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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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Anti-government rally a victory for progressive Thais
An important figure in Thailand’s Progressive Movement says the anti-government rally this weekend is a victory for Thais pushing for democracy in the Kingdom. Yesterday’s rally, the largest yet in the anti-government demonstrations that started in July, attracted up to 30,000 people although Thai security officials put the number around 18,000. Either figure makes the protest the biggest so far…
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England’s self-quarantine rule breakers will receive up to a 10,000 pound fine
England’s self-quarantine rule breakers are receiving up to a 10,000 pound fine, starting September 28, according to British PM Boris Johnson. The fine will be handed down to anyone who tests positive for the virus or has been in contact with someone who has the virus and dodges the rules for self-quarantine. For the first offence, rule breakers will receive…
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Veterinarian arrested for giving beauty treatments
Dogs with breast augmentation? Cats with face lifts? After customers reported some suspicious behaviour, a veterinarian in Sisaket province, in northeastern Thailand, has been arrested for giving cosmetic beauty treatments at a veterinary clinic in Phitsanulok, Central Thailand. The veterinarian, known as B, was allegedly giving botox and filler injections to customers despite not being licensed to do so. The…
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Anti-government protest rally attracts massive crowd, continues today
And there it was, in full sight of the Grand Palace and shouted out across the royal parade grounds of Sanam Luang, a call to reform Thailand’s monarchy and the powers of the monarch. The protests, which started yesterday in the grounds of Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan Campus, will continue today with a number of symbolic gestures to claim a…
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Baby’s corpse found at garbage tip in Pattaya
Pattaya residents made a grisly find today at the Nongprue Municipality tip this morning. Whilst digging for items they could recycle and sell, they discovered the dead body of a baby. Police are now launching an investigation for the individual responsible. Nongprue Police were notified of the discovery of the corpse of the newborn baby at the garbage dump at the…
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Strong wind and waves this morning closes Phuket’s beaches, one swimmer rescued
Phuket’s Rawai Mayor, Aroon Solos, ordered all beaches in the area to close after a foreigner was rescued this morning after being unable to make it back to shore. The foreigner was swimming off Ao Sane beach, just north of the popular Nai Harn Beach, when lifeguards were sent out to help bring him back to shore. The recent weather…
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32 year old recovers in hospital after tiger attack in Pattaya
A 32 year old man is lucky to be alive after being attacked by a tiger yesterday whilst feeding it at the Elephant Kingdom park in Pattaya. Only quick action from park staff prevented the man from being mauled and killed by the animal. Emergency responders were called to the scene at around 3.30pm at the Elephant Kingdom in Huay Yai,…
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US accuses Chinese companies of exploitation along the Mekong River
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is accusing Chinese companies of “exploitative practices” in the Mekong River region after a new partnership has been launched to combat “transnational crimes”. Pompeo named the China Communications Construction Company as one of the big offenders and says the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for the increase in human, wildlife and drug trafficking…
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Prosecutors officially indict Boss over 8 year old hit-and-run case
Prosecutors in Thailand have seemingly taken an about face as they have officially indicted Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, the heir of the Red Bull empire, on “reckless driving causing death” and drugs charges. The latest moves in the cases follow intense public backlash after the cases was being dropped altogether 2 months ago by the deputy attorney general. The indictment comes…
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Phuket residents going hungry after local government assistance runs out
Residents in Phuket, particularly those living in and around the west coast townships, are reportedly going hungry as the government’s municipal budget to provide food has been depleted. Despite efforts to revive tourism in the area, thousands of people are still in need of donated food to survive and continue to queue up for donated food every day. A public…
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‘Noul’ weakens as it pushes through Central Thailand today
The remnants of Tropical Storm Noul are now situated over Central Thailand after passing over Vietnam’s central coast yesterday morning and then into Laos and north eastern Thailand last night with some high winds and rain preceding the eye of the storm. Provincial officials warned of flash floods and landslides in northern provinces ahead of the storm. The depression, now…
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Rally to go ahead whilst Thammasat lock their gates to keep the protesters out
Heading into today’s protest at Thammasat University in Bangkok, a spokesperson for the organisers says the thorny issue of the reform of the Thai monarchy will be on the agenda. A 10 point manifesto was prepared and originally announced as part of an August 10 rally, not a large rally at the time but memorable for the public utterance of issues…
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Heavy rain, big protest tomorrow, special tourist visa | Thailand News Today | September 18
Daily TV news from around Thailand. Police catch inmate who escaped prison dressed as a guard He was smart enough to get hold of a prison guard uniform and escape, but was wasn’t smart enough to not get caught. The inmate who walked out of Phetchabun Provincial Prison yesterday, disguised as a guard, has now been recaptured. Police were able…
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Border patrol volunteers catch 2 Chinese men who allegedly sneaked across the border
Tak Immigration police arrested 2 Chinese men who allegedly crossed the Thai-Myanmar border illegally. Border police tightened patrols after Myanmar reported a spike in Covid-19 cases in the past month, and even more so recently when a young Burmese child tested positive for the virus after arriving back to his home country from Tak’s Mae Sot district (in Northern Thailand).…
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First airplane food cafe, now Thai Airways opens fried dough stand
Since not much is happening in the air, Thai Airways is running new business schemes on the ground. For their newest venture, the company opened a deep fried dough street food stand. They say the fried dough with taro custard is an “award winning” recipe. Thai Airways has already opened a pop-up restaurant serving “in flight” food to customers seated…
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1 new Covid-19 death, 7 new cases in quarantine
Thailand reported its first Covid-19 death since June, tallying up the death toll to 59. Health officials also report 7 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine. They say 1 person had the virus before. The 54 year old Mhad Mamin worked as a Thai translator at an embassy in Saudi Arabia. He came back to Thailand last month and tested positive…
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