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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 Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money
Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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Kind Pattaya motorcycle taxi rider returns tourist’s wallet with 13,000 baht
While there are many complaints about drivers and motorcycle taxi riders in Thailand, sometimes, acts of kindness make headlines too. A kind Pattaya motorcycle taxi rider returned a forgotten wallet containing over 13,700 baht in cash to an American tourist. The rider, Nonglak Prakobsap returned the wallet in the early hours of yesterday at 4am. Nonglak spotted the black wallet…
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Gas stations in space: Orbit Fab is revolutionising the satellite industry
Orbit Fab, a US based company, is working on creating innovative “gas stations” in space to support the flourishing satellite industry, making it more profitable and sustainable. The technology is focused on providing refuelling options that will extend the operational life of satellites, according to the company’s CEO. Conventional solar panels on satellites can generate energy to power onboard systems…
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Man discovers 3-metre tapeworm after rating raw meat
A recent surprising incident saw a man discovering a 3 metre long parasite in his bathroom. A local medical expert provided more information on the case, answering questions about consuming raw food and warning about the risks. Yesterday, a Facebook user named “Soamnoi Toyfun” shared images of a long parasite found in his bathroom, explaining that he never thought this…
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6 Chinese citizens arrested for working in Chon Buri without permits
Thai Police yesterday arrested six Chinese nationals for working in a factory in Chon Buri province without work permits. The Superintendent of the Chon Buri Provincial Immigration Bureau, Parinya Klinkaesorn, told KhaoSod that the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), Surachate “Big Joke” Harparn, ordered the Immigration Bureau to crack down on illegal businesses operated by foreigners. As…
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Homeless woman arrested for attacking alleged rapist with meat cleaver in Pattaya
A homeless woman in Pattaya, identified only as Somjit, aged 49, was arrested after using a meat cleaver to attack a man whom she claimed had attempted to rape her. This incident occurred on Monday, April 25 in an abandoned building on Thepprasit Road Soi 9, which serves as Somjit’s shelter. According to her account, on the night of the…
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Bangkok court fines man 1,000 baht for punching ‘master complainer’ Srisuwan
UPDATE A court in Bangkok, Thailand, ruled yesterday that the man who physically assaulted “master complainer” Srisuwan Janya last year must pay a fine of 1,000 baht. Srisuwan, however, demands 1 million baht in compensation. The attack came after Srisawan accused Nose Udom – the nation’s favourite comedian – of violating the law with the anti-governmental standup sketches on his…
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Xi Jinping, Zelensky discuss peace negotiations in historic phone call
Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in a telephone conversation with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday, with peace negotiations being a central discussion point. This initial communication between the leaders was followed by Russian claims that Ukraine sought to sabotage any endeavours to cease warfare. Beijing proclaims neutrality concerning the conflict in Ukraine. However, despite never denouncing Russia’s invasion, President Xi…
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BP faces shareholder revolt over its changes in strategies
BP, the energy giant, is facing a shareholder revolt today due to its decision to slow its energy transition. Activist investors have pledged to block the re-election of the company’s board of directors’ chief in response. Numerous major UK pension funds have expressed their intention to oppose the renewal of Helge Lund’s mandate during the annual general meeting in London.…
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Thai Nationals evacuated from Sudan crisis arrive in Saudi Arabia, await repatriation
The first group of 82 Thai nationals, who have fled the ongoing turmoil in Sudan, arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia yesterday morning. They are awaiting repatriation to Thailand by the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) today, as confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The RTAF dispatched three aircraft – two C-130s and an Airbus…
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Man is heartbroken after boyfriend steals over 200,000 baht of gold accessories
A Thai man filed a complaint with the police in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok yesterday after his boyfriend stole over 200,000 baht of gold accessories. The victim, a 69 year old man named Songchai “Noobird” Maicharoen, allowed reporters from Channel 3 to visit his house to conduct an interview regarding the theft case. The house of the alleged thief’s…
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Mitr Phol Group ranks second in global food industry sustainability assessment
Mitr Phol Group, the world’s second-largest sugar producer and a leader in sustainable development within the agro-industrial sector in Thailand, has recently been ranked second globally for sustainable development in the food production industry in the latest Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) conducted by S&P Global. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Mitr Phol Group has been included in the…
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Disney sues Florida Governor DeSantis over theme park district takeover
Disney filed a lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday, claiming that his administration’s takeover of the company’s theme park district is part of “a targeted campaign of government retaliation” to punish Disney for exercising its constitutional right to free speech. The escalating conflict between the entertainment giant and DeSantis, who is a potential Republican presidential candidate for 2024, has…
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3 words banned at Thailand’s airports
Unless you want to land yourself a prison sentence and a hefty fine, there are three words you should avoid saying in Thai airports and during flights, warns Airports of Thailand (AOT). AOT took to Facebook yesterday to remind passengers of their policy of what is unacceptable to say and do in an airport following the controversy caused by a…
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RTA lieutenant general accused of assault, illicit drug use during sexual encounter with man
Investigations are underway at Sadao Police Station in Songkhla, regarding the alleged illicit drug use and assault by a Royal Thai Army (RTA) army lieutenant general while engaging in sexual activities with another man. The authorities have issued a summons for the lieutenant general to be questioned about these allegations. Police officials interviewed the alleged victim, identified solely as Nut.…
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China offers engine substitutes for Thai submarine project with benefits
Chinese authorities have committed to meeting three conditions concerning warranty, compensation, and safety if the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) opts for a Chinese-produced engine to replace a German-made one for an S26T Yuan-class submarine being assembled in China, according to Navy commander Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet. Following a recent meeting with China’s navy chief and defence minister, Adm Choengchai revealed that…
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Man stabbed to death in shopping mall near Bangkok
A man was stabbed to death after a silly staring row in the Zeer Rangsit shopping mall in the Lam Luk Ka district of Pathum Thani province near Bangkok last night. The attacker surrendered himself to the police at the murder scene. Officers from Khu Kot Police Station and a rescue team arrived at the murder scene at 9pm and discovered…
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Thailand launches “The Big Catch-Up” campaign to boost child immunisation rates
The Public Health Ministry in Thailand is ramping up the rollout of essential vaccines, including polio and measles, to children nationwide. This comes after a recent study revealed that the immunisation rate among Thai children has declined to around 80%. In statements made to commemorate World Immunisation Week, the Director-Generals of the Department of Disease Control, Tares Krassanairawiwong, and the…
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Myanmar’s snake rescue squad’s mission to protect reptiles and humans
Shwe Lei and her team were outside a monastery in Yangon at 4am, struggling with 30 squirming pythons. They put them into old rice sacks and then loaded the sacks into a van. They were continuing their daily duty as part of Myanmar’s leading snake removal squad, tasked with freeing pythons and coaxing cobras from dangerous encounters with humans and…
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Deputy interior minister criticizes tap water fee hike plan amid rising energy prices
Deputy Interior Minister Naris Khamnurak spoke out against the Metropolitan Waterworks Administration’s (MWA) and Provincial Waterworks Administration’s (PWA) plan to hike tap water fees yesterday. Naris was responding to media reports suggesting both agencies intend to raise bills to counterbalance the higher expenses brought about by rising energy prices. The Deputy Interior Minister emphasised that neither the MWA nor the…
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Lucky fisherman finds whale puke worth 3 million baht on Thailand beach
A lucky fisherman stumbled across 3 kilogrammes of rare whale puke – or ambergris – while taking a stroll on the beach in Rayong, eastern Thailand, on Sunday. If genuine, he can sell the “floating gold” for 3 million baht (US$87,931). Ambergris (“grey amber” in French) is a rare and valuable material produced in the digestive system of some species of…
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Driver who rammed car at Patong massage shop faces multiple charges
UPDATE The driver who rammed his car into parked motorbikes following a conflict at a Patong massage shop is now facing multiple charges. The charges include causing loss of property, bodily harm causing injury, and reckless driving causing injury, The Phuket Express reported. Four people were injured, and four vehicles were damaged in the incident on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road on Monday…
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Actress Halle Bailey faces backlash for posing with animals at controversial Bangkok zoo
Animal rights activists have criticized US actress Halle Bailey, known for her upcoming role in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, after she posed with wildlife at a controversial Bangkok zoo. Bailey and Disney were accused of promoting animal exploitation and cruelty at Safari World in Bangkok, which has been under international scrutiny for years for their treatment of animals, particularly orangutans…
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Another Uyghur refugee dies after 9 years in Thailand detention centre
Human rights groups are urging Thai authorities once more to end forced prolonged detention for Uyghur refugees following the death of a Uyghur man who spent nine years inside a detention centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Mettohti Matturson, a 40 year old Uyghur refugee from Xinjiang in China, died of suspected liver failure at Bangkok’s Suan Phlu Immigration Centre (IDC) on…
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Chinese tourists return for May Day holidays, boosting international bookings
After a long hiatus due to travel restrictions and pandemic-related concerns, Chinese tourists are gearing up for international travel once again. According to DidaTravel, a tech-driven global travel distribution company, Chinese travellers are eager to explore the world and bookings for trips abroad are recovering fast. The upcoming May Day holiday, which runs from April 29 until May 3 and…
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Elephant moves fallen tree blocking road in Thailand (video)
An elephant moved a fallen tree blocking the Lampang – Phrae Road in northern Thailand during a storm on Monday, allowing traffic to resume as normal. The moment was captured on Facebook Live. The owner of the elephant, Weerawat Triyot, said that he was on his way back to Chaiyaphum province after taking his 16 year old elephant Dan Siam…
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Secret Myanmar crisis talks held in New Delhi with neighbouring countries
Representatives from Myanmar and its neighbouring countries, including Thailand, China, and India, have been secretly holding talks to de-escalate the bloody crisis unfolding in the military-led nation, according to anonymous sources. The discussions, known as the Track 1.5 dialogue, commenced in Thailand last month and continued in New Delhi yesterday, amid growing discontent within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations…
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Thai and German nationals arrested for smuggling drugs into Koh Pha Ngan
Thai authorities arrested a Thai national and a German man on Monday for smuggling drugs into Koh Pha Ngan in the southern province of Surat Thani. The arrest was made after the officers found drugs hidden in scented candles delivered from Germany. The Permanent Secretary of the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Wichai Chaimongkon, released details of the arrests,…
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Man caught smuggling 45 crab-eating macaques out of Thailand
A Thai man was arrested on a highway in Udon Thani province in northeastern Thailand yesterday with 45 crab-eating macaques stuffed into 13 boxes inside his car. He confessed that he was taking the monkeys to the border to be smuggled into neighbouring countries, most likely to be experimented on or killed for their brains. The monkey trafficker, 44 year…
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Over 800,000 Bangkok residents register for early voting in May 14 General Election
Some 800,000 citizens in Bangkok have registered to cast their ballots ahead of the May 14 General Election, as they intend to engage in early voting on May 7. Among the 2.35 million voters nationwide who have registered for advance voting, numerous are located in Thailand’s capital city, with 74 polling stations available. The largest number of early voters registered…
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Japan’s population predicted to fall to 87 million by 2070, with foreign residents making up 10.8%
Japan’s population is expected to experience a significant decline over the next few decades, with predictions that the total number will fall to 87 million by 2070, representing a 30% decrease from 2020 figures. As the nation grapples with the challenges of an ageing population, this decrease suggests that in the coming years, the government will likely need to rely…
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