Search Results for: Bangkok
- Northern Thailand News
Man arrested for triple fatal shooting in Nakhon Phanom
Police in the Isaan’s Nakhon Phanom have arrested a man for the shooting death of his wife and 2 of her family members. The suspect reportedly confessed he acted out of jealousy after learning his wife wanted to return to her ex-husband. 41 year old Noppadol Nuamsamlee was arrested shortly after the fatal shooting of his wife, 23 year old…
- Thailand News
Major international retailers banning monkey-picked coconuts – VIDEO
Allegations of animal abuse are prompting major Western retailers to pull Thai coconut products from their shelves, amid accusations that the coconuts are picked by monkeys treated inhumanely. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claim monkeys are snatched from the wild and trained to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day. The animal rights group says pigtailed macaques are…
- Politics News
Opposition questions ministry’s plan to buy firefighting helicopters
Thailand’s interior minister yesterday defended his plan to purchase 6 firefighting helicopters, saying the ministry doesn’t have any such helicopters and relies on military choppers to fight wildfires, “which aren’t up to the task”. Anupong Paojinda was responding to an objection raised by the opposition during yesterday’s House debate on the budget bill for the financial year 2021. “I’m sure…
- Thailand News
Thailand growing more expensive for expats
According to Employment Conditions Abroad, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are among the 30 most expensive cities for expats in Asia. The capital of Turkmenistan might not spring to mind when with considering the priciest cities, but according to ECA International it ranks first on both the global and Asian tables, a 5 point rise up the rankings due to an…
- Covid-19 News
Hospital director proposes importing overseas Covid-19 patients for treatment
With the Covid-19 situation in Thailand apparently well in hand (there have been no locally transmitted cases for well over a month), a hospital director in Bangkok is proposing flying in patients from abroad for treatment at his hospital. The director of Mongkutwattana Hospital is considering medical flights to bring international Covid-19 cases to the hospital for treatment, in an…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand targeting specific Chinese provinces for “tourism bubble”
Thailand’s minister of tourism and sports says his ministry will target specific provinces in China in a bid to attract tourists back to the resort island of Phuket as travel restrictions are gradually eased. Pipat Ratchakijprakarn says the ministry will not splash out money launching a tourist campaign all across China but rather target some of the many provinces that…
- Covid-19 News
Medical, wellness tourists will be first to be allowed in: CCSA
The government plans to allow local tours for overseas medical and wellness tourists beginning this month, and the start of tourism “travel bubbles” in September. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said medical and wellness tourists will be welcomed from this month on. If they are properly handled during their 14 day quarantine and treatment at…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai International Airport sees more traffic
Northern Thailand’s gateway airport is recovering some of its flight and passenger traffic. With the easing of travel restrictions enforced to fight the spread of Covid-19, the director of Chiang Mai’s international airport says traffic is picking up, and more flights and passengers are expected this month. On average, the airport received 40 flights and about 4,000-5,000 passengers per day…
- Transport News
Motorway tolls to be waived on two major routes this holiday weekend
As motorists take to the roads over the coming long weekend, the government says it’s doing away with toll fees on two motorways from today until midnight on July 8. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says those using motorways 7 and 9 will not have to pay a toll, a decision that is hoped will reduce congestion, encourage more domestic travel,…
- Northern Thailand News
Thousands arrested nationwide for illegal motorbike racing
Since the lifting of the national curfew on June 14, gangs of illegal street racers, known as “dek waen” or “vanz boys” have quickly returned to Thailand’s roads. From June 20-30, police arrested more than 5,600 racers and seized more than 17,700 bikes nationwide. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned against gatherings and street racing, and says that regardless of the…
- Crime News
2 arrested in Narathiwat with 1,420 kilograms of meth – VIDEO
Police in the southern province of Narathiwat, on the Malaysian border, arrested 2 men and seized and 1,420 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden in a trailer truck in Tak Bai district in the early hours of this morning. A team of police, soldiers and local officials was sent to Padador village in tambon Na Nak following a tip that a…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya’s Sukhawadee House burns… AGAIN – VIDEO
Pattaya’s venerable tourist attraction Sukhawadee House, a repository of Buddhist relics and artifacts, caught fire late last night, AGAIN. The second time in a day. A fire raged through the complex yesterday morning on the first day it was to reopen after closing for nearly 4 months due to the Covid-19 response. Firefighters were again notified of the second fire…
- Economy News
Thai Airways to shed only 5% of employees, while appointing new president
Debt-ridden Thai Airways has confirmed that it will only shed 5% of its 20,000 employees as part of its reorganisation. The former president of the carrier’s labour union says he met with the rehab panel, along with union and airline staff representatives, with the panel now aiming to cut only 5% of the airline’s workforce-down from the initial target of…
- Environment News
Government nominates Tham Luang park for ASEAN heritage ranking
The Thai government has nominated Tham Luang Forest Park in the northern province of Chiang Rai for ASEAN heritage status. The park made headline news around the world when 13 young boys and their football coach became trapped in Tham Luang cave following flooding. Today marks two years to the day that all 14 were found alive by a team…
- Covid-19 News
Nightlife operators warned: follow the rules or face closure
Bangkok police have issued a stern warning to nightlife venue operators… follow the rules or be closed again. National police chief Chaktip Chaijinda has instructed officers to make sure entertainment venue operators comply with disease control regulations and that both service providers and customers understand the “new normal.” The warning comes after a meeting of senior city police, the Health…
- World News
Are BTS the world’s biggest band?
Simple answer, yes. But there are still people that have never heard of the group or might have been living under a rock for a few years. The South Korean group has risen up through the ranks of K-Pop, somewhat of a musical blood sport, since 2013. From their almost unnoticed debut as pimply hip-hop ‘try hards’, the 7 members are…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand sets new guidelines to govern “medical tourism”
Thailand’s medical community is rolling out a set of guidelines for medical tourism as the country prepares to open its borders to international visitors. According to the director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, yesterday’s first meeting of the medical hub committee resulted in 3 decisions. The first outcome from the meeting set a new policy pertaining to quarantine…
- Crime News
Officials raid 2 Phuket casinos, arresting 87 illegal gamblers
Officials have raided 2 Phuket casinos resulting in 87 people being arrested for allegedly gambling after the island’s provincial police received complaints of gambling dens operating around the clock – a violation of the current Emergency Decree which bans crowds. The first raid took place at about 3:30 pm and was at a casino in tambon Talat Nua of Muang…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand praised by China for successful suppression of Covid-19
An official from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok has congratulated Thailand for its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and seemingly successful suppression of the virus. Speaking on behalf of the Chinese Ambassador, the diplomat says such success is due to the measures implemented by the Thai government. Thailand has now gone more than a month without a case of community…
- Thailand News
International charity exposes Thailand’s abuse of elephants for tourist trade
The international non-profit organisation, World Animal Protection, has released distressing video footage that blows the lid open on the cruelty involved in the use of Thai elephants for the tourist trade. The footage, secretly filmed at several unnamed camps over two years, shows how elephants are beaten into submission so they will perform tricks for tourists. The training begins when…
- Politics News
New ‘Progressive Movement’ party plans to take on local elections
Thailand’s elections may look a bit different as some candidates, who normally campaign in local elections, are banding together to form a new ‘Progressive Movement.’ The move comes despite the Constitutional Court banning its founder, Thanathorn Juangroogruangkit, along with other executives, for 10 years after being involved with the Future Forward Party that was disbanded earlier this year. The banning…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s major tourist islands may open soon to foreign travellers
Next month, 5 of Thailand’s major tourist islands may open up to foreign travellers. Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao are getting ready for potential visitors from overseas, albeit small numbers to start as the borders are slowely prised open. While a trip to a Thai island may sound nice after months of lockdown, officials…
- South Thailand News
Tour bus incident leaves 5 injured after flipping into ditch
A tour bus accident has left 5 people injured after flipping into a ditch on a highway leading to Nakhon Si Thammarat. The injuries were reportedly minor in severity with all 27 passengers and 2 crew members exiting the bus safely. The bus crashed in the area of Prachuap Khiri Khan as a bicyclist reportedly cut in front to cross…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s hotel industry pushing ahead with recovery
Optimism is building in some corners of the hospitality industry as Thailand pushes ahead with it Covid-19 recovery phases. Occupancy rates in at least Bangkok and Phuket are likely to bottom out soon with the lifting of travel restrictions, according to JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group. Thailand’s hotel industry is now entering a recovery phase following the country’s decision to issue a…
- Crime News
Thai prosecutor says case against Red Bull heir expires in 7 years
Vorayuth Yoovidhya, otherwise known as “Boss”, and heir to the Red Bull empire, has 7 years before the statute of limitations runs out on the case against him. He is accused of murdering a policeman in Bangkok in September 2012. Officer Wichian Klanprasert was riding his motorbike in the Thong Lo area of the capital when Boss hit him with…
- South Thailand News
Police arrest 3, find 250 kilograms of crystal meth in truck in southern Thailand
Police arrested 3 people involved in drug operations after stopping a 10 wheel truck at a security checkpoint and finding 250 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, hidden in 12 fertiliser sacks. That is a very large seizure of the crystal form of methamphetamine. The lorry driver, Koseng Cheha, was arrested at the checkpoint in Songkhla in southern Thailand. Cheha…
- World News
Mississippi lawmakers vote to remove Confederate symbol from state flag
Legislators in Mississippi voted on Sunday to strip the Confederate battle symbol from the state flag after national demonstrations drew renewed attention to the symbols of the colonial history, slavery and race issues in the US. The measure was adopted by a majority vote of 91-23 in the House of Representatives, which gave rise to cheers in the Senate gallery. A few hours…
- Crime News
Man arrested for killing a wild elephant in southern Thailand
A wild elephant was shot and killed by a local at a national park in southern Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan over the weekend. Police arrested the alleged shooter who is now facing charges of killing a protected animal and possessing an unlicensed firearm. Kui Buri National Park officials say this is the fourth wild elephant this month that has died…
- World News
America’s BLM movement sparks race discussion in Thailand
While the Black Lives Matter movement continues unabated in the US, a broader discussion on discrimination and racism is now being brought up on the other side of the world. Some foreigners and locals with dark skin have spoken up about the overt racism they’ve experienced in Thailand. While activists in America protest alleged police brutality and racial profiling, some…
- Covid-19 News
Thai virus expert says it’s too soon for foreign tourists
It’s too early to think about opening the country’s doors to foreign travellers, one Thai public health expert says. With the coronavirus still spreading in other parts of the world, Chulaongkorn University epidemiologist Thira Woratanarat warns that letting tourists in while domestic restrictions are still easing poses a serious risk. Worathanarat wrote a post on his Facebook page, citing the numbers…
