Thailand

A beginner level student has accidentally shot dead her instructor at a shooting range yesterday in Thailand’s central province of Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok. The student, a 50 year old woman named only as Thacha, said she thought that it was a dummy round after picking up a bullet mixed with others on the floor, according to Thai media. Officers from Klong 5 police took Tacha to the station for questioning, however, charges have not yet been filed. The police also confiscated the gun, photographed the scene, and collected witness statements. The incident happened at the 333 Shooting Range in Khlong Luang district. The victim was 37 year old Charnchai Lunseup. Rescue workers found him unconscious at the scene after he was shot in the shouler. They performed CPR on Charnchai, and took him to Thanyaburi Hospital, but they could not revive him, and he died there. An autopsy is underway. Several accidental shootings have happened Thailand within the past few months. … [Read more...] about Student accidentally kills shooting instructor in central Thailand

If you are planning to retire in the beautiful and tropical country of Thailand, there are many places which will suit your interests. From up north in Chiang Mai where the air is cooler (during winter), to a tropical oasis in the southern islands, Thailand has it all. Of course, with all things, you will need to get sorted before you come and we are right here to help. Things to think about How much money will I need to retire in Thailand? For example, a retired couple should be able to live quite comfortably on £1,600 (71,000 THB, 2,100 USD) a month, but of course, it depends on your lifestyle. While the cost of living is low in Thailand, it is still important to have a savings of at least £20,000 (890,000 THB, 26,500USD), probably more, depending if you’re getting anything paid to you from outside the kingdom. This can help in the event of unexpected expenses, such as health insurance premiums, purchasing a car, or home repairs. For those in the UK with pensions, … [Read more...] about Key info for those planning to retire in Thailand

Some might take a bus, others ride their bike, some will walk. But some Thai kids arrived at school via elephant this morning in Tak province, northern Thailand. Today was the first day of nationwide on-site classes in Thai schools after almost two years of online, remote studying. To mark the occasion, parents from Baan Ya Por School in Phob Phra district organised for their children to ride to school on an elephant. Thai netizens loved the idea and some said that riding elephants to school is the perfect way to combat rising oil prices. The school is located on the Moei River on the border of Myanmar. The village’s culture is a blend of Thai and Karen influences, with most people working in farming and agriculture. Last year, three school boys were spotted riding an elephant to school in Surin province, northeast Thailand. The boys were accompanied by the elephant’s mahout, or trainer, who was thought to be one of the boy’s parents. The elephant dropped them off at the … [Read more...] about Students ride elephants to school in northern Thailand

Black box data on crashed China Eastern 737 suggests possible “intentional nosedive” Investigators are now examining further if the crash of China Eastern Airlines 737-800 on March 21 was indeed due to “intentional action on the flight deck”. The early reports say that there is, so far, no evidence of a technical malfunction. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that flight data from one of the two “black boxes” on the Boeing jet indicated that “someone in the cockpit intentionally crashed the plane”. The comments were made by people the WSJ cited as “familiar with the preliminary assessment by US officials”. US National Transportation Safety Board officials have been working with engineers from Boeing and investigators from the Civil Aviation Administration of China since the crash. Boeing, the US manufacturer of the jet, has so far declined to comment on the early leaks and, instead, referred all questions to the Chinese regulators. At this stage, the CAAC, … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Crashed China eastern flight possible “intentional nosedive”

US and Thai officials discovered the remains of an American soldier who went missing 78 years ago in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on Wednesday. The pilot’s P-38 Lightning single-seater fighter plane went down during World War II. On Wednesday, US and Thai authorities held a repatriation ceremony for the soldier in Rayong before sending his remains to Hawaii for further investigation. The repatriation ceremony marks the end of their search, which began 3 years ago. The search on Wednesday was led by the US Department of Defense’s Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency – or the DPAA. The search was narrowed down to Mae Kua village in Sop Prap district after a 98 year old woman from the village recounted seeing an aircraft go down in Mae Kua when she was 21 years old. The soldier’s bones have been sent to the DPAA’s office in Honolulu, Hawaii for further investigation. However, his identity has already been confirmed. A repatriation ceremony was held at … [Read more...] about Remains of missing American WWII pilot found in Lampang, northern Thailand

Thailand’s deputy health minister is hoping to see an end to Covid-19 by the end of this year, despite the risk of new variants. Satit Pitutecha made his prediction yesterday, saying Thailand is proceeding with its plan to declare the virus endemic. The World Health Organisation has yet to make any recommendation on according the virus endemic status. Satit says the health ministry is doing everything possible to meet its target for administering booster doses, which should help prevent new variants from developing. However, officials are closely watching what’s happening in North Korea, where there is a surge in infections, which could cause the virus to further mutate, creating yet another new variant. Satit says the pandemic sparked a total change in behaviour among the public, in relation to attending large gatherings, eating out, and traveling. The deputy health minister says remaining safe from Covid-19 requires the public to adopt the VUCA measures of … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Thailand to target “wealthy foreign tourists”

A good news and bad news day yesterday as the Thailand Pass was scrapped for Thais at the end of May, but remains an online digital gateway requirement for foreigners, at least until the end of June, perhaps beyond. The only good news for foreign travellers, in yesterday’s briefing, was the removal of quarantine for unvaccinated, or under-vaccinated, inbound arrivals. Now unvaccinated travellers can arrive and undertake an ATK test, under the supervision of a health professional, at the airport. If negative they can go on their way and self-monitor their health whilst in Thailand. But, if they test positive, they must go to a hospital for compulsory treatment, which will be paid for by they compulsory ‘Covid’ insurance (with remains for all foreign arrivals and is set at a value of $US10,000, after being dropped from US$20,000 on May 1). So, for unvaccinated travellers, although the official 5 day quarantine has now been removed, it could be replaced by an even longer enforced … [Read more...] about Thailand Pass remains, at least until the end of June

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, is again going to target “wealthy group of tourists” as it works out its marketing plan as it contributes to the recovery the Thai economy following a 2 year hiatus due to closed borders and restrictions. The TAT claims that, focussing on the “rich groups”, 1.93 trillion baht will be generated in 2024 even though the number of tourists will be fewer than in the past years. The Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn, speaking to to Thai media yesterday, says that more than 1 million foreign tourists have entered Thailand since the beginning of this year. Above 400,000 foreign tourists visited the country within the first 3 months, which generated an income of more than 34 billion baht for the country. He added that this was “a good sign for the Thai tourism industry, and it showed that the storm had already passed”. The 1 million tourists (only around 70% of the travellers are actual ‘tourists’), over the first 4 … [Read more...] about Thailand sets sights on “wealthy foreign tourists” to recover economy

A couple were excited for a two night getaway to a luxury resort in Krabi with a sea view room and a private hot tub. But when they arrived, it turned out the hot tub was more communal than they thought. In a video posted on Facebook, a group of monkeys can be seen having the time of their lives, diving into the steamy hot tub, swimming under the water, and jumping in from high up in a nearby tree. The couple didn’t mind that the monkeys stole their hot tub to have a party. They said the monkeys gave the resort a natural feel and a good atmosphere. Then, in the early hours of the morning, they were awoken by a loud noise, similar to glass smashing. They discovered a huge crack in their window and suspected a monkey had something to do with it. But, they moved rooms and there were no problems. As part of the package, the hotel arranged a boat trip to Koh Phi Phi and Maya Bay for the couple. The couple were given a voucher to hand in to the boat operator. They waited by the pier at … [Read more...] about Monkeys party in hot tub at luxury resort in Krabi, Thailand

BANGKOK, May 14 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Thailand's Ministry of Public Health reported on Saturday (May 14) that in the past 24 hours there are 6,736 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 2 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad. Death toll increased by 54, while 9,213 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals. Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 2,144,317. The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,367,752 – 4,264,998 of whom have recovered, 73,333 are still in hospitals and 29,421 have died. Separately, another 29,698 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 90,914 their second shot and 111,359 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 135,523,321. According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 520.41 million on Saturday, 474.97 million of whom have recovered, 39.15 million are active cases (39,144 in severe condition) and … [Read more...] about Thailand records 6,736 Covid-19 cases and 54 deaths on Saturday (May 14)