Thailand News
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Bad report card for PM Prayut after 6 months in office
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has scored poorly in an opinion poll by the National Institute for Development Administration, or NIDA, after his first six months in office. The poll ran from November 29-December 3 and included 1,278 adults from across Thailand with varying occupations and education levels. The purpose of the survey was to gauge satisfaction with the Thai PM’s…
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BTS is Thailand’s most-streamed act on Spotify for 2019
…and the most streamed K-Pop act in the world. Another year of music is about to play its final chords. Streaming services, a mere curiosity a decade ago, are now the main source of revenue for many artists. In 2019, Streaming music will account for 80% of industry revenues, nearly US$9 billion this year. Bangtan Sonyeondan, better known around the world…
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Thai beauty takes Miss Supranational crown
PHOTO: PAGEANTCircle A Thai contestant, Anntonia Porsild, has been crowned Miss Supranational 2019, beating out contestants from 77 countries. She is the first Thai to receive the honour. Miss Supranational is a privately organised beauty pageant organised by a Polish TV network. Yana Haenisch from Namibia, Jesica Fitriana from Indonesia, Janick Maceta del Castillo from Peru, and Gabriela De La…
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Speaker demands to know how renegade MP could attend House vote
PHOTO: House Speaker Chuan Leekpai. “Please explain”. Parliamentary House Speaker Chuan Leekpai is demanding an investigation into why parliamentary security didn’t arrest fugitive MP Waipote Arpornrat when he attended a House meeting on Wednesday. Opposition MPs have voiced suspicion over the presence of Waipote, a member of the Palang Pracharat party, in the House chamber for a crucial vote over…
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Increase agreed for Thailand’s minimum wage
PHOTO: Chiang Mai Citylife Thailand’s minimum daily wage is going up. But not by much. The National Wage Committee has singled out nine provinces for a 6 baht increase in the minimum daily wage, while the rest of the country gets an increase of 5 baht. The Permanent Secretary of Labour, Suthi Sukosol, confirms the nine provinces are Chonburi in eastern…
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Thai government looks to revive Pak Bara and Songkhla deep-sea port projects
The government is looking at reviving deep sea-port projects in the south of Thailand. They were shelved two years ago as the government bowed to public opposition at the time. The Transport Ministry is considering reviving the Pak Bara, Satun, and Songkhla deep-sea port projects. Both projects are in the south of the country. The projects have been shelved at…
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Government hoping to turbo-charge Thai new car sales
A number of proposals are being looked at by The Excise Department in a bid to convince Thai citizens to purchase new vehicles rather than going down the used car route. The Nation reports that some cost-reducing incentives are being considered, with the aim of cutting the number of polluting vehicles on Thailand’s roads, with The Excise Department planning talks…
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Cooler weekend on the way across Thailand
PHOTO: rove.me It’s winter, but not in the smow/sleet/icy roads sort of way. Winter in Thailand means clear blue skies in the south and cooler temperatures in the central and northern regions. (Five day forecasts below) Most parts of Thailand are forecast to experience cooler weather this weekend, when temperatures in the north and north-east are forecast to drop to…
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Thailand delays introduction of new visa requirements for Taiwanese tourists
…and other proposed nationalities as well. Thailand has decided to postpone the requirement for Taiwanese travellers to present financial statements when applying online for a visa. The Taiwan News is reporting that the new requirements are being delayed until at least March, 2020. The Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei has announced that online Taiwanese applicants for travel to…
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Less rain for the south, colder weather for the central and north
PHOTO: Get out the coats and warm underwear if you’re in the north The Thailand Meteorological Department today forecasts cooler weather for central and northern parts of the country, as a result of a strong high-pressure system over southern China that is causing temperatures to drop by 1 to 3 °C in some areas. The north and north-east is now…
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Thai Navy rush to contain oil slick in the Gulf – three rescued off sunken vessel
The Royal Thai Navy has sent two ships to prevent a 4 kilometre-long oil slick from advancing toward Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast. The vessels are equipped with skimmers, oil booms and oil dispersants contain the spill. The oil slick came from a sunken tanker, the Golden Bridge 2, that capsized and sank in high seas on December 3. It was about…
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Wanted MP sneaks into Thai parliament for crucial vote
WANTED: Pol Lt-Gen Waipote Arpornrat Renegade fugitive MP Waipote Arpornrat escaped the notice of parliamentary police, and government MPs, when he managed to stroll in the Lower House parliamentary chamber undetected during Wednesday’s sitting. Arpornrat is a member of Palang Pracharat, the most prominent party of the ruling government coalition after jumping ship from the Pheu Thai party, He was stripped…
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Government extends time for payouts to storm victims
People affected by tropical storms ‘Podul’ or ‘Kajiki’ are now eligible to receive compensation up to March 31 next year, an extension from the original deadline of November 25. Deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek says households in 32 provinces are entitled to receive 5,000 baht each, from an overall budget of 2.09 billion baht. Tropical storm Kajiki was a full on…
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More foreign English teachers needed to improve Thais’ English skills
PHOTO: OnTESOL It’s reported that more teaching jobs will become available for foreign English teachers from next year, as efforts are made to boost English language skills in schools across Thailand. A Daily News report says students in their final year of high school need to improve their English language knowledge from “basic” to “independent user” level, which is considered…
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No tax on Chim Shop Chai stimulus package perks
The government will waive personal income tax on the financial privileges given to consumers under the Chim Shop Chai (Eat Shop Spend) economic stimulus programs that have been run over the past two months. This means the 1000 baht handout and the ‘cash-back’ rebate amounts won’t be subject to tax. The government spent 19 billion baht on the three phases…
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Civic groups threaten legal action over U-turn on farm-chemical ban
686 civic groups threaten to sue Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit over the U-turn on banning three agri-chemicals. Thai PBS World reports that the groups are all in favour of the ban on paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, which the National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) recently agreed to ban. And then it changed its mind. They say they are working with a group…
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Thais still strongly support national army conscription – Super Poll
PHOTO: Aljazeera.com Thais say they still support the current conscription laws to fill up the ranks of the Thai army. 82% of respondents to a Super Poll say that there is no better alternative to conscription when ensuring “national security” and that assistance is available to Thai people in cases of a natural disaster or civil unrest. (Numbers rounded off…
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Health Minister proposes Thai farmers to grow cannabis as preferred crop
PHOTO: Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspecting a government-sponsored cannabis plant – Chiang Rai Times Who ever thought they’d be a day in Thailand when the country’s health minister was actively touting cannabis as a preferred crop for Thai farmers. But here we are… Thailand’s Public Health Minister is proposing farmers be allowed to grow cannabis under government supervision.…
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Temperatures dropping across Thailand
Well, it is winter afterall. The Thai Meteorological Department is predicting cool mornings with light fog in upper Thailand, with clear skies and sunny weather during the day. A moderate high-pressure system still covers much of the north of Thailand. The north and the northeast will have temperatures as low as 16-22 degrees in the plains, with 6-12 degrees in…
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Taiwanese will have to provide financial statements to get a visa to Thailand
Taiwanese visiting Thailand will be required to give financial details in order to obtain a visitor’s visa starting next month, according to local news reports. Republic of China (Taiwan) passport holders will now be required to apply for a visa online and will have to schedule an appointment to submit their passports in person, according to the Taipei Times. They…
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Ban on used car imports comes into force in December
PHOTO: Roni Motors Thailand “After December 10, all used vehicles imported for personal use will be confiscated and destroyed immediately.” Keerati Ratchano, the director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, says his department is gearing up for a ban on importing used cars to Thailand, to be introduced by the Commerce Ministry in December. The ban was first announced in July…
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“The Thai economy is teetering on recession” – Kasikorn Bank
A financial analyst is sounding the warning bells saying that the Thai economy is on the verge of a recession while the baht will remain strong. The head of capital markets research at Kasikorn Bank, Kobsidthi Silpachai, says all eyes will be on Thailand’s economic growth to see if it slows in the fourth quarter, compared to the third. The economy…
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Thai government introduces property stimulus package
PHOTO: homeservicerayong.com “Buyers must earn no more than 100,000 baht a month and be registered on the Revenue Department’s tax database.” Thailand’s Finance Ministry spokesman Lavaron Sangsnit says that the three major housing associations are ready to support the government’s latest stimulus measures to support home purchases. There was a meeting between Ministry officials and the Housing Business Association, Thai Real…
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Thai household debt hits all-time high of 340K baht per house
Household debt in Thailand is at a record high. A survey carried out by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce shows that household debt has increased by 7.4% since this time last year and now sits at a record high of 340,000 baht. The survey was carried out between November 11-23, canvassing 1,201 people around the country. The…
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Pick-up destroyed by fire after dashcam exploded
PHOTOS: Sanook Beware exploding dashcams! A pick-up truck owner in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, has posted details on social media of how the dashcam in his vehicle “exploded”, starting a fire that destroyed the entire front of the truck. Thai Residents reports that the man’s girlfriend was using the vehicle at the time and had parked it at her workplace…
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Member of committee to ban farm chemicals quits in protest over U-turn
PHOTO: Assoc. Prof. Jiraporn Limpananont Pongspaj Samranvejporn – Thai PBS World The Thai Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit is being challenged over his claims of a “unanimous vote of support” to overturn the decision to ban the controversial agri-chemicals. A member of the National Hazardous Substances Committee, that oversaw the original ban on the agri-chemicals paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate, has resigned in…
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“New” committee reverses ban on farm chemicals
The Thai government will lift the proposed ban on the herbicide glyphosate, and delay the ban on paraquat and the pesticide chlorpyrifos for six months. It’s an astonishing turn of events given the extensive public debate and insistence by some government ministers that it WON’T reverse the ban under any circumstances. Just two days ago Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s…
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Thailand unlikely to abolish the draft
Thai Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon says military conscription won’t be scrapped any time soon, as there aren’t enough volunteers signing up for service. Prawit told reporters conscription is meant to avoid manpower shortfalls, but admitted that conscripts represent a small percentage of all recruits, appearing to contradict himself. “If conscription is abolished and something untoward happens to Thailand, there won’t be…
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All national highways in Thailand to have four lanes by 2022
Thailand’s Highways Department says all national highways in the country will be four-lane roads, two lanes in each direction, within three years. Daily News says the Director-General of the Highways Department, Sarawut Songsiwilai, made the announcement yesterday. Sarawut says the expansion will mean the country’s highways are better prepared to accommodate an increase in traffic using the network. It’s understood…
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Recreational drug users warned over dangers of ‘Magic Paper’ hallucinogen
PHOTO: reddit.com Thai medical officials are warning about a recreational drug known as “death stamp” or “magic paper”. The Nation reports that the deputy director-general of the Department of Medical Services, Dr Manus Photaporn, says the drug is popular with foreign tourists and involves the use of lysergic acid diethylamide (commonly known as LSD or acid). “Magic paper is basically…
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