News
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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Musk’s Twitter: hate speech spikes, execs sacked, Trump happy
The takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk began with an awkward stab at a humorous tweet, the sacking of some top executives, and a LOT of hate speech. The site saw an immediate sharp rise in hate speech and disinformation posts by users who believe Musk’s anti-censorship stance will usher in a Twitter free-for-all. Public feelings are mixed about the…
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Turkey raises terrorism red flags over nordic NATO apps
Finland and Sweden plan to join NATO at the same time, but such a united front has prompted Turkey to raise questions about both applications. The two Nordic countries applied to join the alliance in May, partly in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but have since run into trouble from Turkey. Ankara accuses the two of harbouring dissident groups…
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Stealing from the Red Cross – How low can Thailand’s corrupt officials go?
Two local administration officials in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district were arrested on Friday accused of taking bribes. Barely a day, or perhaps even an hour, goes by in Thailand at this time without accusations of corruption and bribe taking against the police or government officials. In this case, the two Sattahip officials demanded that a guesthouse operator make a fake…
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“Where is Nancy?” Man attacks US Speaker Pelosi’s husband with hammer
Fueled by rhetoric from former President Donald Trump and Q-Anon conspiracy theories, a man broke into the home of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer while demanding to see her. The attack is seen by many as a foreshadowing of potential political violence with the upcoming midterm elections in the United States just one…
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This weekend: Thailand Comic Con 2022 in Bangkok
For those who need a bit of an escape from reality, Thailand Comic Con 2022 is being held in Bangkok this weekend. The pop culture event has long been massively popular in the US and around the world. And from Friday to Sunday, the people of Thailand and those currently residing in Bangkok can experience the convention of all things…
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Hornbills fly again over Lampang Chae Son
Absent from Thailand’s northern forests for more than 20 years, a pair of great hornbills have been released into Lampang Chae, Son National Park. The release was described by the Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO) director Attaporn Srihayrun as only the first batch of birds that the organisation plans to return to the wild. The ZPO first bred great hornbills in…
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Palang Pracharath Party could be dissolved, ex-acting PM banned
The fallout continues after a drug bust at a karaoke venue in Bangkok revealed that the owner had previously donated 3 million baht to the Palang Pracharath Party. Now, the political party may face dissolution due to accepting what is believed to be “grey money” donations, with top officials being banned from politics. Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said that…
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Thailand’s First Food Rescue App “Yindii” | Thaiger Podcast Ep.10
https://youtu.be/MZjQ480O7hI Welcome to Yindii Thailand food Nobody likes to see food wasted. Sadly, 33% of all food produced worldwide is either wasted or lost, amounting to around 1.5 billion tons of food squandered annually. Ecological disaster, really. Resources like labor, water, land, and energy used to make the food also go to waste in addition to the food itself. 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by waste! In an effort to assist on a local level, Yindii is on a mission to combat the issue of food waste. Here at Yindii, we deal with tasty, high-quality surplus food that supermarkets and restaurants must discard at the end of the day due to an oversupply of the item. This can be premium bakeries that must bake fresh every day or buffet restaurants that restock wholesome food right up to closing time. Make a difference for Thailand while taking advantage of the N.1 surplus food delivery with flash sales & unbelievably discounted prices!…
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Thai policeman & govt official arrested for selling personal info to scam call centre
A police officer and a government official have been arrested for selling the personal information of Thai people to scam call centre gangs. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, revealed today that two government officials were involved with a scam call centre gang, and have been prosecuted for their actions. The first officer is a police…
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Police say US gunman’s weapon was taken from him a week before attack
More details have emerged on the horrific shooting in the US on Monday. Police said that the gunman’s weapon had been taken from him about a week before he shot and killed a teacher and student at the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in St. Louis. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, also injured seven others in…
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Stockholm’s fugitive king cobra found hiding in wall cavity
While Thailand suffers a plague of serpents, driven out of their natural hiding places by recent flooding, a king cobra, broke out of a new enclosure in a Swedish zoo only days after it arrived. The frightened reptile was found early on Thursday morning, hiding only a few metres from its enclosure. The reptile escaped by squirming through a light…
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Gamblers allegedly cheated & attacked at casino in Bangkok
Two gamblers filed complaints to police saying that they were attacked at a casino in Bangkok run by a Chinese man. One of the gamblers reckons Bangkok has more than 100 gambling dens in the city despite gambling being illegal in Thailand, and that police insist there are zero casinos in the city. The founder of the non-profit organisation Saimai…
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Thai police seize drug kingpin’s luxury Bangkok house on Facebook Live
Thai police from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) went live on Facebook this morning to seize a 21 million baht luxury home in Bangkok’s Saphan Sung district. The house belonged to an alleged transnational drug trafficker and money launderer who police suspect has already fled Thailand. In August, police seized 945 kilograms of “Ice” (methamphetamine) hidden in…
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Police raid Bangkok clinic with unhealthy attitude to sex workers
A woman has been arrested on charges of operating a health clinic as a front for prostitution in a housing estate in Bangkok. The KL Health Clinic on Soi Nuanchan in Bung Kum was a front for sex services, according to police who raided the premises yesterday. Investigators arrested the owner of KL clinic Manthira Boonnipan, 35 years old, for…
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China’s ‘secret police stations’ anger Canada, Netherlands
Canada is investigating reports that secret Chinese “police stations” are operating in Toronto, amid reports of a global network used to target overseas dissidents. The Royal Canada Mounted Police is investigating “reports of criminal activity about the so-called police stations.” The revelations come days after the Dutch government said it was investigating two suspected stations. The news is also hot…
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Thais in top 5 most anxious, stressed nations in the world, says Gallup book
A new book published by Gallup reveals confidence is falling and stress and anxiety are rising among the people of Thailand. The book, Blind Spot, highlighted the percentage of Thai people who said they were worried for much of the previous day doubled between 2012 (18%) and 2019 (36%). It then surged again after the COVID-19 pandemic, to 50% in 2020…
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Malaysian man arrested in Bangkok for smuggling liquor
A Malaysian man was arrested yesterday after police discovered he smuggled liquor from abroad and manufactured alcohol with fake brand-name labels to sell in Bangkok. Police from the Patrol and Special Operation Division discovered the illegal activities of a 55 year old Malaysian man named Chan when they raided his house in the Min Buri district of Bangkok yesterday at…
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Soon-to-be bride tragically killed in car crash in central Thailand
A soon-to-be bride was tragically killed in a car crash in Thailand’s central province of Suphan Buri. The soon-to-be groom, meanwhile, was seriously injured. The future bride and groom were set to marry on November 6. Yesterday, the two had driven to the eastern Chachoengsao province to deliver eggs. On their way home, a fatal crash happened. The groom, 26…
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Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
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THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan
Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) announced Thai Airways (THAI) needs to raise 10 billion baht to ensure the company’s shareholding does not dip below 40%. The Finance Ministry, THAI’s biggest shareholder with a 47% stake, revealed plans are already underway to raise the finances and preserve its shareholding in the company. SEPO Director General Pantip Sripimol reported that the…
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Thailand to postpone new cash deposit machine rule after backlash
The implementation of Thailand’s new cash deposit machine (CDM) rule will be postponed after customers complained it would cause unnecessary inconvenience and extra fees for people who do not use credit/debit cards. The new rule will require anyone depositing money into their bank account using a CDM in Thailand to verify their identity with their debit/credit card and PIN. The…
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After Bangkok drug party raid, police investigate possible Chinese connections
After police raided a Bangkok drug party with hundreds of Chinese nationals on Wednesday, they are now investigating possible connections with a group of wealthy Chinese business owners. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, said the police are probing whether the business owners are behind the increasing number of unauthorised night venues in Bangkok’s Ratchada…
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Two Singaporean men arrested in Bangkok for selling ‘Happy Water’ to nightclubs
Bangkok police arrested two men from Singapore yesterday for allegedly producing a drug known as ‘Happy Water‘ and selling it to entertainment venues around the capital. Happy Water is made by mixing various drugs with sweetened drinks. The drug cocktail is not for the faint-hearted: it typically contains ecstasy, methamphetamine, caffeine, diazepam, and tramadol all in one. Police arrested 63…
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The dark and twisted history of Thailand’s “haunted” brothel in Kanchanaburi
Halloween is coming up, and you may be wondering what sort of spooky places exist in Thailand. One notorious spot is an abandoned house of disrepute, called ‘Brothel 35’, in Kanchanaburi province. The brothel was open from the mid-1960s until it closed in 1986. It has been nicknamed the ‘Prostitute Cemetary.’ The brothel is believed to be haunted due to…
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Thailand eager to take tourist overspill from Laos-China railway
Thailand believes it will take advantage of the spillover from the Laos-China high-speed railway once the mainland fully opens its borders next year. The Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) reckons about 3 million Chinese travelers will take advantage of the almost 423 kilometres electrified railway that runs between the Lao capital of Vientiane and Boten town in northern Laos…
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Man arrested for selling fake car license plates
A man was arrested today for selling fake car license plates to Thai drivers. The man, who earned more than 50,000 baht a month, said it was the easy way to make a living. The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Damrongsak Kittiprapas ordered a special investigation into the fake license plates after a drug trafficking gang was spotted using…
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Coral reefs off Chon Buri found diseased
There’s been some unfortunate news for all the ocean lovers out there. Coral reefs off Chon Buri’s Sattahip district and the Samae San island have this month been found to have yellow-band disease. The disease attacks and kills colonies of coral, according to the director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Yellow-band disease occurs when coral gets stressed…
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Chiang Rai opens skywalk with panoramic views of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos
A new skywalk has opened in the northern province of Chiang Rai at the meeting point between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar – also known as the ‘Golden Triangle.’ The “Three Lands Skywalk” stands about 486 feet above sea level and offers panoramic views of mountains, forests, and the Mekong River. The new attraction is located about 400 metres away from…
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Thai police hunt foreign fugitives ahead of APEC summit
There’s to be no respite for foreign fugitives hiding in Thailand, as immigration police refuse to rest in the run up to next month’s APEC Summit. Their mission? To guarantee absolute safety and security to world leaders set to gather in Bangkok for an epoch-making meeting. Three Chinese nationals and a Taiwanese man are the latest to feel the force of…
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Thailand to officially enter winter on October 29
Thailand will officially enter winter on Saturday, October 29, reports the Meteorological Department. The department says winter will last until the end of February 2023 and is expected to be colder than usual this year. Up in the mountains, temperatures will reach lows of 8 degrees Celsius, said the department. Earlier this month, the department said that Bangkok could reach…
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