Thailand News
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Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Administrative Court rejects private hospitals’ plea to remove caps on pricing
Thailand’s private hospital sector has failed to win respite from an order controlling their medical prices, after the Supreme Administrative Court turned down their request. The court made the decision saying that the order will not cause irreversible damages to the hospitals even though an injunction has not been issued yet. The Private Hospital Association, together with 42 private hospitals,…
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Thai PM acts on illegal and unlicensed hotels and accommodation
Owners of shop-houses, rented properties, even entire floors of condos – running them as defacto hotels – are about to get the Article 44 treatment. The PM, acting in his capacity as the head of the NCPO (in the days before it is dissolved), says he will bring an estimated 20,000 illegal hotels and accommodations around the country under control…
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Complaints made over 41 pro-Junta coalition MPs over their alleged media shares
Just as it appeared the dust was settling on the fractious formation of a new parliament for Thailand, more than 40 MPs of the pro-junta bloc are now targeted in cases related to media shareholding after their names were submitted to the Constitutional Court. Should these MPs be suspended or disqualified, the pro-junta coalition’s narrow Lower House majority could vanish…
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45 year old British man found dead at Koh Chang luxury hotel
PHOTO: Tourist Police Bureau A British man has been found dead in front of his hotel room on Koh Chang. Koh Chang is in Thailand’s far east, off the coast of Trat. The 45 year old tourist died near a swimming pool at the Sea View Koh Chang Hotel, according to tourist police. Police say the man was lying in…
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Electric vehicles on the rise but the take up is slow in Thailand
“Two trends will develop in Southeast Asia. The first is new operators of EV taxi fleets such as cars and motorcycles, and the second is electric buses for public transport.” Justin Wu, head of Asia-Pacific for Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) says the electric vehicles (EVs) remain expensive and unaffordable for individual buyers in Thailand and ASEAN. Mr. Wu says…
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Prayut sworn in as 29th Thai PM. Cabinet appointments remain unresolved.
PHOTOS: The Nation Prayut Chan-o-cha was sworn in as the 29th Thai Prime Minister in a ceremony at Government House yesterday. Key points… • PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has received royal endorsement as the new prime minister in a ceremony at Government House, a week after winning a vote in Parliament. • The ceremony was attended by the leaders of the…
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Huawei running 5G testbeds in Thailand
China phone-giant Huawei, along with Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry and interested partners, is now turning the much-awaited 5G Testbed into a reality. As the first and only vendor so far to deliver the 5G network to Thailand’s 5G Testbed in the Eastern Economic Corridor in Sri Racha, Huawei is providing a platform that will be used for end-to-end…
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Thai Medical Council warns local men against penis enlargement scams and bogus treatments
WARNING: This story may make men squirm and some women laugh. The Thai Medical Council on Facebook is warning Thai men to stop trying to enlarge their penises, especially with DIY treatments. They report that there thousands of Thai men, mostly between 20-30 years, who are injecting themselves with various substances in the hope of ending up with a larger…
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SCB report says political instability will dampen economic confidence
The question over stability of the new government continues to dampen economic outlook, despite the recent sittings of Parliament and the formal election of a new prime minister – this according to a new economic outlook report. The report by the Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre says that the new government will face difficulty in balancing the interest of each…
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More prison time for Premchai over poaching case
Thailand’s construction tycoon Premchai Karnasutra has been sentenced to another year in jail after being found guilty of trying to bribe officials while being arrested at the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi in February last year. The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 7 acquitted Premchai’s aide Yong Dodkhruea of bribery, defined in law as inducing…
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Thai PM receives royal endorsement. Negotiations on hold for today’s ceremonies.
Thailand’s new Prime Minister, the old one but now elected by the new parliament last Wednesday, is reported to have agreed to the ministerial post quotas Palang Pracharath promised to the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties. Prayut Chan-o-cha has reportedly invited all coalition partners to stop squabbling and attend the swearing-in ceremony for him to formerly take the post of PM in…
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Private sector waits for new economic ministers to raise investor confidence
The private sector says they’re waiting to see the new ministers emerge from the current negotiations that will be in charge of economic portfolios, who may raise the confidence of investors. Meanwhile, the Consumer Confidence Index was at 77.7 in for the month of May, the lowest in 19 months. Thanawat Pholvichai, director of University of the Thai Chamber of…
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Democrats decide today if they’ll walk away from Palang Pracharat coalition
PHOTO: Thai PBS A meeting of Democrat MPs today will either re-enforce the loose coalition with Palang Pracharat or walk away from the arrangement. If either the Democrats or Bhumjaithai walk away from the coalition it will leave the government in minority in the new parliament. Palang Pracharat have made it openly clear over the weekend they want to reclaim…
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Not negotiable. Democrats and Bhumjaithai draw a line in the Thai political sand
PHOTO: Bhumjaithai leader, Anutin Charnvirakul Bhumjaithai want to retain the Transport portfolio, as promised. The Democrats say they will not ‘return’ the Agriculture or Commerce portfolios, as it was promised. The deals were struck with the Palang Pracharat in the final hours before the parliamentary election of the next PM to secure votes for their candidate, Prayut Chan-o-cha. Both Bhumjaithai…
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We cast our eyes into Thailand’s political crystal ball
The new Thai government, still being legoed together after more than two months since the election, is fragile at best, terminal at worst. The government faces serious problems, no matter if you see it as a defacto military rule, a democratic hatchet job or a fair election (cough). • Prime Minister Prayut will now face lengthy debates, and even ridicule,…
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Facing headwinds in 2019, Thai economy looks better for 2020
The Thai economy is projected to grow 3.8% in 2019, slightly below last year’s 4.2%. The main reason is slower growth in the global economy. thailand-business-news.com reports that this is likely to lead to a deceleration in Thai exports and tourism, which will impact domestic consumption. But the report says that foreign direct investment and government stimulus measures could prop up…
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Government set to clampdown on overcharging in the pet medical care industry
Not content with just clamping down on some of the excesses of the Private Hospital system for humans in Thailand, the government is now planning to keep an eye on the prices of medication, medical supplies and medical services at pet clinics and pet hospitals as well. As with the Thai private hospital system a swell of complaints about high…
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Thais outraged by tourist doing yoga poses at historic and sacred sites
PHOTO: Andreita Levin New outrage alert. Doing yoga poses on famous or sacred sites around Thailand will get you into trouble with the authorities. Tourist Police say they’ve caught up with a foreign woman who shared photos on her Instagram account performing yoga exercises at sacred and historic sites around Thailand. “A Mexican yoga teacher from Canada is being criticised…
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Dumped shredded Thai baht notes found on the Trat roadside
by Poonsak Boonloy Confetti? Leftovers from a paper cannon? No, shredded and dumped Thai bank notes in far eastern Thailand. A large amount of the shredded banknotes, with denominations of 20, 50 and 500 baht, were found dumped on the roadside in Ban Khok Moo 5 of Tambon Nong Samet in Trat’s main city area yesterday. Pol Captain Somphok Srichuchit…
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Overstaying Russian tries to change his Thai visa stamp with a pen, badly
PHOTO: Naewna.com It seemed like such a good idea at the time. A Russian man has been caught on overstay at the Klong Leuk border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo, directly to the east of Bangkok on the Cambodian border. Trying to enter Cambodia, the man told immigration he changed the last visa stamp with his own pen. 32 year old…
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Palang Pracharat are warned not to renege on Thai ministry promises
Amidst rumours circulating that the Palang Pracharat Party may renege on some of the promises it made to secure MP votes from the Democrats and Bhumjaithai, the Democrat party leader Jurin Laksanavisit says he believes the Palang Pracharat party will keep its promises. Thepthai Senpong MP, a key Democrat party member, is warning that the coalition government will be in…
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Palang Pracharat still quibbling over portfolios in the new Thai parliament
Election – check. Vote for PM – check. New government sworn in – not quite yet. There is still a reported back-room fight over cabinet portfolios between factions in the Palang Pracharat Party. Several key ministries were offered to Bhumjaithai and Democrat MPs in return for voting for Prayut Chan-o-cha as PM on Wednesday. Now that Prayut’s been installed back…
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Nation Multimedia Group takes legal action over alleged copyright violation
The Nation Multimedia Group is filing criminal cases against two media monitoring service companies for violation of its copyright. NMG’s subsidiaries Krungthep Turakij Media, Nation News Network and Kom Chad Luek Media, as plaintiffs, filed criminal cases with the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court on April 9 against iSentia Bangkok and iSentia Monitoring Services (Thailand). The two companies…
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Thai PM Prayut thanks MPs for re-electing him to the position of prime minister
Following his re-appointment to the position of PM late last night, Prayut Chan-o-cha has thanked the two houses of Parliament for voting for him. Government spokesperson Werachon Sukondhapatipak passed on the PM’s gratitude for re-election to the position this morning. He says the PM noted that the wining votes came from the lower house and were then combined with the…
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Thanathorn says he will be Thailand’s Prime Minister of change
Future Forward’s 40 year old leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has called for change this afternoon. He made his speech outside of the temporary parliament as he’s been barred as an MP pending legal cases yet to be heard by the Constitutional Court over alleged media share holdings. The speech was made as the parliament hears from MPs about why they support…
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Thanathorn and Prayut officially nominated as Thai PM candidates
“The current PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha did not attend today’s proceedings.” The Future Forward leader, 40 year old Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, and NCPO chief and current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha have been formally named as candidates for the position of Prime Minister by their parties in Parliament this morning. They were the only two names put forward after the new House Speaker (and…
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Former Democrat Party leader and Thai PM resigns
Former Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has announced his resignation as a parliamentary MP, saying he could not break his word and follow his Democrat Party’s resolution to support Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as the next PM. He announced his resignation in the lead up to today’s vote for a new PM, now a cakewalk for the existing PM Prayut after…
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And then there were three. Bidding for Airport duty free concession.
Only three Thai bidders – King Power Duty Free, a consortium led by Bangkok Airways, and a bid by Royal Orchid Hotel – remain in play as the companies attempt to win the licence to run duty-free shops at the Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai international airports. The Central Department Store bid has formerly dropped out of the bidding…
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Last minute deal secures Prayut’s PM vote in today’s Thai parliamentary sitting
Leaving it to the last moment, the Democrats dramatically capitulated and decided to join the pro-junta Palang Pracharat coalition. The move gives the current PM, Palang Pracharat’s sole prime ministerial candidate, an easy walk into the PM job during today’s parliamentary vote. General Prayut Chan-o-cha and Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit will face off in the 11am vote. Until yesterday’s…
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Future Forward candidates say they’ve been offered up to 120M baht to vote for Prayut as PM
The big vote for Thailand’s next PM starts tomorrow at 11am. The lead up to the vote, a flurry of desperate offers and deals, has seen the Pro-Junta Palang Pracharat party fall short of a majority, fall WELL short of a majority. Meanwhile, Future Forward party members claimed today that some of their MPs have been offered between 30 million and…
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