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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 How much does it cost to see a doctor in Thailand?
Thailand is known for its high-quality yet affordable healthcare system, but how much does it really cost to see a doctor? As an expat, this question might be crucial for budgeting your health needs. The answer depends on whether you...
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Astronauts to plant Thai tree seeds on International Space Station
Astronauts orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station are going to plant Thailand’s national tree and study how the plant, known as the Golden Shower (yes, we know…) for its yellow hanging flower clusters, grows in an environment without gravity. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 4 astronauts as well as the seeds and supplies for the project was…
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Tsunami warning buoys to be installed, replacing Thailand’s out-of-action buoys
Tsunami warning buoys will be re-installed after one buoy got loose and floated off and the other appeared to have been scavenged for parts. The buoys transmit real-time data, allowing officials to detect underwater earthquakes. 30 experts from Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation departed from the Phuket Deep Sea Port to install the buoys. First, they will replace…
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Thai Supreme Court upholds 50 year prison sentence for ex-tourism chief
The Supreme Court upheld the decades long prison sentences for the former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor and her daughter who took bribes from Hollywood producers for a contract to manage Bangkok International Film Festival from 2002 to 2007. The ruling puts an end to the high profile case. The Supreme Court upheld the Appeal Court ruling from May 2019,…
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Thailand News Today | The RCEP reset, Hotel Talkfest, Protesters to be arrested | November 16
First day of the week with another Thailand News Today, all the latest news from around Thailand and the region. Hoteliers to discuss how to revive Thailand’s crippled hospitality industry The Tourism and Sports Ministry is holding a talkfest with15 hotel operators expected to join to discuss recovery solutions for the battered industry. Some top executives are planned to pitch…
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Hitman arrested over 14 year old cold-case murder in Pattaya of NZ businessman
An arrest has been made in a 14 year old Pattaya cold case following the arrest of a Thai man who allegedly murdered a New Zealander in 2006. 40 year old Yiamwut Julapong, aka. Pokpong, is now in custody in Phetchabun province after a raid led by Crime Suppression Division. ‘Pokpong’ was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by Pattaya Court back…
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Roadside bomb explodes as rangers drive to a wedding in Southern Thailand
In the southern province of Narathawit, an area troubled by insurgency-related violence right on the Thai-Malaysia border, a bomb exploded as rangers were driving to a wedding. None of the soldiers were injured, but the bomb caused major damage to the pickup truck. Here’s is a longer explanation of the 2 decade-long southern insurgency. The bomb was an improvised explosive…
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In the middle of the Covid pandemic “now is the winter of our discontent”
In the northern hemisphere anyway, winter is on the way, a dangerous time for authorities trying to mitigate the sudden surge of new cases and deaths from Covid-19 in parts of Europe, the UK and the US. With a vaccine timeline still ‘flexible’, the only cushioning to a further spread of the pandemic is more social distancing, face-masks, attention to…
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Lottery ticket distributors arrested for allegedly scamming sellers for millions of baht
Police arrested 2 lottery ticket distributors in Lop Buri, Central Thailand, for allegedly collecting money from lottery ticket sellers and failing to deliver the tickets for the October 16 and November 1 draws which were worth more than 400 million baht. More than 100 lottery ticket sellers filed a complaint at the Surin province’s Rattanaburi Police Station, saying they purchased…
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Vamco weakens into tropical storm, misses northern Thailand altogether
Typhoon Vamco, which killed some 67 people when it stormed through the middle of Luzon island late last week, has turned into a tropical storm which will have minor effects on Thailand’s weather over the next few days. Isolated light to moderate rains will be likely over the Northeast and the North today as a result… Vamco will track on…
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15 Asia-Pacific countries form the world’s largest trade bloc, the great RCEP reset
After 8 gruelling years of negotiation, 15 countries have signed onto the largest free trade bloc in history. In a joint statement, the leaders of the countries, signatories of the trade deal, say RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) will form a crucial part of economic recovery once the pandemic is over. The deal excludes the US, which withdrew from a…
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Flooded underpass finally drained after locals get officials’ attention with viral photos
A flooded underpass in the Non Sung district of Nakhon Ratchasima has finally been drained after locals posted photos of them pretending to turn the area into a tourist attraction and swimming pool. The State Railway of Thailand waited for almost a month before draining the water after the area was flooded by heavy rain. Jitiwat Nakchamsilp came up with…
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Good samaritans help motorbike stuck in Pattaya construction pit
A 30 year old man has good samaritans to thank after they helped pull his motorbike out of a construction pit in Pattaya. The motorbike became stuck in the pit on South Pattaya Road at about 3:30am yesterday morning. The man claims he didn’t see the pit, despite multiple signs, lights, and barriers. The area under construction was blocked with…
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Human skeleton found in a cassava field in Muang district
A human skeleton was found early this morning by a villager in a cassava field in the Muang district of Phitsanulok province in Central Thailand. Police investigators travelled to the field near Rong Wai Fad village in Tambon Don Thong after being informed of the discovery to determine if foul play was involved. 49 year old Lampoey Leepla said she…
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Asian trade deal to be signed today
Today, 15 countries are set to sign a wide-reaching Asian trade deal to help them recover from the Covid pandemic. Such countries as China, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan are part of the pact which also includes 10 south east Asian economies – the 10 countries of ASEAN. The deal is seen as a Chinese-led alternative to the…
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Trump supporters march in Washington, repeating claims of election fraud
Supporters of US President Donald Trump staged a march through Washington yesterday, protesting unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. A week since Democrat candidate Joe Biden clinched the electoral college numbers required to claim the presidency. Meanwhile Donald Trump, a Republican, continues to refuse acknowledgment or accept the outcome, launching a barrage of legal challenges to overturn the results. Most of these…
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Officials criticised over Covid border screening measures
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is being criticised over its border screening measures after an Indian man, who stayed in Thailand for 3 months, tested positive for Covid-19 in Krabi province while remaining asymptomatic. Walairat Chaifoo, director of the Epidemiology Bureau, has defended the screening measures by saying the Department of Disease Control has initiated mass tests for those “at-risk” at…
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Fire in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 31, under control
4 or 5 large explosions shook residents in Sukhumvit Soi 31 around 1.45 this afternoon. It appears an electric transformer exploded, right outside a school. The ensuing fire threatened the adjacent school buildings. Emergency services rushed to the scene and had the fire under control within 10 minutes. Large plumes of back, acrid smoke were seen billowing from the scene…
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Krabi’s Ao Nang businesses shut up or sell up
Ao Nang, Krabi’s tourist strip, is struggling under the strain of no customers or tourists. Thai Residents reports that there are now at least 10 hotels up for sale valued at billions of baht. Businesses and hotels along the popular Ao Nang tourist strip have been shutting down because of the prolonged closure of Thailand’s borders to general tourism. Even…
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Bank robber arrested after CCTV captures him counting money metres from the scene
A man accused of robbing a branch of the Thai Military Bank in Bangkok has been arrested after CCTV showed him counting the money just 300 metres from the scene of the crime. The Pattaya News reports that 35 year old Kanchanok Srisawat is accused of robbing 416,000 baht from the bank in the Vacharaphon area of the capital on…
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Army orders investigation into soldier’s death
The Royal Thai Army is to carry out an internal investigation into the death of a soldier at a military base in the north-eastern province of Khon Kaen. 21 year old Rachata Senasanit was found hanged on November 1, with an initial probe ruling his death as suicide. However, the victim’s father, Surachai Senasanit, claims an employee at Srinagarind Hospital’s…
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Reduction in mandatory quarantine back on the table again
After initially saying a plan to reduce the mandatory quarantine period was being shelved due to public concerns, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced it’s back on. A proposal to reduce quarantine for foreign arrivals from 14 days to 10 is being submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next week. A report in the Bangkok Post says Anutin…
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Former PM Abhisit warns of more unrest if Parliament votes against charter re-write
Former Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva (2008 to 2011) says if Parliament votes against the proposed re-write of the constitution during its 2 day session next week, it will only serve to worsen the ongoing political crisis. He says the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and a dissolution of Parliament won’t be enough to solve the problem, without a re-write of…
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US President-elect Biden eyes 306 electoral college votes, to Trump’s 232
US President-elect Joe Biden has likely bagged 306 votes in the Electoral College vote that decides who wins the keys to the White House. At this stage Donald Trump has won 232 votes in the tally. First to 270 Electoral College votes wins the US Presidency. Even if the state of Georgia somehow flips in a recount – historically unlikely –…
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Protesters advise police of plan for today’s Bangkok rally, several routes affected
The pro-democracy group, “Bad Students”, has formally submitted details of today’s rally to officers at Chanasongkram Police Station in Bangkok. Posting on its Facebook page, the group says it has advised police of its plans to assemble in front of the Education Ministry on Ratchadamnoen Road at 1pm today, before marching to the Democracy Monument. There, the group will join…
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Overseas investors buy Thai bonds, optimistic that Covid-19 vaccine will revive tourism
With hopes that a Covid-19 vaccine will be the key to open Thailand’s doors back up to international tourism, overseas investors are putting down money into Thailand’s financial market. Thai baht has strengthened by nearly 3% since the end of October, a top performing currency in Asia following the Indonesian rupiah, and it’s expected to strengthen even further over the…
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Thailand News Today | Coconut Business, Weekend protests, Pork dressed as Beef | November 13
Thailand News Today for the last day of a busy week. Protests and the opening of the Blue Line will hold up traffic over the weekend. See you on Monday. US grocers cut ties with Thai coconut milk company after PETA reveals monkey labour Thailand’s coconut milk industry is under the spotlight again after PETA lobbies US grocers to boycott…
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Pattaya beer bar catches on fire, landlord accuses evicted tenant of arson
A Pattaya landlord is accusing an evicted tenant of arson after a beer bar housed in his building caught on fire late yesterday morning. Police and firefighters are continuing their investigation and did not comment on what they suspect caused the fire. The building owner, 68 year old Chanathida Rasamussen, says the fire was out when he arrived at the…
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Expat awaits trial for drug charges, mother in England worries and works to pay the bills
While 27 year old expat Louis Bentley awaits trial in Thailand for drug charges, his mother back in England is working 12 hour shifts to pay her son’s bills. For his mother, Michaela, the anticipation of waiting for the her son’s February court date, in a country so far from her with laws she’s unfamiliar with, has been “horrendous.” Louis…
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Pork dyed with pig blood sold as expensive beef in Bangkok
Eaten at a barbecue restaurant in Bangkok? There’s a slight chance the beef may have actually been pork. Apparently, local meat suppliers steeped pork in pig blood to give it that red meat colour and sold it to Bangkok eateries as expensive beef, according to Thailand’s Department of Livestock. Meat and cattle carcasses were seized from a home in Nakhon…
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US grocers cut ties with Thai coconut milk company after PETA reveals monkey labour
Grocery stores throughout the United States are cutting ties with the Thai coconut milk company Chaokoh and other Thailand coconut product suppliers following an investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) into the monkey labour at Thailand coconut farms. PETA Asia claims the Thai macaques are “snatched from the wild” and treated like “coconut picking machines.” Recently,…
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