Singapore
- World News
Thailand’s LTR visa needs reworking to attract foreigners
Thailand is still confident its updated Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa will attract affluent foreigners despite more attractive LTR visa options in other countries. On September 1, Thailand launched a revised LTR visa, joining other nations such as Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, targeting rich foreigners. The Thai government cut the cost of the 10-year LTR visa in half, from…
- World News
Thai university rankings slide, Singapore first in ASEAN
The latest Times Higher Education report has seen Thailand’s universities slide in rankings with Singapore coming out on top in Southeast Asia. According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s rankings were lower than those of tertiary institutions in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei. The report listed the kingdom’s four best universities in the 801-1,000 band: Chulalongkorn University King Mongkut’s…
- Crime News
Singapore taxi drags traffic police officer from window
And you thought Thai taxi drivers were bad… A cab driver in Singapore was arrested after failing to comply with a traffic policeman. Instead, he argued before rolling up the taxi window on the police officer’s arm and driving off, dragging him down the road. The 69 year old taxi driver was arrested and faces charges for his reckless escapade.…
- World News
Singapore Air announces new policy for pregnant stewardesses
Singapore Air announced a new policy for pregnant stewardesses. Stewardesses who become pregnant will now be able to keep their jobs at Singapore Air, the airline said in a statement. The statement said that pregnant cabin crew members can now choose to work in “a temporary ground attachment.” The statement said crew members can resume flying duties after maternity leave. Singapore…
- World News
Bomb scare on flight from San Francisco to Singapore
A flight from San Francisco California to Singapore suffered a bomb threat midway through the journey. Singapore Airlines flight SQ33 alerted the Singapore Police Force early this morning that a passenger had become unruly and claimed to have a bomb on board the flight. While the claim was found to be false, the flight was on high alert and the…
- Cannabis News
Tourist breaks Singaporean law by consuming cannabis in Thailand
A Singaporean tourist says she didn’t mean to consume cannabis in Thailand in July. Weed might be legal in the Land of Smiles, but it is still a crime for Singaporeans to consume cannabis at home and abroad. Sueanne said she ate a “very nice bowl of noodles” in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, that were so delicious that she ordered…
- World News
Thai TikTok star detained at Singapore airport over huge amount of cash
A Thai TikTok star ran into trouble at a Singapore airport for not declaring that he was carrying a huge amount of cash. The star, whose TikTok name is Sungstarwin, has 2.4 million followers on TikTok, and two million subscribers on Youtube. Sungstarwin was detained at Changi Airport on September 10 for carrying 610,000 baht, or 23,254 Singapore dollars. The…
- Visa Information
10-year LTR visa to usher in golden age of prosperity for Thailand
The co-founder and CEO of an international real estate technology firm believes Thailand’s Long Term Resident (LTR) visa will provide the foundations for a golden age of prosperity, international travel, and residency. The Kingdom of Thailand launched its latest 10-year LTR visa on September 1 hoping to attract foreign experts and wealthy expats in a bid to boost the nation’s…
- World News
Divers in Singapore find 8 dead blacktip sharks
In the waters of Pulau Hantu, islands just south of Singapore, divers made a gruesome and heartbreaking discovery: the lifeless bodies of eight young blacktip sharks who appeared to have died from wounds to their gills. Sharks are rare to spot in the area, so it was especially gut-wrenching to discover them dead. The divers who discovered it were shocked…
- World News
LGBTQ+ community hail Singapore’s gay sex repeal
The LGBTQ+ community hailed Singapore’s announcement to end the ban on gay sex as “a win for humanity.” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the decision, that the city-state will repeal the law that bans gay sex, on national television last night. The 70 year old PM said they would abolish the law as he believed it “is the right…
- World News
Singaporean and Thai swindler couple arrested in Malaysia
The Singaporean and Thai couple who allegedly swindled millions of dollars in luxury goods has been arrested in Malaysia on Thursday. The couple, 26 year old Singaporean man Pi Jiapeng, and 27 year old Thai woman Siriwipa, were caught by Malaysian police at a budget hotel in the city of Skudai in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor. The husband and…
- Politics News
Exiled Sri Lanka president expected to arrive in Thailand tomorrow
After angry mobs of protesters drove him out of Sri Lanka and into exile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is now planning to seek safe harbor in Thailand. According to two sources, he’s expected to arrive tomorrow after taking up temporary residence in Singapore for the past few weeks. Last month, party leaders in Sri Lanka met and agreed to ask both…
- World News
Sri Lanka former president’s stay in Singapore extended
After fleeing to Singapore on July 14, Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will now be able to stay in the country until August 11, Reuters reported today. Gotabaya fled Sri Lanka after over 100,000 protestors stormed the presidential palace, demanding that he and the country’s PM resign. Since Gotabaya fled, Sri Lanka’s parliament elected former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as the…
- Tourism News
Three Asian countries have the most useful passport
For years, Europe has had the most powerful passports for travelling, but as the world emerges in the post-Covid-19 era, three countries in Asia hold the top spots now. Japan holds the top spot, with Japanese passport holders having easy access to 193 different countries. Singapore and South Korea are tied for second with 192 countries easily accessed with a…
- Bangkok News
UPDATE: Bangkok taxi driver pulls out knife on Singaporean tourists
UPDATE: Police punish Bangkok taxi driver who intimidated Singaporean tourists The Bangkok taxi driver who intimidated two Singaporean tourists has been ordered to pay 3,000 baht in fines, had his driving license suspended for three months, and must attend a three-hour training course about taxi rules and regulations in Thailand. Thailand’s Department of Land Transport and officers from Suvarnabhumi Airport…
- Bangkok News
VIDEO: Bangkok taxi driver pulls out knife on Singaporean tourists
Video evidence reveals a Bangkok taxi driver pulling a knife out from the pocket of the driver’s seat door to intimidate two Singaporean tourists, who had accused him of not giving them enough change. Although Bangkok taxis are supposed to be metered, the tourists said they had agreed a price of 400 baht for their journey to Suvarnabhumi airport. However,…
- World News
Monkeypox arrives in Singapore and South Korea
Cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Singapore and South Korea. Since the outbreak began in May, Singapore’s case is the first recorded in Southeast Asia. Singapore’s Ministry of Health confirmed that a 42 year old British flight attendant tested positive for monkeypox on June 20. He was in Singapore between June 15 and June 17, and again on June…
- World News
Dengue fever breaks out in Singapore
Dengue fever has broken out in Singapore, as the number of cases has already climbed to more than double the number throughout all of 2021. The city-state’s peak dengue season usually begins on June 1. A spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Health told CNN that on May 28 this year, Singapore already had about 11,670 cases. Throughout all of 2021,…
- World News
Singapore hails Thailand a leading digital nation in ASEAN
The Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, travelled to Singapore yesterday to sign a digital partnership agreement with Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong. Chaiwut, together with the Thai ambassador to Singapore, and the Thai PM’s secretary, met with Gan Kim Yong and agreed to promote 8 items on the MoU agenda, including digital transformation, e-commerce policies,…
- World News
Singapore is looking to Thailand and other countries for its chicken supplies
Singapore’s chicken supply is depending on Thailand, plus a few other countries, after Malaysia banned poultry exports last month. Before the ban, about a third of Singapore’s chicken came from Malaysia. In a country that takes its Chicken Rice meal VERY seriously, the situation has become an acute supply chain shortage in the island nation. Singaporean Minister of State for…
- Tourism News
Tourism officials ramp up marketing campaigns to target short-haul markets
Tourism officials are looking to short-haul markets to attract holidaymakers during the off-peak season, with a number of marketing events planned. Thanet Phetsuwan from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says places like India, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia are the target markets. “This strategic push for short-haul markets aims to create a quick win, attracting both repeat and first-time visitors all…
- World News
Fowl play by Malaysian cartels forces government to ban export of poultry
The Malaysia government yesterday revealed it is banning the export of all poultry from the country while it investigates the illegal activity of cartels controlling the price and shipment of its produce. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob made it known Malaysia will halt the exports of 3.6 million chickens a month from June 1, to investigate the cartel pricing allegations.…
- World News
Indonesian cleric barred from Singapore over alleged extremism
Singaporean authorities have announced yesterday that officials had barred a popular Indonesian Muslim cleric from entering their country due to his allegedly extremist teachings. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs claims in a statement that the Abdul Somad Batubara, has called suicide bombings “legitimate” and “martyrdom” in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The MHA also claims that the cleric has…
- World News
Singaporeans rush to get passports as travel restrictions ease
After being trapped on their tiny island nation for the past 2 years since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, hordes of Singaporeans are rushing to get passports now that travel restrictions have eased, a lot. The country finally removed pre-departure testing requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from all countries last month. Local media reports long queues of people waiting for…
- World News
Malaysia watches more pornography than any other Asian country, study reveals
As cases of Covid-19 surged around the world, so did consumption of pornography. Lockdowns and restrictions necessary to combat the pandemic encouraged more and more people to search for adult entertainment online. In a recent survey conducted by Pornhub, Malaysia was found to be the #1 country in Asia with the most visits to pornography websites. Globally, Malaysia was ranked…
- World News
Southeast Asia is finally seeing visitors again
After the seemingly endless Covid-19 slump, Southeast Asia is finally reopening to the world! The number of people doing Google searches about Singapore travel has reportedly gone up among travellers in Malaysia, along with Indonesia, India, and Australia. Flights to Singapore from several countries are expected to see a massive spike. Flights from Indonesia to Singapore are expected to quadruple…
- World News
Singapore airport deals with flight problems
Changi Airport in Singapore plans to reschedule some of its flights in the next few days. The country has a 4 day holiday coming up, now that authorities have scrapped all tests for vaccinated people, and this is expected to be a very busy time for travel. A report today says the airport also has yet to approve some additional…
- World News
Demand for Singapore picks up as Covid-19 entry restrictions are eased
Data compiled by economists at Maybank Investment Bank reveals an increase in Google searches for Singapore, following the city-state’s easing of Covid restrictions. In particular, an increase in demand has been reported among travellers in Malaysia, along with Indonesia, India, and Australia. According to a Bloomberg report, Singapore has jumped ahead of its neighbours in ditching travel restrictions and adopting…
- World News
Singapore won’t restore pandemic-era restrictions if Covid cases rise
If Covid-19 infections rise in Singapore, the city-state will not increase or strengthen current pandemic combatting measures, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told The Straits Times. After two years of battling the spread of the virus, Singapore is on the alert for a possible rebound in infections, having lifted most of its most pandemic-era restrictions beginning April 1. Axed policies include…
- World News
UPDATE: Malaysia-Singapore border reopens for vaccinated travellers
For the first time in two years, the land border between Singapore and Malaysia reopened yesterday, April 1, for travellers by private transportation, without the pandemic-era requirements of Covid-19 testing and quarantine. Now fully-vaccinated travellers can freely cross the land boarder on the southern end of the Malay peninsula with only a valid passport and proof of vaccination. Children up…
