All the latest news from Thailand and around the world.
The Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will be the first financial institution in Thailand to accept any of 58 types of trees classified as “prohibited trees” as collateral for taking loans from the bank, said Mr Natthaporn Jatusripitak, an advisor to the minister of Prime Minister’s Office. The unprecedented move by the BAAC
Thai people across the country will be able to view Perseids meteor shower after midnight of Sunday August 12 until Monday morning if the sky is clear and free of clouds Mr Suparoerk Karuhanon, chief of astronomical service of the National Astronomical Research Institute, said that the meteor shower can be seen with naked eyes
Bangkok Expressway and Metro Pcl which operates the Blue Line subway is pondering whether it should double the number of seatless carriage to two for each train so there will be more standing room to accommodate more passengers during rush hours. BEM has been operating 19 trains each with one carriage that is seatless for
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday reaffirmed the need to retain the mandatory conscription for Thai male adults as soldiers form an indispensable force in time of crisis or emergency. He was speaking a press conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting in response to criticism that mandatory conscription should be scrapped as there is no
The Dusit Zoo, a landmark of Bangkok for the past 80 years, will be closed down at the end of August with all animals moved to six other zoos run by the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, Dusit Zoo’s public relations office annnounced. After the closure of the Dusit Zoo, a new zoo will be
Four former senior officials of the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) have been faulted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for malfeasance in office and disciplinary violations in connection with allocation of fund for temple repairs and renovation totaling six million baht. The four officials were identified as Mr Nopparat Benjawattananant, former NOB director; Mr
The Cabinet today approved the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives to slice off some areas of four national parks for the construction of reservoirs of the Royal Irrigation Department. The areas to be excluded from park land are as follows: 85 rai of Plew Waterfall National Park in Chanthaburi province for
Kanchanaburi’s riverside residents have been told to move their belongings to higher grounds in anticipation of possible flooding after three dams in this western province increased water drainage downstream. Kanchanaburi governor Chirakiart Poomsawat sent an urgent circular to all district offices informing them of the need of the three dams, Srinagarind, Vajiralongkorn and Mae Klong
A US$250 million super yacht owned by a fugitive Malaysian billionaire and at the centre of a major graft inquiry arrived in Malaysia this afternoon after an approximately 20-hour journey from Indonesia, according to the New Straits Times. The vessel, known as Equanimity, which has been linked to the Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue would
The next mobile Cabinet meeting will be held in the southern province of Chumphon on Aug 21, assistant government spokesperson Col Taksada Sangkhachan said today. Col Taksada said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will make an inspection trip to follow up on various government projects in Ranong and Chumphon provinces on Aug 20, before attending
Nithiwadee Phucharoenyos, a doctor widely known as “Mor Nim”, accused of murdering her husband and former Olympic marksman Jakkrit Panichpatikum in 2013, was today acquitted by the Appeals Court which reversed the Criminal Court’s death sentence. She is one of the five defendants accused of colluding to kill Jakkrit. The other four are Jeerasak Klinkhlai,
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s mood obviously turned sour this afternoon after he was asked to react to the much-publicized commentary by an Indonesian newspaper columnist who argued that Thailand doesn’t deserve ASEAN chairmanship because of the current military rule. The question raised by a journalist immediately prompted Prayut to go on a rant. “No matter
As many as 230 aftershocks have jolted Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, since the island was rocked by a powerful earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter Scale on Sunday evening, Antara news agency reported this morning. Of the total 230 aftershocks, 16 were strongly felt by local inhabitants, Hary Tjatmiko, spokesman of the
A massive blast of a fuel tanker on a highway in the northern part of Italy has caused at least 2 dead and 50 severely injured. The dramatic explosion occurred on the highway in Bologna, the northern of Italy, after the fuel tanker ploughed into a lorry and burst into huge flames. The road where
Overflow from Kaeng Krachan dam has spilled over the spillway into the Phetchaburi river and this will swamp riverside areas in Kaeng Krachan, Tha Yang, Ban Lat, Muang and Ban Laem districts, the ad hoc crisis centre reported this morning. As of 6 am today, the centre reported that the volume of water in Kaeng Krachan
Rescuers used diggers and heavy machinery to clear debris and search for survivors after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake killed at least 98 people on Indonesia’s resort island of Lombok, prompting an exodus of tourists. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said it expected the death toll to rise once the rubble of more than 13,000
