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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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It’s official – face masks now voluntary in most places in Thailand
Any face mask confusion is now clarified by the publishing of the latest edict in the Royal Gazette. “The wearing of a mask is a voluntary practice from now onwards so that people can now live closer to normal conditions. The Ministry of Public Health only recommends that the general public wear a mask when living with other people in…
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‘Elvis’ the movie – all shook up in a blancmange of jump suits and pop tribute
It’s pretentious, over-decorated, and probably overlong. But it’s also a spectacular 2 and half hours which will reconnect you with the 20th century’s most consequential pop icon – Elvis. “Elvis” was released today in Thailand and is now showing at cinemas around the country. If you want to revel in Elvis nostalgia and the music, there’s plenty of that. But…
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Northeast Thailand teacher’s ex stabs her to death in classroom
The ex-husband of a Northeast Thailand teacher has stabbed her to death today in a classroom of the school where she taught. The ex-husband, ‘Bo’, had reportedly threatened to kill his ex-wife 3 days ago. The couple split up after she caught him cheating. Today, Bo drove up to the school in Surin province and asked a security guard where…
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UPDATE: Fraudulent Japanese restaurant owner denied bail
UPDATE: Fraudulent Japanese restaurant owner denied bail The court denied the owner of Daruma Sushi’s request for bail this afternoon after he was arrested by police at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday. Police say “Metha” has caused millions of baht in damages and has countless allegations against him. The 39 year old owner of Daruma Sushi – Metha Chalingsook – got into…
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Teen girl commits suicide after being allegedly blackmailed over naked pictures
A teenage girl has committed suicide after a man allegedly blackmailed her over some naked pictures. The man, in central Thailand’s province of Pathum Thani, was arrested this morning in connection with the suicide and for allegedly blackmailing other teenage girls online. The 27 year old man, Piyabutr Urai-ngam, reportedly lured the 14 year old girl into sending him naked…
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Upcoming Phuket construction project to be completed next year
A huge construction project starting next month in Phuket is expected to be completed in April 2023. Officials have allocated over 59 million baht to the underground construction project in the island province’s main city district. Photos from The Phuket Express show a blue arrow pointing to spots where underground cables with low voltage will go, while a red arrow…
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VIDEO: Pattaya police rehearse controlling drunk tourists with metal poles
Pattaya police – armed with what look like giant litter pickers – gathered on Jomtien beach in Pattaya yesterday to prepare for encounters with “armed, drunk and aggressive foreign tourists.” The police asked a foreign beachgoer to volunteer as an armed, drunk and out of control tourist. Half a dozen policemen behind a riot shield approached the “tourist” and pinned…
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New Bangkok governor says student success about concentration, not hair
Bangkok’s new governor is the latest official to say that hair styles aren’t what counts in students’ academic success. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told a school director in the capital today (Thursday) that student success depends on concentration and responsibility, and he doesn’t believe that hairstyles have any effect on this. Chadchart had been inspecting a school in Bangkok’s Din Daeng…
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Motorbike rider dies in crash after argument with another rider
A motorbike rider crashed into an electric pole on a sidewalk and died after arguing with another rider on a road in Bangkok. Piyapong Suwarot got into an argument with a teenage motorbike rider, who accused the older man of cutting him off, on Pracha Uthit Road in the Tung Kru district of Bangkok. As a consequence, the 47 year…
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Going Live soon | Thaiger Unfiltered for Charity
Here’s a chance for our viewers to ask Natty and Jay any questions they have and they will answer you with their honest responses unfiltered! Please be kind and appropriate
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Mentally ill Thai man sentenced to 12 years for royal defamation
A man with mental health problems has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for criticising the Thai royal family. The 29 year old man, called Punyaphat, made a number of posts on the Royalist Marketplace Facebook group questioning the popularity of the Thai royal family, and King Vajiralongkorn’s frequent trips to Germany. Siwapan Manitkul, a managing director of a…
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4 suspects in wildlife trade arrested across Thailand
Environmental police arrested 4 suspected wildlife traders today in several provinces across Thailand. The Nonthaburi Provincial Court ordered arrest warrants for the group on June 14 on charges of colluding in illegal trading in wildlife and illegal possession of protected wild animals. Officers from Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression searched spots in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Ayutthaya, and…
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Eastern Thailand province plans “Fun On The Beach’ event
Beach lovers get ready! Thailand’s Eastern province of Rayong will hold its “Fun on the Beach” event next weekend, with 2 Thai bands performing on Leam Charoen Beach. The event will take place from July 1-3, Friday to Sunday. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is planning activities and food trucks at the event, as well as fruit buffets. The Thai…
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Thailand develops cannabis test kits that detect THC levels in 15 minutes
Thailand took marijuana off its list of narcotics, but extracts with higher than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol – the “happy” chemical – are still illegal. The law was designed to discourage the recreational use of cannabis, but no one knew how it could be enforced, until now. Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences has developed marijuana test kits that detect THC levels in…
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Prison doctor allegedly threatened to shoot his female patient
A prison doctor allegedly threatened to shoot his female patient because he does not believe in her political beliefs. Political activist, Natchanit “Baipor” Duangmusit, was jailed on May 3 after being charged on April 28 with defamation of the Thai royal family under Section 112 of the nation’s criminal code, also known as lèse majesté laws. Baipor, and another female…
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Thailand’s parliament police petition against new uniforms
Thailand’s parliamentary police aren’t seeing the point of their new uniforms scheduled for next year. The country’s roughly 200 parliamentary police officers are usually issued with 2 sets of uniforms, each costing about 5,000 baht. The budget for new uniforms would altogether require at least 2 million baht. Yesterday, about 60 parliament police officers submitted a petition to House Speaker…
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Thai police say plan to change uniforms ‘a waste of money’
Plans to change the uniforms of parliament police, 6 months after they were issued with new ones, have been put on hold after officers objected, calling it “a waste of taxpayers’ money.” Sixty parliament police officers gathered at the parliament building, in Dusit district, yesterday to submit a letter to the President of the National Assembly, Chuan Leekpai, to oppose…
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Missing man rescued after night alone in middle of Phang Nga Bay off Phuket
A man who went missing in the middle of the ocean in Phang Nga Bay off Phuket on Tuesday has been rescued. The man, Panit, had taken off on his jet-ski in the afternoon from a pier in Koh Si Ray, a town near Phuket’s main city district. But the jet-ski ran out of fuel once he neared Phang Nga’s…
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Fight between ex-husband and new man attracts 50 police to ER in Chiang Mai
A fight between a woman’s ex-husband and her new man brought chaos to an emergency room at a Chiang Mai hospital last night, so much that 50 officers arrived on the scene to sort things out. The storm began brewing between the men when the woman and her new partner went to her ex’s house to ask him to return…
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UPDATE: Police arrest fraudulent Japanese restaurant owner at Suvarnabhumi Airport
UPDATE: Police arrest fraudulent Japanese restaurant owner at Suvarnabhumi Airport Today, Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau arrested the fraudulent owner of Daruma Sushi, a famous Japanese restaurant chain, at Suvarnabhumi Airport. “Metha” returned to Thailand today having fled to Dubai in the UAE on June 16, after he received over 500 complaints from unhappy customers and staff. Police said Metha caused…
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Thais face death penalty if they take cannabis-related products into Indonesia
The Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, cautioned Thai people against taking cannabis and hemp into Indonesia as they could face the death penalty. The official Facebook page of the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta today uploaded a picture with a message saying, “The Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta would like to warn Thai people not to carry cannabis, hemp,…
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Frenchman found dead in luxury villa in Koh Samui, Thailand
The body of a Frenchman was discovered at a luxury pool villa in Koh Samui, off the coast of the southern province of Surat Thani, at 9:30am this morning. Officers from Koh Samui Police Station were called to a detached house in Na Muang subdistrict after a cleaner discovered the body of 45 year old Christophe Cedric Moulinaires lying dead…
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Expect more wind and rain in most of Thailand
Don’t forget your umbrella when you leave the house, because Thailand’s wind and rain isn’t going away anytime soon. It is the wet season after all. The country’s meteorological department announced that thundershowers are expected across the country today, with isolated rains and gusty winds too. In Northern Thailand, there will be scattered thundershowers in the Mae Hong Son, Chiang…
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Burmese refugees left stranded on desert island in Thailand for 3 days
Today, the Thai army picked up 16 Burmese refugees who were left stranded on a desert island off the coast of Ranong province, southern Thailand, for 3 days and 2 nights. The group came to the island from Myanmar by boat and were told to wait for another boat to take them across to the mainland. However, the boat they…
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Commuters asked not to flick hair on the BTS Skytrain
Here we go again. Commuters on the BTS Skytrain with long hair have been asked to refrain from flicking their hair because there is a danger it will hit the faces of other commuters, especially during rush hours, the BTS Skytrain operator says. Several commuters complained about passengers flipping their hair on the train and, on occasion, accidentally hitting the…
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German national falls to death from rooftop in Songkhla
An elderly German national fell to his death from an apartment rooftop in the southern province of Songkhla this morning. A security camera recorded the man’s body landing on the road below the 6-story building. Police were told that the man, 81 year old former marine Klaus-Dieter Buchholz, had lived alone in the apartment in the Hat Yai district for…
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Former Thai public servant allegedly swindles 30.6 million baht from government
A former Ministry of Defence finance officer, with an online gambling addiction, has allegedly swindled 30.6 million baht from the Buntharik District Administration in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani and is on the run from the police. The Mayor of the Buntharik District Administration, Worrapoj Bootnart, yesterday informed the media that the district office last year hired a financial…
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Koh Samui tourist viewpoint to temporarily close following troubling inspection
A tourist attraction in Koh Samui is set to temporarily close after officials inspected the site. Officials from the southern province of Surat Thani discovered yesterday that Overlap Stone viewpoint had been operating without a business operator licence. Furthermore, there was no bridge construction licence for the bridge that connects to the site’s giant rock mass. Now, the viewpoint is…
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Bangkok’s plan to become the Venice of the East… again
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday met with the Federation of Thai Industries president to plan a grand project to turn the Hua Lamphong Canal into an example of the Venice of the East, an oft-mentioned nickname for Bangkok in the past. The 56 year old Chadchart met with Kriengkrai Thiennukul to discuss a solution to improving the city’s water quality,…
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