News
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Sponsored Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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New Zealand gangster arrested in Thailand handed to FBI
UPDATE The New Zealand gangster who was arrested in central Thailand has now been handed over to the FBI for prosecution, Thai police said yesterday. The gangster, 43 year old Shane Ngakuru, had been on the run from the FBI and New Zealand Police. Ngakuru is a high-ranking member of the Comancheros Motorcycle Club gang. He was allegedly involved in…
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VIDEO: 4.2 magnitude earthquake shakes Chiang Mai, northern Thailand
Residents of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand were awoken at 4.26am today by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake. No injuries or deaths have been reported. The tremor lasted about three seconds and no aftershocks have been felt so far. Many felt strong shaking as the epicentre had a shallow depth of only two kilometres in the Mae subdistrict in the…
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The impact of leisure activities on the Thai Economy
The always boisterous and immensely beautiful country of Thailand has always provided tourists with a plethora of incredible activities and events to embark on. Given that an increased amount of tourist-related activity still fully resides in Thailand’s most populated destinations, it is important to note the wider impact that the leisure industry has brought to the country’s economic stance and…
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Drug cartel steals seized drugs, car, and guns from red-faced police
In a scene more reminiscent of the Keystone Cops, narcotics suppression police were left red-faced after drugs they seized from a trafficker in the southern province of Songkla were stolen back by a drug cartel. And, just for good measure, the drug cartel stole their police car, guns and phones as well. The Deputy Chief of the Songkhla Provincial Administrative…
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Centi-millionaires: how rich is REALLY rich?
Are you rich? Super rich? The world’s first global study on the ultra-rich found a surprising amount of centi-millionaires – people with more than US$100 million in investible assets. A startling 25,490 of these super wealthy and powerful people pepper the globe. The number of heirs, CEOs, tech gurus and finance moguls worth over $100 million doubled amid a period…
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Brand Shinawatra – choice of a new generation?
In today’s Bangkok Post, former senator and member of the National Reform Council Prasarn Marukpitak looks forward to the forthcoming election with still more than six months to go. According to Prasarn, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of Thaksin, is increasingly popular, far more so than ageing veterans such as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Pheu Thai is now loudly protesting that…
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New Zealand gangster arrested in central Thailand
A gangster from New Zealand was arrested in central Thailand early this morning, after being on the run from the FBI and New Zealand Police. A New Zealand Police inspector confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that the gangster was arrested in Samut Prakan province in a joint operation with New Zealand Police, the FBI, and the Thai police. The…
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Top 5 Beauty procedures to keep in mind when in Thailand
In the past decade, Thailand has become an important hub for the beauty industry in Southeast Asia. Thanks to its innovative and advanced medical centres, people from all around the globe flock to the Land of Smiles to go under the knife. A wide range of cosmetic procedures is available in Thailand, from hair transplants to liposuction. But if you’re…
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The best non-invasive medical procedure in Phuket
Nowadays, less invasive cosmetic procedures can give similar results to invasive procedures. Hence, they’re becoming more and more popular. For those who don’t want to undergo invasive surgery, many minimally-invasive and non-invasive procedures are available. Not only do these procedures have little to no downtime, but they can also give similar results to the more invasive options. Hence, they’re growing…
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Luxury yacht halts Bangkok traffic as Krungthep Bridge opens
Drivers were understandably miffed as a huge traffic jam built up when the Krungthep Bridge in Bangkok opened to let a boat through. It is common for the bridge to open a handful of times each month, but usually to let through a big vessel belonging to the Royal Thai Navy. This time though, cars along Rama III Road were…
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Missing 50 million baht is a misunderstanding, says govt
UPDATE The Thai government says there has been a misunderstanding about the missing 50 million baht promised to tobacco farmers. The money is still in government coffers and would be distributed to tobacco farmers as promised by May next year. Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and relevant departments to investigate the missing 50…
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Amazon Web Services to invest billions of dollars in Thailand
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced on Monday that it plans to invest billions of dollars in Thailand over the next 15 years. AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing division, plans to invest $US5 billion (about 190 billion baht) in Thailand during that time. AWS will carry out the investment in phases. In the first phase, 20 billion baht will be invested immediately,…
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A rogue official arrested for issuing ID cards to migrants
A rogue government official was arrested yesterday for illegally issuing Thai identification (ID) cards to more than 50 migrants in exchange for money at the San Sai District Office in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai Governor Nirut Pongsitthaworn reported yesterday that the San Sai District Office hired a temporary officer to help out with document work. However, the officer turned out to…
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Indonesian stadium to be demolished after stampede killed 133
It has been announced that the Indonesian football stadium will be demolished after it became the venue of one of the deadliest tragedies ever to occur in a sports stadium. The pandemonium cost 133 people their lives at the beginning of this month, causing Indonesian President Joko Widodo to announce plans to tear down the stadium and rebuild it to FIFA international…
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Israel reportedly scared Australia might recognise Palestinian state
Israel is reportedly scared that Australia might recognise a Palestinian state. This news comes after Australia yesterday flip-flopped on its 2018 decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. An Israeli official has now linked Australia’s recent reversal to Israel’s concerns that the left-wing Australian government could follow up by recognizing a Palestinian state, The Times of Israel reported. The…
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Xi Jinping’s recipe for success – more of the same
As China’s immensely tedious political meeting drags on, nothing much is happening except droning announcements by unremarkable men in cheap black suits. So when Xi Jinping walks onto the stage in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, people pay attention, if only to the pleasingly tailored lines of the chairman’s apparel. There were no surprises. His address paid…
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Mountain B victims demand investigation of state officials
In the fallout of the Mountain B Pub fire tragedy, families of victims have filed charges against the club owners. But now they are expanding their litigation to include state officials who they say didn’t do their duty in allowing the pub to open illegally. The fire claimed the lives of 25 people in the months following the August 5…
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Elderly monk starts barefoot journey around Thailand to raise money for hospital
An elderly Buddhist monk set off at 5am today on a 3,145 kilometre journey around Thailand. The 73 year old monk will walk barefoot from his temple in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, all the way to Chiang Rai in northernmost Thailand and on to his hometown in Nakhon Phanom province in the northeast. Luang Ta Bunchuen Panyawutho, of the Thai…
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Urgent: Phuket Flood Relief, calling for donations!
Press Release A coordinated effort from the Phuket Hotels Association with Living Waters Foundation starting today, 18th October, across the whole of Phuket to help all the people who have been affected by the flooding in Phuket. As of today over 100 meals have been donated from the Tourism Safety and Security Conference which is an event organised by the…
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Resistant and contagious BQ.1 sub-variant hits Thailand
As new strains of Covid are beginning to crop up in Thailand, the first infection of the highly resistant and contagious BQ.1 sub-variant has now been found in the kingdom. Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics confirmed the presence of the sub-variant of the Omicron strain, which mutated from the BA.5 sub-variant. In a post on Facebook, the centre cited…
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Engaged – Japanese driver reverses into ancient privvy
The front page of Tuesday’s UK Guardian features the sad story of Japan’s oldest toilet. A member of the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association mistakenly reversed his car into the building’s 500-year-old bog door. The man damaged the communal toilet inside the Tofukuji temple in Kyoto when he crashed through the doors in reverse, ending up several metres inside the inconvenient…
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5 captives brainwashed by transwoman’s cult, 15 more victims file complaints
UPDATE A police investigation into the three women and two children held captive in a Bangkok condominium by a transwoman and her accomplice revealed they were brainwashed. More victims came forward after the story broke and filed complaints with the police against the suspects. The Commander of the Metro Police Detective Department, Teeradate Thamsutee, revealed more details about the case…
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Lottery winner drinks himself to death in Pattaya
A Thai man went out drinking to celebrate winning the lottery but did not wake up the next day. He was found lying dead in his bedroom surrounded by bottles of liquor yesterday morning in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. Officers from Bang Lamung Police Station and rescue workers from Sawang Boriboon Foundation were called to a house in…
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Prayut sets “drug free” goal for Thai province where massacre happened
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday set a goal for the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province, where the horrific October 6 massacre happened, to become “drug free” within 30 days. A government spokesperson told the Associated Press that Prayut had ordered relevant agencies to implement measures related to drug abuse and trading. Agencies have been instructed to monitor several areas of…
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Thai Cabinet approves 6.6 billion baht for bridges in South Thailand
Two upcoming bridge projects in South Thailand have had a budget approved for them. Thailand’s transport minister announced yesterday that the Thai Cabinet has given the green light on the plans, which will cost about 6.6 billion baht. One bridge will cross Songkhla Lake in the Koh Yai sub-district of Songkhla’s Krasaesin district, to the Jong Tanon sub-district in Phatthalung’s…
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Japan makes path to enlightenment easier with “AI Buddha” tool
Japan has once again made use of its advanced technological skills by creating an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help those attain enlightenment. The Buddhist tool, aka AI Buddha, brings ancient scriptures’ spiritual guidance to smartphones. According to Bangkok Post, the software was co-developed by a team of religious and computer academics at Kyoto University. The software has been programmed to…
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Chinese government accuses protesters of illegally entering consulate in Manchester
The Chinese government is responding to a video of a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester being assaulted at the consulate in Manchester by saying such protesters illegally entered the grounds. According to Hong Kong Free Press, British police say a group of men came out from the consulate during a peaceful demonstration and dragged one of the protesters inside the building…
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Myanmar junta wants political opponents prosecuted faster
Myanmar’s junta is pushing the courts to prosecute political opponents‘ trials faster despite it impacting defendants’ lawyers’ preparation. The regime has instructed courts to finish all trials of opponents, including the leader of the democratically elected party Aung San Suu Kyi. A Yangon-based lawyer, who spoke anonymously, says this is not always a fair tactic. “It is not always good…
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Silly anti-cheating masks in university go viral
Taking a cue from a Bangkok university, students at Bicol University College of Engineering in the Philippines went viral for silly “anti-cheating” masks they wore for exams. A faculty member decided to bring some levity to the problem of cheating in schools by allowing her engineering students to design masks to prevent cheating, no matter how ridiculous they were. And…
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WANTED: Soldier put away for selling meth escapes from prison in northern Thailand
A prisoner is on the loose after escaping from Fort Surasakmontri in Military Province 32 in Lampang province, northern Thailand, at 6.30am today. The soldier was imprisoned for selling methamphetamine. If you see him contact the police right away. The 26 year old soldier, Supawut “Kwan” Sopapeng, escaped while officers were transporting him somewhere for further investigation this morning. Villagers…
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