Two people killed as Thai actor’s jet ski crashes into long-tail boat

BANGKOK: Two people were killed and two injured when a jet ski collided with a long-tail boat on Saturday (Aug 17) night in the Chao Phraya River. The accident occurred between Rama III and the Phra Pradaeng shore, near the Bang Kra Jao Pier. Rescuers found a damaged jet ski, and two injured women, identified as a...

Thai king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Paetongtarn Shinawatra was endorsed as prime minister by Thailand's king on Sunday, two days after parliament elected her, paving the way for her to form a cabinet in the coming weeks. Paetongtarn, 37, becomes Thailand's youngest prime minister just days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by the Constitutional Court, a judiciary...

Thai Central Bank unveils measures to tackle high household debt

BANGKOK: Thailand’s central bank announced a slew of relief measures for borrowers struggling to repay home loans and credit card dues, stepping up efforts to tackle the highest household indebtedness in South-East Asia. The minimum repayment rate of 8 per cent for credit-card users, which the central bank earlier proposed should be increased to 10 per...

Bangkok hotel cyanide deaths: American woman suspected of poisoning others before killing herself: Thai police

BANGKOK: A Vietnamese-American, Sherine Chong, has been identified by Thai police as the suspect who is believed to have poisoned five others at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok, before killing herself with the poison. Cyanide poisoning is likely the cause of the deaths, police said. Chulalongkorn Hospital said on Wednesday (July 17) that an...

Cash for a catch: Thai government wages war against invasive blackchin tilapia

BANGKOK: A fish with a black chin has earned a black mark in Thailand, with the country’s government declaring the eradication of the invasive species a national priority on Tuesday (July 16). The blackchin tilapia, native to Africa, has spread to waters in at least 13 Thai provinces, threatening local aquaculture and biodiversity as it preys...

Six people are found dead in a hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected, police say (update)

BANGKOK (AP) - Police in Thailand say the bodies of six people were found Tuesday in a luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. Thailand's Foreign Ministry said in a short statement that the dead were reported to be two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals. They were not identified further. The Thai newspaper Matichon...

Thailand is set to roll out a controversial RM64.5bil handout plan in digital money to citizens

BANGKOK (AP): Thailand's prime minister sannounced Monday that eligible businesses and individuals can register from August for digital cash handouts, a controversial programme that will cost billions of dollars and is meant to boost the lagging economy. The government announced in April the widely criticized ambitious plan, named the "Digital Wallet,” meant to give 10,000 baht...

Cannabis advocates threaten to stage hunger strike if Thailand outlaws herb

BANGKOK: A group of cannabis advocates camping outside Government House threatened to go on hunger strike if the government outlaws the herb without first studying the pros and cons of the move. The Thailand Cannabis Future Network said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 10) that members of the group who are part of the...