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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 retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes
Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
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Hill tribes in Chiang Mai resist construction of coal mine
Villagers from Omkoi, a district 150 kilometres south west of Chiang Mai, are running a campaign to resist an upcoming mining project which they say will impact their way of life, health, livelihoods and the local environment. The villagers are filing a lawsuit against the International Energy Agency who did not notify or involve local people in the planning of…
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Homemade booze regulations being drafted to allow Thais to produce alcohol
The Thai government is looking into allowing citizens to produce alcohol at home, but the spirits would only be allowed for personal consumption and not for sale. The revised laws will likely allow Thais to brew beer as well as distil whiskey, which is often brewed with herbs to make the traditional and homemade spirit “ya dong.” The deputy government…
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Iranian tourist missing after white water rafting accident in Thailand’s Phang Nga
UPDATE: The tourist’s body has since been found. Read more HERE. An Iranian tourist has gone missing after a white water rafting accident yesterday in Southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province. A group of five foreign tourists alongside two tour operators were white water rafting down a river in Song Phraek village when they crashed into a rock causing their rubber…
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Health Ministry denies claims of short supply of anti-viral medicine for Covid patients
In response to complaints about a shortage of the anti-viral medicine Favipiravir, with hospitals running low on the primary drug in Thailand used to treat Covid-19, the Public Health Ministry has said that the country’s supply is enough to meet the local demand. Hospitals may experience a “temporary” shortage with the uptick in Covid-19 cases, according to Public Health Deputy…
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Thailand’s central bank may revise inflation rate, GDP to battle economic downturn
The Bank of Thailand’s rate-setting committee with meet today to discuss a possible revision of key economic figures such as interest rates and GDP, as the country battles an economic climate that has soured high hopes for the year. Various factors include a weakened baht, rising inflation and the impact of the war in Ukraine, which has resulted in spiking…
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Drunk Chon Buri factory workers get in knife fight over who works harder
On Sunday, two drunk Chon Buri factory workers got into a knife fight over which of them worked harder. Emergency responders rushed one worker to Chon Buri hospital. They found bottles of liquor and a broken point-tip knife near the worker. There was a small pool of his blood. The worker who stabbed him claimed he was defending himself. The…
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Head of Thai Army’s Channel 5 to be replaced after plan to exchange news with Russia
After a controversial meeting with the Russian ambassador on news coverage of the Ukraine conflict, the director of the Royal Thai Army-owned TV Channel 5 is being replaced. Reports point out the meeting between Channel 5 director Rangsee Kitiyanasap and the ambassador earlier this month, but it’s unclear why the channel’s chief is being replaced. Rangsee says he had submitted…
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Koh Phangan’s Full Moon Party set for Songkran, but no word on water fights
Koh Phangan’s famous Full Moon Party has been given the green light for Songkran, the Thai New Year known for massive water fights, but there hasn’t been any word if water splashing will be allowed. Koh Phangan, one of the trio of Gulf of Thailand islands off the Surat Thani coast, is known for its massive parties on Haad Rin…
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Muay Thai gym opens som tum shop for income during the pandemic
Headshot kick knock-out som tum. That’s what happens when Muay Thai boxers put away the gloves and get out a mortar and pestle to smash chillis for the spicy papaya salad. With fewer students participating in close-contact sports due to Covid fears, a Muay Thai boxing gym in the central province of Ratchaburi adapted by opening a weekend restaurant selling…
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Pirate-fighting pact bolsters maritime safety in Southeast Asian seas
The seas of Southeast Asia are getting safer, after joint naval patrols in the waters of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have successfully deterred piracy in the region. It all comes down to a Trilateral Cooperation Agreement, or TCA, in which the nations pledged to conduct joint anti-piracy patrols in their waters and share information. The result has been a…
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Asia News Today | Japanese yen drops to a seven year low
Nearly 9,000 soldiers from the Philippines and US are participating in the largest-ever joint military drills as the two longtime allies do some high-level sabre-rattling amid fresh tensions in the disputed South China Sea. Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12 day military exercises across the main Filipino island of Luzon. Philippine military chief welcomed soldiers from…
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Murder investigation launched, 2 arrested after dog carries human skull out of forest
Two suspects in a murder investigation have been arrested after a dog found the remains of a police officer’s missing brother in a forest in Thailand’s Isaan region. Officers are still searching for four other suspects. A farmer taking his cows out to feed near an abandoned shoe factory spotted a dog carrying a human skull out of a eucalyptus forest…
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Convenience store employee attacked after telling a customer to wear a mask
Four teenagers were arrested after they allegedly attacked a convenience store clerk who told customers to wear face masks before entering the shop over the weekend. Surveillance camera footage from the shop in the central province of Ratchaburi shows a group of teenagers gathering around the 19 year old employee before attacking him, punching and kicking until he fell on…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Irpin liberated; Turkey peace talks resume; Russian offensive stalled; Oligarch poisoned
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, here’s the latest headlines… • Turkey peace talks: Russian and Ukrainian representatives have arrived in Istanbul for another round of negotiations — first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks. Ukraine says its top priority is to negotiate a ceasefire, but insisted Kyiv would not make concessions on territorial integrity.…
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45,000 counterfeit items seized nationwide in one month
Fake Gucci handbags, Nike shoes and Prada sunglasses with low price tags can be found around every corner of almost every market in Thailand and are easily identifiable from their real counterparts. Counterfeit items are popular with locals and tourists alike, but the Department of Intellectual Property wants to make an example that selling fake brand names in Thailand is…
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Flash flood warning for 8 Southern Thailand provinces
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall is expected over the weekend in eight provinces in Southern Thailand. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has announced a flash flood warning from April 2 to 4 in Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. The situation is likely to be severe in some areas and the department…
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Thai grandma praised as village’s top snake catcher, grabs pythons with her bare hands
A 67 year old grandma in Thailand’s Isaan region, known to catch large snakes with her bare hands, has been praised by Surin residents as the top “community rescuer” after she caught her biggest python so far. When someone in the community finds a snake, they come to grandma Prakuad “Own” Pasomsi to catch it. The grandma has been catching…
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80% of domestic tourists cancel Songkran trip due to Covid fears, financial woes
More than 80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips for Songkran, the Thai New Year, due to the spread of Omicron or financial issues during the pandemic, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. A tourism official says the government should launch more measures to promote domestic tourism. Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to 15 and…
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Investigation launched in central Thailand after 2 oil tanker explosions in a month
An investigation is being launched into why there have been 2 oil tankers explosions in Bangkok in the space of a month. The Transport Ministry has instructed the Marine Department to launch a probe into the explosions, the latest of which occurred on Sunday. The Ampar 8 was carrying over 3 million litres of crude oil from the island of…
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UPDATE: Will Smith apologises for Oscars outburst, after Academy rebuke
While fans in Asia were going to bed, Will Smith was waking up in Hollywood — to a world full of controversy and condemnation. The 53 year old actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night, then won his first Oscar. The assault occurred in response to Rock cracking an insensitive joke about…
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Thailand charity helps animals affected by the Ukraine conflict
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. World-renowned animal rescue NGO Soi Dog Foundation, the leading organisation in Southeast Asia helping dogs and cats, has joined in support of Ukraine’s war-affected dogs and cats by teaming up with Poland’s oldest and largest animal welfare nonprofit, TOZ (Towarzystwo Opieki Nad Zwierzetami or Society for the Prevention of…
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Rural Doctors Society calls for government transparency on favipiravir supplies
The Rural Doctors Society has once again taken aim at the Public Health Ministry, demanding it come clean about Thailand’s supply of favipiravir. The antiviral medication is used to treat Covid-19 patients, but needs to be administered in the early stages of the illness. Posting on its Facebook page, the society claims hospitals are running out of the drug and…
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Tourism Council of Thailand calls for PCR testing on arrival to be dropped asap
Tourism businesses in Thailand are struggling to survive and barriers to increasing the number of foreign visitors to the kingdom must be removed immediately. That’s the view of Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of Thailand, who says the Omicron variant, coupled with Russia’s war on Ukraine, has dealt a double blow to the sector. “Tourism operators are still struggling…
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Anutin tells Khao San Road operators to forego Songkran water-splashing events
Business operators on Bangkok’s Khao San Road have been told they should forget about holding water-splashing events this Songkran. So says Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, ahead of a meeting of Bangkok’s communicable disease control committee today. This looks set to be the third Songkran in a row during which water splashing is banned, with the government ever-wary of triggering…
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Cash-strapped Thai Airways sells aircraft seats for 35,000 baht a pair
If you miss that in-flight feeling but don’t want to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or if you are simply a Thai Airways superfan, tomorrow is your chance to buy a pair of limited edition Thai Airways aeroplane seats. The seats, which come in three colours, are only available to buy through Facebook Live tomorrow at 2pm through the…
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IKEA to open another store in Bangkok’s Phrom Phong area
Last week, IKEA, the famous Swedish furniture company, announced is set to open another store in Bangkok’s Phrom Phong in the Emsphere, Emporium and Emquatier shopping district. The IKEA complex is still under construction and there is no announcement on the planned opening date. This will be their fourth location in Thailand alongside Mega Bangna, Central Westgate, IKEA Phuket. Mega…
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Prayut pushes pre-Songkran Covid boosters, 6 walk-in centres open in Bangkok
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is encouraging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 prior to the Songkran festival next month, according to a spokesperson. Many Thais will visit their families during the Songkran, which is the Thai New Year celebrated from April 13 to 15, and officials worry the gatherings could cause a spike in Covid-19 cases. The Public Health Ministry has…
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Albino water buffalo sells for 2.5 million baht at Thailand buffalo festival
A rare albino water buffalo has been sold for a whopping 2.5 million baht. Two proud new owners of buffalo named Duangphet travelled to the 10th Uthai Thani Buffalo Festival to receive the animal and bring it to its new home at Harley Buffalo Farm in Chon Buri. The two buffalo enthusiasts said they bought the albino buffalo for breeding…
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Asia News Today | Both black boxes now found on China plane & lockdown in Shanghai
The latest from the crash site of the Boeing 737 in southern China, more threats from the Burmese Junta, one of the largest cities in the world heads into a Covid lockdown and vanishing glaciers in Indonesia, yes Indonesia. Recovery crews at the site of the China Eastern Boeing 737 that crashed last Monday, have found the second black…
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Body of Burmese fisherman found in oil tank in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani
The body of a Burmese fisherman was found in an oil tank on a fishing boat docked in the southern province of Surat Thani. The tank was on a fishing boat where the man had worked which was found by a painter who was going to clean and paint the boat’s engine room. He tried to move the tank out…
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