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 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...
-
100% occupancy in Sin City over new year
PHOTO: บริษัท โสภณ เคเบิ้ล ที.วี.และสื่อสาร พัทยา จำกัด Sophon Cable has quoted a leading business and tourism official who said that Pattaya was booming and only good times are ahead for the resort. They trumpeted that New Year was a fantastic success with all the shows and giveaways, and the upcoming events meant that “family friendly” Pattaya was “all systems go” and…
-
More sea turtle eggs found on Phang Nga Beach
PHOTO: DMCR In another really positive sign for the future of the leatherback sea turtle population in the region, 112 sea turtle eggs were found at Kuek Kak Beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga this morning. 64 of the eggs have now been carefully moved to a safe area at the same beach whilst 48 eggs had already broken. 64…
-
VIDEO: Thai firefighters and rescuers cross border to help Cambodian firefighters
PHOTO: The Mirror A fire which broke out in an building in Poipet, Cambodia on Monday night, saw Thai fire trucks and rescue workers from the bordering town of Aranyaprathet, cross the border to help put out the fire. Poipet is a Cambodian town well known for its various casinos, which caters to Chinese and Thai gamblers. Poipet is located…
-
Malaysian rulers to choose new monarch by the end of the month
PHOTO: The Straits Times Malaysia’s Conference of Rulers will meet in about two weeks’ time to elect the country’s new constitutional monarch, as well as a deputy after the ruling monarch, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped down on Sunday in an unprecedented move. The 16th King, or Supreme Ruler, and a deputy will be sworn in at the end of the…
-
Police chasing people taking pot shots at road signs in Rawai
Rawai’s Mayor is considering further legal action after many road signs around Rawai have been damaged by gunfire. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos headed to an area near Naiharn lake in Rawai, about 500 metres from Promthep Cape, after being informed that road signs had been damaged by gunshots. “About 10 road signs have been damaged by bullets. Photos have been…
-
Saudi woman remains under UN care in Thailand
From VOA News reporters Thai authorities say a young Saudi woman, stopped in Thailand as she tried to flee to Australia to seek asylum, has now left the Suvarnabhumi Airport and is under the care of the local UN refugee agency. “She is under the care of the UNHCR now but we also sent Thai security to help take care…
-
Superheroes and mega malls – The Thailand Tourism Forum 2019
Record attendance at Thailand’s largest annual hospitality event discovering how the tourism and transport sector is getting a massive makeover. The Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) returns for its eighth edition on January 21, 2019, with an agenda focusing on the mega-projects that are currently transforming the tourism landscape in Bangkok and beyond. Running under the theme “Managing Tourism – Ensuring…
-
UPDATE: Leopard Cat recovering after car accident with Soi Dog Foundation vets
PHOTO: ‘Happy Tiger’ – Recovering at Soi Dog Foundation, Mai Khao The condition of the Leopard Cat remains much the same – there has been no real improvement. The leopard cat is still under the care of Soi Dog Foundation vets. The vets have reported that his left eye doesn’t respond to light or anything and is probably blind. The…
-
Bottlenose dolphin found dead on Nakhon Si Thammarat beach
PHOTO: DMCR Following Sunday’s discovery of a dead porpoise on Sunday, a bottlenose dolphin has been found dead on a beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat as well following last Friday’s storm. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) reports that they were informed yesterday by Vachirapong Sakunrat who found the dead dolphin at Nadan Beach in Khanom, Nakhon Si…
-
Civil Partnership Bill open for comment before heading to NLA
Members of the public are now being invited to comment on the Civil Partnership Bill on the Council of State’s website until January 23. The comments will be reviewed for consideration before the Council submits the bill to the National Legislative Assembly. If passed by the legislators, the law will make Thailand the first country in Asia to recognise same-sex…
-
Allegedly negligent bus driver fined 5,000 baht, six dead get 30K compensation
Daily news has reported on the aftermath of a tour bus that crashed in Pathum Thani over the weekend. Pathum Thani is the province neighboring Bangkok to the west. As relatives of the six dead came to collect the bodies of their loved ones at Thammasat Chalermprakiat Hospital news arrived that the Department of Land Transport was likely to fine…
-
Pabuk: PM visits Nakhon Si Thammarat to survey damage
Between January 3-6, Pabuk was responsible for the death of four people and has affected the lives of more than 720,000 in 23 southern provinces. The death toll from the storm has now risen to four while three southern provinces are still reeling from its impact yesterday. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department director-general Chayapol Thitisak said that his department…
-
UPDATE: Standoff at Suvarnabhumi – Thai Immigration reverse decision
Speaking at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport where Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun is refusing to board a flight back to her family that she fled in Saudi Arabi, Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn says now that Thailand has reversed it’s thinking on the matter and will not deport her against her will. “If deporting would result in her death we definitely won’t do…
-
Southern rail services back to normal
Rail services suspended in the South following after recent flooding in Nakhon Si Thammarat are back in full service again. The good news from the State Railway of Thailand acting governor Worwaut Mala. The rail line to the South was partially flooded and damaged after storm Pabuk unleashed heavy rains in the area last Friday afternoon and evening. Workers had…
-
Tourists back on Ao Nang Beach
PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office The popular tourist magnet, Ao Nang Beach in Krabi, is back to normal following the warnings and boat bans because of the storm. The director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Krabi Office says, “After the storm passed all boats are allowed to head back to the sea. Tourists are back on our beaches.” “We allowed the…
-
UPDATE: Saudi teen barricades herself in Bangkok airport room to avoid deportation
PHOTO: Sophie McNeill A detained Saudi 18 year old Rahaf Mohhammed al-Qunun remains barricaded in her room at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. She has locked herself in her room to avoid being deported, as earlier today as she was supposed to leave on a 11.15 am flight back to Kuwait this morning. Now she refuses to leave her room until…
-
Chee River claims lives of three children, one girl rescued
PHOTO: Nila Singkhiree Three children drowned last night (Sunday) and a fourth was rescued from the Chee River, Ubon Ratchathani, in the northeast of Thailand. The four had been playing on the bank of the river when one of them slipped and fell into the water. The other three jumped in to help their friend. They were then followed by a…
-
Warnings issued after hydrogen-filled balloon explodes in car
A six year old boy has been engulfed in flames and seriously injured in a hydrogen balloon accident in Nakhon Pathom, west of Bangkok. Three people were injured on January 2 when a single hydrogen-filled party balloon exploded inside a car. The incident has prompted the Disease Control Department (DCD) to issue a warning and guidelines for reducing the risk.…
-
Leather back turtle egg nest on Phang Nga beach safe after Pabuk
PHOTOS: DMCR The leather back sea turtle eggs found on a Phang Nga Beach in Tai Mueang a few weeks ago have been checked and they are safe after last Friday and Saturday’s bad weather. About 80-100 eggs were found after a leather back sea turtle laid eggs on the beach in Tai Mueang, Phang Nga last month. Read more about…
-
Blacktip reef sharks found at Phuket seafood restaurant
PHOTO: Sunshine Sketcher There are now two reliable places you can see Blacktip Reef Sharks – off the shores of Maya Bay and hanging in front of a restaurant in Karon. Two blacktip reef sharks been discovered hanging in front of a seafood restaurant at Karon Beach. A facebook user name ‘Sunshine Sketcher’ today posted a photo with the message read…
-
Ukrainian pair rescued from Krabi mountain viewpoint
PHOTO: Khao Ngon Nak Mountain – Trip101 A Ukrainian couple has been rescued about eight hours after getting lost while climbing to a viewpoint on a mountaintop in Krabi early today. The pair have been identified as Oliga Ierominska and her husband Luril Ierominska. They started climbing up Khao Ngon Nak Mountain to the viewpoint at 5pm but found themselves lost…
-
Foreigners rolling up sleeves to clear rubbish from Samui beaches
by Somkiat Raksaman Foreign tourists are back on Samui’s beaches for the second day to help collect trash and debris swept to the shore by tropical storm Pabuk, which hit the Southern region last Friday. Popular Lamai beach was covered with garbage, plastic bags and other debris in the wake of the storm. A hotel operator, Kornpachara Meedet, says…
-
Finless porpoise found dead in Nakhon Si Thammarat after Pabuk
PHOTO: DMCR A Finless porpoise found dead on a beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat over the weekend following last Friday’s storm. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) is reporting that they were informed by Vachirapong Sakunrat who found the dead dolphin at Nadan Beach in Khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat. DMCR Officials found that it was a female Finless…
-
Malaysia’s monarch abdicates the throne
Malaysia’s King has abdicated the throne in a first for the country ending weeks of speculation about his future. In recent months the Monarch has taken medical leave and married a Russian former beauty queen, although the marriage has never been confirmed by Malaysian palace officials. Read more about the marriage HERE. Sultan Muhammad V’s decision is the first time…
-
In the wake of Pabuk, a media storm is brewing
by Tim Newton Now the actual storm has passed, a media storm is brewing over two key issues – tourists claiming they had little knowledge about the approaching storm and local tour operators, especially in the Andaman region, who say the media coverage was ‘hyped’ and overblown. “Stranded British tourists have spoken of their anger after being allowed to travel…
-
Tourists surge back to Chalong Pier and out to the islands
Chalong Pier has been back to normal today following the lifting of the ban on boats leaving port last night. The busy tourist pier this morning saw many travellers heading off to the islands again. Yesterday the Phuket Marine Office announced that after midnight (January 6) all boats were allowed to head back to sea after a ban on travel…
-
NLA President urges critics not to blame Coronation for election delays
The country’s NLA President Pornpetch Wichitworachai is warning critics to refrain from blaming the forthcoming King’s coronation ceremony for causing potential delays in the national election. He says that authorities concerned with planning the election must choose appropriate timing for the election and ensure that it doesn’t affect the auspicious ceremony. “The ceremony would bring joy and happiness to the…
-
Six people, including a baby, killed in Pathum Thani bus accident
Six people, including a five month old baby, have died after their double-decker bus went out of control on a slippery road in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok. The bus overturned and ended up in a ditch early today. 50 other people have been injured in the incident. Polcie from the Khlong Luang precinct received a call at 3.30am. Officers and emergency…
-
Marine scientist fears impact to marine life from Pabuk
Marine scientist and vice dean of the Faculty of Fisheries of Kasetsaart University Thon Thamrongnawasawat has posted his concerns about the massive amount of fresh water pouring into the Gulf from rivers in the wake of the Pabuk storm. “Besides damages inflicted on properties, live stocks and farmlands by tropical storm Pabuk, the storm is likely to have caused extensive…
-
Thailand has a special support team in the stands today – Asian Cup opener against India
by Debayan Sen in Abu Dhabi for ESPN Ahead of their Asian Cup opening game against India today, Thailand will have four champion footballers supporting them from the stands. Well, champions in their Chiang Rai district games anyway. The Mu Pa (Wild Boar) football team, whose rescue from the Tham Luang caves last year captured the imagination of the world, will…
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.