News
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Sponsored Blazing opportunity: Four Twenty Thailand offers franchise programme
Did you know that Four Twenty, Thailand’s premier cannabis brand, has a franchise programme? That’s right, you can now join their efforts to bring high-quality cannabis products and a vibrant community experience to more locations across Thailand. Four Twenty has...
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Thai Army chief promises overhaul of army business involvement and practices
Thailand’s Army commander in chief General Apirat Kongsompong is planning a dramatic make-over to the inner workings of the Thai military’s business operations. The moves are in the wake of last weekend’s mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima on February 8 where 29 people were shot and killed by an armed soldier (who was also shot and killed). 58 other were…
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Bangkok shooter granted bail despite drugs
A Bangkok shop owner who set off a panic by firing dozens of gunshots on Friday morning was released on bail after his first court appearance yesterday. Forty-eight year old Ekachai Jaruksin faces charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm in a public area, narcotics possession and using illicit drugs. Police took him to the Criminal Court yesterday morning to…
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Man claims he was attacked and robbed by “foreigners”
A student in Chiang Mai says he was mugged by “foreigners from Europe.” Twenty-four year old Theerapat Saen-in posted his alleged ordeal on Thai social media earlier this week. According to his post he was taking photographs at a view point on Doi Suthep when he was approached by “farangs.” He says they bashed him on the head with a…
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Heroin smuggler busted in Chiang Rai
A man has been arrested in Chiang Rai’s airport attempting to smuggle heroin. 27 year old Jatuporn Saeuan was searched and detained before boarding a flight to Bangkok when security officers found his behaviour suspicious. Security officers say Jatuporn “kept wandering back and forth in front of the entrance” to Mae Fah Luang Airport, so they asked demanded to inspect…
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New coronavirus case confirmed in Thailand, brings total to 34
A new case of the coronavirus (covid-19) has now been confirmed in Thailand which brings the total in the country to 34 since the start of this year. The public health ministry made the announcement yesterday. The new case is a 35 year old Thai female, a medical personnel, who was infected after contact with a patient, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchia, according…
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More than 200 couples exchange vows on Valentine’s Day 2020 in Phuket
Knots were tied, brooms were jumped, rings were donned and brides were kissed. All three of Phuket’s district offices, Muang Phuket, Kathu and Thalang, were packed yesterday as couples vied to get married on Valentine’s Day. 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office alone, with the island’s vice governor present as a witness. The 109 couples, of…
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German man falls to his death from Pattaya condo
A German man is dead after falling from a condominium in Jomtien, Pattaya, yesterday. Police learned of the incident, in Soi Na Jomtien 18, at 6pm and rushed to the scene with rescue workers and local media to find the body of a 78 year old German national . Police told the media the man had health issues. No sign…
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Thousands gather for merit-making ceremony in Korat
Tens of thousands of mostly residents of Nakhon Ratchasima attended a Buddhist merit making ceremony in Korat today to pay tribute to the late King Narai the Great, founder and heroine of the north eastern province, Thao Suranaree, during the early days of the Chakri Dynasty, and to remember the victims of the mass shooting last Saturday. The gunman was…
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‘Leaving Thailand’ – From Phuket with love and heartaches
“In his new memoir “Leaving Thailand,” a former journalist, film tech and Phuket resident looks back on his life and loves in the kingdom that continue to haunt and inspire him.” By Jim Algie I’m wary of memoirs set in Thailand in which a sex-starved Western man descends on the country to get caught up in the carnal circus of…
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Attempted murder charge for Bangkok gunman
Multiple charges have been lain against against the man who allegedly fired more than 50 shots in downtown Bangkok early yesterday, including attempted murder. Police say the charge was filed because a ballistic examination showed some of the gunshots were aimed at people opposite the suspect’s position. Other charges include carrying gun without a permit, discharging a firearm in a…
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Coronavirus UPDATE: WHO fights the ‘infodemic’, recession fears in Europe
A total number of 67,100 cases of Coronavirus (covid-2019) have now been confirmed worldwide, along with 1,526 deaths reported and 8,193 people recovered. The number of reported full recoveries is now over 5 times the rate of reported deaths, and continues to rise each day. The infodemic… On top of the spread of the virus, there has been increasingly dangerous…
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Singapore megachurch suspends services, goes online
Facing a burgeoning crisis in the southeast Asian island-state, Singapore’s biggest megachurch, with a congregation of 16,000, will stop holding services this weekend due to the rising number of coronavirus cases and instead broadcast its lively, gospel-style message online. City Harvest Church is one of the most profitable churches in Asia, but has been embroiled in a corruption scandal in…
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Coronavirus UPDATE: Vietnam village quarantined, worldwide cases reach 64,448
Latest coronavirus stats Infected patients worldwide reaches 64,448 whilst the death toll from the coronavirus has plateaued in the past 24 hours to 1,383. According to the Chinese National Health Commission, the current number of infections of coronavirus (aka. covid-2019) in mainland China is 63,8591, up some 5,000 from the day before. 7,101 patients have now full recovered. There are at…
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Bangkok “auntie” arrested for robbing cabbies
An “auntie” in Bangkok has finally been arrested after stealing money from numerous taxi drivers. Police arrested 55 year old Nongnuch Pimsuan of Kanchanaburi province at around 5pm yesterday. The suspect had an arrest warrant in her name from the Taling Chan Court. Police were notified as early as February 4 that a passenger had stolen 1,400 baht from a…
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MS Westerdam passengers, all cleared, alight in Cambodia
Passengers of the MS Westerdam, the cruise ship that spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries including Thailand, over fears that someone aboard might have the COVID-19 coronavirus, finally disembarked today. The ship, carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew, docked in the Cambodian port town of Sihanoukville yesterday. It anchored offshore in the morning to…
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UPDATE: Shooter arrested. Shots fired around Chulalongkorn University this morning
UPDATE Police say that a 40 year old man has now been caught after a series of shots, more than 20 according to eye witnesses this morning. Shots were fired from a sports clothing store in Sio Chula 10, close to Chulalongkhorn University, in Bangkok’s Pratumnam district. No one was injured. (Video of the stand-off below from the Bangkok Post)…
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Chonburi immigration introduces “smart car” to check foreigners’ visa status
Overstayers and ne’er-do-wells beware: Thai media are reporting that Chon Buri immigration sent a brand new BMW “smart car” into action, with state of the art electronics onboard, to verify the status of foreigners in and around Pattaya. By “smart’ it’s basically some Pattaya cops riding around in an expensive car with a laptop. We presume that if the car…
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Bangkok cross-border surrogacy gang busted
Two Chinese nationals, a man and a woman, have been arrested after coordinated raids on illegal assisted-reproduction clinics in and around Bangkok. The pair are suspected of involvement in a major cross-border surrogacy racket. Police found at least seven Thai surrogate mothers in the raids. In a raid on a house in Lat Phrao district, police found seven pregnant Thai…
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Thai Embassy in Beijing ordered to care for 3 locals stranded in Wuhan
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai yesterday ordered the Thai embassy in Beijing to take care of three Thai citizens stranded in Wuhan, the epicentre of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The three didn’t join the 138 Thai evacuees who returned on February 4. One of the three is a woman who overstayed her visa and has yet to pay the fine.…
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German man saved from 2nd-floor jump in Pattaya
A German man was saved after trying to jump from a second floor room in South Pattaya yesterday. Pattaya police were notified of the incident at 12:30pm yesterday. Police, emergency responders and local media rushed the scene. The 60 year old German man, identified as Nolte Uwe, was sitting on the balcony of a room on the second floor of a…
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Coronavirus UPDATE – sharp increase in cases, UK officials battle to contain a new threat
There’s been a sharp spike in new cases of coronavirus, principally in the central Chinese province of Hubei. There are now 60,373 world cases, 59,805 in China. 1,369 people have died and over 6,000 recovered. 242 new deaths were recorded yesterday, the deadliest day since the start of the outbreak. So what’s behind the big rise? It’s not actually a spike…
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Khon Kaen monk arrested, disrobed after bomb threat
A monk in the northeastern province of Khon Khaen has been arrested and disrobed after giving false information to police. The monk called the 191 emergency line and stated that a bomb had been placed inside a hotel. He later claimed that the information was to make officers “more aware.” Police arrested 30 year old monk “Santisuk” in the province’s…
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Phuket’s cruise ship arrivals to be screened for coronavirus
Over 4,000 tourists and ship crews arrive in Phuket today, on two separate cruise liners, one from Hong Kong and one out of Singapore. There has been a sudden surge of interest in arriving cruise ships after the cruise boat still anchored in Yokohama Bay with a cluster The Seabourn Ovation arrived from Hong Kong just after 7am this morning…
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Teen kills friend with homemade gun
A 17 year old boy is dead after he was accidentally shot by a friend with a homemade hand gun in the western province of Kanchanaburi. His teenage friend was showing off the gun to a group of friends early Wednesday morning. Police say the shooting was reported about 4:20am and occurred in a rented room in Kanchanaburi. Police and…
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Dead infant discovered in Pattaya
Police are investigating the death of a newborn boy after his body was found dumped in front of a house in Pattaya. Barking dogs alerted neighbors. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 8pm yesterday. Police, rescue workers and reporters rushed to the scene to find the body of a male infant. Its umbilical cord was also found…
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“Forgotten tourists” enjoy Pattaya
Pattaya’s Chinese golden goose has officially flown the coop, and hotels are cheaper, traffic is better and maybe even the service has improved a bit. With China’s group travel ban to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Pattaya has the feel of low season even though the calendar says otherwise. But while business owners moan, ask any of the Indian,…
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Don’t blame the Thai army, blame the soldier – General Apirat
“The army chief offered his condolences to families of those killed and the injured and promised a career in the army if the victims’ children want to join the service.” The 32 year old gunman who shot 30 people dead during his Saturday afternoon shooting spree in Korat over the weekend, Jakrapanth Thomma, owned legally registered guns. He had five guns –…
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MICE sector to get 200 million baht in relief funding
Thailand’s government will provide relief funding for the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) sector after it declined by half due to the coronavirus outbreak. The cabinet approved the extra budget last week. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), together with the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) and listed companies, will provide 200 million baht in cash incentives to promote…
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UPDATE: 12 year old boy shoots friend dead in Kalasin
A thirteen year old boy is dead in the northeastern province of Kalasin, after being shot by a friend playing with his father’s gun. Police and medical services were called to a house in Nong Kung Sri district on Sunday morning after the boy was shot, local media report. Police say that three boys were playing when one boy, aged…
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Myanmar tourism increases a massive 40% in 2019
Myanmar has ranked highest among the world’s 20 quickest-growing travel destinations over the past 12 months. The report from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Vietnam and The Philippines are also regional winners over the past year that made it into the top 10 best performing emerging travel destinations. Myanmar Tourism Marketing, part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, reports that…
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