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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 warms to drop temperature checks
The Ministry of Public Health will suggest to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to remove temperature measurement devices and checkpoints from all the country’s airports and other locations throughout Thailand because there is no evidence proving that the checks prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Head of the Health Technical Office from the Ministry of Public Health, Rungruang Kitphati,…
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Fire jellyfish warning in Krabi, southern Thailand
Red flags were raised to warn tourists not to swim on one beach in Krabi, southern Thailand, after large numbers of “fire jellyfish” washed up on the shore yesterday. Morbakka fenneri, known as the “fire jellyfish,” doesn’t get its name from its pinkish-red colour but from its potent sting. Thousands of small but venomous fire jellyfish washed up on Hong…
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Pattaya locals question new zig-zag lines on roads
New zig-zag lines painted on roads in Pattaya have left locals scratching their heads. So much so that a man posted pictures on social media last week questioning what they were. The man had never come across any zig-zag lines when he was learning to drive. The local man from Pattaya posted pictures of the zig-zag lines in a Facebook…
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Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department
Thailand has worryingly lost connection with two tsunami detection buoys, but the country’s tsunami warning system is still effective, insists the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM. Indian authorities recently recovered one of the buoys in the Indian Ocean after the department lost contact with it on October 22 last year. The department is trying to recover a…
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China opens naval base in Cambodia, officials go swimming together to celebrate
Despite experts predicting that ASEAN nations would not pick sides between the US and China, Cambodia seems to be cozying up to its powerful Chinese neighbour, with officials even going for a dip in the sea together. Cambodia’s Minister of Defense Tea Banh and Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian were spotted bathing in the sea together after the opening ceremony of…
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Chaokoh deny any monkey business amid PETA investigation
Thai coconut-milk producer Chaokoh say there is no monkey business going on in the production of their products, in response to a PETA investigation. The US-based animal rights non-profit organisation conducted an investigation in 2019 singling out Chaokoh for the abuse of young monkeys in Thailand. PETA’s report alleged monkeys are “chained, abused, and forced to climb trees to pick…
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Malaysians flood back to Phuket
Daily AirAsia flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket are fully booked as Malaysians flock back to the island paradise in their thousands. The island is a popular beach getaway location for Malaysian families, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT. Alongside AirAsia, Scoot, Indigo, Emirates and Thai Airways also fly into Phuket from various locations in Malaysia. Other…
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Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers
The Thai Royal Gazette has now officially announced the increase of the minimum Thai wage for workers in 16 careers, focusing on workers in construction, service and industrial industries. The wage is increased up to 650 baht per day from the former rate of about 313 – 336 baht per day. The policy was launched on June 10 and would…
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Thai couple murdered in Taiwan by a Thai man
Thai police is expecting a call from Taiwan officials to help find a man accused of killing a Thai couple last week. The bodies of the couple were discovered in a parked car outside the Taoyuan high-speed train station on Friday. The killings are believed to be linked to a disagreement over money lending. The bodies of the couple were…
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Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand
Chickens at a farm in Lampang, northern Thailand, are in a “good mood” after the antibiotics in their chicken feed were replaced with cannabis. Not only are the chickens showing higher immunity against disease, but they also have a lower body fat percentage than usual, making for a delicious Khao Man Gai – or chicken rice – according to one…
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Surprise! Additional luggage fees on a budget airline ruin family holiday
Yikes. How much were you charged recently for late checked baggage fees? All but some of the larger legacy or national airlines charge for checked in luggage these days and arriving at the airport check-in, without having paid for your checked luggage, when you booked the cheap seats online, will likely provide an unhappy surprise. So HOW unhappy? Have a…
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Police step up search for minister’s missing father
Police stepped up a search for the missing father of a government minister charged with land encroachment by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission. Soonthorn Vilawan, father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan, is allegedly on the run after failing to turn up in court on Thursday to face charges of forest encroachment. The NACC told media Thursday the anti-graft watchdog had…
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Take your pet on board Bangkok – Chiang Mai flights with Nok Air
Nok Air have launched a “Pet On Board” scheme for holidaymakers who wish to take their animal on board the airline’s domestic Bangkok – Chiang Mai flight route. The airline is offering round trips from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Chiang Mai for 12,999 baht, which includes airfare for 2 people and 1 pet. In a statement posted on Facebook,…
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Mae Sot district proposed as site of Thailand’s 1st official casino
An Entertainment Complex Committee, set up by the government, has proposed Mae Sot district in the northern province of Tak as an ideal location for Thailand’s first legal entertainment complex, with a casino. The committee has announced that they’ve gathered all information from their survey, both negative and positive, and is ready to submit the findings to the Thai cabinet.…
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Thailand’s Digital Economy Minister ‘clarifies’ about the posting of crime pics or videos online
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, is warning crime witnesses that spreading pictures or videos of the incidents via online channels ‘could’ violate the new Personal Data Protection Act or PDPA. The minister says the safer way to help victims is to hand the evidence to the police officers. Thailand officially operated the PDPA or the Personal Data…
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Two Indian tourists die in motorbike accident on Koh Samui mountain
Two Indian tourists have died in a motorbike incident yesterday evening on the Thai Gulf island of Koh Samui, southern Thailand. The pair were driving down the Khao Pom mountain on a rented motorbike when they crashed into a barrier on a curved road. The men’s bodies were found on the mountainside. At 6:30pm yesterday, Koh Samui Police Station received…
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How Thailand plans to transition into the endemic phase
Thailand will begin to “relax” Covid-19 restrictions in the coming weeks as the country shifts into the “endemic phase.” “U2” and “3Por” measures will be implemented to ensure public health and safety during the transition, according to Thailand’s Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA. The next CCSA meeting will be held on Friday, June 17. The Ministry of Public Health will…
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Thai nightlife midnight closing time under pressure this week
The current ‘official’ closing time for nightlife venues, in 31 provinces around Thailand (yellow and blue zones), is midnight. That all kicked in at the start of this month. But, hey, it’s Thailand and there’s also been plenty of venues, particularly in the tourist zones, where the midnight close time has been stretched a bit. But some netizens have noticed…
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How can parents keep kids busy during Bangkok summer holidays
Summer holidays for Bangkok international schools are nearly here. For working parents who are trying to balance work, and family, and will be spending at least some of the summer in the city, the question is how to keep their children busy and engaged? One of the best online resources for expat parents looking for activities is BKK Kids. With…
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Nightlife closing times, revised mask requirements and more land border re-openings
Thailand’s Covid taskforce are meeting this week to consider three proposals made from around various Ministries and industry stakeholders. It’s going to be a pivotal week for the CCSA. Announcements are expected by this Friday. One of them is to remove the requirement to wear face masks in public, although it is widely considered that, even if this concession is…
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Bangkok’s giant drainage tunnel ready for ‘rainy season’
Bangkok deputy governor Wissanu Sapsompol says the city’s giant drainage tunnel will be fully operational for the “rainy season.” The new Bueng Nong Bon drainage tunnel, which began construction in January 2016, was not expected to be finished until March next year. But the city’s deputy governor insists it will be ready just in time for the kingdom’s rainy season…
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2 monks questioned about temple fund embezzlement scheme
Two senior monks have been released without charge after answering questions in connection to a temple fund embezzlement and money-laundering scheme. The monks, one from Lop Buri province in central Thailand, and the other from Nonthaburi province, deny any wrongdoing. Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, commander of the police Anti-Corruption Division and police investigators, yesterday met with the abbot of…
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Huge Bangkok bar raided as police arrest underage and customers for drug possession
Despite the ‘official’ closing time for nightlife venues around Bangkok being extended to midnight, from 11pm, on June 1, many venues have continued to push their luck with authorities for the last few months. This venue since February. Yesterday morning Pathumwan district police raided a bar in Bangkok’s Rong Muang area after receiving a tip off that the venue had been…
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Thais favour dropping masks & extending nightlife curfew
Nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate. New tourist visa waivers being proposed to CCSA for next week’s meeting. Concerns over the recreational use of cannabis have been raised following the plant’s decriminalisation. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.
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Alleged Thai paedophile arrested on child pornography charges
An alleged paedophile has been arrested in Phetchaburi in connection with human trafficking, child exploitation and production, and the distribution of child pornography. Nitikorn Manop was arrested by police on Thursday at a house in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, in central Thailand, bordering Myanmar, after gaining a warrant by the Criminal Court. Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Khamchamnarn, head of the Anti-Trafficking…
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Amateur crime sleuths warned they could be prosecuted for breaking PDPA
Amateur crime sleuths have been warned they could be prosecuted under the Personal Data Protection Act despite their good intentions. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, head of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, urged the nation’s unofficial detectives against posting video clips or pictures of others on social media, regardless of their good intentions, as it may violate the PDPA. A new…
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Meta downgrades commitment to Facebook News service, tech giants don’t want to pay for News
Meta, aka Facebook, are looking to review commitments to pay publishers for their news articles. The payments, said to be 100s of million US$ a year to mostly larger news publishers, have shown little return to the Facebook platform or gained them many extra users. Some of the larger publishers, both in the US and elsewhere, are going to have…
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Motorists urged to avoid 9 major routes in Bangkok
Motorists in Bangkok have been advised to avoid using 9 routes around the city’s Democracy Monument, and Victory Monument, today because of political protests. Deputy Metropolitan Police chief Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-Ake revealed pro-democracy protesters have announced on social media that they will start gathering at Democracy Monument at 2pm and will march towards Victory Monument at around 3.30pm. “We…
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Cop gets 50 years for taking bribes from Thai massage parlour
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases yesterday sentenced a cop to 50 years in prison for taking bribes, totalling 641,000 baht, from a Bangkok massage parlour. The unnamed police officer was indicted on 65 counts of bribe-taking after turning a blind eye to illegal activities at the massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road. The ruling was published in…
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Famous Thai cyclist killed in road accident in Thailand
Famous Thai cyclist Nirantra Phramthong was killed yesterday in a road accident in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The 53 year old was struck by a 10-wheel truck at 8.10am at the construction site of an elevated road junction on the special highway linking Bang Pa In with Nakhon Ratchasima and died instantly. The 41 year old truck driver,…
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