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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 Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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TAT expects Phuket Vegetarian Festival to make over 3 billion baht
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says it expects Phuket’s upcoming annual vegetarian festival to rake in more than 3 billion baht of visitor money this year. The festival will be held from September 26 to October 4. Some 81,429 travellers on 506 international flights are due to visit Phuket during the festival. Meanwhile, 110,165 domestic travellers are due to…
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Thai Buddhists ask 7-Eleven stores to separate halal labels
A non-profit organization requested 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand to provide a special shelf for products without halal labels. The group said halal labels made goods more expensive. Yesterday, Thai Buddhists from Buddhism Protection for Peace (BPP) gathered in front of CP Tower on Silom Road in Bangkok to hand over a letter about halal labels to the executive board…
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Tangmo: ‘Speedboat gang’ to pay 2 million baht plus salary to Tangmo’s mother
Seven months after famous actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong fell from a speedboat and drowned in the Chaophraya River, the court has ordered all six defendants in the case to pay damages to Tangmo’s mother. Today, Nonthaburi Provincial Court ordered all six defendants – the “speedboat gang” – to pay a collective upfront sum of 2 million baht in damages to…
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Russian man killed in Phuket motorbike crash
A Russian man has been killed after crashing his motorbike into a minivan in Phuket’s resort town of Karon yesterday. Rescuers arrived at the scene on the Karon–Patong Road to find the unconscious man lying on the road and heavily bleeding from his head. The rescuers rushed him to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. They have not…
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Thailand’s drugs operation with Korea hailed a success
Thailand hailed the success of a joint operation with Korea to stamp out drug trafficking between the two nations after their counterparts revealed they had collected a large supply of narcotics. This is the first time the Thai nation has sent agents to foreign shores to take part in such a joint operation. The Korea Customs Service (KSC) sent a team…
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Malaysia launches new cheaper, easier digital nomad visa
Hot on the heels of Thailand’s grab at attracting long-term residents through their new LTR visa, Malaysia has released a digital nomad visa option that appears to be far cheaper and easier to qualify for. The De Rantau Programme will go live on October 1 and will offer a 12-month digital nomad pass. The website states the goal is to…
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Roadside bomb blast kills police officer and injures four more in southern Thailand
A roadside bomb blast killed one police officer and injured four more officers in Pattani province in southern Thailand yesterday. The officers were patrolling Mai Kaen district in a pickup truck when suspected insurgents hiding nearby detonated a roadside bomb in front of Mai Kaen Hospital at around 7.40pm. In the blast, the pickup truck was launched into a power…
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SE Asia’s traffickers targeting the young and tech savvy
Southeast Asia’s traffickers are targeting young and tech-savvy people to lure them into their devastating scams. The traffickers make adverts promising easy work and cushy benefits, drawing in thousands of young, educated victims. When the victims arrive at their destinations they are held captive and forced to work in online scam centres known as “fraud factories.” These include love scams,…
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Foreigner’s ad looking for highly paid Thai girlfriend attracts hundreds of applicants
A Thai woman posted a job advertisement online last week on behalf of her two Chinese friends who are looking to hire Thai girlfriends. The positions come with a 100,000 baht salary per month with a chance to earn even more if the girlfriends do a good job. Facebook user ‘Ok Mai Mai’ posted the following message last week… “Looking…
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Extreme mud roads not enough to stop commuting teachers
Rain-drenched pavements on city roads are bad enough but, in rural areas of the Tak province, flood waters on the dirt roads have created clay mud swamps. Many roads are practically impassible, but some dedicated teachers are going above and beyond to commute to school each day. In the Umphang district of the northeastern province, roads have been particularly bad,…
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Cambodian officials consider new border pass scheme for Thais to Siem Reap
Cambodian officials are looking to boost tourism, and are mulling over a potential new scheme for Thais who live in provinces bordering Cambodia. The idea for the potential new scheme was brought up at a meeting on Monday. The scheme would allow Thais who have an official residence in any of the seven bordering provinces to travel by land to…
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212 million baht budget for foreign films shot in Thailand
The Thai Cabinet approved a budget of 212 million baht to support the foreign film industry in Thailand. The Cabinet revealed that six movie crews, four from the United States, one from France, and one from Singapore, will benefit from the 2023 budget. Prime Minister Office spokesperson Trisuree Trisanakun announced to the Thai press yesterday that the Cabinet approved the…
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Patient info found on pancake wrapping in Chon Buri
A Thai woman on Monday said she feared that the nation’s data might get into the scrupulous hands of the kingdom’s criminal underworld after finding the pancake she bought from a shop in Chon Buri province wrapped in paper which revealed a hospital patient’s personal information. The woman approached the press to spread the story because she feared that the…
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Six more sought in kidnapping and beating of teen boy
After police announced yesterday they had issued a warrant for a suspect accused of kidnapping a 16 year old boy and severely beating him before dumping him on the side of the road, six more suspects have been identified in the crime. Pak Kret Police issued six more warrants for the incident that took place in Nontha Buri last week.…
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At least 11 children killed after Burmese junta shoots at school, UNICEF says
It has been reported that helicopters belonging to the Burmese junta fired shots at a school in the central Sagain Region on September 16. UNICEF says that at least 11 children were killed and 17 were injured at the scene. UNICEF said that at least 15 other children from the school were missing. A junta spokesperson said the army had entered…
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Alleged Ukrainian torture victims come forward to testify
After Ukraine’s military advance north of Kharkiv this month, evidence of torture has been allegedly uncovered. Ukrainian police and prosecutors have reportedly taken over the border town of Kozacha Lopan, forcing Russian troops back across the border. Now, an investigation has been launched over alleged war crimes. The small town was previously occupied by a pro-Russia militia, with alleged torture victims…
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Delivery rider snatches 3.4 million baht from woman in Chon Buri
An alleged armed mugger in a Grab delivery uniform yesterday snatched about 3.5 million baht from a woman outside a bank in Chon Buri province before fleeing the scene. The 29 year old victim, Prapaporn Boonmesanom, had just withdrawn the money from the Siam Commercial Bank in Soi Rat Uthit in the Baan Bueng district of Chon Buri when she…
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Former Thai deputy PM Suthep cleared of corruption charges by Supreme Court
Former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuwan has been cleared by Thailand’s top court of corruption charges. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions also acquitted five co-defendants in the case over a decade-old incident. The charges stemmed from Suthep’s alleged involvement in a project to construct 396 police stations and living quarters while he was deputy PM.…
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Pattaya burglar snatches over 50,000 baht from Chinese expat
A burglar managed to snatch more than 50,000 baht from a Chinese woman in East Pattaya on Sunday. The crook smashed the victim’s window and rummaged through the closet of 40 year old Ming Liang Xu. The burglar stole 50,000 baht from the pocket of a pair of her trousers and another 1,000 baht left on a nightstand. The thief…
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THAI expects bankruptcy court to approve revised rehabilitation plan
Thai Airways International (THAI) is expecting its revised rehabilitation plan to be approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The submitted revision comes after the ailing carrier bounced back better than expected after its Covid-19-induced downfall. But, its rehab plan hasn’t come without pushback from some creditors. Chai Eamsiri, the airline’s acting chief financial officer and senior chief, says once the…
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US tourist tips Thai woman 100 dollars to thank for her kindness
A Californian traveller and blogger tipped a Thai woman 100 dollars, or nearly 4,000 baht, after she crafted him a handmade poncho for free on a rainy day. On August 22, the man from California, Chris Rodriguez, posted a video of a Thai woman whom he met near Bangkok Chinatown on his TikTok account with a caption that said… “Thai…
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Thailand News Today | Thai airlines discounts on domestic flights
You can get 300 baht off domestic flights in Thailand under the project “Discounts All Over the Sky, Fly All Over Thailand. ” The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai Airlines Association jointly launched a special offer to stimulate the economy through domestic tourism this season. Six airlines joined the scheme to offer 300 baht discounts on 500,000 seats on…
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Woman falls down hole while walking on a pavement near Bangkok
Walking on pavements in Thailand is a hazardous affair at the best of times. Pedestrians have a number of dangers to look out for such as speeding motorcyclists, scooters, cars backing up or even street vendors with their carts. One woman fell down a hole after the paving gave way while walking in the central province of Nonthaburi in Bangkok.…
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Thai police undergo training drill in preparation for APEC meeting
Bangkok Police officers took part in a five-day training drill in preparation for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting between November 18 and 19 this year. The five-day programme started on Friday, September 16 at the office of the Special Operation Division in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok. The objective of the drill was to prepare officers for any emergencies…
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Official warns against touching foreigners after monkeypox arrives in China
A top Chinese health official advised the public against touching foreigners after China recorded its first monkeypox infection in the southwestern city of Chongqing on Friday. Chief Epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wu Zunyou posted on Weibo to advise Chinese people to avoid “skin-to-skin contact with foreigners” if they want to be safe from…
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Father allegedly beats 6 year old son to death in drunken rage
A father faces up to 20 years in prison after he allegedly beat to death his six year old son in a drunken rage in northern Thailand. Police reported the 33 year old father confessed to killing his son and dumping the child’s body in the Ping River in Kamphaeng Phet province. Police questioned the father, named only as Korakot,…
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Ministry of Labour strives to provide jobs for the elderly
The population of Thailand is collectively getting older, and now the Ministry of Labour is attempting to address the problem of senior citizens without the financial means to sustain themselves. Minister of Labour Suchart Chomklin is working to create a job market for elderly citizens as Thais over 60 struggle to pay their bills without jobs. The plan to reduce…
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Thai police bust illegal piranha trafficking operation in Bangkok
Police arrested a man in Bangkok yesterday for illegally smuggling and selling piranha fish, following a joint investigation by Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Department of Fisheries. An investigation into illegal aquatic operations in Thailand revealed that 21 year old Abhisit Wisetsee had been illegally selling piranhas via the Internet for over a year. Each piranha sold for…
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Prawit billboard comes with note asking for legal leniency
In the northeastern province of Bueng Kan, billboards have been appearing promoting caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. One recently spotted sign in the province’s main city of the same name along the Laos border came with a note attached asking authorities to go easy on them for erecting the billboard, possibly skirting payment and regulations. The sign features a large…
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US mother of two who faked her own abduction is jailed
A mother of two in the United States who faked her abduction has been jailed for a year and a half. Sherri Papini from California was sentenced to 18 months in prison for making false statements to the FBI relating to a false kidnapping claim. The 39 year old went missing in November 2016 after going jogging sparking a nationwide…
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