Thailand

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya bar ladies use YouTube to make money during pandemic – VIDEO

    Pattaya bar ladies use YouTube to make money during pandemic – VIDEO

    Can’t visit the ladies in Pattaya? Just go to YouTube and type “Pattaya bar live” in the search bar. A number of videos and live streams will come up from various bars in Pattaya. The area was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic with a ban on international tourists, battering the local economy that heavily relied on foreign visitors. But…

  • Covid-19 NewsResidents in border areas accuse officials of lax control over Burmese drivers

    Residents in border areas accuse officials of lax control over Burmese drivers

    Residents in the Mae Sot district of Tak province, bordering Myanmar, have criticised what they see as lax checking of Burmese truck drivers arriving from the Covid-hit neighbour next door. Concerned residents are calling for the Friendship Bridge to be temporarily closed in light of a surge in virus cases in Myanmar. The bridge, which spans the Moei River, connects…

  • Thailand Protest NewsUPDATE: Bangkok under a State of Emergency, protests ‘cleared’, 20+ arrested,

    UPDATE: Bangkok under a State of Emergency, protests ‘cleared’, 20+ arrested,

    Bangkok awakes to a State of Emergency, imposed at 4am to quell the growing support of the latest protest movement. The Thai government has used its emergency decree powers to impose a “State of Emergency” in Bangkok, and placed a ban on gatherings of any more than 5 people. The tough new security laws, put in place early this morning,…

  • Northern Thailand NewsAlleged kidnapping attempt in Isaan region, missing child found tied up

    Alleged kidnapping attempt in Isaan region, missing child found tied up

    A girl was allegedly kidnapped by a group in the Isaan province Amnat Charoen. She was found with tied up and her was mouth stuffed with paper. The girl says a teenager approached her and offered candy. She said she wasn’t hungry and that she didn’t have money, but the teen allegedly replied that it was okay and he had…

  • Thailand Protest NewsAnti-government activists arrested at Democracy Monument rally denied bail

    Anti-government activists arrested at Democracy Monument rally denied bail

    20 pro-democracy activists, arrested at yesterday and last night’s rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, have been denied bail and continue to be held in a prison in the capital. The protesters, who include Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, aka, “Pai Dao Din”, and Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, a singer-songwriter known as “Ammy”, have been charged in relation to the political gathering on Tuesday and Wednesday.…

  • Thailand Protest NewsPolice arrest protest organiser after she calls for a new rally in Bangkok this afternoon

    Police arrest protest organiser after she calls for a new rally in Bangkok this afternoon

    Police have arrested 2 more key organisers of the pro-democracy rally after one of them read a statement calling for another protest in Bangkok shopping precinct this afternoon. Panussaya Sitthijirawattanakul, a critic of the monarchy and one of the protest organisers, was arrested at a Bangkok hotel just after hosting a Facebook, livestream, “calling on people to join a rally planned…

  • Thailand Protest NewsActivists vow to fight on despite arrest of leaders, emergency decree

    Activists vow to fight on despite arrest of leaders, emergency decree

    Activists from Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020) say they will not surrender and will continue to fight what they term, “the dictatorial power and its feudal followers”. “Khana Ratsadon (“People’s Party”) was a Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a bloodless coup against King Prajadhipok’s government and transformed the country’s absolute…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tax revenue plummets during pandemic – VIDEO

    Phuket tax revenue plummets during pandemic – VIDEO

    The Covid-19 pandemic led has tax revenue in Phuket to be cut in half. Border closures, banning international tourists, has caused the tax revenue for the popular island destination to plummet. From January to August, total tax receipts year on year fell by more than 46%, according to data from the Phuket Area Revenue Office, obtained by The Phuket News. In…

  • Bangkok NewsTruck drivers carrying ‘royal supporters’ face charges for travelling on expressways

    Truck drivers carrying ‘royal supporters’ face charges for travelling on expressways

    6 truck drivers carrying loads of ‘royalists’ to the Democracy Monument, are facing charges pressed by the Expressway Authority of Thailand, or EXAT. The yellow-clad ‘supporters’ of the royal family stood tightly packed on the bed of Department of Law Enforcement trucks, riding down the Kamphaeng Phet-Yommarat tollway. They were all dressed in yellow, a colour that symbolises the Thai Monarchy.…

  • Crime News6 people found guilty for “pretty” Bangkok model’s death

    6 people found guilty for “pretty” Bangkok model’s death

    A man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for the death of Thitima “Lunlabelle” Noraphanpiphat, a 25 year old model who was found dead last year in the lobby of a Bangkok condominium. Rachadech “Nam Oon” Wongthabutr was found guilty of illegally detaining Lunlabelle and leaving her dead body in the condominium. 5 other people were found guilty…

  • Thailand NewsNew budget in the works for emergency services after “insufficient” funds complaint

    New budget in the works for emergency services after “insufficient” funds complaint

    The Thai government is working on to setting aside more money for emergency medicine after an “insufficient” budget is said to have caused delays in emergency work and response time for emergency 1669 hotline calls. The new budget request comes after emergency medicine expert Dr. Atchariya Phaengma complained that the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, or NIEM, wasn’t receiving adequate…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | BKK protest update, Chiang Mai ‘quiet’, Baby klong crocs | October 14

    Thailand News Today | BKK protest update, Chiang Mai ‘quiet’, Baby klong crocs | October 14

    Daily TV news about what’s happening in and around Thailand. Check out the daily Thai News, uploaded around 5pm, Thai time, weekdays. “Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says Things are heating up ahead of this afternoon and this evening’s protests and planned march to Government House from the Democracy Monument. Even the United Nations Department…

  • Covid-19 News9 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine, all asymptomatic

    9 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine, all asymptomatic

    9 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine in the past 24 hours. All were reported as asymptomatic and from those travelling back from India, Japan, South Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand now reports a total of 3,652 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 59 deaths. 3,457 people have recovered and 136…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya bars making money from live streaming for customers overseas – VIDEO

    Pattaya bars making money from live streaming for customers overseas – VIDEO

    Since foreign tourists can’t visit the bars in Pattaya, some of the bars are live streaming and posting videos online to allow people to chat and connect with the female bar staff, partially making up for revenue lost during the pandemic. The Pattaya News says the chats aren’t explicit, just a friendly chat between the bar staff with men who…

  • Thailand Protest News“Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says

    “Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says

    Today’s pro-democracy rally in Bangkok poses an “elevated risk of unrest” after 21 protesters were arrested yesterday, according to an email sent to staff of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security. The email advising the staff to avoid protest sites was obtained by local blogger and Samut Prakan school employee Richard Barrow and Samut Prakan school employee and…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand to make AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, hoped to be available by mid-2021

    Thailand to make AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, hoped to be available by mid-2021

    The experimental Covid-19 vaccine by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is planned to be manufactured and supplied in Thailand. If the vaccine is successful, it will be available to the Thai population by mid-2021. A Covid-19 vaccine is seen as a lifeline to save Thailand’s crippled tourism dependant economy as many have said borders will not fully reopen until a…

  • Crime NewsMore arrests made in major online gambling operation bust

    More arrests made in major online gambling operation bust

    Police arrested an alleged online gambling operator and 3 others allegedly involved in running 9 illegal gambling websites that brought in millions of baht. The recent arrest follows a bust earlier this month where police arrested 25 Thai nationals in Chiang Rai and Nonthaburi, a suburb just north of Bangkok, who were allegedly involved in running illegal websites. An arrest…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | No STV tourists, Boss in Dubai, border fears in Tak | October 13

    Thailand News Today | No STV tourists, Boss in Dubai, border fears in Tak | October 13

    Daily news about Thailand. Latest information, and tourism and visa news. No one in Guangzhou applied for the Special Tourist Visa, Foreign Ministry In a stunning revelation yesterday, it turns out that not a single person from Guangzhou, China, actually applied for the new Special Tourist Visa. That’s the sad and bizarre truth, according to Thai media outlet Siamrath. Around…

  • Thailand NewsRoyal Thai Police form new bureau to investigate cybercrime

    Royal Thai Police form new bureau to investigate cybercrime

    The Royal Thai Police have formed a new organisation to investigate cyber-related crimes. Commissioner of the new Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, Kornchai Klaiklueng, says they will work with international counterparts, but officers need to train first before dealing with transnational cybercrime investigations. The bureau is short on staff and still needs to recruit more officers before it can begin operations, according…

  • Economy NewsBangkok office rents drop for the first time in 10 years

    Bangkok office rents drop for the first time in 10 years

    As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on Thailand, and the region’s, economy, Bangkok office rents and occupancy rates are expected to drop after consistent growth over the past 10 years, according to Colliers International Thailand. It will be the first contraction in that sector since 2010, according to the property consultancy’s associate director of research and communication,…

  • Northern Thailand NewsIsaan governor orders investigation into 3 year old boy’s death

    Isaan governor orders investigation into 3 year old boy’s death

    The governor of Isaan’s Kalasin province ordered an investigation into the death of a 3 year old boy. Relatives say the child died after falling out of bed. Medical examiners say the child’s forehead was swollen, eyes were bruised and arm was broken. The child’s family says the boy fell off the bed and then collapsed in the bathroom, but…

  • Pattaya NewsPolice search for suspect after man shot, critically injured near Chon Buri shipyard

    Police search for suspect after man shot, critically injured near Chon Buri shipyard

    Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot a 37 year old man near a shipyard in Chon Buri’s Banglamung district. Son Kuengsamrong was found lying on the ground with a bullet wound just below his rib cage. He was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition. A truck driver passing by yesterday afternoon noticed Son lying…

  • Thailand Protest NewsToilets might be a problem at tomorrow’s pro-democracy rally

    Toilets might be a problem at tomorrow’s pro-democracy rally

    The pesky issue of student’s Numbers 1s and Number 2s has become a potential problem for protest organisers. Toilets might be hard to find at tomorrow’s pro-democracy rally. Activists say the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is refusing to provide mobile toilets for the rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. (Although in the past, protest organisers have arranged the toilets for their events.)…

  • Tourism NewsHealth officials considering more relaxed quarantine for short-term visitors

    Health officials considering more relaxed quarantine for short-term visitors

    The director-general of the Health Service Support Department says Thai officials are discussing a “more flexible form of quarantine” that would allow short-term tourists the freedom to travel within designated zones in provinces that are ready to re-open. Thares Krassanairawiwong says the tourists would be permitted to travel on specially designated routes, aka. “green lanes”, during their 14 day quarantine,…

  • Covid-19 NewsMobile testing units dispatched to Tak after Burmese drivers test positive

    Mobile testing units dispatched to Tak after Burmese drivers test positive

    After 3 Burmese lorry drivers tested positive for Covid-19 in the northern province of Tak, officials have sent mobile testing units to the Mae Sot district to test around 4,000 Thais and Burmese in high-risk border areas. Mae Sot mayor, Thoetkiat Shinsoranan, says all residents are being told to stay home as much as possible. The Bangkok Post reports that…

  • Thailand NewsKing Bhumibol Adulyadej – in remembrance of the “Father of Thailand”

    King Bhumibol Adulyadej – in remembrance of the “Father of Thailand”

    His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was Thailand’s monarch for just over 70 years. At the time of his passing in October 2016, King Bhumibol was the world’s longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Amongst his many other gifts, he was was revered as a calming and compassionate influence, overseeing Thailand’s stormy political history in the second half of the…

  • Thailand NewsBorder schools close for cleaning, thousands test for Covid-19 after Burmese truck drivers test positive

    Border schools close for cleaning, thousands test for Covid-19 after Burmese truck drivers test positive

    Nearly a dozen schools in Tak’s Mae Sot district closed today to be disinfected and around 4,000 people in the community are expected to be tested for Covid-19 after 3 Burmese cargo truck drivers tested positive for the virus after crossing through a border checkpoint. Those in communities deemed at high-risk have been told not to leave their home, unless…

  • Crime NewsWhere’s Boss? Wanted Red Bull heir spotted in Dubai

    Where’s Boss? Wanted Red Bull heir spotted in Dubai

    Some say they’ve spotted the wanted Red Bull heir in Dubai. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya has an Interpol Red Notice out for his arrest and is wanted for allegedly killing a police officer in 2012 when he sped his Ferrari through Bangkok’s Thong Lo area, allegedly running over and dragging the police officer down the street. While Thai media reported the…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | Land bridge project, “Thai Bridge”, Chaing Mai black widow | October 12

    Thailand News Today | Land bridge project, “Thai Bridge”, Chaing Mai black widow | October 12

    Daily Thai TV News, with all the latest updates. Posted around 5pm, Monday to Friday. Protest leader says activists “in it for the long haul” Human rights lawyer and protest leader, Arnon Nampa, says political activists seeking to oust the current Thai government are “in it for the long haul”. The leader of the People’s Group (formerly the Free People…

  • Economy NewsCovid-19 could lead to a crisis worse than the 1997 Asian financial crisis

    Covid-19 could lead to a crisis worse than the 1997 Asian financial crisis

    With debt relief measures set to expire this month, Thailand’s financial woes, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, might end up being worse that the 1997 Asian financial crisis, known in Thailand as the Tom Yam Kung crisis, according to the Bangkok Commercial Asset Management. The 1997 Asian financial crisis started in Thailand with the financial collapse of the Thai…