News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Phuket man loses 58,000 baht in money showing scam by foreigners
A Thai man lost 58,000 baht to a group of foreign suspects outside a bank in the city centre of Phuket last night, May 4, after reportedly showing cash to a foreign woman. The victim shared details of the incident with the Phuket Times Facebook page. He said he had arrived at the bank at around 6pm to withdraw cash…
-
Tourists told to move by Wat Arun photographers in fresh complaint
A tourist complaint has put photographers at Wat Arun back in the spotlight after visitors claimed they were told to move from public areas to make way for paying photo clients. The incident was shared on social media on May 5, with claims that a group of photographers at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan in Bangkok told tourists to move away…
-
Foreign scammer targets Phuket restaurants with confusion trick
At least three restaurant owners in Phuket fell victim to a foreign scammer who reportedly used confusion tactics to take money from the victims. A restaurant owner in Phuket, identified as Benz Paitoon, shared details of the incident on Facebook along with CCTV footage yesterday, May 4. He said the suspect, whose nationality is unknown, entered his shop and purchased…
-
Mystery body found in Buriram school toilet days before reopening
An unidentified decomposed body was found in a school toilet in Buriram yesterday, May 4, with police estimating the man had been dead for at least seven days. The discovery comes as the school prepares to reopen next week. Police from Mueang Buriram Police Station were alerted at 11am by a village assistant in Kalanta subdistrict, who arrived with rescue…
-
Krabi police hunt suspect after missing plantation owner found dead
An investigation into a murder is underway after a 70 year old palm plantation owner, who went missing on April 30, was found dead in a roadside forest in Krabi province yesterday, May 4. Khao Panom district, with the suspect still at large. The body was discovered in an area of Khlong Phraya Wildlife Sanctuary, about 300 metres from the…
-
Thailand video news | Weekend run of foreign dine-and-dash incidents, Foreign couple rescued from Krabi mangrove after ignoring safety advice
In Thailand video news, Alex covers news stories from across Thailand. The stories include a wave of dine-and-dash incidents involving tourists in Phuket, also on the island a couple was filmed performing lewd acts on each other in an open taxi, over in Pattaya a foreign man was detained after flying off the handle over a bill dispute, on Pattaya…
-
Cheap power bank explodes, nearly burns Samut Prakan home
A power bank explosion nearly set a home on fire in Samut Prakan on May 3 after the cheap device bought online caught fire while the owner’s wife was using her phone nearby. The incident happened at a house in Bang Sao Thong district. The woman was sitting inside the house with the power bank on a table when it…
-
Foreign couple held after sex on moving tuk tuk in Phuket
A foreign couple was detained yesterday, May 4, after they were caught on a viral video engaging in sexual activity while travelling on tuk tuk in Patong, Phuket. A Phuket tuk tuk incident involving a foreign couple engaging in sexual activity in public led to their arrest yesterday, May 4, after video of the incident, recorded by a passerby, circulated…
-
Mercedes-Benz driver flees after damaging police car clamp
Police are searching for a Mercedes-Benz driver who damaged a car clamp after parking in a prohibited area in Hat Yai district, Songkhla, and fleeing without paying a fine. Locals reported the incident to Hat Yai Police Station after witnessing the driver forcefully remove the clamp before leaving the scene. The incident occurred at around 10.30am yesterday, May 4, on…
-
Phuket taxi driver denies assault after argument video goes viral
A Phuket taxi driver denied physical assault on a foreign man after a video of their argument went viral on Thai social media yesterday, May 4. The footage was posted by the Facebook page Koh Kalok Phuket with a caption questioning how the situation should be handled and included hashtags criticising taxi drivers. In the video, a foreign man is…
-
Foreign tourist attacks Thai man over cannabis warning in Pattaya
A foreign tourist, who claimed to be a boxer, attacked a Thai man on Pattaya Beach yesterday, May 4, after being warned not to smoke cannabis in a crowded public area. The incident took place in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, and was reported after video footage of the confrontation circulated on social media. The dispute reportedly…
-
Phuket restaurants hit by wave of foreign dine-and-dash cases over single weekend
Three dine-and-dash incidents involving foreign tourists were reported in Phuket around the same time, raising concerns among local business operators and prompting calls for action from police and officials. The first case occurred on Saturday, May 2, with details later shared on social media yesterday, May 3, by a restaurant owner. She said two foreign customers ordered stir-fried noodles and…
-
Thai man arrested in Chiang Mai over girlfriend’s murder
A Thai man was arrested in Chiang Mai yesterday, May 3, after the murder of his girlfriend at a condominium in Nonthaburi province. The victim, 25 year old Panitsuda, also known as Dream, was discovered by her mother in a room on the fourth floor of an eight-storey condominium. The mother reported the incident to Bang Bua Thong Police Station.…
-
2 Thai men arrested over knife-point robbery at Bangkok petrol station
A petrol station robbery in Rama IX, Bangkok, led to the arrest of two suspects after a man was threatened with a knife and robbed of his mobile phone and car key. The incident occurred at around 8.30pm on April 30 at a petrol station in Soi Rama IX 62, Suan Luang district. Police arrested the two suspects yesterday, May…
-
Foreign couple rescued from Krabi mangrove after allegedly ignoring safety warning
A foreign couple became trapped in a mangrove forest at Ao Thalane in Krabi during a receding tide after reportedly ignoring safety instructions from a tour guide. The incident took place at Ao Thalane in Krabi province, a popular ecotourism site known for kayak trips through mangrove forests. Tours typically last around 30 minutes and require close attention to tide…
-
Thailand hits 60-year investment record as Amazon, Google, BYD and others bet big
If you only looked at the investment scoreboard for Southeast Asian economies last year, chances are you would probably want to skip over Thailand. While Vietnam was sprinting ahead with 7% growth and Indonesia held steady at 5%, Thailand was limping with a meagre 2.4%. With the IMF recently cutting its 2026 projection to a dismal 1.6%, the narrative that…
-
Thailand News | Chiang Mai police arrest man accused of killing homeless victims, Cambodia crackdown sends 635 Thai nationals back home
In the news today, we have two separate shocking murder cases coming out of Chiang Mai involving homeless victims and Myanmar migrant workers, then a helicopter crashing and catching fire near a BTS maintenance center, also, arrests have been made over alleged child trafficking at a Pathum Thani cat spa, in economic news Thailand’s wage growth is struggling to keep…
-
Rayong man removed from manhole after passerby hears cries for help
A manhole rescue took place yesterday, May 2, after a 20 year old man was found trapped for more than seven hours in a drainage system near a fair in Pluak Daeng district, Rayong province. Officers from Pluak Daeng Police Station and rescuers from the Pluak Daeng Foundation arrived at a manhole near the fair entrance following a report from…
-
17 year old Thai man killed in sign collapse in extended Songkran event in Saraburi
A sign collapsed during a thunderstorm on April 30, killing a 17 year old man and injuring 11 others at an extended Songkran event in Khok Sawang subdistrict, Mueang district, Saraburi province. The incident occurred at around 4pm at Pong Siri Market before the event began. A large number of people were waiting at the entrance, beneath a sign, to secure spots for…
-
Samut Prakan helicopter crash injures pilot, mechanic
Two people escaped with minor injuries after a helicopter crashed and caught fire near a BTS maintenance centre in Samut Prakan at about 9.10am today, May 3. Rescue workers, ambulances, and first aid equipment were sent to the scene to assist the injured and transfer them to nearby hospitals. Officials sealed off the area around the crash site to prevent…
-
Cambodia scam crackdown sends 635 Thais back home
Cambodia released 635 Thai nationals back to Thailand through the Ban Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo, on April 30 after they were detained in a crackdown on online scam networks. The first group of 350 people crossed at about 4.50pm. The remaining 285 followed at about 6.20pm, completing the handover agreed by Thai and Cambodian officials. Thai…
-
Two Japanese nationals caught with meth in Sukhumvit 33
Two Japanese nationals were arrested in Soi Sukhumvit 33 on suspicion of distributing crystal methamphetamine, with the Immigration Bureau commissioner ordering tighter visa renewal checks and deportation for foreigners involved in criminal activities. On May 2, officers from the Investigation Division of the Immigration Bureau, under the direction of Police Lieutenant General Panumart Boonyalak and Police Major General Panop Worathanatchakul,…
-
Koh Pha Ngan raid exposes illegal school, unregistered foreign teachers
A Koh Pha Ngan childcare centre was raided on May 1 after officials found it was allegedly operating outside the scope of its licence with unregistered foreign teachers and 163 children enrolled. Surat Thani Immigration police, Koh Pha Ngan police, district officials, and Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 officers inspected the property. The centre was licensed as a childcare facility operated…
-
Korat officials arrested over fake birth certificates for Chinese children
Three civil servants in Nakhon Ratchasima have been arrested for their alleged role in issuing fake Thai birth certificates and transferring household registrations for more than 10 Chinese children. The Department of Provincial Administration confirmed on Saturday that investigations had identified 13 fraudulent registrations so far, with Thai men listed as fathers denying any biological connection to the children. Arrest…
-
Nigerian cocaine suspect caught hiding in Bangkok ditch
A 21 year old Nigerian suspect was arrested early yesterday, May 2, in Bangkok after allegedly attempting to sell cocaine in Ramkhamhaeng, fleeing the scene, and hiding in a drainage ditch. Immigration police said the arrest followed an investigation into foreign nationals suspected of involvement in drug activity. Officers received a tip-off on May 1 that a foreign man was…
-
Mongolian man flees Thonglor cafe with iPhone 17
A Mongolian national is suspected of stealing an iPhone 17 from a barista in the Thonglor area, while also dining and dashing on a bill of 1,463 baht. The victim, 27 year old Parichat, reported the April 18 incident to a local help page on May 2, seeking public assistance. Parichat recounted that the suspect, a male Asian customer with…
-
Four Myanmar workers confess to killing employer over unpaid wages
Four Myanmar workers were arrested before crossing the border in Chiang Rai yesterday, May 2, over the murder of their employer at a workers’ camp in Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai. Police arrested Su, Yao, Dam, and Boss, all Myanmar nationals without surnames, at about 1pm. They were charged with jointly killing another person with a knife. Chiang Rai police…
-
Fire crews battle grass fire in Jomtien, Pattaya amid strong winds
Fire crews responded to a grass fire in Jomtien yesterday morning, deploying four engines to contain the blaze before it could reach nearby buildings. The fire broke out at around 10.10am in Soi 9, off Thepprasit Road behind the Thepprasit Go-Kart track. Strong winds spread the flames rapidly in the opening minutes, complicating efforts to bring it under control. Firefighters…
-
16 restaurants seized in Bang Tao beach encroachment crackdown
huket authorities seized five rai of Choeng Talay coastline after discovering restaurants unlawfully charging access fees, prompting imminent legal prosecution against investors. Phuket Deputy Governor Rungruang Thimabut led a joint operation to inspect the area. Officials discovered private investors had fenced off the public beach. They built 16 restaurants and other commercial structures on the site. These operators restricted public…
-
Thai airlines call for urgent aid as jet fuel costs soar
Airlines are calling for immediate government assistance as rising jet fuel costs squeeze their operations. The Transport Ministry has agreed to review the proposed measures. Transport minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn met on Thursday with executives from Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai VietJet Air, Nok Air, and Thai Lion Air, as well as aviation agencies, to discuss the impact of fuel prices…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.