A day of sun and sea turned tragic off the coast of Pattaya yesterday when a Chinese tourist lost her life during a jet ski outing near Koh Larn. The couple involved — later identified as husband Xiao Ma and wife Chong Yang — failed to return their rented jet skis by the scheduled 3pm deadline, prompting alarm from the rental operator and a multi-agency rescue response that ultimately ended in grief. The sequence began when the rental operator on Ta Waen Beach, Koh Larn, reported that the pair hadn’t come back on time and that the weather had taken a nasty turn. Strong winds and choppy water made the late afternoon risky, and the operator feared the worst. Sea Rescue Pattaya City quickly coordinated with the Sawang Borriboon Dhammastan Rescue Foundation and the Tourist Police, launching a search-and-rescue operation that continued into the night as conditions deteriorated. Under fading…
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Thailand’s food-delivery heavyweights are lining up behind a government proposal to resurrect the co-payment scheme that many restaurateurs remember fondly — and for good reason. Industry leaders say the programme, which was credited with turbocharging small restaurant sales up to fivefold during its previous run, could be just the jolt the country’s dining sector and wider economy need as growth cools. “Grab is fully behind the government’s plan,” Chantsuda Thananitayaudom, managing director of Grab Thailand, told reporters. “We’re ready to collaborate through marketing campaigns and financial support once it’s confirmed.” Grab, she noted, took part in the scheme three years ago when participating merchants reported dramatic spikes in orders and revenue. Big names, practical ideas On September 9, executives from major delivery platforms including Grab and LINE MAN Wongnai met with Bhumjaithai Party deputy leader Siripong Angkasakulkiat and representatives from the Thai Restaurant Association to discuss bringing the co-payment model…
Commuters, breathe a sigh of relief: the BTS Skytrain is bringing back its popular monthly travel packages starting tomorrow, September 11. After a period of uncertainty sparked by political upheaval and a proposed nationwide 20-baht flat fare, Bangkok’s elevated lifeline has quietly listened to passenger pleas and reinstated wallet-friendly bundles you actually might want to buy. What’s back on the menu? Dubbed the “Xtreme Savings” travel packages, the revived plans allow passengers to buy a block of trips that must be used within 30 days — priced to shave a few baht off every ride compared with standard single fares. You can pick them up through the Rabbit Rewards app or at any BTS ticket office. Important activation rule: you must use your first trip within seven days of purchase to kick the package into action. Price breakdown (yes, we did the math) For adults, the options are: 15 trips…
Bangkok residents, listen up: city health officials have raised a rabies red flag after several animals tested positive, and they’re asking everyone in and around Prawet to keep their distance from stray dogs and cats. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Public Health Veterinary Office has drawn a 5-kilometre alert ring around Soi Chaloem Prakiat Rama 9 Soi 49 (Chaloem Prakiat Rama 9 Road), in Nong Bon subdistrict, Prawet district — and that zone stretches into parts of several busy Bangkok and Samut Prakan neighbourhoods. If you live, work, or commute through the area, here’s what you need to know — fast, practical, and without panicking. Where the alert applies: the 5-km zone around Soi Chaloem Prakiat Rama 9 Soi 49 (Nong Bon, Prawet district). Affected subdistricts: Nong Bon, Dokmai, Prawet (Prawet district); On Nut, Phatthanakan (Suan Luang); Thap Chang (Saphan Sung); Lat Krabang (Lat Krabang district); Bang Na Nuea (Bang Na);…
Thai AirAsia X has just unlocked a new adventure for Thai travellers: a direct connection from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Flights lift off December 1, with promotional one-way fares starting at 6,690 baht — a tempting ticket price for anyone craving crisp mountain air, dramatic canyons and a cultural detour off the usual East Asian circuit. Fast facts: Bangkok (DMK) — Almaty (ALA) Launch date: December 1 Frequency: Four times weekly — Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays Aircraft: Airbus A330 (367 seats) Promo fare: From 6,690 baht (book Sept 8–21 for travel Dec 1–Mar 28) Booking: AirAsia MOVE app or www.airasia.com Thai AirAsia X CEO Pattra Boosarawongse frames the route as a strategic expansion into Central Asia, bringing something refreshingly different to Thai holidaymakers used to destinations like Japan and South Korea. “Almaty is a city full of exciting discoveries for Thai travellers, offering a refreshing experience…
When you picture Thailand, visions of turquoise water, neon-lit bar streets and smiling tuk‑tuk drivers probably spring to mind. Zara McDermott’s new BBC film, Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise, flips that postcard on its head — sometimes within hours of the crew setting foot in Bangkok. From reality TV to real‑world danger At 28, the former Love Island contestant-turned-presenter has made a name for herself beyond reality TV: probing difficult subjects with a mixture of curiosity and compassion. But even seasoned on‑screen investigators have bad days — like the one Zara and her South Shore Productions team nearly spent behind bars. Speaking at a packed London screening at the Charlotte Street Hotel — where she posed for photos and joined a Q&A hosted by BBC Radio 1’s Natalie O’Leary — Zara described the moment Bangkok police threatened to arrest her crew. The twist? They had permission to be filming…
What began as an ordinary afternoon on Chiang Mai’s Nong Hor Road turned into a scene of devastation captured on dashcam: a high-speed pickup truck delivering bottled water slammed into a utility pole, dragging live cables for tens of metres, toppling an astonishing 24 electricity poles and leaving a trail of wreckage, fire and heartbreak in its wake. The moment that changed a road At around 3:15pm yesterday, a dashcam from another vehicle recorded the chilling sequence. The footage shows the drinking-water delivery pickup approaching a bend at high speed, losing control and striking a power pole. The impact didn’t stop there — the pickup dragged the fallen lines along the road, sweeping down pole after pole like dominoes and ripping open the electrical infrastructure that feeds whole neighbourhoods. The consequences were immediate and severe. Twenty-four concrete poles carrying 115-kV high-voltage transmission lines were brought down, electricity cables were strewn…
Storm Tapah turned a routine travel day into a globe-trotting soap opera on September 8, leaving thousands of passengers sidelined and Cathay Pacific scrambling to reroute plans. The fierce weather system intensified over the South China Sea and hammered major hubs across Asia — Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) at the center of the chaos — forcing the airline to cancel 20 flights on vital routes linking China, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and beyond. Where the storm hit hardest Airports from Osaka to Beijing, Bangkok to Seoul reported long lines, frustrated travellers and, in many cases, nowhere to sleep. Storm Tapah brought heavy rain, strong winds and turbulence that made normal operations unsafe. Key connections affected included flights between Hong Kong and: Singapore (Changi, SIN) — CPA691, CPA791 Taipei (TPE) — CPA466, CPA400 Shanghai (PVG) — CPA368, CPA380 Bangkok (BKK), Osaka (KIX), Seoul (ICN), Beijing (PEK) and Haikou That…
Imagine cruising along a rain-slick pier in Phuket, headlights cutting through sheets of monsoon drizzle, when—without warning—the road gives way to open water. That harrowing moment was caught on camera and shared widely after a white SUV slowly edged along a yacht marina pier on Sunday, September 7, then suddenly slid off a shiplift platform and plunged into the sea. Miraculously, the two people inside walked away. The clip that stopped boat operators in their tracks The 1 minute, 33 second video — first circulated among Phuket boat operator chat groups before spreading to Facebook pages — shows the SUV inching along the pier in heavy rain. What looks like routine driving becomes a heart-stopping plunge when the vehicle sails off the edge of a shiplift, the metal platform typically used to lift yachts out of the water for maintenance or launch them back in. Viewers watched as the car…
A heartbreaking and shocking case from Isaan has shaken a small community in Nakhon Ratchasima after a 13-year-old boy arrived at a community leader’s home late on the night of September 8, his body marked by severe, bleeding wounds. The boy had fled his home seeking help — not from police, but from a local leader — and when pressed about his injuries eventually revealed that his mother had beaten him after learning he had sexually assaulted his eight-year-old half-sister. The incident came to wider attention after Chalida “Ton Or” Palamart, founder of the Be One non-profit organisation, stepped in to supervise the case and posted the details on her Facebook page. Ton Or described a fractured household: the mother has four children, each from different fathers, and the young victim told her mother she had been assaulted by her older brother on multiple occasions. The mother, distraught and enraged…