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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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Thanathorn says Future Forward by-election win in Nakhon Pathom will start a domino effect
PHOTO: Facebook/Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit says that, if the opposition bloc wins the by-election in Nakhon Pathom on October 23, it will be the first domino to fall and set the stage for a change of government. Nakhon Pathom is directly north-west of Bangkok. The Future Forward party is fielding Pairatchote Chantharakachorn to contest the by-election, while other opposition parties,…
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Hong Kong clashes heat up ahead of 70th anniversary party for China
by Yan Zhao & Jasmine Leung “Democracy activists in the financial hub had vowed to ramp up their nearly four-month-long campaign ahead of tomorrow’s National Day celebrations.” Fierce clashes have again broken out between protesters and riot police in Hong Kong as thousands march through the sections of the strife-torn city. It was a day of global protests aimed at…
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Suvarnabhumi villagers still chasing compensation from government after 13 years
PHOTO: Khaosod Villagers living next to Suvarnabhumi Airport have filed a complaint about the noise from the planes. The villagers say they have been suffering from the airport noise for years since the construction of Suvarnabhumi (it opened in September 2006). Leader of the Dinui Yiddee Muslim Community, Saenee Kamsawat, says they are in the process of filing an official…
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Aaaaaw, baby elephant takes a nap
VIDEO: ส่วนประชาสัมพันธ์และเผยแพร่ กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช A video of a young baby elephant taking a nap in a Thai national park has won the hearts of thousands of netizens. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation uploaded on its Facebook page a short video clip that showed a baby elephant taking a nap on the lap of its caretaker. Up…
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Renting a motorbike in Thailand? Have a valid license.
Transport minister Saksayam Chidchob says he’s intent on tackling Thailand’s shameful road toll. Recognising that motorcycles are the main culprit (75% of road deaths in Thailand involve motorcycles and motorbikes), he’s proposing some new laws, at least for tourists at this stage. Up until now tourists have been easily able to rent a motorcycle by just showing a passport, according…
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Chiang Mai karaoke lounges raided over underage hostesses
PHOTO: Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Four hostesses under the age of 18 have been discovered working at two karaoke lounges in the San Kamphaeng area of Chiang Mai, east of the main city. Thailand’s ‘Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’ worked with local immigration and police after a complaint was received. Na Kaew reports that the investigators followed…
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Boris Johnson could be forced to step down as British PM
It will be another battle royale in the British House of Commons next week as opposition law-makers prepare a plan to force the embattled British PM out of office. The British PM Boris Johnson could be forced to step down next week as opposition MPs join forces to replace him with an interim administration in order to secure another Brexit delay…
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Most of Thomas Cook stranded customers back in UK
PHOTO: The Guardian More than half of of the 150,000 holidaymakers left stranded abroad following the collapse of British travel company Thomas Cook are now back in the UK. The local Civil Aviation Authority says that 76,000 people have now been repatriated in the first six days of ‘Operation Matterhorn’ – Britain’s largest peacetime repatriation of its citizens. 178 year…
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Thanathorn dares Prawit to have a face-to-face meeting over NY protests
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is daring Deputy PM and luxury watch enthusiast Prawit Wongsuwan to summon him for questioning, whether the party might be linked to anti-government protests in New York last week. The protesters, waving placards like “Stop the human rights abuses” and “We want fair elections”, was held out side Pm Chan-o-cha’s hotel in New York…
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‘Pretty’ death shines spotlight on abuse in Thai model and promotions industry
PHOTOS: Facebook/Rachadech Wongthabutr, Instagram/’Lunlabelle’ Thitim The mysterious death of ‘pretty’ Thitima Noraphanpiphat in Bangkok last week is gripping Thailand and highlighting risks women who work in the service and promotions industry face every day. Her dead body was found in the lobby of a Bangkok condo. Police have arrested a male model in connection with the 25 year old’s death last…
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OPINION: Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival is now for the tourists, not the locals
OPINION: Pruth Kulprasit Phuket’s vegetarian Festival is an annual event steeped in ancient Chinese mysticism and fused with local island traditions and Buddhism. It’s a cacophony of noise, spiritualism, body piercing and rather bland vegetarian food. For the tourist or expat that witnesses the parades, fire-walking and ceremonies for the first time it’s a shock to the senses.For local Thai-Chinese,…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival events 2019 – schedule and history
The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, aka. ‘Nine Emperor Gods Festival’, always runs during the ninth lunar month. For expats and tourist ‘newbies’ the Vegetarian Festival is a lot to do with parades, firecrackers, bizarre ceremonies and spiritual mystiques piecing themselves, and little to do with vegetarian food. Whilst we’ve tried to provide a program here, any time schedule at individual…
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Phuket encroacher is handed down 10 year sentence
PHOTO: Nai Yang Beach, just part of the coastal land along Phuket’s north-west coastline The Department of Special Investigation have successfully prosecuted an encroachment case involving land on Phuket’s north-west coast. The Criminal Court handed down a 10 year sentence to Anek Lipracha, a prime suspect in a case involving encroachment of 93 rai of coastal land in Sirinat Marine National…
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Discussions between Hong Kong leader and protesters yield little in the way of progress
PHOTO: AFP Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam appeared humble during a meeting where citizens voiced discontent at her ongoing refusal to give in to their demands. The meeting comes after more than three months of often violent anti-government protests in the city. The protests originally began as a result of a proposed bill that would pave the way for…
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Pattaya Indoor Cricket League – Round 3
Round 3 was played at Rugby School in Bang Lamung between PCC (Pattaya Cricket Club) and RST (Rugby School Thailand). There were indoor cricket debutants for both teams: Carl Pohl for RST and Pravit Grover, Edwin Van Rensburg and Andy Holt for PCC. This was yet another very close game where dropped catches, missed run out opportunities and extras were…
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Chinese tourists surge during Phuket’s vegetarian festival
… and it’s not much about vegetarian food. It’s on again, one of the most bizarre festivals on the world’s calendar of WTF events. The Phuket Tourist Association says that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival that runs until October 7, is expected to bring in around 2 billion baht in your revenue. They say that, despite the high value of the…
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Pattaya’s Nong Prue district has its eyes on you
The Nong Prue Municipality, to the east of the main Pattaya city, has now installed 75 CCTVs in 32 spots so far in 2019. Plans are also underway to install 60 more cameras in 29 different areas valued at 10 million baht. The official opening for the CCTV Control Centre in the Nong Prue Municipality was held two weeks ago…
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Thais clamour for the “Chim, Shop, Chai” 1000 baht give-away program
PHOTO: buriramguru.com The “Chim, Shop, Chai” (Eat, Shop, Spend) program has been a resounding success, and it’s still got a another five days or so to go. Thai citizens can apply for the 1000 baht ‘gift’ from the government and spend the money at selected shops anywhere outside their home province. The government only accepts one million applications each day so,…
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Pubs and nightclubs in Pattaya and Bangkok poised to stay open until 4am
The Minister for Tourism and Sports says he’s making headway with plans to allow opening until 4am for ‘some’ tourist areas in Thailand. The proposals were mooted several months ago as a tonic for dropping tourist numbers in some of the traditional holiday ‘hot spots’. Sports and tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says that details were still being discussed but the plan is now…
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12 month “Medical Visa” proposed among updates to Thai visa offerings
A new visa category is being proposed that could allow people to stay in the Kingdom for up to a year for medical treatments. The so-called “Medical Visa” (Non-MT) would visitors to stay for 12 months. The Thai deputy PM and health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and the tourism and sports minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced yesterday that countries that will benefit are wealthy…
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UPDATE: Maluku Island quake toll rises to 23
The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands has risen to 23. More than 15,000 people have been evacuated to shelters. Among the confirmed dead, an infant with many killed by falling debris in and around quake-struck Ambon city. More than 100 people were also injured and at least 15,000 people had to evacuate because…
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Myanmar switches to international ‘unicode’ on October 1
PHOTO: Cordelia Persen/flickr “October 1 is “U-Day”, when Myanmar officially adopts the new system.” Accessing everything from Wikipedia to Google Maps in Myanmar is about to get a lot easier when the country finally adopts the universal code underpinning phone and online communication next week. Tech experts say the move to bring the country more in step with the rest of…
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Thai government extends free water and electricity services for another year
PHOTO: www.unsplash.com Thailand’s Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana says low-income households will continue to get free electricity and water for another year. The scheme, which assists poorer families, was due to expire at the end of this month. Under the plan, low-income households get up to 230 baht worth of electricity for free each month, along with 100 baht worth of…
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Cafe Amazon brewing up a cup of coffee in China
PTT Oil and Retail Business, the owners of the Cafe Amazon brand, has opened its first branch in China. Their goal is to make the coffee chain a global brand, a sort of ‘Thai Starbucks’. The first Cafe Amazon outlet in China is located at a Sinopec petrol station in Nanning of Guangxi, in southern China on the Vietnamese border,…
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Thailand may lift ban on foreign investors for some innovation sectors
PHOTO: Marvin Meyer/Unsplash Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is considering whether to remove certain innovation-related businesses from the list of those open only to Thai citizens. The idea is being floated as a way of increasing foreign investment in Thailand, making the country a more attractive option for overseas companies. Deputy Director General of the Department of Business Development, Poonpong Naiyanapakorn says…
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Three Thai high-speed train projects shelved
“As the high-speed train system in Laos is nearing completion, he said that Thailand must speed up its construction of the Bangkok-Nong Khai project.” Three high-speed train projects are being shelved by the Thai government due to lack of interest from co-investors. Sources at the Transport Ministry have told Thai PBS World that none of the three projects were included…
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Not 12 billion baht, only 4.2 billion! Price tag for Army helicopters.
The Royal Thai Army has clarified spending on eight AH-6i light attack reconnaissance helicopters, weapons and associated equipment from the US, after it was claimed yesterday to have a price tag of 12 billion baht. The Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree called the media together to explain that it paid 4.2 billion baht for the eight helicopters and equipment from the…
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Rent-a-crowd protesters in NYC weren’t Thai and didn’t know where Thailand was on a map
A small group of vocal protesters in New York, rallying in front of a hotel where the Thai PM was staying over the weekend, have been revealed to be Mexicans, Brazillians and Peruvians, not Thai. PM Prayut and his entourage were staying in the Plaza Athenee Hotel over the weekend and until Tuesday this week, attending events and UN Summits. Thai…
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Pattaya bin man suffers life-changing injuries after being crushed by speeding car
PHOTO: Sophone Cable/ThaiVisa A speeding car has caused catastrophic injury to a Pattaya garbage collector after smashing into him and pinning him against the back of his truck. Thanong Saengthong, aged 36, was rushed to Somdej Na Sriracha hospital following the accident, which happened early this morning in Chonburi’s Bang Lamung district. His left leg was so severely injured it…
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UPDATE: At least one dead – Indonesian islands hit with 6.5 magnitude quake
PHOTO: AFP / Handout / BADAN NASIONAL PENANGGULANGAN BENCANA by Sultan Ambon At least one person has died and another is missing after a strong earthquake struck Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands earlier today, destroying homes and triggering landslides. Terrified people ran into the streets as buildings fell in around them after the 6.5-magnitude quake hit at around 8:45 local time (0045…
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