- Travel Guides
Travel insurance in Thailand: why it’s not enough for expats
Travel insurance in Thailand covers the ambulance, the ER, and the first few days of treatment. For most short-term visitors, that is exactly what it is designed to do. The question changes when Thailand stops being a destination and becomes where you actually live. What travel insurance is actually designed to do Most travel policies are built for trips of…
- Business News
Thailand’s 2026 GDP outlook firms up on private investment surge
Thailand’s economy picked up pace in the first quarter of 2026, with the NESDC reporting GDP growth of 2.8%, ahead of the 2.5% recorded in the final quarter of last year. Both the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors contributed to the improvement. Farm output grew by 1.2%, more than doubling the 0.6% seen in the previous quarter, while the broader non-agricultural…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s ‘last titan’ confirmed as Southeast Asia’s biggest dinosaur on record
Scientists have identified a new dinosaur species in Thailand, the largest ever found in Southeast Asia, after fossils unearthed beside a pond in Chaiyaphum province were confirmed as belonging to a colossal long-necked sauropod estimated to have measured 27 metres and weighed around 27 to 30 tonnes. The species, named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, lived between 100 and 120 million years ago…
- Thailand News
Arab buyers favour Phuket for cultural, religious familiarity
Gulf buyers are increasingly treating Phuket as more than a holiday destination, with the Middle Eastern demographic now accounting for an estimated 10% of off-plan property sales on the island. Thanks to direct flights from Saudi Arabia, new investment-linked residency pathways, and growing instability in the Middle East, all pointing the same type of buyer toward the same property market…
- Business News
Thailand eases foreign business red tape in eight sectors to cut regulatory overlap
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved in principle two pieces of draft subordinate legislation under the Foreign Business Act 1999, exempting eight service business categories from the requirement to obtain a foreign business licence, the government announced on May 12. Deputy Government Spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, Patdarasm Thongsaluaykorn, announced the Cabinet meeting. The two instruments, a draft royal decree and…
- Business News
Thailand hits 60-year investment record as Amazon, Google, BYD and others bet big
If you only looked at the investment scoreboard for Southeast Asian economies last year, chances are you would probably want to skip over Thailand. While Vietnam was sprinting ahead with 7% growth and Indonesia held steady at 5%, Thailand was limping with a meagre 2.4%. With the IMF recently cutting its 2026 projection to a dismal 1.6%, the narrative that…
- Thailand News
BYD dealership axes staff after footage exposes camera tampering, unsafe test drive
A BYD service centre in Chon Buri has dismissed all staff involved after dashcam footage showed technicians disconnecting a customer’s cameras and conducting a test drive without a seatbelt while on a mobile phone. The customer, Suriya Sudsanit, who initially made a Facebook post about the incident, brought his BYD to the centre for a routine service and to investigate…
- Economy News
Thailand Labour Day march targets rising costs, job insecurity
Hundreds of workers marched to Government House in Bangkok today, May 1, on Thailand Labour Day 2026, pressing the government for fair wages, job security, and expanded social protections as part of International Workers’ Day events held worldwide. Labour groups led by the State Enterprises Workers’ Relations Confederation and the Thai Labour Solidarity Confederation gathered at Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen…
- Thailand News
Prachin Buri man accused of assaulting 11 year old relative
Police in Prachin Buri are investigating a sexual assault case after an 11 year old girl with a memory impairment was allegedly attacked by a male relative at a residence in Kabin Buri district on April 28. The girl’s grandfather and mother filed a complaint with officers at Kabin Buri Police Station on April 30. The mother told police that…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s royals join world leaders in Stockholm for Swedish king’s 80th
Their Majesties the Thai King and Queen are in Sweden this week for the 80th birthday celebrations of King Carl XVI Gustaf, attending a series of royal engagements at the Royal Palace in Stockholm as part of a four-day state visit from April 29 to May 2. Yesterday morning, April 30, the Thai monarchs joined a thanksgiving ceremony at the…
- Thailand News
Fists fly after man causes disurbance at Phuket restaurant
Patong police took a foreign man into custody on April 26 after he disrupted a restaurant in Phuket and was involved in a physical confrontation with the manager, with video of the incident spreading on Facebook. The man, whose nationality has not been released, was filmed walking in and out of a hot pot restaurant in Patong on multiple occasions…
- Thailand News
Udon Thani nurse calls police after delivery rider lingers outside dorm, asks to see her ‘cat’
A nurse in Udon Thani called police after a food delivery rider refused to leave her dormitory and sent messages asking to come up to her room, following a lunchtime delivery on April 26. The woman, a 24 year old nurse at a public hospital in Udon Thani, reported the incident to Mueang Udon Thani Police Station. Officers responded to…
- Thailand News
Headman dragged man from home, torture him for hours
A family in Phatthalung has filed a police complaint against a subdistrict headman after he allegedly dragged a young man from his home, handcuffed him to a mango tree, and subjected him to more than four hours of torture, claiming the man had stolen beetles from villagers. The mother, 49 year old Somson, brought her 28 year old son, Suthep,…
- Guides
Expat healthcare in Thailand: Costs, coverage, limited-time offer
Expat healthcare in Thailand is a bit more nuanced than what initially meets the eye. The private hospital network is world-class, but most foreigners have no access to subsidised public care, medical inflation is running at over 14% a year, and private hospitals will ask for up to 800,000 baht upfront before major surgery begins. The point here is not…
- Thailand News
Thailand launches online map to track cannabis shops nationwide
The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine in Thailand has launched an interactive online map to monitor licensed cannabis shops nationwide, as the government moves to tighten oversight and restrict use to medical purposes only. The system went live as related legal processes remain underway. Deputy Director-General Dr Thewan Thaneerat said on April 21 that the platform, formally known…
- Pattaya News
Brits assault German man after hurling WW2 taunts in Pattaya bar
Two British tourists allegedly assaulted a German man outside a bar in Pattaya yesterday, April 22, following a confrontation that reportedly began with insults about the Second World War. The incident, which occurred at around 2am, was captured on video. The altercation began inside the bar, where the two unidentified British men were drinking. According to the German man’s girlfriend, the…
- Thailand News
Frigate deal puts Thai Navy on path to shipbuilding self-reliance
The Royal Thai Navy held a meeting with the Thai Shipbuilding and Repairing Association (TSBA) and domestic shipyard operators yesterday, April 20, to discuss the offset policy framework for its planned frigate procurement. Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan said the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) also participated in the meeting to clarify the principles and calculation methods used under…
- Politics News
Thailand outlines military capability in 2027 budget
Military capability and national sovereignty will be central to the Thailand defence budget 2027, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today, April 20, as the government unveiled a 3.788 trillion baht spending plan amid mounting global uncertainty. Addressing a budget policy seminar at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi, Anutin pointed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as evidence…
- Thailand News
Thailand traffic fine survey finds majority back harsher penalties, except for speeding
A new survey has found broad public support for the new Thailand traffic fines, with one notable exception: a majority of respondents say the speeding penalty goes too far. The National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) polled 1,310 people by phone across Thailand on April 7 and 8, gauging public reaction to the stricter penalties that police began enforcing without…
- Business News
Thailand to issue emergency loan decree amid El Niño fears and rising energy costs
Thailand’s government is preparing to issue an emergency loan decree worth 500,000 million baht to build up financial reserves ahead of what officials describe as compounding economic risks, including a super El Niño weather event and elevated global energy prices. Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilpraphat confirmed the plan, saying the current state of the treasury is limited and relatively rigid,…
- Property
Why investors are choosing Bangkok property over Singapore and Hong Kong in 2026
For a US$500,000 (17.5 million baht) budget, a buyer in Singapore’s Core Central Region walks away with roughly 20 square metres of property. The same budget at the Hong Kong Peak gets around 10. In prime Bangkok property along Sukhumvit, that same amount buys approximately 80 square metres of freehold condo, with change to spare. That contrast is why Chinese,…
- Guides
What does it cost to raise a family in Thailand?
Thailand regularly ranks among the top destinations for expat families, but cost estimates online tend to assume you are moving as a single person or a couple. Add children, and the numbers change considerably. Thailand international schools, healthcare in Thailand for expats, family housing, and dependent visas all carry costs that tend to get underestimated until you are already here.…
- Thailand News
Cat bites owner, stops Thai train, gets blamed for seven-hour delay
A cat that attacked its owner and scratched fellow passengers on a southbound train has been blamed online for a seven-hour delay, though passengers say two successive engine failures were the real cause. Rapid Train No.169, travelling from Bangkok Aphiwat to Yala, arrived at Yala station at 6.15pm on Monday, 430 minutes behind schedule. A Facebook post by Kijja Pongpisan,…
- Phuket News
Phuket tourists arrested after soaking police at Songkran command post
Patong police have arrested a group of foreign tourists after video footage showed them directing high-pressure water guns at officers on duty during the Songkran festival in Patong, Phuket, on April 13. The incident occurred at a police command tent set up in Patong Municipality for the Patong Songkran Beach Festival 2026. Footage of the incident, which circulated on social…
- News
Iran-US ceasefire agreed but Hormuz, Lebanon disputes cloud the truce
A conditional two-week Iran-US ceasefire took effect yesterday, April 8, halting more than 40 days of coordinated US-Israeli military strikes on Iran that had disrupted global energy markets and raised fears of a wider regional conflict. Pakistan brokered the truce, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announcing the cessation of hostilities this past Wednesday in a post on X. The ceasefire,…
- Thailand News
Thai princess brings royal attires to Europe for UNESCO bid
Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, the youngest daughter of His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn, is set to travel to The Hague on April 9 to deliver a keynote lecture on Thai national costume as part of an international roadshow ahead of a key UNESCO decision later this year. The two-day event, titled “Chud Thai Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Practices of the Thai National…
- News
Southeast Asia leans toward China over US, 2026 survey finds
A survey published by a Singaporean institute has found that a slim majority of respondents across Southeast Asia would align with China over the United States if forced to choose between the two powers. The poll, conducted between January 5 and February 20, 2026, covered 2,008 respondents from all 11 ASEAN member states, including Timor-Leste, which joined the bloc in…
- Thailand News
Thailand plans overnight petrol station restrictions after April 20
Thailand could begin restricting fuel station operating hours after April 20, with petrol stations potentially closing from 10pm to 5am as the government considers energy-saving measures amid conflict in the Middle East. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday, on April 7, that the government is working on oil-saving measures to ensure the country has enough fuel for domestic use. He…
- Thailand News
Hot weather, haze and gusty storms forecast across Thailand
Thailand will see hot to very hot weather today, April 7, with temperatures reaching 42°C (degrees Celcius) in the North, Northeast and Central regions, as a heat low-pressure cell brings haze across upper Thailand and isolated thundershowers in some areas. The Thai Meteorological Department said a heat low-pressure cell remains over upper Thailand, bringing hot daytime conditions across much of…
- Thailand News
Thailand travel insurance plan targets unpaid tourist bills
Thailand is moving to require international tourists to obtain travel insurance before entering the country, as rising unpaid medical bills and accident risks place increasing pressure on public healthcare. The impact is already being felt in major tourism areas. At Vachira Phuket Hospital, which serves 400,000 registered residents and more than one million visitors, director Dr Weerasak Lorthongkham said the…
