- Business News
Baht to the future: Thai currency eyes 33 mark as dollar dives
The Thai baht is flexing its muscles on the global stage, with experts predicting it may surge past the symbolic 33-per-dollar mark in the second quarter, fuelled by trade tensions, a faltering US economy, and sky-high gold prices. According to Kasikorn Research Center (K-Research), the baht has climbed to a six-month high, riding the wave of a weakening US dollar…
- Thailand News
Swedish man’s ‘explosive’ suitcase sparks airport chaos in Thailand
A Swedish man triggered full-blown airport panic in Udon Thani after leaving behind a suitcase laced with what looked like bomb-making materials, only for it to turn out to be stuffed with nothing more than dried herbs and dirty laundry. The 58 year old Swede sparked a major security scare at Udon Thani International Airport after abandoning a suspicious suitcase…
- Thailand News
Tariff and away! Thailand backs ASEAN in showdown with Trump
Thailand is saddling up with its ASEAN friends for a tariff tussle with the US, as Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vows to stand firm against Washington’s trade muscle-flexing and back a united front in talks with Donald Trump’s White House. Thailand PM Paetongtarn has thrown her weight behind ASEAN’s united stand against a hike in US import tariffs, declaring the…
- Thailand News
Moo-ving madness: Thai farmers in a flap over US beef plan
Thailand’s beef farmers are kicking up a rumpus over government plans to welcome hormone-pumped US meat, branding it a dangerous trade-off that could gut their livelihoods and threaten national food security. The Beef Cattle Association of Thailand, backed by more than 60 allied groups, stormed the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives this week to protest a controversial proposal that could…
- Pattaya News
Drunk Chinese tourist crashes, pukes, passes out in Pattaya
A drunk Chinese tourist turned a quiet Pattaya street into a late-night demolition derby after ploughing his pickup into parked vehicles, before vomiting out the window and passing out behind the wheel. Pattaya police were called to the boozy crash scene in the early hours of this morning, after the Chinese man smashed his black pickup truck into multiple parked vehicles,…
- Bangkok News
DSI digs deeper into deadly ‘pancake’ Bangkok building collapse
Investigators are piling pressure on firms behind the deadly State Audit Office building collapse, as the case takes a darker turn with forgery claims, phantom contractors, and a “pancake” tragedy that’s left dozens dead and scores missing. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is ramping up its probe into the catastrophic collapse of the State Audit Office building in Chatuchak,…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s buffalo orange gets GI push to juice up global fame
The beautiful resort island of Phuket is hoping its native fruit, the Garcinia or som khwai (buffalo orange), will peel into prestige as a Geographical Indication (GI) product, adding some serious juice to the province’s agricultural and food industries. In a recent workshop led by deputy governor Suwit Pansa-ngiam, local producers were schooled on the ins and outs of GI…
- Thailand News
Down but not out: 2 year old boy trapped in Trang pit rescued
A toddler in Trang gave rescuers the fright of their lives after plunging into a deep, narrow pit next to a well, with the nail-biting rescue operation lasting several hours. The dramatic ordeal unfolded today, April 16 in Moo 1, Wang Maprang Nuea subdistrict, Wang Wiset district, when residents raised the alarm after hearing cries from beneath the ground. The…
- Thailand News
Myanmar earthquake rattles northern Thailand border towns
Northern Thailand was rattled awake in the early hours of this morning as tremors from a Myanmar earthquake crept across the border, stirring fears of more seismic shocks to come. The 4.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Myanmar just after midnight today, April 16, sending tremors rippling across the Thai-Myanmar border and unsettling residents in the north, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.…
- Phuket News
Soaked: Flash floods fury leaves Phuket in deep water
Phuket woke up underwater yesterday as torrential overnight downpours triggered flash floods, swamped roads and sparked fresh fears of landslides, turning paradise into panic. Parts of of the popular holiday resort resembled rivers rather than roads yesterday morning, April 15, after relentless rain pummelled the island overnight, flooding key areas and prompting landslide warnings across southern Thailand. Among the hardest-hit…
- Business News
Thai and mighty! Thailand leapfrogs Malaysia in global rankings
Thailand may have outpaced Malaysia in a key global competitiveness ranking for the first time in a decade but experts warn the shine may not last as structural issues, budget cuts, and a lack of long-term vision continue to hold the kingdom back. Thailand has climbed to second place in Southeast Asia in the IMD World Competitiveness Centre’s global rankings,…
- Pattaya News
Furious foreigner floored by water gun in Pattaya Songkran bust-up
A Pattaya Songkran party took a dark turn when a furious foreigner with a fresh tattoo got soaked against his will, only to be blasted in the face with a water gun during a heated bust-up, landing him in hospital and police on the hunt for the culprits. The Songkran celebration on Pattaya’s infamous Soi 6 descended into chaos last…
- Thailand News
Cell shock: Thai cops gear up with Israeli tech to bust scam rings
Scammers beware, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) are now armed with cutting-edge Israeli tech to crack phones, catch fraudsters and bring cyber crooks to justice faster than you can say “call centre con.” The RTP beefed up their cybercrime-fighting arsenal with state-of-the-art digital forensic tools from Israeli firm Cellebrite, giving officers the power to extract crucial data from phones and…
- Bangkok News
State Audit Office families to get 100,000 baht quake compensation
As the death toll from the collapsed State Audit Office building rises to 44, heartbroken families are being offered compensation while rescuers race against time to find dozens still buried beneath the rubble. The Interior Ministry announced that it will pay 100,000 baht to the families of each victim killed in the State Audit Office building collapse in the Chatuchak…
- Thailand News
Crime doesn’t pay-as-you-go: 130,000 Thai mule accounts axed
The Government of Thailand slammed the brakes on a massive online scam operation, axing over 130,000 dodgy mule accounts and collaring hundreds of fraudsters in just three months. Sasikarn Wattanachan, deputy government spokesperson, said the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Anti-Online Crime Operation Centre (AOC) had ramped up its war on online fraudsters. Between January and March, a staggering…
- Thailand News
Booze clues: Underage drinking promos soak Songkran spirit
Songkran’s splashy celebrations may have cooled the crowds but things are heating up for Thailand’s booze industry after a leading watchdog exposed widespread law-breaking underage alcohol drinking over the holiday. Teera Watcharapranee, director of the StopDrink Network, claims major alcohol brands brazenly flouted the law with flashy promotions and events in more than 137 locations nationwide. “Among these, 42 were…
- Thailand News
Foreign travellers told to log on 3 days before Thailand arrival
Foreign travellers planning a trip to Thailand are being told to get online and fill in Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) three days before they arrive or risk being turned away at the border, as the country ditches its old-school paper arrival cards in favour of a slick new digital system. From May 1, all international visitors, whether arriving by air,…
- Pattaya News
British fighter’s life cut short by drug cocktail in Pattaya, inquest
A British fighter’s dreams ended in heartbreak after he was found dead from a drug overdose in a Pattaya hotel room, an inquest has heard. Joshua Goldstone, from Etchingham, East Sussex, was discovered lifeless in Room 2412 of the Vogue Hotel in Pattaya on October 30. The 21 year old, who had been living and training in Thailand, was reportedly…
- Phuket News
Booze cruise: Patong police nab 6 foreigners in drink-drive blitz
Patong police launched their Songkran road safety crackdown in dramatic style last night, collaring six foreign revellers for drink-driving in the early hours, some more than three times over the legal limit. Officers set up a checkpoint near Loma Circle on Thaweewong Road between 12.30am and 2.30am today, April 11, as part of the nationwide Seven Days road safety campaign,…
- Pattaya News
Bruises over baht: Pattaya van driver bloodied in beer-fuelled brawl
A late-night squabble over a 300-baht commission exploded into a full-blown street scrap in Pattaya, leaving one van driver bloodied and bystanders bolting for cover as chaos erupted in the early hours. The drama unfolded just after midnight on April 10, when Pattaya police received a call about a violent altercation on Second Road. Officers raced to the scene alongside…
- Business News
Byte-sized bounce: Thai digital sector plugs back into confidence
Thailand’s digital sector has shown signs of life, climbing out of the red and back into confidence territory this year, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) hype, economic boosters, and a softer policy rate. But insiders warn the rebound could short-circuit if skills shortages and wage hikes aren’t tackled fast. The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) revealed that its Digital Industry…
- Business News
IMF urges Thailand to give baht-up households a helping hand
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Thailand to boost protections for struggling families or risk keeping millions trapped in a cycle of crushing debt, much of it borrowed just to put food on the table. In a hard-hitting Country Focus report released on April 9, the global financial watchdog highlighted that more than half of Thai workers lack formal…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok State Audit Office to be rebuilt but not on the deadly ruins
The Deputy Auditor General has confirmed plans to push ahead with building a new State Audit Office but it will be moved away from the exact spot where tragedy struck when an unfinished government complex came crashing down during a powerful earthquake last month, killing 23 workers and trapping dozens more beneath the rubble. The Auditor General’s Office, still under…
- Business News
Thailand urged to address rising zero-dollar exports from China
Thailand’s economy is being short-changed by a flood of so-called “zero-dollar” investments and exports from China, with experts warning the government must clamp down, or risk a new wave of growth that benefits everyone but the Thais. Amonthep Chawla, chief economist at CIMB Thai Bank’s Economic Centre, said America’s latest tariff moves, both those aimed broadly and those specifically targeting…
- Pattaya News
Sleepless residents spark late-night booze bust in Pattaya
Pattaya City Police swooped on the SEE U bar in Soi Land Office 6 at 11.30pm last night, following a barrage of noise complaints from sleepless residents who said the racket was keeping them up and wrecking their peace. Police didn’t hesitate to act, dispatching officers under direct orders from Pol. Col. Anek Sarathongyoo, Chief of Pattaya City Police Station.…
- Bangkok News
British drug dealer loses 19 million baht after Bangkok stash found
A British drug dealer caught with class A gear on the M6 motorway in England had a hidden haul of cash stashed in a Thai bank account. Now, the drug runner is paying the price after been hit by a 19 million baht bill (£426,000) alongside some prison time. Gary Boone, from West Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, was brought to justice…
- Business News
Fizzy drink giants face sugar tax squeeze as sweet crackdown kicks in
Thailand’s fizzy favourites are feeling the pinch as a new sugar tax kicks in, forcing beverage makers to cut the sweet stuff or cough up more cash. Beverage chiefs and sweet drink producers have been slapped with a sour surprise as the Finance Ministry rolls out the latest phase of Thailand’s sugar tax crackdown, pushing firms to trim the sugar…
- Tourism News
Malaysians motor ahead as Chinese tourism hits a speed bump
Thailand’s tourism chiefs are shifting gears after a drop in Chinese arrivals put the brakes on what was expected to be a bumper Songkran season while Malaysians continue to flood in. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) revealed a surprise twist in the tourist traffic, with Chinese visitor numbers dipping just as their southern neighbours from Malaysia come roaring in.…
- Bangkok News
Air India in hot water again after Bangkok in-flight pee incident
Business class on an Air India flight to Bangkok turned into a piddle palace after a sozzled passenger allegedly whipped it out to pee on a fellow traveller mid-flight, despite the loos being in full working order. The Air India high-flyer is now being probed by police after taking the pee, literally, on a fellow business class passenger just before…
- Thailand News
Cheeky splash! Chiang Mai chief in hot water over G-string coyote rave
A Chiang Mai district chief is facing a wave of backlash after a G-string-wearing coyote dancer was filmed shaking her tail feathers on a floating raft while stunned families and kids looked on from the water nearby. The family day out on the Ping River took a rather racy turn after a scandalous clip surfaced online showing a coyote dancer…
