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Pattaya motorcyclist suffers severe injuries in collision
A motorcyclist in North Pattaya sustained serious injuries in a collision with a sedan last night. Emergency responders were notified of the accident, at a North Pattaya intersection on Sukhumvit Road, at 9pm. Police, emergency responders and reporters went to the scene to find the motorbike driver, who had suffered serious injuries, lying on the road. He was not immediately…
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UPDATE: SET suspends trading of Thai Airways shares
UPDATE: Trading in Thai Airways shares was suspended by the Stock Exchange of Thailand this afternoon after auditors declined to sign off on its financial statements for the six months to June 30. Auditor Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Jaiyos said it couldn’t reach a conclusion on the statements due to issues including a lack of liquidity and debt defaults, which created…
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Richard Barrow is dusting off his luggage in case he can’t renew visa
Yesterday, Richard Barrow, a popular British blogger and school employee in Samut Prakan, who has been living and working in Thailand for decades, says he had a surprise visit from the immigration bureau in regards to the renewal of his visa. Kapook reported the incident on their page saying that many Thai people admire the work he does for Thailand…
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Chulalongkorn students vow to protest despite last-minute ban
Pro-establishment Chulalongkorn University today abruptly cancelled a planned student protest at its Phra Boron field, citing “security and safety issues”. Nevertheless, student protesters told reporters the protest will go ahead despite the ban. Today’s is the latest in a series of anti-government rallies planned by students for the coming weeks. Student-led protests have swept the country since July, with demonstrators…
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Uni students defy rain to hold pro-democracy rally; more planned
In the latest of what have become near daily protests calling for change, some 100 students protesters defied the rain early yesterday evening at Bangkok’s Srinakharinwirot University to voice anger at the government and demand a return to democracy. Speakers took turns addressing their peers huddled under an awning at about 5pm. A a fourth-year International Relations student told reporters:…
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Thai minister encourages hotels to stop price-gouging expats
The thorny issue of dual pricing has raised its ugly head again, this time with the current offerings for hotels as Thailand slowly winds up its tourism industry again. Tourism and Sports Ministry, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, is asking hotels to offer “fair packages to expats and resident foreigners, and avoid price discrimination”. He said that there are 2 million foreign residents who…
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Covid-19 update: 17 new cases found in quarantine, deaths unchanged at 58 (August 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported this morning that 17 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in state quarantine over the previous 24 hours. The new patients are all Thai returnees, 15 from India and 1 each from Australia and the United States. The new cases bring Thailand’s total number of cases to 3,376 since the beginning of…
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NZ Covid-19 oubreak spread beyond Auckland with 12 new confirmed cases
In a major blow to New Zealand’s efforts to contain Covid-19, health officials there announced today that the resurgent coronavirus outbreak has spread beyond Auckland, its largest city. Health Minister Chris Hipkins said there were 12 confirmed cases of local transmission and 1 probable, following the shock reemergence of the virus in Auckland on Tuesday. He said 2 of the…
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Remaining Songkran holidays set for September, without the water fights
The Cabinet has approved a proposal from culture minister Itthipol Khunpleum to celebrate the 2 remaining days of Songkran in September. The 3-day Songkran holiday, usually observed in April, was postponed this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. A replacement public holiday was observed at the end of July and the 2 remaining days will now be marked…
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Doctor urges investigation into widespread healthcare fraud
A doctor representing 74 medical clinics yesterday petitioned the House of Representatives to investigate fraud allegations in patient access to Thailand’s universal health coverage scheme and ensure transparency in its implementation. The move follows an order by the Department of Health Service Support last week to temporarily close 2 Bangkok clinics for allegedly defrauding the scheme. That order came after…
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Man presumed dead comes back to life while being sent for autopsy
A man, presumed dead after his family found him unconscious, has come back to life, just as rescue workers were preparing to send him for autopsy. The 20 year old man, named only as Ramet, was found in his bathroom in the western province of Kanchanaburi. Concerned family members, who had not seen him that day, went to his home…
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PM Prayut speaks about the new Cabinet and tackling social and economic issues
Yesterday, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha delivered a speech about the new Cabinet and discussed social and economic concerns to drive Thailand forward during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. He said that there are 5 key job guidelines to be followed in the service of the citizens of Thailand… • Keep providing short-term financial relief for the people, with particular attention to…
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Hit-and-run Bangkok woman confesses, apologises
Wishuda Vittayasinthana, a 37 year old businesswoman, was interrogated at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Police Station yesterday following a major traffic incident on Tuesday night. She told police she went out drinking due to business stress before crashing her Mercedes into a motorcycle at Khae Rai Intersection around 10pm. In a panic, she lost control of the car and rammed into…
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PM denies, downplays protesters’ harassment claims
PM Prayut Chan-ocha today downplayed student protestors’ claims that his government was stalking and harassing them. Student activists, Panusaya (Roong) Sithijirawattanakul, spokesperson for the Thailand Student Union and Parit (Penguin) Chiwarak posted this morning that they were about to be arrested by government authorities at 5am, but no arrests were made. “Anyone can post anything online. They said they are…
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Police: No foul play in Vorayuth witness’s death
Police today ruled out the possibility of murder in the death of a key witness in Red Bull drinks heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya’s hit-and-run case. The regional police commander in Chiang Mai, where the witness died in a motorcycle incident last month, said new autopsy results found no trace of any suspicious substance apart from alcohol in Jaruchart Mardthong’s body.…
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Thailand urged to promote itself as production hub for medical supplies, PPE
Thailand is being encouraged to promote itself as a manufacturing hub for medical and personal protection equipment as part of its financial strategy amid the coronavirus crisis, as industries like tourism and hospitality struggle. The director of the Centre for International Trade Studies at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce told reporters that the latest survey of 200…
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Authorities deny stalking student activists, deny arrest imminent
Student activists said today they were stalked by what they believed were plainclothes police officers at their residence overnight. Pro-democracy campaigner Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, who is the spokesperson for the Student Union of Thailand, said on her Facebook that she saw several men loitering around her dormitory near Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus, while another activist, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, reported that several…
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2 killed, 4 injured in separate bomb attacks in Deep South
2 men are dead and 4 injured after security forces, protecting teachers in the southern border provinces of Pattani and Narathiwat, were attacked in 2 roadside bomb blasts this morning. The attacks come on the first day of the resumption of in-person classes in schools across the nation. The dead have been identified as paramilitary ranger Emlookman Hayilamae, and soldier…
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Auckland cluster grows with 13 new Covid-19 infections reported
Health officials in New Zealand announced yesterday that the new coronavirus cluster in Auckland has risen to 17 cases, raising the prospect of an extended lockdown in the country’s biggest city. National health chief Ashley Bloomfield said there are 13 new confirmed infections, all linked to 4 family members found on Tuesday, ending New Zealand’s record of 102 days without…
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Study finds 82% of Thais “confident” in reopening tourism sector
As Thailand gradually reopens its borders, new findings from a global study suggests that 82% of Thais are confident that Thailand is well prepared to reopen its tourism and leisure activities, the highest globally. The study also found that tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and India are all targeting Thailand as their first destination when their countries’ borders…
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Study finds smartphone addiction among Thai children on the rise
A study by the Thai Health organisation shows that Thai children spend an average of more than 35 hours a week on smartphones or the internet. It indicated that children who spend most of their time on smartphones and computers are at risk of developing gaming addiction and even violent behaviour. The director of the Healthy Child, Youth, and Family…
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At least 76 homes evacuated in Bangkok blaze
A fire at a two-storey apartment building in the Khlong San district of Bangkok, has led to the evacuation of at least 76 households. The families were given shelter at local temples, according to a Facebook post from Phongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. He adds that locals in the area have rallied round, providing sleeping bags and…
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Protesters add more demands as academics defend manifesto
Pro-democracy demonstrators yesterday called on schools and colleges to allow on-campus rallies as pressure grows on them to ban “risky” political activities. The leader of the opposition Move Forward Party posted on Facebook that safe places for students to air their views are dwindling and that youngsters “should be allowed to carry out activities there”. Pita Limjaroenrat’s remark came after…
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Pattaya nightlife venues call for closing time to be extended to pre-Covid hours
Nightlife operators in Pattaya are pleading to be allowed to revert to the later closing times that were in place prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, while the government’s Covid-19 task force is further easing restrictions on transport, schools, and sporting events, the emergency decree still remains in place. This means that former tourist hotspots like Pattaya, whose special designation…
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Flights into Thailand – “It’s an indefinite ban”
A ban on international scheduled flights into Thailand remains in force “while the pandemic situation remains critical in many countries.” “It’s an indefinite ban.” This was further confirmation from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand yesterday in response to clarification of the country’s ban on allowing foreign tourists back into Thailand. CAAT director Chula Sukmanop and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation…
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Priceless ivories stolen a second time, recovered in Myanmar
A pair of priceless, centuries old engraved ivory tusks was stolen from a local hermitage of the Ban Loy Tong Ku hill tribe village in the Umphang District Isaan’s Tak province last night. Locals residents reported the incident to the Border Patrol Police after they reportedly saw the 2 thieves riding a motorcycle and heading towards the Thai-Myanmar border. The…
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CCSA to allow sports gatherings, exempt Chinese fruit traders from travel ban
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration announced on Monday that will allow fans to attend sports events, and allow Chinese traders to enter Thailand for fruit export. The CCSA said that as Thailand approaches 80 days without a local Covid-19 transmission, it’s believed to be safe for spectators to attend large sports gatherings, although measures will be tighter for events…
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Korat man terrifies locals with “musical instrument”
Residents of Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima province were terrified when a man, dressed in a civil servant’s uniform, pulled out what looked like a heavy rifle to threaten someone who had jumped the queue at a local mechanic’s shop yesterday. Shop staff said the man argued with the person who had cut the queue for 10 minutes before heading to his…
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Allegedly drunk woman tries to run down Bangkok pedestrians
A 37 year old businesswoman tried to run over pedestrians with her car near Bangkok’s Khae Rai Intersection and Tao Poon MRT station, after learning her business was embezzled out of millions of baht. She was allegedly drunk at the time. Bang Sue police were notified of the incident in the early hours of this morning and tracked down the…
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3 Chinese men arrested in Chon Buri operating porn, gambling site
3 Chinese men have been arrested for illegal entry, living in Thailand without a visa and allegedly operating a pornography and gambling website. The Immigration Bureau began an investigation after a tip from locals that some Chinese men had illegally entered the country 8 months ago and were working illegally Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung District. The arrest was at their…
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