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.
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Korean boss jailed for blasting air gun into Thai worker’s rectum
A South Korean factory owner has been sentenced to three years in prison for seriously injuring a Thai worker with a compressed-air gun earlier this year. The court rejected the employer’s claim that the incident was a prank and criticised his treatment of the injured worker. The Suwon District Court delivered the ruling yesterday, October 15, convicting the owner of…
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American company director arrested over unpaid wages allegations
Thai immigration police arrested an American company director at a residence in the Sukhumvit area yesterday, October 15, over allegations of unpaid wages and failure to comply with a labour inspector’s order. The man, identified only as Michael, was wanted under two arrest warrants issued by Samut Prakan Provincial Court on June 22 and August 14. Michael was accused of…
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Pattaya restaurant catches fire after loud bang, no casualties
A fire broke out at a restaurant in Pattaya early today, October 16, after a witness heard a loud bang resembling a transformer explosion. No injuries or deaths were reported. Pattaya’s land disaster prevention and relief radio centre received a report of the fire at 5.06am at Baan Thai restaurant on Chalermphrakiat Road in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chon…
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Man killed in shooting outside Bangkok cannabis shop
A man was shot dead outside a cannabis shop in Lak Si district, Bangkok, earlier today, October 16, after two men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire more than 10 times. The suspects remain at large. Officers from Thung Song Hong Police Station received a report of the shooting at around 1am and arrived at the shop in the Thung…
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Thai teenage goalkeeper secures move to Japan’s J1 league
Thailand youth international goalkeeper Phumrapee Siriboonyakul will join J1 club V-Varen Nagasaki from Kashima Gakuen High School in January 2027 for the 2026/27 season. V-Varen announced the signing yesterday, October 15, confirming that the 1.91-metre goalkeeper had agreed to move to the J1 club. Phumrapee moved from Thailand to Japan during his first year of high school to pursue football…
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Bangkok man arrested over fake study seeking teen nude photos
A Bangkok hotel employee has been arrested over an alleged fake university study used to deceive teenage boys into sending explicit images and videos, with investigators seizing more than 5,000 files during a search of his condominium. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announced the arrest yesterday, October 15, following an investigation into allegations that the suspect impersonated university lecturers…
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TikTok videos lead to arrests of 20 Thai workers in Taiwan
Twenty Thai workers in Taiwan were arrested for overstaying and working illegally after immigration officers used a woman’s viral TikTok videos to track down their secluded accommodation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency announced yesterday, October 15. The investigation began after officers noticed videos posted by a Thai woman, described by Taiwanese media as a social media influencer, showing her…
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Elephant found dead with electric wire caught on trunk in Loei field
A wild elephant was found dead in a rice field in Loei yesterday, October 15, with electric-fence wire caught around the tip of its trunk and rice still in its mouth, prompting an investigation into whether it was electrocuted. The adult male elephant was found in Khao Luang subdistrict, Wang Saphung district, outside Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary. Officials estimated it…
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Chinese man held in Phuket over nearly five-year visa overstay
A Chinese man was arrested in Phuket over a visa overstay of 1,793 days, nearly five years, after immigration officers tracked him to a secluded rental room in Karon on Wednesday, October 14. Police also seized passports belonging to other people, mobile phones and knives during the operation. The suspect, identified only as 55 year old Wang, was arrested at…
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Pattaya girl beaten by group after no-makeup photo gossip
A 14 year old girl was injured after she was allegedly lured to a sports ground in Pattaya and beaten by a group of teenagers early today, October 16, after gossip about an unfiltered photo turned violent. The girl, identified by the pseudonym Fa, suffered abrasions and bruising across her body. Rescue workers treated her at the scene before taking…
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Pattaya gambling bust catches nine after condo left unlocked
A Pattaya gambling bust ended in nine arrests yesterday, October 15, after police investigating an illegal card game heard loud cheering from a condominium room in Jomtien and discovered the players had left the door unlocked. The arrests took place at around 7.30pm after Pattaya City Police received an anonymous tip-off about an illegal Pok Deng card game (a Thai…
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Cambodian suspect farts at police during Pattaya drug raid
A Cambodian man allegedly caught with yaba pills and crystal meth in Pattaya farted at officers after panicking during a drug raid today, October 16. Nong Prue police searched a makeshift shelter in Pong subdistrict after receiving information that 35 year old Cambodian national Dth Pearom was allegedly selling drugs from the property. Officers found 144 yaba pills and 5g…
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South Korean man held after Thai woman reports Pattaya assault
A South Korean man was arrested in Pattaya after a caller reported that a 44 year old Thai woman had been assaulted and confined inside a room, with immigration checks later showing he had overstayed by 274 days. The request for help came at around 10pm on October 10, when the caller told Chon Buri immigration officers that their mother…
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Pattaya driver asks couple to wait until hotel before sex acts
A Pattaya ride-hailing driver has complained after a foreign man and a Thai woman allegedly engaged in oral sex in the back seat of his car during a late-night journey. The driver said this left him feeling uncomfortable and urged passengers to show more consideration for drivers. The incident reportedly occurred at around 3.45am today, October 15, after the driver…
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Man steals whole lottery board, sells tickets on way home
Police in Phitsanulok arrested a man yesterday, October 14, after CCTV allegedly captured him taking an entire lottery display board holding 98 tickets from outside a vendor’s home. The theft was reported at Mueang Phitsanulok Police Station at 9.37am by 68 year old lottery vendor Phairo Mahman. Phairo said she had been selling lottery tickets for more than eight years…
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Black bag stuffed with over 100 wet underwear found in Buriram
Police in Buriram are investigating a possible underwear theft after a woman found a black plastic bag containing more than 100 wet underwear dumped in her garden. The bag was discovered on the afternoon of October 13 in a pandan garden in Ban Kruat subdistrict, Ban Kruat district, after 54 year old Ueai Phromprakhon went outside. Ueai initially thought someone…
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Israeli doctor caught with 300 Thai plants at Tel Aviv airport
An Israeli doctor faces legal proceedings after customs officers discovered approximately 300 plants from Thailand packed into five suitcases at Ben Gurion Airport, with the passenger claiming they were intended for his private garden. The seizure was announced on Tuesday, October 13, by Israel’s Tax Authority and Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, following the doctor’s return from Thailand. According…
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More than 600 rally in Bangkok against IMF-World Bank meetings
More than 600 protesters opposing the IMF and World Bank meetings marched towards the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok this morning, October 15, before police blocked them at the Rama IV intersection. The demonstrators, organised by the People’s Network Against the World Bank and IMF, began gathering from around 8am and moved through the Khlong Toei area towards…
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Thailand video news | Thailand falls nearly 13 million tourists short of annual target, Netflix sees Thailand as potential global entertainment powerhouse
In Thailand video news, Alex brings you the latest stories from across the country. Thailand is falling well short of its annual tourism target, while a major labour shortage is leaving farmers watching their crops rot. Elsewhere, a tuk-tuk driver faces allegations of overcharging a passenger, and a job applicant is confronted with an excessive demand from a potential employer.…
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Malaysian couple questioned over 7 fuel cans near IMF meetings
A Malaysian couple on honeymoon in Bangkok were questioned yesterday, October 14, after officials found seven fuel cans in their parked car near an area under heightened security for the IMF-World Bank meetings. The car was parked on Sukhumvit Soi 17 when Bangkok officials inspecting the area noticed it and asked relevant agencies to check the vehicle as a security…
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Thai pilgrims get new flights after Riyadh airport strike
Thai pilgrims stranded at Suvarnabhumi International Airport have begun travelling to Saudi Arabia after Saudia arranged an emergency replacement flight, while others have returned home to await safer travel conditions following missile attacks on Riyadh’s main airport. Deputy Interior Minister Jeseth Thaiseth confirmed on October 14 that Saudia had sent an empty aircraft to Bangkok on the night of October…
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Russian man dies after bike crash in Pattaya
A 37 year old Russian man was killed after his motorcycle crashed into a central reservation on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya, Chon Buri, early this morning, October 15. Rescue workers were alerted to the crash at about 1.49am and were told that a motorcyclist had been seriously injured on the inbound side of Sukhumvit Road. When they arrived, they found…
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Netizens appalled by 30,000-baht driver job with one day off
A 30,000-baht-a-month job advert for an executive driver has come under fire online over demanding conditions, including near round-the-clock standby and just one day off per month. The advertisement was posted in a Facebook group and offered a comparatively high salary for a driver responsible for transporting an executive and members of the family. According to the listing, the working…
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Police fire shots during Pattaya drug chase after pickup hits office
A drug chase in Pattaya ended with the arrest of a suspected dealer after he reversed his pickup truck into a petrol station office and fled for approximately six kilometres while police fired at his vehicle. The incident occurred late yesterday, October 13, during an undercover drug operation in Pattaya, Chon Buri. Police reportedly recovered 20 grammes of crystal methamphetamine,…
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Netflix eyes Thailand as next global screen production hub
Netflix believes Thailand could become a global entertainment hub comparable to South Korea, but says stronger intellectual property protection and creative freedom are needed to help Thai productions compete internationally. Andrew Ure, Netflix’s vice president of global affairs for Asia-Pacific, outlined the company’s vision yesterday, October 13, at the Creativity as Capital: Driving the Next Growth Frontier forum in Bangkok,…
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Ratchaburi mother dies in unfenced police station pond while bailing son
A woman died after falling into a four-metre-deep pond at Ban Kha Police Station in Ratchaburi, where she had gone to arrange bail for her son after his arrest for drink-driving. The incident happened late on October 11, and Ratchaburi provincial police gave an update yesterday, October 13. The woman, identified as 58 year old Patchana, a Ban Kha resident, went to…
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Thailand video news | Australian accused of killing Thai teenager to face trial in Pattaya this December, Thailand defends proposed 1,000-baht airport departure tax despite tourism opposition
In Thailand video news, Alex brings you the latest stories from across the country. A trial date has been set for an Australian national accused of murder in Pattaya, while a South Korean fugitive has been arrested in Bangkok over an illegal pornography operation. Elsewhere, seven Myanmar nationals have been rescued during a child trafficking investigation, and a drug-using abbot…
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Thai Air Force pushes ahead with more Gripen fighter jets
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is pushing ahead with plans to acquire more Gripen fighter jets from Sweden, placing the second phase of its procurement programme among its priorities for 2027 and 2028. Air Chief Marshal Seksan Kantha confirmed the direction on Monday, October 12, during a policy briefing at the Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy in Saraburi…
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Thailand domestic flights get 500-baht discount from Oct 15
Seven airlines in Thailand will offer Thai travellers a 500-baht discount on domestic flights starting tomorrow, October 15, as part of a new tourism campaign aimed at reducing travel costs and encouraging spending across the country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced the initiative under its “Fly Everywhere in Thailand, Heal Your Heart on Every Trip” campaign, offering discounts…
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Long-stay visa checks help uncover Thai scam network, 39 arrested
Thai police arrested 39 suspects and seized assets worth more than 500 million baht in raids across 11 provinces as part of an investigation into an alleged online investment scam and cross-border money-laundering network. The operation, announced yesterday, October 13, targeted 27 locations after investigators uncovered suspicious financial transactions involving Chinese nationals holding Thailand Privilege visas. Police said the network…
