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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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Love for driving fast leads to fatal crash
Shortly after expressing his love for driving fast, a young man has died in a high speed motorcycle crash in Bangkok. He wrote on Facebook yesterday saying that when riding solo… “I can go as fast as I wish.” 2 hours later, he died. A witness said the 21 year old motorcyclist from Lopburi was speeding by when he smashed…
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His Majesty doesn’t want Thailand to use the lèse-majesté law
His Majesty the King does not want to use Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws, which make it a crime to insult or criticise the royal family, but Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says people should still be careful what they say about the Thai monarchy. While the PM says the lèse-majesté law will not be used, other similar laws can still be…
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Outrage over 75,000 baht travel allowance for senior execs at Thai Airways
The deputy leader of Thailand’s Democrat Party, Samart Ratchapolsitte, has slammed Thai Airways management for granting senior executives a monthly 75,000 baht “travel allowance”. Posting on Facebook, he decries the allowance granted to anyone holding the position of executive vice president at the long-struggling airline. Thailand’s national carrier, run as a state enterprise until it filed for bankruptcy protection, is…
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Poll shows flea markets, supermarkets, most popular with Thais as lockdown easing continues
“46% of Thais want the Songkran holidays moved to the (western) New Year period.” A new poll shows that most Thais are anxious to return to markets and supermarkets first, as the country continues to relax the restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 crisis. A report in Nation Thailand says over 83% of those surveyed are prioritising markets, flea markets and supermarkets,…
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5 men, 2 boys accused of raping 12 year old girl
A 12 year old girl was allegedly raped by 7 people, all who were either her in-law relatives or neighbours in Suphan Buri, Central Thailand. 2 of the suspects were minors and will be questioned by police later on. The other 5 adult men were arrested. A physical examination shows the girl had been sexually assaulted. But, at this stage, all…
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Officer says sex-for-sale to be banned on infamous “happiness street”
Prostitution is supposedly being eliminated in the Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok, after two sex workers were caught on video not wearing face masks while soliciting customers. It would take a lot more than a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus during sex, but that’s apparently what sparked the attention. One police officer even said “there will be…
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Pattaya youth arrested after crashing truck following earlier hit-and-run
Police in Banglamung, just outside Pattaya, have arrested the 18 year old driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a power pole, having already been involved in a hit-and-run incident with another vehicle. A report in The Pattaya News says police were advised of the incident and on arrival, found a damaged BMW vehicle that had been hit by…
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Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble – Thailand’s international travel quandary
With apologies to William Shakespeare. You’re going to hear a lot more about travel bubbles in the next few months. Indeed it will become the ‘new normal’ in the short-term for Thailand’s battered tourism and hospitality industry. The world is NOT going to magically re-open up and travel as they did before, at least not in the next few years.…
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Police fail to respond to serious domestic violence call
A woman said she was pistol-whipped by her ex-boyfriend, but police did nothing when she first reported the incident. No police responded to the scene. In a photo she posted on social media, her head is down like she had just been hit and blood splattered on the seat. Orawan Singkum wrote in Thai, translated by Google, that her ex…
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Thailand enters Phase 4 of re-opening, curfew lifted
From today, 95% of Thailand’s businesses have been given permission to reopen as the country enters Phase 4 of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. However, nightlife establishments such as pubs, bars and karaoke venues remain closed, and the ban on international arrivals remains in force, with exceptions for repatriated Thais. and foreigners who hold work permits. The national curfew has…
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Thais continue to provide for the spirits despite tough times
Spirits don’t rest in Thailand, even when there’s a nationwide lockdown and viral pandemic swirling around the world. Thai people continue to give what they can to provide for the spirits, even if it’s just a glass of water or Fanta, placing offerings by trees where spirits live, or on spirit houses which are often outside homes and businesses. One…
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Airbnb bookings rise by 13% as domestic travel restrictions in Thailand eased
Airbnb Thailand has reported a 13% increase in domestic bookings year-on-year, as travel restrictions across the country are lifted and Thais and expats begin to move around more. Domestic holiday markets in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea are also reporting similar increases. Airbnb says that between June 5-7 and for the first time since February, the company recorded…
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Court adds “drive through” for filing complaint and documents
One court just north of Bangkok is providing drive through service to ensure social distancing and protect people from a potential return of the coronavirus. People can now stay in their cars, or on their motorbikes, when they file complaints or submit documents to the Thanyaburi Provincial Court. The service is supported the Supreme Court president who wants to bring…
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Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners
If approved by authorities, foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period. They’ll be tracked through a smart phone application to make sure they stay in their “bubble.” The plan is being prepared for an approval from the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration…
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Fears over “second wave” as China reports new outbreak in Beijing suburb
Beijing has once again instigated tight controls as China reports 49 new cases of the Covid-19 virus, 36 of which are in the Fengtai district. Until recently, the city had gone more than 50 days without any new cases, but it has now recorded 36 new cases on two consecutive days. This is the highest number of daily cases since…
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Borders start to reopen in Europe but restrictions on free travel remain
From today, a number of European countries will tentatively open their borders to some travellers, but total freedom of movement is still a long way off. The 22 EU countries, that are members of the Schengen area, normally enjoy restriction-free border crossings, but Covid-19 has put an end to that for now, and while some are opening up strict controls…
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Songkhla teen charged with attempted murder after stabbing his mother
A teenage boy allegedly stabbed his mother multiple times because, he told police, he couldn’t live up to her expectations and said he wanted the freedom to make his own decisions without parental scrutiny. The 16 year old boy is charged with attempted murder and use of a deadly weapon. The mother has serious injuries but is in stable condition.…
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Phase 3 easing generated 200 billion baht into Thai economy
Phase 3 of Covid-19 restriction easing, which began June 1, has generated 200 billion baht of additional cash flow into the economy. With many other establishments returning to business as usual tomorrow, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has launched a forum for the brainstorming of ideas on the next business trends under the “new normal,” that must comply with health…
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Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 1 new imported coronavirus case and no new deaths today taking the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,135 since the outbreak began in January. The death toll remains at 58. The CCSA says the new case is a 35 year old female Thai student who returned from the US last Monday.…
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Tourist attractions get ready for tomorrow’s Phase 4 easing
Thailand’s Interior Ministry has ordered all provincial governors to manage their tourist attractions in preparation for Phase 4 of Covid-19 lockdown relaxation, which begins tomorrow. The ministry’s permanent secretary said yesterday that after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered related authorities to manage beach attractions, the ministry instructed provincial governors nationwide to manage their tourist attractions as follows: Prepare tourist attractions,…
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Bangkok removing trees to make way for underground walkways
As part of a new “landscape improvement project,” the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has begun removing trees along Na Phra Lan Road, to pave the way for an underground network of walkways. 34 trees on the road will be removed, and the “Silpakorn Nokrob” (around Silpakorn) Facebook page yesterday called the decision “heartbreaking” for locals and conservationists. In April the BMA…
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Pattaya to upgrade 6 U-turns after public outcry
6 U-turns in the greater Pattaya City area are being upgraded to prevent road accidents, after a recent spate of fatalities. Pattaya City’s mayor told The Pattaya News yesterday that the improvements are being carried out to make the U-turn areas wider and safer. “6 U-turns on Sukhimwit Road are being fixed and constructed from Jittapawan Temple to the Makro…
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Bangkok’s sky park bridging the Chao Phraya ready for opening
Bangkok now has an elevated garden overlooking the Chao Phraya River, after architects transformed a portion of an abandoned electric train project into a green pedestrian bridge. For 30 years, the unfinished Saphan Phut line stood as a reminder of the Lavalin Skytrain project, which was abandoned in 1992. The project began in 1984 under former PM Prem Tinsulanonda. Today…
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Rubber roads will help Thai growers, increase safety
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony of an agreement to use local Thai rubber in road construction, part of an effort to help the country’s financially strapped rubber farmers. Prayut praised the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as well as Prince of Songkhla University, the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, the…
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Crowned bats captured, studied as possible Covid-19 carriers
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, are researching whether Thailand’s “crowned bats” could carry or transmit the Covid-19 coronavirus. The chief of the department’s wildlife health management section says they went to a cave in in the eastern province of Chanthaburi, home to millions of the bats, to capture more…
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6 major zoos, 127 national parks to reopen tomorrow in Thailand
Starting Monday, 6 of Thailand’s major zoos will reopen for visitors free of charge, and 127 of the country’s 155 national parks are also set to open their doors again. The minister of natural resources and environment told a press briefing that Chon Buri’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo, Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, Songkhla Zoo, Khon Kaen Zoo, Ubon…
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No Aussie dollars in Thailand for at least 3 months
As Thailand starts to poke its head out over the Covid-19 parapet and look towards its travel future, there is at least one country that won’t be lining up at Thai immigration any time soon. Australians, an enduring stalwart of Thai tourism traffic, are banned from leaving the shores of the land downunder for at least another 3 months. The…
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Policeman uses beer and hometown connection to coax man down from Bangkok building – VIDEO
A policeman in Bangkok has prevented a man from leaping to his death by chatting to him in his own dialect in an attempt to reassure him. A report in Coconuts says the police officer told the man there was nothing to be afraid of, pointing out they were both from the same hometown. VIDEO: RDNewsCH3 It’s understood the man,…
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Thai road deaths surpass 6,000 for year to date
Thailand’s publicly announced goal of a maximum 664 road deaths per year from 2020 now seems fanciful, by a factor of 10 of more. The Daily News reports that as of yesterday, the death toll at the scene of traffic incidents in Thailand since the beginning of the year stood at 6,120. 43 died at the incident scenes on Wednesday…
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Covid-19 update: 5 new cases, all imported (June 13)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced that 5 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the previous 24 hours. All 5 were imported cases of Thai students returning from Saudi Arabia. No new deaths were reported. The total number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the outbreak in Thailand now stands at 3,134. The death toll remains at…
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