- Hua Hin’s Feast Thailand GM nominated for travel award/
- Dangerous political flux in the aftermath of the general election is growing/
- The state of food security in Thailand and 4 key challenges/
- With 3.9 billion monthly views, Voom is booming in Thailand/
- 40 police officers to be transferred over overloaded truck bribe scandal/
- DLT combats illegal driving license sales/
- Economy: Competition fierce as Thailand sets out to be EV hub/FTI seeks Chinese investment boost in Thai EV, food, and healthcare sectors/90% of Thai employees seek new jobs despite bleak economy/Japan’s Isuzu says no plans to relocate factory from Thailand to Indonesia/‘It’s like Starbucks’: Inside Thailand’s legal weed scene/
- Tourism: Thailand boosts tourism budget to 5-billion baht, targets off-peak travelers/Diarrhea outbreak spreading in Phuket/
- Thailand Experience: Wildlife Of The Isaan Region/
- International: Trump faces US criminal charges for mishandling documents, obstruction/Bali seeks new kind of tourist after kicking out 136 unruly visitors this year/How much plastic is in our oceans?/
- Links: Calendar of events/Airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/Hua Hin-Pattaya bus schedule/Air pollution index map/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport cinemas/Emergency numbers
Hua Hin’s Feast Thailand GM nominated for travel award
It has been seven years since Expat News attended the first “test’ tour offered by Hua Hin’s Feast Thailand. Australians Leigh Higgins and her husband Shane were “hands on” with our small group, helping to explain (along with their English-speaking Thai host) what we were eating.
Feast Thailand has come a long way since then, including surviving the Covid pandemic while several other foreign-run enterprises folded. Expat News doubts you will find another foreigner in Hua Hin, perhaps in Thailand, who has a better understanding of Thai food and its culture than Leigh Higgins.
And now, Feast Thailand GM Leigh Higgins has been shortlisted for the Inspiring Women in Travel (Asia) Awards. The award honors women for their contribution to the travel industry in Asia. Congratulations!
Higgins was nominated in the Women Entrepreneurs in Travel Asia category and the Women Foodpreneur sub-category.
The awards will be announced on Saturday, June 24, at the Montien Surawong in Bangkok, where a number of senior executives and distinguished professionals from the travel industry will come together to celebrate, appreciate and recognize the stories, journeys and contributions of women in the Asia travel industry. Feast Thailand Facebook.
Dangerous political flux in the aftermath of the General Election is growing
Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, whose candidacy for the position of PM has the support of an eight-party coalition representing over 75% of the electorate and 62% of the provisionally announced seats in the House of Representatives, sounded less confident this week about the issue of his alleged shares in a defunct media company even as he tried to put it behind him.
It came alongside a growing campaign from conservative forces in Thailand questioning the essence of the May 14 general election and warning of the dangers of a Move Forward Party-led government taking power, while political uncertainty is beginning to erode business confidence. Continued …
The state of food security in Thailand and 4 key challenges
The state of food security in Thailand is currently grappling with various challenges in the wake of global food shortages. To ensure sustainable food security, the Kingdom must address four key issues identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The availability of food is a critical factor for human survival. Food scarcity can have a profound impact on health and productivity, leading to potential conflicts, and having sufficient food is considered a vital aspect of stability. Continued …
With 3.9 billion monthly views, Voom is booming in Thailand
LINE’s short-video content service, Voom, has signed up more than 35 million monthly users in Thailand and they are so enthusiastic about the service it is getting 3.9 billion views a month, according to the head of LINE Voom, Philip Kim.
He put the service’s popularity in Thailand down to its real-time content and diverse user base. The service allows users to create both static images and short videos. “It provides user-friendly tools for creating informative and entertaining content (that is) easy to share,” Kim said. Continued …
40 police officers to be transferred over overloaded truck bribe scandal
About 40 highway police officers are expected to be transferred to “inactive posts” at the operations center of the Highways Police Division, pending the outcome of an investigation into their alleged involvement in the overloaded truck bribe sticker controversy.
Police Maj. Gen. Jaroonkiat Pankeaw, commander of the Police Counter Corruption Division, in his capacity as acting commander of Highways Police Division, told the media that Police Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, is expected to sign an order today, to transfer the commissioned and non-commissioned officers out of the division. Continued …
DLT combats illegal driving license sales
Thailand‘s Department of Land Transport (DLT) is taking action against individuals selling driver’s licenses illegally, following a Move Forward Party MP’s exposé on the matter.
MP-elect Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn discovered several people advertising online services to provide driver’s licenses without requiring the driving test and posted screenshots of customers who had received valid DLT-certified licenses despite not taking the test. Continued …
Competition fierce as Thailand sets out to be EV hub
Investment in Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) industry in the first quarter of this year rose 77% year on year to 185.73 billion baht, putting the country on track to become the regional hub for EV manufacturing, the Board of Investment (BOI) said on Thursday.
A total of 397 manufacturers applied for investment promotion with the BOI in the first three months of 2023, a (% increase year on year, BOI Secretary-general Narit Therdsteerasukdi said. Continued …
FTI seeks Chinese investment boost in Thai EV, food, and healthcare sectors
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) is seeking to boost Chinese investment in Thailand, focusing on the electric vehicle (EV), food, and healthcare sectors, through increased business collaboration with Beijing.
Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI, recently met with the Chinese ambassador to Thailand, Han Zhiqiang, to discuss potential investment opportunities. Kriengkrai envisions Thailand as a production base for Chinese companies, acting as a gateway to the ASEAN region. Continued …
90% of Thai employees seek new jobs despite bleak economy
A significant majority of Thai workers are open to exploring new job opportunities despite an uncertain global economic climate, a recent study by recruitment firm Michael Page has found.
The Talent Trends report, which surveyed 942 individuals in Thailand, revealed that over half of the respondents are actively seeking or planning to find new employment within the next six months. Continued …
Japan’s Isuzu says no plans to relocate factory from Thailand to Indonesia
Japanese truck maker Isuzu Motors said on Thursday it was not planning to move a factory to Indonesia from Thailand, a day after the Indonesian industry minister signaled it would.
“While our company continues to focus on Indonesia as a major market, there are no plans to relocate a Thai factory to Indonesia,” an Isuzu spokesperson said. Continued …
‘It’s like Starbucks’: Inside Thailand’s legal weed scene
Tucked away from city traffic in an alley full of massage parlors, office buildings and hotels, the place looks like it could be a cocktail bar. Customers can sit in leather armchairs or claim a high stool at the wooden, L-shaped bar.
The shelves, though, are absent of alcohol. In lieu of the typical bottles and glassware, there are bongs, rolling papers, grinders and dramatically lit jars of cannabis flowers like Critical Purple Cush and Amnesia Haze, the most popular strain in the shop. All The Smoke Lounge is one of the classier places to get high in Bangkok. Continued …
Thailand boosts tourism budget to 5-billion baht, targets off-peak travelers
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced its plans for the fiscal year 2024, with a focus on growing off-peak customers, increasing spending per trip by 7%, and distributing income to a wider range of destinations. The budget for these initiatives is set at 5 billion baht, a significant increase from the 3.25 billion baht allocated for fiscal 2023.
TAT Gov. Yuthasak Supasorn explained that the key strategies for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning in October, will be promoting fairness in revenue distribution through a “sharing economy” and making Thailand a “Tourism for All” destination. The aim is to achieve better distribution of tourists to secondary provinces and improve the dispersal of visitors throughout the year, rather than just during the high season. Continued …
Diarrhea outbreak spreading in Phuket
Diarrhea is spreading in Phuket, with an average of about 150 cases being treated at state and private hospitals per day, and the outbreak is expected to persist for 1-2 months, according to Dr. Kusak Kukiattikoon, the provincial health chief.
He said that the condition is spreading in all age groups, but mostly among students. Patients are complaining of abdominal pain, watery stools and vomiting, with some also having a fever. Continued …
Wildlife Of The Isaan Region
The Isaan Region, also known as northeastern Thailand, is a vast and diverse area that is home to a rich variety of wildlife. The region encompasses 20 provinces and occupies about one-third of the country’s total land area.
Its diverse ecosystems range from fertile plains and plateaus to forested hills and mountains, providing habitats for numerous plant and animal species. Here are some of the notable wildlife species found in the Isaan Region of Thailand: Continued …
Trump faces US criminal charges for mishandling documents, obstruction
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been indicted by the Justice Department over his handling of classified documents at his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Trump, who is reportedly facing seven charges, said he’d been summoned to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday. Continued …
Bali seeks new kind of tourist after kicking out 136 unruly visitors this year
Indonesia’s paradise island teeming with beaches and lush rice fields wants to refocus its tourism away from guests who tend to misbehave and instead lure talented nomads, retirees and health buffs. Continued …
How much plastic is in our oceans?
Every year, about 400 million tons of plastic products are produced around the world. About half are used to make single-use items such as shopping bags, cups and packaging material. Continued …
Hua Hin-Suvarnabhumi bus schedule
- Leaving Hua Hin: 6am, 8am, 10am, 11am, 12:00, 2pm, 4pm, 5:10pm, 6pm
- Leaving Suvarnabhumi: 7:30am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:00, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6:30pm
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.
UPDATED: 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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