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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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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Exiled Chinese Christians arrive safely in US from Thailand
A group of exiled Chinese Christians, who feared persecution if they were sent back to China, arrived safely in the United States. The group had been detained for overstaying their visas in Thailand, where they had been trying to arrange formal passage to the US. The group arrested included 63 members of China’s Mayflower Church. The group believed that Chinese…
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British tourists to Thailand: Are you really covered? Travel insurance warning for medical emergencies
British tourists travelling to Thailand are being warned that their travel insurance policies may not cover them in the event of a medical emergency. Most travel insurance is not designed to cover life-saving operations or expensive repatriation. The Association of British Insurers pointed out that 17% of all overseas claims are rejected due to lack of documentation, and the average…
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Two separate shootings rock South Thailand, claiming 5 victims
Two separate shootings rocked South Thailand yesterday, claiming a total of five victims. In Surat Thani province, an unidentified gunman shot four people dead at a house, including two former village heads and his wife. The gunman attacked the victims at a house in Khiri Rat Dikhom district. Police identified three of the victims as former village headman Thammarong Nilniyom,…
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Phuket motorbike crash claims life of Russian tourist
Another tragic road death has hit Phuket. A motorbike crash claimed the life of a Russian tourist on a rural road in central Phuket yesterday, The Phuket News reported. According to a report made to Thalang Police, a motorcycle with two foreigners flew off a small road and crashed, killing the driver on the spot. Police and rescuers arrived on…
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Phuket authorities catch third illegal Chinese worker this week
Phuket authorities caught an illegal Chinese worker at Phuket International Airport last night. The unnamed man is the third illegal Chinese worker caught at the airport this week. Phuket Immigration checkpoint reported the incident in a Facebook post today. According to the post, the man was arrested at around 7.15pm in the ‘tour parking lot.’ The man was handed over…
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Officials work with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Officials are working with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in the Kaiburi district of Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The Community-Based Tourism Promotion Project is a collaborative effort between the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Administration Organization, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and Agoda. Agoda will be promoting community-based tourism products and activities to its customers, including local homestays, cultural…
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Official says 1,000 Myanmar refugees voluntarily returned home from Thailand
After thousands of refugees fled Myanmar to Thailand due to the latest outbreak of violence, the deputy governor of Tak province, Surapol Wongsukphisarn, said yesterday that around 1,000 refugees had voluntarily returned home. This news comes after it was reported yesterday morning that thousands of people seeking refuge in Tak’s Mae Sot and Mae Ramat districts. The heavy fighting in…
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Phuket Police arrest Ukrainian woman for spray painting slogans at viewpoint
Phuket Police yesterday morning arrested a Ukrainian woman for spray painting slogans critical of Russia at a popular viewpoint. The 34 year old woman spray painted “#Russia is a terrorist state,” and “#Russia” on rocks and a bench at Khao Khad Viewpoint in the Wichit sub-district of Phuket’s main city district. Wichit Police tracked the woman down through CCTV footage.…
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Crash kills Pattaya couple on motorbike
Last night, a couple from Pattaya lost their lives in a motorcycle accident. The deceased were identified as Santisuk Sae-tan, a 31 year old man, and Chatchawan Kangwanwuthikul, a 31 year old woman. The tragic incident occurred at approximately 8pm on a road situated in front of Khao Mai Kaew temple. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find that a…
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Brazillian boxer banned by WMO after supporting Cambodian kickboxing
Following an argument over the origin of kickboxing between Thailand and Cambodia, the World Muaythai Organisation (WMO) has banned Brazilian boxer Thiago Teixeira from the sport after he announced support for Kun Khmer. His Apex Fight Series middleweight class championship record was also expunged. Cambodia is pushing to gain international recognition for its version of kickboxing, Kun Khmer. The country…
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Koh Samui: The secret island gem of Southeast Asia’s hospitality scene
Over the past week, we have been compiling our latest hospitality, tourism, and hotel research on Thailand’s second-largest island, Koh Samui. The island remains a bit of a ‘little-big’ anomaly in Southeast Asia’s massive resort island arsenal. Despite hosting famed global hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, W, InterContinental, and Banyan Tree, its smallish private airport capacity has somehow…
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Police find remains in South Thailand believed to be missing official
Police and paramilitary rangers found human remains in South Thailand yesterday morning, which are believed to be those of a missing local official. The authorities found the bones on a cliff in Moo 6 village of Sri Sakhorn district in Pattani province. Along with the bones, they found the ID card of the chief of the Tambon Don Administrative Organisation,…
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Missing Taiwanese student allegedly smuggled into Myanmar from Thailand
A female Taiwanese university student who went missing on March 29 is believed to be in Yangon, Myanmar, after flying to Bangkok, according to police in Taiwan. Police believe she fell victim to a human trafficking gang. There is no record of her leaving Thailand. The 20 year old student of Providence University, surnamed Lin, arrived in Yangon on March…
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Pattaya authorities on the prowl for foreign overstayers and criminals (video)
Pattaya authorities are on the prowl for foreign overstayers and criminals. Pattaya Police say that they will continue to perform regular inspections checking tourists’ passports, following a city-wide inspection on Wednesday night. During the inspection, Pattaya Police and immigration officials targeted foreigners overstaying, and those involved in illegal activities. The operation involved about 50 law enforcement officers who inspected nightclubs…
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Chinese man arrested in Chon Buri for overstaying and corruption
Immigration Bureau Division 3 officers arrested a Chinese man in Chon Buri for overstaying his visa by about 800 days and for evading corruption charges in China. The Immigration Bureau recently implemented strict measures to eliminate the influx of foreign criminals who use Thailand as a hiding place. On Wednesday, April 5, the officers in Chon Buri summoned a Chinese…
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Thailand: Don’t leave a lighter in your car during extreme heat
A pickup truck parked in the sun all day burst into flames in Buriram province in northeast Thailand after a lighter exploded on the front seat yesterday. Summer is in full swing in Thailand, with peak “feels like” temperatures shooting up to 50 degrees Celsius yesterday in Bangkok. Every region is sweltering with heat. At 3.30pm, officers at Nang Rong…
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Prominent Thai doctor a suspect in case surrounding Chinese surrogacy gang
A prominent Thai doctor is a suspect in a case surrounding a Chinese surrogacy gang, Nation Thailand reported yesterday. This news comes after police raided a five-storey building in Bangkok’s Silom area on Tuesday, and found that a gang of Chinese and Myanmar nationals were holding two Chinese men for ransom. Police said the two victims were using the building to…
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China finally reveals results of Wuhan wet market Covid-19 investigation
China finally answered calls to reveal and publish an analysis of samples taken from animals at a wet market in Wuhan linked to the outbreak of Covid-19 and guess what? Definitive proof of how the outbreak started still remains inconclusive. The Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan, China has been a key focus in the search for the origin of Covid…
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Early morning raid captures illegal foreign workers at a Pattaya market
An early morning raid at Amon Nakhon fresh market in Pattaya by Chon Buri Immigration officials and Bang Lamung Police Station led to the capture of seven illegal foreign workers. Police reported the surprise raid was conducted at 6am on Wednesday and seven illegal migrants were arrested. Officers searched the market and nearby shops which saw workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam,…
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Tour helicopter crash near Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay kills 5
A helicopter carrying four tourists on a sightseeing trip crashed in the Ha Long Bay area of northeast Vietnam on Wednesday evening. The body of the fifth and final victim of the crash was found this morning. The Bell-505 helicopter took off from Tuan Chau Island at 4.56pm local time and lost contact with air traffic control at 5.15pm, crashing…
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Eruption of violence in Myanmar sends thousands fleeing into Thailand
Thousands of refugees fled across the Moei River from Myanmar into temporary shelters in Tak province, northern Thailand, after a resurgence of violence between Myanmar’s military and rebel groups. KhaoSod reports that as many as 8,000 people have sought refuge in Tak’s Mae Sot and Mae Ramat districts, whereas the Bangkok Post reports that the number is more than 5,000.…
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Woman driver’s reckless reversal on motorway leads to horrific crash with lorry
A six-wheel lorry smashed into the back of a reckless woman driver who reversed over 1 kilometre down a busy motorway in Samut Prakarn because she missed her exit. A rescue service team sent the injured woman to hospital after the incident. The incident occurred yesterday at 6am on the Bang Na-Chon Buri or Burapha Withi Expressway in Samut Prakarn…
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German woman injured after falling at Koh Samui waterfall
A tourist from Germany sustained injuries while visiting Koh Samui, one of Thailand‘s beautiful tropical destinations. The incident occurred when a German woman fell at a waterfall on Koh Samui, Na Mueang 2 Waterfall, and it took rescue teams and officials over 20 minutes to reach her location on foot. The team found the woman, 38 year old Sina Dahmann,…
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PM’s plan to tackle soaring cost of air ticket prices in Thailand
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has taken charge to address the soaring prices of air tickets with a comprehensive five-point plan. The plan comes after Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate informed the ministry of the measures taken and those in the pipeline to address the substantial hikes due to the surge in demand after the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent decision…
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Big Oil Majors production cuts, what this means to airfares
The recent move by the Big Oil Majors to cut production by over one million barrels a day as a “precautionary” measure to stabilize the oil market will have a domino effect on airfares, according to industry experts. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) yesterday announced plans to lower oil production by 1.16 million barrels per day, starting…
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Assets seized and suspects arrested after large-scale online gambling chain uncovered
Last Friday, 63 locations were raided by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to investigate relevant evidence suggesting they were connected to “Inspector Sua.” Ordered by CIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, the raids took place in Chon Buri, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Chanthaburi. 6 suspects were arrested for their alleged links to Pentor Group, a prominent online gambling…
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Crooked trail of corruption uncovered after cops arrest bent revenue director for soliciting bribes
Royal Thai Police (RTP) yesterday uncovered a crooked trail of corruption worth 7 million baht following the arrest of an alleged bent government revenue director. RTP officers arrested, Pramual Saengkaewsri, a director in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok on Wednesday in a hotel carpark as part of a police sting. The 57 year old was apprehended for soliciting bribes amounting to 3 million baht from a…
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Thai-lizing industries with AI: The future is machine-made
Thailand is looking toward artificial intelligence (AI) to boost economic growth and the kingdom’s vision to become the globe’s fifth-largest economy by 2027. The government underlines AI as a major tool to boost its economy to automate processes, reduce costs, and increase productivity, all of which can help to increase economic growth. AI can be used to provide more accurate…
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Power struggle: JSCCIB takes on govt to lower electricity prices
Tensions are running high in Thailand as the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) has declared war on the government in a bid to bring down the nation’s soaring electricity prices. The committee, comprised of representatives from major business groups, is asking Prime Minister Prayut Chan o cha to reconsider the electricity bill calculation and reduce the…
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Rogue cop with gambling addiction jailed for 50 years for gun theft
A rogue cop with a gambling addiction was sentenced to 270 years in prison for theft and illegal possession of 160 firearms. He will only serve 50 years as allowed under Thai law. Senior sergeant major Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested in October in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling…
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