the lower court’s decision. Premchai was granted release on unconditional bail, with 500,000 baht cash placed as bond. His…
- Politics News
Report calls for national reconciliation through constitutional reform
A report prepared by the House Committee on laws, justice and human rights, and focusing on 9 recommendations, is set to be debated today, according to an unnamed source in the House of Representatives. According to the Bangkok Post, the report lays the groundwork for possible constitutional reform, recommending the creation of a “people’s constitution.” The report says the current…
- South Thailand News
Crane, “toppled by ghosts,” destroys southern wat – VIDEO
A boom crane toppled in the southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province yesterday, taking down a wat ‘temple’ that it sat atop, along with its crematorium. Temple officials had hired a contractor to dissasemble the structure, because they’d already outlaid 3 million baht to build a new one nearby. But they couldn’t take down the shrine before removing its towering smokestack.…
- Thailand News
Man found hanged in Kanchanaburi
An unidentified man was found hanged yesterday in the western border province of Kanchanaburi, in the forest behind a railway station in Sai Yok district. Emergency responders and local rescue volunteers walked about a kilometre into the forest after the discovery was reported just after 4pm. They found a man hanging by the neck from a tree, about 2.5 metres…
- Politics News
University protesters may be prosecuted over comments
Monday night’s anti-government rally at Thammasat University is said to have risked “offending the Monarchy”, sparking fears that it could trigger violent confrontations between royalists and their opponents. Comments made by protesters at the university’s campus in Pathum Thani may have violated Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lèse-majesté law. Students announced a set of 10…
- Politics News
PM planning to hear protesters’ grievances, expresses unease over certain demands
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says his administration is willing to hold a forum this month to give anti-government protesters a chance to air their grievances. But he’s drawn a line in the sand about the airing of “certain demands” for reform, viewed by some as criticism of the Thai monarchy. The PM is urging those protesting to remain within the…
- Politics News
Leave the monarchy alone – Thai Minister warns protesters
Protest peacefully, but keep the Thai monarchy out of it – that’s the gist of a warning from the Digital Economy and Society Minister referring to recent political protests that have been raising questions about Thailand’s revered Head of State. Rallies by royalist students and opposition parties have ended without incident at this stage although there have been a number of…
- Politics News
Police remain tight-lipped on existence of “wanted activists” list
Thailand’s law enforcement officials are keeping schtum when asked about a list of “marked” political activists singled out for possible arrest. A claim circulating on social media says the list has been drawn up by police and contains the names of 31 activists. The allegation has been doing the rounds since the arrests of human rights lawyer, Anon Nampa, and…
