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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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Tour boats can return to the islands
The Phuket Marine Office has lifted its ban on boats leaving port. The lift means than fishing boats, commercial vessels and tour boats will now again be able to head off from Phuket, Krabi and other ports to the offshore islands, and stranded tourists and passengers, stuck on the islands when the ban was imposed on Thursday afternoon, can continue…
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Paralyzed American teacher heads home to US after GoFundMe raises $76,000
Guillain-Barre Syndrome affects an estimated one in 100,000 people and can cause widespread paralysis Bradner’s family started a GoFundMe account to raise funds to cover her medical care in Thailand, transportation home and rehabilitation in the US Caroline Bradner woke up on the morning of December 22 in Thailand. She couldn’t move and found herself paralyzed from the neck down.…
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Pattaya boat pier surrounded by rubbish
PHOTOS: Sophon Cable Ever on the look-out for local environmental catastrophes, Sophon Cable is reporting that Pattaya authorities were doing little to assist in the picking up of trash and debris floating around the busy tourist departure pier. Local Pattaya media had been contacted by many tourists, according to Sophon Cable, complaining about the state of the Bali Hai port,…
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City by the Bay – Laguna Phuket’s urbanisation
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com If you were going to play a soundtrack to this story, perhaps it could be started off best with the 80’s hit “We Built This City”. If you toured the Laguna Phuket area in the year the song charted in 1985, the area was an eerie lunar landscape of a former tin mining domain. Today the…
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Taxis are leading concern for tourists visiting Thailand
Tourist police say that Taxi’s continue to be one of the most pressing issues for tourists visiting Thailand. In 2018, 12,679 taxi drivers were arrested by police, of which 5,668 drivers refused to pick up passengers, compared to 1,681 last year. 3,408 drivers refused to use their fare meter, compared to 255 last year and 1,659 who were overcharging, where…
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Pabuk: Floods and blackouts along southern Gulf coast as storm moves away
• Floods and blackouts have left nearly 30,000 people in evacuation shelters across southern Thailand • Relieved tourists stranded on islands further north were spared the worst and are now working on continuing their journeys • Pabuk packed winds of up to 75 kph (45 mph) and brought heavy rains and storm surges as it lashed the much of the southern…
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Election Commission throws onus for election date back on Government
The Election Commission is throwing the ball back into government’s court, saying it can only set an election date after the government formally issues the Royal Decree announcing an election date. Over the past year the date of February has firmed, been confirmed by numerous Government officials, including the PM and his Deputies. The Election Commision president Ittiporn Boonpracong made…
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Pabuk: ‘War room’ set up to help tourists
The Sports and Tourism Ministry has set up a war room to assist the many tourists whose plans were thrown into confusion in the wake of tropical storm Pabuk. The Government and authorities took extra precautions, closing airports and marine tourism, in preparedness to minimise potential danger to tourists as Pabuk approached. Santi Pawai, deputy permanent-secretary of the Tourism and…
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Pabuk: Now sits over Andaman Sea, moving west
The south of Thailand awakes this morning to a wet and windy aftermath of tropical storm Pabuk. The storm centre has crossed the Peninsula and now sits west of Phang Nga province as it weakens and continues to move westerly away from the coast. Gale-force winds, storm surges and flash flooding are still predicted as the remnants of the weakening…
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English teacher arrested after inner city organic marijuana farm raid
A 46 year old English language teacher has been arrested for allegedly operating an organic marijuana farm and selling the produce online. He was arrested today after a raid on a four level building in Bangkok’s Phayathai inner city district. Police say that on the third floor of the building, officers found five litres of cannabis oil, 50 plastic pots…
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Pabuk: One crew dead, another remains missing – trawler sinks off Pattani
A boat crew has drowned with another still missing after a fishing trawler with six crew sank in rough seas off Pattani earlier today. The body of 47 year old Pramote Wongsuwan washed ashore around 11am. Another crewman, 51 year old Chalong Chanthana, is still missing. The four remaining captain and crew, aged between 34 and 41, were rescued after…
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Pabuk makes landfall as it swirls across the Malay Peninsula
PHOTO: The National The Meteorological Department is reporting that the outer arms of tropical storm Pabuk made landfall at 12.45 pm along the coast of Pak Phanang, district of Nakhon Si Thammarat today. The storm is weakening as it moves towards neighboring province Surat Thani to the north, moving at around 18 kilometers per hour, with maximum wind speeds of…
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Tropical storm Pabuk claims first victim
PHOTO: Abdulloh Benjakat A trawler has sunk off the coast of Pattani province due to stormy seas caused by tropical storm Pabuk. Reports say one fisherman has died with another missing. Four managed to make it back to shore safely. The body of Pramote Wondsuman has been identified, while the missing man is only known by his first name, ‘Chalong’. The…
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40 more people died during Seven Days of Danger
463 people died due to traffic collisions and chaos over the past week – the seven days of danger – with drink diving and speeding, again, the major cause of traffic incidents. The death toll was up by 40 from last year’s count of 423 and close to the 2017 record of 478. Drink-driving was listed as the cause of…
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Pabuk: 2,000 tourists on Koh Phi Phi moved to Krabi mainland
PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office About 2,000 tourists on Phi Phi Island moved up on land. Some are Phuket tourists who are currently unable to return to the island due to the ban on boats leaving port. The Ao Nang Tourist Police say that lots of tourists from Phi Phi Island have been arriving at a pier in Krabi City as…
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Pabuk edges closer to southern Thailand
PHOTO: Aljazeera “Officials expect the conditions to persist into Saturday.” Aljazeera is reporting that tropical storm Pabuk is forecast to make landfall on Friday evening in Nakhon Si Thammarat coastal islands bringing torrential downpours and strong winds to more than a dozen other provinces in the south. The region is home to one of the world’s biggest natural rubber plantations…
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Pabuk: Warnings for coastal residents to stay indoors
by Pratch Rujivanarom Strong gale conditions and surging seas are pounding the coastlines of three provinces this afternoon. The Meteorological Department is warning residentsto stay indoors and away from the coast. The provinces affected so far include Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla. Department director-general Phuwieng Prakhammintara says Tropical Storm Pabuk was expected to have greater affect on southern coastlines as…
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Suicide at Bangkok’s Terminal 21 shopping mall as Italian man jumps from escalator
PHOTO: Living + Nomad 44 year old Federico Maistrello fell to his death yesterday after jumping from an escalator at Bangkok’s Terminal 21 shopping mall. CCTV footage of the incident shows the Italian man coming down the escalators from the sixth to the fifth floor when he decided to jump. He fell in full view of shoppers in the central…
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Pabuk: Surging up the coast towards Koh Samui
PHOTO: Vikasa Yoga Retreat The tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ is due to make landfall on the Surat Thani islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao later this afternoon, after sweeping up the southern Gulf coast this morning. At this stage authorities report plenty of rain and strong winds but limited damage. When the storm hits Samui later today it…
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British motorbike driver dies after collision with power pole in Chalong
A British male motorbike driver has died after colliding with a power pole in Soi Ta-iad (Soi Steroid) in Chalong. The Chalong Police were notified of the incident at 8.40pm last night at an electricity pole in Soi Ta-iad. Police and Emergency responders arrived to find a Kawasaki Ninja 250CC motorbike crashed on the road near the power pole. The…
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Deputy PM throws doubt on election date
by Chanwanpen and Somroutai Sapsomboon The NCPO has throw a curved ball at the Election Commission, placing the onus on the Commission’s committee to decide the date of the general election whilst taking into account the preparations for the royal coronation ceremony. There’s also been suggestions of a month’s delay from the election’s tentative date of February 24. Deputy PM…
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Pabuk: Ships ‘must’ remain at shore – Phuket Governor
Phuket’s Governor Phakkaphong Tavipatana has issued an official warning that ships ‘must’ remain on shore in every district connecting to the Andaman Sea in Phuket. Governor Phakkaphong says, “The warning notifications are for controlling, taking care, precaution, reducing risk and preventing an avoidable disaster off the coast of Phuket.” “For maintaining national security, peace, life and property, Phuket applies the…
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Pabuk: Regular updates throughout today following the storm up the coast
Storm Watch – 8.30am Rough seas off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday afternoon as tropical storm Pabuk approached land. Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from local coastal communities and some tourists have evacuated the popular islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan which are in the path of the storm today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h86FqX2CzBc Storm Watch…
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Pabuk: Friday awakes with the storm surging up the Gulf coastline
30,000 people are estimated to have been evacuated from coastal districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat whilst some tourists are taking precautions of leaving the Gulf holiday islands, airports close, boats remain at mooring and schools are shut. Thailand’s southern Gulf coast prepares for winds up to 95kph, heavy downpours and floods. From Nakhon Si Thammarat up to Chumpon provinces, emergency…
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Thai woman, who won lottery in 2017 and donated 2 million baht, wins again
PHOTO: Shin Min Daily News 53 year old Suwana from Ang Thong in the south of Thailand, can’t believe her luck, as she wins top lottery prize for the second year running. In 2017, she was the lucky winner of 30 million baht – the top prize – and has since proceeded to donate over 2 million baht to build…
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Pabuk: Koh Phi Phi travellers stranded
Koh Phi Phi officials have cancelled all ferry services to and from the island as of today as a precaution in light of the tropical storm Pabuk approaching the Malay Peninsula. Tourists who are now on Phi Phi will have to stay there until the boats are allowed to leave port again, probably Sunday. Krabi Tourist Police say that all…
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Precautions taken in the south for Pabuk
FILE PHOTO With the impending arrival of tropical storm ‘Pabuk’, everyone in the coastal regions are bracing for landfall. Koh Samui officials have been ordered to monitor all shipping and tour boats, while all tourists spots and national parks have been told to prepare to close. Phuket airport is already on high alert, urging all passengers to double check their…
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Similan National Park to be temporary closed due to tropical storm ‘Pabuk’
The Mu Ko Similan National Park in Phang Nga is to be temporary closed for two days, tomorrow and Saturday, for tourist safety with the approaching tropical storm ‘Pabuk’. Mu Ko Similan National Park in Phang Nga announced yesterday that ‘PABUK’ is moving to north-west which will affect the southern part of Thailand from today until Saturday. For tourists safety, the…
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Pabuk: Heading for Koh Samui, Surat Thani
The projections of ventusky.com show ‘Pabuk’ making its way up the Gulf of Thailand in a north-westerly direction. According to the map model, the storm is likely heading for Koh Samui and likely to make mainland landfall further up the coast around Chumpon. But the fallout from the storm will certainly affect the entire southern coastline from Nakhon Si Thammarat,…
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Pabuk: A very rare event – Remembering ‘Harriet’ in 1962.
The last major tropical storm to hit the southern coastal Gulf region in January was back in 1962. It started, just like Pabuk, as a weather system off the western coast of the Philippines. In this case on October 19, 1962. After making its way across the South China Sea and scooting across the bottom of southern Vietnam, the system…
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