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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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ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Phuket
At 5.45am, Australians and New Zealanders, Phuket community representatives, crew members from the HMAS Anzac, local schools, friends and family members gathered at the Phuket Yacht Club in Chalong to commemorate the 102nd ANZAC day. Anzac Day is held on April 25 every year and commemorated by Australians and New Zealanders to remember those “who served and died in all wars,…
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Same sex marriage laws likely to be passed in the lifetime of current government
After years of calls by sexual-diversity groups, a new law that would allow registered life partnership for same-sex couples is in the making. Supporters expect it to be promulgated within the lifetime of the present government. For proponents, the long-awaited legislation is viewed as the first i-mportant step towards legal same-sex marriage in Thailand in the future. Sexual diversity groups…
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Protesters call for the resignation of the Livestock Department chief
Anti-corruption and animal rights activists rallied in front of the Livestock Development Department this morning demanding the removal of the department chief for failure to contain rabies in the country. They’re also alleging lack of transparency in the procurement of the anti-rabies vaccine. Thai PBS is reporting that Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, leader of the group, is blaming Livestock director-general Apai Suttisunk…
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Nine tourists injured in Nakhon Pathom van accident
Seven South Korean and two Indonesian tourists were injured this morning (Tuesday) when their chartered van ran into the drainage ditch in the middle of a Muang Nakhon Pathom road and struck a tree. Police say the driver Thinnakorn Meekhao lost control in the southbound lane of Phetkasem Road in Tambon Bang Khaem near the Uni Land Golf Course intersection.…
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Beach vendors raided on Koh Racha
Umbrellas and other beach vendors’ products have been seized during a beach management enforcement at Patok Bay on Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket. There were 6 vendors who were charged for breaking the law by renting umbrellas and mats while also selling other items on the beach area. Umbrellas, mats, floating devices, snorkeling masks, surf boards, waterproof phone bags…
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Preparing to close down Maya Bay
The General Director of the Department of National Parks (DNP) visited Maya Bay yesterday, which is expected to close down for 4 months from the start of June. Thanya Neti Thammakul, along with his team, visited Koh Phi Phi Ley and Maya Bay yesterday (April 23) to follow up the readiness before closing down the island’s iconic tourist attraction for…
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Phuket Town clothes shop blaze – 2 million baht in damages
A clothes shop ‘Hollywood Studio Store’ located in the ground floor of the Paradise Multiplex, Ocean Shopping Mall in Phuket Town, was on fire last night (April 23) and destroyed about 2 million baht worth of valuables. The team of Phuket authorities including Phuket’s Mayor, Somjai Suwansuppana, rushed to the scene with fire trucks The fire was inside of the…
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Nakhon Phanom airport seeks 120 million baht for expansion
Nakhon Phanom International Airport is seeking 120 million baht from the government for the next fiscal year hoping to add two more runways and expand is departures building. Nakhon Phanom is in the Kingdom’s far north-east, right on the Laotian border. Prom Meeker, the airport director, says the airport needs 91 million baht to expand the departures building to accommodate 600…
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Three Kathu men arrested with drugs
Three local men have been arrested following the drug crackdown period between April 19-21 with a long list of drugs. The first two men, 42 year old Weerapan Intarakratok and 23 year old Thanapas Rakwet, were arrested after the police received a report from an undercover officer that Thanapas sold methamphetamine to juveniles in the Kathu area. Police lured him…
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Krabi drug dealer killed after shooting police
A 38 year old drug dealer in Krabi, Suriya Tokong, was killed by police after he tried to shoot them with a shotgun during the arrest. The shooting occurred in a rubber plantation in Nong Talay Sub-District. Suriya was shot 3 times in his chest and one time on his left arm. He was carrying a 9mm pistol and nearby…
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More robberies from tourists in Ao Nang, Krabi
A robber, identified as a French tourist, 32 year old Martinez Joyce, was arrested in Ao Nang, Krabi, after stealing a purse containing 42,000 Baht cash inside. Police received a report from 30 year old Assaman Yeesam on April 18 that he forgot his Balenciaga bag with 42,000 Baht cash in a coffee shop in Ao Nang where he was…
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Chiang Mai teenager arrested after robbing Burmese woman in Phuket
A Chiang Mai 18 year old has been arrested after robbing and attacking a Burmese woman in Phuket. Wichit Police arrested 18 year old Saranyoo, from Chiang Mai, with a gold necklace, a gold bracelet and 1,000 Baht in cash after he robbed and physically attacked a Myanmar woman. The victim, San Thidar New, who is a house keeper of…
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New 101 villa luxury property heading to Mai Khao, Phuket
PHOTO: Viagens e Férias Global hospitality group Melia Hotels International has signed a new 101 villa luxury property in Mai Khao, Phuket. The developer of the property is the Phuket Villa Group. Each of the hotel villas feature private pools. Slated for 2021, the group will enter the Phuket market with an exclusive luxury resort on the idealic Mai Khao beach, at the…
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Jack Ma opens the door to Thailand’s markets
To the people sitting in the audience it looked like Jack Ma had pulled off a piece of modern day wizardry, selling 80,000 Thai durians in 60 seconds. Gone in 60 seconds indeed! His much publicised visit to Thailand and meetings with the Thai PM and other ministers, signing of MOUs and various media appearances have drawn awe as well…
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Pattaya swingers party interrupted by authorities
Authorities raided a swingers party in Pattaya over the weekend. The party was held in a hotel in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. When officials raided the hotel late on Saturday night, they found many foreigners openly engaging in ‘swinging’ and group sex. There were 14 couples who came from many countries including the United States, Canada, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany,…
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Two killed and five seriously injured in Songkhla road crash
Two have been killed and another five seriously injured after a pickup truck crashed into a motorcycle with a sidecar and turned over in Songkhla province yesterday (April 22). Quoting eyewitness accounts, Singha Nakhon district police said that the sidecar was carrying five people from the same family, including the driver, when it tried to make a U-turn to the…
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Nigerian arrested as police track down ‘romance scam’ gang
PHOTOS: The Nation Tourist police are hunting for conspirators in a “romance scam” gang after they arrested a 32 year old Nigerian who allegedly lured a Thai woman in Lampang province into wiring him nearly 100,000 baht. Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakparn from the Tourist Police Bureau says that the suspect, Emery Henry Ogba, was a member of a gang believed…
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Body found 500 metres offshore from Saphan Hin, Phuket
A man’s body was found today floating in the sea behind the canals near Wat Sansuk near Saphan Hin. At this stage police are unsure who the person is or what was the cause of his death. There was no ID found on the man when he was discovered. Local villagers spotted the body earlier and alerted police. Foundation volunteers…
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Big increases in BKK airport arrivals for 2018 Songkran
Nearly 7 percent additional passengers flew into Suvarnabhumi Airport and 12 percent into Don Mueang this year to celebrate the Songkran festival, compared to last year’s passenger traffic. The Immigration Bureau deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Choengron Rimpadee says that 683,260 passengers arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport from April 12 and 16. “The number marks a 6.96 per cent increase from Songkran 2017.…
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National weather alert
The Thai Meteorological Department is warning people in all regions, including Bangkok, against summer thunderstorms during the period April 24-27. The TMD has issued warnings saying that in the period April 24-27, a high pressure system from China will extend to cover upper Thailand and meet with hot weather conditions over Thailand, causing summer thunderstorms. Outbreaks of thunderstorm, thunderbolts and…
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Foreigners detained in Pattaya sex orgy raid
PHOTO: Siamchon News More raids in Pattaya after police and authorities raided a ‘sex party’ being held at a hotel allegedly managed by a 53 year old Chinese man. Local police, immigration officers and Tourist Police carried out the raid after reports that the 30 room hotel located in the Nong Prue area was being used to host sex and…
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Thailand for the Trump/Kim Summit. Why not?
US President Donald Trump and North Korea premier and dear leader Kim Jong-un are going to have an historic summit. But they need somewhere to meet – somewhere neutral, somewhere safe, somewhere where there’s good food, somewhere both parties will agree to. Trump/Kim Issue #1 – Where to hold the meeting. Now Thailand’s Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has stepped up…
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Reform committee might go for complete rewrite of National Police Bill
Thailand’s police are under the spotlight. Along with many other aspects of long-existing work cultures, the Thai police culture is now coming under scrutiny from both ends – the NCPO who want real change and opposition forces who see the Thai police as facilitators of much of the country’s corruption problems. The country’s law reform committee has been tackling the…
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Government donates money to the family of Chinese road accident victim
Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong together with the Vice Governor, Sanit Srivihok, have passed on a grant of 50,000 Baht to the father of the Chinese man, Li Jing, who died as a result of injuries from a road accident on the Kamala – Patong route on April 14. He was one of two people dying in Phuket from road related…
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121 arrested over BKK bike mods
Police have arrested 121 motorcyclists picked up on the streets of the capital last night (Friday). They’ve been charged with illegally modifying their motorcycles for road racing. Deputy Tourist Police commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal said the suspects were arrested at checkpoints on major roads under the jurisdiction of 11 police stations of Metropolitan Police Division 8. According to police,…
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5 people dead following storms in 36 provinces
5 people are dead and 3,758 homes in 36 provinces have been damaged by storms over the past week. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department director-general Chayapol Thitisak reported on the damage yesterday. He reported that relief aid, including home repair assistance and distribution of relief bags has been provided by Army, local administrative officials and related agencies. 655 villages…
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How many Thai durians can Alibaba sell in one minute?
Thai durian sold like hot cakes after Jack Ma showed the magic of e-commerce during his visit to Thailand by selling 80,000 golden pillow durians on his online platform T-mall within one minute. One minute! While Ma was in Thailand to make a mega-deal on investment on Thursday, Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong gifted the founder of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba…
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2 killed, 30 injured in Nakhon Sawan bus accident
PHOTOS: Facebook/NSN.Rescue Songkran might be over but the carnage continues. Two passengers have been killed and an estimated 30 have been injured. Five are reported to be in serious condition. The tour bus from Mae Sot heading for for Bangkok skidded off the road and plunged into a roadside ditch in Nakhon Sawan early yesterday (Friday). Rescue workers pulled all…
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Alibaba to invest 11 billion baht in Thailand
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has committed to invest a combined 11 billion baht in Thailand in a move that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says could benefit the country’s small farmers and rural enterprises due to the firm’s expertise in diverse technology. “Jack Ma (Alibaba’s co-founder and executive chairman) told me he does not solely look for profits because Alibaba already…
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The Brunei woman who drowned in Krabi is not from Brunei’s Royal Family
The 60 year old woman from Brunei, PG HJH Jamilah PG HJ Othman, who drowned near Gai Island in Krabi (story HERE) was reported as being a member of Brunei’s Royal Family. Since that report the Royal Thai Police’s deputy spokesman Pol Col Krissana Pattanacharoen clarified that the woman was not member of the royal family of Brunei Darussalam as…
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