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Facebook bars overseas electoral ads for the March 23 election
The Thai government and Election Commission are imposing their own bans and restrictions for political advertising leading up to next month’s poll. Now Thailand’s favorite social media platform says it is banning ads posted from overseas for the poll as well. Facebook says it will bar foreign-based election advertisements in Thailand as the country heads towards the March 24 election.…
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Fears that plantation fire could add to Bangkok pollution woes
A huge plantation fire has destroyed a 400 rai rubber farm in Chacheongsao province with concerns that it could also add to Bangkok’s air pollution and smog woes. Chachongseo is the province immediately east of the city limits. The prevailing winds come from the north-east. The fire in Sanam Chai Khet district began at around 10pm last night (Saturday) and…
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Elephant Boat Race comes to Bangkok March 29
Anantara Hotels Director of Operational Excellence & Events Tim Boda has announced Thailand’s first “Elephant Boat Race & River Festival” to be held between March 29 – 31, 2019. “The new three-day festival offers a wide range of activities, races and concerts aiming to raise funds to support domestic and wild elephants throughout Thailand.” Located next to Anantara Riverside Bangkok, the…
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Chinese tourists flock back to Phuket for Chinese New Year 2019
Chinese tourists are flocking back to Phuket for Chinese New Year 2019 after a six month hiatus following last year’s Phoenix boat tragedy. 47 Chinese tourists drowned in the incident, including many children, after the boat capsized on July 5 in a late afternoon storm as the tour boat was returning to Phuket. In the following months hotels received thousands…
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Thailand #1 for Chinese travellers heading overseas for Chinese New Year
Thailand, Japan and Singapore are topping the lists for Chinese travellers this Chinese New Year. The data comes from Hotelbeds.com, a leading accommodation booking platform. The website identified the top 10 international destinations for Chinese travellers for this year’s seven-day Chinese New Year holiday that starts tomorrow (Monday). Thailand was named the most popular destination followed by Japan and Singapore. The…
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Krabi officials declare a rabies outbreak zone
A district livestock office in Krabi province has announced a Rabies outbreak zone in the Mueang Krabi district area. Somphon Jantara, chief livestock officer of Mueang Krabi District, announced that the Sai Thai village, Moo 1 is a designated outbreak zone after a male dog tested positive for Rabies on Wednesday. A rabies temporary control zone will now run from January…
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Leopard cub smuggled on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to India
A one month old leopard has been found in a passenger’s hand luggage after landing in Chennai, India after a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. The young leopard was weak and dehydrated when it was discovered. The leopard kitten was hidden in a grocery basket hidden put inside his carry on luggage. At this stage officials haven’t reported the nationality…
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Seven drug busts net 10 million meth pills, 4 kg of heroin
The more drugs police intercept, the more that pours across the borders. The Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau have reported on seven drug busts that netted 10 suspects and the confiscation of 10 million methamphetamine pills and nearly four kilograms of heroin. The NSB also seized other illicit drugs including crystal meth or “ice”, ecstasy pills and cocaine. Separate searches in…
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Alleged ‘sex cult’ yoga retreat on Koh Phangan operating again
PHOTO: Narcis Tarcau, aka. Swami Vivekananda Saraswati – South China Morning Post The world’s “biggest tantric yoga school” has reopened on Koh Phangan with the accused leader back in charge amid accusations that management suppressed an investigation into the alleged abuse. The centre closed last September after 14 women alleged rape and sexual assault and made official complaints. At the…
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Event Round-Up – February 2019
You still have a few days left to enjoy the tail end of Bangkok Design Week which is running from 26 January to 3 February in select areas around Bangkok. Taking inspiration from the city’s rich history as a gathering point for creative minds from all over the world, Bangkok Design Week is held under the theme of “Fusing Forward”,…
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Criminal Court agrees to consider extradition of Bahraini footballer
The Criminal Court says it has agreed to consider the public prosecutors’ request to extradite former Bahrain national footballer Hakeem al-Araibi to his home country. The footballer currently holds Australian residency. The request was made after Bahrain supplied prosecutors with evidence and documents accusing al-Araibi of arson and possession of weapons. Bahrain had issued an arrest warrant for the footballer…
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Warning from Pattaya police about bogus charity collectors
Pattaya’s police chief is warning tourists against donating to street charity collectors. He claims many of the so-called charities are bogus and the money is lily going straight into their pockets. Speaking to Pattaya Mail, Pol. Col. Apichai Kroppech says that both Thais and foreigners are roaming the streets acting as charity collectors, hoping to take advantage of people’s good…
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Government apologises for Bangkok air pollution and smog
The Government has conceded to Bangkok citizens about the air pollution that continues to disrupt lives and threaten their health. “The government apologises for the inconvenience caused by the poor air quality and would like to thank everybody for support and cooperation,” said the PM yesterday. The blue sky typical of this time of year is hidden beyond a grey-yellow…
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Students sent to hospital after suffering food poisoning from school lunch
70 secondary students from the Jian Hua School in Nakhon Pathom’s Bang Len district suffered food poisoning after school lunch yesterday. Nakhon Pathom is the province to the west of Bangkok. 25 of the affected students were sent to Supan Buri’s 17th Somdet Phra Sangkharat Hospital suffering from severe diarrhoea, vomiting and seizures. 26 year old Teacher Manasawee Phutthapol says that…
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400cc Nightclub raided in Bangkok. 92 test positive for drugs.
by Kittipong Maneerit Another Bangkok nightclub has been raided as police crackdown on some clubs on the city’s outer limits. The 400cc nightclub was raided revealing at least 40 patrons under the age of 20. Meanwhile, 92 patrons tested positive for substance abuse and 26 of them under the legal drinking age. Officers of Nong Khang Plu precinct, the Office…
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Rewards given to Thais who saved Lithuanian woman at Phuket Airport
Rewards from the management of the Phuket International Airport have been made to two quick thinking Thai citizens who saved the a young Lithuania woman from jumping from the international terminal’s upper road way ramp this week. Pilot Officer Thanee Chuangchoo, the General Manager of Phuket International Airport, today gave certificates and rewards to two the Thai people, Aphichart Intaraksa and Amornrat Ankhai.…
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Man dies in Phuket road accident at Samkong underpass entrance
A car diver has died after losing control of his vehicle near the Samkong Underpass on Bypass Road. The Phuket City Police were notified of the accident on Chalerm Phrakiet Rama 9 (Bypass Road), southbound, near the entrance of the Samkong Underpass at 1.12am this morning. Police and rescue workers arrived to find a damaged black Honda sedan. The body of…
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Bangkok air pollution reduction schemes – FAIL
OPINION Smog, air pollution, air quality, PM2.5 micron particulate. If you live in Bangkok it’s all the same thing. Four water-carrying drones took off from Bangkok City Hall this morning to join three fire engines in the latest assault on health-threatening haze. Bangkok is a city covering some 1,500 square kilometres with a population of over 8 million. The frequent…
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Send in the drones – Bangkok Governor – Air pollution – VIDEO
Authorities in Bangkok launched 50 drones yesterday in an attempt to combat the ongoing air pollution that has gained international attention. The drones were equipped with sprinklers and water was sprayed to lower the PM2.5 particles in the atmosphere. The water was laced with molasses (a gooey, surgery syrup) help capture the fine particles of pollution and bring them to…
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Thai authorities decide on Bahrain detainee’s future next week
The Thai Attorney General is set to decide by next week whether to extradite a detained Bahraini footballer or allow him to travel to Australia as a refugee. Prosecutors have now received an official request from the Bahraini government to extradite the footballer, Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali al-Araibi, and the request is being reviewed to see if it falls within…
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Chinese tourist couple found after getting lost in Thalang jungle
PHOTOS: The Thalang Police and The Phuket Tourist Police Officers were searching for about four hours for a Chinese tourist couple who were lost in the Khao Phra Thaew Non – Hunting area forest in Thalang district last night. The local Tourist Police and the Thalang Police were notified of the pair getting lost early in the evening after they called the Phuket Tourist…
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Weather for February 1
Bangkok Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 34C. Winds E at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket A mix of clouds and sun. High 31C. Winds E at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Plenty of sunshine. High 33C. Winds light and variable. Pattaya Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 31C. Winds SSW at 10…
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Monk defrocked and charged with child abuse
by Suriya Patathayo Another Buddhist monk has been arrested and defrocked. The allegations involve sexual violations against boys and posting pornographic content online. Leading the investigation, Pol Lt General Surachate Hakparn, deputy chief of Thailand’s Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression says that the former monk has confessed that he has committed the crimes for more than 10 years.…
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Wastewater from Bang Tao Canal flowing into sea
Local residents near the Bang Tao canal in Cherng Talay are again pleading for help because of the ongoing bad smells and effects from wastewater flowing down the waterway. Local Rohem Taosakun says, “This problem has been particularly bad over the past five days. Related government officials have tried solving the problem but wastewater is coming back again. This problem…
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No injuries as ceiling collapses at Tesco Lotus Samkong
A part of a ceiling at Tesco Lotus in Samkong on the Bypass road collapsed early last night. No injuries were reported. At 5.50pm yesterday a part of ceiling at the Tesco Lotus Samkong collapsed while customers were still shopping. The incident happened above the aisle kiosks near the checkout counters and caused damages to one of the kiosks. The…
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Thailand poised to break through 40 million arrivals in 2019
Thailand welcomed a record 38.27 million tourists in 2018. That’s up 7.5 percent from 2017 arrival figures. The Thai tourism ministry announced the figures this morning. In December, tourist arrivals amounted to 3.85 million. The ministry is also expecting the number of tourists visiting Thailand in 2019 to increase by another 7.5 percent. For 2019, the ministry expects to break through the…
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Bangkok air pollution: PM demands action and threatens limiting road traffic
PHOTOS: The Nation The Thai PM says he is determined to step up measures to fight the worsening air pollution problem plaguing Bangkok. Limiting the use of vehicles with an odd-even day schedule is on the cards, he said. Speaking at the opening ceremony of “Our Country, Our Future” exhibition yesterday, Prayut warned that if the smog in Bangkok was…
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Pattaya air quality suffering as well
Pattaya public health authorities are advising residents at the resort to keep up-to-date with news about Pattaya’s air quality woes. Report in The Pattaya News suggest that the 2.5 PM particulate matter was at its worst in the early morning hours and in the evenings. Here’s the current reading of Pattaya air quality (5pm Thursday). Thai environmental specialist Rungnapha Thapnonghee…
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Rawai villagers caught up in romance scams
by Jessada Chantharak. PHOTOS: The Nation Five impoverished residents from Rawai in Phuket’s south, say they have been tricked into opening bank accounts that were used in romance scams. Facing arrest warrants over the scams, the five villagers have filed an appeal with the Royal Thai Police’s Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression for help. The five residents claim they opened…
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His Majesty pays Phang Nga boy’s medical costs – more operations Saturday
HM the King has helped pay for some of the medical care for the seven year old boy mauled by four stray dogs at a beach in Phang Nga last weekend. He is now recovering in Vachira Phuket Hospital. The boy was attacked in Ban Tha Noon, Takua Thung district on Sunday. Dr Chalermpong Sukhonthapol, spokesperson for the hospital, says…
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