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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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Bangkok mother, daughter swindled out of 1.8 million baht, suspect arrested
Authorities in the southern province of Phuket have arrested a man wanted in Bangkok for swindling a woman and her mother out of nearly 2 million baht. Police in the island’s party town of Patong report that officers received a request from police in Bangkok to arrest 23 year old Narathip Sukprasert, originally from Lop Buri province, about 150 kilometres…
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Emergency Decree extended through June amidst accusations of political motivation
As widely predicted, the Cabinet yesterday extended the Emergency Decree for a third month, to its limit at the end of June. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, quickly explained that the decree was enforced because it enabled more than 40 laws to be tied together to allow for quick enforcement at the national level.…
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Government to provide more financial aid to small and medium-sized businesses
Thailand’s Ministry of Finance has been tasked with coming up with plans for additional financial aid to small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Government Spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat made the announcement yesterday. “The Ministry of Finance will estimate the budget to be used as well as the loan limit and interest rate, and will present to the Cabinet…
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Thai Doctor faces charges in “wombs-for-hire” scandal
A Thai doctor faces charges of human trafficking and involvement in a Chinese-funded cross-border surrogacy service, using Thai women to carry babies for Chinese couples. Police say that the doctor, whose name is being withheld, previously worked at a state hospital in the Victory Monument area of Bangkok and allegedly provided “assisted-reproductive services” to surrogate Thai mothers, usually at clinics…
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Burma or Myanmar? Myanmarese or Burmese?
We refer to Myanmar a lot in our news because it’s a bordering foreign country to Thailand and many people from Myanmar work in and around Thailand. But is it Myanmar or Burma, and are the people that live there Myanmarese or Burmese? As you’ll read across the media there is no precise answer to the question with foreign powers…
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2 dead, over 1,000 ill in Korat dengue fever outbreak
2 people have died and more than a thousand have fallen ill since the beginning of the year in an outbreak of dengue fever in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province. The head of the provincial public health office yesterday said that all people in the province infected with Covid-19 have fully recovered and been discharged, and there have been no…
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Central Thailand prepares for return of thousands of Burmese workers
The central province of Samut Sakhon is preparing for the return of over 5,000 migrant labourers from Myanmar over the next month. The workers had returned to their home country to obtain the required paperwork and officials now say their employers must take responsibility for their quarantine. Employers are being asked to arrange accommodation to house the workers for the…
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Baby born after mother gives birth at checkpoint in Chai Nat
A baby boy was born at a checkpoint in Chai Nat, Central Thailand yesterday morning after a mother in labor made an emergency stop at one. The road block had been set up to check on travellers for Covid-19. The 30 year old mother and her husband were headed for the local hospital in Chai Nat, but couldn’t make it…
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4 new board members for THAI restructure, 1 has airline experience
Four new board members for Thai Airways are the face of hope for the national airline as it addresses massive losses and restructuring. The airline’s business is now being addressed under the country’s Bankruptcy Act. Piyasvasti Amranand, Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, Boontuck Wungcharoen and Pailin Chuchottaworn have joined the Thai Airways executive board. Piyasvasti served as the airline’s president from June 2009…
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Alleged drug runner busted with methamphetamines valued at 18 million baht
Police in Issan’s Maha Sarakham province yesterday announced the seizure of more than 600,000 methamphetamine pills from an alleged drug runner making deliveries. Officers stopped and searched a man seen tossing a plastic bag from his car, and more more than 600,000 methamphetamine pills were found in more bags inside the vehicle. 43 year old Somphan Sri-ubon was arrested after…
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Unemployed elephants: Some return to the wild, others sent to work in logging business
The drop in tourism has had a huge impact on the elephants in Northern Thailand, leaving many elephants, you could say, unemployed. While some elephants are out of business and been taken back to their natural habitat, others are struggling in captivity and might be sent off to work in animal labour which some people may deem as unethical. A reporter…
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5 Thai students test positive for Covid-19 after returning from Saudi Arabia
5 students, who returned to Thailand from Saudi Arabia via Malaysia, have now been confirmed as being infected with the Covid-19 virus. The students are part of a group of 39 returning citizens who arrived back in the country via the Padang Besar road checkpoint at the Malaysian border. All 39 are reported to be in mandatory state quarantine at…
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Internet service blocks PornHub, backs down after outrage
It’s no secret pornography is a little tricky to access in Thailand (according to someone else’s research). Recently, the internet service True Online confirmed that they are blocking the popular site PornHub, but quickly backed down on their statement after a storm of angry comments on Twitter. “I pay you asshole, are you my parents?” one person wrote on Twitter,…
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Bank report predicts extended timeframe for Thai tourism recovery
As the severity of the current situation facing Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry starts to sink in, Kasikorn Bank Research Centre have released a report with some stark predictions. Thailand’s tourism and hospitality industry faces losses of 1.69 trillion baht in 2020 and recovery “may not be clearly evident” next year. The report also foreshadows strict ‘new normal’ procedures as government measures…
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Thailand News Today – Tuesday, May 26
Bangkok woman dies of salmonella poisoning after eating ‘death dumplings’ Following the death of a Bangkok woman who fell ill after eating dumplings, lab tests have now come back proving there were detected traces of salmonella bacteria. The Samut Prakan provincial health office confirms that several members of the woman’s family also fell ill after eating the dumplings, which were…
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Woman charged after abandoning cats at Wat Pho
A Bangkok woman has been fined after she tossed five bags, each containing a cat, over a wall and into Wat Pho on Sunday evening. Maybe she thought she was doing a good deed by dumping the cats off at the Bangkok temple, but she was dressed like a common thief working at night. Videos show her dressed in all…
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3 quarantined returnees confirmed with Covid-19 in Thailand (May 26)
Today, in the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily press conference, Dr. Taweesilp confirmed 3 new cases of coronavirus in Thailand, of which all were recorded as quarantined overseas repatriates. This brings Thailand ‘s total of confirmed Covid-19 cases to 3,045. The death toll remains at 57 fatalities with no additional deaths reported today. Dr. Taweesilp says from the new cases…
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Critics say new security laws will infringe on Hong Kong’s autonomy
Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam has tried to reassure rattled residents and international investors that proposed national security laws won’t trample on the city’s rights and freedoms. She has joined the chorus of reassuring support for Beijing’s attempts to find better ways to control the destabilising protests that have disrupted the city for seven months over the past year.…
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Bangkok woman dies of salmonella poisoning after eating ‘death dumplings’
Following the death of a Bangkok woman who fell ill after eating dumplings, lab tests have come back proving there were detected traces of salmonella bacteria in the snack. Prakit Wongprasert from the Samut Prakan provincial health office confirms that several members of the woman’s family also fell ill after eating the dumplings, which were purchased from a local vendor.…
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No role for Transport Ministry in Thai Airways rehab plan
After initially insisting on having a say in the management of the rehabilitation plan for the beleaguered Thai Airways, the Ministry of Transport has conceded that, with its holding in the airline reduced to less than 50%, it no longer has any jurisdiction over what is now a listed public company. Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam says the struggling carrier…
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Deputy PM says politics not involved in Emergency Decree extension
“There is a week to go before entering the third phase of relaxation. Whether a further easing will occur depends on this week. I want to urge everyone to keep their guard up at all times.” With the second month of Thailand’s national state of emergency coming to a close, a deputy PM says fear of second wave of Covid-19…
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Government warns Thai residents over fake contact-tracing sites
The Thai government has issued a warning after a number of complaints from people being sent incorrect links and annoying pop-ups when attempting to “check in” at various businesses. The country’s Covid-19 task force says the government’s official “Thai Chana” contact-tracing website does not do this and warned citizens to make sure they only follow legitimate links. Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin,…
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Thailand’s economic forecast among Asia’s worst: central bank governor to step down
The governor of the Bank of Thailand will step down when his term ends in September. Veerathai Santiprabhob announced yesterday that he has decided against seeking a second 5 year term for “family reasons.” His departure comes as Thailand sees its economy contracting as much as 6% this year, mostly as a result of the impacts of lockdown provisions to…
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Thai police deny using emergency decree as political tool
Following the arrest of two activists in Bangkok on Friday, police deny using the emergency decree to suppress political dissent. Both activists were arrested at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre, where a small group was commemorating the 6th anniversary of the May 2014 military coup that swept PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to power, tossing out the elected government of Yingluck…
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Two brothers shot dead after fight over pickup truck
Three brothers got into a fight over a pickup truck their deceased father left for one of the sons. It ended with two of them shot dead, Nation Thailand reports. A witness says that the pickup truck was left behind for 39 year old Sarayut Mustofadi, but his older brother, Seri, took the truck. Witnesses say Sarayut and his brother,…
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12 curfew violators arrested in Pattaya after breaking through a checkpoint – VIDEO
12 curfew breakers were arrested in Pattaya City last night just before midnight after a black Hyundai van vehicle broke through a police curfew checkpoint. Reports suggest that the black Hyundai van ran through the checkpoint, causing Banglamung and Pattaya officers to give chase before eventually catching the suspects at an intersection in North Pattaya. 4 Thai nationals, all under the…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, May 25
2 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Thailand with one additional death Today there have been 2 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 Coronavirus in Thailand with 1 additional death. The 2 new cases consist of 1 imported case from a Thai National being repatriated from Russia last Wednesday. She’s currently under state quarantine in Chon Buri province. The other…
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Thai food giant to provide a million meals priced at 20 baht
Thai food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods says it plans to offer heavily discounted ready-to-eat meals for those facing financial difficulties as a result of the economic fallout of Covid-19. CEO Prasit Boondoungprasert says a million meals will be distributed to Fresh Mart shops around the country and will cost just 20 baht. There will be a choice of dishes on…
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Students to wear mask, get temperature checked at school
Students will need to wear a face mask and have their temperature checked before entering school. The Public Health and Education ministries recently put restrictions in place for the start of school set for July 1, according to Nation Thailand. Schools are categorised as a high risk area for the potential spread of the coronavirus. In general, cold and flu…
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Phuket chef hands out over 2,000 free meals
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen many heartwarming outpourings of charity, with a lot of businesses, both Thai and foreign, handing out free meals and essential goods to those affected by the crisis. The southern province of Phuket is no exception, with many pubs and restaurants joining in. But people in the island’s Bang Tao district might be surprised to learn…
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