Tuesday’s News-July 4 -

Raid on bar in Soi 80 leads to multiple arrests for illegal activities/
Heavy rain alert: 39 Thai provinces braced for potential floods/
Wan Nor is new House speaker/
Thai mother’s selfless act donates son’s heart, rekindling a stranger’s heartbeat/
Earthquake investigation uncovers overlooked fault line/
Uphill task to demilitarize and decentralize Thailand’s deep South/
Thai tycoon sentenced to 1,155 years/
Economy: EV market soars as Thailand and Indonesia take the lead in Asia/Businesses urged to use digital tax system/
Tourism: New small hotel regulations to increase tourist capacity/
International: Turkey will not lift its opposition to Sweden joining NATO/Unconstitutional to promote a multiracial Malaysia: former premier/More than 47,000 families growing crops in Laos to replace opium poppies/How Japan plans to release Fukushima water into the ocean/UK saw hottest June on record in 2023/
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

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Raid on bar in Soi 80 leads to multiple arrests for illegal activities

A raid carried out during the early hours of Monday morning on an unlicensed bar in Hua Hin Soi 80 resulted in the arrest of several individuals involved in illegal activity.

A joint operation under the direction of Police Lt. Gen. Thanayut Wutthicharatchthon, the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 7, saw 167 people tested for drug use. Continued …

Heavy rain alert: 39 Thai provinces braced for potential floods

The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued an advisory for continuous rainfall over many parts of the country. A total of 39 provinces, including the capital city of Bangkok, are expected to experience heavy rainfall, covering 60% of these areas. The Department has forewarned residents in these regions to be on guard for potential flash floods and land runoff from today onward.

The TMD reported that the monsoon over the southwest has gained intensity, covering the upper portion of the Andaman Sea and upper Thailand. This weather pattern, coupled with low-pressure covering over upper Vietnam, is causing increased rainfall. Continued …

Wan Nor is new House speaker

Wan Muhamad Noor Matha was elected as the speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand’s new parliament today.

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party, nominated Wan Nor when the House began its first session. There were 496 representatives in signed attendance. Full attendance is 500. Continued …

Thai mother’s selfless act donates son’s heart, rekindling a stranger’s heartbeat

The Thai Red Cross Society disclosed the touching story of a mother who donated the heart of her son on a life-support machine to save another’s life. Despite facing criticism from people who couldn’t understand her decision, the mother hit back saying it was the right thing to do to save the life of another.

Sopha Noyjinda’s son, Adisorn Sangsi, was involved in a tragic accident that turned the family’s life upside down. The accident left Adisorn on a life-support machine. Sopha said, “People were questioning how I could let him go as he was still breathing, but I knew his life was only due to the machines. If we unplugged him, he wouldn’t survive.” Continued …

Earthquake investigation uncovers overlooked fault line

Phitsanulok and Pichit provinces, situated in the north of Thailand, were recently shaken by a significant earthquake, rated 4.5 on the Richter scale.

The tremors caused noticeable damage to various buildings, including residences, religious sites, schools, and a hospital. As the earthquake investigation progresses, the fault line is currently under scrutiny by the Department of Mineral Resources and is suspected to be responsible for these tremors. Continued …

Uphill task to demilitarize and decentralize Thailand’s deep south

How will the coalition partners reconcile their differences in approach toward resolving the long-running conflict in the predominantly Muslim deep South? In the second of a three-part series, our political desk analyzes the challenges in pursuing a peace process.

The eight-party coalition expected to form the new government led by the Move Forward Party faces tough challenges mapping out a new peace initiative in the restive south, according to members of the working group. Among the progressive ideas being considered are demilitarization and decentralization of the region. Continued …

Thai tycoon sentenced to 1,155 years

Thai tycoon Prasit Jeawkok was sentenced to 1,155 years in prison yesterday after he was found guilty of 321 counts of fraud by the Criminal Court.

In practice, however, the most he will serve is 20 years under Thai law. Continued …

EV market soars as Thailand and Indonesia take the lead in Asia

In a global trend, electric vehicles (Evs) are steadily gaining traction in the worldwide automobile market, with significant growth realized in Asia-ASEAN countries, specifically Thailand and Indonesia. This comes as per a study undertaken by the BloombergNEF research agency.

Ideally placed at the forefront of Asia-Pacific transportation, senior analyst of Bloomberg NEF Allen Tom Abraham, projected a sharp increase in the global new passenger sales share, from 14% in 2022 to an astounding 30% by 2026. Continued …

Businesses urged to use digital tax system

The Revenue Department is encouraging entrepreneurs to use the digital tax system, which will make value-added tax (VAT) refunds five times faster than they currently are, says Director-general Lavaron Sangsnit. The department aims to have a 100% digital tax system by 2028.

The benefits of the digital tax ecosystem include eliminating the need for paper-based document management and expediting tax refunds within three days. Continued …

New small hotel regulations to increase tourist capacity

The latest amendment to the 2008 Ministerial regulations on the classification of hotel businesses will allow some 50,000 operators offering over 2 million rooms to legally register as small hotels, further enhancing Thailand’s capacity to welcome tourists, while also creating more jobs, the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) announced on Monday.

According to Manosit Jangjob, head of the TCT’s small hotel subcommittee, Thailand has around 85,000 businesses that fit the category of small hotels, but only 14,000 of them have been able to register under the 2008 regulations. Continued …

Turkey will not lift its opposition to Sweden joining NATO

Turkey will not lift its opposition to Sweden joining NATO unless it stops harboring groups Ankara considers to be terrorists, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. Continued …

Unconstitutional to promote a multiracial Malaysia: former premier

It is unconstitutional to promote a multiracial country, says former premier Mahathir Mohamad. He said this is because the Federal Constitution never mentioned that Malaysia is a multiracial country. Continued …

More than 47,000 families growing crops in Laos to replace opium poppies

The government is working with private companies to encourage people in seven northern provinces to grow cash crops as a substitute for the illicit cultivation of opium poppies. Continued …

How Japan plans to release Fukushima water into the ocean

Japan is set to begin pumping out more than a million tons of treated water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant this summer, a process that will take decades to complete. Continued …

UK saw hottest June on record in 2023

The UK this year has seen its hottest June on record, both in terms of mean temperature and the average maximum temperature, the British Meteorological Office said Monday. 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.

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