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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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French man released without charge after rape allegations from UK teen
Koh Tao, in the news again for all the wrong reasons. This time, a story printed in international media, has taken a turn with the man arrested in Phuket for the alleged rape, released from custody. The French man, arrested in Phuket in April, after a UK 18 year old claimed that she had been raped on Koh Tao has…
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Dutch Ambassador shares concerns over safety of Phuket tourists
Phuket’s Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew welcomed the Ambassador-Designate in Thailand Kees Rade and Dutch Honorary Consul for Phuket, Seven Smulders, over the weekend. Vice Governor Thawornwat says after the meeting, “We have discussed about tourist safety, things like tourists who rent motorbikes without motorbike license, beach safety and emergency situation management.” “We have surveyed a number of rental motorbike companies…
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10 Hua Hin hotels face closure over Hotel Act infringements
‘Fake’ hotels and other premises being operated as hotels, but don’t have proper licences, are in the firing line at the moment, in just about all the major tourist provinces around the country. There’s clearly a nationwide crackdown on these dodgy guesthouses, hostels and mini-hotels at the moment. The owners say they find it almost impossible to comply with the…
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A summit of hope for peace – Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un arrive in Singapore
By Wasamon Audjarint and Supalak Gangjanakhundee The leaders of the US and North Korea are now in Singapore for an unlikely but historic meetingExperts believe the Trump Kim meeting in Singapore tomorrow may see some commitment on denuclearising Korean peninsula. A historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was expected to be a success,…
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Two arrested over kratom in raids in Chalong
A team of Chalong police, with search warrants in hand, raided two houses in Chalong on Friday (June 8). Police first raided a house in Soi Palai at 5pm. Police arrested 22 year old Anuwat Khawon. Police seized 20 bundles of kratom leaves. Anuwat admitted that he came to the house to buy kratom leaves. The seller went had already…
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Lampang pineapple farmers picket City Hall over falling prices
Pineapple prices have been tumbling across the country, not only in the popular southern plantations. Now Lampang pineapple farmers are struggling to sell their products in the Chiang Mai market after another price crash hits the pineapple world. On June 8, over 10 pineapple farmers from Lampang set up shop outside City Hall to highlight the problems with pineapple prices falling…
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Dead sperm whale found off Phuket under investigation
Officials at the Phuket Marine Endangered Species Unit are investigating yet another mammal washed up on our beaches, this time aa dead sperm whale which was washed up on a beach at Coconut Island on Saturday (June 9). Officials at the Phuket Marine Endangered Species Unit were notified on Saturday afternoon that the dead whale has been washed onto the…
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Dodgy dentists charged over low-cost dental braces
The Children and Women Protection Sub-Division of the police on Saturday confiscated dental braces and improper equipment from two Bangkok shops alleged to having provided illegal dental brace placement services, said sub-division superintendent Pol Colonel Jirakrit Jaruyapat. The simultaneous raid of “Ploy” and “Pink” shops at the Sai Tai Mai Centre Market in Taling Chan district on Saturday night also…
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Laguna Phuket Marathon Results – All the winners
ALL PHOTOS: Naratip Golf Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images The Laguna Phuket Marathon has been run and won for 2018. Here are the winners. Congratulations to all the participants and organisers. Here are the Top Three results for each distance… Marathon (42.195km) – Male Koji Nishizawa (JPN), 02:44:16 Supit Chantharat (THA), 02:54:52 Jaray Jearanai (THA), 02:59:37 Marathon (42.195km) – Female Sabrina Polito (ITA), 03:30:27…
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Thai, Italian and Japanese runners star at Laguna Phuket Marathon 2018
PHOTO: Naratip Golf Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images Nine thousand runners from more than 50 countries took to the start line of the 2018 Laguna Phuket Marathon on 9th and 10th June and even before the first start, records had been smashed: Largest field of runners ever (9,000); the largest number of international participants (1,300), the largest ever Marathon participation (2,000),…
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Myanmar-Thai border mega bust. 15 tonnes of drug-making chemicals.
By Jessada Chantharak A 15 tonne batch of sodium cyanide that could have been used to make millions of methamphetamine pills was seized and Chiang Rai man was arrested last week when a smuggling operation into Myanmar from Thailand was intercepted. Truck driver, 41 year old Sawat Kaewdam, is facing charges over alleged illegal entry and failing to obtain a…
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Visiting the Elephant Sanctuary Park in Chiang Mai
By Sebastian Jacobitz At the end of last year, I had the opportunity to travel for more than three months through Southeast Asia. I have already stated my travel plans before, and now the time has come where I want to recap on visiting the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai. It was hands down one of the best experiences…
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Islamic committee chair dies from Friday shooting in Pattani
Pattani Islamic Committee deputy chairman Aduldej Chenae, who was seriously injured from a gun attack in the southern province on Friday, was pronounced dead at 2.45am today (Sunday) in an intensive care unit of Pattani Hospital. The 55 year old Aduldej was leaving a mosque in front of Ban Lalo Witthaya School in Sai Buri district, where he also served…
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High speed road crash in Korat leave two dead
From the sketchy news we’ve received it appears there was a military officer and his wife on one bike, both now dead. A 19 year old student, driving a Mazda SUV, is injured but has survived the crash. Early reports suggest the bike and the car were travelling up to 160 kph. The video is from Channel 8 News. The link…
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Three sea turtles washed up on Phuket beaches
A green turtle and two hawksbill sea turtles have been found on Laypang, Kata and Kamala Beaches yesterday (June 9). Officials at the Phuket Marine Endangered Species Unit were notified by a staff member of a hotel in Cherng Talay that a turtle had been washed up on to Laypang Beach entangled in a fishing net. Hotel staff members were…
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A 50 percent cut in plastic garbage in 9 years
Straws, beach trash and plastic bags. Thailand seems to be on a head on collision to tackle these issues, at last. To realise how difficult it will be to turn around a society that uses so much plastic daily – a recent survey suggest that the average Thai uses 8 disposable plastic bags every day – you only have to…
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Pattaya seminar teaches students to say NO
Human trafficking and prostitution remain to enormous elephants in the room for Thai society and past Governments. A seminar in Pattaya is hoping to do something about it. Students are being taught how to say ‘no’ to sex during an Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) seminar to help reduce human trafficking and youth prostitution. As many as 200 students, teachers,…
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Municipalities clear Phuket’s beaches of monsoon trash
Trash has been found on almost every beach along the west coast with the onset of this year’s monsoon. On Kata and Karon beaches a huge municipal beach clean has taken place over the past two days. More than 200 tonnes of trash were collected on just these two beaches alone. A team of Karon Municipal staff members cleared up…
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Multihull Solutions Regatta returns to Chalong Bay this July
Entries for the 2018 Multihull Solutions Regatta are already flowing according to the Phuket Yacht Club Commodore, Scott Duncanson. “This is the ninth running of the event and on the back of a surge in multihull popularity globally, has grown to become Asia’s largest multihull-only Regatta”. Held from July 12-15 in Chalong Bay on Phuket’s protected east coast, this regatta has…
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Latest warnings from Thai Meteorological Department
The Meteorological Department has warned residents in many parts of Thailand to brace themselves for heavy rains and strong winds from Saturday to Monday. In its sixth warning issued at 5am this morning (Saturday), the department said a strong southwest monsoon is now prevailing over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand while a monsoon trough lies across…
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Traffic diversions – Laguna Phuket Marathon 2018
PHOTOS: Laguna Phuket Marathon The 2018 Laguna Phuket Marathon is set to take place on June 9 and 10 at Laguna Phuket and will welcome a record number of runners – in excess of 8,000 from more than 50 countries. A number of roads used for the course will therefore be closed at certain times during the race (see below),…
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A wet weekend around the country
Around the country there’s been a surging southern monsoon mixing with a front crossing over the South China Sea, moving north and sucking in moist air from the Gulf of Thailand and the Indian Ocean. The Thai Meteorological Department is reporting “more isolated heavy to very heavy rain will hit all regions of the country from today until June 11…
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Sleeping on the job – NLA members caught napping
Two legislators caught nodding off during a serious discussion involving the 3 trillion bah national budget were actually hardworking lawmakers who fell asleep because of their poor health, National Legislative Assembly (NLA) vice president Peerasak Phochit said yesterday. Peerasak, who is in charge of NLA’s professional ethics, said their behaviour was not a serious enough breach of professional ethics to…
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80 % of hotels, hostels and guesthouses found illegal on Phi Phi Island
It’s been a rough week for the island’s small to medium hostel and guesthouse operators with officials claiming that an astonishing 80% of them are illegal and don’t comply with regulations. This week Krabi official found more than 30 hotels, hostels and guesthouses have been adapting shop-houses and unsuitable buildings into guesthouses and back-packer accommodations. They also claim that guests…
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Phuket celebrates ‘World Ocean Day’
Phuket celebrated World Ocean Day today. A ceremony was held this morning (June 8) at Loma Park in Patong host by Phuket’s Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok, the director of the Phuket Marine and Coastal Management Division of the Phuket Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Watcharin Thinthalang and Patong’s Mayor Chalermluck Kebsub. Mayor Chalermluck says, “this World Ocean Day is an…
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Government unveils 600 billion baht EEC projects
By Wichit Chaitrong As the Thai PM readies for the Europe trip from June 25, ministers are assuring diplomats of project and political continuity after next February’s proposed poll. In what is seen as a economic showcase, before the PM’s high-profile trip to Europe later this month, the government says it is accelerating six key investment projects worth 600 billion…
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30,000 methamphetamine pills seized, drugs rife due to decreasing prices
Four drug dealers have been arrested with more than 30,000 methamphetamine pills. The use of methamphetamine pills is on the rise in the region, indeed right around Thailand, due to decreasing prices and increased availability. At a media briefing held yesterday (June 7) at the Krabi Provincial Police Station, Krabi Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Tharatcha Tommapat said, “the four…
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Police going to visit 3,900 members of ‘organic marijuana’ Facebook group
Pol Maj-General Panumart Boonyalak, commander of the Patrol and Special Operation Division 191, has threatened a Facebook group promoting ‘organic marijuana’ during a press conference held at 8.30pm last night (Thursday). He also announced the arrest of three suspects. Police are vowing to trace and take legal action against over 3,900 members of a closed Facebook group that encourages members…
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Crazy school songtaew driver slapped with 5,000 baht fine and suspension
CCTV footage from an intersection near Kabinburi, east of Bangkok, showed a fully loaded school songtaew almost collide with other vehicles as the driver plowed through a red light. Thai Rath reports the songtaew almost topples over, such is the speed and swerve. The children came from three area schools – Kabin Withaya, Jiamin School and Ruksasap School in Prachinburi. Following…
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Krabi officials continue crackdown on illegal hotels and tour operators on Koh Phi Phi
The crackdowns continue on Koh Phi Phi as Krabi officials focus on the popular tourist magnet island. Yesterday (June 7) further inspections on Koh Phi Phi Don uncovered plenty more illegal hotels as well as illegal diving operations. One hotel, still under construction, was found on land with more than a 35 degrees slope this week. The hotel owner was invited…
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