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188 new total of Bangkok clinics accused of defrauding healthcare system
Officials say they have found evidence of fraudulent claims at an additional 106 hospitals and health clinics in Bangkok. This follows an initial investigation by the National Health Security Office that uncovered corruption at 18 Bangkok healthcare facilities, which was then increased to 64 upon further scrutiny. The latest discovery brings to 188 the number of clinics and hospitals accused…
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Thai sex workers push for prostitution decriminalisation
“The Royal Thai Police says just last year more than 24,000 people were arrested.” Prostitution could become further decriminalised in Thailand. A petition is being passed around calling on the government to stop arresting and fining sex workers. The Empower Foundation, which supports sex worker, is trying to collect 10,000 signatures before they send it to parliament. ‘EMPOWER’, aka. the…
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Thai cabinet adds 2 more 4-day long weekends
A holiday-led economic recovery. That appears to be a part of the government’s agenda following yesterday’s meeting of the Thai cabinet. 2 new holiday weekends have been created, one in November, one in December, in efforts to further stimulate the economy. In both cases the extended weekends will be 4 days each, adding the Thursdays and Fridays before the weekend.…
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Thai hotels concerned extra holidays may not benefit all
As the Cabinet confirms two additional long weekends in November and December, the country’s hotels are concerned that not all operators will benefit. The extra holidays, running from November 19 to 22, and from December 10-13, are being introduced to further boost domestic tourism. Although they have been given a cautious welcome by hotel operators, the Thai Hotels Association points…
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Thailand News Today | Protesters face arrest | Phuket “in a coma”| September 22
Thailand News Today with Tim Newton. Daily news from around Thailand. Struggling airlines to get reprieve through small loans, extension to fuel tax cut Airlines in Thailand are being offered a financial lifeline, as the Government Savings Bank announces soft loans for carriers left struggling as a result of the current Covid-19 ‘disruption’. The GSB is offering the loans over…
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PM orders Thai police to collaborate with Interpol to bring Boss back to Thailand
The Thai PM is ordering Thai police to work with Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organisation, to find Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya and bring him back to Thailand for prosecution. The Red Bull heir has been on the run since 2017 and faces charges reckless driving causing death and using cocaine, charges which date back to the incident in 2012 in…
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Bangkok nightclub busted for underage drinking
A Bangkok nightclub was raided last night when police arrested numerous underage drinkers after city officials received a complaint about “unlawful assembly”. Police say many of the 50 people at the nightclub were under Thailand’s legal drinking age of 20 years old. They added that the patrons at the venue did not abide by Covid-19 prevention rules like wearing a…
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Win driver allegedly ran red light, hits teenage motorbiker
A Thai motorbike taxi driver, known as a ‘win’ driver, allegedly ran a red light and ran into a teenage student driving on Sukhumvit Road in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. The 58 year old win driver and the 18 year old student were both taken to the hospital. Emergency responders did not report on the extent of their injuries. The student,…
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Navy divers find captain’s body after boat sank in weekend storm
The body of a fishing boat captain trapped in sunken wreckage was found by Royal Thai Navy divers. The man’s boat sank during a weekend storm at the Surin Islands National Park, an archipelago of 5 islands in the Andaman Sea around 55 kilometres from the Phang Nga province coast. The “Chan Udome Sombat 8” fishing boat reportedly sank around…
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Phuket’s governor calls for help in restoring island’s economy
The governor of Phuket has likened the southern province to a “patient in a coma”, as he pleads for help to restore its devastated economy. According to a report in the Bangkok Post, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew was addressing a Public Health Association forum, where he highlighted the economic crisis caused by the ongoing ban on international tourists. The island’s…
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10 million baht in damages from alleged wholesale pajama scam
A wholesale online shopping scam allegedly tricked dozens of people who wanted to start a pajama business. People spent around a total of 10 million baht for pajamas that were never shipped out. A large group of victims filed complaints together against a Facebook page advertising wholesale packs of pajamas at the Ministry of Justice. They wore matching white shirts…
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Heightened security at Thai parliament ahead of Thursday’s pro-democracy protest
Security is being tightened to the highest level around Thailand’s new parliament building, in advance of Thursday’s planned anti-government protest. The protest was announced on Sunday as the weekend’s anti-government rally came to an end around Sunday lunchtime. Additional measures to beef up security include the readying of an evacuation helicopter, in the event that officials need to “take flight”.…
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Sri Panwa Phuket getting social media flak after owner criticises pro-democracy protest leader
The owner of a luxury resort on the Thai island of Phuket is facing a social media storm after condemning the current pro-democracy movement and one of its main organisers. Taking to Instagram, Vorasit Issara, owner of the five-star Sri Panwa Phuket Resort, singles out protest leader, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul for his disapproval, saying “she should be in prison”. “This bullshit has…
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Police officer allegedly shot and killed a woman at a Bangkok temple
A police officer allegedly shot and killed a woman making merit at a Bangkok temple yesterday. The 35 year old police officer, Siriwan Sumredsilpa, turned herself in to police. Siriwan allegedly approached the 39 year old woman from behind and shot her 4 times in the head. She was making merit that morning at the Nimmanoradee Temple in Bangkok around 7am…
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Thai beauty queen victim of racist slurs for siding with anti-government protesters
The winner of the 2020 Miss Grand Thailand competition has become the target of racist online attacks after declaring her support for the ongoing anti-government protest movement. Nation Thailand reports that Pacharaporn Chantarapadit, aka, “Nam”, took the title of Miss Grand Thailand on Sunday evening, in a televised competition shown nationwide. While being interviewed on stage on Saturday, the same…
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Myanmar’s Covid-19 spike causes mass lockdowns as Thai authorities scramble to seal the border
Myanmar is currently suffering a wave of Covid-19, causing concern in Thailand as its western border authorities bump up security measures and patrols. Burmese authorities have been introducing increasingly draconian restrictions to control the sudden spread of the virus over the past 4 weeks. Whilst the case load is still relatively small, the concerns are focussing on the porous western borders…
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Thailand News Today | Amnesty finishes, protest round-up | September 21, 2020
Daily video news about Thailand with Tim Newton Get a visa or go to jail. Thai Immigration Tourists, and anyone else with a lapsed visa, ha ve only 5 days to renew their visa or they could get arrested. The current visa amnesty ends on September 26 and there isn’t going to be another sudden announcement for another grace period,…
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MP files complaint against 3 opposition MPs for allegedly joining the protest
A member of parliament filed a complaint against 3 opposition MPs for allegedly joining the weekend’s pro-democracy protest where activists demanded reform of the Thai Monarchy. He’s also putting together a legal team aimed at dissolving the members’ 3 opposition parties. Palang Pracharat MP Sira Jenjakha says he has a photo of the 3 members raising their hands in a…
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Border police find 160 kilograms of marijuana hidden in fertiliser sacks
Border police found 160 kilograms of compressed marijuana near an Isaan roadside. Police say they believe the marijuana was trafficked across the Mekong River. No suspects were found and no arrests were made, at this stage. Police suspect the marijuana was smuggled in on long tail boats from Laos to the Isaan province of Nakhon Phanom during the tropical storm…
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4 people drown after SUV careers into canal in Chon Buri
4 people died after a driver allegedly hit a curb and lost control of her Toyota Fortuner SUV, running it off the road and into a Chon Buri canal. The driver, 38 year old Sukanya from Bangkok, survived and told police she was driving 6 friends from Bangkok to Rai Lak Thong, a subdistrict in Chon Buri. She says the…
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Thailand Post to upcycle parcel boxes into furniture for Border Patrol Police School
The Thailand Post is going to turn its parcel cardboard boxes and paper envelopes into tables and chairs for students at the Border Patrol Police School. The postal service says they’ve already received 10,000 kilograms of used boxes and envelopes for the upcycling project. People can send used parcel boxes and envelopes back to Thailand Post to be collected for…
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Woman shot and killed at Bangkok temple
A woman was shot and killed at a Bangkok temple today. Police say 39 year old Linlada Phattanphan was found inside the temple, covered in blood. Her head had been shot at 4 times. Linlada went to the temple this morning to make merit, according to her maid, 52 year old Maneerat Srithornrat. The maid told police that the 2 of…
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Protesters’ plaque damaged historical site – Thai Fine Arts Department
The Thai Fine Arts Department claim the pro-democracy protesters, who installed a symbolic brass plaque in an area next to the Grand Palace yesterday morning, broke the law. The department filed a complaint saying the installation of the plaque damaged a historic site, a violation of the Archaeological Site Act. Protesters cemented the plaque in the perimeter of the Royal Field,…
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Alcohol banned at national parks after complaints of trash and drunk tourists
Alcohol is now banned at national parks after tourists allegedly got drunk at a waterfall and others left a load of trash by their campsite. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has updated other park rules to make sure parks are kept clean and the wildlife isn’t disturbed. Just last week, trash left at a campsite at…
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Protesters’ symbolic brass plaque ripped out of the concrete this morning
Now you see it. Now you don’t. Although the replacement commemorative brass plaque was certain to be removed, even the protesters thought it might have stayed in place a bit longer than 24 hours. All that remains this morning is a space where the plaque had been laid yesterday morning – the concrete sealing it in place had barely dried.…
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Thai police seize 45,000 books and arrest students who were about to distribute them
Police were holding a group of Thammasat University students after seizing around 45,000 booklets about reform of the Thai Monarchy and politics, which were about to be distributed to demonstrators at Sanam Luang last night. The red-covered book, entitled “Stunning Phenomenon – August 10”, is a compendium of articles about the Thai Monarchy, written by human rights lawyer Anond Nampa,…
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Protesters place plaque declaring Thailand “belongs to the people”
Protesters today have placed a plaque, in the area next to the Grand Palace, declaring Thailand “belongs to the people”. The declaration comes after anti-government sentiment has risen prompting rallies to take place in the capital hoping to oust the government and demand constituional changes. The plaque was cemented in the perimeter of the Royal Field, known locally as Sanam…
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Thailand details new visa strategy to welcome rich tourists
The Thai government has revealed their detailed strategy to bring back “rich” tourists while keeping Covid numbers low. The plan, to be rolled out next month, has been touted by officials as a way to help recover Thailand’s hard hit tourist economy, but some say the government needs a reality check. The Tourism and Sports Authority Minister claims the plan…
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Bangkok SkyTrain offers free rides on Car Free Day for bike riders
Peddle your way to a free BTS train ride on Tuesday. Bangkok’s SkyTrain (BTS) is offering free rides to those who bring along a bicycle to celebrate Bangkok Car Free Day on September 22. The Bangkok Mass Transit System CEO says the cyclists can carry their bicycles into the Silom and Sukhumvit lines free of charge during the time periods of…
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Restaurant customer gets 60 baht discount after finding glass in food
A restaurant customer in Ayutthaya Province, just north of Bangkok, received a 60 baht discount on her bill after she found glass in her food when it cut her mouth. 60 baht for a potentially dangerous accident. Now, she is hoping to warn others by her Facebook account as she shares her story titled, “Jackpot, found glass that made my…
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