Thailand

  • Pattaya NewsFreak needle-fish accident kills Thai Navy cadet

    Freak needle-fish accident kills Thai Navy cadet

    Photos: Khaosod, Wassana Nanuam / Facebook Thai navy special forces have reported the tragic loss of one of its cadets during a ‘freak’ training accident on Thursday. While in training to join an elite Navy unit, 22 year old Navy trainee Kriangsak Pengpanich was struck in the neck by a needlefish moving at high speed. The carnivorous shallow water fish are…

  • South Thailand NewsSouthern militants escape after gunfight in Narathiwat

    Southern militants escape after gunfight in Narathiwat

    by Santhiti Khorjitmet Fighting between soldiers and eight armed militants has erupted on a remote mountain range in the southern province of Narathiwat in the Taway mountains. According to reports, both sides fired more than 100 rounds of ammunition during the confrontation near a suspected insurgents’ base in the Rangae district. Though two suspects were believed to have been injured, all…

  • Bangkok NewsTourists complain about thin elephant being forced to do party tricks

    Tourists complain about thin elephant being forced to do party tricks

    PHOTOS: Mail Online dailymail.co.uk is reporting that an adult elephant has been photographed performing in front of deserted audience seating at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, just south of Bangkok. With its bones clearly visible, a female elephant is seen balancing on two wooden tables before being led down and forced to walk across a metal tight rope. She…

  • HealthFloating clinic opens in Kanchanaburi

    Floating clinic opens in Kanchanaburi

    PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Last week saw residents and visitors to Srinakaring Dam in Sri Sawat district, Kanchanaburi, in Thailand’s west, witness the first day of operations of a new floating medical unit. The Bangkok Post reports that the dam is a huge tourist magnet which attracts 800,000 tourist a year in an area where 140 businesses operate and over 600…

  • World NewsAustralian officials urge Thai authorities to release Hakeem AlAraibi

    Australian officials urge Thai authorities to release Hakeem AlAraibi

    “FIFA, world soccer’s ruling body, is also calling on the Thai authorities to allow for the return of AlAraibi to Australia at “the earliest possible moment”. Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne is urging Thai authorities to release a footballer who holds a refugee status in Australia and who has been detained in Bangkok for nearly two weeks. Hakeem AlAraibi, a…

  • Thai LifeCleaning the concrete and paving in Thailand

    Cleaning the concrete and paving in Thailand

    With the wet season comes the rain. And with the rain, plus the ongoing hot weather, mould and algae growing on all our outdoor walls and paving. Rain + algae + mould looks awful and can be very slippery. Stains can also make your investment look old and unwanted. Black mould can cause allergies for some people You have two…

  • Thailand NewsElection date confirmed for February 24 next year

    Election date confirmed for February 24 next year

    PHOTO: Deputy PM Wissanu Kreangam arrives at the Army Club in Bangkok – The Nation Make it a date. February 24 is now the official date of the next Thai general election. The poll date has now been confirmed after years of delays, mis-starts and excuses. The NCPO has now announced that the ban on political activities will be lifted…

  • EntertainmentDystopian Thai film approved by censor board

    Dystopian Thai film approved by censor board

    A new Thai movie ’10 Years Thailand’ will screen nation wide next week after having finally been approved by the censor board last Monday. The film is a dystopian anthology made by four Thai film makers and is based on the 2015 Hong Kong film ‘Ten Years’. The film is directed by Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnon Siriphol and Apichatpong…

  • Chiang Mai NewsHot Air Balloon ‘crash’ story was a lot of hot air

    Hot Air Balloon ‘crash’ story was a lot of hot air

    Reports of a hot air balloon crash and injuries earlier this week in Chiang Mai were, well, a lot of hot air. Chiang Mai News has clarified a story about a hot air balloon crashing and causing damage and injuries in Doi Saket on Monday morning were just fake news, according to a Sanook report. This was confirmed by aviation…

  • Phuket NewsTwo workers’ camps go up in flames within four hours

    Two workers’ camps go up in flames within four hours

    PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket, Khun Patong8144 and The Thaiger There have been two separate fires today, in different areas in Phuket. At this stage The Thaiger believes that both were Burmese workers’ living accommodation, or work camps. There has been no immediate reaction from police about any connection between the two fires, both at workers camps within four hours of each other.…

  • Chiang Mai NewsFirst ever ‘Elephant Travel Mart 2018’ to promote ecotourism in Thailand

    First ever ‘Elephant Travel Mart 2018’ to promote ecotourism in Thailand

    A new ecotourism event, Elephant Travel Mart 2018, jointly hosted by ‘Save Elephant Foundation’ and ‘Asian Elephant Projects’, aims to bring together ethical elephant tour operators and tour agencies in Chiang Mai on December 14. The event, taking place at Khum Kan Toke, Chiang Mai, is conceived by the founder of ‘Save Elephant Foundation’, Sangduen Chailert (Lek), who works tirelessly…

  • Thailand NewsThai PM foreshadows coming Royal coronation

    Thai PM foreshadows coming Royal coronation

    The Thai PM has announced that His Majesty’s coronation will take place after the next general election, slated for February 24 next year. Gen Prayut says the government is waiting for the King to issue a royal command which would announce the date and set in motion the schedule for the coronation ceremonies. As part of the traditional ceremony, water…

  • HealthThailand urged to shun single-use plastic

    Thailand urged to shun single-use plastic

    by Pratch Rujuvanarom Thailand’s environmental experts are urging people to make small changes in their lifestyle to help tackle the huge plastic waste menace. They say it’s important for people to make small changes in their daily lives in order to cut down on the huge amount of plastic waste being generated. Thailand faces critical problems caused by plastic pollution.…

  • Business NewsGovernment poised to cast tax net over online transactions

    Government poised to cast tax net over online transactions

    As the world continues its relentless move online, and away from traditional retail, governments are having to find new ways to track and tax online transactions. The Thai Revenue Department is poised to cast a wider net over online vendors and other businesses that have been evading taxes. The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is soon to approve amendments to the…

  • OpinionDecember 4 – Thailand’s national day of shame

    December 4 – Thailand’s national day of shame

    Today is Thai Environment Day. Today convenience stores, trade stores and shopping malls will refrain from providing single-use plastic bags to shoppers and at the same time will campaign for donation of cloth bags to be distributed to hospitals for containing medicines. Whether any of this actually happens, we will see. The proposed plastic bag-free day is the outcome of…

  • Bangkok NewsFive dead and five injured from two families in head-on collision

    Five dead and five injured from two families in head-on collision

    PHOTO: The Nation A tragedy for several Chachoensao families last night ager a collision killed five. Chachoensao is just east of Bangkok. Five people were killed and another five critically injured after the pick-up truck of a family returning from a shopping trip collided head-on with an another pick-up truck just one kilometre before reaching the family’s home. Police and rescue…

  • Chiang Mai NewsThailand detains Taiwanese citizen over anti-China broadcasts

    Thailand detains Taiwanese citizen over anti-China broadcasts

    PHOTO: Taiwan News A Taiwanese businessman has been detained in Thailand for allegedly helping an underground online radio broadcast aimed at Chinese listeners. The allegations have come from Radio Free Asia (RFA). But the manager of the online radio station says Chiang Yung-hsin (蔣永新) has nothing to do with illegal broadcasts, according to the Central News Agency. Police in Bangkok…

  • EntertainmentMinister promises a year of ‘Khon’

    Minister promises a year of ‘Khon’

    “The ministry will next year nominate nuad thai (Thai massage) and the southern traditional dance nora for inclusion on the UNESCO list.” The Culture Ministry is planning a year of activities to further promote ‘khon’, the classical masked-dance theatre that has now been added to UNESCO’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. Members of the UN Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation…

  • Thai LifeThais need to have more babies to reverse declining population

    Thais need to have more babies to reverse declining population

    A government advisory body is urging the Government to come up with measures to encourage Thais to have more babies. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has urged the government to implement additional measures to improve the birth rate in Thailand, following a recent study detailing the impact of a shrinking population. Thailand, with the fertility rate of…

  • Krabi NewsSingapore businessman’s Porsche hits Krabi Police officer

    Singapore businessman’s Porsche hits Krabi Police officer

    A Singaporean businessman, driving a luxury sports car, has hit Krabi police at a checkpoint yesterday in Krabi. The Krabi City Police were conducting a scheduled checkpoint at about noon yesterday on Petkasem Road in Krabi City. The Porsche was driven by 65 year old Simon Ong Chin Sim, a Singaporean businessman, His vehicle struck traffic police Sen Sgt Maj…

  • Thailand News‘Recognise all citizen’s right to create a family’ – Rainbow Sky Association

    ‘Recognise all citizen’s right to create a family’ – Rainbow Sky Association

    by Pratch Rujivanarom. PHOTO: Prasert Thepsri “LGBT activists are calling on the Thai government to recognise all citizen’s right to create a family.” The Nation reports that both the Civil Code’s marriage law and the new Life Partnership Bill are in violation of the Constitution’s gender-equality principle, gender-diversity campaigners asserted as they pressed for full marriage equality rather than a two-tier…

  • Bangkok NewsMinister raises ethical concerns of private schools listing on the SET

    Minister raises ethical concerns of private schools listing on the SET

    PHOTO: Singapore International School of Bangkok Trading in the shares of SISB Company Limited, the manager of the Singapore International School, begins today in the SET’s (Stock Exchange of Thailand) Market for Alternative Investment. The Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin says that although the move does not violate the Private School Act 2007, there was a question of ethics. The Minister has assigned…

  • South Thailand NewsSurat Thani monk arrested over molestation allegations

    Surat Thani monk arrested over molestation allegations

    Surat Thani police have served an arrest warrant on a 35 year old monk at the Wat Dang Nai. Sanook is reporting that Phra Mongkhon faces charges of molesting under 15 year old boys. The arrest of the monk follows an official complaint made by a parent to police back in April who claimed her 13 year old son had…

  • Northern Thailand NewsPrawit hands back seized assets from illegal money-lenders

    Prawit hands back seized assets from illegal money-lenders

    PHOTO: The Nation Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan has presented 2,012 debtors in the Loei province, in far north-east Thailand, assets valued around 3.4 billion baht. The hand-over includes 1,773 land-title deeds held as collateral in dodgy loan scams. Many people, holding documents to their chest, couldn’t hold back tears of joy over getting the assets they thought were lost due…

  • Bangkok NewsGrowing support for Royal bicycle tour

    Growing support for Royal bicycle tour

    by Prasert Thepsri His Majesty the King had his secretary, Air Chief Marshal Sathitpong Sukwimol, formally presented royally decorated shirts to be distributed among participants in the “Un Ai Rak: Bike for Love and Warmth” bicycle tour that the King will lead on December 9. The Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the governors of 76 provinces…

  • South Thailand NewsDrugs-in-book being sent to Phuket, seized in Songkhla

    Drugs-in-book being sent to Phuket, seized in Songkhla

    PHOTO: Hatyai Police A man has been arrested in Hat Yai, Songkhla trying to smuggle crystal methamphetamine inside a book in a parcel bound for Phuket. Hat Yai Police have arrested 31 year old Preawpan Tamakunapohn at a hotel in Hat Yai. He was found with three bags of crystal methamphetamine totaling 82.31 grams. One bag was found in his…

  • Thailand NewsThai government being urged to legalise e-cigarettes and vaping

    Thai government being urged to legalise e-cigarettes and vaping

    by Jintana Panyaarvudh Allowing smoke-free products seen as more effective in discouraging tobacco smokers than the introduction of plain packaging for cigarette packets. The Nation reports that a network of e-cigarette users and importers is suggesting that lifting the ban on smoke-free products and issuing appropriate regulations would be a more-effective measure to discourage people from smoking rather than selling…

  • South Thailand NewsSouthern Muslim leaders disapprove of LGBT partner bill

    Southern Muslim leaders disapprove of LGBT partner bill

    “Only in the South has our public forum on the Life Partnership Bill heard opposition.” Muslim leaders in Thailand’s South have rejected the proposed Life Partnership Bill, which would allow LGBT couples to marry. The Nation reports that, if the bill becomes law, the religious leaders say they will not perform marriage rituals for LGBT couples. No religious leader is…

  • South Thailand NewsCabinet agrees to bail out rubber planters and tappers

    Cabinet agrees to bail out rubber planters and tappers

    The Cabinet has approved in principle to pour 18.6 billion baht in aid packages to help the beleaguered rubber plantation owners and rubber tappers. The rubber industry says they’re being affected by falling rubber prices. Under the aid package, according to Thai PBS, the government will offer a handout of 1,800 baht for each rai of rubber plantation but not…

  • FoodHua Hin seafood sellers told not to overcharge customers

    Hua Hin seafood sellers told not to overcharge customers

    “Sea Write author Somchai Liewwarin complained that he was charged several thousand baht for just a few plates of seafoods.” PHOTO: Downshiftology Food-shop owners and street food sellers in Hua Hin say they will sign an MoU with the Hua Hin municipal office which will require them to strictly abide by trading rules and not to overcharge their customers, especially for…