- Business News
Thailand shopping giant hits CRC button on spending spree
Thailand retail heavyweight Central Retail Corporation (CRC) is splashing out up to 47 billion baht in a three-year spree of store openings, renovations and regional rollouts, even as spending on the high street looks shakier than a Black Friday bargain bin. CRC, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), unveiled a sweeping investment plan of 45–47 billion baht between…
- Business News
Rev it up: Tax breaks drive Thai pickup market into high gear
Thailand’s struggling pickup market is getting a turbo boost from a government scheme that lets drivers swap their clapped-out motors for shiny new rides, with tax breaks thrown in to sweeten the deal. The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) is banking on a state-backed trade-in scheme to kickstart domestic pickup sales, which have taken a sharp nosedive this year. Sales…
- Business News
Totes tragic: Luxury handbag hire scene left holding the purse
Thailand’s luxury handbag hire scene has lost its sparkle, thanks to tighter wallets, fewer holidays and a growing trend for subtle spending over flashy splurges. Siam Borrow Bag Co Ltd, once riding high on the rise of rented luxury, is now facing a serious slump. Founder and owner Chadasa Panomyant says the high-end accessory rental business has struggled to bounce…
- Pattaya News
Class action: Thai schoolkids fight fire with fryer power
Thai schoolkids in Sriracha have been swapping textbooks for fire extinguishers in a fiery crash course to fight fire and stop blazes before they burn out of control, just weeks after a spate of high-rise infernos rocked nearby Pattaya. Disaster chiefs from Sriracha yesterday, June 24, joined forces with fire safety officers from Phyathai Sriracha Hospital to deliver a scorching…
- Bangkok News
High and dry: Health minister’s war on cannabis shops
The minister of public health declared a dramatic U-turn on cannabis policy but with thousands of shops raking in billions and a booming weed culture now woven into daily life, critics say his war on weed is destined to go up in smoke. Health chief Somsak Thepsuthin sent shockwaves through Thailand’s green economy today, June 24, by signing off on…
- Phuket News
High stakes on the high life: Phuket drug busts soar
Phuket’s seedy underbelly is under fresh scrutiny after a sharp spike in drug crimes this year, with police battling everything from cut-price meth to cocaine-fuelled parties in tourist hotspots. Government officials revealed the island paradise is facing a rising tide of narcotics offences, with 1,899 drug cases logged between October 2024 and May 2025, a jump of over 10% on…
- Phuket News
Phuket the bomb! Pair nicked in plot to deliver deadly cargo
Two men from Thailand’s insurgency-hit Deep South have been arrested in a chilling plot to smuggle homemade bombs into Phuket, with a suspicious timer device hidden in their boot sparking a dramatic early morning police sting. At around 3.30am, today, June 24, officers manning a checkpoint near Phang Nga Provincial Hall stopped a black saloon car with Surin plates after…
- Business News
Bourse of concern: Thai stocks tumble after US strike on Iran
A United States military strike on Iran* has sent shockwaves through global markets, with Thailand’s stock exchange plunging to post-pandemic lows, prompting emergency stabilisation measures to stop the slide. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) went into crisis mode yesterday, June 23, after fears of an escalating Middle East conflict caused oil prices to surge and Thai stocks to slump 1.3%,…
- Phuket News
Sick and tired: HIV surge in Phuket sparks shame and scandal
Shocking figures reveal a surge in HIV and STD cases in Phuket, while a Thai student falsely accused of spreading the virus fights to clear her name after being dragged through the digital gutter. Public health officials have raised the alarm after Phuket reported 244 new HIV or sexually transmitted infections, pushing the province’s total number of registered patients to…
- Bangkok News
Paet’s all, folks! Thai PM’s Instagram post sparks political meltdown
Thailand’s embattled Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing the worst political crisis of her short premiership, after an emotional Instagram post backfired spectacularly and her ruling coalition began to collapse around her. PM Paetongtarn posted a cryptic message to her Instagram story at 8am, today, June 19: “People are not pretending to be sad, but pretending to be okay.” Less…
- Phuket News
Fair play! Phuket job bonanza gives jobless a fighting chance
It was CVs at the ready and handshakes all round as more than 1,500 job vacancies were up for grabs at Phuket’s biggest recruitment bash of the year – with employers and job seekers going face-to-face at the Phuket Job Fair 2025. Held yesterday, June 18, at Robinson Lifestyle mall in Chalong, the fair was organised by the Phuket Provincial…
- Pattaya News
Kiddie-begging gang smashed in Pattaya child trafficking sting
A gang of heartless traffickers has been busted in Pattaya for exploiting children as young as 15 to beg and flog trinkets on the city’s infamous Walking Street, with cops rescuing nine kids and arresting seven Cambodians in a major crackdown. Tourist Police bosses announced the sting yesterday, June 18, hailing it as a huge blow to a sickening child…
- Bangkok News
Baggage claim! Irish drug mule jailed after 22.5m baht stash found
An Irish woman has been jailed in Norway after being caught red-handed smuggling nearly 30 kilogrammes of cannabis, worth an estimated 600,000 euros (22.5 million baht), from Thailand in two bulging suitcases. Other news outlets reported the stash was 41.7 kilos of weed. Jamie Mahon from Moneymore in Drogheda, Co Louth, was arrested at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport on January 9 this…
- Pattaya News
Drugged-up Pattaya thief steals mum’s motorbike from next door
A trusting mum was left heartbroken after her neighbour stole her beloved motorbike but police cracked the case within hours, exposing a drug-fuelled betrayal just doors away from her home. Sudaphon Sungnoen, from Phitsanulok, woke up early yesterday, June 17, ready to take her child to school, only to find her red-and-black Honda Wave missing from outside her house in…
- Pattaya News
Chinese gang busted in Pattaya over illegal online lending racket
Pattaya cops smashed an illegal online loan syndicate run by Chinese nationals, uncovering a shady operation involving 25 suspects holed up in luxury homes, one of whom had overstayed his visa for over five years. Officers led by Police Major General Thawatkiat Jindakawnnaong yesterday, June 17, stormed two upscale properties in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri, executing search warrants…
- Pattaya News
Bust-up! Teen gangs’ turf war ends in crash and clash near Pattaya
A violent street brawl between two rival teen gangs turned a quiet Chon Buri village into a battleground on Monday night, ending with busted bikes, bloodied teens, and a trail of weapons left behind. CCTV footage captured the mayhem in Nong Ket Yai at around 8.51pm on Monday, June 16, showing nearly 20 armed teens, many riding motorcycles, squaring off…
- Thailand News
Slither-invasion! Baby pythons cause a hiss-teria in Thai village
More than 30 baby pythons slithered their way through a Thai village, sparking panic as they wrapped themselves around electric poles and crept along garden fences, while their elusive mother was nowhere to be found. Frightened locals in Chalong Rat Village, Mae Moh District, Lampang Province, raised the alarm yesterday, June 18, after spotting the tiny serpents crawling across wires…
- Thailand News
Fast track to Formula fun: Thailand revs up for F1 bid
Thailand has hit the gas on its high-octane dream of becoming a Formula One (F1) host nation, with a turbocharged 40 billion baht plan to bring the world’s most elite racing series to the Land of Smiles by 2028. Tourism and Sports Minister Surawong Thienthong revealed on today, June 17, that the Cabinet has officially approved the country’s bold bid…
- Phuket News
Visa villains! Nigerian trio nicked in Phuket overstay drama
Phuket Immigration officers busted three Nigerian nationals for overstaying their welcome, one of them by nearly seven months, as part of Thailand’s island-wide crackdown on dodgy foreigners. Acting on high-level orders from national police chiefs, officers from Phuket Immigration rounded up the trio in a targeted sweep aimed at rooting out visa overstayers and criminal elements lurking on the island.…
- Thailand News
Too fit to commit! Brit beauty queen says blokes can’t handle her
A Brit beauty queen says she’s had it with dating because British blokes are too scared to ask her out. Harriotte Lane from Newcastle, has just been crowned Miss Grand United Kingdom and is set to jet off to Bangkok to compete in Miss Grand International in October but says life in the fast lane has left her flying solo.…
- Pattaya News
Street patrol cracks down on Pattaya Walking Street sleaze
Cops, immigration, and anti-trafficking teams swooped on Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street in a no-nonsense blitz to stamp out sleaze, snare traffickers, and school nightlife bosses on the law. At 9.36pm, yesterday, June 16, a massive joint task force led by Thailand’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD) swept through Walking Street, targeting illegal activity and warning venue owners to clean up their…
- Pattaya News
Meth-ed up! Panic, pipes and punters in Pattaya drugs den bust
A dodgy den full of drugs, a surprise visit from an eager buyer, and a stashed bag of meth dumped in a panic, Pattaya’s latest narcotics crackdown has left a trail of busted users, fleeing suspects and flustered dealers. Thai police struck hard in two separate raids this week as part of a no-nonsense campaign to clean up Pattaya’s seedy…
- Pattaya News
Bang out of order! Bolt bikers busted for flogging DIY firearms
Two broke Bolt bikers swapped fares for firearms, flogging deadly DIY pistols in the heart of Pattaya to make ends meet, until a Facebook sting brought their side hustle to a screeching halt. In a dramatic late-night bust on June 15, Thai police arrested two motorcycle taxi riders in central Pattaya for producing and selling home-modified firearms, as part of…
- Thailand News
Fishy business: Mutant fish found in the Mekong River
A growing contamination crisis is threatening the lifeblood of northern Thailand after another mutant pla kae fish was pulled from the Mekong River, the latest in a string of blighted catches leaving fishermen broke, rivers poisoned, and locals fearing for their food supply. The Rivers for Life Association, monitoring the alarming surge in sick fish across the region, confirmed on…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya teens get schooled as STI surge sparks sex-ed crackdown
Pattaya schoolkids are being taught the hard facts about safe sex as Thailand battles a shocking surge in sexually transmitted infections (STI) among teens, with cases tripling and condom use plummeting. Mayor Poramese Ngamphichet this week launched a no-nonsense sex-ed programme at Pattaya City School 7 (Ban Nong Phang Khae), aimed at clamping down on risky behaviour among students aged…
- Pattaya News
Visa Las Vegas: Cops bust illegal workers in Chon Buri
A massive crackdown on illegal foreign workers has rocked Thailand’s party province of Chon Buri, with multiple raids, social media tip-offs, and a string of arrests hitting everything from restaurants to racy nightlife venues. A joint task force yesterday, June 11, stormed businesses in the Bang Lamung district, rounding up eight undocumented workers at a company in the Huay Yai…
- Thailand News
Welshman on life support after vanishing on Thai booze-up
A Welshman is on life support, clinging to life in a Pattaya hospital, after undergoing emergency brain surgery following a night out in Thailand. Ashton Jones disappeared without a trace while partying with pals in a Bangkok nightclub, only to be discovered hours later in a hospital bed 55 miles away from the Thai capital, hooked up to machines and…
- Pattaya News
Bugged out: Heartbroken Indian sprays mozzie repellent in mouth
A heartbroken Indian man was rushed to hospital in Pattaya after he reportedly sprayed mosquito repellent into his own mouth, and went into violent shock. Rescue workers were called to a five-storey commercial block in the Nong Prue area of Bang Lamung today, June 11, after the man, identified as 33 year old Devaraj, was found foaming at the mouth…
- Thailand News
Hung out to dry! Mystery over death of Thai worker in Israel
A Thai family is crying foul after a young agricultural worker was found hanged in Israel, despite showing no signs of despair before his sudden death. Grieving relatives of 27 year old Athin “Arm” Seeluang, from Udon Thani, say they simply don’t believe he took his own life, and are calling for a full investigation into the tragedy. The alarm…
- Thailand News
Full steam ahead! Thai transport tsar fast-tracks mega makeover
Thailand’s transport tsar has slammed the accelerator on the kingdom’s biggest infrastructure schemes, ordering faster progress on high-speed rail, expressways and electric bus upgrades. Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit is leading the charge, with a major push to speed up the second phase of the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed rail line, and billions of baht in investment ready to be unleashed. Following…
