- Heavy rain, storms forecast for much of Thailand/
- Thailand’s power usage reaches new high on May 6 due to hot weather/
- Heat Waves Fueled by Climate Change Topple Records around the Globe/
- Owner of 27 Gambling Websites Found Dead in Police Cell/
- More Embezzlement Fortune of a Famous Monk Found Buried/
- British boy found dead with head wounds, police hunt for missing girlfriend/
- Thai schools to re-introduce disease precautions as Covid cases rise/
- Thai cannabis farmers worry about election results/
- Tourism: Police crack down on Russian nationals’ illegal tourism activities/Phuket tourism set to take a bigger hit/2023 domestic travel plans for summer across Southeast Asia/85 Tourists Adrift at Sea in Trang When Boat’s Rope Snaps/China’s soft power reaches deep and wide in Thailand/
- International: Asian recovery unabated amid uncertainty/AI could replace 80% of jobs ‘in next few years’/Vietnam to require social media users to verify identity/Gold stays buoyant as Asian bourses rally/
- 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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Heavy rain, storms forecast for much of Thailand
The Meteorological Department today issued a tropical storm warning, with wind gusts and hail likely from today until May 10.
Thunderstorms are likely in most of Bangkok, with gusty winds and hail falling in some places. Temperatures will vary from highs of 31-36°C to lows of 25-27°C. Continued …
Thailand’s power usage reaches new high on May 6 due to hot weather
Thailand’s consumption of electricity surged to a new record high of 34,826.50 megawatts at 9.41pm on Saturday, breaking the previous record of 33,177.30 megawatts, set at 2.30pm on April 28 last year.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) attributed the surge to the hot weather during the long holidays, from May 4-7, forcing residential consumers to use their air conditioners, electric fans and refrigerators for longer. Continued …
Heat Waves Fueled by Climate Change Topple Records around the Globe
A record-breaking heat wave in the western Mediterranean last month would have been nearly impossible without the influence of climate change, new research finds.
And even with the help of global warming, it was an extraordinary event. Statistically speaking, a heat wave of its magnitude should only have about a 1-in-400 chance of occurring in any given year. Continued …
Owner of 27 Gambling Websites Found Dead in Police Cell
A former associate of a senior police officer and owner of 27 gambling websites was discovered dead in his cell at Klong Luek Police Station in Sa Kaeo Province after being detained following his arrest.
Pakphoom, 30, was arrested on May 7 and was being held on charges of online gambling and money laundering. Continued …
More Embezzlement Fortune of a Famous Monk Found Buried
According to police, Khom Kongkaew, a former prominent monk named Phra Ajarn Khom, who has been accused of embezzlement, the total value of the embezzled assets was over 300 million baht, as gold bars and cash were found buried at the back of the temple.
Police Lt. Gen. Jirapop Phuridej, chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), detailed that the suspects worked as a group and hid the money in Khom’s younger sister’s bank account. They also hid some of the money in well-secured bags. The investigation team later found gold bars worth 19 million baht and another 80 million baht in cash buried at the back of the temple. Continued …
British boy found dead with head wounds, police hunt for missing girlfriend
A British teenager has been found dead with head wounds in a forest in Thailand, as police begin the search for his missing girlfriend.
Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride with Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday but did not return home. Continued …
Thai schools to re-introduce disease precautions as Covid cases rise
The government has instructed the education and health ministries to increase Covid-19 prevention measures in the country’s schools ahead of classes resuming later this month.
According to a report, deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul says the order comes from the PM, as a result of a spike in cases following the Songkran holiday. Continued …
Thai cannabis farmers worry about election results
The smell of the cannabis plants growing in the Thai summer heat fills the air before the crops can even be seen. They reach head height with burgeoning buds, ready for harvest. It is a familiar aroma these days in Thailand, one that has emerged in the fields and on the streets.
In a rural patch in Buriram province in the northeast, local farmer Siwasan Khobjaiklang’s cannabis operation is modest in size. But even two years ago, such an enterprise could never have worked – at least legally. Continued …
Police crack down on Russian nationals’ illegal tourism activities
Thai authorities last week announced the closure of a Thai registered tourism business that ran up Bt14 million in unpaid debt and the withdrawal of the firm’s license by the Ministry of Tourism.
The news comes as a nationwide crackdown by police forces and government inspectors has also been launched into abuses within the foreign tourism industry, particularly in tourism hot spots such as Phuket, where foreigners, notably Russian nationals, on extended stays on the island, have begun to undertake unregulated and illegal commercial activities linked with the tourism industry. Continued …
Phuket tourism set to take a bigger hit
Foreign arrivals to Phuket may plunge to a lower-than-expected level during the upcoming low season, due largely to the slowdown of the Chinese market and the bankruptcy of an Indian airline.
Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the Phuket Tourist Assn., said the temporary closure of Phuket International Airport from 1am until 7am until the beginning of July would hinder flight expansion, particularly from China, which had typically been prioritized for this time slot since before the pandemic. Continued …
2023 domestic travel plans for summer across Southeast Asia
Milieu Insight, one of Southeast Asia’s leading consumer research firms, conducted a survey among 2,500 working individuals aged 20-65 in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia in April 2023 to find out their summer travel plans for this year.
The survey reveals interesting insights on the willingness to travel domestically, concerns for safety, and the number and duration of trips planned for the year. The findings show a positive outlook for the travel industry in the region, with about 8 in 10 respondents (76%) keen to travel in their own country; 85% of respondents across the region plan to embark on at least two domestic trips this year. Continued …
85 Tourists Adrift at Sea in Trang When Boat’s Rope Snaps
A recent incident has caught the attention of social media, where a TikTok user posted a video clip of 85 tourists floating in the sea during their visit to Morakot Cave in Trang Province.
According to the message in the video, the boat’s anchor rope broke, causing the boat to drift away, leaving the tourists stranded in the sea for approximately half an hour before they were rescued. Continued …
China’s soft power reaches deep and wide in Thailand
Rotting weapons, faded battlefield photos, and rough-sketched jungle maps from defeated, anti-communist, U.S.-equipped Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) guerrillas are cherished in the northern border village of Ban Rak Thai.
The KMT and China stopped killing each other decades ago. Today, the KMT’s descendants graciously serve China’s fun-seeking tourists, sheltering them in cozy, Chinese-themed hotels and quenching them with locally grown, fermented oolong tea. Continued …
Asian recovery unabated amid uncertainty
Asia and the Pacific remains a dynamic region despite the challenging year for the world economy. Global growth is poised to decelerate as rising interest rates and Russia’s war in Ukraine weigh on activity. Continued …
AI could replace 80% of jobs ‘in next few years’
Artificial intelligence could replace 80% of human jobs in the coming years – but that’s a good thing, says U.S.-Brazilian researcher Ben Goertzel, a leading AI guru. Continued …
Vietnam to require social media users to verify identity
Vietnam is preparing to make it mandatory for social media users of both local and foreign platforms to verify their identity in a bid to rein in online scams, state media reported on Monday. Continued …
Gold stays buoyant as Asian bourses rally
Gold prices bounced back and managed to stay buoyant on Monday, as Asian stocks advanced while investors awaited key U.S. inflation data due later this week that could influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy stance. 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
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