News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
-
Horny sea snakes may be confusing divers with female snakes, says new study
A new study says highly venomous olive sea snakes might “attack” scuba divers as part of the snakes’ courtship ritual. The news clears up some of the confusion for divers who have reported interactions with the snakes, which can grow over 2 metres long. The interactions include the snakes chasing and biting the divers. The study, published in Scientific Reports,…
-
Covid-19 controls ramped up at Thailand’s wet markets amid rise in infections
Thailand’s Health Department is ramping up screening measures and Covid-19 controls at wet markets across the country amid a rise in infections linked to the venues. Thai PBS World reports that 14,678 infections have been detected at 132 markets across 23 provinces between April 1 and August 10 this year. As a result, officials are using antigen test kits to…
-
Chon Buri man allegedly smashes into several cars while drunk
An alleged drunk driver smashed into several cars. The man had fallen asleep behind the wheel and did not wake up when police arrived to the scene. Officers had to call a locksmith to get him out of the car. Chon Buri police were alerted to the incident after midnight and arrived at the scene with emergency services. There, they…
-
Health Ministry to propose re-opening dine-in services to vaccinated customers
Thailand’s Health Ministry is to propose allowing restaurants in dark red zones to re-open for in-house dining from September. Kiattiphum Wongrajit says the proposal is based on declining case numbers in recent days. “The Covid-19 situation appears to be improving. Certain restrictions should therefore be lifted.” The Bangkok Post reports that the Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has met with representatives…
-
PM orders investigation into alleged police killing of man in custody
The PM has ordered an investigation into the alleged killing of a man while in police custody in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan. A leaked video of the alleged incident has gone viral, prompting outrage around the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, police arrested a man and woman accused of drug offences and, while questioning the pair,…
-
How the Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover could hurt US-Pakistan ties
The fall of Kabul to the Taliban has left many people in Pakistan questioning their country’s future relations with the US. Some hard-liners in Pakistan say Washington will blame Islamabad for the Islamic fundamentalist group’s takeover of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari wrote an article on Tuesday asserting that “her country would no longer accept being scapegoated for…
-
High hopes for Zambia’s new president ‘HH’
Hakainde Hichilema ran for president five times before winning this year. Popularly known as “HH” or “Bally”, a slang term for for ‘father,’ Hichilema won the Zambian election by almost a million votes. But the work ahead was not lost on him during his victory speech: “We have an enormous task ahead to revive our economy and deliver on your…
-
Video of alleged police killing during extortion attempt shared on social media
A video of the alleged police killing during an extortion attempt was shared on social media today by a well-known Thai lawyer. The footage shows officers putting a plastic bag over a man’s head and beating him. Reports say the man died from suffocation, but the district chief allegedly ordered his subordinates to write the death off as drug overdose.…
-
Electrician electrocuted to death in Chon Buri
An electrician has been electrocuted to death while he was installing wires for a customer in Chon Buri, a province that sits on the Gulf of Thailand. First responders got to the scene to discover 47 year old Montri Somboon’s body still connected to a power pole close to the house. Rescue workers removed Montri’s body; it took them about…
-
Vaccine update: Pfizer available to American veterans, foreigners in Pattaya
The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is now available to American veterans living in Thailand as well as foreign residents in Pattaya who are in the “at risk” groups, according to Democrats Abroad Thailand. The vaccine doses were donated to Thailand from the United States. Two doses of the vaccine are free under the Thai government’s mass immunisation campaign. Bangkok Hospital Pattaya…
-
4 year old boy’s body found in Bangkok well
A missing 4 year old boy’s body has been found in a Bangkok well used to mix cement. The boy had been missing since last week and his mother had previously told the Mirror Foundation, a humanitarian organisation, that her son had vanished while she was washing dishes. An investigation was launched following the boy’s disappearance. Eventually, the officials decided…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 17,165 new cases; provincial totals
17,165 new Covid-19 cases and 226 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Another 20,059 patients were marked as “recovered” in the 24-hour period since the last count. There are now 192,334 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. The number has been on a downward trend over the past several days as the daily count for…
-
Rural Doctor Society praises antigen test kits, says they must be accurate
The frequently vocal Rural Doctor Society has raised a new concern. The society’s chairperson, Dr Supat Hasuwankit, wrote an open letter to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday to remind the PM that the 8.5 million rapid antigen tests kits that are being obtained by the National Health Security Office by way of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, needs to meet standards that…
-
A kayak tour of Argentina for environmental protection
Juan Camelia is not really much of a sportsman. He got his kayak just six years ago, to paddle about on the Parana River and go camping in the great outdoors. Now, he is one of more than 40 kayakers who have caused a considerable stir in Argentina with their spectacular environmental campaign to get the Congress to pass a…
-
Soldier injured by pipe bomb in Yala
A soldier has been injured after a pipe bomb was tossed into a military base in Yala, the “deep south” province near the Malaysian border with occasional violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. The incident occurred last night and was detailed in a report from the Muang police station. The Bangkok Post reports that the attack happened around 8pm…
-
Probe into alleged mishandling of Red Bull heir fatal hit-and-run case is underway
The investigation into the alleged mishandling of the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case where the Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya allegedly sped through Thong Lor, running over a police officer with his Ferrari, is underway and is expected to be closed in 16 months. Boss managed to evade justice and has since fled the country. Now, 15 senior police officers,…
-
Police chief transferred for probe into death during alleged extortion attempt
A police chief in Nakhon Sawan is being transferred following allegations that he accidentally killed a man while demanding a 2 million baht bribe. A plastic bag was reportedly tied over the man’s head and he suffocated to death, but the superintendent of the station allegedly wrote the death off as drug overdose, according to Royal Thai Police inspector-general Wissanu Prasartthong-osoth.…
-
Don’t spray ethyl alcohol on your food, warns FDA
Thailand’s FDA is cautioning people against spraying ethyl alcohol onto their food, under the misguided belief that this will get rid of Covid. While used in the making of sanitiser gel and other products, ethyl alcohol is not supposed to be eaten as it is toxic. The TFDA says there are different grades of alcohol, such as food-grade alcohol, which…
-
Phang Nga hopes to welcome 30,000 visitors under 7+7 travel scheme
Tourism officials in the southern province of Phang Nga hope to welcome 30,000 foreign tourists in the last quarter of the year. Such numbers should generate around 2.5 billion baht in revenue, according to a Bangkok Post report. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that after the opening of Certificate of Entry registration for the 7+7 extension scheme, over 700…
-
Red Shirts to lead anti-government “car mob” protest on Sunday
An anti-government protest planned for Bangkok on Sunday will be led by 2 prominent Red Shirt activists, ahead of a no-confidence debate in parliament. The Bangkok Post reports that Sombat Boonngamanong and Nattawut Saikuar will lead the “car mob” rally, which will take place at 2pm in front of the Thai PBS office on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Posting on Facebook,…
-
Covid-19 task force to debate partial re-opening of Thailand in line with PM’s pledge
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is expected to debate a plan to re-open the country before the end of the year, in line with the PM’s pledge last June. Back then, Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed to re-open the country within 120 days, but Covid-19 infections have risen significantly since those words were uttered. Despite this, the Bangkok Post reports that…
-
Are India’s emergency visas for Afghans issued based on religion?
Days after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, the Indian government introduced a new category of visa to fast-track the applications of Afghans who want to come to India and flee what has become a growing humanitarian crisis. It was announced that all Afghans, irrespective of their religion, could apply for the so-called e-Emergency X-Misc Visa online. However, the announcement…
-
Could Afghanistan under Taliban rule become a haven for Islamist militants?
As the US withdraws its military from Afghanistan, it is clear that Washington’s goal in the country has always been to guarantee American security. President Joe Biden left little doubt to this effect during a speech last week. “Our single most vital interest in Afghanistan remains what it always was, to prevent a terrorist attack on our country.” Biden’s assertion…
-
Rwanda’s military intervention in Mozambique raises eyebrows
On August 9, the Rwandan military announced it had taken the strategically important northern Mozambican port of Mocimboa da Praia from al-Shabab militants. Kigali daily, “New Times,” quoted Brigadier-General Pascal Muhizi saying the Rwandan army had chased out the al-Shabab fighters. The jihadists had occupied Mocimboa da Praia in the Cabo Delgado province for over a year but fled towards…
-
Koh Larn to stay closed to tourists until the end of the month
Koh Larn, an island off the coast of Pattaya, will stay closed to tourists, at least until the end of the month, the Koh Larn Local Committee announced yesterday. Earlier this month, the island opened to travellers who are vaccinated against the coronavirus, but an order closing the island to non-residents was issued after six Covid-19 cases were reported on the…
-
Indonesia’s former social affairs minister sentenced to 12 years in prison
Indonesia’s former social affairs minister has been handed a 12 year prison term due to a multi-million dollar Covid graft scandal. The Jakarta Corruption Court made its ruling today. An unnamed judge says the former minister, Juliari Batubara, was “convincingly guilty of corruption” following Juliari’s acceptance of 32.4 billion rupiahs in payoffs related to the obtainment of goods meant for…
-
Thousands of Covid relief bags handed out, funded by donated salaries from PM and other ministers
Thousands of Covid-19 relief bags are being handed out to those in vulnerable groups. The bags were funded by donated salaries from PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, other cabinet ministers, and the Government Spokesperson’s team, as well as by donations from the private and public sectors. Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri says the care packages are being distributed to 6,800 people in vulnerable…
-
Monday Covid Update: 17,491 new cases; provincial totals
17,491 new Covid-19 cases and 242 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 22,134 recoveries from Covid-19 have been reported. There are now 195,454 people being treated for the coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 1,066,786 Covid-19 infections. The latest and most…
-
Off-duty volunteer ranger shot and killed in Narathiwat
An off-duty territorial defence volunteer was shot and killed in Narathiwat, a province in Thailand’s “Deep South” near the Malaysian border with ongoing violence due to the religious separatist insurgency. The volunteer, Madrusli Kolae, was killed around 6:15pm yesterday as he was going home on his motorcycle after playing football at a field in the Chanae district. Witnesses say they…
-
UPDATE: Gunman holds two people hostage on Bangkok bus
UPDATE: The man who allegedly hit a bus conductor in the head with a gun and held two people hostage at gunpoint told police he was stressed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Coconuts Bangkok. The suspect, Pheeranat Saengchan, who is around 23 or 24 years old, also tested positive for drugs. He was charged with drug use and coercion…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.