The hotel-casino employs 400 workers and many Thai nationals were visiting at the time. Thai employees are among the dead and injured. Thai PBS reported that 50 Thais are on the list of people trapped inside the complex.

It is reported that the fire broke out at about 11.30 pm local time on Wednesday when a gas tank exploded on the casino side of the complex. The fire continued into Thursday morning. At 11.16 am Cambodian police said the fire was finally under control.

Sek Sokhom, the Director of Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey provincial information department warned that the figures could be higher while announcing, “There are 19 dead so far as we see bodies and bones”.

The property is owned by fugitive Thai politician Vatana Asavahame. He is a former Thai cabinet minister who fled the country in 2008 before being convicted about the Klong Dan wastewater treatment scandal. It is one of the biggest corruption cases in Thailand’s history

Poipet is a key crossing point between the two countries. It is also popular for its casinos, which many Thai nationals visit as gambling is mostly illegal in Thailand.

Fire in casino in poipet pic.twitter.com/UDd3k5f4yI

— Mech Dara (@MechDara1) December 29, 2022

The building is on the Thai border. Many injured were sent to Thailand for treatment. Some were sent to a hospital in the nearby town of Aranyaprathet.

Authorities are still working to determine the cause of the fire.

Thailand has extended its help by sending fire trucks and rescue vans to help ease this fatal situation.

Photo Credit: Twitter

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Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch, Bhumibol Adulyadej, reigned between June 9th, 1946, and October 13th, 2016, making him the longest-reigning monarch in Thailand’s history.

This is a day when everyone is encouraged to wear yellow. Community service activities such as road cleaning, garbage collection, food distribution, and other charitable deeds are commonly performed on this day.

The general population has the day off, and most schools and businesses are closed.

Government offices and banks are closed today. There may be some foreign exchange booths open in tourist locations, and some bank branches may be open in shopping malls.

There is a prohibition on the sale of alcohol at bars and entertainment venues are closed during the holiday.

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According to police, the attacker was a former police officer who was dismissed last year for drug charges. In the hours before the shooting, police said, he had been appearing in court on a drug charge.

A district police official said the gunman reportedly wielded a knife during the attack on Uthai Sawan, 500 kilometers northeast of Bangkok in Nong Bua Lamphu province.

In the early afternoon, the shooter entered the childcare center and shot four or five officials there, a district official, Jidapa Boonsom, said. Among them was a pregnant teacher.

Just a few weeks ago, an officer shot two colleagues at a Bangkok army base.

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Life is an enigma that can be viewed as fragments of imperfect moments precariously paving the way to the perfect one. You do not need to venture into dark and desolate places to unravel something mysterious. Sometimes you just need a change in perspective to uncover the long-hidden truth.

Thailand is one such beautiful place wrapped in its mysteries. It is a rapidly developing country boasting perceptible prosperity. But beyond the glistening cityscapes and sky-high buildings, many mysterious places in this country hark back to the country’s enigmatic past.

Here is our list of the mysterious temples in Thailand for you to explore:

The next time you plan a trip to Thailand, try exploring these mysterious and remarkable temples and unravel the uniqueness of this country.

Learn more

Temples To Visit In Thailand

Temples Thailand Pick Courtesy, Milei.vencel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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CONGRATULATIONS to Khun Thevan Tiwari, President of Sai Pharma Company Limited, for receiving the award “Pid Thong Lang Phra 2021” — noted​ for​ his​ philanthropic acts and good works without expecting anything in return on December 19, 2021.

The ceremony consisted of Professor Wicha Mahakun, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, presiding over the award ceremony.

This award is to show that​ doing good​ things​ for​ our​ society does not​ need​ to​ heavily rely on​ recognition from​ others and that there are still many people who​ are​ doing​ charitable giving in our​ Thai society without expecting anything in return.

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The decision made at the 16th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is being held online from 13-18 December, 2021, sees Nora become Thailand’s second inscription on the list after the ‘Khon’ masked dance drama was inscribed in November 2018. Thailand joined the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in September 2016.

Nora and Khon are among Thailand’s most significant performing arts. The Department of Cultural Promotion under the Ministry of Culture in 2009 declared Khon as the national Intangible Cultural Heritage.

UNESCO’s inscription of Nora on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity reads:

“Nora is a lively and acrobatic form of dance theatre and improvisational singing from Southern Thailand. Performances normally include a long oral invocation, followed by a presentation by a lead character who dances with vigorous and elaborate movements of the legs, arms, and fingers.

The performances are usually based on stories about the former lives of Buddha or about legendary heroes. An ensemble plays highly rhythmic and fast-paced music with a traditional Southern oboe providing the melody and strong rhythms produced by drums, gongs, cymbals, and wooden clappers.

The main Nora performers – whether male or female – wear colourful costumes with crowns or headdresses, beads, bird-like wings tied around the waist, ornate scarves, and swan tails that give them a bird-like appearance. Performers also wear long, metallic fingernails that curl out from the fingertips.

Nora is a community-based practice with deep cultural and social significance for the people of Southern Thailand. Performances use regional dialects, music, and literature to reinforce cultural life and social bonds among local people.

Over 500 years old, Nora is performed in local community centres and at temple fairs and cultural events, and is passed on through training by masters in homes, community organisations and educational institutions.”

Source: The Tourism Authority of Thailand 

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Before You Arrive

Requirements:

• Travel by air from the approved countries/territories where travellers must have stayed for 21 days or more.
• Returning Thais and foreign residents, who previously travelled from Thailand, are exempt from this requirement.

Required Documents:

• A Certificate of Vaccination (fully vaccinated) with an approved vaccine at least 14 days before travelling.
• Those previously infected within 3 months must have received 1 dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before travelling.
• Travellers under 12 years of age, travelling with parents or guardians, are exempt from the vaccination requirement.
• A Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued
  no more than 72 hours before travelling (all travellers).
• A confirmed payment for a 1-night stay at SHA+, AQ, OQ, or AHQ accommodation, and 1 RT-PCR test.
• An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$50,000.

Applying for a Thailand Pass

• Register for a Thailand Pass at https://tp.consular.go.th/ (available from 1 November, 2021). Until then, apply for a Certificate of Entry (COE) at https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/.
• Upload the required document (along with the valid visa/re-entry permit, if required), and allow 3-5 working days for the approval process. Wait for the approval of the Vaccine Certification and paid accommodation, including the RT-PCR test.
• Confirm the approval, and receive a Thailand Pass QR Code (or COE).

Arrival in Thailand

• Present the Thailand Pass QR Code (or COE) to the Health Control to carry out checks, then proceed through the Immigration procedures.
• Undergo the RT-PCR COVID-19 test at the reserved accommodation, or the pre-arranged test centre.
• (Children aged under 6 years have a saliva test.)
• Proceed to the hotel by the pre-arranged airport transfer. (Distance from the airport within 2 hours.)
• Download and install the MorChana application at the hotel.

During Your Stay

• Wait for the test result within the hotel room.
• If testing negative for COVID-19, you will receive an Antigen Test Kit (ATK) for COVID-19 self-testing on Day 6-7.
• Get an alert for the self ATK testing on Day 6-7, and to record the result in the MorChana application.
• Practice the D-M-H-T-T-A precautions: D – Distancing, M – Mask wearing, H – Handwashing, T – Temperature check, T – Testing for COVID-19, and A – alert application.

When You Are Leaving

Free to go anywhere in Thailand or leave Thailand to other countries. However, travellers are advised to follow the guidelines and measures announced by the respective province/country of their destination.

SOURCE: Tourism Authority of Thailand 

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