Finland

  • Thailand NewsFinnair boosts flights to the Middle East and Asia, including Phuket

    Finnair boosts flights to the Middle East and Asia, including Phuket

    Finnair is giving winter travellers more ways to escape the cold, with a major expansion of its flight schedule to the Middle East and Asia. Starting this November, Finland’s flagship airline will increase its flights to popular warm-weather hotspots like Phuket and Dubai, responding to growing demand from European sun-seekers. From November 2, Finnair will operate daily flights from Helsinki…

  • Thailand NewsBerry big deal: over 1,000 Thai pickers to jam in Sweden, Finland

    Berry big deal: over 1,000 Thai pickers to jam in Sweden, Finland

    Thai workers are set for Sweden and Finland as the new berry-picking season kicks off. In a major move, the Department of Employment has given the green light to a whopping 1,129 Thai workers to pack their bags and head to the Nordic lands. Labour Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan broke the news, revealing that the first wave of over 1,000 Thai…

  • Thailand NewsBerry bad: Ex-boss faces 5 years for human trafficking scandal

    Berry bad: Ex-boss faces 5 years for human trafficking scandal

    Finnish prosecutors are gunning for a hefty five-year prison sentence for the former head of a berry company and his Thai business partner over shocking human trafficking charges. The Lapland District Court kicked off the trial yesterday, August 13, with the duo facing a staggering 77 counts of aggravated human trafficking. Jukka Kristo, the ex-CEO of Polarica, and his Thai…

  • Thailand NewsThailand to send 900 workers to Finland for berry picking

    Thailand to send 900 workers to Finland for berry picking

    Thailand’s Minister of Labour discussed with Finland’s Minister of Employment plans to send 900 Thai workers to pick wild berries. The safety, welfare, and benefits of the workers are guaranteed, with strict visa and work permit checks in place. Minister of Labour Pipat Ratchakitprakarn engaged in a video conference with Finland’s Minister of Employment Arto Satonen and his team. The…

  • Thailand NewsThai berry seekers left hanging: Labour Ministry plans visa harvest solution

    Thai berry seekers left hanging: Labour Ministry plans visa harvest solution

    The Labour Ministry of Thailand plans to solve the suspension of visa applications for Thais seeking wild-berry picking jobs in Finland by the 2025 harvest season, as disclosed by Somchai Morakotsriwan, the director-general of the Department of Employment. The ministry, in collaboration with other state agencies including those from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, is working towards a solution following Finland’s…

  • Thailand NewsFinnish national found self-harming in Pattaya, Thailand

    Finnish national found self-harming in Pattaya, Thailand

    A disturbing incident unfolded in the early hours of this morning in Pattaya, when a Finnish national was discovered in a state of severe agitation, inflicting knife wounds on himself. The man, identified as Eeuoskari Kontiainen, from Finland, was eventually subdued and rushed to the hospital. The event took place in an apartment building located in Soi Bua Khao, within…

  • Thailand News2 former ministers accused of demanding bribes from Thai workers in Finland

    2 former ministers accused of demanding bribes from Thai workers in Finland

    Former Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin is seeking justice after accusing the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of damaging his reputation by calling out two former labour ministers for demanding bribes from Thai workers in Finland. ThaiRath reported that Thailand considers workers to be victims of human trafficking if employers detain, abuse or illegally exploit them. However, the law in Finland…

  • Thailand NewsFormer ministers charged over unlawful Thai worker fees in Finland

    Former ministers charged over unlawful Thai worker fees in Finland

    The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Office of the Attorney General have jointly decided to charge four individuals, including two former ministers and two senior executives of the Ministry of Labour, in connection with the unlawful deduction of fees from Thai workers in Finland. The charges were laid under sections 149 and 157, along with sections 83 and…

  • Pattaya NewsKind Pattaya bus driver returns bag with thousands of Euros to Finnish tourist

    Kind Pattaya bus driver returns bag with thousands of Euros to Finnish tourist

    A kind Pattaya baht bus driver has been praised for his integrity after returning a lost bag containing thousands of euros and other valuable items to its rightful owner, a Finnish tourist. The bag with 4,000 euros was left behind in the back of the baht bus. The driver, Lek, made it his mission to track down the owner. He…

  • Crime NewsThai-led human trafficking sent 1,000 victims to Finland

    Thai-led human trafficking sent 1,000 victims to Finland

    About 1,000 Thai people were scammed in a human trafficking plot that sent them to Finland to work. Officials from the Thai police force teamed up with their Finnish counterparts to bust the ring that was enticing Thai people to Finland to pick fruit and trick them into indentured servitude. The scheme invited Thai workers to travel abroad to Finland…

  • World NewsTurkey raises terrorism red flags over nordic NATO apps

    Turkey raises terrorism red flags over nordic NATO apps

    Finland and Sweden plan to join NATO at the same time, but such a united front has prompted Turkey to raise questions about both applications. The two Nordic countries applied to join the alliance in May, partly in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but have since run into trouble from Turkey. Ankara accuses the two of harbouring dissident groups…

  • Crime NewsFinnish CEO detained for alleged mistreatment of 1,100 Thai berry pickers

    Finnish CEO detained for alleged mistreatment of 1,100 Thai berry pickers

    Finnish police have arrested and detained the CEO of berry company “Polarica” under suspicion of human trafficking. CEO Jukka Kristo allegedly “deceived” 1100 Thai berry pickers and housed them in “poor conditions.” This year, Kristo’s company flew around 1100 Thais to Finland to work as berry pickers – an industry that heavily relies on a foreign workforce. The CEO has…

  • Thailand NewsThailand: 1st in Asia, 5th worldwide in Global Health Security Index

    Thailand: 1st in Asia, 5th worldwide in Global Health Security Index

    Out of 195 countries, Thailand was ranked fifth in the world – and first in Asia – on the Global Health Security Index this year. The list is compiled by John Hopkins Centre for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and other health experts worldwide. The index evaluates the health security of countries by analysing…

  • Tourism NewsFirst international flight to Krabi launches, Finnair from Helsinki

    First international flight to Krabi launches, Finnair from Helsinki

    Finnair has launched the first international flight to Krabi with a flight running from Helsinki 4 times a week. The inaugural test flight came last week on December 1 and brought 96 travellers to the tourism hotspot that has been struggling to reopen. After the first flight last week, regular service began on Wednesday and will run through March 24.…

  • Tourism News38 countries reportedly on short list for no-quarantine reopening

    38 countries reportedly on short list for no-quarantine reopening

    People were elated to hear that Thailand was launching a select reopening on November 1, but confusion exists over the Thai government’s statement that they would open 17 provinces to 10 low-risk countries, with the list of provinces and countries as yet unspecified just 2 weeks before the launch date. Then again, that’s been the way throughout the pandemic as…

  • Thailand NewsThai berry-pickers from Sweden and Finland return home after salary windfall

    Thai berry-pickers from Sweden and Finland return home after salary windfall

    Thai berry-pickers from Sweden and Finland have returned home after striking the jackpot during the prime picking season. The Thai labourers have reportedly earned almost 800 million baht in the last 3 months. Thailand’s Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin says the workers arrived back today and were happily not empty-handed. “Today, 895 Thai labourers returned home via Suvarnabhumi Airport, 365 of…

  • ExpatsFewer Nordic expats renewing their visas to stay in Thailand

    Fewer Nordic expats renewing their visas to stay in Thailand

    by Gregers Møller Website ScandAsia.com and writer Gregers Møller reports that nordic expats – business people, on retirement or family-based Thai visas, renewing their visas this year – has dropped by around 10% this year. He reports “This is the first decline in 12 years. If the trend continues, there will only be 861 Nordic people on a business visa left…