Thailand News
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10 Hua Hin hotels face closure over Hotel Act infringements
‘Fake’ hotels and other premises being operated as hotels, but don’t have proper licences, are in the firing line at the moment, in just about all the major tourist provinces around the country. There’s clearly a nationwide crackdown on these dodgy guesthouses, hostels and mini-hotels at the moment. The owners say they find it almost impossible to comply with the…
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Lampang pineapple farmers picket City Hall over falling prices
Pineapple prices have been tumbling across the country, not only in the popular southern plantations. Now Lampang pineapple farmers are struggling to sell their products in the Chiang Mai market after another price crash hits the pineapple world. On June 8, over 10 pineapple farmers from Lampang set up shop outside City Hall to highlight the problems with pineapple prices falling…
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Myanmar-Thai border mega bust. 15 tonnes of drug-making chemicals.
By Jessada Chantharak A 15 tonne batch of sodium cyanide that could have been used to make millions of methamphetamine pills was seized and Chiang Rai man was arrested last week when a smuggling operation into Myanmar from Thailand was intercepted. Truck driver, 41 year old Sawat Kaewdam, is facing charges over alleged illegal entry and failing to obtain a…
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Islamic committee chair dies from Friday shooting in Pattani
Pattani Islamic Committee deputy chairman Aduldej Chenae, who was seriously injured from a gun attack in the southern province on Friday, was pronounced dead at 2.45am today (Sunday) in an intensive care unit of Pattani Hospital. The 55 year old Aduldej was leaving a mosque in front of Ban Lalo Witthaya School in Sai Buri district, where he also served…
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A 50 percent cut in plastic garbage in 9 years
Straws, beach trash and plastic bags. Thailand seems to be on a head on collision to tackle these issues, at last. To realise how difficult it will be to turn around a society that uses so much plastic daily – a recent survey suggest that the average Thai uses 8 disposable plastic bags every day – you only have to…
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21 year old Australian Jaydon Sienkiewicz remains in serious condition
Thursday’s stabbing on a young Australian man in a Pattaya night club is making headlines overseas, particularly in Australia. News.com.au is reporting that the 21 year old’s Thai stepmother was ‘horrified’ when he went to the bathroom and returned covered in blood. News.com.au reports that an Australian man is in a serious condition after he was attacked in a bathroom while…
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Pattaya seminar teaches students to say NO
Human trafficking and prostitution remain to enormous elephants in the room for Thai society and past Governments. A seminar in Pattaya is hoping to do something about it. Students are being taught how to say ‘no’ to sex during an Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) seminar to help reduce human trafficking and youth prostitution. As many as 200 students, teachers,…
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Latest warnings from Thai Meteorological Department
The Meteorological Department has warned residents in many parts of Thailand to brace themselves for heavy rains and strong winds from Saturday to Monday. In its sixth warning issued at 5am this morning (Saturday), the department said a strong southwest monsoon is now prevailing over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand while a monsoon trough lies across…
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A wet weekend around the country
Around the country there’s been a surging southern monsoon mixing with a front crossing over the South China Sea, moving north and sucking in moist air from the Gulf of Thailand and the Indian Ocean. The Thai Meteorological Department is reporting “more isolated heavy to very heavy rain will hit all regions of the country from today until June 11…
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Sleeping on the job – NLA members caught napping
Two legislators caught nodding off during a serious discussion involving the 3 trillion bah national budget were actually hardworking lawmakers who fell asleep because of their poor health, National Legislative Assembly (NLA) vice president Peerasak Phochit said yesterday. Peerasak, who is in charge of NLA’s professional ethics, said their behaviour was not a serious enough breach of professional ethics to…
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Government unveils 600 billion baht EEC projects
By Wichit Chaitrong As the Thai PM readies for the Europe trip from June 25, ministers are assuring diplomats of project and political continuity after next February’s proposed poll. In what is seen as a economic showcase, before the PM’s high-profile trip to Europe later this month, the government says it is accelerating six key investment projects worth 600 billion…
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30,000 methamphetamine pills seized, drugs rife due to decreasing prices
Four drug dealers have been arrested with more than 30,000 methamphetamine pills. The use of methamphetamine pills is on the rise in the region, indeed right around Thailand, due to decreasing prices and increased availability. At a media briefing held yesterday (June 7) at the Krabi Provincial Police Station, Krabi Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Tharatcha Tommapat said, “the four…
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Crazy school songtaew driver slapped with 5,000 baht fine and suspension
CCTV footage from an intersection near Kabinburi, east of Bangkok, showed a fully loaded school songtaew almost collide with other vehicles as the driver plowed through a red light. Thai Rath reports the songtaew almost topples over, such is the speed and swerve. The children came from three area schools – Kabin Withaya, Jiamin School and Ruksasap School in Prachinburi. Following…
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The final straw – say NO to plastic straws
You walk into your nearest convenience store. You grab a drink and go to pay for it. You’re offered a straw (packaged in a plastic wrapper), or maybe two straws, thrown into your carry bag (also plastic). Or maybe you’re grabbing an iced coffee on your way to work from the roadside vendor. The coffee, in a plastic cup, carried…
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‘Big Joke’ takes down Russian credit card fraudster
Tourist police deputy commissioner Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal has led a team of police in taking down a Russian credit card fraudster in the north east. Maj Gen Surachet is affectionately known as “Big Joke” in the Thai media following a series of high profile crime busts. In his latest sting, 43 year old Kiselev Andrey Vladimirovice, was trapped with…
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Help on the way for Lampang woman who cares for 400 stray dogs
There’s been a lot of interest in the story from yesterday about the woman in Lampang, Pongrueduee Rasi, who had been caring for 400 stray dogs but was in despair because she’d run out of money. We’ve tracked down the account number of her Foundation that cares for the dogs. Pongrueduee Rasi told several TV channels yesterday that she had only…
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Krabi elephants reporting for treatment at animal hospital
Many elephants have been brought to receive medial treatment at the elephant hospital in Krabi province after they fell sick, Benjatham Thaitham, a veterinarian at the Krabi elephant hospital, says the arrival of the rainy season has caused many elephants to be brought to the hospital by their mahouts for treatment. She says she’s worried that the elephants may been…
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Ban on political activity to stay, for now
Despite the roadway being cleared by the Constitutional Court on Monday, putting the February 2019 election back on track, the Thai PM is still being cagey about forthcoming meetings between the NCPO and political parties and scrapping of the ban on political gatherings. The PM said yesterday that bans on political activities will remain in place despite all the legislation…
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Pineapple farmers to sell crops in PTT stations nationwide
PTT, the Government-owned petro-chemical giant that commands the largest share of Thai petrol sales, is getting behind the country’s pineapple farmers. Pineapples are one of Phuket’s main agricultural crops but has been hit with low prices for the past year. PTT petrol stations will allow pineapple growers to sell their crops in the compounds of PTT stations around the country…
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Last hurdle to Thai election cleared
FILE PHOTO: The Nation Activists sceptical over a promise of a poll next February, say they’re still insisting on Thailand going to an election this year. After several postponements, the Thai PM has promised Thailand’s first election in five years is set to be held next February. All legal hurdles were finally cleared yesterday with the approval by the Constitutional…
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Thai industry declares war on plastic pollution
It seems the relentless media reporting, photo evidence, social media and horrendous stories about sea creatures being washed ashore consumed by plastics, has now forced Thai leaders to push the issue of plastic use to the top of their priority list. 20 ministries and the private sector have launched a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags to mark…
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Paraquat and other farm pesticides to be phased out – PM assures protesters
The Thaig government is promising to phase out the use of Paraquat as an farm chemical. The PM was responding to a ramping up of protests outside Government house and in social media where opposition was growing following a decision not to ban the use of Paraquat and two other agri-chemicals. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government will now set 2019…
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Kids aged six and seven swamping tourist police emergency line with prank calls
Prank calls are a problem for emergency hotlines everywhere in the world. Even the demure, outwardly polite Thai kids are getting in on the act these days. Three children, aged just six and seven, were among eight callers that have made 644 calls in total to the tourist police’s emergency line, keeping the 1155 number needlessly occupied. This was announced…
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Kalasin pagoda collapse – Initial investigation points to three factors
The collapse of an ancient pagoda under restoration at Wat Kud Wa in Kalasin’s Kuchinarai district yesterday morning, resulting in the death of one worker and four others being injured, stemmed from three main causes. Authorities begun a probe into the Pagoda’s collapse almost immediately yesterday. Kalasin’s public works and city planning officer, Weerachai Kaewhawong, cites three factors: construction work…
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Protests planned outside Government House over ‘hazardous chemicals’ decision
Anti-paraquat protesters are going to rally out the front of Government House today. Around 300 rubber planters are set to join members of a network of organisations protesting against anti-hazardous substances being allowed in Thai agriculture. They say they are protesting against the continued use of the agro-chemicals paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate. President of the association of rubber planters, Sunthorn…
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Tour bus collides with concrete truck in Khon Kaen
20 passengers on a Nakorn Panom-Bangkok bus are shaken but unharmed following a tour bus crash with a concrete truck. A report from MCOT shows CCTV footage from an intersection in Khon Kaen of the two vehicles colliding. The footage shows cars coming through the intersection then the cement mixer. The cement mixer didn’t appear to give way to the right…
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Singapore on top, Laos on the bottom – English proficiency
PHOTO: talkpoverty.org The EF English Proficiency Index is out for the past 12 months, the seventh overview of countries where English is not the native language. Ranked from top to bottom and broken up into specific demographics. And Thailand doesn’t fare well. Bad news, it’s #53 in the world this year. The good news, it’s risen from #56 last year…
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Pilot whale beaches itself in Songkhla
PHOTOS: ThaiWhales’ Facebook page A pilot whale has died in Songkhla after being cared for by a team of vets and villagers over four days. What they found in a subsequent autopsy shocked everyone. The 4.5 metre pilot whale beached itself on the shore in the Chana district of Songkhla on May 29. Villagers and veterinarians from the local marine and…
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BMW eyes bright future for electric cars in Thailand
That growth makes Thailand number three in the world in terms of market acceptance of PHEVs, according to Krisda Utamote, BMW Group Thailand’s director of corporate communications. Christian Wiedmann, president of BMW Thailand, says the German carmaker would continue churning out new electric vehicle models due to confidence in its global market expansion, with Thailand included. “In Thailand, BMW is…
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Thai teen pregnancy education gets real
The Education Ministry will include a test on sex education and life skills in the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) from this year forward as a part of efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. “We will soon inform all students about this decision via their schools,” Deputy Prime Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said on the weekend. The decision was reached at…
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