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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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    Moving with family? Here’s how to cut health costs in Thailand

    Relocating to Thailand with your family brings exciting new opportunities, but it also comes with the challenge of managing healthcare costs in a new system. Thailand has both public and private healthcare options, each offering different prices and quality of...

  • Flaming hot: toxic spicy noodles recalled

    Flaming hot: toxic spicy noodles recalled

    Some people like their noodles as spicy as possible. But there’s such a thing as to0 flaming hot, as the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall on Mie Sedaap brand Korean Spicy Chicken noodles due to contamination with a flammable pesticide. The instant noodles are being recalled by the FDA after traces of a pesticide called…

  • Forever flooded – how do we break the disastrous cycle?

    Forever flooded – how do we break the disastrous cycle?

    As part of the south braces for expected seasonal floods, a vast area of the lower north, including Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, and Isaan, remains inundated. An editorial in this morning’s Bangkok Post asks what we can do to prevent ourselves from being washed away in the tide. Many people have drowned over the past two months, and yesterday, an…

  • Thai Airways refunds possible, reorganisation approved

    Thai Airways refunds possible, reorganisation approved

    Thai Airways International’s revised business reorganisation plan was approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The plan was submitted last month and the airline will now start on a course of financial restructuring. Does this mean everyone waiting for a refund from the Covid-19 pandemic and before Thailand’s flagship airline declared bankruptcy will finally get their money back? It is reported…

  • Netizens divided over two-faced cat

    Netizens divided over two-faced cat

    A kitten born with a rare, two-toned face has taken the Internet by storm with his own social media page. Split down the middle, one side black and the other grey, Narnia’s face shocked his owner, pedigree cat breeder Stephanie Jimenez, as soon as she saw him. She said… “I was very surprised; he is exceptional. It’s possible he’s a…

  • SE Asia foreign ministers to hold emergency talks over Myanmar

    SE Asia foreign ministers to hold emergency talks over Myanmar

    Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries are set to hold emergency talks over the current state of Myanmar. The talks will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia next week ahead of next month’s ASEAN leaders’ summit in Cambodia. Myanmar has descended into chaos since the military took over in February 2021. Now, reports say there are more than 2,300 killed during…

  • Burmese man drowns in Phuket drain

    Burmese man drowns in Phuket drain

    Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers have retrieved the body of an unnamed Burmese man who fell into a canal and drowned in Chalong. The 47 year old man from Myanmar fell into the canal while watching the flooding, Phuket Info Center reported. The body was found near the floodgate, far from where he fell. According to local media, several people saw the…

  • Hong Kong cancels screening of 2008 Batman flick over Chinese antagonist

    Hong Kong cancels screening of 2008 Batman flick over Chinese antagonist

    Hong Kong is scrapping the screening of The Dark Knight after government censors “recommended” against showing it. The concerns stem from the film’s Chinese antagonist as he is portrayed as being violent. According to the Hong Kong Free Press, parts of the film were shot in Hong Kong, but as Batman arrives in the city to pursue a corrupt Chinese…

  • In it together – Floods around the world

    In it together – Floods around the world

    Hardly a day goes by without more news of death and destruction in Thailand as the monsoon season resolutely refuses to end. We are not alone. It seems like the whole world is underwater, with people washed out of their homes from Australia to Zambia. Here are some images of different people facing similar problems around the world.   Australia…

  • From Retro Blogger to Modern-day Vlogger in Thailand feat. Jeroen Maduro | Thaiger Podcast Ep.9

    From Retro Blogger to Modern-day Vlogger in Thailand feat. Jeroen Maduro | Thaiger Podcast Ep.9

    Owner of Real Estate company Sukhumvit Homes and YouTube channel Global Travel Mate. Jaroen can show you some of the best and hottest properties in Bangkok Thailand, as well as be your guide to where and how to travel around the city. Jaroen is a prime example of a foreigner travelling to Thailand, starting and running a successful business while…

  • Secrets of Silicon Valley’s underground Mercedes

    Secrets of Silicon Valley’s underground Mercedes

    California cops are investigating why a person or person unknown buried a Mercedes stuffed full of unused bags of cement in the yard of a US$ 15 million (570 million baht) home in the 1990s. The car was discovered Thursday morning by gardeners in the affluent town of Atherton about 30 miles south of San Francisco, with unused bags of…

  • New details emerge on Pattaya pool villa shooting, more suspects caught

    New details emerge on Pattaya pool villa shooting, more suspects caught

    More details have emerged on the shooting at a Pattaya pool villa on Tuesday, and more suspects have been caught. After Pattaya Police intensely interrogated the five suspects who surrendered themselves earlier, it was revealed that two of the suspects were hired as scapegoats for another three men. The police have now busted the three new suspects at an unnamed…

  • School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand

    School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand

    Today, Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption sentenced the former principal of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, to 50 years imprisonment. The defendant Somchaow Sittichen confessed to stealing lunch money and serving kindergarten children plain rice noodles with fish sauce for lunch. The court found Somchaow guilty of 77 counts of corruption, each carrying a five-year…

  • Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops

    Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops

    UPDATE A Phuket official said yesterday that it would take seven days of temporary repair work before the road to Patong Hill is ready to use again. The official said the repair work can start once the rain stops. This news comes after the road suffered two landslides on Wednesday and Thursday. Phuket Highway Director Yutthana Pitak told The Phuket…

  • Reimagine with Anantara unveiling the new face of Anantara Chiang Mai Resort

    Reimagine with Anantara unveiling the new face of Anantara Chiang Mai Resort

    Press Release Anantara Chiang Mai Resort welcomes back travellers from around the world with renovated accommodations and exciting new dining experiences in a prime riverfront setting. With COVID-19 waning, travel to Thailand now back to normal, and Chiang Mai ready to celebrate life once again. Anantara Chiang Mai Resort recently hosted a glamorous evening reception for Lanna royalty, foreign diplomats,…

  • Malaysians plan ‘Cannaverse’ on Sukhumvit Road

    Malaysians plan ‘Cannaverse’ on Sukhumvit Road

    Malaysian investors want to build a cannabis entertainment centre in Bangkok to open next year. “Cannaverse” will be a private, members-only club with a hotel, swimming pool, weed dispensary, spa, restaurant, and karaoke room on Soi Sukhumvit 33, according to Coconuts. Cannaverse director Aric Ng said that food and beverages will be sold, including both cannabis-infused and weed-free beer. Ng said……

  • Why is Diwali important to Indians? The mythology behind the festival

    Why is Diwali important to Indians? The mythology behind the festival

    You might have heard of India’s “festival of lights” known as Diwali. Many photos show people who celebrate by holding colourful lanterns, or lighting candles. But what exactly is the festival celebrating? What do the lights symbolise? This year’s Diwali festival is coming up on Monday, October 24, and if you have Indian friends, it might be helpful to understand…

  • The Brahma statue thief who wants to paint the world blue

    The Brahma statue thief who wants to paint the world blue

    A thief with mental health problems stole a Brahma statue from a shrine at a school, in the Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province in the west of Thailand, painted it blue, before returning it to where he stole it from. Why? His favourite colour is blue. A teacher, Nu-sajee Kornrawee, posted CCTV footage and pictures of a thief on Facebook…

  • Missing Iranian rock climber hailed as hero upon arrival in Tehran

    Missing Iranian rock climber hailed as hero upon arrival in Tehran

    An Iranian rock climber returned home from an international competition and is being hailed a hero after competing without a hijab. The climber, 33-year-old Elnaz Rekabi, was competing in South Korea and says her headscarf slipped off, posing an obstacle to her during the competition. Previously, fans feared she was in trouble upon returning by Iran’s infamous morality police. But,…

  • This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you

    This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you

    “We hope to put Pattani on the world tourist map,” tour operator Fareeda Abdullah told Bernama. South Thailand’s Pattani province is not the first place people usually imagine for a holiday getaway. The province often makes headlines for sectarian tensions. But Pattani has an up-and-coming tourism industry. The province boasts breathtaking nature, including a beautiful mangrove forest in the Yarang…

  • WHO boss in Syria under investigation for fraud, corruption, abuse

    WHO boss in Syria under investigation for fraud, corruption, abuse

    The World Health Organisation Syrian branch representative has been accused of fraud, corruption, and abuse by coworkers. Akjemal Magtymova is now under what seems to be one of the most extensive investigations by the organisation as at least a dozen personnel have accused her of mismanaging millions of dollars, giving gifts to government officials and acting frivolously when the Covid…

  • true-dtac merger will increase mobile tariffs by 240%, warns watchdog

    true-dtac merger will increase mobile tariffs by 240%, warns watchdog

    In a controversial move, Thailand’s telecom regulator has approved the merging of two key mobile operators in Thailand: true and dtac. A consumer watchdog says the five-member committee “failed to use its authority to protect the public interest” by turning the market into a duopoly with reigning operator AIS. After an 11-hour meeting, the five-member board of the National Broadcasting…

  • US actor Kevin Spacey cleared in sex assault trial

    US actor Kevin Spacey cleared in sex assault trial

    US actor Kevin Spacey has been cleared of wrongdoing in a sex assault trial in New York. The actor was accused by Anthony Rapp of an incident that allegedly happened back in 1986 when Rapp was just 14 years old. Rapp says the actor climbed on top of him in a bed after a party and grabbed his buttocks, pressing…

  • Building in Phuket collapses due to heavy rain

    Building in Phuket collapses due to heavy rain

    A two-storey building in Phuket collapsed last night due to heavy rain. Fortunately, tenants left the property a day before the incident so no injuries were reported. The demolished building, located in Soi Prayoon 2 in the Talad Yai sub-district, Mueng district, in Phuket, offers 30 rental rooms. Only eight of the rooms were rented at the time of the…

  • Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket

    Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket

    Are later closing times finally coming to Phuket? Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to test a 4am closing time on several tourist hotspots, including Phuket’s Bang La Walking Street in Patong, Nation Thailand reported. The ministry will soon seek approval from the Thai Cabinet for the pilot project there, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced yesterday. Other…

  • Major road in Phang Nga flooded

    Major road in Phang Nga flooded

    A major road in Phang Nga was heavily flooded on Wednesday, with the flooded area almost 1 kilometre long. The flood on Petchkasem Road stretched from the fresh market in Takua Pa district to Khao Lak Medical Centre, with small cars unable to pass, Naewna reported. Phang Nga’s governor visited the flooded area, and said he had ordered Takua Pa’s…

  • Bomb blasts kill eight at Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison

    Bomb blasts kill eight at Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison

    Parcel bomb blasts killed eight people at Insein Prison on the outskirts of Yangon in Myanmar at 9.40am on Wednesday. Three prison staff and five visitors were killed, according to the Burmese military junta. Five visitors were killed in the explosions, including four women and a 10 year old girl, who were all relatives of political prisoners. Thirteen visitors, including…

  • Border cop accused of drug, weapon offences transferred to non-job

    Border cop accused of drug, weapon offences transferred to non-job

    The police chief of Narathiwat province has been reportedly transferred to an inactive position at Royal Thai Police (RTP) Headquarters, pending a disciplinary probe into his alleged connections to drug networks operating in the deep south and Malaysia. Pol Maj-General Waesamae Salae is under suspicion of aiding suspects in drug and weapons cases, a news source said on Wednesday. Narathiwat…

  • Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism

    Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism

    In yet another robust day of geopolitical debate in the European Parliament, another Irish MEP called out the hypocrisy of the West, this time for its state-sponsored terrorism. Following in the footsteps of her MEP colleague Mick Wallace, who on Wednesday slammed the double standards of the West, Clare Daly gave a refreshing account of geopolitics far from the usual…

  • Jobs and shelter for Bangkok’s homeless an uphill battle

    Jobs and shelter for Bangkok’s homeless an uphill battle

    Providing shelter and jobs for Bangkok’s homeless population is being quoted as an “uphill battle.” According to Thai PBS World, Deputy Bangkok Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon made such comments after meeting with city officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations on Wednesday. The meeting was to discuss homelessness in Thailand’s capitol and to develop ways to find shelter and jobs for them.…

  • It’s in the jeans – Iconic pants mined from rich seam of racism

    It’s in the jeans – Iconic pants mined from rich seam of racism

    When a pair of filthy old Levi’s blue jeans dating back to the 1880s was found in an abandoned mine in the former Wild West by self-described “denim archaeologist” Michael Harris, he knew immediately they were something special. The vintage pants were sold at Durango Vintage Festivus, a four-day celebration of denim on the outskirts of Aztec, N.M. for $87,400…