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.
-
Elon Musk buys Twitter, vows to ‘unlock’ platform’s ‘tremendous potential’
The world’s richest man has bought the world’s more divisive social media platform. Elon Musk succeeded in buying Twitter Inc, after the board approved his offer of US$44 billion cash on Monday. The purchase gives Musk total control of the social media platform, which has nearly 400 million users, including influential world leaders. Prior to the takeover, Musk had purchased…
-
Thai government “E-Cigarettes won’t be legalised in Thailand”
The Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, insists that the government won’t legalise e-cigarettes any time soon. He accepted that the current laws couldn’t control the spread or popularity of e-cigarettes at this time, but he said he had already assigned the National Tobacco Control Committee to work on the laws and revise them to control the use and sale…
-
Country with biggest penis size revealed… it’s not Thailand
In a recent survey conducted by online pharmacy From Mars comparing erect penis sizes in 86 countries, Thai penises were ranked as the 7th smallest in the world (#80). The average erect Thai penis measures in at 4.27 inches (10.8cm). We’re not sure on the accuracy of the measurements, or how they performed them. Some of the measurements may be…
-
Ousted Burmese leader Suu Kyi appears in court on corruption charge
Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically-elected former leader of Myanmar who was ousted in a military coup last year, has appeared in court on a corruption charge. The case is one of multiple cases being brought against her, with the threat of lengthy prison time if she’s found guilty. According to comments made to Reuters by an unnamed source close…
-
Lockdowns imposed in parts of Beijing as Covid-19 infections rise
The authorities in Beijing are imposing lockdowns in parts of the Chinese capital in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. Mass testing has also begun on over 3 million people, according to an AP report. Since Friday, only 70 cases have been reported in the city of over 21 million people, but the authorities are taking no chances…
-
Medic says Covid-19 will not be endemic while low vaccination can spark a new wave
The dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine says Covid-19 is still capable of triggering a fresh wave and that more people must get vaccinated to counteract this. Dr Prasit Watanapa says while everyone now wants to see an end to the pandemic, Thailand is not yet at the stage where it can declare the virus endemic. Prasit was speaking…
-
Tourism Council of Thailand calls for Thailand Pass to be ditched from June
The Thailand Pass should be done away with from June if the country is to have any hope of attracting 10 million foreign tourists this year. That’s the view of the Tourism Council of Thailand, whose vice-president, Vichit Prakobgosol, says ditching the onerous paperwork could bring in an extra 2 million tour group visitors. According to Vichit, even with additional…
-
Phuket bar staff protest in support of outed party resort, extension of alcohol sales
Nearly a hundred bar owners and staff gathered at Patong Bay Hill Resort in Phuket yesterday to protest the recent “extension” of official alcohol sales to midnight. The group said the operating hours of the entertainment zone in Phuket and Pattaya should be extended to 4 am. They also demanded the government stop calling them “restaurants” (after they apply for…
-
Daughter of former PM calls for ‘landslide win’ in Thailand’s general election
Panthongtae Shinawatra, the daughter of exiled former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, has repeated her call for supporters to vote for the Pheu Thai Party in Thailand’s upcoming general election. Addressing party members at her party’s general assembly on Sunday, she said only a “landslide win” would do. “Pheu Thai is ready to work after a House dissolution. A landslide win.…
-
Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand
Fishermen discovered the body of a man floating on the surface of the sea around 500 metres away from the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand yesterday. The man’s wrists and ankles had been tied up with ropes and weighed down with rocks. His identity remains unknown. The swollen corpse of a man, around 165 centimetres tall…
-
Tourism to Thailand is increasing, but still has nothing on pre-pandemic levels
As entry restrictions into Thailand continue to ease, tourists are trickling back into the kingdom. Numbers of foreign arrivals are high compared to last year, but numbers are still low when compared with pre-pandemic levels. Tourism is expected to increase further from May 1, when tourists will no longer have to undergo any pre-travel or on-arrival Covid tests, and unvaccinated…
-
Residents call for action after finding used condoms at Pattaya public park
Residents exercising at Pattaya’s Khao Phra Tamnak Public Park today are demanding authorities put stricter measures and patrols after they found many used condoms and rubbish left there. The residents said that many Thais and foreigners visited the park, and the state of the park “spoiled Pattaya’s reputation”. Yesterday, a man who visited the park to exercise complained through Thai…
-
UPDATE: Policeman who killed eye doctor at Bangkok zebra crossing out on bail
UPDATE: The Thai policeman who earlier today was sentenced to 1 year and 15 days in prison for driving his Ducati motorbike into a woman killing her at a zebra crossing in Bangkok, has now been released on bail. Bail was posted this afternoon at 200,000 baht. The 21 year old policeman will now be free whilst his lawyer and…
-
What is Anzac Day? Dawn service for Anzac Day at Hellfire Pass in Thailand
Today is the most solemn day in the calendar for Australians and New Zealanders. It’s called Anzac Day. ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Specifically, the day remembers a dark day in military history when, mostly, Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at a beach in Turkey, called Gallipoli, in 1915. It was part of an…
-
Thailand wants to eradicate malaria ‘for good’
Cases of malaria in Thailand have decreased 72% in recent years, but the country’s Department of Disease Control is planning to completely eradicate the mosquito-borne disease by 2024. Today, the DDC is observing World Malaria Day 2022 under the theme “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives”. A malaria vaccine is also under evaluation and is…
-
Group of Vietnamese stole over 450,000 baht from Uniqlo
Popular Japanese clothing brand, Uniqlo at Gateway shopping centre in Bangsue has been robbed by a gang of Vietnamese thieves, 1 male and 3 females, who allegedly stole 19 polo shirts and 62 long sleeve shirts valued at 64,000 baht. Police told reporters the theft wasn’t the gang’s first time as it happened in 5 department stores between April 17…
-
Young Thai woman missing for 1 year makes contact with family
A Thai woman who was filed as a missing person over a year ago made contact with her elder sister on Friday. The 23 year old, from the northeast province of Buriram, reportedly said she broke off contact with her family because she didn’t want them to find out that a Phuket debt collector was chasing her for 100,000 baht.…
-
Top politicians resign from Democrat Party as pressure mounts for changing of guard
Top members of Thailand’s beleaguered Democrat Party have resigned in the wake of a sex scandal that’s rocked that party in recent weeks. Senior politician Kanok Wongtrangan announced on Facebook today that he has quit his role as a deputy leader in the party out of “moral conscience”. His resignation follows that of deputy prime minister Wittaya Kaewparadai, who resigned…
-
Monday Covid Update: 14,994 new cases; provincial totals
124 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,899 with 6,201 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The number of Covid-related deaths has been sitting stubbornly above 100 per day for the past 3 weeks. Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, the CCSA reported 14,994 new Covid-19 infections and 23,524 recoveries. There…
-
Car bomb explodes near Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge – VIDEO
A car bomb exploded over the weekend near the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, on the Myawaddy side of the Thai border, adjacent to Mae Sot district in Tak. Residents in Mae Sot reported they could clearly hear the blast, which happened late Saturday night. An ethnic anti-government Burmese group is suspected to have planted the explosive in a car parked…
-
Thailand to host ‘economic roadshows’ to attract foreign investors
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the relevant authorities to host “economic roadshows” to draw foreign investors back to Thailand. The first event was held in Japan earlier this month, from April 13 – 23, with similar events planned for European countries, as well as the US, South Korea and Taiwan. During a press conference this morning, deputy spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul…
-
France’s Macron defeats Le Pen to secure second presidential term
France’s incumbent president Emmanuel Macron soundly defeated the far-right opposition candidate Marine Le Pen on Sunday, securing a second term with a majority of votes. Macron won 58.6% of the vote to LePen’s 41.4%. The margin is closer than their last face-off in 2017, when Macron won by more than 30 percentage points. This time the margin was significantly reduced,…
-
“It was a human-made disaster”: 11 dead, 15 missing after tour boat sinks in Japan
A tour boat with 26 people on board sank off the coast of Hokkaido in Japan on Saturday. Authorities have confirmed the deaths of 11 passengers and rescue teams are still searching for the remaining 15 passengers. Given the near-freezing temperatures of the water, rescuers fear the death toll will wise. Scientists say the boat shouldn’t have been operating in…
-
Top 5 villas in East Coast Phuket specially chosen by CBRE
Sponsored Article Possessing some of the world’s finest beaches, with water that is crystal clear, powdery white sand, and a landscape sprinkled with coconut palm trees, Phuket is a paradise the modern traveller cannot afford to miss. While the west coast has long been famed for its beaches, it would be a mistake to overlook the unique charms of the…
-
Amidst Indonesia palm oil crisis, farmers support export ban
Amidst an ongoing surge in the crude price of palm oil, Indonesian farmers support the country’s palm oil ban set to begin on April 28. While some politicians have criticized the ban, Indonesia’s Oil Palm Farmers Union said today that the ban is a “temporary ban” necessary for supply and affordability of cooking oil in the domestic market. Last month,…
-
Pattaya tourist found dead in rental room
Pattaya police found a tourist dead in his rented room, lying naked near the door to his bedroom, near a large pool of blood. There were also spots of blood in the bathroom, and the man’s neck was reportedly wounded. The man’s name and nationality have not yet been reported, however officers from Pattaya Police Station believe he is 40-60…
-
Car bomb and gun battle at immigration building on Thai/Myanmar border
A car bomb and a gun fight wreaked havoc in Myawaddy Township in Myanmar last night. The car bomb, suspected to have been left in a pickup truck, exploded at an immigration building near the border with Tak province in Thailand. The remains of the pickup truck suspected of carrying the bomb were found near a border checkpoint. After the…
-
Visa Options and Paying Tax as a Foreigner in Thailand
What are the current visa options available for foreigners to work in Thailand? How does a foreigner pay tax while working from Thailand? What visa should you be applying for before considering to move to Thailand? Tim newton sits with Ben hart from Integrity Legal to find out more about visa and tax in Thailand.
-
Thailand’s March exports spike nearly 20% year on year
Last month, Thailand’s exports surged at an unexpectedly high rate, jumping by 19.5% when compared to the same time last year. A Reuters poll conducted in March had predicted the country’s exports would only rise by 2.4%. According to the Thai customs department data, 2 major products contributing to the export jump were gold, and electronics. Gold exports in March were…
-
South Korea to allow eating at movie theatres, indoor gyms
Following South Korea’s move last week to lift several Covid-19 restrictions, the country’s PM announced on Friday that next week, people will be allowed to eat in many public spaces that were earlier prevented due to the country’s Covid restrictions. These include movie theatres, indoor gyms, religious centres, trains, and busses. The PM, Kim Boo-kyum, says the government will consult…
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.