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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 Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever
If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
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Two Aussie cave diving doctors holiday in Phuket
Today at the Phuket International Airport officials welcomed Dr.Richard James Harris and Dr.Craig Challen, Australian divers who were part of the rescue team that recovered the 13 young footballers from the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai last July. The two doctors devised the plan to train other divers about anaesthesia and medically sedate the Mu Pa team so they…
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Thai baht lowest since January
The Thai baht has been Asia’s best-performing currency during Q1, 2019. But things appear to be losing momentum as the baht falls to its lowest since January. The Thai baht weakened to as low as 32.035 per dollar, the lowest level since January 10th and falling through the psychological support of 32 baht in the US dollar. Sentiment for the…
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One killed, two injured in Pattani shootings
One person has been killed and two others injured during two separate shootings in Pattani province on Thursday night. In Sai Buri district, a 24 year old Narathiwat-based paramilitary ranger volunteer Pathompong Kaewthong and his 22 year old wife Nureehan Dengla, were shot and wounded in Tambon Kadunong while riding home on their motorcycle after shopping at a local market.…
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German hotelier claims he paid 800,000 baht bribe to operate his unlicensed villa on Samui
PHOTOS: Channel 7 A German man has told investigators yesterday that he paid ‘some Thais’ 800,850 baht after they threatened to shut down his luxury villa during construction. 47 year old Ulrich Schmidt claims he was visited during the construction phase of his Best World Vision Villas project and he paid the ‘tea money’ in the belief it would allow…
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Man found dead in pickup with charcoal burner in Rassada, Phuket
A man has been found dead inside a pickup truck with a coal burner also inside the vehicle in Rassada this morning. Police were notified of the situation in Soi Muen Sri in Rassada. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the man’s body in the parked pickup truck. The man was identified as 28 year old Weerawat Pakdeewirot from…
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Injured Brahminy Kite (bird) rescued in Karon
An injured Brahminy Kite has been rescued by locals in Karon, Phuket. The mature Brahminy Kite was found in Karon this week. Locals who found the bird contacted the head of Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting Area, Pongchart Chueahom. The Brahminy Kite had a wound similar to a bite wound under its wing. It was unable tp fly. It is now…
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Army commander visits Phuket residents to discuss water shortage
Lt Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, the Commander of the Fourth Army Region (Southern) in Nakhon Si Thammarat, came to Phuket to visit residents over water shortage issues in Rassada. Lt Gen Pornsak says “we were contacted from the Phuket Governor that Phuket is facing serious water shortages. We have come here with water trucks to help residents to join with other…
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Five metre king cobra caught in Trang – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Trang DDPM (Kantang) / Rak Trang News / Maetee Mueangkaew A five metre king cobra has been caught in Trang, in southern Thailand, yesterday. 74 year old Amphon Srisombat, a resident at a house in Kantang district, Trang, called staff at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to explain that the king cobra was inside her house. A DDPM…
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Freak storm batters Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok
A random summer storm has struck Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport this afternoon. The freak storm affected more than 18 flights and stranded 3,000 passengers whilst the storm battered the area north of the main city. At least one flight was re-directed to the nearby Suvarnabhumi Airport and another to U-Tapao Airport. Strong winds caused a Lion Air mobile airstair to…
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3.6 million coronation souvenir coins ordered
The Treasury has reported that orders have been placed for more than 3.6 million souvenir coins of different models that are being especially minted to mark the May 4 coronation of His Majesty the King. The orders include 200 for the highest value platinum coins worth 1 million baht apiece, and 10,000 for gold coins, department chief Amnuay Preemonwong said.…
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Power outage hits parts of Thalang
Electricity was shut off in Thalang today. The The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) announced the outage. Residents of Thalang have had to endure blackouts from 9am to 4.30pm today as the PEA continues its work on high power voltage systems in the area. Areas being affected are from Makprok PTT Gas Station to Baan Mueang Mai Intersection and from Baan…
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Chumpon plantation owner faces accusations of child sex abuse
“Jan said ‘Surin’ often took her daughter to his home. When the girl was seven years old, however, it was revealed that ‘Surin’ had allegedly molested or raped her over the previous five years.” In the latest in a string of serious child abuse cases, relatives of the alleged victims, in this case three girls aged 6, 10 and 14…
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Chinese tourist caught stealing GoPro from couple – VIDEO
A Chinese man has been caught stealing a camera from a Spanish couple in Chiang Mai. The incident happened on Tuesday and was captured on CCTV. The Spanish tourists had been visiting Wat Phra That Doi Suthep when they put a GoPro camera on the bench they had been sitting on. After realising they’d left the camera there, they returned but…
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UPDATE: Armed Mercedes snake man to be charged
No previous mental medical health problems have been identified for the man who released snakes on the road outside Central World in Bangkok yesterday. The incident caused bedlam and stopped traffic outside Central World. A man, armed with a large knife, stopped his new black Mercedes right in the middle of the road. He then got out, posted some signs…
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Three million baht Central Pattaya stormwater roadworks – FAIL
PHOTO: A representative of the City Engineering Department inspects two side streets in the Soi Arunothai Community. Central Pattaya residents are complaining that 3 million baht in roadworks has been a waste of money – Pattaya Mail Three million baht spent but not a lot to show for the considerable investment. Central Pattaya residents say that nearly 3 million baht…
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Mystery luxury house found under construction overlooking Bang Wad Dam in Kathu
PHOTOS: Chatchanon Na Thalang A luxury house, under construction, has been found on the Nark Herd Hills overlooking Bang Wad Dam in Kathu. The issue came to light after aerial photos of the house went viral in local social media. Yesterday officials paid a visit to the new house. A man name Taweep Phonputchai from Bangkok, a representative of the…
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Police defend theft charges on British backpacker Chris Dodd
PHOTOS: Chris Dodd, BBC Police are defending their actions when they charged a British backpacker with theft after he picked up a mobile phone at Chiang Mai airport last February. 29 year old Chris Dodd spent 10 days in jail in February after he was charged with stealing the phone belonging to a German tourist and remanded in custody by…
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Armed Mercedes owner releases snakes onto road outside Central World
PHOTOS: JS100 Radio An incident has caused bedlam and stopped traffic outside Central World in Bangkok. A man armed with a knife stopped his new black Mercedes in the middle of the road. He then started releasing snakes out of a blue bag onto the road in front of the bewildered passersby. Footage from the incident shared on Twitter shows the…
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Residents protest the Phuket Governor over water shortages
Local residents in Rassada have picketed the Phuket Provincial City hall to demand answers from the Phuket Governor over the current water shortages. Phuket Governor Pakkaphong Tavipattana told the media yesterday they are managing to solve water shortage problems in Phuket throughout this dry season. Whilst claiming that there was no ‘drought crisis’ in Phuket the Governor said… “All local…
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British national and five Burmese arrested in Krabi over working illegally
Koh Phi Phi Police have been cracking down on illegal workers on the island’s and have arrested a British national along with five Burmese yesterday in Krabi. Police arrested 28 year old British man Benjamin Richard Stone at a restaurant on Koh Phi Phi yesterday. The arrests follows police receiving a tip-off that the suspect was illegally selling tour packages…
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American arrested at airport after stealing speedboat in Krabi
PHOTOS: Pudam News An American tourist has been arrested after stealing a speedboat on Koh Phi Phi to drive to Krabi. Koh Phi Phi Police Chief Col Kritsapas Detinthasorn says, “We received a report from Ms Apissamai Sangjan that her speedboat, which was moored at Ao Nang Beach, was stolen on April 19. An allegedly drunken tourist jumped in, started…
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Father tramples man after he touched his daughter’s bottom in Bangkok
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Khanitnicha Chatnantakul The father of a female student has hit and trampled a man after finding out he touched his daughter’s bottom while she was waiting for the father to pick her up in Ladprao, Bangkok last night. A witness said that the girl waits for her father at a Soi not far from her house to pick her…
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Phuket’s seastead couple remain elusive
The Seastead may be under 24 hour guard at the Port of Phuket but the couple who were staying in the structure offshore from Phuket, and have become the international face of the seastead experiment, remain elusive. According to Phuket’s deputy police chief Pol Colonel Witoon Kongsudjai, their mobile phone signal identified the couple’s last known location as Tarutao Island…
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Man found dead after missing in Nakhon Si Thammarat forest for ten days
PHOTOS: Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation A man who has been missing since Songkran in the Nangnon Mountain Ranges in Nakhon Si Thammarat, has been found. The Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation report that the body of the man was found in the forests on Nangnon Mountain Range, Thungyai District in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday. A team of rescue workers from…
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Thanathorn faces more charges from EC over media shares
Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the 40 year old leader of the new party, has cut short his trip to Europe over an ‘unexpected incident’ The Thai Election Commission yesterday unanimously resolved to press charges against Thanathorn over an alleged violation of Thai media shareholding rules. Citing investigations by two EC panels, Sawang Boonmee, the EC deputy secretary-general, told a press…
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Phuket faces critical water shortages if the monsoon doesn’t arrive soon
Phuket is now, officially, experiencing water shortages, with water in the province’s three catchments just enough for the supply of tap water until the end of May, and the condition is expected to get worse if the annual monsoon doesn’t kick in soon. The annual south-west monsoon usually starts dragging in moist air and the ‘wet season’ begins sometime around…
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Questions arise over specs of collapsed wall at school in Khon Kaen that killed 4 year old girl
by Kritmet Loho Khon Kaen’s governor Somsak Jangtrakul today led police and related officials to inspect a private school building in Tambon Ban Ped in the main city area. The building had partially collapsed during Monday’s hail and rain storm that hit the are, killing a four year old girl.Somsak revealed that an initial investigation shows the building construction hadn’t…
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Soldier attacked and killed by her husband over alleged affair in Rawai
A female soldier has been attacked and killed by her soldier husband over an alleged sexual affair in Rawai today. The Chalong Police were notified of the incident at 8.30am this morning at a hotel on Patak Road in Rawai. Police arrived at the room to find the 39 year old woman, Ratchadaphon Mongkonrung, a Squadron Leader with the Thai…
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Coral in Trang extensively damaged after tourist influx over Songkran
PHOTOS: Prueg Ubonkerd Tourists during Songkran have caused extensive damage to coral in the national park area of Trang, south of Thailand. Matichon Online reports that the damage was caused by the tourist numbers overwhelming the area during the week-long Songkran break. Many boats have dropped their anchors onto the fragile underwater area or tied ropes around corals as there…
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Thon Buri pub raid, 38 patrons test positive for drugs
Sur-PRIIISE! Troops and police have raided a nightclub in Bangkok’s Thon Buri district at 3am this morning and found that 38 of its patrons tested positive to illicit drug use. The Bangkok office of the Internal Security Operations Command conducted the early morning raid against the Wave Pub (formerly known as the Poseidon Pub) on Ratchadapisek Road in Talad Plu…
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