Thailand’s national rail operator says Bangkok-Chiang Mai trains will be the first to utilise soon-to-arrive new rolling stock. The governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said modern carriages will replace antiquated ones from November onwards.
A group of Phuket shopkeepers are looking at jail time after being nabbed with copious amounts of fake designer products. The seven were arrested in a police raid on the island’s resort town of Patong yesterday morning.
The new commander of Pattaya’s police force says the safety and security of tourists is the highest priority. Police colonel Apichai Klobpetch made the vow last week just four days after stepping into his new job.
Thailand’s transport-minister was among dignitaries on board a prototype bus as it made its way through the streets of central Bangkok yesterday. Arkhom Termpittayapaisit and an entourage that included his deputy and local reporters took a jaunt from the Ministry of Transport’s offices to the landmark Sanam Luang Park and back again.
The plot of prime real estate Bangkok’s iconic Cheap Charlie's Bar sits on has been sold and the establishment is set to be demolished. Cheap Charlie's is on a sub-soi of the city’s Sukhumvit Road Soi 11 and will be calling last orders for the final time on 31 March 2017.
The new Australian consulate for southwest Thailand officially opened in Phuket Town yesterday. Announcing the inauguration of the consulate on Monday, foreign-minister Julie Bishop noted that it would offer services for Australians on Phuket Island plus Krabi and Phang-Nga provinces.
Geologists and national park officials in Krabi are exploring options to protect the iconic Fossil Shell Cemetery from destructive monsoon waves. The two-kilometre-long stretch of Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park shoreline is made up of slabs of fossilised shells estimated to be at least 75 million years old.
Bangkok’s urban transport authority ran the first of a series of trial runs on a new train service yesterday. The first Purple Line services were free for passengers who had pre-applied for tickets and ran between 07:00 and 09:00.
The Thai transport-minister says the government plans to open two new rail projects for participation by private enterprises. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told reporters in Bangkok last week that the twin projects would be contracted out as Public Private Partnership (PPP).
A video posted online purports to show a whale shark swimming around a fishing boat in the sea close to Phuket. The sighting of the rare species so near to the shores of Phuket is the second within the last two months.
A Briton arrested in Pattaya for overstaying his visa is looking at a five-year ban from Thailand. Police in the seaside party town quizzed Matthew Joseph Love this week after deciding that he was acting a little oddly.
The governor of a Cambodian province on the Thai border has dispatched a letter to his opposite number urging action on a new border crossing. In the letter, Banteay Meanchey governor Suon Bovor says the two provincial authorities need to meet and work out an agenda.
A spokesperson for a Thai development company says a feasibility study on relaunching ferries across the Gulf of Thailand has revealed it is a viable proposition. The development manager of Siam Eastern Industrial Ltd (SEP) says the study found there is sufficient demand for the route.
The administrative body in charge of Chiang Mai’s most famous Buddhist temple is to start charge charging foreign tourists entry fees. Effective 1 July 2016, visitors from overseas will have to pay THB40 to enter Wat Chedi Luang.
Over the past week, workers in Bangkok have been clearing drains and canals in preparation for monsoon season rainstorms. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) workers have concentrated on locations which traditionally flood during the annual monsoon deluges.
The UK in collaboration with local partner VFS recently opened a new visa processing facility in Northern Thailand. Although prospective visitors still submit their visa applications online, the physical handing in of all the necessary documents and the collection of biometric details can now be done in Chiang Mai.
Thai national park authorities in the southern Thai province of Trang have banned visitors from four islands for the next four months. The four islands covered by the ban are Koh Kradan, Koh Muk, Koh Chueak and Koh Waen.
One of Australia’s leading comedians and entertainment figures is due in Thailand later this week and will perform at selected venues over the weekend. Darren Sanders is scheduled to bring his own quirky brand of humour to bear on audiences in Bangkok, Phuket and Hua Hin.
Runners and walkers will be heading to Pattaya Beach Road this Saturday to join the Charity Fun Run. Entrants have a choice of three courses of differing lengths and are taking part in support of charities for women and children based in the eastern Thai seaside resort.
The Bank of Thailand has announced the release of a special banknote to commemorate the king’s accession to the throne. King Bhumibol was officially proclaimed monarch on 9 June 1946 and the new notes celebrate this milestone occasion.