- Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back to 30 days/
- Taxi drivers clash over foreign passengers at Hua Hin train station/
- Polo on the beach/
- Thailand is ‘burning’/
- Three villages in Chiang Mai declared pollution disaster zones/
- Chiang Rai skies lit up with disquieting message: ‘We can’t breathe’/
- Thai Real Estate To Attract Foreign Investors up to Bt150 billion/
- Thailand’s national lottery to stop paying out prizes in cash/
- Most Thais want to be self-employed/
- Local waste-to-energy trash solution draws fire/
- UN group: more can be done for road safety in Thailand/
- Flu vaccine ‘a top priority’ this year/
- Chinese student kidnapped, tortured, murdered by gang from China/
- Many unemployed elephants back home in Surin, huge and hungry/
- Bangkok makes pact with Moscow to collaborate on 6 areas/
- Tourism: New electrics make tuk-tuks a safer, cleaner and more convenient service/
- International: Oil powers announce surprise cuts of more than 1 million bpd/Death toll at 32 after tornadoes hit US South, Midwest, East; more possible/
- Links: 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
Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back to 30 days
Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back down to 30 days for visitors to the kingdom from a list of around 60 countries.
Starting from April 1, visitors from mainland Europe, the UK, the U.S., Australia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries will only be granted a 30-day stay in Thailand if they choose to enter the country without obtaining a prior visa, as the 45-day visa exemption is officially over. Continued …
Taxi drivers clash over foreign passengers at Hua Hin train station
An altercation involving two female taxi drivers, one of whom was a Grab driver, is being investigated by police.
The altercation took place on March 29 outside Hua Hin train station and reportedly began over a fare dispute involving a foreign family of five with their luggage. Continued …
Polo on the beach
Thailand is ‘burning’
A list has been compiled of wildfires that have occurred over the past six months versus the same period a year earlier and the amount of land affected.
Forest fires are becoming a common occurrence in the country. The most recent, and perhaps the worst in years, was the blaze that broke out on Khao Chaphlu in Nakhon Nayok’s Khao Laem area on Wednesday. Continued …
Three villages in Chiang Mai declared pollution disaster zones
Three villages in Mueang and Hang Dong districts of Chiang Mai have been declared disaster zones by the provincial administration, as people in the northern capital are being choked by PM2.5 dust, the level of which is many times higher than Thailand’s safety level of 50-microns in many areas.
Deputy Gov. Chatchawarl Panya, acting on behalf of the governor, issued an announcement on Friday declaring Village 7 in Bang Pong subdistrict of Hang Don district, Village 3 in Mae Hia subdistrict and Village 12 in Suthep subdistrict of Mueang district to be disaster zones. Continued …
Chiang Rai skies lit up with disquieting message: ‘We can’t breathe’
A drone light show pleading for farmers to stop burning fields to reduce PM2.5 air pollution in northern Thailand was held on Sunday night at a school in Chiang Rai’s Muang district.
Phrases like “We Can’t Breathe”, “Please Stop Burning” and “Save the North” were spelled out in Thai in the sky above the city by lights from drones. Continued …
Thai Real Estate To Attract Foreign Investors up to Bt150 billion
Wichai Viratakaphan, bank inspector and acting director-general of the Real Estate Information Center (REIC), said that the property market in Thailand has recovered since 2022. One of the main driving factors is the close relationship between the sector and the tourism industry.
After surveying 27 Thai provinces in 2022, REIC found that the total value of the industry was Bt390 billion (11.4 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 1,515% from 2021 when the value was Bt24 billion (704 million U.S. dollars). Continued …
Thailand’s national lottery to stop paying out prizes in cash
The Government Lottery Office has stopped paying out lottery prizes in cash, effective Saturday. Winners can instead claim their prize money through one of three channels, according to government deputy spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul.
The winners can have the money transferred to their bank accounts, except when the prize exceeds two million baht, for which the winner must have an account at either the Government Savings Bank or the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). Continued …
Most Thais want to be self-employed
Now that Thailand’s economy has started picking up, many Thai entrepreneurs are looking for new business opportunities, a recent survey learned.
A poll titled “What do Thais think about business ownership” was conducted last month among 1,207 respondents nationwide and the results were published on Sunday. Continued …
Local waste-to-energy trash solution draws fire
Rather than protecting the environment and people from garbage pollution, the government plans to tackle overflowing waste by promoting small, localized waste-to-energy projects. This could bring about even greater environmental adversity and haze pollution, environmentalists say.
Due to the emission of hazardous pollutants and greenhouse gases from waste-to-energy projects, environmental experts and academics are urging the government to reconsider its strategy. They say it is impractical to create a sustainable waste-management system by prioritizing energy recovery alone. Continued …
UN group: more can be done for road safety in Thailand
Nneka Henry, head of the UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), is calling on ASEAN member countries, including Thailand, to work closely with her organization to promote road safety in the region.
Henry, who recently participated in a workshop on Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue or E-READI in Bangkok organized by the European Union and ASEAN Secretariat, expressed her concerns over road safety among ASEAN member countries. Continued …
Flu vaccine ‘a top priority’ this year
Doctors are urging people to receive influenza vaccines to boost their immunity amid concerns that the flu is likely to rebound following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, president of the Influenza Foundation, said most people have been focused on how to protect themselves against Covid-19, such as by avoiding large gatherings and putting on face masks. Continued …
Chinese student kidnapped, tortured, murdered by gang from China
Nonthaburi Metropolitan Police on Saturday said three suspects have been identified who fled Thailand on March 30 after brutally torturing and murdering 22-year-old music student Jin Can who was enrolled at Bangkok Thonburi University and only arrived in the kingdom on March 8.
The case has parallels with another kidnap of a Chinese student on March 16 where a ฿3.2 million ransom was paid and police later arrested the gang. Continued …
Many unemployed elephants back home in Surin, huge and hungry
Lucky was busy munching on some freshly cut grass when she spotted a special treat a tourist was holding out. She dropped her next mouthful of greens and extended her trunk, asking for the banana.
For the first time in nine years, Lucky, 32, was back in her home village in rural Surin province in eastern Thailand, where tourists are much rarer than on the resort island where she used to work. Continued …
Bangkok makes pact with Moscow to collaborate on 6 areas
Bangkok and Moscow signed a joint-development pact in a ceremony at City Hall on Friday. Signing the memorandum of understanding were Deputy Bangkok Gov. Jakkapan Phiewngam and Moscow city government Minister Sergey Cheremin, who is also in charge of Moscow’s Department for External Economic and International Relations.
The MoU says the two cities will cooperate and exchange experiences in six aspects from 2023 to 2025, as follows: Continued …
New electrics make tuk-tuks a safer, cleaner and more convenient service
Three-wheeled vehicles, or tuk-tuks as they are known, are popular among tourists in Thailand due to their distinctive appearance and ability to provide a unique local experience. However, when start-up company Urban Mobility Tech (UMT) surveyed the pain points of passengers in Bangkok using public transportation, they responded that tuk-tuks did not have a standard price and the vehicles created noise and air pollution.
In 2017, UMT decided to launch Muvmi, an electric tuk-tuk company, to provide an environmentally friendly and safe public transportation option to Bangkokians. Continued …
Oil powers announce surprise cuts of more than 1 million bpd
Major oil powers led by Saudi Arabia announced a surprise production cut of more than one million barrels per day on Sunday, calling it a “precautionary” move aimed at stabilizing the market. Continued …
Death toll at 32 after tornadoes hit US South, Midwest, East; more possible
The death toll rose to 32 and more dangerous weather was forecast for a wide swath of the U.S. South and Midwest already in ruins Sunday from a surge of storms that fueled confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least 11 states. Continued …
Hua Hin-Suvarnabhumi bus schedule
The VIP bus service from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi Airport has a new Cha Am boarding location in front of Government Savings Bank. The one-way fare is 325 baht.
- 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
Hua Hin-Pattaya bus service twice a day
Hua Hin now has twice-daily bus service to Pattaya, starting Feb. 19. The bus leaves Hua Hin at 9am and 3pm, and departs 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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