- Thailand News
Police chief tells commanders to rein in officers moonlighting as influencers
Thailand’s national police chief has issued an urgent directive ordering senior commanders nationwide to tighten supervision of Thai police officers who appear on social media in uniform, days after personally cutting a fellow officer’s hair during a station inspection to demonstrate grooming standards. Police General Kittharath Punpetch signed a memo yesterday, May 26, addressed to commanders at all levels. The…
- Bangkok News
MRT Blue Line max fare drops by one baht from July 3
Bangkok’s MRT Blue Line will lower its maximum fare by one baht from July 3, with the Royal Gazette publishing new fare regulations on May 26 that bring ticket prices in line with the concession contract’s pricing formula. The adjusted range runs from 17 to 44 baht, down one baht from the current range of 17 to 45 baht. Mass…
- Thailand News
Thailand train-bus crash compensation paid, motorists charged
Six of the eight families of those killed in the Thailand train bus collision on May 16 have received compensation, with charges filed against the train driver and motorists found blocking the tracks, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkaskulkiat announced yesterday, May 26. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have jointly paid out 2.9…
- Phuket News
Turkish tourist found dead in Phuket residence
A 30 year old Turkish national was found dead in a residence in Kamala, Phuket, on May 26, with police reporting no signs of assault or foul play. Cannabis and drug paraphernalia were discovered in the room where the body was found. Kamala Police Station received reports from rescue workers at around 3.30pm, and officers travelled to a three-storey house…
- Thailand News
Israel, Thailand mark 72 years with farm upgrade instead of party
Israel has redirected funds from its national day celebrations to community development projects in Thailand as the two countries mark 72 years of diplomatic relations. The Israeli embassy in Bangkok said it chose to support local initiatives rather than hold a reception, citing the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Alona Fisher-Kamm explained the decision at…
- Thailand News
Safety failures, not misfortune, caused crane collapse that killed 31
A construction crane collapse, causing a train crash in Thailand that killed 31, has been ruled the result of procedural violations and safety failures rather than an unavoidable accident, according to findings released by a government fact-finding committee on May 26. Thirty-one people died when equipment from a high-speed rail construction site fell onto Express Train No. 21, operating between…
- Bangkok News
Mika Salo says he felt nothing, lost nothing, Bangkok trip stays on
Former Formula One driver Mika Salo has told police and media he does not believe he was deliberately attacked after sustaining a leg wound requiring 28 stitches near Nana intersection in Bangkok on May 19, describing the incident as likely accidental. The 59 year old Finnish driver gave a statement to investigators at Lumpini Police Station on May 26 after…
- Thailand News
May 27: Southwest monsoon intensifies as Thailand braces for heavier rain
Thailand’s Meteorological Department has issued a weather forecast for today, May 27, warning of thundershowers and isolated heavy rain across most regions as the southwest monsoon continues to strengthen over the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and the country as a whole. Waves in the upper Andaman Sea are expected to reach around two metres, rising above two metres…
- Thailand News
May 25: Heavy rain, strong winds forecast across Thailand
The Meteorological Department has issued a Thailand weather forecast for today, May 25, warning of thundershowers and isolated heavy rain across much of the country as the southwest monsoon strengthens over the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and inland areas. The moderate southwest monsoon is driving scattered to fairly widespread thundershowers nationwide. Residents and travellers are advised to be…
- 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
Most Thai businesses report bribe demands from officials, survey finds
Nine in ten businesses in Thailand have encountered bribe requests from government officials, according to a nationwide survey released this week by a coalition of Thailand’s top private sector bodies, with the Pollution Control Department topping the rankings for the highest average payment demanded per encounter. The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCIB), comprising the Thai Chamber…
- 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…
- Thailand News
Thaksin and family question EM bracelet ahead of prison release
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been approved for parole and is set to leave Klong Prem Central Prison on May 11, though his lawyer says Thaksin has questioned a requirement to wear an electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet given his age and health condition. Lawyer Winyat Chatmontree told reporters yesterday, April 30, that a Justice Ministry sub-committee had included Thaksin’s…
- 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…
- Business News
Thai AirAsia halt nine routes from Don Mueang due to fuel crisis
Thai AirAsia has revised its summer 2026 flight schedule, temporarily suspending nine international routes from Don Mueang Airport and reducing services on others, as rising jet fuel costs linked to the Middle East conflict put pressure on airline operations. The carrier has halted services on several routes, with some suspensions running through to late October 2026. The following routes have…
- 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…
- Thailand News
Unemployment looms as PTT ‘tests’ self-service fuelling
PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR) has officially launched a self-service fuelling option at PTT Station outlets across Thailand, offering drivers a discount of 40 satang per litre with no minimum purchase required. The rollout, framed under an “easy and smart” concept, is designed to cut waiting times during peak hours and give customers full control of the refuelling process.…
- 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…
- News
Thai page spotlights vlogger’s Cambodia temple confrontation
A clip from an American travel vlogger’s video in Cambodia has circulated widely on Thai social media after capturing a confrontation with a man outside a Buddhist temple in Phnom Penh. Tyler Fox, who documents his travels across Asia on YouTube and other platforms, was visiting a Cambodian temple, the Wat Unnalom Monastery in the Riverside area of Phnom Penh,…
- 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,…
