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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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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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The cost of living in Phuket
Living costs in Thailand can vary wildly, depending on where you live – it’s the same anywhere in the world. But the situation becomes more exaggerated on a tourist island like Phuket. No longer simply the tropical island paradise with kilometres of beaches, the island is now a bustling tourist magnet that caters for both ends of the tourist spend.…
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“Not for sale at any price” – Mu Pa Academy VP
In the wake of 13 of their young footballers being rescued from the Tham Luang caves, TNA reports that some of the world’s biggest football clubs are showing interest in actually buying the Mu Pa football academy. But the club’s vice president and manager Kittipong Intaechai says, despite the interest, his club is not for sale at any price. Mr…
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Elon Musk “should be put up against a wall and shot” – Mother of UK diver Unsworth
The UK ‘The Sun’ is reporting that the 88 year old mother of UK cave diver Vernon Unsworth says American tech billionaire Elon Musk should be shot for falsely branding her son a ‘pedo’. Musk twittered the insult towards the cave expert after Unsworth branded the tycoon’s offer to build a mini submarine to free the trapped Thai schoolboys a PR…
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Great southern comforts – Narathiwat
by Pattarawadee Saengmanee The southern province of Narathiwat is a great place to chill, unspoilt by mass tourism and full of southern surprises. Narathiwat shares a border with Malaysia. A stone’s throw from the Narathiwat airport are the white sands of Ban Ton Beach where I stretch out while my media friends tuck into a Southern-style lunch in Chulabhorn marine camp’s…
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Thai officials slam foreign media for interviewing Mu Pa boys
SCREENSHOT: ABC News report Whilst the opportunist American ABC TV reporter didn’t break any laws with his interview on Friday with the youngest of the Mu Pa Academy youngsters, he did break a pact between the Chiang Rai Governor, physicians and child psychologists who asked that the media leave the boys alone. Today CNN is reporting that Thailand is accusing…
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Machete-wielding BKK motorist jailed for threatening woman
The South Bangkok district court has handed down a sentence today on a male driver. He’s been sentenced to 2 months and 15 days behind bars. The sentence follows the man’s indiscretion caught on a dash cam (video and story below), threatening a female driver with a knife on July 18, after he drove against the traffic to cut in…
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Singapore Airlines back on top. Thai Airways in 10th place.
PHOTO: Flyer Talk Singapore Airlines is back on top after a decade held out of the top airline position by middle-eastern competition. It’s their fourth win since the Skytrax World Airline awards started back in 2001. The island nation’s national carrier was named Airline of the Year at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline awards. Singapore Airlines was last top of the…
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Burmese maid returns bag containing $11,000 to tourist
Daily News is reporting that a tourist from the Netherlands has thanked a Burmese maid at his hotel on Koh Samui. 37 year old Sawee Let Mau showed it was not just the Thais who are high up in the honesty stakes. Sawee found the green bag under some stairs – it contained AUD$ to the tune of 280,000 baht –…
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The 21st century’s longest lunar eclipse next week
The moon is going to disappear for six hours next week in a mega lunar eclipse – the longest for the entire 21st century. In fact it will be this century’s longest lunar eclipse and will be able to be seen across Thailand on July 27-28 between 00.14-6.10 am. Thai PBS reports that the total phase of the eclipse –…
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Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep housing protests ramping up for August
The protests against the construction of the Thai judge’s residences on the slopes of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai has gone quiet over the past month. That’s all about to change. Activists from leading non-governmental organisations from eight northern provinces will next month join a massive protest against the special housing for judges on Doi Suthep. The Nation reports that…
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Flooding ‘critical’ in Sangkhla Buri – Kanchanabui province
The flooding situation is now considered critical in the Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi province, situated on the Myanmar border, as Highway 323 is still about 1.2 metres under water, making it impassable to small vehicles. Thai PBS reports that the heavily-flooded Highway 323 has also made it difficult to deliver patients from Thong Pha Phum Hospital to Phahon Pholphayuhasena…
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Phuket crocodile discovered on Kata Noi Beach
The crocodile was last seen resting on the shoreline of Kata Noi Beach early this morning (July 21). Swimmers have been banned from going into the water while the capture operation continues. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos reported yesterday afternoon that the crocodile was heading to Kata Beach after spending two days taunting officials and professional crocodile hunters in the sea…
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Pattaya netizens blast marine safety photo-opportunity as PR stunt
Pattaya officials have conducted urgent marine safety checks following the Phuket boat tragedy where two boats sank and 47 Chinese tourists drowned on July 6. In yet another knee-jerk reaction to an incident, the Marine Department and municipal police checked licenses, boat seaworthiness and life-jacket use at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya. The checks follow the sinking of the tour boats…
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Data of 1.5 million patients stolen, including the Singapore PM
PHOTO: Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong​ The personal data of 1.5 million patients, including the Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong​ ​and a ​few ministers, ​has been stolen. Some 160,000 people also had their outpatient prescriptions stolen.​ In Singapore’s worst cyber attack, hackers have stolen the personal particulars of 1.5 million patients. Of these, 160,000 people, including PM Lee Hsien…
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Foreign media slammed for intruding on the Mu Pa 13
The Mu Pa 13 spoke to the Thai and world media on Wednesday night in a one-time-only media conference. Authorities said that it was now time to leave the team alone and let them re-unite with their families and friends, and get back to their studies and football. The media have mostly respected the wishes and left the team alone…
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Water Park Wars – Phuket wettest battlefield
by Xinyi Liang-Pholsena of ttgasia.com ttgasia.com is reporting that the water park battle in Phuket is getting very intense as new players enter the marketplace. Among them Blue Tree Phuket, poised to open its doors early 2019 as an upscale family entertainment and lifestyle complex. The sprawling 22.5ha development, located around Cherngtalay, is the result of a joint venture comprising…
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Love Rawai FB page captures the actual crocodile, on video
https://www.facebook.com/loverawaicom/videos/2116049662007848/ Like and follow the Love Rawai Facebook page HERE. Rawai is the southern end of Phuket. Crocodiles are EXTREMELY rare (no swimmers have ever been attacked in Phuket), usually long sunny days with great beaches.
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Channel dredged between Nai Harn beach and lake to help with croc catching
A channel has been dredged to connect Nai Harn beach with Nai Harn Lake to allow the crocodile to move in, making it easier to catch (The Thaiger suspects the crocodile might be on to the officials’ Cunning Plan). More than 50 officials and a specialist crocodile catcher team from Surat Thani have been planning to catch the crocodile while…
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Man douses young Thai woman in petrol, sets her alight and is given bail
Thai Rath has reported on the case of a Bangkok man who doused a 22 year old Thai woman from Ubon Ratchathani in petrol while she was eating with friends at a somtam stall. Thai Rath notes that the 23 year old Thai man, who committed the crime, was given bail by the court in Bangkok and is currently free. He has…
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Thai PE teacher allegedly continued to rape students over three years
Sanook is reporting that a Thai PE teacher was effectively allowed to continue raping students after an initial complaint. A student complained three years ago that she was forced to the floor by the teacher who, the student claims, then tried to rape her. But the claims of the girl were not properly investigated or acted upon at the time. The teacher…
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Crocodile catchers waiting for conditions to moderate at Nai Harn beach
A specialist crocodile searching team from Surat Thani today (July 20) has joined the crocodile search operation along the shores of Nai Harn and nearby beaches, while battling with strong winds and waves. Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong paid a visit to the crocodile search operation centre at Nai Harn Beach this morning. The crocodile search team from Surat Thani is…
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Man arrested with 19,800 methamphetamine pills at checkpoint
Tha Chatchai Police have been conducting a crackdown on drugs at the Phuket Checkpoint and scored a major haul, arresting a man with 19,800 methamphetamine pills. The police arrested 37 year old Peerawat ‘Joke’ Bualoy from Pattalung. Police seized 10 packages of methamphetamine pills, a total of 19,800 pills at the Phuket Checkpoint while he coming through the road entry…
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Nai Harn crocodile playing hard to get
Phuket’s latest, and as yet unnamed crocodile, is doing a good job of evading officials, fishermen and capture, so far. Officers from the Phuket Fisheries Officers and lifeguards at Yanui and Nai Harn Beaches are patrolling and warning beachgoers about the recent sightings of a crocodile in the rough seas off the beaches. Red flags and signs have been put…
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Nong Khai woman hit by lightning – “Buddha amulet saved my life”
A woman in Nong Khai, right on the Laos border near Vientiane, claims the special power of her Buddha amulet helped her survive a lightning strike. The same lightning strike killed a worker. 50 year old Pornnipha Ratyothee says that she suffered a ‘mild burn’ on her neck when she was hit by lightning on July 12 and had to…
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More wind and rain predicted for the North and South
The Thai Meteorological Department is warning we still have some rain ahead, in the northern and southern ends of the country. They report that the active low-pressure system from tropical depression Son-tinh is still leading to torrential rain for the North and the North-east of Thailand. “People should beware of severe weather conditions and stay tuned for the weather forecast.…
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Cambodian couple demand Thai police probe
A Cambodian couple, engaged in a legal battle with relatives, yesterday filed a complaint against two Thai police officers in Bangkok. Baby-clothing exporter 43 year old Sing Thea and his wife Chean Kallyan say their previous accusation – that their relatives had embezzled 18 million baht – had been handled by the Thai officers in question. This had resulted in…
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“Myanmar must be held accountable” – Fortify Rights Report
The Fortify Rights report is out. It names names and specifies responsibilities for the ongoing persecution of Myanmar’s Rohingya. The Nation’s Wasamon Audjarint and Sandy Leegumjorn compile this report about the document and its implications for Myanmar’s military. The international community must hold Myanmar accountable for the military-planned genocide of the Rohingya minority, a report unveiled yesterday said, describing the killings…
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Foreign tourism eclipses 20 million for first 6 months of 2018
Revenue from tourism up 15%. Tourist numbers up 12%, year-on-year. Could Thailand exceed 40 million tourists for 2018? Thai Visa reports the the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand reached 20 million in the first half of 2018. This represents an increase on the same period last year of 12%, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Tourism revenue…
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Blessing ceremony dedicated to Saman Kunan. 11 Mu Pa team members poised to enter monkhood.
PHOTO: AP/Sakchai Lalit Thai PBS is reporting that members of the Mu Pa soccer team, along with their coach, attended a traditional blessing ceremony at a local temple in Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai this morning. Nine soldiers entered the monkhood as a dedication to former SEAL member Saman Gunan who died while taking part in the massive rescue operation…
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Stray dog adoptions on the rise
Phuket is seeing a positive trend in the number of adoptions from locals and Thai citizens over the years; encouraging as Thai people used to be only interested in pure breeds, sometimes even choosing dogs that are not comfortable in the climate of Thailand (like Huskies). Meet Kittipong Tongwon, nicknamed K. Aof, who recently adopted an 8 week old puppy…
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