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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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Thai taxi drivers protest against extended GrabBike deadline
Bangkok motorcycle Taxi riders and Taxi drivers today burned their orange safety vests in protest of the Transport Ministry’s decision to extend the licence of GrabBike riders for 2 more months. The company announced last week that every one of their Grab riders must register as a public transport operator and change their registration plates from white to yellow if…
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North Korea says “unusual things” near border caused Covid-19 outbreak
North Korean state media says its Covid-19 outbreak was caused by 2 people touching so-called “unusual things” near the border with South Korea. The state-run agency KCNA did not, however, specify what theses “unusual things” were. KCNA said the 2 people who touched the things were an 18 year old soldier, and a 5 year old child. The two reportedly…
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China and Taiwan offer conflicting views over Hong Kong rule
China President Xi Jingping, and Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang offered conflicting views on Hong Kong rule as the mainland celebrated the 25th anniversary of its handover from the United Kingdom. The Taiwan chief claims freedom and democracy have disappeared in Hong Kong as he witnessed scenes of today’s celebration in the city’s business hub from Taipei today. “One only has…
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Songklha welcomes more Malaysian tourists after Thailand pass scrapped
Thailand’s southern province of Songklha has welcomed about 5,000 Malaysian tourists who drove across the border today. Before Thailand Pass was scrapped today, the number of people crossing Sadao checkpoint each day had been averaging 1,000-1,500. Now, the president of Hat Yai Songkhla Hotels Association says hoteliers expect to see 150,000 tourists from Malaysia in July. The president, Sitthiphong Sitthiphatprapha,…
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UPDATE: 19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel
UPDATE Phuket Police, Lieutenant Colonel Kokiat Boonplod, today confirmed there was no foul play involved in the death of 19 year old Australian Joshua Cornell. The teenager fell to his death from the 6th floor of a hotel rooftop in Phuket’s Patong Beach. The roof of a restaurant kitchen next door broke his fall. CCTV footage captured Cornell walking on…
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Unlicensed pool villa in Pattaya raided by police
Residents living in View Point Village in Bang Lamueng district in Pattaya filed a complaint to the authorities after foreigners caused carnage at an unlicensed pool villa. The Assistant District Officer, Pornchai Sung-iad, investigated the View Point Village, where several houses operate as pool villas and found that a number of locals were concerned that more properties in the area…
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Pink and Yellow monorail lines will be in service in 2023
The lives of Bangkok commuters are about to become a lot easier after news broke yesterday that trial runs were being scheduled in October on the Pink and Yellow monorail lines. The 52.6 billion baht Pink Line is about 14% away from being finished while the 49 billion baht Yellow Line’s construction is 93% complete. Commuters will be able to…
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Storm ‘Chaba’ to impact Thailand, meteorologists say
Thailand’s monsoon season is still alive and kicking, with a new storm potentially on the way to bring more winds and gusty rain to parts of the country from today (Friday) until tomorrow (Saturday), particularly in the north-east areas of the country. The Thai Meteorological Department said a tropical storm ‘Chaba’ is currently moving through the upper South China Sea.…
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Sri Lanka’s doctors and nurses demand fuel and medicine
Sri Lanka’s medical staff is suffering from a shortage of fuel and medicine. Doctors and nurses say they are struggling to find enough fuel to get to work, even though they are designated, essential workers. On top of this, the island nation is suffering power cuts and shortages of food and medicines. On Wednesday, over 100 medical staff from the…
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Thai bank apps crash on payday causes customer outrage
Siam Commercial Bank joined Bangkok Bank, and TMB Thanachart Bank in causing chaos throughout Thailand this morning when their banking apps crashed. They not only wreaked turmoil throughout the land but they also managed to unite all of its customers – in anger, after their mobile banking systems crashed on the day their salaries were supposed to be transferred into…
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Goodbye, adios, good riddance Thailand Pass – OPINION
From today, July 1, there is no more Thailand Pass. The digital online pre-travel registration for people coming into Thailand has had a checkered history and left a bad taste in the north of many foreigners, and Thais, who have had a poor experience with the digital gateway. After the launch of the Phuket Sandbox on July 1, 2021 –…
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Bangkok abbot says he didn’t embezzle 95 million baht
The chief monk at Wat Sutthi Wararam Buddhist temple in Bangkok yesterday insisted he is innocent of any embezzlement charges after a renewed complaint was made against him. The temple’s former accountant, Channarong Phiandi, has made a fresh complaint against the abbot, Phra Sutheerattanabundit, maintaining he embezzled 95 million baht and disposed of a partially cremated corpse into the Chao…
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3 Thais caught stealing a taxi in Cambodia
Three Thai nationals, 2 men and a woman, were caught by Cambodian police and have been charged with stealing a taxi while the driver went to use the bathroom. The suspects were detained in the province of Takeo and are being questioned by police officers. According to the taxi driver, Preung Vuth, he was taking the 3 Thais from Kandal…
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Pattaya Police add more patrols to stop theft against Indian tourists
Pattaya Police are working toward promises to end gold theft against tourists, particularly Indian tourists. Between last night and this morning, Pattaya Police and tourist police walked up and down Beach Road. Tourist Police Lieutenant Thanaphat Klebe-Udom said officers were interviewing “suspiciously” loitering individuals at random. But Thanaphat said police are especially interviewing loiterers who are transgender. He said officers…
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China key to Thailand’s tourism industry recovery
The Tourism Council of Thailand yesterday confessed that building up tourism to pre-Covid-19 levels is going to be a challenge to the kingdom despite encouraging signs of recovery this year. And without Chinese tourists, the task remains even harder. The last of Thailand’s Covid-related restrictions were lifted today. Tourists no longer need a Thailand Pass or insurance, and you don’t…
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The ultimate holiday destination at Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort
Press Release Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort invites all travellers to Phuket. Whether travellers are visiting for work or fun, the hotel is sure to cater to the needs of today’s everyday traveller with its approachable design, stylish comfort and all of the brand’s popular extras. Nestled in a crescent-shaped bay of white sand, overlooking the azure…
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Covid hospitalisations rising in Thailand but CCSA says “no new preventative measures”
Last week the Thai public health department declared that Thailand would move into a “post pandemic phase” from July 1. But a leading heart disease specialist, Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, at the Vichaiyut Hospital in Phayathai is calling on the Public Health department to postpone the declaration, saying that the current rise in cases proves that Thailand “is not ready”. Last…
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CAAT insists air travellers still need to mask up on Thai flights
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand today recommended that all travellers still need to wear face masks on flights because an airplane cabin is a confined area. The Royal Gazette last week announced that face mask wearing is a voluntary practice in an outdoor and airy place, but recommended that people wear masks in crowded areas and venues where social…
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On top of fire this week, Bangkok’s Chinatown deals with house collapse
Bangkok’s Chinatown has had a rough week. After a fire killed 2 people in the Samphanthawong district on June 26, a house collapsed this morning in the same district. The district is located beside the Chao Phraya River. The house’s owner said the 2 storey house was built 260 years ago and was the first Chinese-style building to be built…
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Police close joints on Khao San Road for selling cannabis without a licence
Police have closed all shops selling cannabis on Khao San Road in Bangkok for operating without a license on a public road. The police told the businesses that selling cannabis wasn’t wrong, but it is illegal without permission to do so. Since cannabis was decriminalised on June 9 and removed from the Public Health Ministry’s narcotics category, cannabis shops have…
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Malaysian arrested in Bangkok for wildlife trafficking, claims he came for cannabis
A Malaysian national arrested in Bangkok yesterday for alleged wildlife trafficking claimed he came to the kingdom for cannabis oil business. The man, 58 year old Boon Ching Teo, is allegedly a key trafficker in a global network. He was reportedly dubbed ‘the godfather’ of wildlife trading by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is wanted by US authorities.…
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Gold snatcher on the loose in central Thailand
Police are on the hunt for a gold armed robber in central Thailand. The man held up a gold shop in the province of Pathum Thani this morning, stealing 6 necklaces. Altogether, the necklaces were worth about 450,000 baht. The thief snatched the pricey necklaces from a shop in a Tesco Lotus mall in the Thayaburi district. A shop employee,…
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PayPal Thailand back this year for those with Thai ID Cards
PayPal announced its service will be up and operational in Thailand this year under its registered company name PayPal Thailand. To use the service, current users would be required to verify their identities via the Thai National Digital ID platform, and this process requires a Thai national ID card. Obviously this is a problem for foreigners. PayPal made some changes…
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Chon Buri police stop former military sergeant from jumping off school roof
A police negotiation specialist managed to talk a man out of jumping from a school roof in Chon Buri province yesterday. According to Thai media, the man was a first-class sergeant major in the military, but his mother took him home after he appeared to have some psychotic symptoms. The man had demanded to speak with his commander and his…
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Norwegian man stabs himself in Pattaya hotel
A Norwegian man allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach last night while alone in his hotel bedroom in Pattaya. Frank Gjesvold was rushed to hospital with a gaping wound to the abdomen after staff heard screams for help at 11.30pm from room 409 at a hotel in the South Pattaya area, Nong Prue subdistrict, in Chon Buri province. Staff banged…
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19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel
A 19 year old Australian, Joshua Connell, died when he fell from the 6th floor of a hotel rooftop in Phuket’s Patong Beach. He landed on the roof of a restaurant kitchen next door and was only wearing shorts.s CCTV video shows that he was balancing on the brick walling and steel railing of the rooftop area before losing his…
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Chiang Mai protestors send Prayut a message, despite thousands of police
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha received a message after visiting the northern province of Chiang Mai yesterday. A group of protestors known as Kiat Lampang ‘greeted’ Prayut outside the airport. The group had announced on its Facebook page… “Come and welcome and chase out Prayut! At the international airport, Chiang Mai, today will definitely follow and chase him all day.” Prayut later…
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Bangkok open-air film festival is free to moviegoers next month
Bangkok’s open-air film festival, Krung Thep Klang Plang, which means Bangkok open-air theatres, rolls out the red carpet for the whole month of July. The open-air theaters will be held at a number of different locations throughout the city, and the first event kicks off on July 7 at Laan Kon Mueng space in front of the Bangkok City Hall,…
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Suspected pork smuggling scandal in central Thailand
There’s been a suspected pork smuggling scandal in central Thailand’s Nakhon Pathom province yesterday. The country’s Livestock Development Department found 59 tonnes of pork in a cold storage facility. The department found 1,510 boxes of pork legs from Poland. It found 1,433 boxes of pork labeled with the Brazilian brand Seara. It found 500 boxes of pork under the German…
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Thai Police ordered to pay 3.4 million baht for torturing teenager
South Bangkok Civil Court yesterday ordered The Royal Thai Police to pay about 3.4 million baht in compensation for the false imprisonment and brutal torture of a teenager in 2009. Rittirong Chuenchit was arrested by Prachin Buri Police’s criminal investigation team on January 28, 2009, for suspected theft. During the investigation, police tried to extract a confession from the victim,…
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