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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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Thailand’s reservoirs and dams reaching critically low levels
The start of the annual wet season isn’t far away, maybe this month, but Thailand’s water sources are running on empty. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported today, that Thailand has seen a large drop of useable water in dams and reservoirs by an average of 30% of their capacity, due to the lack of rain in the…
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Thailand News Today – Tuesday, March 31
“Far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region – WHO update The World Health Organisation says that the coronavirus pandemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region. Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, says “Let me be clear. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard, we need…
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Abandoned newborn girl discovered in Chiang Mai
An infant girl was found abandoned outside a grilled pork stand in Chiang Mai Province in Thailand’s north early yesterday. The baby was found by a “drunken man” at 6:30am. Abandoned children are a common problem in Thailand. Unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy out of wedlock, family problems and other issues can cause young mothers to cast aside their babies. The infant was…
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Woman convicted for 2005 stabbings, allegedly kills 5 year old
A mental patient who served prison time for the 2005 stabbings of 4 girls in Bangkok has turned herself in to police after allegedly stabbing a 5 year old girl to death. 50 year old Ms. Jitrlada Tantiwanitchasuk gave herself up to police in Nakhon Pathom province otside Bangkok yesterday. The 5 year old victim was pronounced dead on arrival…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, March 30
136 more virus cases confirmed in Thailand as outbreak spreads out of Bangkok A spokesman for the country’s newly formed Covid-19 Situation Administration Thailand confirmed 136 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases today. This raises the total number of infections to 1,524. Deaths in the Kingdom remain at 7. As of yesterday, 54% of Covid-19 infections were found outside Bangkok with a…
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Chiang Mai chokes as fires rage in the north of Thailand
Northern Thailand is choking under a toxic shroud and it’s not getting any better. Air pollution across the upper North remains “at critical levels,” in many areas, including some of the main population centres. Authorities are monitoring almost 400 active hotspots in Chiang Mai alone yesterday. The air quality didn’t improve this morning, with IQAir recording “very unhealthy” air quality…
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Northern Thailand’s air pollution reaches hazardous levels
Air quality in the north of Thailand is actually ‘hazardous’ today, as bushfires in Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep-Pui National Park have caused air quality to become nearly 20 times higher than Thailand’s already lax “safe” limit of ’50’. PM2.5, (dust particulate matter with diameter of 2.5 microns or lower), rose to 925 micrograms per cubic metre in some locations yesterday.…
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“Hot to very hot” in the North and Northeast, thundershowers predicted
A thermal low still covers upper Thailand, while southerly and southeasterly winds prevail over the Northeast and the East regions. Thailand is now in the ‘shoulder’ season, between the dry season and wet season, which is set to kick in sometime in April. (Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai 5 day forecasts below) Chiang Mai is poised for another week of…
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British PM Boris Johnson tests positive for Covid-19
The British PM has tested positive for the coronavirus. Boris Johnson says he developed “mild symptoms over the past 24 hours”, including a cough and temperature. Mr Johnson was last seen last night, UK time, as he clapped outside his home as part of a nationwide gesture thanking National Health Service staff. 55 year old Mr Johnson maintains he is now…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, March 27
91 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death in Thailand Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has confirmed a 91 new cases of the the Covid19 coronavirus at their daily press briefing this morning. There was also an additional death reported. The new numbers bring the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 1136 and deaths to 5. Of the…
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30 horses die in one day in Thailand’s Northeast
30 horses have mysteriously died in Thailand’s Northeast yesterday. The Thailand Equestrian Federation is urging horse fanciers not to transport any animals until a cause can be identified. It’s unlikely the situation has anything to do with the Covid-19 outbreak. 10 of the horses had sudden severe seizures before dying and the other 20 repeatedly bucked and jumped before collapsing,…
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Singaporeans face jail, fines if they don’t observe social distancing
Singapore authorities have announced tough new measures to combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, saying that those found guilty of intentionally standing or sitting too near to others could be jailed for up to six months. The city-state has already closed bars and cinemas, as well as banning large events. While Singapore isn’t under lockdown or a state of…
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Jungceylon Phuket commences food ordering and deliveries
Jungceylon shopping mall, in Patong Phuket has established a ‘food ordering & pick up’ service point for all its restaurants and fast food outlets to increase convenience and safety for local residents in the Patong district. The mall is offering the service in partnership with 30 restaurants and chains, including… AKA Japanese Restaurant, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin ‘Donuts, Four Seasons Restaurant, Fuji…
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26 year old British man leaps to death from 13th floor in Bangkok
A British man, working in Bangkok as an English tutor, jumped from a 13th floor residence, in an alleged suicide. A neighbour discovered the man’s body while dumping rubbish on Thursday morning outside the apartment building in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. Police report that they were told the 26 year old was depressed and worried because his income had evaporated…
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Potential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps
Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, along with many other camps in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors due to the current Coronavirus situation in Thailand. Apart from resulting in hardship for the elephants, it will seriously hurt Thailand’s tourism industry in the future if no support is forthcoming soon. And whilst we’re hunkering down in our homes…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, March 26
New cases in Thailand – 111, pushes total over 1,000 Thursday’s total for new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus is out as announced today by the Public Health Department. The number of newly confirmed Covid-19 cases in Thailand is now over 1,000. 111 new cases were announced to the media today by spokesperson from the Ministry of Public Health. At…
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“Comply or I’ll tear it down myself” Pattaya mayor tells encroaching resort
Pattaya’s mayor Sontaya Khunpluem yesterday ordered his staff to post notices at Ban Sukhawadee, or “Sukhawadee House” as it’s known in English, a luxury beachfront property and tourist attraction on a total of 80 rai in the Bang Lamung district, that encompasses Pattaya. The company that runs the resort, HealthFood International, has two weeks to comply with a judgment relating…
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1000 kilograms of marijuana seized in northeastern Thailand
More than a tonne of marijuana has been been recovered in Thailand’s Bung Kan province, in the far north east on the Laos border. The stash was discovered in fertiliser sacks by a security patrol boat along the Mekong river. Authorities say a longtail boat with 4 to 5 men on board was spotted pulling up to the river bank,…
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BOT predicts 5.3% contraction in Thai economy for 2020
Even the Thai economy, which was still maintaining respectable growth before January, is now spluttering under the siege of the Covid-19 virus. Now the Bank of Thailand has crunched some numbers and believes the Thai economy will sharply contract by 5.3% this year as the virus continues to weigh on global financial markets, the local economy and people. GDP growth…
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Thailand News Today – Wednesday, March 25
107 new coronavirus cases confirmed (Wednesday) Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and the Department of Disease Control announced 107 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 Coronavirus in their daily press briefing this morning. This makes the total number of cases found in Thailand since the outbreak began in January 934, with 4 total deaths. Yesterday 106 confirmed cases were announced.…
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The almighty baht set to fall further despite rate cuts, stimulus
A lot has changed for the baht. It was only months ago that The Bank of Thailand considered drastic measures to rein in the rambunctious baht, whose massive gains in currency markets made it the darling of speculators. In December Kasikorn Bank released a report outlining reasons the baht “will remain strong into 2020.” The bank’s research arm forecast the…
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Thailand News Today – Tuesday, March 24
Thailand under a State of emergency – Prime Minister Thai PM Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told a news conference today that Thailand will be under emergency decree from this Thursday (March 26) until the end of April to deal with Covid-19. The decree means the PM will have the executive power to declare further measures to contain the virus, including…
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Riot fears reopen ‘closed’ Thai border checkpoints as migrant workers flee
“We must go home, or we will starve to death in Bangkok.” Some of Thailand’s recently closed border checkpoints were forced to reopen today as thousands of migrant workers, now unemployed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, flee Thailand for their homes in Myanmar and Cambodia. Their numbers and their desperation sparked fears of rioting. In Chiang Rai, the border…
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Opportunities for 2020 export growth in Thailand
Despite the whirlwind of shutdowns, lockdowns and craziness descending on Thailand at the moment, the departments are still churning out numbers and trying to forecast the way ahead. They say that, due to the Thai baht weakening and massive government interventions around the world for both monetary and fiscal policies, there is still a chance that Thailand could reduce the…
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Chon Buri closes more businesses, asks public to avoid beaches
Yep, this means Pattaya as well. The governor of Chon Buri province today signed an order for the closure of additional businesses “until the situation improves,” to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in and around the major party town of Pattaya. The order includes the closure of following: Water parks and public swimming pools (Privately owned pools…
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Pattaya motorbiker seriously wounded in early morning shooting
A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver was seriously early this morning when he was allegedly shot by another motorbike taxi driver following a dispute over money. Police were notified of the incident at 2:30am. Officers, and emergency responders and reporters rushed to the motorbike taxi stand, where the supervisor, 52 year old Pairoj Laipueangthong, and 21 year old witness Jennapa Kaewta…
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All time high – Thai drug smuggling in Thailand
2019 was Thailand’s worst year to date for smuggling of MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy,” mainly from Germany, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Slovenia. Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) says that since October, many seizures were of ecstasy pills originating from drug syndicates in the Netherlands, indicating attempts to broaden markets in Thailand. The drug gangs are now attempting…
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Hot days for the North, possible thundershowers in the South
Thailand’s Meteorological Department says today that a low pressure system covers upper Thailand and will make for hot, dry days in the north of Thailand. Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket five day forecasts below. “A westerly trough covers the upper Northeast, while southerly and southeasterly winds blow humidity from the South China Sea into the Northeast, the East, the Central…
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Former Thai minister sentenced for forgery, faces murder, kidnapping charges
A former deputy commerce minister, police colonel and Member of Parliament has been sentenced to eight years in prison for forgery. The Bangkok South Criminal Court yesterday sentenced Banyin Tangpakorn for forging documents to transfer 263 million baht worth of shares to himself through two associates. The ruling concludes the case believed to be behind Banyin’s alleged decision to kidnap…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, March 20, 2020
Thailand confirms 50 new Covid-19 cases, including infant Thailand today confirmed 50 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, bringing the total to 322 since the virus first arrived in the Kingdom in January. 278 patients remain hospitalised, 43 have returned home. The 50 new patients include… • 18 who visited the Lumphini Stadium in Bangkok, including spectators, boxing officials and…
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