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.
-
Thai Cabinet officially ends 60-day visa-free scheme
Thailand’s Cabinet officially approved the cancellation of the 60-day visa-free scheme following a proposal from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, with revised visa categories for each country expected to be announced later. The visa-free programme previously allowed travellers from more than 90 countries to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days without a visa. The policy expanded an…
-
EU visa change opens path to longer Schengen visas for Thais
Thai nationals residing in Thailand may now qualify for Schengen visas valid for up to five years under new European Union (EU) rules announced yesterday, May 18, aimed at making repeat travel to Europe easier. The change is part of a new “visa cascade” system adopted by the EU, giving eligible repeat travellers progressively longer multiple-entry visas. It applies to…
-
Ministry of Transport to cancel trains to inner Bangkok to improve road safety
Thailand’s Ministry of Transport plans to cancel trains heading to inner Bangkok and tighten safety measures within three months following the fatal bus and train collision on May 16. Officials from several government agencies are continuing investigations into the cause of the crash while also reviewing long-term safety improvements aimed at preventing similar incidents. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on…
-
Foreign tourist among new Mpox cases reported in Thailand
Thailand has reported 1,074 cumulative Mpox cases and 16 deaths, with health officials warning people in higher-risk groups to monitor symptoms after new Clade Ib cases and infections linked to tourist areas. Dr Montien Kanasawat, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said today, May 19, that surveillance data from the Division of Epidemiology showed two new confirmed Clade…
-
Chon Buri woman reports drugging and raping by bar worker
A Thai woman is seeking justice after a bar worker in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri allegedly drugged her with a ketamine-laced e-cigarette, known locally as Pod K, before raping her. The 20 year old victim, Chidapa, shared details of the alleged incident with several Thai media outlets after reporting the case to police yesterday, May 18. She said…
-
Bangkok delivery rider struck by train near recent fatal collision scene
A food delivery rider suffered serious injuries after being struck by a train while urinating next to the railway track along Kampaengphet 7 Road, near the site of the recent fatal collision between a train and a bus. Rescue workers were called to the railway track near the Mercure Bangkok Makkasan hotel at about 11am. The injured man, whose identity…
-
Thailand News | British drug couriers targeted by Thailand-Based gangs, Bangkok chosen for Eurovision song contest Asia grand final
Today we’ll be giving you some updates on the train crash situation, including bail being granted for the train driver and railway crossing signalman, plus a new documentary is exposing how Thailand-based gangs are exploiting unsuspecting brits for drug mule purposes, in a bizarre incident a rocket crashes into a woman’s home and causes her serious injury, and a…
-
Thailand rethinks spending 1.7 billion baht on World Cup broadcast rights
Thailand is reconsidering whether to spend more than 1.7 billion baht (roughly US$52 million) on broadcast rights for the World Cup 2026 tournament, with officials questioning whether the cost would deliver long-term value for Thai football. At 4.05pm yesterday, May 18, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Paradorn Prissananantakul addressed reports that the government may step back from buying the rights to…
-
Iran agrees to help Thai cargo ships pass Strait of Hormuz
Two Thai cargo ships waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz are expected to receive assistance from Iran after a meeting at Government House yesterday, May 18. Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, chief adviser to the prime minister, met Mehdi Zare, cultural counsellor at the Embassy of Iran in Thailand, to discuss bilateral ties and the regional situation. After the…
-
Thai teen finds American man’s body hanging over Pattaya condo balcony
Police are investigating the death of an American man whose body was found hanging over the balcony of a condominium in Pattaya yesterday, May 18. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were called to the seven-storey condominium on Jomtien Sai Song Road after a Thai teenager reported seeing a body hanging from a balcony on the sixth floor. At the…
-
Railway officials temporarily released after deadly collision in Bangkok
The Criminal Court temporarily released the train driver and station manager charged in connection with the deadly train-bus collision in Bangkok. The collision between a container train and a public bus occurred at Asok Railway Station on Saturday, May 16. The crash killed eight people, injured more than 30 others, and also damaged several vehicles. Investigators are continuing efforts to…
-
Watch out for fake Suvarnabhumi Fast Track services, officials say
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau posted a video on May 17, warning travellers not to trust claims that a paid Fast Track immigration service is available at Suvarnabhumi Airport, allegedly offered through Trip.com. The warning followed a post by a Chinese-Taiwanese tourist who claimed the service could be bought for 650 yuan. The post reportedly included an image from the app stating that…
-
Bangkok selected for final stage of Eurovision Song Contest Asia
The Eurovision Song Contest will expand into Asia for the first time this year, with Bangkok selected to host the grand final of Eurovision Song Contest Asia on November 14. The official Eurovision Instagram account, @eurovision, announced the launch of Eurovision Song Contest Asia in March. Aside from being the first expansion of Asia, the event also marks the 70th…
-
Thai woman suffers broken leg after rocket crashes into home
A woman in Nakhon Ratchasima is seeking compensation after a bang fai rocket, part of a rocket festival in Northeastern Thailand, crashed through her home and injured her daughter-in-law, resulting in a broken leg. The incident occurred on May 6 in Bua Lai district when a rocket reportedly fell through the roof of a shared family home. The 34 year old…
-
Search underway for Dutch man missing off Railay Beach in Krabi
A Dutch tourist remains missing after a kayak overturned in rough seas off Railay Beach in Krabi on Saturday, May 16, while his daughter was rescued safely. Rangers from Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park were alerted to the incident in Railay Bay involving a Dutch man, believed to be about 60 years old, and his daughter. According…
-
Phuket locals demand action after foreign teens damage property
Police arrested four foreign teenagers yesterday, May 17, after they stole and damaged a lamp shade outside a resident’s home in Phuket. The incident was reported by the Phuket Times Facebook page, which also shared CCTV footage of the theft. The incident took place on Phang Nga Road in the Phuket Old Town area. In the video, one of the…
-
Families search for missing members after train-bus collision in Bangkok
Families of those involved in the deadly collision between a train and a public bus in the Asok area of Bangkok are awaiting autopsy results to confirm the identities of the victims, while several relatives continue hoping their loved ones survived the incident. Eight people were confirmed dead after a container train collided with public bus route 206 beneath Airport…
-
PM Anutin considers tunnel after fatal collision on railway track
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government plans to reduce the number of train crossing points in Bangkok following the fatal collision between a container train and a public bus in Asok on Saturday, May 16. The crash occurred at the intersection where Asok-Din Daeng Road crosses a railway track beneath Airport Rail Link Makkasan Station. The area is known…
-
Train driver found positive for drug and driving without licence
Police confirmed the train driver tested positive for drugs and was operating without a licence after the collision between a container train and a public bus on Saturday, May 16. The collision occurred on Saturday afternoon at the Asok Railway Station, where Asok-Din Daeng Road crosses the railway track beneath Airport Rail Link Makkasan Station. A container train struck a…
-
Why the gold price surging past 4,700 USD is both a blessing and a headache for Thailand’s central bank
Thailand has always had a deep relationship with gold. It is savings, family wealth, emergency money, and a trusted asset when markets feel unstable. But in 2026, gold has become more than a household favourite. It has turned into a serious currency issue for the Bank of Thailand. The gold price surging past 4,700 USD is a blessing because it…
-
AI cameras help arrest human trafficking suspect in Pattaya
Pattaya tourist police used an AI surveillance camera system to arrest a Thai man wanted in a human trafficking case near Walking Street in Pattaya on the morning of May 15. The arrest took place at around 9.15am after the AI camera system detected and identified a person matching Criminal Court arrest warrant No. 2462/2569, dated April 29. Police moved…
-
13 Cambodian migrants arrested at Chanthaburi border
Thai marines and local police in Chanthaburi province arrested 13 Cambodian migrants on May 16, after intensifying surveillance along the border. The first group of nine Cambodians, five men and four women, were detained at 5.30pm while crossing forested terrain near boundary marker 53 in Thep Nimit subdistrict, Pong Nam Ron district. Investigations found the group had travelled from Banteay…
-
Body believed to be missing police officer found on Phuket Beach
A body believed to be a missing police officer was found washed ashore at Nai Thon Beach in Sakhu subdistrict, Thalang district, Phuket, this morning, May 17, two days after he was swept into the sea by strong waves. The man went swimming at Nai Thon Beach on May 15, during strong winds and waves more than two metres high.…
-
Illegal cat medicine operation busted in Samut Prakan
Officials announced the results of a raid yesterday, May 16, on an illegal cat medication production and sales operation in Samut Prakan, where unregistered veterinary drugs were allegedly mixed to increase volume and sold online. The operation was carried out by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The case…
-
Satun man shoots ex-wife dead, then turns gun on himself
A 60 year old man shot his 58 year old ex-wife dead at her rental home in Thung Nui subdistrict, Khuan Kalong district, Satun, on May 16, before returning to his residence 1km away and turning the gun on himself. Police arrived to find the woman with three gunshot wounds to the chest. She had served as both village health…
-
Missing Kanchanaburi woman found dead in staged suicide case
A woman who had been missing for four days was found dead on May 15 behind a sugar factory in Ban Kao subdistrict, Mueang district, Kanchanaburi, after her neighbour confessed to killing her and staging a suicide. The woman, identified as 44 year old Kesa, was last heard from at around 6am on May 10, when she called her former…
-
SRT warns of delays after freight train hits bus near Asok
Eight people were killed and 32 others injured after a freight train crashed into a public bus near Bangkok’s Asok-Din Daeng intersection yesterday afternoon, sparking a fire that engulfed the vehicle. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) confirmed that freight train No. 2126, running from Laem Chabang Port to Bang Sue, struck an air-conditioned route 23 bus at a level…
-
PM orders care, compensation after Makkasan rail crossing crash
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspected the Bangkok train bus crash site near Makkasan Airport Rail Link station on Asok-Din Daeng Road, Bangkok, at 10pm yesterday, May 16, after a rail crossing collision. Anutin visited the scene shortly after the serious accident and monitored the response by rescue workers, emergency doctors, police, and related agencies. Officials were still helping injured passengers,…
-
Heavy rain warning issued for 40 Thai provinces on May 17
The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning for today, forecasting heavy rainfall across 40 provinces, including Bangkok and surrounding areas. A strong southwest monsoon affecting the upper Andaman Sea is driving the conditions, with rain expected to cover 60% of affected regions. Residents are advised to watch out for flash floods and overflow, particularly near mountains, waterways, and…
-
Top EOR platforms companies are using to hire talent in Thailand
Finding good people in Thailand is the easy part. Hiring them properly is where most foreign companies get stuck. Tech, customer support, marketing, finance, hospitality, manufacturing – the talent pool is deep. The employment admin around it is not. Open your own Thai entity, and you are looking at roughly four to five months and a serious legal bill before…
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.