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 Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand
Moving to Thailand offers a prospect full of excitement and adventure, but in the same vein, if any injuries were to occur (and god forbid it does), the local healthcare system can be confusing at first glance for many expats...
-
Bulletproof Buriram man survives triple shooting, claims immortality
A Thai man shot his foe three times in a village in the Isaan province of Buriram amid a seven-year feud, after the victim claimed he was immortal. Remarkably, the victim’s boast turned out to be true as he survived the shooting. The victim, 40 year old Somchai, sought justice at Satuek Police Station, claiming that his foe, 44 year…
-
Harvard comeback: Pita’s return to the political arena
Pita Limjaroenrat, the exiled political leader with unfinished business in Thai politics, is making an unexpected return to his old stomping grounds. The former leader of the now-disbanded Move Forward Party (MFP), who’s currently sidelined by a 10-year political ban, snagged a prestigious spot as a Democracy Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. “This is an exciting opportunity to continue…
-
Thailand’s tourism boom tainted by zero-dollar tours
Thailand’s booming tourism sector is thriving under a new visa-free policy, attracting millions of foreign tourists. Yet, while Chinese visitors top the list, concerns are mounting over the resurgence of Chinese zero-dollar tours, which could be draining potential revenue from the Thai economy. From January 1 to August 18, Thailand welcomed a staggering 22,474,172 international tourists, who pumped 1.05 trillion…
-
Bangkok jewellery fair set to sparkle with 3.5 billion baht in revenue
The upcoming 70th Bangkok Gems and Jewellery Fair is gearing up to dazzle with an expected revenue haul of at least 3.5 billion baht, according to the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) and the Gem and Jewellery Institute of Thailand (GIT). This glittering event, scheduled from September 9 to 13 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), is…
-
Northern Thailand flooding: Phichit’s Yom River water levels rise
The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) is closely monitoring the water levels in the Yom River in Phichit province, which has been rising steadily due to heavy rainfall in northern Thailand, particularly in Phrae and Phayao. This surge in water is expected to flow down to Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, and Phichit. Chuchart Rakjit, the Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department, announced yesterday,…
-
EV battery boom: Can AI help Thailand drive to the top?
Thailand is revving up for a major geopolitical boost by focusing on electric vehicle (EV) batteries and auto components, including integrated circuit packaging and testing. According to Taiwan’s Profet AI, the key to speeding up product delivery, slashing costs, and raising standards lies in adopting cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) amid ongoing economic headwinds. Jerry Huang, co-founder and CEO of Profet…
-
Shocking survey reveals Thai government’s trust crisis
A recent survey has uncovered a deep-seated distrust among the Thai populace towards their government, with more than 69% of respondents expressing doubts that the government acts in the country’s best interests. Conducted by the Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD) from August 17 to 20, the survey sampled 1,251 adults nationwide. The findings paint a troubling picture of…
-
Thai dancer and her boyfriend arrested for child prostitution
Chiang Mai police arrested a 20 year old Thai dancer and her boyfriend on charges of child prostitution. The woman alleged that dancing did not provide sufficient income, leading her to become a part-time sex worker and recruit other underage dancers into prostitution. Anti-human trafficking organisations ZOE and the Immanuel Foundation reported the child prostitution racket to the Cyber Crime…
-
Koh Pha Ngan shopkeeper’s laughing gas caper goes up in smoke
A Koh Pha Ngan shopkeeper has been caught red-handed peddling balloons stuffed with nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas, without a licence, and it’s no laughing matter! Rangsiman Jaisamer was busted by police in his Haad Rin shop early today, August 22, where officers discovered two cylinders of the giggly gas and a stash of balloons ready for sale.…
-
Chachoengsao man builds new gate to avoid neighbour’s threats
A 60 year old Thai man in Chachoengsao province opted to build a new gate to his home to avoid further conflict with his neighbour, who has been reportedly harassing him and brandishing a firearm. The Thai man, Thitiwat, complained to Athiwat Sirikangwalwong, founder of the Dare to Step Forward Facebook page, about the threats he faced from his neighbour,…
-
3 Thai TikTok stars arrested for 6 million baht Forex scam
Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested three Thai TikTok stars for deceiving victims in a Forex scam, causing a total loss exceeding 6 million baht. The three arrested TikTokers were identified as a 31 year old woman named Apinya, a 43 year old man named Rattawut, and a 41 year old woman named Prapakorn. Various valuables worth approximately 6…
-
Baht hits 13-month peak as Bank of Thailand holds rates
The baht is poised to strengthen further, potentially reaching 34 per US dollar or even higher, following a 13-month peak attained yesterday. This surge occurred as the Bank of Thailand opted to keep the policy rate steady at 2.5%, encouraging potential inflows ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s upcoming September meeting. Closing at 34.21 on August 20, the Thai currency…
-
Bangkok to Beijing train: Mekong River railway bridge opens
Travellers are one step closer to an epic train journey from Bangkok to Beijing as a new railway bridge over the Mekong River has opened, linking Thailand and Laos by rail for the first time. This milestone, completed last month, leaves just a few dozen miles of a trackless gap before the route can finally reach China. With the launch…
-
Pickup truck runs red light, kills motorcyclist in Buriram
A pickup truck ran a red light and struck a motorcyclist, resulting in the rider’s immediate death. Despite efforts by a nurse and a postman to revive him, the man succumbed to his injuries on the spot. Around 3.30pm yesterday, August 21, Police Lieutenant Prachat Raksawang, Deputy Inspector of Mueang Buriram Police Station, was alerted to an accident involving a…
-
Thailand urged to subsidise public transport with vehicle tax funds
The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) urged the government to subsidise public transport fares using funds sourced from taxes on personal vehicles, land, and windfall profits. This recommendation emerged during the inaugural meeting of the Consumer Council for Public Transportation Users, aimed at developing a safer and fairer public transport system through collaborative guidelines and projects. TCC President Boonyeun Siritham highlighted…
-
8 South Korean men arrested in Bangkok for call centre scam
Immigration Bureau officers yesterday arrested eight South Korean men at a luxury condominium in Bangkok for using the condo to run a call centre scam, swindling money from fellow South Korean nationals residing in Thailand. Officers received a tip-off from an informant that South Korean nationals used a condominium in Soi Ekkamai 3, in Bangkok’s Wattana district to run the…
-
Teenager critically injured in brutal knife attack in Nonthaburi
A first-year vocational student was brutally attacked in broad daylight, leaving him in critical condition. The incident took place in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi, when a group of teenagers wielding knives clashed violently. Yesterday, August 21, at 5pm, officers from Bang Bua Thong Police Station in Nonthaburi received reports of a stabbing incident involving teenagers. The event occurred in Soi…
-
Thai MP faces axe for defying party and mingling with rivals
The Thai Sang Thai (TST) Party plans to boot out one of its MPs for repeatedly flouting the party’s stance and rubbing shoulders with rival factions. The ethics panel, led by TST bigwigs Khunying Sudarat Keyurapan and Pokin Polakul, has put Yasothon MP Supaporn Salapsri in the hot seat after she voted against the party line multiple times. Supaporn, a…
-
Thai father crashes car into son-in-law for abusing his daughter
A Thai father deliberately crashed his car into his abusive son-in-law after the man repeatedly assaulted his daughter. In the subsequent collision, a police officer and a witness who had tried to intervene in the physical domestic abuse were also injured. Officers from the Sriracha Police Station and rescuers from the Sawang Prateep Foundation were called to a house in…
-
Petition claims Bhumjaithai leaders encroached on forest park land
A petition was submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) against Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul and the party Secretary-General Chaichanok Chidchob over alleged land encroachment in Khao Kradong Forest Park, Buriram. Lawyer Pattharpong Supassorn lodged the complaint yesterday, August 21, calling for an investigation into a building project on a 5,083-rai land plot owned by the State Railway of Thailand…
-
Police pursue suspect after man murdered near Khon Kaen temple
Police are actively pursuing the suspect who brutally murdered a man on a road near a temple in Khon Kaen province. The victim’s brother revealed that the deceased had been helping with a funeral in the village and was attacked while on his way to deliver food to an elderly acquaintance. Surachet Matnok, a sub-inspector at Nong Song Hong Police…
-
2 Chinese women and foreign-Thai couple clash in Phuket mall
Police are searching for a foreign man and his Thai wife after two Chinese women accused the couple of physically assaulting them outside a shopping mall in Phuket. The Chinese woman named Wu and her daughter named Jang filed a complaint at Wichit Police Station in Phuket on Tuesday, August 20, after an altercation with the foreign man and his…
-
Disabled woman killed in Samut Songkhram shooting
A tragic shooting incident occurred last night in Samut Songkhram, resulting in the death of a disabled woman. The police have identified eight suspects and expect to apprehend them by tonight. Police received a report of a fatal shooting at 8.30pm yesterday, August 21, behind Wat Phuang Malai in Mueang district, Samut Songkhram province. The investigation team, led by Woraboon…
-
Teenage girl assaulted in Nonthaburi as punishment, captured on video
A group of teenagers in Nonthaburi brutally assaulted a 16 year old girl on the street, claiming it was a form of punishment. Police are investigating the incident, which was caught on video and widely shared on social media. Kan Jompalang, along with the victim and her guardians, visited Rattanathibet Police Station in Nonthaburi to meet with Police Colonel Pisut…
-
Teen brawl in Samut Prakan causes traffic chaos (video)
A group of teenagers clashed violently on a road in Samut Prakan province, causing significant disruption and damage to vehicles, leading a witness to label them as societal nuisances. Facebook user Maem posted a video showing a group of teenagers engaging in a brawl with a gang of students near a U-turn median, causing a traffic jam. The altercation not…
-
Gold prices hit record US$2,531 amid interest rate cut speculation
Gold prices continue their upward trajectory, reaching a new record high of US$2,531 per ounce yesterday. Investors are closely monitoring signals from the Federal Reserve regarding potential interest rate cuts at its September meeting. Gold brokers attribute the increase to the asset’s status as a safe haven amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Tanarat Pasawongse,…
-
Thai man assaults escort over service time dispute
A Thai man assaulted an escort after she refused to extend her service time, leading to a heated argument and subsequent violence. The incident was reported yesterday by the Facebook page à¸à¸µà¸‹à¹‰à¸à¸‚ยี้ข่าว3 which posted details and photos of the assaulted woman. The altercation began when the man requested to extend the escort’s service time but the woman wanted to go home.…
-
Doctor charged for assaulting, stripping teenage boy in Bangkok
Prosecutors have formally charged four individuals, including a doctor, for allegedly assaulting a 14 year old boy in Lak Si district, Bangkok and forcing him to strip. Evidence will be reviewed on December 9. The defendants have been granted temporary release. The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Criminal Cases 4 submitted a lawsuit against Doctor Weerayuth Naenna, Doctor Weerayut…
-
Australian tourists help collect rubbish on Koh Samui (video)
A group of Australian tourists on Koh Samui became an unexpected viral sensation by helping local municipal workers collect rubbish in the early morning hours. Their enthusiastic efforts, captured on video, brought smiles and laughter to viewers, especially Thais. The incident took place yesterday at around 4am, today, August 22, when the tourists, hanging off the back of a garbage…
-
Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement expected by next year
A free trade agreement (FTA) between Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is anticipated to be finalised by next year, according to officials from Canada and Thailand involved in the discussions. Surin Thanalertkul, the Canadian embassy trade commissioner, along with Martin Sullivan, senior market development officer of the Canada Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO), discussed the…
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.