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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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To cushion price hikes, Bangkok PT stations will serve 25 baht curry
Price hikes are no fun for anyone, but in the Bangkok area, some groups are trying to cushion the blow of the world’s economic crisis. The Thai Restaurant Association announced today that it will launch a project tomorrow (Monday) to serve curry for 25 baht at PT filling stations across Bangkok and the surrounding area. TRA president Thaniwan Kulmongkol said…
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UPDATE: Bangkok Chinatown fire death toll jumps to 2
UPDATE The death toll has risen after the fire in Bangkok’s Chinatown this morning. While 1 person was reported dead at the Sampeng market earlier today, that number has now jumped to 2. The bodies of the man and woman killed by the blaze were reportedly burnt beyond recognition. The man is identified as 34 year old Phetduang, and the…
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Thailand plans to negotiate with Saudi Arabia over fertiliser
Thailand is suffering a fertiliser shortage, with the country’s farmers bearing the high costs of imported fertilisers. Now, the Chamber of Commerce plans to negotiate with Saudi suppliers. Saudi Arabia recently allowed 2 of its suppliers to sell fertiliser to Thailand, according to Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit. The International Trade Promotion Department is scheduled to hold a business matching…
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Chiang Rai police arrested for taking huge bribe from Chinese porn gang
Another day, another story involving Thai police taking bribes, this time in Chiang Rai. According to deputy police commissioner Surachate Hakpan, a.k.a ‘Big Joke,’ 4 officers in the northern province took a 1 million baht bribe from a Chinese gang filming live pornography at 2 resorts. One of the officers had searched the gang’s filming spot on March 31. He…
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Bangkok Chinatown fire kills 1, terrified shoppers run for their lives
One person died in a fire in Bangkok’s Chinatown today. The blaze broke out in the historic Sampeng market in Samphanthawong district, located beside the Chao Phraya River. Details of the victim’s identity haven’t been released yet. Terrified shoppers ran for their lives as the blaze gutted 5 houses before firefighters arrived on the scene to put out the flames.…
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Filipino transgender woman takes the crown at Pattaya pageant
A Filipino transgender woman claimed the crown at a world-renowned beauty pageant in Pattaya yesterday. Contestants from Columbia and France finished in the runners up places. Altogether, 23 transgender women competed for the title. The newly crowned Miss International Queen, 27 year old Fuschia Anne Ravena, dazzled the crowd in her glittery silver dress, which the bejewelled silver crown matched…
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Embracing No Mask Requirement In Thailand | Weekend Update
Bangkok is celebrating the country’s removal of mask requirements in open spaces. Thai PM bans ‘The green and hemp use on military premises. The Bus issue in Thailand and Storm rip apart villages in the Northeast. All this and your questions are answered on today’s Weekend Update.
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Chon Buri cactus thieves on the loose, plants reportedly worth 80,000 baht
Forget underwear thieves, 2 new crooks are on the loose in Chon Buri- cactus thieves. But why would anyone steal the prickly plants? Because these are reportedly worth 80,000 baht. CCTV footage from last week shows that 2 men in masks cut through the net of a greenhouse in the Sri Racha district, and stole 200 cactuses before they dashed…
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Back to the future – the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand | OPINION
Walking along the streets of Bangkok this morning I may as well be in a time loop. There was only one person not wearing a mask as I walked to breakfast. Me. Everyone else, everyone, was wearing a face mask, just like over the past 2 years and 2 months. It was 7.30am, it’s not as if it was busy.…
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Bangkok’s new governor posts video of his maskless jog
While Thailand has earned a rap for its enthusiasm over face masks, one politician in Bangkok is celebrating the country’s removal of mask requirements in open spaces. Bangkok’s new Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has posted a video of himself on a daily jog through the city- with his face uncovered. In the video, Chadchart and a bunch of friends or colleagues…
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Sewage nightmare continues for Pattaya village after years
A village in East Pattaya has suffered from horrendous sewage problems for more than 7 years, and things aren’t getting any better. Wastewater regularly flows into Daraphan Village 5 from the neighbouring Eakmongkol Village 8, and officials’ minimal efforts have not brought about change. In 2015, officials had agreed to install suitable pipework to carry the wastewater into Pattaya city…
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From Pattaya with Love, or How To Win Friends and Taser People!
A training session held last week on Wednesday, June 22, on Jomtien Beach has convinced anyone that public relations are not a strong characteristic in the ranks of the Pattaya Police. Thanks to Adam and The Pattaya News for the video and pics. The display was an apparent demonstration of the skills of Pattaya police to be able to handle…
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Thai singer eats protected lizard, faces backlash
A famous Thai country singer has come under fire over her daring culinary tastes. The singer, Kratai Phannipha, filmed her husband cooking a spicy Thai dish containing one unusual type of meat- a monitor lizard, which is a protected species in Thailand. A photo shows the couple later chowing down on the, erm, ‘exotic’ meal. One angry tweeter who went…
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Storm rips apart villages in Northeast Thailand
Communities in Northeast Thailand are the latest to bear the brunt of the country’s monsoon season. Rain plundered 3 villages in Nakhon Ratchasima province last night, damaging 48 houses and several crops. Non Sung district officials have now warned villagers to make sure that their houses’ roofs and structures can endure rough weather. Northeast Thailand is the country’s poorest region.…
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Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach vendors are putting up a fight over new rules
Vendors on Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach aren’t having it with the beach’s new rules for them. Local authorities plan to ban vendors from operating at the beach after the vendors used a new stretch of the beach to sell their products. The new space was created for tourists to enjoy but merchants, local businesses, and hawkers quickly moved onto the area…
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Motorbike engulfed in flames on Patong Hill, driver left uninjured
A motorbike driving down Patong Hill on Phuket’s west coast was engulfed in flames last night, as shown in a photo of the incident. Not only did the driver survive, but he was left without any injuries. The man, 54 year old food seller Niphon Mengeaid, told The Phuket Express about his close call… “I was driving down Patong hill…
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Thailand is open NOW – masks off, bars open until 2am
Thailand is open for business. The whole country is now a ‘green’ zone, allowing a full-scale resumption of business and activities with even the Thailand Pass being dropped next Friday. It’s about as back to normal as it can be at this time. Decisions made by the CCSA on June 17 were put into effect yesterday after being published in…
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Thai woman confesses to beating 6 year old granddaughter to death with pestle
Today, a 47 year old Thai woman confessed to hitting her 6 year old granddaughter’s head with a pestle until she died on Wednesday, June 22, in Pathum Thani province in central Thailand. On Wednesday night, police received a report that a 6 year old girl had died inside a rented room in Som Khok District in Pathum Thani province.…
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Thai officials say price of bagged rice won’t jump
In the midst of the world’s ongoing price inflation, Thailand’s Commerce Ministry says retail prices on bagged rice will not jump. The chairman of the Thai Rice Packers Association said in a meeting yesterday that the association has cooperated with the Internal Trade Department to freeze retail prices. The Commerce Ministry has noted, however, that some sellers could reduce promotional…
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Phuket officials say local Sunday market rakes in 2 million baht a week
Phuket officials say that a weekly market in the island province’s main city district has raked in at least 2 million baht a week this month. A local leader said the famous “Lard Yai” Phuket Street Sunday Market has seen a jump in tourists visiting it every week, now that Thailand is slowly winding its tourism industry up again. The…
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Bangkok approves 7 places to protest under Public Assembly Act
Bangkok has announced 7 public places where people can protest under the Public Assembly Act but stipulated that protestors must inform the relevant authorities before using the venues. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt today signed a law declaration to approve the 7 public places in Bangkok. According to the statement, clarifying the specific places in Bangkok would help the city avoid…
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60% of new HIV cases in a northern Thai province are from high school students
Healthcare workers from the northern province of Phitsanulok claim they discover 2 HIV cases every hour, and that 60% of HIV cases in that area are found in high school students. The statement was made yesterday at a healthcare meeting to discuss the silent danger of HIV at the Crystal Conference Room of The Park Hotel, Phitsanulok. The conference was…
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Thailand’s MOD bans use of cannabis on army premises
Thailand’s Ministry of Defense strictly orders military personnel not to use cannabis on army premises, according to ministry spokesman Col. Chinat Punnotok. Military personnel are also strictly prohibited from posting pictures or videos of themselves using cannabis on social media, said the spokesperson. The army’s cannabis ban was decided upon today during a meeting held by Thailand’s Defence Council, presided…
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Passengers still required to wear face masks on BTS Skytrain
Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain operator today insisted that all passengers still have to wear a face mask on their trains and around the platform area despite an announcement on the Royal Gazette platform that face mask wearing is now voluntary in Thailand. The Royal Gazette last night surprised people in Thailand with the official announcement that wearing masks is voluntary in…
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Malaysia set to replace India as tourist king of Thailand
As Thailand Pass prepares to meet its end come July 1, it looks as if Malaysia is in line to replace the kingdom’s current tourist king, India. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said yesterday that once Thailand Pass is no more, a larger number of Malaysian tourists than Indians is expected to make their way to the ‘Land of…
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Phuket public health office says smoking cannabis is legal, but…
Phuket’s Provincial Public Health Office today made a statement to clear up confusion surrounding new cannabis laws. Smoking cannabis is legal, so long as the smoke does not disturb anyone, according to the chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office Dr. Kusak Kukiatkul. Cannabis smoke is considered a “public nuisance” in Thailand, and smoking the plant in public places is…
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Pattaya bans local vendors from Na Jomtien Beach
Local authorities have banned vendors from operating on Na Jomtien Beach after they colonized a new stretch of the seaside resort in Pattaya to sell their products. The authorities issued the directive following a conflict over the public spaces on the popular beach between local sellers in Pattaya and visitors. In April, authorities added more sand to the seaside spot…
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After noise complaints, Phuket venues accused of breaking Covid-19 rules
What began as noise complaints turned into a conflict over Covid-19 restriction violations in Phuket this week. Phuket police arrested 2 night venue operators earlier this week following complaints of loud noise after the midnight closing time. Both managers allegedly violated the curfew and Covid-19 restrictions, and one allegedly also violated entertainment employment laws for entertainment venues. Their venues are…
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8 Burmese allegedly confess to murder of Thai man
Eight illegal Burmese immigrants have allegedly confessed to the murder of a Thai man in the Hat Yai district of Songkla province in the south of Thailand. The suspects allegedly admitted to the murder of Maddol Binson because he extorted money from them and tried to kidnap a woman from the group. The body of the 40 year old, a…
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