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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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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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36 sex workers in Pattaya arrested for prostitution
Thirty-six prostitutes in Pattaya were arrested last night near Walking Street for selling their bodies. Channel 3 reported that the Pattaya tourist police, and volunteers, patrolled Pattaya Walking Street yesterday at about 10pm. Officers were acting on complaints by tourists that they had been robbed in the area and their mission last night focused on the resort’s sex workers illegally…
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Phuket man who slit father’s throat faces murder charges
UPDATE The Phuket man who slit his father’s throat on Monday now faces charges of murder. The man, 26 year old Arnon Kammanochart, slit the throat of his father, 51 year old Uthai Kammanochart, in Thalang district. Arnon claimed that he was defending himself from his father. He said his father physically attacked him when he didn’t have money for…
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AirAsia Thailand passenger data allegedly leaked after ransomware attack
AirAsia group allegedly fell victim to a ransomware attack that leaked the personal data of five million passengers and all staff of AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Malaysia, and AirAsia Indonesia. The Daixin Team, a ransomware and data extortion group, allegedly leaked the data after the airline refused to pay a ransom. On Monday, the Daixin Team was the focus of a…
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Rawai expat arrested for owning whale bones
Bart Simpson famously used to say, “Don’t have a cow, man!” But maybe, also don’t have a whale! In Rawai, a Frenchmen was arrested after he was discovered in possession of part of a whale skeleton. It turns out that owning whale bones violates the Wild Animal Protection Act. The Phuket Express reports that the man was nabbed when officials…
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“Big Joke” holds press conference in Pattaya over Chinese abduction case
Following last month’s abduction of a Chinese man in Pattaya by other Chinese nationals, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, held a press conference in the city on Monday. The two abductors cut off the pinky finger of the victim, 41 year old Ren Haibd. They also sent a video to Ren’s 20 year old…
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Fate of Thai baht depends on return of Chinese tourists, economists say
The Thai baht has been flying recently but its upward trend could draw to a standstill unless Chinese tourists return to the Kingdom of Thailand, according to economists. In the past month, the baht appreciated almost 6% against the US dollar as reports indicated the US Federal Reserve (Fed) would slow down its aggressive interest rate hikes. Despite inflation, a reinvigorated…
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Thai woman accused of faking her death to escape loan sharks
A debt-ridden Thai woman has faked her death to get out of paying her debtors, says a local loan shark. A 37 year old woman from the central province of Lopburi, called Lookpad, ran up millions of debt and then hoped to escape paying her arrears by pretending to be dead. The woman’s family allegedly backed her plan, says the…
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Construction work in Pattaya brought to a new level
Numerous new real estate projects are underway, presenting the finest in engineering and construction quality from villas to high-rise buildings. Said structures are all designed by the eclectic architect Mario Kleff who relentlessly pushes the limits and presents new engineering solutions in the field of residential construction. When it comes to setting new standards in residential construction in Pattaya, Mario…
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Bus crash: 1 dead, 46 women injured in Phetchabun tour bus flip
A shocking highway crash in Phetchabun province saw a tour bus flip leaving 46 passengers injured and the driver dead. The crash occurred in the Nam Nao district of the northern province on Sunday at about 3.30pm. Police are still investigating what caused the crash. The double-decker bus was travelling on Highway 12 when the crash occurred. It was a…
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Multiple rapist known as the ‘Bondi Beast’ finally named
It may be too late for the many victims of the man the press labelled the “Bondi Beast” but police finally managed to link DNA samples to the serial rapist. Unfortunately, the multiple sex offender, Keith Simms, died in February aged 66 before justice could be served. Simms was known as the “Centennial Park rapist” in the 1980s, the “Bondi…
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District in northeast Thailand organising two-month long “Christmas Festival”
Do you ever wish Christmas lasted longer? Well, your wish might come true if you visit one district in northeast Thailand. Phu Ruea district in Loei province will soon hold the “Christmas Festival” at the Phu Ruea Christmas Courtyard, at the entrance to the Phu Ruea National Park. The festival will be held from November 25 until January 31. The opening…
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Cathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget subsidiary Hong Kong Express are boosting flights to three major tourist destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. Cathay’s Hong Kong – Bangkok route will be increased from twice to four times per day next month, according to Chairman of Cathay Pacific Patrick Healy. In January, the airline will…
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Thai-Italian teen allegedly tries to steal motorcycle taxi in Pattaya
A Thai-Italian teenage boy allegedly tried to steal a motorcycle taxi in Pattaya late last night. The motorcycle taxi rider, 46 year old Neramit Klaiprayoon, reported the incident to Pattaya Police. Neramit said he was waiting for a passenger on Soi 13 when he noticed the young suspect suspiciously glancing at his bike. The suspect then got onto the bike…
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Chinese woman stabs fellow Chinese woman 27 times in Bangkok, Thailand
A Chinese woman stabbed a fellow Chinese woman to death in the bathroom at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, this afternoon. Text messages reveal that the perpetrator had accused the deceased of “messing with” her “man” prior to stabbing her 27 times. At 1pm, officers from Thong Song Hung Police Station were informed that a Chinese woman was stabbed…
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Wife returns lottery winings to cuckold husband but kicks him out of family home
The alleged cheating wife of a lottery winner who ran off with her lover and her cuckold husband’s 6 million baht winnings agreed to return the money she has left. She insists she does not have a lover, despite what her son and husband said, and that she will return the money on the condition her husband leaves the family…
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Thai activists and politician show support for protester blinded by rubber bullet
Thai activists and a politician showed their support for a protester blinded in one eye by a rubber bullet last week. This was after police fired rubber bullets at protesters at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre on November 18. The man blinded was Phayu Daodin, a graduate of Khon Kaen University’s Faculty of Law. He has lost sight in his…
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Car bomb explodes at police apartments in southern Thailand, 1 dead, 20 injured
At least one police officer was killed in a car bomb explosion at a housing compound for police in Narathiwat province in southern Thailand at midday today. At least 20 more people were injured in the blast. A man dressed as a police officer was seen driving a pickup truck into the compound before the car bomb exploded at around…
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Bungling thief borrows 500 baht from victim and asks for sex before escaping
An incompetent thief broke into a woman’s house in the early hours of yesterday morning and asked for sex and 500 baht. The victim managed to persuade the wannabe thief to give up on the sex idea and leave her in peace on the promise she transfers the 500 baht to him through an app. The bungling thief thanked the…
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Charter flights to Phuket and Pattaya filled with Russian tourists
Charter flights to Thailand’s hotspots of Phuket and Pattaya are being filled with Russian tourists. The chairman of the Chonburi Council of Tourism Industry, Thanet Suparashasrangsi, said… “The Azur Airline will start bringing in charter flights from November 26 on B757 carriers, which can hold about 202 passengers and will improve the number of tourists in Pattaya significantly.” Russia’s Ikar…
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Two Czech tourists seriously injured in road accident in southern Thailand
A pickup truck crashed into two Czech tourists crossing a dimly lit road in Phang Nha province in southern Thailand last night. Both of the tourists are seriously injured. At 7.30pm, officers from Khao Lak Police Station were informed that a car hit and injured pedestrians in front of Pee Ann’s restaurants on the Phetchakasem Road in the Khuk Kak…
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Cannabis fate discussed today by Narcotics Control Board
Today is the day the future of cannabis in Thailand will be decided. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board is meeting to discuss proposals calling for the plant to once again be classified as a Type 5 drug. But some powerful political figures insist that the board is powerless to stop the legalised proliferation of cannabis. Minister of Public…
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Good citizens return lost leopard cat to national park in northern Thailand
A baby leopard cat who strayed away from Nam Nao National Park in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, has returned home with the help of some good citizens. Yesterday, the Office of Conservation Area 11 posted photos of an adorable, tiny, striped leopard kitten on Facebook with the caption… “We appreciate the good citizens who brought the #leopardcat (Prionailurus bengalensis), a…
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Man files police complaint after finding stranger’s houses on his land
A Thai man filed a complaint with the police after discovering that a stranger built two houses on his land in the western province of Kanchanaburi. The tale should be filed under “stories you’ll only find in Thailand.” The 45 year old land owner, Pairat (surname reserved), escorted reporters around his 442 square-metre estate in the Lad Ya sub-district of…
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Searches after Indonesian earthquake, death toll over 160
Searches continue for survivors of the massive earthquake in Indonesia. The death toll has now climbed to over 160 people. The quake struck in Cianjur, about 75 kilometres southeast of Jakarta, at a depth of 10 kilometres and lasted for about one minute. The earthquake measured 5.6 on the Richter scale with the epicentre in the mountains of West Java.…
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BTS Skytrain demands 40 billion baht debt is paid
The BTS Skytrain, under the BTS Group Holdings Public Company, launched a video yesterday to demand their money back! BTS says the government owes them 40 billion baht and they want the debt paid. The BTS revealed it intends to shame the government by airing the debt-collection message on every screen inside BTS trains and station platforms along Sukhumvit, or…
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Iran’s football team declines to sing its own anthem at World Cup
Iran’s football team declined to sing its national anthem at the FIFA World Cup in a move that appears to be a display of solidarity with their fellow countrymen, who are protesting against Iran’s theocratic dictatorship. Before yesterday’s match against England, the Iranian players stood silent as their national anthem was played before the game kicked off. This bold gesture…
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Foreigner repeatedly scams petrol stations in central Thailand
A fearless foreigner of unidentified nationality is touring the small province of Nakhon Nayok in central Thailand and scamming staff at petrol stations over and over again. Yesterday, staff at a PT Station in the Mueang district opposite a Toyota shop complained that a foreigner deceived them into giving him money. At around 9pm, an English-speaking man wearing a red shirt…
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Chinese man operates illegal hairdressers in plain sight in Pattaya, Thailand
Immigration Police arrested a Chinese man and four foreign employees for operating an illegal hairdresser’s shop in the middle of Pattaya city in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. The Chinese owner claims he didn’t know that hairdressing was a career strictly reserved for Thai people. Under the Foreign Business Act, certain occupations in Thailand are strictly prohibited for foreigners and…
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Fraudulant websites offer refunds on FTX collapse
With the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, crypto investors that lost it all are being warned to beware of misinformation and fake websites promising to help recoup their losses. Singapore police issued a warning over the weekend about a website that says it can help FTX investors to recover their lost crypto when the company declared bankruptcy. On November 11,…
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Earthquake kills at least 46 in Indonesia
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck West Java in Indonesia this afternoon, killing at least 46 people. Over 700 injuries have been reported so far. The death toll is likely to rise, according to the Indonesian Disaster Agency. The quake struck in Cianjur, about 100 kilometres southeast of Jakarta, at a depth of 10 kilometres and lasted for about one minute.…
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