- Thailand News
Smile high club! Thailand ranked world’s No.3 for fun and frolics
Thailand’s not just the Land of Smiles, it’s now officially one of the most fun places on the planet, with Gen Z leading the charge from temples to techno. Thailand has landed a top-three spot in the global fun league, coming in third in the US News & World Report’s 2024 rankings, and it’s not just about full moon parties…
- Pattaya News
Buffalo bust as Yaba duo in Chon Buri caught in the act
A drug crackdown in rural Chon Buri left two suspected dealers out of luck, one of them nabbed hiding in a buffalo shed with a pocketful of Yaba. Police in Koh Chan district, Chon Buri, swooped on two alleged drug traffickers in a targeted operation yesterday, July 23, part of the Ministry of Interior’s hardline No Drugs – No Dealers…
- Thailand News
Thailand plays its cards right with poker punt
Thailand has gambled on a bold new strategy, officially recognising poker as a sport in a move that’s sent shockwaves through the international sporting and gaming communities. Furthermore, American football was also handed official sport status. The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) made a game-changing call this week, confirming that poker is now an officially recognised sport, a decision expected…
- Pattaya News
Punch-up with Pattaya ladyboy leaves foreigner with bloody head
A wild brawl in the heart of Pattaya left a foreign tourist with a bloody head wound after a drunken dispute with a ladyboy and some motorbike taxi drivers. The dramatic altercation was captured on video and is now under police scrutiny. The violent brawl broke out on Pattaya’s infamous Soi Buakhao at 4.06am yesterday, July 23, leaving the unnamed…
- Pattaya News
Pole-axed! Trucker trapped in mangled cab after rain-slick smash
A Thai truck driver was left trapped and bloodied after his six-wheeler spun out of control in heavy rain and slammed into an electric pole in Chon Buri. The crash happened at 9.45am yesterday, July 22 near the entrance to Ploy Yai Village along Highway 331 (Sattahip–Chachoengsao). The white Hino truck was returning from an auto parts delivery when it…
- Phuket News
Patong’s wave rave! Sirens to sound as tsunami drill hits beach strip
Tourists in bikinis and beach bums sipping cocktails in Patong got a surprise dose of civic duty this week, as town hall chiefs hit the streets to warn about a tsunami drill set to rock the resort next Tuesday. Mayor Lalita Maneesri led the charge on Monday, July 21, flanked by councillors, civil defence bosses and hi-vis-clad disaster response teams.…
- Pattaya News
Nut job nabbed! Coconut crook caught hiding in cassava patch
A coconut crook has been busted in a cassava field after being caught red-handed stealing fruit from a plantation in Chon Buri. Thanakorn Noondee was nabbed yesterday, July 22, at 4.36pm by 30 year old eagle-eyed village headman Phattharaphon Phiwanoi, and his trusty 48 year old sidekick Phaisan Srimanee, after days of coconut disappearances left locals stumped. The 39 year…
- Pattaya News
Crash test dim-sum! Car ploughs into Thai eatery in Pattaya, 2 injured
Diners at a bustling Isaan restaurant in Pattaya were left stunned after a runaway car smashed into the building, injuring a food vendor and a teenage girl in a chaotic rush-hour crash. The terrifying incident unfolded at 6.06pm yesterday, July 22, at the railway road intersection in Soi Nong Yai, where a bronze Honda Jazz sedan lost control after a…
- Business News
Bank on change! New BoT boss to slash rates, stop baht bounce
Thailand’s incoming central bank governor is being told to hit the ground running, with business chiefs demanding urgent action to cut interest rates, ease borrowing rules and stop the baht getting too strong. Vitai Ratanakorn, head of the Government Savings Bank and set to take over the top job at the Bank of Thailand in October, has been handed a…
- Pattaya News
Vape and raid! Thai customs puff out chest in black market bust
Thai customs chiefs struck a major blow against the black market, seizing a mountain of illegal goods worth more than 88 million baht in a dramatic operation at one of the country’s busiest ports. Over 88 million baht (US$2.4 million) worth of contraband was nabbed at Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri, including e-cigarettes, fake designer bags, unlicensed cosmetics, and…
- Thailand News
Cwm-back kid: Welshman flies home after coma drama in Thailand
A Welsh holidaymaker left fighting for his life in a Thai hospital has finally flown home after spending six weeks in a coma and racking up thousands in medical bills without insurance. Ashton Jones, from Cwmbran, jetted off to Bangkok on May 30 with a mate for a lads’ getaway but just five days in, his family were hit with…
- Thailand News
Hippo-critically trained! Zoo drills escape with porky starlet Moo Deng (video)
A runaway hippo, a hospital dash, and a frantic chase, all part of a wild drill at one of Thailand’s top zoos that starred none other than the country’s most beloved chunky celeb, Moo Deng. At exactly 1.35pm yesterday, July 21, Khao Kheow Open Zoo went into mock lockdown as part of a high-stakes animal escape drill, with Moo Deng,…
- Phuket News
Gale warning! Phuket reels as freak storm rocks island (video)
Phuket was left battered and on edge after a violent tropical storm tore across the island, killing one and injuring another, with officials warning the danger isn’t over yet. Governor Sophon Suwannarat urged residents, tourists and boat operators to stay on high alert after the Sunday downpour unleashed chaos across all three districts, Mueang, Thalang and Kathu, smashing into 17…
- Visa Information
Stars, stripes and tourist gripes as Trump hikes visa fee kick off
Tourists, locals, and ex-pats in Thailand are being warned to brace for a wallet-busting new visa fee, after Donald Trump slapped a stinging US$250 charge on would-be visitors, just in time to cash in on the flood of sports fans heading to America. The controversial visa integrity fee has sparked outrage, with critics accusing the US president of using global…
- Phuket News
Phuket drug dealer caught with his pills down
A suspected drug dealer was arrested in his boxers during a pre-dawn police raid in Phuket, with officers uncovering a massive stash of more than 3,500 meth pills tucked away in his house. The bust happened in the early hours of yesterday morning, July 21, in Thepkrasattri, Thalang district, as part of a targeted crackdown under the island’s tough new anti-drugs…
- Pattaya News
Curry con! Food delivery driver spices up with bogus food order
A slick scammer posing as a food delivery rider cooked up a brazen heist at a humble curry stall in Pattaya, vanishing with a bag of cash after placing a fake order for nearly 30 meals. The early-morning con unfolded at 5.06am yesterday, July 21, when 30 year old Anirut Thiamtha was manning his family’s Chef Basil Curry Rice Shop…
- Thailand News
Wipha wallop: Landslide fears as storm lashes Thailand
A tropical storm-turned-downpour is putting large swathes of Thailand on red alert, with officials warning of landslides and flash floods across 21 provinces as Typhoon Wipha wreaks havoc. The Department of Mineral Resources sounded the alarm following days of relentless rain, urging locals and volunteers to stay vigilant until at least Thursday, July 24, as soggy hillsides teeter on the…
- Business News
Free trade or free fall? Thailand struggles to keep up with Vietnam in US talks
Thailand is falling behind Vietnam in trade talks with the United States and could be forced to make tough choices if it wants to stay in the economic game, a top economist has warned. According to international trade expert Somjai Phagaphasvivat, Thailand’s lack of wide-ranging free trade agreements (FTAs) is putting it at a disadvantage compared to Vietnam, which has…
- Chiang Mai News
Class acts: Chinese scammers pose as students in pensioner con
Crooks running a slick online scam from a swanky Chiang Mai villa posed as students while fleecing elderly Chinese pensioners out of millions, in yet another twist to Thailand’s growing cybercrime crisis. Three suspected ringleaders have been nicked and 17 others detained after Thai police swooped on a luxury pool villa in Hang Dong, uncovering a Chinese-led operation that preyed…
- Bangkok News
Quake mistake: Tycoon named in deadly Bangkok building collapse probe
Bangkok police have wrapped up their investigation into the deadly collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building, with 23 big names, including a top tycoon, now facing possible criminal charges over the catastrophic disaster. The SAO tower, a 30-storey structure still under construction, came crashing down on March 28 after a 4.5-magnitude earthquake rattled the capital, leaving at least…
- Pattaya News
Japanese tourist dodges necklace-nicking trans gang in Pattaya
A Japanese tourist had a narrow escape in the early hours of this morning after a group of transgender sex workers allegedly tried to rob him during a flirty encounter on Pattaya’s notorious Walking Street. The incident, reported at 4.46am, today, July 21, unfolded right in the heart of the city’s raucous red-light district. The victim, a man in his…
- Phuket News
No place for predators: Phuket cracks down on child sex tourism
From five-star hotels to beachside bars, tourism bosses in Phuket are being told to open their eyes and shut the door on child sex tourism and human trafficking in a bold new campaign to protect the island’s most vulnerable. Local government officials in Phuket have launched a hard-hitting initiative aimed at stamping out child sexual exploitation in Thailand’s most visited…
- Thailand News
Bikini banzai! Japanese man fined for racy roadshow in Thailand
A Japanese man has become the most infamous man in Hat Yai after donning a bikini, hopping on a motorbike and dancing his way into a public indecency charge. The 62 year old pensioner turned heads and ruffled feathers in southern Thailand this week after being fined for performing provocative street dances in a bikini while riding around Hat Yai…
- Pattaya News
Royal nut: Rare Coco de Mer haul cracks global record in Pattaya
It’s the world’s biggest, and rarest, seed, shaped like a voluptuous behind and worth a fortune. Now a Pattaya garden has stunned the globe by harvesting a million-baht bounty of the legendary Coco de Mer. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya has made horticultural history after successfully processing nine rare Coco de Mer fruits, yielding ten valuable seeds, including one…
- Phuket News
Holiday from hell: Aussie murder suspect dies on sleazy Thai escape
He dodged justice for more than two decades but the Aussie man long suspected of murdering a young Sydney woman has finally met his end on a murky getaway in Thailand. Kevin Steven Correll, accused serial rapist and prime suspect in the brutal 2001 killing of car saleswoman Rachelle Childs, was found dead at 10.30am, Thursday, July 18, while on…
- Thailand News
Wigged out: Love rat monk caught romping with millionaire mistress
He preached purity from the pulpit, but now this love rat Thai monk’s wig, woman, and wealth have blown his cover in sensational style. A former provincial abbot in Thailand has been outed in a jaw-dropping scandal involving secret love affairs, temple corruption, and a dodgy disguise, all thanks to a furious millionaire mistress who’d had enough. Investigators yesterday, July…
- Pattaya News
Trouserless tragedy: Third mystery death hits Pattaya
A shirtless Thai man with his trousers round his knees has become the third mysterious death in Pattaya in less than a week, sparking fears of a grim trend in Thailand’s seaside province. Police and rescue workers were called to a house on Soi Huay Ku, Bang Lamung, on July 19 after the body of a 58 year old man…
- Phuket News
Aussie tourist found dead in Patong hotel bathroom
A 69 year old Aussie tourist was found dead in his Phuket hotel bathroom yesterday morning, just days after arriving for a six-week tropical getaway. Hotel staff at the property off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong made the grim discovery around 10.30am yesterday, Thursday, July 18, after a concerned Thai woman reported she hadn’t heard from the man in…
- Phuket News
Wheels of misfortune: Woman crushed in Phuket truck horror
A sunny Phuket afternoon turned into a nightmare when a young woman riding pillion was killed after a six-wheeled lorry ploughed into a motorbike on Wiset Road in Rawai, sparking fresh calls for better road safety. The fatal crash happened at around 1.45pm yesterday, July 17 near the Go Wholesale branch in Rawai, when a white Hino truck collided with…
- Pattaya News
Soap and rob: Pattaya ladyboy claims Indian stole cash mid-shower
A 27 year old ladyboy woman flipped the script in Pattaya after claiming an Indian man swiped her cash while she was in the shower, in a steamy Walking Street encounter that ended with police dragging him off to the cells. The distressed victim arrived at Pattaya City Police Station at 3am today, July 18, to file a complaint against…
