Saturday’s news-April 29

  • Holidays coming up, government offices closed/
  • Power bills set to fall in September/
  • Summer storms to sweep across Thailand to Monday/
  • Proposal for special budget to ease household power charges denied/
  • ‘Cyanide killer’: Traces of lethal poison found in suspect’s car/
  • Use of Solar Panels on the Roof this year nearly equals 2022 total/
  • SCG’s solar unit predicts sales of Bt1 billion/
  • SPI and EGAT to develop charging stations, aim at driving Thailand’s EV ecosystem/
  • Tourism: Tourism likely to disappoint during next week’s holiday/Massive 4-Meter-Long King Cobra Seeks Refuge from Heat at Resort/CPN, Klook to offer Bangkok-Pattaya tourist bus service/
  • Thailand Experience: Surin elephant festival May 2-4/
  • International: Consumers hold recession fears at bay
  • Links: Calendar of events/Airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/Hua Hin-Pattaya bus schedule/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport cinemas/Emergency numbers

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Holidays coming up, government offices closed

Immigration and many government offices will be closed next week: Monday, May 1, is Labor Day; Thursday, May 4, is Coronation Day; and Friday, May 5, is an additional holiday.

Power bills set to fall in September

Electricity bills are likely to decline during the last four months of this year, with the power tariff expected to reach 4.3 or 4.4 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit), according to the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO). Continued …

Summer storms to sweep across Thailand to Monday

Summer storms will sweep across the whole country through Monday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. Many areas will see strong wind, hail and lightning, it added.

The storms are being stirred by a high-pressure front from China, which will spread over upper Thailand and bring stronger southerly and southeasterly winds laden with moisture from the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea, the TMD said. Continued …

Proposal for special budget to ease household power charges denied

The Election Commission (EC) has rejected the government’s proposal to use about 11 billion baht of a special budget to ease household electricity charges, on the grounds that the proposal was not approved by the Cabinet.

The proposal was submitted to the EC on Tuesday by the Office of the Secretary-General of the cabinet, on behalf of the Ministry of Energy. The EC discovered, however, that the Office of the Secretary-General had failed to mention the cabinet’s approval for the use of the special budget. Continued …

‘Cyanide killer’: Traces of lethal poison found in suspect’s car

Traces of cyanide have been found inside a car belonging to the 36-year-old woman police suspect murdered 18 people with the lethal poison to avoid repaying debts she owed them, a forensics expert said on Friday.

More than 20 samples were collected from the car of suspected murderer Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn. Continued …

Use of Solar Panels on the Roof this year nearly equals 2022 total

According to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) office, between January and March 21, 2023, 1,020 people applied to participate in the public solar project, representing a total capacity of 5,492.38 kilowatts. The figure was almost equal to the total number of 1,287 applications in 2022, representing a total capacity of 7,195 kilowatts.

Phuwadon Suntornwipart, president of the Thai Photovoltaic Industries Assn. (TPVA), said the trend of rooftop solar panels “has increased sharply”. The market is also expected to be two to three times larger in 2023 than last year. Continued …

SCG’s solar unit predicts sales of Bt1 billion

Construction materials producer SCG Cement-Building Materials aims to achieve sales of more than 1 billion baht in solar roof solutions this year, double the tally recorded last year, based on rapidly increasing demand.

Wachirachai Koonamwattana, head of smart system solution business at the company, said alternative energy sources are increasingly popular, driving the growth of the solar rooftop market. Continued …

SPI and EGAT to develop charging stations, aim at driving Thailand’s EV ecosystem

Saha Group, through Saha Pathana Inter-Holding, signed an agreement with EGAT to jointly develop EV charging stations in Saha Group’s affiliated areas, further promoting the electric vehicle ecosystem in Thailand.

Vichai Kulsomphob, president and CEO of Saha Pathana Inter-Holding Plc. (SPI), said the cooperation aim of promoting sustainable electric vehicle development across all Saha Group’s properties, including the development and installation of EV charging stations (EleX by EGAT). Continued …

Tourism likely to disappoint during next week’s holiday

With a long holiday slated for next week, Pattaya and Rayong tourism operators do not expect an influx of domestic tourists, as people’s purchasing power has dried up since the Songkran festival.

Sanpech Supabowornsthian, president of the Thai Hotels Assn.’s eastern chapter, forecast the occupancy rate in Pattaya would hover around 65%-70% during the upcoming holidays, comprising Labor Day on May 1 and Coronation Day on May 4. Continued …

Massive 4-Meter-Long King Cobra Seeks Refuge from Heat at Resort

A large king cobra measuring 4.2 meters in length and weighing 7.6 kilograms was found hiding in a resort in Dan Chang District, Suphanburi Province. A local resident discovered the snake while inspecting the resort’s premises and alerted the Suphanburi Rescue Foundation for assistance. The king cobra was believed to have been living in the nearby forest and ventured into the resort area due to the dry season’s high temperatures and difficulty in finding food. (Siam Rath)

CPN, Klook to offer Bangkok-Pattaya tourist bus service

Central Pattana plc. is joining hands with KLOOK, a leading travel e-commerce platform, to continue boosting tourism by launching the “City Bus Transfer” to provide a shuttle bus service from Bangkok to Pattaya to facilitate and fulfill the needs of foreign tourists. Continued …

 

Surin elephant festival May 2-4

Lots of color, smiles, elaborate costumes, fanfare and, of course, a herd of elephants will enchant visitors to Surin in northeast Thailand, as the country’s oldest mahout community celebrates the Buad Nak Chang Festival in early May.

Also known as the Elephant Ordination Festival, this rare celebration is a mass monk ordination procession that takes place on elephant back. Continued …

Consumers hold recession fears at bay

Heightened worries about the strength of consumers and the global economy have been put on hold – at least for now – after some of the world’s best-known companies delivered a slew of better-than expected numbers. Continued …


Hua Hin-Suvarnabhumi bus schedule

  • Leaving Hua Hin: 6am, 8am, 10am, 12:00, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
  • Leaving Suvarnabhumi: 7:30am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:00, 2:30pm, 4pm, 6pm

The one-way fare is 325 baht.

The VIP bus service from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi Airport has a new Cha Am boarding location in front of Government Savings Bank.

Hua Hin-Pattaya bus service twice a day

Hua Hin now has twice-daily bus service to Pattaya, leaving Hua Hin at 9am and 3pm, and departing from Pattaya at 8am and 4pm. Tickets are 473 THB.

Tickets can be bought in person at the Hua Hin bus station or online. Buses depart from the Hua Hin bus station and in front of Government Savings Bank, Cha Am.. Tickets 

Hua Hin-Chaing Mai flight schedule through October

Book a flight

 

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