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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money
Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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Druggie bites police officer who caught him stealing electricity in southern Thailand
A man high on drugs bit a police officer’s arm while under arrest for stealing electricity in Krabi province in southern Thailand yesterday afternoon. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) were informed of some suspicious wires leading into the house of 31 year old Natthaphong in Krabi’s Tap Prik subdistrict. Natthaphong managed to tap into the PEA’s electricity for free by…
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Pink lilies pull hundreds of thousands of tourists to northeast Thailand lake
Flowers are still springing up across Thailand, drawing tourists to admire them. The latest flower hotspot in Thailand to have tourists come flocking is Nong Han Kumphawapi, known as Thailand’s ‘Pink Water Lilies Lake.’ The lake is located in the northeast province of Udon Thani. The chairman of the lake’s tourism boat enterprise, Paisit Sukrome, told Thai media the lilies…
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Kindergarten students save up to buy blankets for the needy in northern Thailand
Kindergarten students in Chiang Rai province in northernmost Thailand saved up one baht every day for a year to buy blankets for people suffering in the cold weather this winter, especially those living at high altitudes in the province’s mountainous regions. Teachers at Chiang Rai Kindergarten invited students to join a charitable project entitled “Doing 89 Million Good Deeds for…
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Driver hits wild gaur in northeast Thailand, both injured
A driver hit a wild gaur in Thailand’s northeast province of Nakhon Ratchasima last night, injuring both himself and the gaur. The driver hit the gaur on Highway 3052 in Wang Nam Khiao district. The driver said he saw the gaur cross in front of him, too close for him to stop or avoid hitting it. Rescuers arrived on the…
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Teen brutally stabs other teens with scissors in Phuket fight
In a brutal fight in Phuket this week, a teen attacked a group of other teens with a pair of scissors near a school in the main city district on Monday. The suspect is a 16 year old boy, while his victims are 14-17 years old. Thai media reported that a group of teens went to meet the attacker at a…
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Rescued baby elephant dies of injuries
Thanwa, the rescued baby elephant that was being treated at Bueng Chawak Zoo in Suphan Buri, died when her condition deteriorated on Tuesday evening. Residents of Khao Chot, in Kanchanaburi province, found Thanwa injured and separated from her herd following rain and floods. The baby elephant was just one month old when she was injured after losing her herd in…
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Forest ranger and 4 locals arrested for illegal logging in northeast Thailand
Yesterday, police arrested a forest ranger – whose duty is to protect the forest – and four of his friends for illegal logging in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand. The gang cut down protected and valuable species such as Siamese rosewood and Burmese padauk. The police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) recently travelled to Khon Kaen’s Nong Ruea district…
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CBD oil review: best cannabis oils to buy in Thailand in 2022
Press Release CBD oil, also referred to as cannabidiol and sometimes cannabis oil, is widely available in Thailand. You get to enjoy the health benefits of marijuana, minus the high part that some find unpleasant. However, there are so many different cannabidiol oils to consider that it can be difficult to make the right pick that fulfils your requirements. With…
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‘Rescued’ scammers return home from Cambodia
The group of seven ‘rescued’ scammers who returned home from Cambodia had begged, live on air, to be rescued from a different set of scammers – this time Cambodian / Chinese. The two men and five women crossed the border in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district on Tuesday evening, escorted by Thai embassy staff and Cambodian security officials. Only four had…
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Aussie caught with gun at Thailand’s Samui Airport claims self-defence
An Australian man, who was caught with a firearm and 96 rounds of ammunition at Samui Airport in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, claims he was carrying the weaponry in self-defence. Yesterday, 41 year old Mark Bassett of Australian nationality attempted to smuggle a “gun-like object,” in separate pieces, and plenty of ammunition through security at Samui Airport on Thailand’s…
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Thailand creates new department to tackle climate change
Thailand has created a new department to tackle climate change. The new department, named the Department of Climate Change and Environment, aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. The new department is responsible for proposing and developing strategies, plans, and programmes on climate change and greenhouse gas reduction as agreed at the COP26 meeting. The ministry of Natural Resources…
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Thai police make 12,000 gambling arrests during World Cup 2022
Thailand‘s anti-gambling laws did not deter Thais from placing bets on the FIFA World Cup 2022. In fact, the Royal Thai Police made more than 12,000 gambling arrests between November 19 and December 18, 2022. Nearly all forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand, apart from the government-sponsored lottery, according to the Gambling Act (1935). Anticipating violation of this law…
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Thai PM’s secretary-general appointment may be questioned in debate over political ethics
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may be grilled in a debate over ethics concerning his secretary-general’s appointment. The opposition is reportedly planning to hold a general debate shortly after the New Year as it focuses on what it describes as the unethical appointment of the new secretary-general. Pheu Thai Party leader, Cholnan Srikaew, told the Bangkok Post, that the opposition is…
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Today is the shortest day of the year in Thailand
Thailand will see just 11 hours of daylight today as the Winter Solstice graces the world’s northern hemisphere. It is the shortest day – and longest night – of the year. Today, December 22, the Earth’s poles reach their maximum tilt away from the sun. On Wednesday, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) said… “Winter solstice is regarded…
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Indonesia could bring Myanmar junta to justice after taking over ASEAN chair next year
Indonesia could bring Myanmar’s junta leaders to justice after the country takes over as the chair of ASEAN. A group of Indonesian legal experts may have found an impact on the fate of the junta that seized power in Myanmar. The experts made the case to amend a law that was enacted back in 2000 which restricts punishment for human…
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Iranian footballer mimes hanging gesture to protest executions
Another Iranian footballer is courageously sounding the alarm on Iran’s executions of protesters. Rather than celebrating his goal, the football player, Meysam Tohidast, mimed a gesture of hanging himself after scoring at the Tehran Derby, to protest the executions. Iran International English yesterday tweeted video footage of Tohidast putting one hand around his neck, while making a fist above his…
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy appeals to US Republican lawmakers for additional aid in Congressional speech
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is appealing to US Republican lawmakers for additional aid during his speech to the US Congress. Zelenskiy made his first trip abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine with Ukrainian Americans offering support upon his arrival at the US Capitol. “It is a great honour for me to be at the US Congress and speak to you and…
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Thailand ranked 4th least corrupt country in Asia
Thailand – a nation run by a semi-elected military government – was ranked 35th in the world and 4th in Asia in the U.S. News‘ “Least Corrupt Countries” list. Yesterday, American media company U.S. News released its annual “Best Countries” ranking, featuring 73 countries all over the world. Data was collected from a worldwide survey with more than 17,000 participants.…
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Zelenskiy’s US visit gives Ukrainian Americans hope
President Zelenskiy’s visit to the US is giving Ukrainian Americans hope that the US will assist Ukraine further against the Russian invasion. Dozens of pro-Ukrainian activists gathered near the White House to support Zelenskiy as he made his first trip abroad since the war started. The group called “US Ukrainian Activists” then met at the US Capitol to hear Zelenskiy’s…
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Authorities bust yet another overstayer on Koh Samui
Surat Thani immigration officers busted yet another overstayer on Thailand’s island paradise of Koh Samui, The Phuket Express reported yesterday. The British man, 74 year old Dennis Robert Desmond, had overstayed his visa by 38 days. Officers arrested Desmond in front of a hotel in Koh Samui’s Bo Phut sub-district, on Choeng Mon-Chaweng Road. The officers brought Desmond to Bo…
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Chiang Mai’s Dhara Dhevi Hotel goes on sale again
The ill-starred Dhara Dhevi Hotel Chiang Mai will be auctioned yet again this January, with the starting price dropping to 2 billion baht (US$60 million) from the 2.1-billion-baht initial price in the 2021 auction. The first round of the auction will take place at the Chiang Mai Legal Execution Office on January 27. If there is no interest during the…
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Tourism groups in South Korea sign deals with TAT
To boost the tourism link with South Korea, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just inked three new deals. By partnering with Korean Air, the Korea Association of Travel Agents, and SOOBAK, the TAT hope to increase visitors from the nation and strengthen the friendly relations between South Korea and Thailand. TAT News reports that the department’s governor Yuttasak Supasorn…
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7 killed and 2 injured in floods in southern Thailand
Seven people died and two more are injured as a result of floods in the southern provinces of Thailand. The water level has gradually decreased today. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported today that heavy rain and strong winds from December 18 to 21 caused flash floods and landslides in nine provinces including Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat,…
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New artefacts in the Cave of Salome, nurse to Jesus
New light has been shed on just how long a cave in Israel has been held as a religious holy site. The cave is believed to be the burial place of Salome, the apocryphal nurse to the newborn baby Jesus. After a recent excavation, new evidence has reinforced the long-held belief that the biblical figure is in fact buried there. Excavations…
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Beagle sniffs out corpse in northeast Thailand
A Thai man took his dog out for a walk in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand yesterday. He couldn’t believe it when the sharp-nosed beagle led him to a human corpse. At 3:30pm yesterday, officers at Soeng Sang Police Station received a report that a body had been found on the side of the road in Soeng Sang district.…
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AoT app expanding: flight info, taxis, shopping and more
Airports in Thailand are hard at work souping up their travel app in hopes of making it an essential super-app for the incoming flood of tourists. Their “Sawasdee by AoT” app currently provides flight and airport information for people landing at six AoT-run airports. But they plan to add a host of tourism services, to aid the predicted 90 million…
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Police arrest 7 men for robbery of Chinese man’s house in Pattaya
Police arrested seven Thai men over the robbery of a Chinese man and his Thai wife’s house in Pattaya earlier this month. The suspects said they were hired by three Thai men who believed the Chinese man was keeping 200 to 400 million baht inside the house. The robbery occurred on the night of December 11 at the couple’s house…
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Anti-government protest leader under fire over expensive handbag
Anti-government protest leader Panusaya “Rung” is under fire for her alleged flaunting of a 200,000 baht handbag. Rung was called out by senator Jetn Sirathranont as he asked the National Security Council to look into her finances after a photo of her with the handbag circulated on Facebook and on other social media outlets. According to the Bangkok Post, Jetn…
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97 year old former Nazi concentration camp secretary found guilty of over 10,000 murders
A 97 year old woman has been convicted of murdering over 10,000 people while she served as a Nazi concentration camp secretary. The woman was convicted for her role in what could be the last trial for World War II crimes. According to Reuters, the district court in the northern town of Itzehoe charged Irmgard Furchner with a two-year suspended…
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Woman and Thai-Turkish daughter dumped on roadside in Pattaya
A Thai husband dumped his wife and her six year old Thai-Turkish daughter on the roadside in Pattaya in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, on Saturday. Left alone with no money or belongings, the pair waited on the roadside for three days for him to come back, but he never returned. Last night, a 28 year old woman named Sasiporn…
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