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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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Prayut says he’s still waiting for an invitation to join a party for the election
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he won’t be reshuffling his cabinet following the resignations of four ministers who are core members of the pro-junta Palang Pracharat party. And he declared that he will seek to return to power only through election. He also openly ruled out the possibility of exploiting the provisional clauses in the Constitution to be re-appointed PM…
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Reflections #2 – Thailand Tourism Forum – ‘Chindia Tourism’
‘CHINDIAN’ Tourists – Same Same or Different? by Wimintra Raj – hotelintel.co If you’re running a hotel or any business related to the local tourism industry in Thailand, this is an article you need to read, then read again. It was just one of the many presentations at the annual Thailand Tourism Forum held in Bangkok recently. “For the third…
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Bangkok air deteriorates today
PHOTO: Bangkok skyline this morning – FM91 Traffic Pro Greater Bangkok’s air pollution was bad this morning, with 36 locations reporting the amount of PM2.5 micron pollutants rising beyond the safety limit of 50 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air, with one area reaching as high as 113 micrograms. The Pollution Control Department say the breeze is too low…
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Immigration officers asked to show leniency to foreigners applying for retirement & marriage visas
Thai immigration say that they’re willing to show leniency to foreigners in the prickly subject of proving income when applying for retirement and marriage visas and extensions. Immigration chief Police Lieutenant General Surachete Hakparn acknowledges that some applicants may have difficulty in providing the now required 12 months worth of bank statements. Where this is the case Surachete has instructed…
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Trailer collides with sedan on highway in Bangkok
PHOTOS: FM 91 BKK A trailer and truck has collided with a car on a highway in Bangkok today. Traffic Police say the incident blocked some parts of the road causing traffic to tail back for many kilometers. FM 91 BKK reported that the truck-trailer had collided with a car on the Rama IX Bridge southbound causing traffic delays for several…
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British Embassy contact Police to release the body of the 17 year old who died in a motorbike incident last week
A representative of the British Embassy has contacted Kamala Police to retrieve the body of the teenager who died in a motorbike incident in Kamala last week. The family are trying to raise funds to repatriate the body of Anthony Ryan. The 17 year old teenager from Yorkshire in the UK died after being involved in a head-on motorbike accident…
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Australia Day 2019 function at Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort
PHOTO: Phuket’s Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana and Australian Consul General for Phuket Craig Ferguson Celebrating the 2019 Australia Day, the Australian Consul General for Phuket Craig Ferguson hosted a lovely evening with guests including Phuket’s Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana along with other local dignitaries and invited local Australians. About 300 people were in attendance as Mr Ferguson reflected on the past year and…
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Chiang Rai pick-up driver arrested with 4 million meth pills in the back
A man has been arrested in Chiang Rai with 4 million methamphetamine pills stacked into the back of his pick-up. The 27 year old is alleged to have smuggled from a border spot. Acting on a tip-off, the Chiang Rai-based narcotics suppression police spotted a pick-up truck parked at a shophouse on Phaholyothin road in Moo 4 village in Wiang…
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Body of a Korean man found on the ground outside hotel in Pattaya
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News The body of a dead Korean man was found naked on the ground outside a hotel in Pattaya early today (Tuesday). The Pattaya News is reporting that the Pattaya City Police were notified of an incident at the KTK Royal Residence inside Soi Pattaya Klang 12 at 5.30am. At the scene, near a wall, police found…
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Twinpalms Hotels & Resorts appoint new director of sales & revenue
PHOTO: Paritchawan Kraiponrak (Jom), the new Director of Sales & Revenue at Twinpalms Group Mrs Paritchawan Kraiponrak (Jom) is warmly welcomed back into the Twinpalms group to take the position of Director of Sales & Revenue for the Phuket-grown hospitality brand. With well over two decades of solid work experience within Phuket’s hospitality industry and a master’s degree in ‘Hospitality &…
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Wat Chalong Fair kicks off on February 4
Phuket’s biggest annual temple fair, held at Wat Chalong, will kick off on February 4 to offer one week of local fun, stalls, food and entertainment. Each year the Fair attracts thousands of visitors who come to sample the wide range of food, browse the market stalls and enjoy the variety of activities on offer. There will also be traditional nang talung shadow…
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Headless body discovered washed up on beach south of Hua Hin
FILE PHOTO A headless body has been discovered on a remote Prachuap Khiri Khan province beach early today (Tuesday). Police report that a local fisherman found the body of the man just after midnight. The body was found, face down, partially covered in sand, and wearing red underwear. The body was found at Ban Khok Tahome beach, in Moo 9…
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Air quality for Thailand – January 29
Central Thailand Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number…
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Weather for January 29
Bangkok A mix of clouds and sun. High 33C. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 80%. Chiang Mai Sunny to partly cloudy. High 32C. Winds light and variable. Pattaya Sunny. High 32C. Winds WNW at 10…
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Thai PM enacts his Article 44 powers to suspend cannabis patents
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has stepped in amid growing controversy over patents for medical marijuana. Critics of the process complain that the high number of patent applications from abroad shows that foreign pharmaceutical corporations were already trying to monopolise Thailand’s fledgling medical-marijuana business. The NCPO leader has used his Article 44 powers to authorise suspension of the current patent applications…
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Car torching is ‘under investigation’
SCREENSHOT: Moments after the arsonist sets fire to the car by Teeranai Charuvastra – Khaosod English At this stage, Police are declining to say whether they have identified the man who was filmed torching a prominent activist’s car in Bangkok (video below). Supporters of Ekachai Hongkanwan, who was assaulted a week ago by masked men just, are blaming the latest attack…
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Eight saved after speedboat capsizes off Koh Lanta coast
Six tourists and two boat crew have been saved after a speedboat capsized two kilometers offshore from Koh Lanta in Krabi. Officials at the Krabi Tourist Assistance Centre were notified of the incident at 11am on Saturday. Navy and national park officers headed to the scene to find a speedboat which had capsized. Eight people were floating in the water…
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Chiang Mai sting lands family of smugglers in custody
PHOTOS: The Nation A family that smuggles together, stays together. In jail. A family of six is under arrest in Chiang Mai after allegedly handing over 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 170,000 methamphetamine pills to undercover police in the province. Police arrested all the members of the ethnic Lahu family. All were aged between 32 and 51 years. Police say…
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Sharks on order – Phuket seafood restaurants
PHOTO: Sunshine Sketcher “Sea food restaurants along Kata and Karon Beach are famous among tourists as prices of dishes are quite reasonable.” The IUCN is calling for every country to educate tourists to protect sharks before they become extinct. More sharks have now been discovered hanging in front of seafood restaurants along the Karon restaurant strip. Read more about recent sightings…
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Chiang Mai temple roasted for charging foreigners to enter
There’s two-tier charging then there’s the next step of allowing Thais in for free and only charging foreigners. That seems to be the case when a Chiang Mai temple has been caught out charging a 50 baht fee, but only for foreigners. A Facebook post from Aronong Silvestra claims he found the box at Wat Suwan in the Muang district…
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Troops intercept pickup with 2.85 million meth pills – one smuggler killed
A shootout with Army troops has resulted in the death of a drug suspect while attempting to smuggle 2.8 million methamphetamine pills into Thailand from neighbouring Myanmar. Troops from the Pha Muang Taskforce were patrolling a border road in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Saen district, in the far north of Thailand, when they spotted the pickup truck at about 10.40pm. Ttroops…
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Air quality for Thailand – January 28
Central Thailand Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number…
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Boy seriously injured after mauling by dogs near Sarasin Bridge
A seven year old boy has been seriously injured after being attacked and mauled by a group of dogs near Sarasin Bridge. Sarasin Bridge connects Phuket with the Thai mainland. The seven year old boy is Yueanyong ‘D-Max’ Chairab. He was attacked by four dogs at a beach near Sarasin Bridge in Thanoon, Takua Tung on the Phang Nga side…
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Weather for January 28
Bangkok Abundant sunshine. High 32C. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 60%. Chiang Mai Plenty of sunshine. High 31C. Winds light and variable. Pattaya Sunny. High 31C. Winds N at 15 to 25 km/h.…
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BNK48 singer apologizes for wearing shirt emblazoned with a Nazi swastika
Two foreign envoys representing the Israeli Embassy in Thailand have openly expressed dismay after a member of the pop all-girl singing group BNK48 was wearing a T-shirt bearing a Nazi swastika. The sister band of Japan’s AKB48 issued an apology yesterday to match the tearful one delivered earlier by 20 year old singer Pichayapa “Namsai” Natha. “It was a bad…
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Facebook poll reveals expats in Thailand are not optimistic about the future
A simple online poll conducted by Thaivisa on their Facebook page shows that 75% of respondents think expatriate life in Thailand will be ‘worse’ in five years than it is now. According to the poll, only 24% held out hope that life for expats would actually improve by 2024. Facebook users were asked the simple question in the online poll:…
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Pattaya faces a condo oversupply
Last year, Pattaya saw 10,239 condominium units launched with a combined worth of 55 billion bHT (USD1.7 billion), a huge jump from JUST 2,192 units in 2017. Phattarachai Taweewong, the Senior Manager of Collier’s research department, told Bangkok Post that a large portion of the homes remain unsold due to the massive supply last year, The research department’s research showed that…
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17 year old UK teenager dies in motorbike accident during holiday in Thailand
A 17 year old teenager from the UK has died after being involved in a motorbike accident while holidaying in Thailand. The article in The Telegraph and Argus, a Yorkshire daily in the UK, doesn’t mention where the young man died. 17 year old Anthony Ryan was visiting Thailand on his first trip abroad and was killed in the accident…
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Fire destroys buildings in Phuket Town
A fire has destroyed a building in Phuket Town, damaging nearby buildings before it was brought under control. Fire fighters at the Phuket City Municipality were notified of the incident at a building near Phuket Bus Terminal 1 in Phuket Town on Phang Nga Road at 8.53am. About 10 fire engines arrived to find the three storey building was in…
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NCPO restrict social media and advertising in election campaign
“Following the confirmation that Thailand’s much-postponed election would finally be held on 24 March – the first election since the military seized power in a bloodless coup in 2014 – the election commission released strict guidelines on political campaigning.” The world’s media is starting to report on the shackles put on political parties campaigning for the Thai general election, scheduled…
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