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Sponsored 5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Organisers meet with immigration over TM30 petition – full report
(This post, re-published with permission, has been edited by The Thaiger to clear up the grammar and spelling without changing any of the intentions or meanings. Here it is, in full…) Yesterday, I met the Officer Longtor at Korat immigration. He was very nice, very polite and we had a conversation in Thai. I had with me a copy of…
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Bangkok bus passenger blows a fuse and stabs another passenger
PHOTO: khaosod.co.th A passenger has blown their fuse at a 25 year old busboy travelling near Khlong Toei in the capital. The passenger threw his ticket money away and started yelling at the busboy. Another passenger, witnessing the outburst, went to the aid of the busboy and was stabbed by the angry passenger before he fled the scene. The Tungmahamek…
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Fishermen stranded at sea off Somalia returning to Thailand
PHOTO: mcot.com Some of the Thai fishermen, that have been stranded on two foreign fishing trawlers off the coast of Somalia over the past two weeks, have now returned to Thailand. The rest are expected arrive in the next few days, thanks to work by the Labour and Foreign Affairs ministries. Thai Labour Minister Chatumongol Sonakul and Chatree Athananan, director-general…
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Flood warnings for six southern provinces, and provinces east of Bangkok
Forecasts for Phuket and Bangkok below… People living in six southern provinces, and some provinces east of Bangkok, are being warned to brace for possible flooding and flash floods due to heavy rain forecast until Sunday. The warning is due to the strengthening of the southwestern monsoon, which is looming over the Andaman Sea, the Gulf and the southern region,…
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Currencies and stock exchanges flutter as the dust settles on the latest threats in the US-China trade spat
Central banks in India, Thailand and New Zealand cut interest rates this week in an attempt to fend off any harm from the spiralling US-China trade war. The escalation of the trade war, sparked by fresh US tariff threats by US President Trump over the weekend, is seen as the reason for the policy shift. On Monday, the People’s Bank…
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Thai transport minister agrees to taxi fare hikes in Bangkok
The Ministry of Transport has given approval for taxi fares in Bangkok to go up within a month. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob met with representatives of four Bangkok taxi groups and officials of the Land Transport Department to discuss demand by taxi drivers to hike taxi fares. Taxi drivers have been pleading for an increase for years and have staged…
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Woman leaves behind 10 kilos of gold at Chiang Mai Airport
PHOTOS: sanook.com A mysterious backpack was left laying around the Chiang Mai International Airport on Monday this week at 8.30am. It turned out that a passenger travelling with NokAir, heading to Don Muang Airport in Bangkok, had left the black backpack at a security checkpoint on the way to her flight. Police have reported the story now that the owner…
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Young elephant injured by trap in Rayong
PHOTO: Nation TV Wildlife officials are tracking a young wild elephant whose front left leg has become infected after being caught in a snare. They want to capture it and treat its injury. The assistant chief of Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tantikorn Puangsakul, says officials of the Khao Noi wildlife protection unit spotted the small elephant staggering in…
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Bank of Thailand cuts policy rate, to 1.5%
The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee has made a surprise decision today to cut the policy interest rate amid pressure to avert an economic slowdown and hedge the heightened trade war between the US and China. The MPC cut the interest rate by only 25 basis points to 1.5 %. But the cut is significant. Of the seven-member committee,…
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Top six tips when visiting Royal Thai Consulate General in Penang
PHOTO: New Royal Thai Consular General in Penang An FOT (Friend of Thaiger) has returned from applying for a visa with the Royal Thai Consulate General in Penang, a popular port to the south of Thailand for ‘southern’ expats and tourists seeking visa upgrades, renewals or even for their first run. Thanks to Daren Jenner for the following tips if…
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UPDATE: Electricity off in parts of Kamala, Phuket TOMORROW (Thursday)
After checking with the PEA we’ve discovered that the outage around Kamala will be tomorrow (Thursday), not Friday as originally published. Electricity will be out around large chunks of Kamala tomorrow (Thursday, August 9). The power outage will be from 9am-5pm, according to the Phuket Electrical Authority. Refer to the map below for details. Areas affected include from the Khao Loob…
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‘Lady D’ super yacht set adrift after firefighters fail to reach the burning yacht in Phuket
Local Marine officials in Phuket were notified at 8.30am this morning of a fire aboard a luxury yacht parked at the Ao Po Grand Marina. Responding to calls from Ao Po Grand Marina staff, firefighters discovered the ‘Lady D’ was out of reach, as it had parked 500 metres beyond the furthest extremity of the port. Officers had to order…
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Myanmar’s army controls vast business empire to fuel atrocities – UN report
PHOTO: Front of the Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited building UN investigators have slammed the Myanmar Government saying that tougher sanctions are needed against the country’s wealthy and powerful military officials as their web of economic interests has generated a fortune that helps fund atrocities. The report follows a US travel ban on Myanmar’s army chief last month, the strongest censure yet…
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Three Thai airports being renovated to double passenger volumes
PHOTO: Surat Thani Airport will be doubled in capacity Krabi, Buriram and Surat Thani provincial airports are getting a makeover to double their capacities in 2020, with a combined budget of 11.3 billion baht. Krabi airport will be renovated and expanded to handle double its capacity. The new terminal will be able to handle 8 million passengers a year. A…
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The Philippines declares national dengue epidemic
PHOTO: Philippine Star The Philippines has now declared a national dengue epidemic reporting that the mosquito-borne disease has now killed at least 622 people in the country in 2018. More than 146,000 dengue cases have now been reported in the first seven months of the year, a number almost double last year, according to the The Philippines’ health department. Officials…
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Koh Samui taxi driver killed, two tourists taken to hospital
PHOTO: Sanook.com Police have now filed a full report on an an incident back on July 19 when a taxi driver was killed and two tourists critically injured driving on the Khao Laem Yai Hill, Koh Samui. Sanook.com reports that a taxi, a yellow and brown Toyota Fortuner SUV, hit the footpath on the Khao Laem Yai hill in the northwest…
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Superyacht ablaze at the Ao Po Grand Marina in Phuket
PHOTO: Newshawk Phuket A yacht, the ‘Lady D’ caught fire this morning at the Ao Po Grand Marina in the north of Phuket. Marina staff were notified of the fire at 8.25am this morning and called the local fire department. Marina staff called the Marine Police for assistance as well. One fire truck arrived to fight the fire which has…
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Shortcuts on the way for motorists to bypass Lam Salee intersection in Bangkok
PHOTO: The Nation The BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) is looking for help from the Metropolitan Police Division 4 to find suitable shortcuts so motorists could avoid the notorious Lam Salee intersection. The Nation reports that BMA deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul says the intersection has long been notorious for traffic snarls and the situation has just become worse with delays caused…
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Ministry probes rented electronic monitoring ankle bracelets from China
The Thai Justice Ministry is investigating the electronic monitoring ankle bracelets rented by the Department of Probation from a Chinese company. A Thai company has complained that the device can be removed by the offenders wearing them without the department being alerted. Thai PBS reports that the complaint was filed by Aekkaphol Kongphutorn, representative of Fort Corporation, one of the…
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Board of Trade want Bank of Thailand to urgently address the baht
PHOTOS & GRAPHIC: The Nation The Board of Trade are meeting with the Bank of Thailand tomorrow (August 8) to discuss the value of the Thai baht, its appreciation against the US dollar and Chinese yuan, and the impact on the country’s exports. Sanan Angubolkul, the Board of Trade’s vice chairman, speaking to The Nation, says the baht has appreciated around…
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17 year old killed after school bus careers off road in Chumpon, 18 injured
PHOTO: Facebook/Tongsiasiangtueng Rescue A bus crew has been killed after a tour bus travelling from Hat Yai to Bangkok for a mathematics competition ran off the road and hit a tree. The driver and 18 student were all injured. The bus ran off the main road in Chumpon, about half-way through the journey north. Police and foundation rescue workers headed…
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Power off in Kamala, Phuket this Friday. Check if you’re affected.
Electricity will be out around large chunks of Kamala this Friday (August 9). The power outage will be from 9am-5pm, according to the Phuket Electrical Authority. Most of the town’s main businesses, restaurants and bars will be without power, unless they’re at the northern end of the town. Phuket Fantasea will not be affected. Areas affected include from the Khao Loob…
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3 boat crew found alive after boat sinks near Koh Naka Noi, one still missing
PHOTOS: Manager Online Following the sinking of a crab fishing boat yesterday (August 5), south east of Koh Naka Noi, four persons were filed as missing. Later today (August 6), the Royal Thai Navy officials report that they had have found three survivors. The three survivors include a 27 year old Thai man, Boonrit Khaojui, a 23 year old Burmese…
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Two Burmese migrants killed in Lampang van crash, 7 others injured
PHOTOS: Lampang13.com Two Burmese migrants have been killed and seven others injured when a passenger van crashed on the road from Tak to Chiang Rai. The van transporting them from Tak to Chiang Rai hit a tree on a Lampang road early today (Tuesday) around 3.40am in Lampang province. The van fell into the ditch in the middle of the divided…
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New tourism minister says tourist numbers in Phuket “not as bad as media say”
PHOTO: Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Thai Sports and Tourism minister, on his weekend fact-finding mission – Manager Online Thailand’s new Sports and Tourism minister says that the drop in tourism in Thailand has been greatly exaggerated in the media. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, for whom it is very difficult to find any information online about his past posts or qualifications, told reporters in Phuket at…
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Monk builds Buddhist pagoda on Koh Pha Ngan out of beer bottles
PHOTO: kohphangannews.com When Buddhist monks have to figure out the gritty engineering problems to construct a pagoda for their spiritual enlightenment, they have to consider using bricks, timber, concrete, or maybe even beer bottles. When you’re building a pagoda on Koh Pha Ngan you have a ready supply of beer bottles from the monthly influx of tourists for the Full…
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Airbus starts manufacturing new A220 in Alabama, US
The new Airbus A220 aircraft was touring south east asian countries, including a visit to Bangkok on Friday, last week. Today the aircraft manufacturers officially began manufacturing the A220 in the US. The first team of A220 production workers began work at Airbus’ Mobile, Alabama-based production facility. Some Thai-based airlines, including Thai Airways, are reported to be interested in the…
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Police seeking arrest warrants for more suspects in Friday’s Bangkok explosions
PHOTO: New Straits Times Police will seek warrants for the arrest of two additional suspects believed to be involved in the planting and detonating of four explosive devices at the government complex and in front of the Thai Armed Forces headquarters in Chaeng Wattana on Friday. Investigating police say they’ve now gathered all available footage from CCTV systems in the…
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Where are the CCTV cameras? Hua Hin locals
A motorcycle-bombs scare on Sunday has put the spotlight back on the planned CCTV cameras that were promised after a series of bombings in Hua Hin back in 2016. Officials at the Hua Hin provincial hall Hua are now being pushed to speed up the planned installation of hundreds of public-area security cameras in the wake of the weekend’s bombs…
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Softening Chinese yuan no threat to Thai baht
The Chinese yuan dropped sharply to its weakest level against the US dollar in more than a decade, raising fears of further dangerous escalation in the US-China trade war. Yesterday, the Chinese yuan dropped below the 7 yuan to the US dollar threshold, marking the first time the renminbi has depreciated against the dollar since May 2008. The depreciation of…
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