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CORRECTION: In the first story Jett referred to a Chinese man losing 130 billion baht. The correct amount was 130 million baht. We apologise for the error. Hundreds, perhaps more than 400, investors have been defrauded by a bank manager at a Kasikorn bank branch in Pattaya. The manager, named in a police report as “Mr. Gob”, was promising investors 3.5% interest, per month, yes… PER MONTH… for cash investments. It appears his high interest rate attracted hundreds of people wanting to take advantage of the generous terms. One investor, who only found out about the scam yesterday when he visited the branch for his monthly rolling over of funds, told The Thaiger that he has lost 250,000 baht at this stage, with no official response from the Kasikorn head office in Bangkok yet being made about the situation. Mr B, who has asked us to protect his identity, knows of some investors who invested many millions of baht and even one Chinese man who had allegedly invested 130 million ... » Learn More about Thailand News Today | Pattaya bank scam & Burmese coup update | February 2

Confusion reigns over the effectiveness of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine due to be rolled out in Thailand next month. Thailand has ordered 2 million doses of the Sinovac Biotech vaccine. The rollout of this particular vaccine among high-risk groups in Indonesia will start this week. However, questions now hang over the vaccine’s efficacy rate, originally reported as 78% in trials in Brazil but more recently downgraded to just over 50%. In total, 4 different rates of effectiveness have been published. In Indonesia data from a local trial indicates an efficacy rate of 65%. However, with only 1,620 participants, the trial is considered too small for the data to have much value. Last month, Turkey reported an efficacy rate of 91.25% in its trials, but the sample size was again deemed too small. The largest trial of the Chinese vaccine has been in Brazil, with 13,000 participants. There are, however, 2 quite different efficacy rates have been reported. It’s not the first time there ... » Learn More about Thailand News Today | Chinese vaccine, Thailand ‘drug hub’, Covid update | January 13

South Thailand- Sixteen years ago today on December 26th, 2004, Phuket, Phang Nga and other parts of Thailand suffered an unbelievable tragedy in the Boxing Day Tsunami that cost thousands of lives and significant financial damage in the height of the tourist season. The day is also marked as National Disaster Prevention Day in Thailand, which was created after the disaster. The event is traditionally marked by candle lit rituals, memorials and gatherings not just in Phuket but also in Phang Nga and other areas which saw a severe impact from the disaster. However, due to Covid-19 precautions in Thailand with a recent cluster of infections stemming from a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon it is expected that this years memorial activities will be scaled down across impacted locations to protect against the possible spread of Covid-19. Despite the precautions many people are expected to take time out of their day today to remember the victims of the disaster as well as spare a thought ... » Learn More about Today is the 16th year anniversary of the Thailand Boxing Day Tsunami

Thailand- Enjoying the cooler weather and wind over the last day or so in Thailand? If so, you will be delighted to find that the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has forecast at least several more days of cooler weather are set to continue. The cooler weather is being driven primarily by a mass area of high pressure air coming from China that continues to press South across most of Thailand. This will continue to cause a drop of between two and five degrees Celsius along with cooler winds in much of the country. The TMD has cautioned residents, especially in Northern provinces, to take precautions for their health as the weather may be cooler than many are normally used to. Additionally, small boats should stay ashore in the Gulf of Thailand as waves may be two to three meters tall due to the steady, cooler wind. ... » Learn More about Cooler weather and wind set to continue in most of Thailand and Chonburi today and tomorrow

Bangkok – Bangkok ranked in the top 10 cities in the most polluted cities in the world today, December 14, with its Air Quality Index (AQI) of 162 US AQI and a PM2.5 level of 76.6 µg/m3, according to a list by IQ Air. Thick smog of PM2.5 dust particles has returned to Bangkok and nearby provinces, including Chonburi, over the past weekend. Most of the areas in the city and its vicinities have levels of PM2.5 pollution that exceed the safety standard, according to an air quality report by the Department of Pollution Control. Bangkok Air Quality and Noise Management Division announced a real-time air quality index on its website that air quality in all 56 areas of the capital begins to affect health, with the highest PM2.5 level of 85 µg/m3 in Khlong San district, Phra Nakhon district, and Dusit district. The air pollutant PM2.5 is also at unhealthy levels in surrounding provinces, including Chonburi. IQ Air reported that air pollution in the province reached an unhealthy ... » Learn More about Bangkok ranks in top 10 cities in the most polluted cities in the world after PM2.5 smog returns today

PETALING JAYA: Four new Covid-19 clusters have been identified, with three linked to workplaces, says the Health Ministry. Its director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the other is a community-related cluster. The three work clusters are Lagoon Selatan in Selangor, Jalan Firma Dua in Johor, Jalan Haji Malek in Melaka, while the community cluster is in Bukit Tunggal, Sarawak. In the Lagoon Selatan cluster, workers of a cleaning company located at Jalan Lagoon Selatan in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya were screened since Feb 27. As of March 6, some 34 individuals were screened, with 12 testing positive. In the Firma Dua cluster, the index case for the cluster was tested positive for Covid-19 on March 4. The cluster involves factory workers at Jalan Firma 2/1, Kawasan Perindustrian Tebrau 1 in Johor. As of March 6, a total of 139 individuals were screened, with 28 testing positive. The third cluster at Jalan Haji Malek in Jasin, Melaka, involves a group of workers ... » Learn More about Covid-19: Four new clusters identified, three linked to workplaces

Candidate number one has flown to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Candidate number two just wants to get back to work at City Hall, and candidate number three has opted to spend quality time with his family. That’s how the Jakarta gubernatorial candidates said they would spend their time between Feb. 11, which was the last day of the campaign period, and Feb. 15, election day. Agus flew to Mecca for umrah , or minor haj, with his celebrity wife, Anisa Pohan, on Saturday night. Anisa posted a photo of her and Agus in white clothing before leaving for umrah on her Instagram account @annisayudhoyono, with the caption: “Getting ready for umrah .” Agus’ running mate, Sylviana Murni, meanhwile, said she would stay in the city and would spend time praying. The incumbents, Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat, said they were ready to get back to their City Hall offices as governor and deputy governor, respectively. Ahok will inaugurate a ... » Learn More about How Jakarta election contenders await D-day after end of campaign

Without a shadow of a doubt, you have heard the saying that the hearing aids of today are not anything like the ones of days gone by. You may have also heard that hearing aids are light-years ahead of where they used to be. The case holds true even when compared to devices only as old as five or ten years old. That is how fast technology is moving in the world of hearing aids . You may then be thinking, what exactly is it that makes the hearing aids of today so much better? Which of these new features could the hearing aids of old not deliver? The very simple and short answer is this: hearing aids, like all other electronic gadgets and devices, have benefited a great deal because of the digital revolution. Hearing aids of today are basically just miniature computers that pack some serious computing power in them. It is important to note, albeit a bit obvious, that before becoming digital, hearing aids used to be analog. Let us take a closer look at the phenomenon and try to ... » Learn More about Digital Hearing Aids vs. Analog Hearing Aids: Why Digital is Better

“Tear it down, or we will.” That’s the ultimatum officials have given the owner of a luxury resort built on national park land in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand. The Phatsapada Resort, which consists of 17 chalets, has been built on land belonging to Khao Laem National Park. A demolition order, posted outside the property yesterday, gives the owner 7 days in which to pull it down. “Failure to do so will see officials take charge of the demolition, at a cost of 200,000 baht, which the owner will be obliged to pay.” The Bangkok Post reports that the resort was recently inherited by the heirs of its former owner, Ms Jarupha Detchinda, after she died. It’s understood Jarupha represented an alleged “high-ranking member of the military” who built the resort, according to Niphon Chamnongsirisak, from the Protected Areas Regional Office 3. Jarupha had previously been fined 30,000 baht and sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment in January 2018. She was also required to pay 103,379 baht ... » Learn More about Luxury resort built on national park land given demolition order

With potential sanctions and boycotts against Myanmar likely following the military coup, the Thai-Myanmar Business Council says Thai investors are concerned their businesses in the neighbouring country will be affected. It’s unclear what effect the coup will have on Thai-owned businesses in Myanmar. The country’s economy, already battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to slow down with potential sanctions. The United States has already threatened sanctions against Myanmar. With an economic downturn, Thai operators in Myanmar are expecting to lose money, the council says. No statement from the military has been issued regarding foreign investment and businesses. Myanmar’s new military-run government might decide not to honour the contracts Thai investors signed with the previous administration led by the National League for Democracy, according to the council. Bilateral trade may only be slightly affected, the council says. On the other hand, an international trade expert ... » Learn More about Thai investors in Myanmar concerned with future business following the military coup