Thailand News
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How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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How much would you pay to get your dog groomed? 2800 baht?!
The husky seems to be the only one with a smile on his face. A Facebook Live post by a 32 year old Chachoengsao man complaining about “Thailand’s most expensive dog bathing fee of 2,800 baht” for his Siberian Husky has become a hot topic attracting more than 10,000 comments, nearly 400,000 views and 5,000 shares in 10 hours after…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, December 8
Prawit’s been given 30 days to ‘please explain’ | Flood crisis in Nakhon Si Thammarat | Last night’s island downpour | Australian couple in hospital with mounting bills following bike accident | 50,000 SIM cards seized on the Cambodian border.
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, December 7
Two fallen electrical poles cause traffic disruption this morning | Severe flooding in Nakhon Si Thammarat | No 3-Star Michelin restaurants in BKK | NACC chasing an explanation from Prawit | Phramongkutklao Hospital bomber sent to jail.
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No Michelin Three Star restaurants in Bangkok
The inaugural Michelin Guide Bangkok on Wednesday announced 14 one-starred and three two-starred restaurants at its debut at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok. No restaurant was awarded the ultimate accolade of three stars. Making its debut at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Wednesday, the first edition of the Michelin Guide Bangkok announced the 14 restaurants that have been awarded one…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, December 6
THAIGER TODAY. Wednesday, December 6. Heat on the Deputy PM to explain his expensive watch | Pattaya driver tests positive to drugs | Floods starting to abate | 2 missing after Nakhon Si Thammarat bus gets swept away | Big drug hauls in BKK and Songkhla.
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Positive drug test – awaiting confirmation of epilepsy claim
A man who claims he suffered an epileptic seizure that caused him to lose control of his car and kill two people and injure 15 others in Pattaya on Monday, was under the influence of drugs at the time, police said yesterday. 44 year old Akkaradej Udomrat will face an additional charge of driving while under the influence after police…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, December 5
THAIGER TODAY. Tuesday, December 5. Tragic Pattaya road accidents prompts questions | Songkhla schools closed because of flooding | Wang Kee Aon waterfall re-opens in Patong | Fake bomb causes security alert at Myanmar Embassy | Toon meets the PM.
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Pattaya driver that killed two claims epileptic fit – call for ban on epileptic drivers
A tragic accident yesterday morning in Pattaya is again focussing the public’s attention on a call for the Land Transport Department to ban people with epilepsy from driving. The crash occurred when a 44 year old self-described epileptic patient lost control of his pickup truck in Chon Buri’s Pattaya City, causing it to plough into 10 motorcycles, killing two people…
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Social media blowback in Myanmar for Pope. Meanwhile international aid dries up for refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border.
PHOTO: Voice of America Pope Francis’s embrace of the Rohingya during a trip to Bangladesh has sparked some angry comment on social media in Myanmar, where just days earlier he chose not to publicly air their plight. On Friday the head of the Catholic church met a group of refugees from Myanmar’s stateless Muslim minority in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.…
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Jail, plus a fine, for taking alcohol into national parks
Tourists risk a jail term plus a fine if they step into national parks with alcohol beverages. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation’s director-general Thanya Netithammakun yesterday warned tourists to stay alcohol-free inside national parks. “Offenders are liable to one month in jail and/or a maximum fine of ]1,000 Baht,” he said. Thanya said he had instructed all…
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Mega projects to shape Bangkok’s skyline – Thailand Tourism Forum 2018
The Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) returns for its seventh annual edition on January 22, 2018, gathering more than 650 hotel industry professionals at the InterContinental Hotel Bangkok to discuss the mega-projects that are reshaping Bangkok’s cityscape. Running under the theme ‘Megacity Bangkok – A Tourism and Hotel Futurescape’, TTF 2018 will focus on the redevelopment of the thriving Thai capital.…
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Viral video exposes an alleged call-centre scam
A viral video clip has prompted police to track down the man whose bank account is apparently used by a fraudulent call centre. Investigators from the Muang Lampang Police Station on Friday headed to the house of 37 year old Poonsawat Khamphira to question him over his role in the alleged scam. “I was paid 1,000 Baht to open this…
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SPIA Asia raise $5,000 for Thai CSR project by AFC Dream Asia Foundation
Mr. Eric M. Gottschalk, CEO of MMC Sportz Marketing LLC, organiser of SPIA Asia – Sports Industry Awards & Conference (left) presenting USD5,000 (approx. 160,000THB) to Dr. Annadurai Ranganathan from the AFC Dream Asia Foundation. Asia’s premier sports conference and awards platform, SPIA Asia – Asia’s Sports Industry Awards & Conference, recently concluded in Bangkok with a black-tie Awards Gala Dinner at…
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Miss Pinky Promise debuts to help reconcile the nation, or scare children.
With the Government keen to find a winning strategy to help heal deep political wounds, you’d wonder why they’ve unveiled this creepy costume character to come to their aid. “Nong Kiew Koy”, or “Miss Pinky Promise”, has become an overnight social media sensation after being introduced at the Defence Ministry as a “mascot for reconciliation”. Netizens have not been kind…
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Two civilians injured in Narathiwat bomb attack
Two civilians have been injured after Muslim insurgents detonated a homemade bomb to ambush a team of soldiers from a development corps in Narathiwat’s Joh I Rong district on this morning (November 30). The explosion occurred at 8.45am on Joh I Rong-Ban Yaning Road in Moo 2 village in Tambon Juab. The homemade bomb, assembled in a cooking gas cylinder,…
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Thailand’s Boat Show Season is Here
By Duncan Worthington For a country that has such stunning cruising grounds as Thailand, it’s no surprise there are boat shows to support and promote the marine industry, however, three boat shows within 13 weeks is a bit of a stretch. Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show kicked off the season and was held November 23 – 26 at Ocean Maria…
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Songkhla floods destroy road – car falls into hole
Floodwaters damaged part of a four-lane road in Songkhla’s Thepha district, leading to a car plunging into a hole in the pavement. The driver was not injured in the accident on the southern-bound Highway No 43 in Tambon Sakom at 4am. The two remaining lanes of the northern-bound road were divided to accommodate southern-bound traffic pending road repairs. Songkhla Governor…
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Bull elephant warning in Kanchanaburi
Tourists have been warned about wild elephants in a forest plantation in Kanchanaburi province, particularly a male that has been nicknamed “Nga Lek, the bully”. “Nga Lek” translates as “short tusk”. Sadet Hui-oun, chief of Thong Pha Phum Forest Plantation, which covers about 20,000 rai (3,200 hectares) in Thong Pha Phum district, said there were about 60 to 70 elephants…
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Butt pic boys face jail sentence over ‘offensive’ Instagram posts
A couple of Americans who author the Instagram page “Travelling Butts” have been arrested at Don Mueang International Airport for having taken photos showing their backsides with the respected Temple of the Dawn in the background. Police have so far only identified the two as Joseph and Travis, as their identities have yet to be confirmed with the Bangkok Yai…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 29
Prayut’s not-so-good trip to Songkhla | Thai tourists getting assistance from Bali Consulate with Mt Agung gurgling | Super Moon on the way | Phuket FC says a sad farewell | Chao Praya boat captain has a bad day. And today & tomorrow’s weather.
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Elephant kills mahout at Chiang Mai Zoo
A 32 year old male elephant fatally attacked its keeper at Chiang Mai Zoo yesterday morning, acting zoo director Wutthichai Moungman later confirmed. Senior mahout Somsak Riang-ngern died instantly. The attack at the elephant camp on the hill outside the display zone took place at 8am when the five-tonne Plai Ekkasit, which has apparently been in rut since Sunday, suddenly…
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Toon-fever hits Prachuap Khiri Khan today
An Air Force flyover and 20,000 cheering admirers greeted Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai in Prachuap Khiri Khan on Monday as he resumed his cross-country run to raise money for hospitals. After several days off to let a pulled tendon heal, Toon began Day 27 of what’s become a more challenging campaign than expected, leaving Ban Wa Tone in Tambon Klong Wan…
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Bali evacuates 100,000 and tourists stranded as island goes to red alert over volcano
If you were about to rush over to Bali for a bit of pre-Christmas island hopping, forget it. The airport in Denpasar is closed, people are being evacuated as a precaution and many travellers, already on the island, are stranded. Authorities on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali have raised the volcano alert to the highest level as Mount Agung…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 27
Military cadet family want answers | Thai Airways open new Vienna route | Floods in south while Petchaburi clears | Shocking road death statistics | Miss Universe Thailand into final five.
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NGO taking the government to court over food pesticides
More than 60 per cent of five popular vegetables sold in local markets contain excessive levels of harmful chemical residue, according to a testing by the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), a non-governmental organisation working on food safety. About 64 per cent of khana (Chinese kale), tua fak yao (long beans), prik daeng (red chili), bai kaprao (basil leaves) and…
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Relatives claim bodies of Myanmar workers killed in van fire
Relatives of some of the 13 Myanmar workers who were killed in a fiery van accident in Sing Buri early on Friday were in Bangkok yesterday (November 25) to claim the bodies. The Police Hospital’s Forensic Medicine Institute opened a room on the first floor to provide assistance to the relatives. The 13 workers were killed along with a Thai…
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Van fatality in Saraburi – one dead and eight injured
PHOTO: Thai PBS A school teacher has been killed and eight others injured in yet another fatal passenger van crash. This time on Phahonyothin Road, Nong Khae in Saraburi late last night (November 24). Police say the fatal crash happened just before midnight. The van , believed to be from the Chaiyaphum province, was returning 10 Chaiyaphum teachers after a…
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Ten in, nine out, eight reassigned – Thai Cabinet reshuffle
His Majesty the King has endorsed the new Thai Cabinet after a reshuffle that saw 10 new faces, nine removed and eight members given new assignments. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha removed… General Tanasak Patimapragorn and Admiral Narong Pipatnasai as his deputies, as well Minister attached to Prime Minister’s Office Omsin Chivapruek, Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr, Tourism and Sport…
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Another van tragedy – 14 die after crash in Sing Buri
Thirteen Burmese workers and a Thai driver were killed when a chartered van burst into flames after it crashed into the rear of a truck in Sing Buri early yesterday. The bus was taking the workers from Tak back to Mahachai, police said. The victims’ bodies were taken to Bangkok’s Police General Hospital for identification. So far, only Thai driver…
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Police roles could be moved to other Government departments
The police force is looking to transfer many of its current key missions to other agencies if the reform plan approved by the National Reform Committee on Judicial Affairs goes ahead. The regulation of traffic flow and enforcement of traffic laws, for example, will be handed over to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the Pattaya City Administration and some 30…
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