Thailand

Foreigners found working in Thailand without a work permit face fines of between 2,000 – 100,000 THB or imprisonment of a maximum of 5 years.

Ten Thai nationals have been released after being fined 15,000 baht each by Lao authorities for spreading the Buddhist faith and setting up a branch monastery in a village..

The Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane has issued a notice confirming the Kingdom’s new visa policies. The official notice serves to clarify the rumor of new policies after a draft notice surfaced on the internet last week.
The official notice issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane stipulates the following three points:

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on Thursday aged 88, was the world’s longest-reigning monarch, having spent 70 years on the throne.
Thailand is now in 30 days of official mourning. During the mourning period, tourists and expats should be prepared to be flexible, not only now but also …

It happens on a daily basis all across Thailand. The casual insults come from a sense of superiority ingrained since school days: “Thais are better than their neighbours, the Lao.”
The insults usually don’t reach Lao ears and so are rarely challenged.
Last week, however, a Thai photographer was forced to apologise for a defamatory remark he made while covering the …..

A plan to require all foreigners in Thailand to use a special SIM card that can track their location will be reviewed by authorities Tuesday afternoon.
Announced last week by the national telecom regulator, the plan would require anyone – not just tourists but everyone who doesn’t hold a Thai passport – to use the new SIM card which would enable the authorities to track …..

Misbehaviour and “inappropropriate dress standards” by Thai officials during a visit to Laos have prompted a stern order from Education Minister Narong Pipatanasai.
Adm Narong has ordered all ministry staff and students to dress and behave properly when making official visits to the country.
The Thai embassy in Vientiane was informed that several Thai delegates dressed and behaved improperly when …..

Travelers to Thailand be aware: Spitting, blowing nose and littering in public places now could face a fine of 2,000 baht under a tightened enforcement of city cleanliness law by city police.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) City Law Enforcement Department director Sophon Photisop said now he has ordered city police in all 50 …..

Thailand — In an effort to crackdown on undocumented immigrants, police in Pathum Thani have instructed migrant workers in a major market to wear wristbands indicating they have been properly registered.
Pol.Maj.Gen. Montri Yimyaem, commander of Pathum Thani Police, said that workers from neighboring countries who have registered with police will be required to wear the dark red wristbands in public …..

The Bank of Thailand today unveiled the new 100-baht banknotes to commemorate and honour King Taksin the Great.
The new commemorative banknote will have the same size and colour as the old 100-baht banknotes currently in use, but with advanced anti-forgery printing design which allows the ordinary people and the blind to identify the value and differentiate easily.
The new banknote features the portrait of …..

More than 140,000 Cambodians had fled jobs in Thailand to return home as of Monday, fearing a crackdown on illegal migrants under junta rule, an official said.
Thailand is believed to have about two million documented foreign migrant workers from countries including Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos who work in low-paying jobs that Thais are unwilling to so.
Video of shooting of pickup carrying cambodians may have raised fears. The military junta yesterday reiterated it has no policy to crack down on migrant workers here despite the …..

Lawmakers in Thailand say they want all foreign tourists to be required to purchase travel and health insurance before arriving in their country.
The health ministry has suggested the cost of health insurance coverage might be included in visa fees. Those visiting Thailand without visas would be required to buy insurance at immigration checkpoints or the fees could be added to the cost of airline tickets.
The health ministry set up the meeting after Thailand’s government asked it to address concerns about the financial burden on the country’s state hospitals, which are required to provide foreigners with free medical service….