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.
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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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Thailand’s Raja Ferry temporarily suspends Pha Ngan – Sumui route
Raja Ferry Port Company suspended all ferry services between Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand from Sunday – Wednesday (April 23-25). The company made an official announcement on Saturday… “Raja Ferry Port will suspend ferry service from Pha Ngan to Samui and Samui to Pha Ngan route from 23-25 April 2023. Customers who…
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Vote wisely: PM Chan-o-cha’s election appeal
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party’s candidate for prime minister, has called on voters to think carefully before casting their ballots, cautioning that electing the wrong politicians could have disastrous consequences for the country. As part of his election campaign, Prime Minister Chan-o-cha visited Tha Pla district to drum up support for the UTN candidates running…
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Trunk-ated Stay: Thailand’s push to bring home abused elephant from Sri Lanka continues
The Thai government continues to explore ways to repatriate Sak Surin, one of three elephants gifted to Sri Lanka by Thailand back in 2001. This follows reports last year by an animal rights organisation that the elephant had been subjected to mistreatment by its handlers. While the government is aware of Sak Surin’s situation, transporting the elephant back to Thailand…
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Thailand’s heatwave nears end, rainy season looms
Thailand’s hot season approaches its conclusion as the rainy season is set to begin in mid-May, according to the country’s Meteorological Department. The hot season peaked on April 15, when the temperature reached a record high of 44.6°C in Tak. Deputy director-general Thanasit Iam-ananchai has stated that throughout the weekend, daily heat indices or apparent temperatures are anticipated to surge…
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Norway surpasses Russia in energy exports
Norway is now surpassing Russia in energy exports. In a remarkable turn of events, a humble office building overlooking a fjord in Stavanger, Norway, now holds the key to European energy security. Here, the company Petoro oversees several of the continent’s largest oil and natural gas fields on Norway’s petroleum-rich continental shelf. This unassuming location has become central to Europe’s…
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Summer storm wreaks havoc on 2 districts of northeast Thailand province
A summer storm wreaked havoc on two districts of Thailand’s northeast Nakhon Phanom province. Around 70 houses in That Phanom and Renu Nakhon districts were damaged yesterday afternoon, according to authorities. In That Phanom district, both Moo 3 and Moo 8 villages of Tambon Phon Phaeng faced heavy showers, strong gusts of wind, and thunderstorms for approximately an hour. As…
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Fake security officers raid Bangkok house, seizing property worth over 3 million baht
Fake security officers raided a Bangkok house, seizing property worth over 3 million baht. Bangkok police have successfully apprehended three individuals involved in a high-profile extortion case, totalling 3.1 million baht (£72,550.05). The suspects had posed as security officers to extort money from the victim, using fake search warrants to enter and search his house. On April 11, the victim…
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Daily Covid-19 cases in Bangkok spike
Bangkok‘s daily number of Covid-19 cases has experienced a significant spike, nearly doubling from 400 to 700 in the wake of the city’s recent Songkran festival. This has led to growing concerns among local authorities, who fear that the true extent of the situation might not yet be fully understood. The deputy City Clerk at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA),…
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Thai airforce gets ready to rescue Thais in Sudan
Amidst the ongoing violent conflict in Sudan, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is getting ready to rescue Thai nationals currently stuck in the country. The RTAF has readied an Airbus A340-500 and a C-130 aircraft for the operation. Spokesperson AVM Prapas Sornchaidee said that RTAF commander ACM Alongkorn Wannarot has expressed deep concern for the Thai citizens in Sudan.…
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Mother heartbroken after son returns to Thailand for 3 days, only to be found dead
A young man from Thailand‘s northeast Udon Thani province, who had returned from working in Israel only three days prior, mysteriously disappeared and was later found drowned in a nearby pond. His mother is now heartbroken. The young man, identified as Thanom, from Chai Wan district, had gone missing from his home since early morning. Concerned villagers searched all day,…
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Summer storms to hit upper Thailand
The Thai Meteorological Department expects summer storms to hit upper Thailand from Sunday to Wednesday. The department is forecasting summer storms, thunderstorms, gusty winds, isolated hail and lightning in upper Thailand from today (Sunday) to Wednesday. A moderate high-pressure system from China is expected to affect the northeastern region of the country and the South China Sea from Monday to…
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Chinese nationals kidnap and rob woman in Bangkok before fleeing Thailand
A Chinese nationals kidnapped and robbed a woman in Bangkok before fleeing Thailand. According to Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Pol. Col. Nopphasil Poonsawat, the incident took place on April 17. A group of Chinese nationals abducted a 28 year old Chinese woman in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district. The victim, a solo traveller, had gone to an entertainment avenue…
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Turkish man assaults older Thai man in Pattaya, resulting in serious head injury (video)
A Turkish man assaulted an older Thai man in Pattaya, resulting in a serious head injury. The incident occurred on Pattaya‘s Walking Street on April 18, known as ‘Wan Lai‘ or ‘Flowing Day,’ at around 3am. The Turkish man, 28 year old Mustafa, appeared in video footage to head-butt and shove 61 year old Chadayut, who poured on him during…
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Authorities bust 2 brutal loan sharks in central Thailand
Thai authorities busted two brutal loan sharks in Thailand’s central Pathum Thani province yesterday. The Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD) arrested the loan sharks, a 42 year old woman named Natthajaree Muangthong and a 43 year old man named Thanachai Ruangphueng. The individuals were accused of “conducting unauthorised personal lending and charging interest rates exceeding those permitted by law.” They…
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Thai paediatrician worries about Grade 5 textbook encouraging bad eating habits
A Thai paediatrician worries that a Grade 5 textbook is encouraging bad eating habits. A recent controversy has sparked public debate involving a Thai language textbook for Grade 5 students discussing simplistic and potentially unhealthy meal suggestions, and a paediatrician has expressed deep concern over the limited worldview and nutritional value presented. The textbook contains content depicting a character enjoying…
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Heat and drought expected to impact Thailand
Heat and drought are expected to impact Thailand soon. The end of the summer season is predicted to arrive by the middle of month, but Thailand is expected to face the harsh impact of the El Niño phenomenon around the middle of June. This will lead to severe drought conditions, according to the Meteorological Department (MD), Bangkok Post reports. The…
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Officials establish help centre for Thais in Sudan
Following the outbreak of violent clashes in Sudan, the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) has established a help centre for Thais who are currently in Sudan. The SBPAC set up the centre to aid 210 Thai students who are currently facing difficulties in Sudan, as fighting continues to escalate in the nation’s capital, Khartoum. The centre is located at…
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Thailand’s PM visits Chiang Mai, a Pheu Thai stronghold
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is hoping to win over supporters in Chiang Mai, a province historically known as a stronghold of support his rival Pheu Thai Party. The No.1 prime ministerial candidate for the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party visited Chiang Mai yesterday in an attempt to sway voters, Bangkok Post reported. Prayut, joined by key UTN Party members including…
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American YouTuber popular with Thais to compete in influencer boxing event
An American Youtuber who is popular among Thais is gearing up to compete in the “Influencer Boxing” contest in England today (Saturday). With over 13 million subscribers on YouTube, 30 year old Nathan Bartling has become a household name in Thailand and is proud to represent the country he now calls home. Bartling said on social media… “I never thought…
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Pattaya mayor takes part in rice festival
On Thursday, Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches took part in the traditional Kong Khao (rice) festival in the local town of Naklua. This fascinating ceremony is an integral part of Chonburi province culture, attracting hundreds every year to honour and seek the blessings of the sacred guardian spirits, deities and other protective entities known to protect the local population. The Kong…
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Former doctor with mental health issues kills brother in central Thailand
A former doctor with mental health issues killed his brother, who also had mental health issues, in their family home in the Suphan Buri province in central Thailand this morning. He reportedly became violent due to a lack of medication. The incident happened at a two-storey house on the Khun Krai Road in the Tha Pee Liang sub-district in Suphan Buri…
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Thai police arrest members of syndicate smuggling petrol from Malaysia
The Royal Thai Police‘s (RTP) Fuel Crime Suppression Centre recently announced the arrest of two suspected members of a criminal syndicate known as “Jae Fang” in Hat Yai, Thailand. The group has allegedly been smuggling petrol from Malaysia and reselling it in the southern provinces of Songkhla, Satun, and Narathiwat. The suspects, Nee Usman and Eeb Madyusoh, were apprehended while…
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Thai cake shop goes viral for flea, toad, and gecko cakes
A Thai cake shop in the Isaan province of Sakon Nakhon called Vet Mon (magic) gained immense popularity on Thai social media due to its unique desserts: flea, toad, and Tokay gecko cakes. The owner of the cake shop, Charit Kunlasaree, shared a picture of the dog flea cake on the official Facebook page of Vet Mon on April 15.…
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Thailand considers providing free e-cigarettes following England’s strategy
Thailand‘s End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) Group has praised the UK‘s efforts to provide free vaping kits and its focus on preventing minors from accessing e-cigarettes. This positive response follows England’s recent announcement of a £45 million budget for the distribution of vaping kits to reduce smoking rates. The campaign includes a further £3 million budget dedicated to monitoring and…
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Ladyboy assaults and robs Taiwanese tourist in Bangkok (video)
A Taiwanese tourist thought he lost his wallet during Songkran celebrations on Silom Road in Bangkok last weekend. However, upon inspecting a short video that his friend took, he realised that his wallet was stolen by a ladyboy he was sexually harassed by. In the 13-second-long clip, the Taiwanese tourist is pictured trying to get away from a ladyboy who…
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Public hospital director in Thailand caught in underage sex scandal
The director of a public hospital in Leoi province in northeast Thailand and two accomplices were arrested yesterday by Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) officers for buying sex from underage girls. Three men were apprehended by ATPD officers in the Kudpong area of Mueang district. The suspects are Phasakorn Surachaipanya, a 54 year old director of a public hospital in…
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Prosecutors requested to charge Kong Salak Plus CEO by DSI
Thailand‘s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has requested that prosecutors bring charges against Panthawat “Nott” Nakwisut, the beleaguered proprietor of the now-defunct Kong Salak Plus online lottery platform, and 16 others for money laundering and gambling offences. On Friday, DSI detectives submitted their findings to the public prosecutors at the Attorney-General’s Office in Bangkok, situated on Ratchadapisek Road. Pongsathon Inamnuay,…
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Cops bust crypto mine stealing electricity near Bangkok
Police raided a huge crypto mine in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok, yesterday. To dig for their digital currencies, the miners used stolen electricity with damages amounting to more than one million baht. Police from Samut Prakan Police Station and officials from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) raided a three-storey rented building in Soi Mungkorn-Nark Dee in Phraek…
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Thai man implants magnets into his fingers for 40 years to win at Hi-Lo
A Thai man implanted magnets into his own fingers for 40 years in order to cheat in the popular but illegal Hi-Lo dice game. He finally asked a doctor to remove them because he wanted to board a flight and was scared his magnetic fingers would sound the alarm at airport security. The doctor, Wat Lun, posted photos of the…
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Thai soldiers rush to put out another forest fire in Nakhon Nayok
Thai soldiers are rushing to put out a forest fire in the central Nakhon Nayok province, after another raging wildfire broke out in the province just last month. Soldiers and officials have once again sprung into action to combat the latest fire near the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Nakhon Nayok province. The blaze was spotted on the mountain slopes…
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