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Monster python proves a bit of a handful as ten locals remove it from a drain Picture: Naew Na Naew Na reported that a reporter on his way home in Khuan Khanun district of Phatthalung in the far south of Thailand came across a huge python slithering across the road yesterday evening. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246016-monster-python-proves-a-bit-of-a-handful-as-ten-locals-remove-it-from-a-drain/

Update: Thailand's print media reported this morning that three of the men - the two French men aged 32 and the Polish man aged 65 - had been found at another resort on Koh Chang. The other three were still being sought. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Picture: Naew Na Naew Na reported that a reporter on his way home in Khuan Khanun district of Phatthalung in the far south of Thailand came across a huge python slithering across the road yesterday evening. He whipped out his phone as this would make a great TikTok post. The light from his headlights attracted many people from their houses who scared the snake and made it seek refuge in a hole by the side of the road. Ten men tried to pull it out but couldn't get a grip. So some rope was tried but even this proved to be unsuccessful. Eventually a piece of bamboo was used so that the men could effect the serpent's removal. With a "1-2-3 Pull!" and the incantation of an expression used in a cultural ceremony the operation was over after an exhausting hour! The snake was five meters long. The locals bagged it and took it away for the return to nature. They said they didn't want it in their neighborhood because of fears it would eat their piglets and fighting cocks. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Pattaya set to be "hospitel town" - major hotels sign up to host people sick with Covid-19 Picture: INN Several major hotels in Pattaya have signed up to return to "hospitel" status after a surge of cases of Covid-19 in Chonburi and the rest of Thailand. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246014-pattaya-set-to-be-hospitel-town-major-hotels-sign-up-to-host-people-sick-with-covid-19/

Picture: INN Several major hotels in Pattaya have signed up to return to "hospitel" status after a surge of cases of Covid-19 in Chonburi and the rest of Thailand. The move will mean that up to 8,000 Covid patients will soon be housed in hotels in the eastern seaboard resort. Chief of the area hoteliers' association Phisut Sae-khu told INN that a meeting between hoteliers and the health authority had been held in which plans to reintroduce 5,000 to 8,000 beds for Covid patients were made. Picture: INN Hotels that previously offered so-called "hospitel" accommodation are returning to that business. So far four have said they will do this with about ten in total needed. They are the Brighton Grand Hotel that will offer 800 beds, Bay Beach, 700, Asia Hotel, 500 and Crystal Palace, 500. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Warning about man posing as electrical authority official in Mahasarakham Picture: Channel 7 Channel 7 reported on a story of a man posing as a meter reader from the electrical authority who stole more than 3,000 baht from an internet shop in the north east. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246012-warning-about-man-posing-as-electrical-authority-official-in-mahasarakham/

Picture: Channel 7 Channel 7 reported on a story of a man posing as a meter reader from the electrical authority who stole more than 3,000 baht from an internet shop in the north east. Manager Nurapong, 24, said a man apparently dressed in an EGAT uniform had gone to the front of the shop where he was fiddling with the meter. He then said that due to non-payment they risked being cut off if they didn't pay the bill that was now 3,557.38 baht. Nurapong contacted the owner of the shop on the phone who said they had probably forgotten to pay the bill in the New Year rush. The bill was presented as a half torn real bill with the address and name not evident. The outstanding amount was written in pen. Still, the manager thought it looked alright and paid up. A subsequent check revealed it had nothing to do with the shop and they had been conned. The manager warned businesses in the area to be on the look out for the fraudster. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Bang Sue Vaccination Center Accepting Booster Registrations via Mobile Providers By: Natthaphon Sangpolsit BANGKOK (NNT) - People who have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses from public vaccination centers can now make appointments for booster shots at the Central Vaccination Center in the capital through the websites of mobile network providers. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246011-bang-sue-vaccination-center-accepting-booster-registrations-via-mobile-providers/

By: Natthaphon Sangpolsit BANGKOK (NNT) - People who have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses from public vaccination centers can now make appointments for booster shots at the Central Vaccination Center in the capital through the websites of mobile network providers. The booster shot service at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station is being offered to those who have received two injections of the AstraZeneca vaccine or been administered any of the cross-vaccination approaches such as Sinovac-AstraZeneca and Sinopharm-Pfizer. All recipients will receive the Pfizer vaccine as their booster, unless specifying the AstraZeneca jab at the registration counter on the day of the appointment. Queues may be reserved through the websites of mobile network providers AIS, True, Dtac and NT. Applicants must schedule a vaccination date at least 90 days after the date of their latest injection. Registration is not required for those who received their second dose at the Central Vaccination Center, which will send an SMS to their phones informing them of their booster appointment date. The center has already scheduled appointments for members of this group who received their second dose in September or October. Walk-in services for boosters are not currently being provided. -- © Copyright NNT 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Thai media report sighting of ghost in Udon Thani - expert in the supernatural consulted Picture: Sanook Sanook reported on a ghostly experience of two young people in a quiet soi in Udon Thani in Thailand's north east. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246010-thai-media-report-sighting-of-ghost-in-udon-thani-expert-in-the-supernatural-consulted/

Picture: Sanook Sanook reported on a ghostly experience of two young people in a quiet soi in Udon Thani in Thailand's north east. They even had a video of still shots of several people pointing to the spot where a headless woman was sighted at night. Now an expert in matters of the supernatural is being consulted to "verify" the sighting. Wiphapha,17, and Phirawat, 18, were on their way to see Wiphapha's aunty after a trip to a department store on Wednesday evening. Wiphapha had to get a few things in a grocer's in Soi Thai Samut 1an area she described as scary because she knew that a man had died in an accident on the bridge there and another person nearby had hanged themselves. Picture: Sanook After making her purchases she came out of the shop and found her friend as white as a sheet but he said nothing as he grasped his phone. At aunty's house Phirawat told everyone why he was so shocked. As he waited outside the shop he'd seen the spirit of a headless woman walking across the bridge. He could only make out dark clothing from the knee to the neck. He had the presence of mind to take a picture but was too scared to look at it until later. Aunty and her husband said it was clearly a spirit out to ask for merit. But it was certainly scary - so she whipped out some "sai sin" (holy string) and lustral water to assuage matters. While the phone evidence is being sent to Mor Pla (Dr Fish) an expert in the dark arts. Sanook - well known for such stories - said this was one that really put the hairs up on the back of your neck. ASEAN NOW notes that Thais love a ghost story - many believe in the supernatural. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Young man and ladyboy lover nabbed with 240 kilos of marijuana at temple near Bangkok Picture: Daily News Metropolitan police Region 7 announced the arrest of three men involved in transporting 240 kilograms of compressed ganja to a temple in Samut Sakhon. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246004-young-man-and-ladyboy-lover-nabbed-with-240-kilos-of-marijuana-at-temple near bangkok/

Picture: Daily News Metropolitan police Region 7 announced the arrest of three men involved in transporting 240 kilograms of compressed ganja to a temple in Samut Sakhon. Arrested were Aphakorn, 20, Sutthipong, 27, and Manop 48. Seized were a an Isuzu pick-up, a Yamaha bike and three phones along with the drugs. Pol Maj-Gen Nitthithorn Jintakanon, a deputy of the met police, said that the force had become aware of several movements of drugs in the Phutthamonthon Sai 4 area and on Wednesday officers were waiting at Wat Bang Ping. Picture: Daily News Aphakorn, the driver of the pick-up, said that he got the drugs from "Or" after a Line application link up and he was paid 10,000 baht to move the consignment from Nakhon Phanom to the temple, reported Daily News. His live-in ladyboy lover for the last year Sutthipong was along for the ride, he said helpfully. Manop on the motorcycle said he was paid 13,000 baht by a guy called "Santi" and told to look after the drugs and await further instructions. His arrest thwarted that part of the plan. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Covid testing costs for travel are exorbitant! By Hua Hin Today Covid testing costs for travel are exorbitant! The high cost of PCR tests is and will continue to negatively impact international travel recovery, when tourism is most needed, especially in Thailand. On top of uncertainty over waves linked to the delta variant and now the emergence of the omicron variant, there’s the matter of the coronavirus tests needed to travel. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246002-covid-testing-costs-for-travel-are-exorbitant/

Covid testing costs for travel are exorbitant! By Hua Hin Today The high cost of PCR tests is and will continue to negatively impact international travel recovery, when tourism is most needed, especially in Thailand. On top of uncertainty over waves linked to the delta variant and now the emergence of the omicron variant, there’s the matter of the coronavirus tests needed to travel. Per person, they can cost hundreds of dollars and exorbitantly increase the cost of an international trip, depending on the place of departure, the destination, the type of test and the company providing them. While many countries offer free or subsidized coronavirus testing, when it comes to tests to meet travel requirements and swift delivery test results, governments often rely on or require private companies to administer them, rather than strained and slow public health systems. The cost of doing business in a volatile industry, coupled with limited government oversight of prices and services, is probably yielding some startling revenues, in USD trillions, as many private companies are taking advantage of a COVID windfall, making huge profits on testing, resulting in the less wealthy forced to forgo vacations abroad as travel seems to become something only the rich can afford. Full story: https://www.huahintoday.com/health/covid-testing-costs-travel-exorbitant/ -- © Copyright Hua Hin Today 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Hua Hin restaurants set to stop serving alcohol by 9pm By Paul Andrews Downtown Hua Hin, file photo. From Sunday (Jan 9) restaurants in Hua Hin and Nong Khae are set to stop serving alcohol at 9pm, in accordance with the latest disease control measures. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1246000-hua-hin-restaurants-set-to-stop-serving-alcohol-by-9pm/

Downtown Hua Hin, file photo. By Paul Andrews From Sunday (Jan 9) restaurants in Hua Hin and Nong Khae are set to stop serving alcohol at 9pm, in accordance with the latest disease control measures. On Friday, Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced that restaurants in so-called ‘blue zone’ destinations, which includes Hua Hin, Nong Khae and neighbouring Cha Am, can serve alcohol no later than 9pm. Venues are also required tot have SHA plus or Thai Stop Covid 2 Plus certification and have established a COVID-Free Setting. Full story: https://www.huahintoday.com/hua-hin-news/hua-hin-restaurants-set-to-stop-serving-alcohol-by-9pm/ -- © Copyright Hua Hin Today 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Three women fraudsters in curry shop take-away - yes, they TOOK it away without paying! Picture: Naew Na Naew Na reported that the owner of a curry/rice shop in Nonthaburi was as sick as a duck. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1245998-three-women-fraudsters-in-curry-shop-take-away-yes-they-took-it-away-without-paying/

Three women fraudsters in curry shop take-away - yes, they TOOK it away without paying! Picture: Naew Na Naew Na reported that the owner of a curry/rice shop in Nonthaburi was as sick as a duck. English people might say as sick as a pig. Her frustrations were evident after three women walked into her shop at a PTT gas station and ordered 12 take-aways costing 625 baht. Then they casually walked away and disappeared without paying a single baht. Thitima Ratsamee, 37, posted clear CCTV footage on Facebook. Naew Na went to the "Mae Sian Su 1,000" shop in Bang Bua Thong where a man called Sao, 23, told them about the three women who were tomboy-ish. After ordering the food one said they needed to go to the ATM, another strolled out while a third played on her phone before they all disappeared into thin air. Thitima said she hadn't filed a police report as it was not much money. She said that if the women came back and paid her, she'd say no more about it. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Security chief at Bangkok condo hired after raping a minor in 2013 Picture: Thai Rath It appears that the head of security at a condominium in Thonburi's Petchkasem jurisdiction who raped a resident had already raped a youth nine years ago. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1245997-security-chief-at-bangkok-condo-hired-after-raping-a-minor-in-2013/

Picture: Thai Rath It appears that the head of security at a condominium in Thonburi's Petchkasem jurisdiction who raped a resident had already raped a youth nine years ago. The Royal Thai Police want to know how Montree Yaikrathoke managed to get a job not just as a security guard responsible for protecting people but as the head of a team. Montree was arrested on Thursday afternoon after a massive manhunt. Earlier in the week he went to a woman's room late at night, handcuffed and raped her then fled. Now it has emerged that he did the same in 2013, reported Thai Rath. Police spokesman Maj-Gen Yingyot Thepjamnong said that RTP chief Gen Suwat Chaengyodsuk has ordered an investigation. They want to know if any background checks were done by the company that hired Montree. And if so were police departments involved in covering up his past. The Criminal Division North, Police Forensics Service Center and the Metropolitan Police are all coming under scrutiny for possible illegality in connection with the case. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

Anutin exhorts Thais to raise their Covid guard - just days after Instagram pictures angered netizens Picture INN Just days after Instagram was full of pictures of a maskless Anutin Charnvirakul at a party the controversial Minister for Health and DPM has urged his compatriots to raise their guard as Covid-19 cases rocket in the country. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1245990-anutin-exhorts-thais-to-raise-their-covid-guard-just-days-after-instagram-pictures-angered-netizens/

Picture INN Just days after Instagram was full of pictures of a maskless Anutin Charnvirakul at a party the controversial Minister for Health and DPM has urged his compatriots to raise their guard as Covid-19 cases rocket in the country. This time he was pictured in a mask talking to officials in an INN article. Anutin said that Thailand was dealing with an upsurge in cases of both the Delta and Omicron variant. The latter appeared to be milder and he said that people with mild cases of the virus would be able to isolate at home or within communities. He again urged the Thai public to get vaccinated and boosted and said that a program of walk-ins was being upgraded. Earlier in the week netizens cried foul after Anutin's own son Pek published many images of a happy New Year party attended by the minister and other friends and relatives. There was barely a mask in sight sparking more comments of "one rule for him, one rule for the rest of us" from the Thai public. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information Picture: Kapook

Thai authorities searching for six European men who left Koh Chang after testing positive for Covid-19 Koh Chang. File photo The acting district chief in Koh Chang in the central east of Thailand said that they are seeking six European men who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1245989-thai-authorities-searching-for-six-european-men-who-left-koh-chang-after-testing-positive-for-covid-19/

Koh Chang. File photo The acting district chief in Koh Chang in the central east of Thailand said that they are seeking six European men who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Charnchai Patacharavarangkul said that he had been informed by a hotel on the holiday island that the men had arrived on Test and Go but left after positive tests at Koh Chang Hospital. Manager reported that they are now believed to have left Koh Chang and headed for Bangkok or Pattaya. There are two French men both aged 32, Polish men aged 65 and 51, a 31 year old Swiss national and a Norwegian aged 38. Charnchai said he feared that the European men would spread the virus in the Thai capital or the eastern seaboard resort of Pattaya. Health insurance plans that meet the long stay visa requirements -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2022-01-08 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information