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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Lifeguards save foreign tourist from drowning in Pattaya
Tragedy was avoided on Jomtien beach in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, yesterday thanks to the expert skills of Pattaya City lifeguards who acted quickly to save a foreign tourist from drowning. At 3pm, the Sawang Boon Rescue Foundation was informed that a foreign tourist was dragged out of the sea unconscious near the entrance of Soi 16 at Jomtien Beach in…
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Malaysian victims accuse Royal Thai Police of soliciting bribes of over 100,000 baht
Two Malaysian victims told local media that corrupt Royal Thai Police solicited bribes of 100,000 baht to return their stolen cars which were taken from their native country and driven to Thailand. The Malaysian news agency, The Star, reported that the cars were stolen from Malaysia and shipped to Thailand. The media also added that RTP officers were involved in…
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Over 158,000 tourists in Phuket for Chinese New Year, officials say
Thai tourism officials say the Chinese New Year Festival drew over 158,000 tourists to the holiday paradise of Phuket. From January 21-22, the festival drew 158,414 Thai and foreign tourists to Phuket, said the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office director Nanthasiri Ronnasiri. Nanthasiri said the festival generated at least 2.6 billion baht, Thai media reported. Over the two…
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Thieves steal 27 public defibrillators in Bangkok, Thailand
Thai news outlet Drama-addict reported that 27 public Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) dotted around the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, have been stolen. In total, 262 AEDs are stationed all around the city to be used to help people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. AEDs are life-saving, yet easy-to-use medical devices that can analyse the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an…
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Porsche enthusiasts gather in Bangkok for Das Treffen
Porsche enthusiast Sihabutr ‘Tenn’ Xoomsai, and organiser of the seventh edition of Das Treffen, celebrated the largest gathering of Porsche models in Southeast Asia, in Bangkok, Thailand. Das Treffen, meaning “The Meeting” in German, brings together not only all the generations of Porsche cars but also every generation of sports car enthusiasts. From those who swear by air-cooled models to…
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Russian tourists spot foreigner’s body floating off Pattaya beach
Russian tourists spotted a foreigner’s body floating off a Pattaya beach as they were sunbathing on Monday. A hotel clerk said the tourists rushed to tell him to call the police after they discovered the body floating in the sea. Pattaya Police and rescuers arrived to retrieve the man’s body at Wong Amat Beach in front of Soi 16 in…
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Chem-Dry announces Thailand master franchise availability
Press Release After more than 20 years., Chem-Dry’s master franchise holders in Thailand are ready to sell, creating a rare entrepreneurial opportunity in a market ripe for solid growth. This opportunity represents a unique investment for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their business portfolio and tap into the rapidly growing cleaning industry in Thailand. Brothers David and Richard Arell…
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Thailand VIP packages offered on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) insists no VIP service packages or fast passes have been made available for purchase in China despite a Thai travel blogger revealing that those services and elite visas are indeed available to buy on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. Thai police are already under fire over the scandalous video of three police officers escorting…
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Thief leaves an apology note in Chiang Mai, Thailand
A thief stole over 12,000 baht from an electrical appliances store in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand on Sunday morning and left behind a note apologising for his crime. CCTV footage captures a masked assailant, a man estimated to be around 30 years old, breaking into an electrical appliance store next to Wat Tha Mai-i Temple in Chiang Mai’s…
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Bangkok delivery driver nabbed robbing cars on the side
A motorbike delivery driver in Bangkok was busted after police tracked him down and revealed him as a serial thief. The investigation started after a woman reported her car had been burgled earlier in the month. On January 13, a saleswoman named Saowalak reported a break-in of her car. It had been parked outside of the temple of Wat Traimit…
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12 year old girl abused and abandoned by family in Isaan
A 12 year old girl physically abused by her stepfather and grandparents was left abandoned on a roadside in the Isaan province of Nong Bua Lamphu. Fortunately, a warm-hearted local took pity on the girl and helped to find her aunt. Rattiya Anusuriya found the abandoned 12 year old alone and shivering in front of her house in the Na…
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Thai Vietjet to launch direct flight from Chiang Mai to Osaka
Direct flights between Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and Osaka in Japan will take flight on February 16, 2023, operated by budget airline Thai Vietjet Air. Operated by an Airbus A321, the new route from Chiang Mai International Airport to Kansai International Airport will take five hours in total. To begin with, the route will run three times per week…
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Locals point out dangerous railway crossing in central Thailand
More than 50 people gathered to point out the dangers presented by a railway crossing in the Photaram district of Racha Buri province, central Thailand, this morning. Firstly, the crossing has no automatic barriers or lights to warn cars or pedestrians when a train is coming. Secondly, the “slope” up to the crossing is so poorly constructed that even pickup…
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Chachoengsao temple opens glass sea walk
A glass skywalk jutting out over the ocean is the newest tourist attraction in Chachoengsao province. The skywalk is adjacent to Wat Hong Thong temple, which has long been a draw for tourists in the area of the eastern province, not far from Bangkok. The glass bridge is a 40-metre-long stretch perched high above the sea. It is 3 metres wide and…
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More European tourists than Chinese in Hua Hin, officials say
More European tourists are making their way back to Thailand’s coastal paradise of Hua Hin than Chinese tourists, according to officials. The vice president of the Thai Hotel Association said most of Hua Hin’s tourists are European, from Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany. The vice president, Udom Srimahachota, said the number of foreign tourists is expected to rise…
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SRT plans to buy new train engines after viral video reveals new station swirling in smoke
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) announced plans to buy new engines for its trains after a viral video showed Bangkok’s new central train station swirling with smoke and air pollution. Banpong Station’s YouTube channel released a video on Thursday, January 19 of the new Bangkok Aphiwat Central Station full of smoke. The video caption said… “The first express train…
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“A Night to Remember: Witness the Magic of Brighton College Bangkok’s ‘Grease’ Performance”
SPONSORED Brighton College Bangkok held a special event to celebrate the release of the hit musical movie Grease. The school hosted a viewing of the iconic film and a live performance of the musical, allowing students to experience the movie in a new and exciting way. The event was a great success, with students of all ages enjoying the show.…
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Thai woman pays to save pig from slaughter, plans to give it to temple
A Thai woman paid to save a pig from being slaughtered yesterday and plans to give the pig to monks at a temple. The pig reportedly fell off the back of a lorry in the central Nakhon Nayok province on its way to be slaughtered. After the pig fell off the truck, it made its way to the car park…
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Maxwell says Epstein was murdered and Prince Andrew pic is fake
Disgraced Ghislaine Maxwell insists sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison and reckons the infamous photograph of Prince Andrew standing beside Virginia Giuffre is fake. The 61 year old added she wished she had never met Epstein. The convicted sex trafficker made the claims on a televised phone call to the British TV programme the Jeremy Kyle Show yesterday.…
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Pink Line monorail 95% complete, opening soon
The Pink Line monorail project in Bangkok is expected to be completed this year, with construction currently 95% finished. Construction began in 2016 on the 53.5 billion baht public transit project. When it is finally opened, it will connect Khae Rai in Nontha Buri to Min Buri in east Bangkok. The Pink Line monorail Is hoped to bring some breathing…
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Delivery driver saves family from fire in northeast Thailand
Yesterday, netizens helped to reunite a restaurant owner with the Grab delivery driver who saved him and his family from a fire in the middle of the night earlier this month in Buriram province in northeast Thailand. On January 16 at 3am, a raging communication cable fire broke out in front of the Chan Chao Thai curry restaurant in the…
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3 Chinese men deported for illegally opening restaurant in Bangkok
Police yesterday raided a Chinese restaurant operating illegally in Bangkok and arrested three Chinese men found working there. They were fined, deported, and put on Thailand’s blacklist. Immigration Bureau officers raided the Chaosan Osha Chinese restaurant on the Rama 9 Road in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok. Officers reported that they found three Chinese citizens at the restaurant. A 35…
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Crash involving motorbike and garbage truck kills woman in Chon Buri
Another road tragedy in Chon Buri has claimed a woman’s life. A crash involving a motorbike and a garbage truck killed a woman in Chon Buri early yesterday morning. The victim was identified as 51 year old Thanaployphan Srikun. The incident happened in the Sri Racha district. Police and rescuers found Thanaployphan lying on the ground with severe head wounds.…
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Turkey will not support Sweden’s NATO bid after Quran burning
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared he will not be supporting Sweden’s bid to become a member of NATO after a copy of the Quran was set on fire in Stockholm at the weekend. Far-right Swedish-Danish politician Rasmus Paludan was widely condemned for burning a copy of the Quran on Saturday but Sweden takes a more relaxed view of such things believing…
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DLT increases fines for motorists who fail to stop at zebra crossings
The Department of Land Transport (DLT) increased the fine for motorists failing to stop at a zebra crossing from 1,000 baht to 4,000 baht. The DLT will also deduct one point from an offender’s driving license. A survey conducted last year by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and the Thai Roads Foundation, revealed that almost 90% of vehicles in Bangkok…
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Giant license plates are illegal, warns Thailand’s DLT
Thais love to modify their vehicles, but attaching a comically big license plate to your car is illegal, warns Thailand‘s Department of Land Transport (DLT). The warning follows a viral TikTok clip of a pickup truck on the road featuring a regular license plate as well as a Phitsanulok province license plate so big it could probably be seen all the…
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Officials work to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach
Phuket officials are working to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach. Officials from the Phuket Protection Center for the Destitute said they inspected Patong Beach and the surrounding area from Monday, January 16 to Friday, January 20, along with Patong Police and Patong Law Enforcement officers. The team found eight homeless people including four men, three women, and a young girl. The…
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EU ready to conclude free-trade agreement with Thailand
The European Union is ready to open free-trade agreement (FTA) talks with Thailand again after an eight-year political impasse. Thailand’s Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit, will head to Brussels tomorrow for a two-day business trip to accelerate talks on an FTA with the EU. Jurin states that a Thai-EU FTA is a highly sought-after deal by the private sector, but it remains…
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Law to prevent violent reoffenders with ankle monitor
A new law aimed at preventing recidivism among those convicted of sexual and violent crimes comes into effect in Thailand today. The law increases surveillance measures for offenders already out of prison, possibly even requiring them to wear electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelets for up to 10 years. However, the entire plan may be ineffective at best as the Corrections…
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Thai woman savagely bitten by boyfriend after refusing to go boozing with him
A Thai woman filed a complaint at Pan Thong Police Station in Chon Buri after her boyfriend savagely bit her face after she refused to go boozing with him. She said she was worried that the case would be ignored because her boyfriend had a close connection with a senior police officer. The woman, identified as Bee, told the media…
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