News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Sponsored Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes
Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
-
Old “falangs” are Pattaya beach vendors’ lifeline in coronavirus downturn
Old expats and Thais are the only thing keeping Pattaya beach vendor in business, through the coronavirus tourism downturn. One vendor, Pha Aree, who has been renting beach chairs and umbrellas for 30 years, says she’s survived more than her share of crises, the tourism downturns during the 2004 tsunami, SARS, political strife and numerous military coups. She’ll get through…
-
Thailand News Today, Thursday, March 12. Daily TV News.
Tourism officials ponder moving Songkran to July, boosting domestic tourism The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Tourism and Sports ministry are examining the postponing of Songkran celebrations to July 4-7 this year. The idea already has the nod from Tourism and Sports Minister but still needs approval from the Culture Ministry and cabinet. Meanwhile, the Tourism Council of Thailand has…
-
Body in oil drum discovered in Chiang Rai reservoir
Police in Chiang Rai discovered a dead body stuffed into an oil drum floating in a reservoir. The 200 litre drum has allegedly been floating in the reservoir for over a week. Investigators learned from local villagers that the oil drum had been floating in the middle of the reservoir since last about March 3. Only when the drum brought…
-
30 year old woman jumps from 14th floor in Nonthaburi
Police are still investigating an incident in Nonthaburi, just west of Bangkok. Yesterday at 7:30pm, 30 year old Thanaporn jumped from the 14th floor “from fear of getting arrested by police officers” in a Muang Thong Thani housing estate in Nonthaburi. Thanaporn was wanted for attempted murder of her sister and two other relatives earlier this month. Earlier in March…
-
UPDATE: SCB becomes third bank to stop exchanging foreign cash
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) today became the third Thai bank to cease exchanging foreign cash, shut down its exchange booths and quarantine booth staff for fourteen days as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The move comes after a similar move by Kasikorn Bank over the weekend – see original story below. Yesterday afternoon saw Krungthai Bank follow suit.…
-
Grab driver turns himself in over missing wallet: cash still missing
A Grab taxi driver has turned himself in to police in Chiang Mai police after a Dutch tourist lost 500 euros at an exchange booth in the city. The 27 year old Duct national, identified as “Edwin T.” reported to police after dropping his wallet at a booth at in the city’s Saphan Lek on Monday. CCTV showed a Grab…
-
200 landmines cleared from old battleground near Burmese border
The army’s Thailand Mine Action Centre (TMAC) has announced that they’ve cleared more than 200 landmines from a former battlefield in the southern province of Chumphon, near the Burmese border. TMAC chief Wisut Uthitwattana says the 6.6 square kilometre area was marked as a potential landmine zone as it was the site of battles between ethnic insurgents and Burmese troops.…
-
Scorcher in the North, weekend storms predicted
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said today that a thermal low is covering upper Thailand, causing hot to very hot weather there. Meanwhile, weak easterly winds across the Gulf are bringing less rain to the South. From Saturday to Monday, another high pressure system from China will extend to upper Thailand and the South China Sea, where many areas of the upper…
-
Thai stocks tumbles, SET drops nearly 6%
Thailand’s stock exchange, the SET, plunged yesterday along with the region’s other bourses. The index dropped amid concerns over the growing global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The SET dived 74.57 points, or nearly 6%, to 1,175.32 points. This all happened shortly after the open in a turnover of 9 billion baht. The SET50 index, Thailand’s top 50 listed companies, faired even…
-
Monkey brawl shocks Lop Buri – VIDEO
Central Thailand’s Lop Buri province was a battleground yesterday, with fierce skirmishes raging through city streets. Fortunately no casualties were reported. No human ones, anyway. Rival monkey gangs took to the streets and brawled for hours. Lopburi is home to two monkey clubs, with thousands of members: city monkeys and temple monkeys. The temple monkeys control the area around Phra Prang…
-
Thailand News Today, Wednesday, March 11, 2020
400 billion baht stimulus announced to boost Thai economy Yesterday’s Thai cabinet meeting gave the greenlight to a new stimulus package. The government expects the approved 400 billion baht to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Last week’s 2,000 baht cash stimulus proposal, which was largely roasted in Thai social media after being proposed by the economic ministers,…
-
Thailand cancels visas-on-arrival and some visa exemptions for 21 countries
On top of all the changes announced in the past few days for passengers arriving in Thailand, today the government has announced an additional measure. The Thai government has now cancelled the automatic granting of the visa-on-arrival for 18 countries as well as cancelling visa exemption for three other countries in additional efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.…
-
Police intercept huge meth shipment and a tonne of marijuana
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau have reported a number of cases in the Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. Both dugs cases involve a truck and an attempt to hide the illicit drugs in large sacks which were packed with dog food. In the first case, 38 year old Jiradech Isipriya from Chiang Mai as well as 3 other members of a…
-
Thailand News Today, Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Thai road toll, worst of the year yesterday Yesterday 90 people, including 2 foreigners, died in Thailand. This was the year’s single worst death toll day on Thailand’s roads this year. 3,200 lives have already been lost this year. 69 deaths were motorcyclists, 2 were foreigners and 2 children died as well. Hotting up in northern Thailand Hot, damn…
-
Thailand CP Group’s take over bid for Tesco Asia
The 332.6 billion baht deal between the UK’s Tesco-branded Asian interests and Thai conglomerate CP Group, is coming under scrutiny as there are fears it could lead to a mega-retail monopoly. In the deal, the Chareon Pokphand Group will acquire all of Tesco Asia. CPAll and CPF informed the Stock Exchange of Thailand of their surprise investment in Tesco Asia…
-
Hotting up in northern Thailand
Hot, damn hot! The Thailand Meteorological Department says that a “thermal low” currently covers upper Thailand, while westerly winds prevail over the region, making the weather hot to very hot in some parts of the North, the Northeast, the Central and the East regions. Unpredictable weather and hotter days are normal for this time of the year leading up to…
-
Frenchman found hanged at Patong hotel
A 47 year old Frenchman was found hanged from a hotel balcony in Phuket’s seaside party town Patong yesterday afternoon. Police say they are investigating the grisly incident. Initial reports indicate the man may have been a member of a motorcycle gang, and involved with drugs, though this remains unverified. Officers were called to the scene, in Soi Patong City,…
-
Worst case scenario – Thailand loses 10 million tourists this year
Thailand’s tourist industry could be decimated in the wake of the world coronavirus outbreak. Tourism accounts for an estimated 16% of Thailand’s total GDP. The Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yutthasak Supasorn, says that, in a worst case scenario, Thailand could bleed 10 million of it’s projected 40 million tourist arrivals this year. He says his estimates were based on…
-
Thai PM Prayut quashes 2,000 baht handout package
Easy come, easy go. Well that was quick. Last Friday’s announcements for 2 x 1000 baht handouts to poorer Thai citizens has been quashed by the PM. Prime Minister Prayut officially shelved plans to hand out the cash to low income earners. Last Friday the Finance Ministry made the announcement for a new round of stimulus packages to prop up…
-
Thailand News Today, Monday, March 9, 2020
Daily TV news update with Tim Newton… Village leader slain in drive-by shooting in South Gunmen in Pattanni province in Thailand’s restive South shot dead an assistant village headman while he was exercising at a children’s playground yesterday. Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala are home to Thailand’s 22 decade-long Southern insurgency. The drive-by shooting occurred at playground in front of a…
-
Pattaya cop, volunteers busted for extortion, abduction
A police officer and four local police volunteers been arrested for extortion and abduction in Pattaya. Captain Wuttikorn Plodprong, a deputy investigator of the Pattaya City Police and the four volunteers for police were arrested Saturday, and are now in custody at the local remand prison. The arrest comes after relatives of an accused drug dealer reported to the Chon…
-
Government looking at ways to lower public electricity bills
The ministry is also studying ways to lower the price of cooking gas and fuel. Thailand’s Energy Ministry is examining ways to lower electricity bills for the general public to ease their burden in response to the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, according to Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong. The ministry’s permanent secretary has been asked to call a meeting…
-
Thai minister says aide not involved in massive mask-hoarding
Responding to a report on Facebook, the Thai Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow admitted today that his assistant met a man who was reported to be hoarding face masks, but he denied they discussed the mask trade. The post alleged that Thamanat’s close aide had a hoard of 200 million medical masks for resale to China. He said…
-
Village leader slain in drive-by shooting in South
Gunmen in Pattanni province in Thailand’s restive South shot dead an assistant village headman while he was exercising at a children’s playground yesterday. Pattani and its neighbouring provinces are home to Thailand’s Southern Conflict. The drive-by shooting occurred at playground in front of a football field in Ban Prawae of tambon Yarang. Witnesses say Chanwit Kaso, assistant headman of Ban…
-
Lost at sea: Thailand – A study from ISLA
By Daren Jenner, Thailand Section Chief, Marine Safety Officer, International Surf Life Saving Association The International Surf Lifesaving Association has just released an alarming study it calls “Lost at Sea: Thailand”. The study highlights the stark reality of the dangers of the two-faced Andaman Sea that surrounds the famous holiday Island of Phuket, Thailand. During the dry season (November to…
-
Yala judge’s suicide letter forces spotlight on independence of the Thai judiciary
The suicide letter from a former Yala judge, who took his own life on Saturday, continued to raise many suspicions about the independence of the Thai judicial system. Khanakorn Pianchana, previously the head of the trial court at Yala Provincial Court in southern Thailand, took his own life on Saturday in his Chiang Mai residence. He posted a 2 page…
-
Wanted killer dies of unknown causes
An infamous killer, long sought by police, died this morning of “an unspecified illness” at a house in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. A team of police officers and a doctor from the district hospital went to the house after being informed of the death of the wanted hit man, identified as 49 year old Yuthana Chukaew, known…
-
80 Thai workers returning from South Korea escape airport, search underway
Thai media report that some 80 Thai nationals, out of a total of 200 who arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday on four flights after returning from working illegally in South Korea, have fled. Authorities are urgently searching for the 80, who escaped from a restricted area as they were about to be escorted to a naval base in Chon…
-
7 dead, dozens trapped in China quarantine hotel collapse
China’s state media are reporting that seven people died when a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine centre collapsed last night in southeastern China’s Fujian province. The Ministry of Emergency Management says 80 people were in the building when it came down; nine escaped, while about 70 people were trapped. Of those, 43 have been pulled from the rubble and…
-
59 “little ghosts” quarantined at Chon Buri naval base
Fifty-nine Thais, 27 men and 32 women, “phee noi“ (meaning “little ghosts” in Thai) who returned from South Korea last night have been detained at a naval reception facility in Chon Buri province’s Sattahip district for a 14 day quarantine, as a measure to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. They were among dozens of passengers who arrived at…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.