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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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Bangkok ranked No.6 in the top 10 best cities for expats
Bangkok ranked sixth in the Top 10 Cities in the World for expats in 2022 in an InterNations poll. InterNations is a global social network for expats that operates both online and offline in 420 cities across the world. The network provides insider information on many expat destinations and also allows expat communities in each city to share and exchange…
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Man armed with a pen gun arrested at seminar visited by PM Prayut
The Thai Air Force bomb squad quickly dealt with a potential threat to the life of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha when an abusive man with a pen gun turned up at a seminar the PM was addressing. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOC) arrested the armed man yesterday at the seminar in the northern province of Chiang Rai. PM Prayut joined…
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Racism scandal looms as Prince William and wife Kate arrive in US
Prince William and his wife Kate have arrived in the US for the first time in eight years, amid another racism scandal that has seen his godmother resign from the royal household. Susan Hussey, one of William’s six godmothers, recently resigned after repeatedly asking a black British woman where she was “really” from. According to France 24, the Prince and…
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Indonesia’s environmental protection plan- trust the billionaires
Indonesia’s environmental protection plan will take the revolutionary step of selling off “development” rights – not “protection” rights – to an entire archipelago of more than 100 coral islands next week. More or less anyone who happens to have enough cash washing around offshore is welcome to bid. The Widi reserve in Indonesia is described by Sotheby’s – those bastions…
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Europe wakes up to US profiteering from Russia-Ukraine conflict
It appears Europe has finally woken up to Sleepy Joe’s foreign policy and US profiteering from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The war in Ukraine has been blamed for higher fuel costs, the rise in inflation, austerity, and an economic meltdown throughout the world. Yet everything in the US garden appears to be rosy, profits are blooming and life goes on as…
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‘Pinky’ the alleged Forex 3D scammer released on bail after 3 months behind bars
UPDATE Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej was released on bail for 5 million baht yesterday after being detained for over three months inside Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok. Thailand’s Criminal Court granted bail to Pinky on the condition that she does not leave the country, must inform the court within seven days if she changes her address, and must report to…
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North Korea forces citizens to change names for a more idealistic sound
North Korea’s government is reportedly forcing its citizens to change their names to sound more ideological. Such names that mean “super beauty” or “loved one” are being swapped for those that mean “loyalty” or “bomb.” One resident of the country says names have evolved since the early 2000s as people learned more about the outside world. In the past, residents…
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Thailand’s southern islands are reeling in tourists
South Thailand’s holiday hotspot islands are reeling in tourists once again. The islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan have seen 2.3 million tourists arrive on their shores in the past 10 months, according to the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s office for the islands. This has generated over 40 billion baht in revenue.…
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Missing Australian teacher in Koh Samui found
A missing teacher on Koh Samui island has been found alive, but her current condition is unknown. The Australian woman, Jessica Desai, 38, is of Indian descent and was reported missing since November 25. Desai is a teacher at Oonrak International School in Koh Samui. Her information was posted to numerous Koh Samui Facebook groups with hopes of finding her.…
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Cabinet seems to have ignored 4am nightlife proposal
It seems that the push for 4am closing times for nightlife venues is meeting stiff opposition. But entertainment venues aren’t giving up, offering new arguments and proposing plans to solve the points of contention. Meanwhile, the briefing released after a Cabinet meeting yesterday that was expected to discuss the curfew extension did not make any mention of the 4am proposal.…
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Tuhao’s Chinese gang buys 50 homes in Bangkok luxury village with cash
Tuhao the alleged Chinese drug tycoon and his gang of “businessmen” bought 50 houses in a luxury village in Bangkok – with cash, police say. The gangs’ constant partying drove all 16 remaining Thai households out of the village. Bangkok South Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant to search an entire village in Bangkok’s Soi Laselle area after finding evidence…
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Bus flipped in Tak injuring 44 Burmese workers, killing 3
A bus full of Burmese workers overturned in the Tak provinces, killing three and injuring 44 more. The bus was transporting Burmese migrant workers from the northern province across the country to work in the southern province of Songkhla. The accident took place yesterday evening in the Mueang district of Tak. Mae Toh Police were notified about the bus that…
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Intoxicated Pattaya woman left uninjured after overturning car
An intoxicated Pattaya woman escaped injury after overturning her car in the early hours of this morning. The woman, Nantakan Surinthorn, remarkably walked away from the vehicle with little more than a few minor scrapes and bruises after she crashed her car into a parked truck, before overturning it. The 26 year old bar owner admitted to Pattaya police that…
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Woman who allegedly scammed victims for over 30 million baht arrested in Pattaya
Another day, another major scam in Thailand. A woman who allegedly scammed victims for over 30 million baht has been arrested in Pattaya. Police arrested the woman, 24 year old Patcharee Maneesri, at a condominium in the city following an arrest warrant from the Loei Provincial Court for fraud and a loan scam imported into a computer system. Patcharee was…
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Bangkok BTS Skytrain fares to increase next year
Global inflation is rising and so is the cost of a ticket on Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain. The BTS Skytrain will get a little bit pricier on January 1, 2023, according to an announcement made by the Bangkok Transit System Corporation (BTSC) today. Fares on the Sukhumvit (Mo Chit – On Nut) and Silom (National Stadium – Saphan Taksin) lines will…
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Police put brakes on car rental thief in Bangkok
A car rental thief was arrested in Bangkok today after twocking more than 100 motors from car rental shops throughout several provinces of southern Thailand. Members of the Haad Yai Airport Car Rental Business Association in the southern province of Songkhla, and car rental shops in Pattalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phuket, Yala, and Narathiwat filed complaints with police that…
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Driver furious with Bangkok shopping mall after foreigner accidently causes damage to her car
A foreign man accidentally damaged a car after he tripped on the pavement in front of a Bangkok shopping mall, pulling a large, heavy advertising board onto the vehicle. The car owner thanked the foreign man for paying for the damage to the car but she condemned the shopping mall because she believed they should cough up. Premvadee Bunchatherawate shared…
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Iran promises Thailand it won’t attack Israeli tourists
Iran promised Thailand that it won’t attack Israeli tourists on Thai soil. The Thai government informed Israel’s government yesterday that it had received a commitment from Iran not to attack Israeli targets in Thailand, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable and two Israeli officials. Iran, and Iran-backed forces, are believed to have been behind attacks on Israelis and Jews…
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Japan is the No.1 tourist destination among Thais
A new study reveals that the top five tourist destinations among Thai tourists include Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The study by Visa surveyed 2,000 Thai people about their most desirable holiday destinations. The top three deciding factors when choosing where to go include travel expenses (65%), weather (49%), and desire to visit new places (48%).…
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10,000 Angkor Wat residents facing mass eviction
The UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world, is facing a humanitarian crisis. About 10,000 people who live in and around the site have been told that they must move before the new year. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen describes it as “voluntary relocations,” but residents being pushed out of their homes and…
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Popcorn promotion: people capitalise on all you can eat
A Bangkok cinema might have underestimated the Thai people’s veracity for a bargain. On Monday, the cinema located in a mall in central Bangkok held an “all you can eat” popcorn promotion and dozens of locals took full advantage. The theatre offered all-you-can-eat popcorn for 199 baht and did not make any restrictions on containers, for example, requiring the popcorn…
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Violent criminals in Thailand to be tagged for 10 years after release to protect women
Soon, criminals put away for violent crimes against women in Thailand will have to wear an electric monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet for up to 10 years after their release. The new law – Measures for the Prevention of Repeat Offenses in Sexual or Violent Crimes Act – aims to reduce the chance of reoffending, prevent violence against women and make…
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Chiang Mai farmers ordered not to move pigs to prevent African Swine Fever spread
Livestock officials ordered farmers in a district of Chiang Mai to not move their pigs off farms. This measure in the Doi Saket district is meant to prevent the possible spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). The order comes after a pig in the district died on November 21. Livestock officials visited the farm to test another pig that was…
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Truck overturns carrying 2,560 crates of beer in central Thailand
A beer delivery truck overturned on the Rangsit – Pathum Thani Road in central Thailand last night, strewing 30 tonnes of booze across the busy road. A forklift was needed to clear up the mounds of bottles and broken glass. Around 61,440 small bottles of a leopard-themed beer, which shall not be named due to Thailand’s archaic and strictly enforced…
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Driver surrenders to police after hit-and-run in Pattaya
The reckless pickup driver who knocked down a British man on a pedestrian crossing in a hit-and-run incident surrendered to police and visited the victim to apologise. The driver, 61 year old Maethanat Leeliang, gave himself up to the police after the hit-and-run incident in Pattaya. Maethanat told police he was unaware he had hit the foreigner and only found…
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Thai immigration reports over 900,000 tourists in Phuket since May
Phuket’s tourism is continuing to make its post-Covid-19 comeback. Thai immigration reported over 900,000 tourists in Phuket from May 1 to November 27. The total number of tourists that visited the island province in that time frame is 934,164. Of those tourists, 914,746 are foreigners, and 19,418 are Thai. Meanwhile the Phuket Walking Street Sunday Market, also well known as…
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Qatar officials insist camel beauty contestants are cosmetic surgery free
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar is not the only prestigious competition taking place in the Arab state. Camels from several Gulf states are strutting their stuff on the catwalk at the Qatar Camel Mzayen Club beauty contest in Ash-Shahaniyah. But tournament officials in Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar, are on the alert over alleged cheating after a similar competition in Saudi Arabia last…
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Iranian Kurdish footballer released from jail
UPDATE The Iranian Kurdish footballer jailed last week has been released on bail, along with another former member of the country’s national team. Iranian authorities announced the release of Voria Ghafouri and Parviz Boroumand yesterday. The Iranian Kurdish player, Voria Ghafouri, was arrested on November 24 for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported.…
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CBD nutraceuticals market emerging in Thailand and globally
Press Release Thailand’s legalization of cannabis makes it the region’s leader and a pioneer for cannabis liberalization. According to the latest figures from Prohibition Partners’ recently released Asian Cannabis Report: 2nd Edition, medical and non-medical cannabis sales in Asia could skyrocket to more than 10 times their current size by 2026 to an estimated $140 million. Thailand is well-poised to strengthen its cannabis…
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Police seize 400 million baht in assets from shady group of Chinese businessmen
Bangkok police reportedly seized 400 million baht in assets from a group of Chinese businessmen who are allegedly involved in shady dealings. Thai police say they impounded three luxury homes, a penthouse and 10 luxury cars yesterday. According to Thai PBS World, the assets were seized in Soi La Salle in Bangkok’s Bang Na area, after police discovered they were…
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