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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 is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Driver surrenders to police after dumping injured 5 year old boy in front of hospital
The pickup truck driver who fled the scene after dumping an injured 5 year old boy outside a Bangkok hospital has finally surrendered himself to police. The 5 year old boy was dropped in front of Suksawat Hospital in Rat Burana district at about 3pm yesterday by pickup driver Arnon Nantra. The boy was suffering from a broken hip, wounds,…
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Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay to temporarily close again
Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay – located on Koh Pi Pi Leh in Krabi province – will be off-limits to tourists for the duration of August and September for another period of environmental restoration. The bay, made famous by “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, reopened to tourists on January 1 after a three and a half year closure. All tourist activities…
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Thai police deny ever using Pegasus spyware on dissidents
After a bombshell report revealed that dozens of Thai democracy activists were targeted by an Israeli spyware programme called Pegasus over the past two years, Thai police forces are denying that they ever had any hand in the spyware. The Deputy National Police Spokesman said that Pegasus spyware was not used to hack anti-government dissident’s mobile devices, despite claims in…
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Police arrest man wanted for South Thailand murder
Police arrested a man wanted for a murder in South Thailand in March. The suspect, 37 year old Somsak Plano, had allegedly shot at three brothers, killing one of them and injuring another. Somsak’s alleged crime was believed to be related to a personal conflict. The incident happened in the Phato district of Chumphon province on March 2. According to…
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Pattaya man allegedly stabs relative after drinking together
A Pattaya man allegedly stabbed his relative earlier this week after the two of them drank together. The suspect, 22 year old Amnart, allegedly stabbed 42 year old Songklod in his stomach. The incident happened in front of their home in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province. Songklod’s sister, Kanissara Mahamat, told Bang Lamung police… “The suspect and…
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Government angry Thailand came last in ‘Land of Smiles’ poll
Thai and foreign netizens have been left stunned after seeing Thailand ranked at the bottom of a Land of Smiles poll conducted by Gallup Global Emotions 2022. The controversial poll even upset the Thai government who hit back, saying the topic wasn’t even included in the official survey report. Singaporean media platform, Southeast Asia Stats, posted a “Southeast Asian Country…
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Thai Vietjet launches new route between Thailand and Japan
Budget airline Thai Vietjet has commenced services between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport, located on the north shore of Japan’s Kyushu island. The route is the airline’s only service linking Thailand and Japan. The airline will operate the route three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays with an approximate flight duration of 5 hours 30 minutes. The…
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New religious cult leader encourages followers to get drunk
Thai media visited the temple of a new religious cult in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham to interview its leader after a viral TikTok video revealed he encouraged followers to get drunk at the cult ceremony. A female TikTok user posted a video joining a ceremony with the cult in Maha Sarrakham. The video revealed participants wearing an all-white…
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2 workers die, 2 injured in Bangkok electrocution tragedy
Police have launched an investigation into the death of two electrical workers and serious injury to two other men who were electrocuted in a sewer near Wat Bang Nai Temple. The three electrical workers, 37 year old Direk Intarangsee, 23 year old Warawut U-Nath, and 26 year old Thosapol Faksawat, yesterday were installing an electrical system inside the sewer in…
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UPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old
UPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old The newborn two-faced kitten who stole the hearts of Thai netizens yesterday sadly passed away at four days old. Tung Ngern and Tung Tong the Janus cat was born by a caesarian section in Lampang, northern Thailand, on Sunday afternoon. After a four-day fight, the kitten stopped breathing at 5.30am today. The…
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UPDATE: Couple narrowly escapes death as steel beam falls onto Bangkok expressway
UPDATE: The construction company responsible for the steel beam which fell onto a busy Bangkok expressway has agreed to pay 300,000 baht in compensation to the couple inside the pickup truck, which was flung into the air when it collided with the beam, as seen in the dashcam footage below. The couple – Sarawut Warapieng and Moree Warapieng – went…
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Myanmar guilty of war crimes says Amnesty International
Amnesty International today accused the Myanmar military of committing war crimes by laying antipersonnel landmines in and around villages in Kayah (Karenni) State. The non-governmental organisation revealed they have conducted an investigation in conflict-affected parts of the state and concluded the antipersonnel landmines are inherently indiscriminate and therefore contravene international law. The landmines have been laid in and around villages…
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Police superintendent and 4 others charged in 6 million baht corruption
A British man desperate to get out of jail was cheated out of 6 million baht which he used to try and buy his freedom, with five people charged in the scheme. A Mae Hong Son police superintendent claimed to be using his connection to the assistant national police chief to curry favour and was the highest ranking officer charged.…
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Indian man dies of heart attack on island off Pattaya
An Indian man died of a heart attack on Koh Larn island off Pattaya on Monday, July 18. The man, 43 year old Tandon Gaurav, reportedly died a minute after he sat down in a restaurant on the island. A fellow restaurant-goer tried to give Tandon CPR, but could not revive him. Tandon was then pronounced dead at Koh Larn…
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“Climate change is here,” UK Met Office – heatwaves sweep over the northern hemisphere
Records were broken, people were staying inside and shops were doing brisk sales of fans. Temperatures in the UK hit 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in recorded history yesterday, making it the country’s hottest day ever. With UK houses better designed to keep the cold out and the heat in, the unseasonal heat was challenging people across the…
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Thai PM hits back at opposition “try and bring back Thaksin”
“I know you may admire some people who previously held this position and praise them for doing a better job than me. That’s fine. Just bring them back if you can.” The first day of the no confidence debate saw some fiery exchanges between the PM and the opposition MPs goading him on his record and time as premier. Prime…
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Poll shows nearly 2/3rds of Thais are tired of wearing masks
A new poll shows that Thais are tired of wearing masks and prefer to skip the inconvenience in many instances. The poll was conducted online by the Department of Health Service Support to judge people’s feelings about the relaxed Covid-19 restrictions in Thailand now. A total of 7,507 people responded to the opinion poll that was conducted between June 17…
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Transport Minister gives Koh Samui-Khanom Bridge thumbs up
The Transport Minister, Saksayam Chidchop, approved a project to construct the Koh Samui – Khanom Bridge connecting the island with the mainland of Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The media reported yesterday that Saksayam gave the green light on five projects to develop and improve the motorways, rural roads, and expressways of Thailand. Koh Samui – Khanom Bridge is one of…
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Two-faced kitten born in northern Thailand
A kitten with two faces was born in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on Sunday. Two-faced kittens – also known as “Janus cats” after the two-faced Roman god Janus – don’t generally live longer than a day. However, this tiny Janus kitten is doing considerably well so far and is drinking milk from both mouths, said the kitten’s owner. One side…
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Pro-Prayut James Bond “008” posters mocked by opposition
A pro-government Facebook page, Priang News, (เปรี้ยง) which created several James Bond-type 008, No Time to Die posters, in support of Cabinet members during this week’s censure debate, has been mocked by the opposition. Priang News created posters saying PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will not be “killed” stating the Bond movie No Time to Die and using the hashtag #FightEveryProblem. Pheu…
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MP warns Thais to be wary after fake job agency scams 50 women
The Minister of Labour warned citizens to be wary after a group of Thai women were swindled out of thousands by a fraudulent job agency. Suchart Chomklin acknowledged he was aware of scams on a number of Facebook accounts that are advertising attractive job positions in places such as the United Arab Emirates where they are promising one thing but…
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Bangkok CCTV footage can now be accessed online
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced yesterday that accessing the capital’s CCTV footage is now easier than ever. CCTV footage can now be requested through two online channels – the CCTV Bangkok website and the Line account @CCTVBANGKOK. If you are involved in an accident or a crime victim in Bangkok, you are entitled to and may want to request public…
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VIDEO: Couple narrowly escapes death as steel beam falls onto Bangkok expressway
Dashcam footage reveals the terrifying moment a heavy steel beam fell 20 metres through the air onto a busy expressway in Bangkok. The beam landed just metres in front of an oncoming pickup truck which was flung into the air as the wheels collided with the beam. Miraculously, the couple inside the pickup truck came out of the incident unharmed.…
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Study: vaccines prevented nearly half a million deaths in Thailand
Since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, 31,031 people have died in Thailand from the virus, but a research team suggest that it could have been much worse without vaccines. The team from Mahidol University suggested that, without a vaccination programme in place, Thailand would likely have seen another 490,000 deaths. The MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis compile…
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5-day holiday weekend brings predictable surge in Covid-19 infections
While it was entirely predictable, Thailand rejoiced at the chance to get away for a five-day weekend, ignoring warnings from medical professionals, and now the country is seeing a spike in new and serious Covid-19 infections. The Department of Disease Control released figures showing that the number of people infected with severe Covid cases that require ventilators is rising again.…
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British hero hails US film director’s depiction of Thai cave rescue
Cave hero Richard Stanton believes movie director Ron Howard was the perfect choice to capture the raw emotion of the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded grotto in Thailand. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has retold the climactic tale from four years ago of the cave rescue in a new movie, “Thirteen Lives,” which premiered last…
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American man who fell through roof at Full Moon Party in critical condition
Friends and family of an American man who was seriously injured at a Full Moon Party have launched several GoFundMe campaigns to raise money for his treatment and repatriation. The man remains in critical condition at Bangkok Hospital in Bangkok after falling through a roof in the wee hours of the famous party on Haad Rin Beach in Koh Pha…
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Piracy crackdown on intellectual property as tourism grows
With tourism now beginning to return to Thailand, the Intellectual Property Department pledged to be more strict in cracking down on pirated goods. Experts believe that the market will be flooded with fakes in popular tourist destinations as shady sellers see new potential customers pouring into the country. The IPD is coordinating with the Customs Department, the Department of Special…
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Four-legged chicken turns heads at Big Bum Farm in northeast Thailand
A farmer in northeast Thailand discovered a four-legged hen in his coup and locals won’t leave it alone. The genetically unusual chicken is believed to bring good luck and might even reveal next month’s winning lottery numbers, according to locals, some of whom visit the chicken every day at – and this is no joke – “Big Bum Farm” in…
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Phuket to hold tsunami evacuation drill tomorrow
The tourist resort of Phuket will be holding a tsunami evacuation drill tomorrow from 2pm. Warning alerts in five languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian will be available, and 200 assembly points in three districts are prepared. The Director of Phuket’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, Udomporn Karn, informed the media that Phuket’s yearly tsunami evacuation drill would focus…
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