- Pattaya News
Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach gets sandy makeover to woo tourists
Thailand’s Marine Department held a high-level seminar yesterday at the Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel and Resort to push forward Phase 2 of the Jomtien Beach Sand Replenishment Project — a multimillion-baht effort to combat coastal erosion and bring back beachgoers in droves. Deputy Director-General of the Marine Department Narinsak Sattaprasit presided over the event. He was joined by Deputy Governor…
- Phuket News
Massive road revamp to shake up Phuket traffic flow
The Phuket Highways Office has announced plans for a massive 420-million baht overhaul of Srisoonthorn Road, one of the island’s busiest and most vital thoroughfares. Residents, business owners, and commuters are invited to weigh in at a public meeting scheduled for today, July 31. The meeting will run from 9am to midday at the Chalermprakiat 84 Pansa Building, located at…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya motorbike gang traps delivery driver in midnight road rage (video)
A 26 year old delivery rider was left shaken after he claimed he was surrounded, threatened, and assaulted by a group of furious motorcycle taxi drivers in the early hours of Tuesday. The drama began around 11pm on Tuesday, July 29, when Narongchay Boonsom was pulling out from a parking spot on Second Road, near the Marine Plaza Hotel in…
- Phuket News
Phuket drowning in rubbish: Mayor vows not to quit
Mayor Suphot La-ongphet of Phuket City is standing firm as the island faces a mounting waste management crisis, with garbage piling up faster than it can be processed. On Tuesday, July 29, at 5.30pm, the mayor visited the Phuket Central Waste Disposal Centre to assess the worsening situation. He was joined by Director of the Engineering Office Yutthana Kanchanaphak to…
- Thailand News
Ratchaburi shop owner seeks lottery luck from temple spirit
A superstitious shopkeeper is betting her luck—and future fortune—on a pint-sized bronze spirit. Yesterday, July 30, a 44 year old woman visited Wat Phai Lom in Nakhon Pathom’s Mueang district, hoping for divine intervention from a revered supernatural statue known as “Kuman Sombat”. The temple was abuzz with believers, all hoping for lottery luck from the mysterious child-like figure. Devotees…
- Thailand News
Pet paradise unleashed at Bangkok’s epic expo
Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre is set to transform into a wonderland of whiskers, wagging tails and wild surprises as the Pet Expo Championship 2025 kicks off with the theme The Magical Land of Friendship. Running daily starting tomorrow, July 31, from 10am to 8pm until Sunday, August 3, the event promises non-stop fun, furry festivities and some serious…
- Bangkok News
Thaksin hospital scandal: Supreme Court sets verdict date
The Supreme Court has set September 9 as the day it will deliver its verdict in a highly watched case probing whether former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was unlawfully spared prison time by bunking down in the Police General Hospital (PGH) instead of a jail cell. The court concluded its seventh and final hearing in the self-initiated inquiry this week,…
- Thailand News
Holy water hype: Revered Thai monk’s bowl sparks lotto frenzy (video)
Superstitious Thais are going wild again over a “miraculous” holy water bowl in the run-up to the August 1 lottery draw, convinced it’s brimming with lucky numbers. With the Government Lottery draw looming on Friday, August 1, hopeful punters across Thailand are once again placing their faith in sacred rituals, and this time, all eyes are on the holy water…
- Pattaya News
Spiked: Russian girl jabbed by porcupinefish at Jomtien Beach
A peaceful beach day turned into a seaside scare after an 11 year old Russian girl was stung by a porcupinefish spine while playing along the shore at Jomtien Beach. The incident unfolded yesterday afternoon, July 29, when the girl suddenly cried out in pain, alarming her guardians and nearby beachgoers. According to officials from the Jomtien municipal enforcement team,…
- Phuket News
Armed gang brawl erupts at Phuket’s Saphan Hin fest
A fiery clash between rival youth gangs turned Phuket’s Parn Hin festival into a crime scene late last night, with weapons seized and three suspects in custody after a confrontation involving firecrackers, knives, and even a homemade gun. The incident erupted around 10.30pm yesterday, July 29, near the central stage at the Saphan Hin fairground, where witnesses reported two groups…
- Bangkok News
Knives and walkie-talkies found in Bangkok school sweep
Bangkok police uncovered a stash of weapons hidden across two prominent educational institutions during a sweeping raid ahead of a major school celebration. Yesterday, July 29, more than 100 officers mobilised in Pathum Wan district for a coordinated crackdown targeting the Pathumwan Institute of Technology and Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok. The operation aimed to prevent clashes and violence during…
- Pattaya News
Bag bump at Pattaya bar sparks bloody brawl
A drunken bump turned bloody in the early hours of yesterday after a Thai woman was attacked near a South Pattaya bar in a row over a handbag. At around 3am yesterday, July 29, the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Centre received a report of a physical altercation outside a pharmacy near a well-known restaurant on South Pattaya Road. Responders arrived to…
- Phuket News
Studio7 Phuket staff fired over photo privacy scandal
An Apple retailer in Phuket has landed in hot water after a shocking breach of customer privacy ended with a private photo appearing on Tinder. Studio7, an official Apple distributor in Thailand, issued a public apology and confirmed it has fired six employees and launched legal proceedings after one of them allegedly stole a customer’s intimate photo from their phone…
- Pattaya News
CCTV busts trash dumpers in Pattaya green zone sting
Caught on camera and forced to clean up their mess. That’s the fate that met four litterbugs after Pattaya’s expanding CCTV network spotted them dumping garbage in a forest zone just hours after it had been cleaned. On Sunday, July 27, Pattaya City workers completed a public cleaning and trimming of a green zone. But the next day, officials were…
- Phuket News
Late-night raids in Kamala and Patong net drug suspects
Phuket’s nightlife came under fire this week as authorities launched surprise raids in Kamala and Patong, arresting suspected drug users and pushing deeper into local trafficking networks. As part of the national No Drugs, No Dealers campaign, officials from the Kathu District Office carried out surprise inspections at nightlife venues in Village 3, Kamala, near Soi Pa Jak, on Monday,…
- Thailand News
Thai airport fees set to soar, passengers brace for hike
Travellers flying out of Thailand could soon be hit with higher airport fees, as officials move to raise Passenger Service Charges (PSC) for the first time in years. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) confirmed it expects to decide on the proposed hike by October, with a potential increase of up to 100 baht per international passenger. If approved,…
- Bangkok News
Activist urges dissolution of 7 Thai parties over Thaksin influence
A complaint was filed with the Election Commission (EC) by a political activist yesterday, July 29, seeking the dissolution of seven political parties. The activist alleged that these parties permitted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to interfere in their internal operations, potentially breaching the organic law on political parties. Nopparuj Vorachitwutthikun, previously involved with the Phirap Khao (White Dove) 2006…
- Phuket News
Aeroflot flight drama: Phuket return sparks hacker rumours
An Aeroflot flight bound for Novosibirsk was forced to return to Phuket International Airport yesterday morning just minutes after takeoff, following what was reported as a technical malfunction, but speculation is swirling after the airline confirmed a cyberattack just one day earlier. The Airbus A330, operating as flight SU637, took off at 9.53am local time, around 30 minutes behind schedule. But…
- Pattaya News
Furious farangs slam Pattaya over ‘Thai price’ double standard
As domestic tourism campaigns roll out across Pattaya, many foreign travellers are left feeling short-changed. While Thai nationals enjoy government-backed discounts and co-pay perks, expats and tourists say they’re being charged more for the same experiences, from hotel rooms to national park entries. “Should I get a local to book my hotel for October?” one frustrated tourist posted on a…
- Phuket News
Missing jet ski operator found dead on island off Phuket
A routine day on the water turned tragic after a young jet ski operator vanished off Koh Naka Yai; his body was pulled from mangroves two days later. The body of 22 year old Jessadawut Hom, also known as Bass, was discovered yesterday afternoon, July 29, tangled in mangroves along the shore of Koh Naka Yai, off Phuket’s east coast.…
- World News
Japan and US issue tsunami alerts after mega quake
A colossal magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today, sparking tsunami warnings and urgent evacuations from Japan to Hawaii. The quake, initially measured at 8.7, struck about 126 kilometres southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 18 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). In the Russian Far East, waves as high as 4 metres battered parts…
- Phuket News
2 suspected drug dealers nabbed in Bangla Road raids
Tourists out for a wild night on Patong’s Bangla Road were unknowingly partying alongside drug dealers, until a swift crackdown by local officials brought the party to a halt. Two suspected dealers were arrested in separate sting operations on Monday, July 28, as part of Phuket’s aggressive No Drugs, No Dealers campaign, a sweeping initiative aimed at clearing narcotics from nightlife…
- Pattaya News
Topless woman rescued on Pattaya street in distress drama
Pattaya officials sprang into action after a woman in visible mental distress was spotted wandering shirtless down a busy Jomtien street. The unsettling scene unfolded on Bun Kanchana Soi 2, where concerned residents alerted authorities after noticing the woman behaving erratically without a top on. Responding with speed and sensitivity, officers from the Jomtien municipal enforcement unit located the woman…
- Thailand News
Border blitz: Thai forces smash enemy assaults in fierce clashes
Thai troops are holding the line in a brutal border battle, smashing enemy forces in a series of explosive clashes near key temples and hill positions along the Thai-Cambodian frontier. According to the 2nd Army Area’s Operations Centre, clashes intensified in multiple zones today, July 26, with enemy forces launching coordinated infantry and artillery attacks across Surin, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani,…
- Thailand News
Rayong visa scam busted as 34 illegal workers nabbed on site
Tourist cops stormed a construction site in Rayong, unmasking a major visa scam that saw dozens of foreign nationals working illegally in Thailand. In a high-stakes operation led by the Tourist Police Bureau, 34 foreign workers—seven Chinese and 27 from Myanmar—were arrested at a site in the Nikhom Phatthana Industrial Estate. The workers had entered the country on tourist visas…
- Phuket News
Artists flock to Phuket for Asia’s biggest sketch fest
Phuket is gearing up to welcome an international crowd of artists, art lovers and cultural travellers for the Asialink Sketch Walk Phuket 2025, a major arts event aimed at boosting creative tourism and rebranding the island as a year-round cultural hotspot. Scheduled for August 14–17, the event was officially announced at a press conference held at Limelight Avenue Phuket, led…
- Business News
Thai govt unleashes 87 billion baht to jolt economy
Thailand’s government is throwing billions at the economy in a high-stakes bid to spark recovery before time runs out. With just two months left in the fiscal year, the Budget Bureau has unleashed 87.36 billion baht to fund 148 urgent economic stimulus projects, according to Deputy Finance Permanent Secretary Theerarak Saengsanit. The hefty injection accounts for 75.72% of the 115…
- Phuket News
Weed stench driving tourists away, claims Phuket MP
A Phuket MP has lit up controversy by claiming that the smell of cannabis on local beaches is driving away big-spending tourists and damaging the island’s reputation. Yesterday, July 25, Chalermpong Saengdee, an MP for Phuket from the People’s Party, issued a fiery statement slamming the lack of cannabis regulation and the government’s “careless” visa-free policy, warning that Thailand’s top…
- Pattaya News
Top cop’s Mercedes goes up in flames in Pattaya
A high-ranking police officer narrowly escaped disaster in Pattaya after his Mercedes-Benz burst into flames on a major road. In the early hours of yesterday, July 25, a luxury car went up in smoke at the notorious Matchstick Factory Intersection on Sukhumvit Road, drawing dramatic scenes of flashing lights, thick black smoke and a wall of fire. Emergency responders from…