“Through this project, we use high-quality map data from authoritative sources around the world and then apply a mix of advanced algorithms, supplemental data (including satellite, aerial and Street View imagery), and human input to help create a map that mirrors the real world as closely as possible,” explains Brian McClendon, VP Google Maps and Google Earth.

“For example, the updated map for Thailand now provides more comprehensive information about the Bangkok city center,” adds McClendon. ” So next time you happen to find yourself needing to cross the Chao Phraya River, you’ll be able to see that many ferry routes across the river are now mapped in greater detail, with route names shown and piers clearly marked. You can also pinpoint nearby points of interest, such as the Grand Palace and other sites like Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha).”

Google has added more info to the maps as well, including improved local language labels and more detailed coverage of prominent places, such as universities and hospitals.

Additionally, Google is now including more of Thailand and Indonesia’s natural geography. Many of Indonesia’s 17,000 islands, for example, are appearing on Google Maps for the first time. This includes Komodo Island.

This week, Google also released its biggest update to date for Street View.

Thailand’s The Nation reports that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is looking into the channel’s decision to pull the episodes. The matter has reportedly been handed to a subcommittee, and a resulting report is expected next week.

That publication cites a poll finding that 96% of survey respondents do not agree with the decision, with 77% of them indicating that they believe the government is involved. The furor over the show’s cancellation, which has picked up global attention thanks to a report from the Associated Press, has even led to a group of hackers taking over Channel 3′s website, posting the message: “Where’s my Nua Mek?” though it was reportedly only up for about 15 minutes.

YouTube has a number of clips from the show, starting with the following teaser:

Arrested Development fans here in the U.S. know what it’s like to lose a beloved TV show early. Thankfully, we’ve been lucky enough to see the show resurrected for Netflix (due out in May). Hopefully fans of Nua Mek 2 will get to see their lost episodes at some point.

Although authorities are uncertain as to where, precisely, the corpses came from, they believe the man intended to use them as part of a black magic ritual that is supposed to bring prosperity and good fortune. Officials believe that Chow Hok Kuen, who was arrested in the Chinatown district of Bangkok, was intending to smuggle the fetuses into Taiwan.

Kuman thong, an ancient Chinese ritual, is still prevalent in China. Some people are of the belief that dead babies and fetuses have “good spirit”, and can bring luck to those who possess them.

“We have to send the bodies for forensic test to identify whether they were foetuses, removed illegally by abortion, or corpses of babies,” arresting officer Lt. Col. Kittima Thongchai explained to the BBC.

If found guilty of the crimes, Kuen could face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to 2,000 Thai baht, which, at the current exchange rate, is roughly $63.88.

Although there were no signs of an impending tsunami, residents were urged to move to higher ground as a precaution and several fishermen were called in to land. The quake sent panic through those affected as memories of the devastating tsunami disaster in 2004, which claimed over 230,000 lives in 13 different countries, no doubt became fresh in their minds again. The magnitude of that quake was 9.1. Recent news reports say the tsunami warning has been called off, but officials are urging residents to be cautious and are continuing with evacuations.

Early reports say that phone lines are down, traffic jams are clogging the streets as people move to safer ground, and the power is out for thousands. There are no reports of major damage so far, although Oxfam International tweeted that they were at the ready for anyone who needed assistance.

After six short months, it is with great pleasure that imagery of greater Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket is now available on Google Maps. We hope that locals in these areas find the panoramic views helpful for finding their way around their cities, discovering new restaurants and shops, and promoting their businesses online. Tourists can also get a preview of Thailand when planning vacations, figuring out travel logistics about the exact places to visit, or simply looking for more examples of the country’s hidden beauty.

So let us go then, you and I, to the outside of Bangkok’s Grand Palace. While the elegance of the palace itself should unquestionably be observed, more peculiar is what’s happening in the street outside of the palace: you can see where the Google Street View car nearly mowed over a pair of jaywalking pedestrians (actually, the people survived the near-hit – once you advance the Street View, you can turn around and see that the duo are still walking in the middle of the street). Honestly, if the Google Street View trip down Thanon Na Phra Lan is any indication of the haphazard traffic in Bangkok, then I hope I never have to drive there.

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Here you can see the highly ornate Buddhist temple, Wat Arun, named after the Indian God of Dawn. Founded in the 1800s and later that century restored by King Rama II, the monastery has many aspects of mythology built into its structure and, if you zoom in a bit, you’ll see that each level of the temple is supported by rows of monkeys and dragons.

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A little over five hundred miles south of Bangkok, the Google Street View car took a drive along the coast of the Paem Phrom Thep peninsula on the island of Phuket. Given how beautiful the timing was on Google Maps’ visit to the coast, one starts to wonder if they’ve developed an app to control the position of the sun because the panoramas on the Street View here are enthralling.

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So yeah, thanks again, Google Maps and Street View, for making my wunderlust for amazing places even more intense.

The study states that 18 to 24-year-olds are the largest group of Facebook users in Thailand, and suggests that all the pregnancy keeps happening because the demographic keeps posting “seducing messages or video clips online.”

Thai blogger Saksith Saiyasombut’s response to the post states that the real problem is that Thailand has a severe problem with sexual education. Saiyasombut cited a compulsory test in order to advance to upper secondary school after the first three years of high school, that asked students, “What should you do if you have a sexual urge?” The correct answer, apparently, was to “call friends to go play football.” Allegedly, people are not playing enough soccer, and are getting on Facebook too much instead.

Thailand apparently is quick to censor websites, and was the first country to adopt Twitter’s censorship policy. So, Facebook can just be blocked, if the pregnancies get further out of hand.

Thailand will be the 47th country outside the United States where Groupon has launched their service.

“We are very excited to expand the benefits of Groupon to customers and merchants in Thailand,” said Damian Kemner, CEO of Groupon Thailand. “Groupon allows Thai consumers to experience a wide range of amazing offers and experiences they won’t find anywhere else. With our selected merchants, we create exclusive campaigns that allow them unparalleled access to our customer base while gaining market exposure to drive new business.”

Groupon Thailandแฟน ๆ Groupon ประเทศไทยเตรียมตัวให้พร้อม ของขวัญสุดพิเศษรอคุณอยู่ ที่นี่ เร็ว ๆ นี้! 1 hour ago · 4 likes · 1 comment

My Thai is a little rusty, but with the help of Google Translate I determined that the above Facebook post tells Groupon fans to get ready, it’s on the way soon.

Groupon Thailand is now up and running and their page says that Groupon will help people fall in love with Bangkok again:

Bangkok is an amazing city, and Thailand is an amazing country. The world isn’t bad, either! Groupon is the best way to fall in love again with Bangkok, Thailand, and explore the world. We’ll help you discover the best things to do, see, eat and buy…just sign up for our newsletter and we’ll make sure of it!

Earlier this month, Groupon released their Q4 earnings – their first reported since going public. They posted a 194% increase in revenue year over year, but a net loss of $37 million in Q4. One possible reason for this was thought to concern their expansion into foreign markets.

Last week, we learned that Groupon was launching a VIP service that will allow members to have extended access to their daily deals.

Thailand was the first country to announce that they would be taking advantage of Twitter’s new policy to police tweets that would be offensive or break the law in their country. The Washington Post is reporting that the country’s technology minister, Anudith Nakornthap, said the new policy was a “constructive” development.

Nakornthap said it was good that Twitter is cooperating with governments to make sure basic rights are not violated through social media.

What basic rights are being protected? Thailand has already blocked over a thousand websites that contain anti-monarchy content since December. We can only assume that they will be doing the same with tweets.

It’s only a matter of time before more countries jump on board the censorship wagon. Good thing Twitter already has a work around to remove that pesky censorship.

According to Reuters, Svay Sitha, the secretary of state of Cambodia’s Council of Ministers, wrote a letter to Google complaining about its interpretation of the area where Cambodia and Thailand touch.

"(The map) is devoid of truth and reality, and professionally irresponsible, if not pretentious," Sitha said.  "We therefore request that you withdraw the already disseminated, very wrong and not internationally recognised map and replace it.

Google probably won’t just swap in Cambodia’s favorite map and call it a day, of course; that would upset Thailand.  This isn’t the first time Google’s been caught up in a border dispute, though (China and India have involved it before, and so have India and Pakistan), meaning it’s possible to guess how this will play out.

The odds essentially favor Google coming up with three maps.  One will be for users in Cambodia, another will be for users in Thailand, and the last will be for everyone else.  The first two will show borders favoring their respective countries, while the third will use dotted lines to illustrate the dispute.

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The governments concern stems from an arrest of a monk who used a social networking site to convince a woman to visit his temple and then raped her.  "I call on Hi5 users to tell the monks to leave the site if they are found using it," junior minister Jakrapob Penkair told reporters after a Buddhist monitoring group said some monks were acting inappropriately on the site.

Thai media reported on Tuesday that a 23-year-old monk was caught raping a teenager he lured to his room via the Web site. "I am upset by this," Jakrapob said. "Any sort of misdeed caused by monks results in the deterioration of Buddhism."

Jakrapob said the government had to weigh the pros and cons of blocking the Web site from access by Buddhist monks and noted that the site was useful for online visitors to search for information and job opportunities.

Phrathepwisuthikawi, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Planning of Mahamakut Buddhist University said that monks should not be banned from the Web site if they are using it for religious purposes.

"If monks use the website to propagate Buddhist teaching, it’s not wrong," he explained. "It must be considered case by case."