Thailand

The Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT ) launched a travel package called ‘Amazing New Chapters: Discover Luxperience in Thailand’ aimed at high-end South Korean travellers. The deal combines business class tickets to Bangkok on Asiana Airlines and a stay at the five-star Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, which costs around 12,000 baht per night. The TAT hopes to make Thailand a desirable destination for South Koreans by targeting luxury tourists, long-stayers, honeymooners, couples, millennials, and families with the campaign. Discover Luxperience is part of the TAT’s wider campaign Visit Thailand Year 2022-23: Amazing New Chapters, featuring five-star hotels, premium rooftop bars, Michelin-starred restaurants, cruises, fancy car rentals, and private yachts and helicopters. Director of TAT Seoul Office Jiranee Poonnayom said… “This new initiative is designed to appeal to affluent and luxury travellers from South Korea who are interested in experiencing Thailand’s new and … [Read more...] about TAT launches luxury travel package to Thailand for rich South Korean tourists

Chinese gangs in Thailand are in more trouble as police arrested another suspected gang boss in Bangkok Wednesday. Teams of police raided 34 locations in eight provinces, at the behest of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn. Big Joke, as Surachate is playfully known, said that in Samut Prakan, a company was identified as owning a private aircraft connected with Chinese businessman Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant. According to the Bangkok Post, the company also owns more than 80 tour buses and a hotel worth 700 million baht. Tuhao turned himself in to the police last week over his alleged involvement in the drug trade. During Wednesday’s operation, police raided three companies in Huai Kwang district of Bangkok and detained a Chinese national Chen Zhaohui – known as Tony – at Belle Condominium on Rama 9 road on charges of supporting or colluding in running a business operated illegally by foreign nationals. The arrest of Tony followed the raid on a … [Read more...] about Chinese gangs in Thailand take another hit as “Tony” falls

Police launched a murder investigation after finding the body of a missing woman tied to a water pump inside a lake in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in western Thailand . Last night, police found the body of a woman estimated to be around 30 years old submerged in a lake in Moo 4, Ang Thong subdistrict, Thap Sakae district. Her body was tied to a water pump with blankets to keep it weighed down. Police suspected the victim could be Supaporn “Peg” Bootket, a local woman who went missing two weeks ago. Peg’s aunt Jaran Muennin went to see the corpse in the middle of the night and confirmed it was her sister’s daughter, identifying her by a tattoo she has on the middle of her back. While relatives have confirmed her identity, police say that her identity has not yet been officially confirmed. This morning, Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Police and officers from Thap Sakae Police Station took a 25 year old man who lives 50 metres away from the lake into custody for … [Read more...] about Body of missing woman found tied to water pump in western Thailand

- A + A (Dec 1): Tesla Inc will launch in Thailand on Dec 7, becoming the latest electric-vehicle (EV) maker to enter the the Southeast Asian market that is positioning to be a global EV production hub. Tesla will hold a launch event next week in Bangkok's prestigious Siam Paragon shopping mall, according to a media invite from a third-party public relations firm on Thursday. The EV maker had previously advertised more than a dozen jobs for its Thai operations. The launch comes as EV competition has been heating up in Thailand, the largest auto manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia, especially with Chinese players such as Great Wall Motor, BYD, and Hozon. Tesla's Thai unit was registered in April with a capital of 253 million baht (RM32.04 million), according to the Thai commerce ministry's database. … [Read more...] about Tesla set to challenge Chinese EV makers with Thailand launch

In a worrying new trend, the percentage of AIDS infections has been rising among young Thais . According to the director of the Disease Control Department’s Division of AIDS, nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections are in young people. The director, Dr Cheewanan Lertpiriyasuwat, said this was much higher than the global average of around 30%. One HIV/AIDS prevention organisation, M Plus, said that out of 250 new HIV infections detected in the northern city of Phitsanulok, more than 60 per cent were in students. According to the AIDS Epidemic Model, about 6,500 Thai citizens are likely to have contracted HIV last year. That year, 9,300 people in Thailand died from AIDS, Thai PBS reported. This is even though comprehensive HIV care is free in Thailand. Cheewanan said that one factor in the spread of AIDS is people hooking up with strangers online. Thailand’s universal healthcare coverage (UHC) offers people living with HIV-free antiretroviral drugs and … [Read more...] about Percentage of HIV infections rising among young Thais

Officials in the Nong Hong district office of the Isaan province of Buriram rejected a 14 year old girl’s request for a Thai ID card because they said she does not look like her mother. The teenager’s disillusioned mother asked why it was a lot easier for foreigners running entertainment venues to claim their ID cards than people from Thailand. The girl’s quest for an ID card is a little complicated. The teen’s 40 year old mother, Wilai Thongton, explained that she moved from the Isaan province of Udon Thani to marry in Chiang Rai, where she had a daughter with her husband. After she divorced her ex-husband, she moved to Buriram and remarried. She then lost touch with her daughter who remained with her father. Wilai said she reunited with her daughter on November 25. The daughter found her name on her birth certificate and trawled Facebook until she found her. Wilai learned that her ex-husband went to Korea to work and never returned home and her daughter lived with … [Read more...] about Teen girl’s ID card request denied as she doesn’t look like her mother

Bangkok ’s pollution problem is rearing its ugly head once again. Environmental police arrested and charged seven people over illegal dumping at 16 sites in the Thai capital. The chief of the Crime Suppression Division ordered environmental police to inspect 16 spots, following reports of illegal dumping causing foul-smelling air. The dumping also reportedly led to the spreading of germs to nearby land areas and water sources. The team inspected three sites in Lat Krabang and Saphan Sung districts, two sites each in Min Buri, Nong Khaem, and Suan Luang districts, and one each in Prawet, Khlong Sam Wa, Bueng Kum, and Bang Khae districts. The officers arrested four men and three women. The four men arrested were: 27 year old Abhisit, 29 year old Pattaporn, 42 year old Kittisak, and 61 year old Parn. The three women arrested were: 28 year old Nongrak, 40 year old Buathai, and 48 year old Chanya. The suspects reportedly told police that they had negotiated … [Read more...] about Environmental police arrest 7 over illegal dumping in Bangkok

Phuket officials reported once again they found no evidence of human trafficking on fishing boats . Officials conducted a series of random interviews at Rassada Pier in the main city district yesterday. They inspected a total of seven boats with 249 workers. Some 117 workers were Thai, and 130 were from Vietnam and Laos. Officials confirmed that they did not discover any workers under the legal age of 18, or any sign of forced labour or human trafficking. The workers interviewed all confirmed they were onboard voluntarily and there was no foul play. The official leading the checks was Thanapong Orachon, from the Phuket Labour Protection Welfare office. Other officials from the Marine Police, Phuket Social Development, and other agencies joined him. This is not the first time Thai officials have reported such results. Back in August, Phuket officials also said that they found no human trafficking cases on the island province. Vice Governor Anupap, who is … [Read more...] about Phuket officials once again report finding no human trafficking on fishing boats

A private jet is the latest addition to the Thai police’s shiny collection of assets seized from Tuhao the notorious Chinese gangster. Thai police – led by Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn – seized Tuhao’s private jet at Bo Fai Airport in Hua Hin , Prachuap Khiri Khan province, western Thailand , yesterday. Police found that the “HS-HAO” plane was owned by Modern Latex Co, one of Tuhao’s eight money-laundering-disguised-as-businesses operations in Phuket, which were all seized by police yesterday. Once the jet was officially linked to Tuhao, police were able to seize it, said Big Joke. Big Joke said sniffer dogs were checking the plane for drugs and officers were collecting forensic evidence from the jet. Police added that they had seized even more of Tuhao’s assets including luxury properties in Samut Prakan province in central Thailand. After raiding 34 locations nationwide, police have now seized around 5 billion baht’s worth of Tuhao’s assets including three … [Read more...] about Big Joke seizes Tuhao’s private jet in Hua Hin

- A + A (Dec 1): Asia's factories struggled in November as they contended with higher costs, weakening regional currencies, and cooling global demand, and the pressure is set to continue in the months ahead. Manufacturers across the region are cutting back on output and jobs, with business sentiment becoming gloomier as they brace for a further pullback on spending from US and European customers, data from S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Indexes (PMIs) showed on Thursday. Vietnam recorded the sharpest deterioration in the region with PMI falling to 47.4 in November from 50.6 in October — the first time in over a year the gauge dipped below 50, the line separating expansion from contraction. In Japan, PMI dropped below 50 for the first time in nearly two years. Electronic hubs Taiwan and South Korea were also sluggish as producers cut back on purchasing and inventory amid weaker overseas demand. The poor PMI showings add to signs that the … [Read more...] about Asia’s manufacturing slumps as factories brace for worst