News
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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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Southern monsoon has arrived – rain predicted around the country
All parts of Thailand are likely to see heavy rains this week with the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) ordering its offices to prepare accordingly. During June 4-7, according to the Thai Meteorological website, the southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand. They say this will cause more rain and isolated heavy showers. “The…
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17 year old motorbike driver dies in Paklok accident
Thalang Police were notified of an accident on Saturday night (June 2) at 11.30pm near the Heroines Monument – Paklok Road in front of Sitti Srisoonthorn Bamrong School (Baan Pak Cheed School) in Thalang. Rescue workers arrived at the scene to find a teenager who was later identified as 17 year old Wasurat ‘Oat’ Palapon from Khon Kaen. Wasurat had…
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BMW eyes bright future for electric cars in Thailand
That growth makes Thailand number three in the world in terms of market acceptance of PHEVs, according to Krisda Utamote, BMW Group Thailand’s director of corporate communications. Christian Wiedmann, president of BMW Thailand, says the German carmaker would continue churning out new electric vehicle models due to confidence in its global market expansion, with Thailand included. “In Thailand, BMW is…
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Phuket rescue foundation donates food to the poor – Te Krajard merit-making ceremony
Some of Phuket’s poorest people received food as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony. The event marks the birthday of the Chinese god, Poy Jun Sia Hook, and was held at the Kusoldharm Foundation headquarters in Phuket town last Friday (June 1). The distribution was led by Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, the Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teraphol Thipjaroen and…
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Phuket light rail and Patong tunnel project update
The Phuket light-rail-project is now in the process of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) update while the Patong tunnel project is hunting for investors. A meeting’s been held between the Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and Wilairat Sirisoponsil, the deputy director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP). Ms Wilairat says, “the Phuket light rail project is to…
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Thai teen pregnancy education gets real
The Education Ministry will include a test on sex education and life skills in the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) from this year forward as a part of efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. “We will soon inform all students about this decision via their schools,” Deputy Prime Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said on the weekend. The decision was reached at…
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Sorry, we’re closed for maintenance
The closure of Maya Bay and Boracay island in The Philippines is part of a brave new management strategy to save these, and other, mass tourism magnets from long-term vandalism – to a point where they are beyond reclamation and salvation. Maya Bay closed on June 1 for four months. During this time tour boats will be able to travel…
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Perspective: West coast hoteliers give some insight into low season hotel traffic – Phuket
by property.thethaiger.com Speaking to a number of west-coast hoteliers on the island The Thaiger heard a few ‘truths’ about Phuket’s surging tourism industry, from the front line and not from the Associations which are forever pitching extravagant occupancy rates, spinning the numbers. The TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) can sometimes be accused of painting a ‘too rosy’ picture of what’s…
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Air Asia flight arrives in Hua Hin. Hey, it’s a really big deal!!
One flight a day, four times a week. Hua Hin Today goes grand with its headlines about the inaugural Air Asia flight. It’s straight out of the 1930s… “Hua Hin Realises the Age of International Flight” “In what may prove to be a game-changing event for the local tourism industry, Hua Hin airport has welcomed the inaugural Air Asia direct flight…
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New business model proposed for elephant attractions
Canadian-based World Animal Protection has released details of their plan to sign a MoU that will “remove all physical interaction between tourists and elephants” at the Chiang Mai elephant camp. The Happy Elephant Care Valley is about to launch into a landmark agreement that will transform it into a “truly elephant-friendly” tourist attraction. The animal welfare charity says changing the…
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Bangkok Airline and Lao Airline sign codeshare
Bangkok Airways and Lao Airlines have now agreed on a code shares for flights between Laos and Thailand. Passengers will gain more flight options and they can book travel to a third destination served by the partnering airlines more conveniently. They will be able to make the through-flight bookings at the one time rather than having to make two separate…
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“Don’t arrest us. We just work here.” Activists call for ban on sting operations targeting sex trade
By Pratch Rujivanarom Stings and raids staged to crack down on human trafficking in the sex industry violate human rights, and lead to stigmatisation and discrimination against women who are working as sex workers of their own volition, an activist organisation said yesterday. Empower Foundation yesterday exposed the problems of discrimination and rights violations faced by women working in the…
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Dara Hotel control room fire – Phuket
There’s been a fire at the Dara Hotel in Phuket Town. No injuries have been reported. It is believed that the fire started from sparks inside an electric control room of the hotel. Firefighters were notified of the fire at 1.30pm yesterday (June 1) at the hotel near the Darasamuth underpass intersection (Central Festival). Firefighters with 10 fire engines, together…
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Temple ‘accommodation’ building works spark concerns – Chiang Mai
“When asked about the cease order, the temple responded that it had appealed to the court and was waiting for a trial, but the court had allowed them to continue construction in the meantime.” Local people are complaining to the Ou Sai Kham temple after construction of a four-story building next to a sacred historical 100-year-old house has began again.…
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Seven die in motorway smash
PHOTOS: @js100radio Seven people have been killed and four others wounded in a multiple-vehicle crash at Chonburi on the Bangkok inbound lane of Motor Way last night (Friday). The accident involving an 18 wheel truck, a 10 wheel truck, an SUV and a pick-up truck at the 57+800 kilometre marker happened around 7pm, resulting in a severe traffic jam.
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Maya Bay’s four month ‘tourist break’ begins
Park Rangers at the Nopparat Tara-Mu Ko Phi Phi marine national park have placed buoys outlining a no-access zone as part of a bid to rehabilitate the park’s world-renowned Maya Bay. The decision to close Maya to pave the way for a rest period, and preparation for new access to the area, was made by the National Parks, Wildlife, and…
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Local teachers work with Soi Dog to pass on lessons in animal welfare
On May 24 – 25, Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation conducted animal welfare workshops entitled ‘Humans Love Animals, Animals Love Environment’, gathering local school teachers from 12 schools across the island. Realising the importance of the younger generation and the power of education, the Foundation’s education team passed on their animal welfare knowledge through these educators who shared the experience and…
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Road accident prevention project aimed at schools – Phuket
A promotion has been launched at Phuket Wittayalai School in Phuket Town this morning, hosted Phuket’s Governor, with a target to decrease road accidents. Governor Norraphat says, “The number of accidents and injuries during this year’s Songkran Festival decreased, but the number of deaths from road accidents was the same as last year. Students were the highest demographic in this year’s Songkran…
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Phuket airport’s domestic terminal launches today
The Phuket International Airport General Manager Petch Chancharoen took Phuket’s media on a tour of the full service domestic terminal today (June 1). There are now 66 check-in counters, carry-on luggage checkpoints with 8 x-ray machines, revamped Boarding Gates 4-10 and 7 sky bridges. Five toilet areas (for male, female and disabled) are now provided as part of the renovation. The third…
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15,000 smuggled cigarette packs seized in Hat Yai
FILE PHOTO: The Nation (from January this year) Excise officials have seized 15,000 packages of smuggled cigarettes in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district last night (Thursday). The goods were found at a house in a rubber plantation in Tambon Klong U-tapao following a tip-off, says Thammasak La-or-iam, an official of the Excise Area 9 Office. The 25 cartons of cigarettes were…
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Phuket Airport holds annual tsunami evacuation drill
Phuket Airport has held its annual tsunami drill. The drill yesterday (May 31) at the Phuket International Airport was led by Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok and the Phuket International Airport General Manager Petch Chancharoen. Mr Petch says, “safety is the most important thing we’re concerned with. The drill simulated an earthquake with its epicentre located at the Nicobar Islands –…
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Pattaya’s Walking Street gets a ‘family’ make-over.
Walking Street in South Pattaya is facing its biggest makeover in decades early next year for a more family orientated feel. The unsightly hanging wires are set to be buried underground in an effort to beautify the infamous red light street to appeal to families. But not everyone is thrilled about it – the operators are worried about the effect on…
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’11 months’ until the next election. Do the maths….
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam election will take place about 11 months from now after the Constitutional Court ruled the organic bill on the election of MPs as ‘constitutional’. The 11 month timeline puts next years election around April, at least two months after PM Prayut promised the next general election for Thai voters. Bu the deputy PM assured that…
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Draft plan to allow foreigners to work in 11 ‘reserved’ occupations
A plan by the Labour Ministry would allow foreigners to enter 11 of the 39 occupations that are currently reserved for Thais. If the plan goes ahead, foreigners will be able to work as civil engineers, accountants and architects in Thailand under certain conditions. “For example, we won’t allow them to work independently or become business owners,” Labour Minister Police…
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Two escape injures in Patong house fire. Woken up by cat hero.
Patong police have been notified of a fire in a Soi near the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong early today (May 31) at 05.20am. Firefighters and fire engines arrived to find a two storey old timber and concrete house ablaze. It took about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. Fabric, a laptop and some stationary…
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Some monkeys will be moved, most will be sterilised – Phuket
A meeting was held today (May 31) at the Governor’s residence, hosted by Governor Plodthong. The meeting was to collate information from all the recent public hearings into Phuket’s monkey problems and relocation plans. All the public meetings agreed that the island’s monkeys, in the public ‘hot’ zones, needed to be sterilised in a systematic program. Tha Chin community in…
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Four arrested with 414,000 methamphetamine pills, ‘ice’, ecstasy tablets and ketamine
Bangkok police arrested three men and a woman on charges of alleged drug trafficking and seized 414,000 methamphetamine pills, 28 kilograms of crystal meth or “ice”, 18,000 ecstasy pills and 1.8 kg of ketamine in two related operations. The arrests were announced at a press conference at the Metropolitan Police Bureau at noon on Thursday. The suspects were all between…
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Temporary market being set up to assist vendors this weekend
Forensic police have been investigating the ‘Trunk’ market fire last Sunday night (just off Phang Nga Road, Phuket Town), while an executive of the Jatujak Phuket Company, Wannakorn Pattarapakorn, was visiting shop-holders to discuss options. Read more about the fire HERE. An executive of the Jatujak Phuket Company, Wannakorn Pattarapakorn says, “Some vendors still have products that they were able to salvage…
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Chiang Mai hostel & guesthouse owners seeking clarification on Hotel Act
PHOTO: Manon Hostel, Chiang Mai Concerns over interpretation of the current Hotels Act, following a court-ruling last month about a Hua Hin condo being deemed illegal when renting rooms by day or week, have spread to Chiang Mai where guesthouse and hostel owners are seeking clarification. Guesthouse, hostel and small hotel owners in the northern city have filed a petition…
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Patong lifeguards call for safe equipment storage
Yesterday (May 30) one of Patong’s lifeguard posted pictures on his personal facebook. The photos showed a damaged lifesaving equipment storage box. The head of Patong lifeguards, Somprasong Sangchart, says, “Someone has destroyed the storage box near Loma Park on Tuesday (May 29) but everything is still inside the box. I discovered this yesterday morning.” “This is not the first…
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