Photos of two monks shopping for ladies shoes has gone viral



BANGKOK:-- Photographs which allegedly show two monks shopping for ladies shoes have gone viral.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891911-photos-of-two-monks-shopping-for-ladies-shoes-has-gone-viral/

Phuket police hunt company after tourist's watery death
Phuket Gazette


Crew administered CPR to Mr Weidong. However, he was pronounced dead-on-arrival at Chalong Pier. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Police are hunting representatives of a tour company after a Chinese tourist died on a snorkelling trip off Koh Racha Yai yesterday morning.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891913-phuket-police-hunt-company-tourists-watery-death/

Thai Smile Airways Expands Route To Cambodia's Siem Reap Province



BANGKOK, 3 February 2016 (NNT) - Thai Smile Airways, a regional subsidiary of Thai Airways, launched its new route from Bangkok, Thailand to Cambodia’s Siem Reap province, home to the famous Angkor temples, according to the company’s press release.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891918-thai-smile-airways-expands-route-to-cambodias-siem-reap-province/

Bangrak District Office prepares for mass marriage registration this Valentine's Day

BANGKOK, 3 February 2016 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is gearing up for a mass marriage registration for the upcoming Valentine’s Day.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891921-bangrak-district-office-prepares-for-mass-marriage-registration-this-valentines-day/

U.K. Permanent Under Secretary pays official visit to Thailand

BANGKOK, 3 February 2016 (NNT) – The United Kingdom’s Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Thailand to discuss bilateral cooperation in various areas.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891922-uk-permanent-under-secretary-pays-official-visit-to-thailand/

Monks can consume ice cream after lunch time, Buddhism Office says



BANGKOK: -- The National Office of Buddhism says ice cream is not "Pana" or fruit juice and that it can be consumed by monks but with conscience.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891923-monks-can-consume-ice-cream-after-lunch-time-thailands-buddhism-office-says/

UPDATE:

Foreign Affairs Says Cartoonist 'Stephff' Failed to Follow Regs
By Teeranai Charuvastra
Staff Reporter

BANGKOK — A longtime political cartoonist known as “Stephff” did not have his visa extended in Thailand because he failed to follow regulations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891805-longtime-political-cartoonist-stephff-loses-work-permit-visa/page-3?p=10381402#entry10381402

Thai people praised for helping family of Russian beggars



KRABI:-- Thai people have been praised for their generosity after coming to the aid of a Russian family in southern Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891925-thai-people-praised-for-helping-family-of-russian-beggars/

Lies and videotapes: Uninsured Aussie tourist finds himself in hot water


Featured image is of Nathan and is via Channel 9

BANGKOK: -- It’s a much-repeated situation: happy-go-lucky tourist arrives in Thailand, declines to take out insurance, gets into a motorbike accident, ends up in hospital, gets himself into a bit of a pickle.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891928-lies-and-videotapes-uninsured-aussie-tourist-finds-himself-in-hot-water/

Man Found Dead in Khlong Lat Phrao
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter


Waste collector Phlun Juithongkam, at right, on Khlong Lat Phrao where he found a body Wednesday morning.

BANGKOK — When Phlun Juithongkam, 44, rode out in a boat to go scavenging in Khlong Lat Phrao this morning, he saw something he didn’t expect: a man’s face in the water.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891930-man-found-dead-in-khlong-lat-phrao/

HONG KONG (AP) - ChemChina offers to buy Swiss pesticide giant Syngenta in deal valued at more than $43 billion.

Supreme Court upheld prison term for four in election fraud in 2006



BANGKOK: -- The Supreme Court today upheld the Appeals Court's ruling to imprison a former election commission official and three other politicians in a case related to the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party hiring small parties to run in the 2006 general election.

-- Thai PBS 2016-02-03http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891954-thai-supreme-court-upheld-prison-term-for-four-in-election-fraud-in-2006/

UPDATE:

Chinese drowning spurs investigation into Phuket tour company
Eakkapop Thongtub


Police speaks with family members at Vachira Hospital. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

PHUKET: -- The chief of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) Phuket office is to investigate a local tour company after a Chinese tourist died after he was pulled from the water unconscious during a day trip to Koh Racha Yai yesterday (Feb 2).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891913-phuket-police-hunt-company-tourists-watery-death/#entry10381752

Chinese woman becomes 'world's luckiest passenger'

Plenty of leg room, personalised service and no crying babies or unruly fellow passengers.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891958-chinese-woman-becomes-worlds-luckiest-passenger/

Speedboat Propeller Severs Tourist’s Leg
By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee
Staff Reporter


An injured man is helped out of the water Wednesday morning off Koh Phi Phi Lee in Krabi province.

KRABI — A speed boat seriously injured two Russian tourists as they were snorkeling near Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Lee this morning.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891959-speedboat-propeller-severs-russian-tourists-leg-near-maya-bay/

Remembrance of Veterans Day today



BANGKOK: -- His Majesty the King today designated Privy Councillor Gen Surayuth Chulanont to lay flower wreath at the Victory Monument this morning in remembrance of soldiers who died in wars.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891963-remembrance-of-veterans-day-today/

Govt to broadcast show on new constitution

BANGKOK, 3 February 2016 (NTT) - The government has started a new show to clarify details of the new constitution. The show will be aired between February 3 and 15.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891966-thai-govt-to-broadcast-show-on-new-constitution/

Royal Thai Air Force preparing to allow women to apply as transport pilots

BANGKOK, 3 February 2016 (NTT) - The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is preparing to allow women to apply as transport pilots within 2016 and is considering increasing its benefits.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891969-thai-air-force-preparing-to-allow-women-to-apply-as-transport-pilots/

Oldest death row inmate in Georgia executed

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia has executed a 72-year-old man, its oldest death row inmate, for the killing of a convenience store manager during a robbery decades ago.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891981-us-georgia-executes-72-year-old-death-row-inmate/

Don’t feed the homeless, warns BMA



BANGKOK:-- Officials from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have been criticised following the construction of a sign warning against giving food to homeless people.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891985-dont-feed-the-homeless-warns-bangkok-administration/

UPDATE:

Presidential race moves to New Hampshire



EXETER: -- After a scare in Iowa where she scraped the narrowest of wins, Hillary Clinton has moved on to New Hampshire along with the other wanna-be presidential nominees.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891860-marco-rubio-begins-push-in-new-hampshire/#entry10382000

Thaivisa Video News 03 February



watch the bulletin here: http://www.youtube.com/thaivisacom

Govt orders social media PR campaign to counter 'negative news'
By Teeranai Charuvastra
Staff Reporter


Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters Tuesday at Government House in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — In a bid to counter “negative news and misinformation” on social media, the military government today announced it will take a more aggressive role in directly countering such information online.

The latest effort by the junta to improve its image online comes as a second attempt at winning support from for easier censorship from foreign service providers seems to be bearing little fruit.

According to Matichon Online, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said all agencies have been asked to step up their public relations efforts in order to “create a positive image for their respective agencies and Thailand.”

“[They must] compile and improve their public relations work and develop data systems on websites, such as Facebook,” Panadda Diskul said in the report. “For the sake of public relations that are modern and based on accuracy.”

Panadda said that officials responsible for the PR drive must also monitor news and other issues on a daily basis in order to combat any negative news in a timely manner.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1454485989

-- Khaosod English 2016-02-03

China reduces sentences for 11 Uighurs, including Canadian
By GERRY SHIH

BEIJING (AP) — A court in western China has reduced the sentences of 11 Uighurs convicted of terrorism and endangering state security, including a naturalized Canadian preacher whose life term had been sharply criticized by Ottawa.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891996-china-reduces-sentences-for-11-uighurs-including-canadian/

Ambassador: US to continue South China Sea flights, sail-bys

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The U.S. ambassador said Wednesday joint patrols with the Philippines are possible in the South China Sea, where the United States has asserted its freedom to navigate by sending planes and ships into China-claimed areas.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891997-ambassador-us-to-continue-south-china-sea-flights-sail-bys/

Price of chicken expected to fall during Chinese New Year

BANGKOK, 3 February 2016 (NNT) - Thailand’s association that promoted chicken farming expects the price of chicken to be cheaper during the Chinese New Year.

The president of the association, Chaveevan Khampa, expects that the public will partake in extra shopping for ancestral rites during the Chinese New Year. People normally buy mushrooms, pork, poultry and fruits, resulting in a substantial income boost for businesses. However, it is expected that the price of chicken will drop due to the oversupply of chicken.


-- NNT 2016-02-03

Police: Australian school bomb threats coming from overseas

SYDNEY (AP) — Dozens of schools around Australia have received threats over the past week in what police believe is a hoax being orchestrated overseas.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891999-police-australian-school-bomb-threats-coming-from-overseas/

Obama to make first visit of his presidency to a US mosque
By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's first visit to a U.S. mosque comes as Muslim-Americans say they're confronting increasing levels of bias in speech and deeds.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/892001-obama-to-make-first-visit-of-his-presidency-to-a-us-mosque/

Man arrested for murdering school teacher in Chaiyaphum



CHAIYAPHUM:-- A man has confessed to the murder of a school teacher in Chaiyaphum.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/892003-man-arrested-for-murdering-school-teacher-in-chaiyaphum/

Australia’s High Court rules offshore detention camps legal
Euronews

AUSTRALIA -- Australia’s High Court high court has ruled the country’s policy of sending migrants to offshore detention camps is legal.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/892058-australias-high-court-rules-offshore-detention-camps-legal/