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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Scottish man fights for his life in Thai hospital
A Scottish man is fighting for his life in a Thai hospital after a virus triggered a respiratory disease and rendered him unconscious while on holiday. Robert Kessell flew to Thailand on November 24 for a three-week holiday but was struck by illness on Thursday, December 8. The 66 year old, from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, was rushed to Pattaya…
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Thai police rescue pregnant woman walking 600 kilometres from Isaan to Bangkok
With just 50 baht to her name, a pregnant woman attempted to walk from Ubon Ratchathani in northeast Thailand to Bangkok yesterday in search of a new start. She decided to undertake the arduous journey after she was betrayed by her Thai boyfriend of five years. Yesterday, officers from Warin Chamrap Police Station stopped to help a woman of Tai…
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American man dies after jumping from 3rd floor of Phuket Airport
An American man died yesterday after he reportedly jumped off the 3rd floor of the Phuket Airport passenger terminal. The 35 year old American, who was later identified as Jason, jumped from the 3rd floor smoking area of Phuket Airport at about 3pm yesterday. The airport rescue team and medical workers rushed to the scene to provide first aid and…
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At least 10 dead & 30 injured in fierce casino fire in Cambodia
At least 10 people died in a fierce fire incident in the early hours of this morning at the Grand Diamonds City and Casino in Poipet city in Cambodia, on the border with Thailand. According to a report on Channel 3, the blaze started on the 7th and 8th floors of a 17-storey building in the Grand Diamonds City at…
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German man’s yacht vanishes from Phuket, Thailand
A search is underway to locate ‘Marco Polo,’ a German man’s yacht, which mysteriously vanished from a pier in Phuket, southern Thailand, yesterday morning. At 11am, 58 year old Marco Käfer of German nationality found that his eponymous boat was missing from Phuket’s charming Nai Harn Beach in Rawai district. Concerned Käfer was informed by a witness that three people…
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VIDEO: air rage incident on Thai Smile Airways flight from Bangkok to Kolkata
Footage of an air rage incident emerged yesterday of two Indian passengers swapping punches on a flight from Bangkok to Kolkata in India. A passenger recorded footage of the fracas and uploaded it to social media where it quickly went viral. It captures two men swapping insults, then punches after boarding a Thai Smile Airways flight that was set to…
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Thailand should impose restrictions on Chinese tourists, says Pheu Thai MP
News that China is opening its borders to foreigners and relaxing Covid-19 restrictions was widely welcomed by Thailand yesterday as it looks to further boost its tourist economy. Today, MPs are warning that Thailand should tread lightly and impose restrictions on potential Covid-carrying Chinese tourists otherwise the kingdom could face another potential catastrophic pandemic. Former Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisang,…
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Chinese tourists may bring growing pains to the Thai travel industry
While people in the tourism and entertainment sector are celebrating China’s announcement to reopen and allow outgoing travel, others have raised fears about the potential problems that could come with an influx of Chinese tourists. Some fear an overwhelming surge of Chinese tourists flooding Thailand’s hotspots. Others worry that the healthcare systems in Thailand could be overburdened by the influx…
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Thai police arrest gang of Chinese visa overstayers in Bangkok
Thailand’s Immigration Police arrested a gang of Chinese visa overstayers in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok yesterday. On Monday, North Bangkok District Court issued a search warrant for a property in Soi Sermsuk to investigate a group of “suspicious aliens.” Officers from the Immigration Bureau searched the property yesterday and found that seven Chinese nationals were staying there. All seven…
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Coach bus driver praised after giving free rides from central Thailand to Isaan
Thai netizens hailed a bus driver for offering free rides to anyone wishing to spend the festive season with their families in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo. The free trip was from Samut Prakarn province in central Thailand which was nearly 200 kilometres long. The Facebook page Spotlight Bangpoo (สปอร์ตไลท์บางปู) announced the free rides from Samut Prakarn to Sa Kaeo…
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Thai woman hides 400 yaba pills in vagina to cover for drug-dealing husband
A Thai woman hid 402 pills of yaba (methamphetamine) inside her vagina in an attempt to cover for her drug-dealing husband during a raid at his house in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand on Monday. As the sun rose on Monday, officers from Ban Had Police Station raided the home of a suspected drug trafficker. Police were met by…
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Amateur gunmaker learned how to make guns on YouTube
An amateur gunmaker confessed to police that he bought gun parts through a Lazada app and learned how to make the weapons on YouTube after officers swooped to make an arrest following a tip-off. Police raided the gunmaker’s house in the Sattahip district in Chon Buri at 11pm yesterday and arrested him on charges of illegally making guns and selling…
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Thai shooting champion accused of murder
A Thai shooting champion was arrested yesterday in connection with a murder case six years ago in the southern province of Surat Thani. The marksman denied all allegations, claiming that he is a professional and wouldn’t have missed the target like those already charged. A kratom seller hired three gunmen to murder another kratom seller, 54 year old Thawatchai Wichianchai,…
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Top 5 foreign nationalities buying condos in Thailand in 2022
Chinese nationals bought the most condos out of any foreign nationality in Thailand this year despite the difficulties posed by Beijing’s strict Covid-19 restrictions, which are finally easing up after three years. In Thailand, foreigners are permitted to own 49% of the units in any condominium building. The remaining 51% must have Thai ownership. Although fewer Chinese bought condos in…
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South Koreans can carry on bonking sex dolls after import ban is lifted
South Koreans have been told to carry on bonking their adult-sized sex dolls after an import ban on the inflate-a-mates was lifted. The Korea Customs Service gave the green light on Monday to allow adult-shaped dolls through customs but added that child-like dolls resembling minors are still prohibited and will be confiscated. There are no laws or regulations prohibiting the…
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Pace Launches Media Campaign on Tuk-Tuks – Buy Now Pay Later With 0% Interest
SPONSORED Pace is a Buy Now Pay Later service from Singapore which helps consumers split payments into 3 months with 0% interest. Since late 2017, there are now more than 100 participating stores and 2000 points of sale across Thailand. Popular brands such as Nike, Superdry, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Bath & Body Works, EVEANDBOY, Mango, Aldo, Boardriders, OWNDAYS and…
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HTMS Sukhothai update: Thai navy confirms 22 dead, 7 missing
At 8.20am today, the body of a Thai navy sailor from the sunken HTMS Sukhothai was found on the coast of Koh Samet island, Chumphon province, southern Thailand. In a press release, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy Admiral Pokrong Monthatphalin said that 76 out of 105 crew members survived after the ship went down off the coast of Prachuap…
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Survey reveals which Thai provinces drink the most alcohol
On Monday, a doctor gave an interesting lecture about provincial alcohol consumption in Thailand at a conference held by the Centre of Addiction Studies in Bangkok. Dr Athip Tan-Aree, M.D., from Srithanya Hospital in Nonthaburi province, revealed the results of a nationwide survey that asked 84,000 Thai respondents questions about their alcohol drinking habits. The survey found that 28% of…
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Police arrest man high on drugs in Koh Chang after high-speed chase
In a scene reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino movie, Thai police embarked on a high-speed car chase with a man high on drugs driving dangerously. The scene culminated in a man’s arrest after a two-hour standoff where shots were fired and police were threatened by a knife in Koh Chang in Trat, eastern Thailand. Koh Chang Police Station and Tourist…
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Destitute man walks 1,000 kilometres over 11 days with 2 daughters to find job
The heart-wrenching story of a destitute man who walked 1,000 kilometres over 11 days to find work to feed his two starving children has a happy ending. The jobless man, Norraphat, and his two daughters, aged 10 and 12 years old, began their long arduous journey from a relative’s house in the Tung Wa district of Satun on December 11.…
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Thailand’s national park chief released on bail for 400,000 baht
Thailand‘s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) released the Chief of National Parks Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya on bail for 400,000 baht this morning after detaining him on corruption charges yesterday. After interrogating Rutchada and collecting collateral of 400,000 baht, NACC officials agreed to release Rutchada, citing that he is not considered a flight risk due to having a stable and high-ranking…
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Royal Thai Police ordered to find Red Bull Heir and deliver justice
The Thai prime minister wrapped up the government’s last Cabinet meeting of 2022 by demanding the Royal Thai Police (RTP) find Red Bull Heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya and prosecute him. The 37 year old fled Thailand over ten years ago after a hit-and-run incident killed a police officer, Wichian Klanprasert, in Bangkok, on September 3, 2012. Boss, then 27, was…
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CNN selects Bangkok and ICONSIAM’s firework shows as one of world’s 10 ‘Great Places for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve’
CNN has selected Bangkok as one of the world’s 10 ‘Greats Places for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve and listed ICONSIAM’s magnificent fireworks display at the “Amazing Thailand Countdown” as an ‘amazing fireworks show’ and place at which to ring in the New Year. The recognition reinforces ICONSIAM as Thailand’s premier ‘Global Countdown Destination’ after many years of standing out…
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Gold thief begs for freedom after being trapped by security door
All that glitters is not gold, so the aphorism goes, as an ex-con found out when he returned to his old ways and tried to steal a gold necklace. He got trapped by the shop’s security door trying to steal the precious item and was sent back to jail despite pleading with the shop owner for his freedom. The owner…
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Thai park ranger ‘Chaiwat’ working in civil service despite murder charges
Despite Thai park ranger Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn being accused of murdering Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen in western Thailand in 2014, he is still working in the civil service. According to Section 101 of Thailand’s Civil Service Act (2008), any civil servant with criminal charges pressed against them should be suspended from government service pending the result of the investigation. In…
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Govt official allegedly caught red-handed accepting bribes
Police today allegedly caught a government official red-handed accepting a bribe when they swooped to arrest the man at his Bangkok office. Officers raiding the premises also confiscated 5 million baht from the official’s office, reported Bangkok Post. Counter Corruption Division (CCD) commander Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, and his team, arrested Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya, the head of the…
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New Zealander falls to death from train in Thailand
A man from New Zealand fell to his death from a train in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand this morning. The tourist, 45 year old Patrick Ward, was taking a video of the view on Thailand’s most scenic railway route, the “Death Railway,” when he fell at 11.50am. Ward used the train’s toilet before standing in the doorway between carriages.…
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Woman arrested for keeping protected birds as pets
A woman in the southern province of Chumphon faces up to five years in jail and a fine of up to 500,000 baht for keeping 37 protected birds as pets without permission. The woman insisted that she did not buy or obtain the birds illegally, the birds came to her of their own free will so decided to care for…
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Body of dead woman dumped in garbage bin in southern Thailand
Kura Buri Highway Department officers in the southern province of Phang Nga found a dead woman’s body dumped in a garbage bin on the roadside near the Khao Sok National Park at the border of Phang Nga and Surat Thani yesterday. The murderer is still on the run. Highway department officer Makesuwan Suphannamok told the media that he and his…
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South Korean man dies from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ upon return from Thailand
Health officials in South Korea confirmed that a Korean national died from a disease known as “brain-eating amoeba.” He had not long returned from Thailand. In the first case of its kind in South Korea, a man “in his 50s” died from a Naegleria fowleri infection, commonly known as brain-eating amoeba, according to a report released by the Korea Disease…
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