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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Baby elephant saved after being snared in a hunter’s trap
A female baby elephant, less than a month old, has been found alone, with a rotten, worm-filled leg caused by a metal trap. The Nation reports that she was found by villagers in Khao Hoi Hua, Moo 8, Amphoe Khao Chamao, Rayong Province who alerted forest rangers from the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary and took her on the…
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Pickup truck crashes into canal in Phatthalung killing two
The driver of a pickup, along with his passenger friend, were killed and two women injured early today. The pickup careered off the road, hit a bridge, and dropped into a canal in Phatthalung’s Kong Ra district. Police say the accident happened in front of a mosque in Moo 6 village in Tambon Klong Chalerm. The pickup was stuck in…
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Junta supporters, Palang Pracharat party, raises 650 million baht at banquet
The pro-military Palang Pracharat party had the first of their big fund-raisers last night and raised an estimated 650 million baht – 50 million baht more than their initial projection. The banquet was held last night at the Impact Muang Thong Thanee convention hall. Almost 2,000 guests, mostly business people and politicians from different parties, attended the event to fill…
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19 Year old Thai girl dies from assault in Tokyo hotel
Photo: MX News Following several news reports by Japanese media outlets The Foreign Affairs Ministry has now confirmed the death of a 19 year old Thai woman in Tokyo, Japan. Initial reports say police were called by hotel staff when they heard loud screams from a woman after she had been heard arguing with a man in their room. Police…
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UPDATE: Second victim emerges in horrific Saraburi gang-rape
State agencies have become embroiled in a case in which an 11 year old schoolgirl (reported as 12 year old in yesterday’s news) is alleged to have been gang-raped by five teenagers last Sunday. The incident, that happened in Saraburi, has flared up after the girl’s father expressed concern that justice was not being served and that the accused had…
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UPDATE: The sea-going stray dog has disappeared from Ao Chalong
Saranyoo Hassanai, who works at Chalong Bay, has spoken to Newshawk Phuket about the stray dog that had been hanging around Ao Chalong Pier for the past month, seemingly intent in finding its owner. It jumps onto boats that are tied up to the pier, waiting to take tourists out to the islands. Last Monday, it jumped into the water trying…
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Plain tobacco packaging by September 2019
The Thai government has made a new legislative announcement regarding plain packaging for cigarette packets, making it the first country in Asia, and first low and middle-income country to do so. This legislation adds to the 2017 Tobacco Control Act, which currently mandates an individual must be 20 or older to purchase tobacco, bans tobacco advertising in the media, sponsorship,…
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Motorcyclist dies after collision with power pole in Koh Kaew
A motorbike driver has died at the scene after colliding with a power pole in Koh Kaew. Phuket City Police were notified of the incident on Thepkrasattri Road, northbound, before the entrance of the Bang Khu Underpass at 5am this morning. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the body of 20 year old Eakkarat Saelim from Nakhon Si Thammarat.…
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Pedestrian killed in Thalang after being hit by taxi
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket A man who was crossing Thepkrasattri Road early this morning was hit by a taxi and died at the scene. Thalang Police were notified of the incident on Thepkrasattri Road, northbound, in front of the Phra Nang Sang Temple in Thalang. Police and rescue workers arrived to find a taxi, with its front panels damaged, parked on…
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Rare species back at Similan Islands after tourist numbers restricted – VIDEO
PHOTOS: The Department of National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department PR Office VIDEO: Phuket Marine Natinal Parks Operation Centre 2 / Thanakorn Trakarntanasuk / Newshawk Phuket A pair of leopard sharks have been spotted at the Similan Islands following the restriction of the number of tourists visiting the archipelago. The Department of National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department PR Office…
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Thailand should prepare for global economic slowdown
The global economy is in disarray with no clear direction. This is the stark warning from Supachai Panitchpakdi, former director-general of the World Trade Organisation. He also says that the US-China trade war is having an adverse impact on investor confidence, Investors don’t know where to safely invest, because the trade war could easily disrupt global supply chains, he said. Supachai,…
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Bangkok Airways starts flights to Cam Ranh, Vietnam
Bangkok Airways is the latest airline to signal its intention to fly to Nha Trang beach and the Cam Ranh International Airport, the gateway to one of Vietnam’s popular holiday destinations. Cam Ranh is also an emerging destination in is own right with unspoilt beaches closer to the airport than the popular Nha Trang. Starting on January 25, Bangkok Airways…
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Bank of Thailand ups policy rate to 1.75 percent, first rise in 7 years
The Bank of Thailand has increased its policy rate by 25 points, up from 1.50 percent to 1.75 percent. It’s the first rise in seven years. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 5:2 to raise the one-day repurchase rate to 1.75 percent with immediate effect after the rate was kept unchanged for seven years, noting that the need to depend on relaxed…
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A Sarburi father alleges gang rape of his 12 year old daughter. A policeman called her a ‘slut’.
PHOTO: The grocery shop in Saraburi province where the alleged rape took place. A government official in Saraburi province, just north-east of Bangkok, has resigned after footage appeared of the official trying to force a 12 year old girl into saying she wasn’t gang-raped. The official, identified as Sangwan Sitthipanya and described as “a leading local administrator”, was forced to…
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Parents call for police to investigate suspicious death of Muay Thai daughter
Parents of the World Muay Thai women’s champ, found hanged in her room on Monday, say that they believe her death is suspicious and not suicide. They say, for a start, the rope mark around her nick is too low, believing that this is evidence that she was more likely strangled than hanging herself from the top of the door…
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Thai arrested over refusing to return a tourist’s lost phone
A Thai man has been arrested for refusing to return a smartphone to a Russian tourist who dropped it on a South Pattaya road three days ago. Pattaya police chief Pol Colonel Apichai Krobphet said 64 year old Niyom Sukcharoen faces a theft charge for refusing to report finding the Xiaomi Mi8 smartphone which been dropped outside a restaurant. Apichai…
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Political parties throwing extravagant dinners to raise election funds
The pro-Junta Palang Pracharat political party is expecting to raise 600 million baht from a grand fund-raising dinner named “One Thailand”. The event will be held tonight at Muang Thong Thanee in Bangkok. The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) appears to be winning over business leaders and the elite after selling most of the tables for tonight’s event. The event will…
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Reward offered to passenger who reported Phuket’s multi-tasking bus driver
PHOTO: The Phuket PR Office A 5,000 baht reward has been offered to the passenger who filmed and posted video of Phuket’s ‘multi-tasking’ bus driver. The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) has fined the Phuket to Songkhla bus driver who, last Saturday, was captured on video, driving a bus full of passengers, with his young son sitting on his lap and…
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New red flags set up at Maya Bay to prevent tourist swimmers
The Mu-Koh Phi Phi National Park Officers have set new red flags around Maya Bay to prevent boats and tourists swimming into the area. Red flags and signs have also been placed at the Bay’s entrance that to prevent entry and swimming into the closed bay. National park officer say that there were some tour boat operators who have suggested…
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Former prisoner shoots man’s son as ‘revenge’
A man, who had recently been released from prison for attempted murder, has shot and killed a man’s son. Police believe the father had ‘dobbed’ him into authorities on a weapon’s charge and was acting as revenge. But the father claims that it was all a misunderstanding and his son was now dead for no reason. Banmuang reports that Petchaburi…
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Three Russians detained in Thailand at the request of the US
Three Russian citizens have been detained in Thailand at the request of the United States in the last three years, head of the Consulate Department of the Russian Embassy in Thailand, Vladimir Pronin told reporters yesterday. “Only in the last three years, three Russians have been detained in Thailand at the US’ request, two of them – in 2018,” he stressed.…
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British tourist found dead in Bangkok hotel room
PHOTO: Facebook/Luke Ramage Police in Thailand are investigating the death of a British tourist in Bangkok, according to the British Foreign Office. The man has been identified by grieving friends. According to Sky News, Luke Ramage had only just arrived at his hotel when he was found unresponsive on his bed by a receptionist. Mr Ramage, from the town of…
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POP – Thailand’s first satellite-based rain algorithm
The daily forecast gives us an approximate idea of expected weather and rain. But now researchers have a new tool which will provide much more accurate predictions of precipitation around the Kingdom. The system will be an invaluable tool for water management and flood prevention. They’ve successfully developed Thailand’s first satellite-based algorithm to accurately estimate rainfall. “We call this algorithm…
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Thailand Yacht Show and Rendezvous – January 10-13
The fourth edition of the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous is set to take place in Phuket January 10-13 at Royal Phuket Marina. Targeting yachting enthusiasts and lifestyle-seekers from all over the region, the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous has become a key marketing platform and revenue generator for the industry, as well as positioning Thailand in its rightful place…
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Belgian hit-and-run victim urges driver to come forward
An elderly Belgian woman has been injured in a hit and run in Chiang Mai and now recovering in the Chiang Mai Hospital. The 78 year old is urging the motorist who injured her to come forward and apologise. Chiang Mai police deputy chief Pol Colonel Piyaphan Pattharapongsin on Tuesday said police were still trying to locate the driver of black…
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Motorcyclist crushed by truck in Thalang
A motorbike passenger has died following an incident with a truck in Thalang this morning. Thalang Police were notified of the accident on Thepkasattri Road southbound in Mueang Mai, Thalang. Police and rescue workers arrived to find the body of a woman, identified by police as Boonnam Thepnui from Pattalung. Her body was taken to the Thalang Hospital. A motorbike…
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If your motorbike is stolen, just wait a few days
Not only did he get his motorbike back, but he should go out and buy a lottery ticket. What are the chances…? The owner of a stolen motorcycle got his transport back three days later after a man ran out of petrol just in front of him in Songkhla’s Muang district on Tuesday. The owner of the motorcycle, identified only…
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Phuket beach back to normal after oil-spill clean-up
PHOTOS: The Phuket PR Office A beach in Ao Makham is almost back to normal following a big cleanup was launched to clear a black oil spill that had polluted 300 metres of shoreline yesterday. The oil spill was located along a beach at Ao Makham in Wichit over the weekend. It is believed to be from a big ship.…
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Dog cloning service in China starts at 1.8 million baht
PHOTOS: Reuters, Newsbook Meet Juice or “Guozhi” in Mandarin, a small one foot tall mongrel stray adopted from the streets turned into Chinese movie star. The nine year old canine actor was neutered at an early age and is unable to reproduce but as they say “the show must go on”. Introducing “Sinogene”, China’s first biotech company offering animal cloning…
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Social media helps re-unite dog and owner in Chiang Mai
Facebook users in Chiang Mai have banded together to locate a lost dog. 24 days ago it was frightened by the firecrackers on Loy Kratong night and ran away. Thanawat Jinawanit recounts how he and his aunt, Yaowamal Jinawanit, got the dog back from a temple in another tambon last Sunday after a Facebook user called him to report sighting…
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