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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Thieving Suvarnabhumi cabbie nabbed
A shifty taxi driver made off with a bag that a previous passenger had left on a trolley at Suvarnabhumi airport. CCTV footage shows a man entering an orange cab with several bags but he forgetting a small backpack left dangling on a trolley. After a green and yellow cab arrived its place and some passengers had loaded up their…
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16 Burmese arrested for illegally crossing the border
Even though borders have tight restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, people have crossed the Malaysia border and entered Thailand illegally through what Thai media reports as “natural passageways.” Police arrested 16 Burmese workers who entered the country illegally including 2 pregnant women. They were found hiding at a Chinese Cemetery in the Southern province Songkhla. Thai media says many…
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Phayao gunmen kills 3, then himself
4 people including a 5 year old girl are dead, after a man went on a shooting spree last night in the Chiang Kham district of the upper northeastern province of Phayao. Another man was wounded before the gunman took his own life. Police say the fatal rampage began about 8:10pm at a house in Ban Nong Ha, in tambon…
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Which country in the world is the most confident to re-open its borders for tourism?
You’ll be surprised by the answer. Cooped up in our offices and homes, we’re all yearning to travel again. Whilst the suitcase is gathering dust, travellers around the world are wondering when and how they’re going to be able to return to their favourite holiday destinations. A comprehensive international survey has come up with some surprising results about the confidence…
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Burmese man, motorcyclist injured in Samut Prakan crash – VIDEO
A Burmese pedestrian was seriously injured yesterday evening when he was hit by a motorbike in the Bang Plee district of Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok. The 300cc Kawasaki crashed into tables at a pork leg restaurant on a footpath before stopping in front of a sign. Police, rescue staff from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and medics went…
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Thai police find 1.6 billion baht worth of drugs hidden in truck
Police found 1.6 billion baht worth of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and heroin, inside a 12-wheel truck trailer at a checkpoint in Kanchanaburi near the Myanmar border. The national police chief says it’s the province’s biggest drug bust. The 59 year old driver, Sakchai Kaerod, was arrested. Thai PBS did not mention the charges the driver is facing. Sakchai says…
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Bangkok man arrested for selling e-cigarettes, vaping fluid
A Bangkok man is facing 3 years in prison and/or a 600,000 baht fine for selling e-cigarettes and vaping fluid, which are legal in many countries and even encouraged by some people as an aid to giving up actual cigarettes, on Facebook. Trading standards officers and police, acting on a tip, went to a house in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem subdistrict,…
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PM Prayut says rewriting Thai constitution has always been on his to-do list
Rewriting Thailand’s constitution is on his to-do list, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says. He told the media yesterday that he has no problem with amending it and it has always been a priority, he’s just had other tasks he’s needed to take care of first. The prime minister’s comments regarding the constitution come after a series of protests where pro-democracy activists…
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Truck driver blames GPS for ending up in klong
A young truck driver in Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok blamed his GPS after he and his truck ended up in a klong. 23 year old “Wittiwat”, who was driving a load of sand, told authorities GPS told him to cross a rickety wooden bridge over the Bang Pho canal, so he did… or rather, he tried. Locals…
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Democrats say ‘no’ to submarine proposal
Democrats give a hard “no” to the proposed plan to go ahead with the purchase of 2 submarines from China said to have a price ticket of 22.5 billion baht. They say the money would be better spent on coronavirus relief efforts rather than on new submarines for the Royal Thai Navy, according to the party’s deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi.…
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Thai PM not fazed by Facebook lawsuit threat
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says he is prepared to take on Facebook in the courts if necessary, while refuting an accusation from the social media giant that he used dictatorial power to have an anti-Monarchy group shut down. The PM says everyone in Thailand is obliged to follow Thai law and as the Facebook group in question violated the…
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Chon Buri crane truck pulls down over a dozen power poles
A transfer truck moving a crane got stuck on a power line and brought down down more than a dozen power poles in the eastern province of Chon Buri’s Banglamung district yesterday. It happened in the late afternoon on Banglamung Road near Soi 13 and Soi Sri Suwit. The downed power poles blocked the road and required electric and communication…
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Isaan village chief finds human bones in rice field
An Isaan village chief found human bones in a rice field today as he was spreading fertiliser over his crops. A local 49 year old man was reported missing last month and police suspect the remains are his. The found bones scattered around the field in Buri Ram. Police along with a doctor from the district hospital investigated the scene.…
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Bangkok teacher and student killed in road accident
A teacher and his student were killed in a road accident in Bangkok today when their motorbike slid under an 18-wheel concrete mixer truck. The teacher and the 17 year old student were wearing helmets, but the impact from the crash fractured their skulls, according to the Nation Thailand. Police believe the teacher lost control of the motorcycle and slid…
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Thai exports low, expected to improve over time
Thai exports have significantly dropped, but the Thai Ministry of Commerce seems to have high hopes that it will get back on track. With the coronavirus prevention measures easing up and businesses getting back to normal, the ministry says the it is on the “path to recovery.” Thailand’s exports dropped by over 11.37% and imports plummeted by 26.38% when compared…
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I flew home to get a new visa – one person’s experience with the “new normal” in Thailand
Theo, from The Netherlands, flew back from Thailand to arrange a new visa in his home country. When he returned he had to stay in an Alternative State Quarantine hotel in Bangkok. What were his challenges? How much did it all cost? I am from the Netherlands, I am 44 years old, married with my Thai wife for over 5 years…
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Will Phuket’s ‘safe and sealed’ campaign attract foreign tourists?
Summer starts to wane in the northern hemisphere with thoughts of autumn leaves and, then, colder weather. Naturally the eyes of the world’s travellers, largely cooped up inside their own borders since March, look at their suitcases and ponder a trip… to Thailand! That’s now a possibility although there are plenty of hoops to jump through in Thailand’s planned re-opening…
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Monk allegedly sexually abused 12 year old boy
A Phetchaburi monk allegedly sexually abused a 12 year old boy, police say. The sixth grade student told police the monk sexually abused him 3 times. A complaint was filed by the boy’s mother and representatives from a child rights foundation. The boy is from a remote village in Hua Hin called Pa La-u where the monk would often visit…
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Thailand’s retail and property markets adapt and move online
Tourism, property, retail – 3 sectors of the Thai economy that have taken a huge hit from the impact of lockdowns and border closures. Whilst most of the lockdown provisions are now lifted, the borders remain mostly closed and the economy ‘sluggish’ at best. The first half of 2020 has been one of the most challenging periods that Thailand retail…
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Bangkok man allegedly kills 1, injures another in fight outside liquor store
A man allegedly attacked and stabbed a man to death outside a Bangkok liquor store in the Don Muang district. Another man was stabbed and severely injured when he stepped in to break up the fight. 46 year old Itthiphol Sunsomboon died at the scene after suffering from 4 knife wounds to his chest. Emergency responders tried to resuscitate the…
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First phase of Phuket tram system to launch in 2026, costing 35 billion baht
The light rail/tram/train project in Phuket is back in the news and is expected to begin carrying passengers in 2026. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand says they’re investing approximately 35 billion baht in the first phase. Nation Thailand reports that Phuket deputy governor, Wongsakorn Noonchukhan, has met with MRTA assistant governor, Sarot T Suwan, to discuss the project.…
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Student activist arrested on charges from protesting
Police arrested a student while he protesting outside a market PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was visiting. The student Panupong Jadnok, known as Mike Rayong, was holding up a sign saying “1,000 rai sea reclamation. What will Rayong people get?” Apparently Mike’s land reclamation protest didn’t have much to do with his arrest. He had an arrest warrant for his role in…
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Student representatives accuse teachers of bullying, call on Education Ministry to act
Student groups have met with officials at the Thai Education Ministry and submitted a letter urging the ministry to take action against teachers they accuse of intimidation. The students say they are being bullied for expressing their political views at school. There’s been an outbreak of student involvement in the pro-democracy voices in the country. It has spread from the…
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Hong Kong resumes travel bubble discussions with Thailand and Japan
Hong Kong’s commerce chief, Edward Yau, says the Special Administrative Region is once again chatting to Thailand authorities, and Japan, regarding the possible formation of “travel bubbles”. The talks were suspended last month as Hong Kong battled a third wave ‘spike’ of the Covid-19 virus. Now, the idea of mutually beneficial travel agreements is back on the table, subject to a…
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Navy defends their purchase of 2 new Chinese submarines
“…disputes involving territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea have been ongoing, with major powers getting involved” After coming under criticism over the weekend over the decision to go ahead with the purchase of 2 Chinese submarines, the Royal Thai Navy faced the media yesterday. The hashtag #PeopleSayNoToSubs has been trending since the budget allocation was passed by…
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14 dead, 75 injured in southern Philippines suicide bomb attacks
More violence in the southern Philippines as Islamic militants exploded powerful bombs in the region yesterday. At least 14 soldiers and civilians were killed, and another 75 injured, despite all the additional security – Islamic State militants have made threats in recent weeks. At least 5 soldiers and 4 civilians were killed as a result of the first attack near…
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Pranked: FoodPanda delivers dozens of coffee orders to random Phuket neighborhood
Coffee with dash of cream? More like a dash chaos. One Phuket street was crowded FoodPanda delivery drivers yesterday, all with the same order. Coffee. Lots of coffee. It’s estimated that a prankster ordered nearly 100 cups of coffee along with waffles and noodles to a random neighborhood. One resident posted on Facebook that she received an order for 13…
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Cabling fire cuts comms and electricity to parts of Pattaya
Wondering what happened to your Netflix and power today? Parts of Pattaya were in blackout for a few hours whilst some communications and internet went down. Communication cables randomly caught fire and caused power outages in some parts of Pattaya after fire took hold of a congregation of black cabling. . The lack cabling caught fire from unknown causes around…
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Bali’s borders closed to international tourists the end of 2020
Planning a trip to Bali? Think again. Bali’s borders are closed for foreign tourists for the rest of the year. The Indonesian island was set to lift restrictions on September 11, but the Bali governor says it is still not safe to have people entering and leaving due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thailand has also pushed international tourist travel until…
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Floods wash up the North, Northeast prepares as Mekong rises
Heavy rains and flooding in Northern Thailand damaged homes and killed 1 resident. 2 people are reported missing. The Nation Thailand did not report the details of the death, but says the “flood crisis” affected 10 provinces and more than 7,000 homes in the area. Flood victims are being rescued and brought to higher ground by the Department of Disaster…
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