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.
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Many expats feel worried that their pre-existing health problems will stop them from getting insurance in a new country. This fear is common, especially when medical care can be expensive. But the good news is, some insurance, like the plans...
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Thailand’s Constitutional Court accepts case to dissolve Thai Raksa Chart
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has voted unanimously to accept the Election Commission’s ruling that the Thai Raksa Chart party be disbanded over its nomination of Princess Ubolratana as its prime ministerial candidate last Friday. The party will be given seven days to present its defence in writing before the Court deliberates on the party’s future. Meanwhile electioneering is continuing for the…
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Man injured, chicken dead after explosion of oil tank in Krabi
A man has been injured at an exhausted pipes shop in the main town of Krabi. Police and rescue workers arrived to find an incinerated 200 litre gasoline tank in front of the shop. Nearby they found a dead chicken and 42 year old Chockchai Theptawee who had sustained injuries including burns on his legs and face. He was taken…
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Weather for February 15
Bangkok Partly cloudy. High 32ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds ESE at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Partly cloudy. High 35ºC. Winds SSE and variable . Pattaya Partly cloudy. High 31ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSE at 15 to 30 km/h.…
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Bangkok bust seizes 180,000 fake cosmetics products
by Supachai Phetchthewee Police say they seized 180,000 fake cosmetic products with a street value approx. 300 million baht last night from five locations in Bangkok. They’ve also arrested two suspects for trying to sell the goods. Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt-Gen Surachate Hakparn, along with secretary general of the Food and Drug Administration Dr Thares Krassanai-Rawiwong, conducted a search…
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Phuket City football club has been announced
The news of the new team was announced to the press today. President of the Phuket City team, Tammawat Wongjaroenyod, says, “I love sport especially football. It is my most favorite sport. I have decided to be the president of the team as Phuket is an international tourism city. I want tourists to know more about beautiful natural places in…
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Up up and away – getting married aloft in Chiang Rai
PHOTOS: The Nation Twenty couples, Thais and foreign, have taken their vows and married aloft hot-air balloons over Chiang Rai today. Among the lovebirds were actor Danai Jarujinda and his fiance Phraewwanich Kijthawornsawat, who decided to tie the knot after 11 years together. “Balloon Love” is held at Singha Park Chiang Rai Balloon Fiesta, which runs from February 13-17. The…
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Couples get hitched in Phuket on Valentines Day
Many Thai and foreign couples have registered marriage certificates today, Valentines Day, at the Phuket District Office. The Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung has present at the office where about 35 couples registered for marriage certificates when the doors opened at 10am. A Thai couple was first, followed by a foreign couple. But the Office predicts there will be at…
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Officials make arrests at three Pattaya hotels operating without licences
PHOTOS: Sophon Cable TV Bang Lamung officials, along with protection services and the Pattaya tourist police, have raided four hotels in the Pattaya area. Sophon Cable TV reports that three establishments were found to be offering daily rental without licences. Officials say they want to be able to check guests and the possibility that illegal migrants or foreign criminals were…
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Tourism Council of Thailand promises to raise standards of tourist safety
By Chadamas Chinmaneevong, ttgasia.com The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) says they are “joining hands with state agencies including the Department of Land Transport, Marine Department and Tourism Authority of Thailand to improve tourist safety standards nationwide and overturn perceptions of the country as a dangerous tourist destination.” The project is a reaction to the many, many safety related incidents that…
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Chinese tourist rescued after a diving incident at Koh Racha
PHOTOS: Go-Eco Phuket A male Chinese tourist is currently in a satisfactory condition in hospital after a diving accident off Koh Racha Yai, south west of Phuket, yesterday. Go-Eco Phuket, a local conversational group, reported that they were notified of the incident at about noon. “The male Chinese tourist bought a diving course from a diving operator on the island.…
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Kamala’s Twinpalms Montazure poised to welcome guests in July
Set on the golden sands of Kamala Beach, Twinpalms MontAzure will welcome its first guests in July this year. Already a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the boutique beach hotel offers beautifully appointed Suites, Penthouses and Private Pool Suites. Suites range in size from 70m2 to Penthouses with private pools and sea views boasting large living spaces…
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One Malaysian dead and another injured after big-bike crash in Suphan Buri
A 50 year old Malaysian female tourist has died, and her friend injured, after their high-performance BMW motorcycle crashed in Suphan Buri’s Muang district yesterday afternoon. The two were part of a 20 motorbike convoy, riding from Malaysia with the goal of reaching Tak province in Thailand’s north-west. The fatal crash took place at 1.30pm on Malaiman Road in Tambon…
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Songkran extended to a five day holiday this year
You have five full days to get soaked this year as the Cabinet has approved an extended public holiday for Songkran 2019. Songkran enthusiasts, and everyone else, now have an additional public holiday on Friday April 12 (Songkran, the Thai New Year, is on April 13 every year). Government assistant spokesman Colonel Athisit Chainuwat said that state enterprises, financial institutions,…
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Romance scammers now face extended jail time – Surachate
Commenting on the recent case of a ‘romance scam’ gang of Nigerians and Thais operating out of Malaysia, Immigration Chief Surachate Hakparn says those responsible would be charged with fraud committed against the Thai public, a charge that cannot be withdrawn by the payment of money. Read the story of their arrest HERE. Surachate told Thai media yesterday how a…
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Valentine’s roses leap in price this year
Roses are red Violets are blue A red rose used to cost 15 baht Now it’s 52! The price of roses has spiked to almost double from that of the past two years. The popular Valentine’s gift was retailing for up to 70 baht each, a substantial increase from last year’s 50 baht average around Bangkok. In Bangkok, flower vendors…
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Weather for February 14
Bangkok Generally clear. High 33ºC. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds E at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 36ºC. Winds SE and variable. Pattaya Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds SSE at 15 to 30 km/h.…
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The day that shook Thai politics
OPINION It was just another Friday except that it was also the final day that political parties were able to nominate MPs for the March 24 elections. And their proposed candidates for the role of the a Prime Minister following the election. PM Prayuth Chan-ocha would announce his candidacy sometime during the morning, the worst kept secret in Thai politics.…
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Co-working space – not just for start-ups
PHOTO: HUBBA-TO co-working space in Bangkok by Thanchanok Phobut | Senior Coordinator, CBRE Thailand CBRE, an international property consultancy company, reveals that co-working space seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days. There was a time when no-one knew what the term “serviced office” meant or why someone would want such an option. But today, you can’t…
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One dead, one injured in Narathiwat garage shooting
A gunman has opened fire at a Malaysian garage owner in Narathiwat’s Sungai Golok district last night, killing him and severely injuring a Malaysian employee. 54 year old Sulaimi bin Mat Ali died at the Sungai Golok Hospital after the 8:30pm shooting at his car workshop on Soi Pracha Ruamjai off Pracha Uthit 2 Road in Ban Sarayor village in…
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Thai-Italian man dies after fall from apartment in Pathum Thani
A Thai-Italian man has fallen to his death from a room on the eighth floor of an apartment building in Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok. Police suspect it might have been a suicide. The Klong Luang police reported the death of 22 year old Akinare Prancesco Polize. When police arrived at the apartment, his 23 year old roommate…
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Krabi tour operators call for crackdown on foreigners touting tour packages
Tour operators in Krabi are pushing for related government officials to solve the problem of foreigners illegally selling tour packages on Koh Phi Phi. The meeting was held on the island yesterday. Joining the meeting were members of the Krabi tour operators association and related officials. Tour operators mentioned about 38 years old Christopher Dali, a British national who had been…
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Koh Samui: “Awash with drugs”, ONB News
ONB News is reporting that Koh Samui is “awash with drugs” and that the local prison was crammed full of prisoners convicted on drugs charges. They were making the assessment following the latest arrest of a Thai woman and her Thai husband on drugs charges on the popular holiday island. ‘Ice’ or crystal methamphetamine was found at her home in…
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Laguna Phuket selected to host inaugural Thai Fight Phuket Asia’s premier
Thai Fight and the Sports Association of Phuket are jointly hosting the inaugural ‘Thai Fight Phuket’, a televised international sport entertainment event showcasing Muay Thai boxing and promoting Phuket tourism. The event will be on Saturday, February 23 at Laguna Phuket. Thai Fight Phuket will feature King’s Cup Champions; Saenchai, Saensatarn, Payak-Samui and Thai Fight’s Fighter led by Tengnung and…
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72 year old jumps for her life from the second floor during home inferno
An elderly woman has suffered head injuries whilst escaping a blaze that burned down her home in Chiang Mai. The fire broke out at a two-storey teak house on Ban Pae road in Tambon Tha Sala of Chiang Mai’s Muang district. Five fire engines took an hour to get the blaze under control after it swept through the entire timber…
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Slow phase out of ‘Paraquat’ meets resistance
Activists are voicing their objections to the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach’s proposal to ban the use of paraquat in three years instead of one. The Hazardous Substance Committee is scheduled to hold a meeting tomorrow to reconsider the banning of three controversial agricultural chemicals – paraquat, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos. But the BioThai Foundation has disclosed the minister’s text…
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Swedish duo caught in Thailand for laundering 250 million baht
PHOTO: INN Thai police have announced the arrest of 51 year old Jan Olof Norlander for alleged money laundering following the arrest of his accomplice last November. The two men are wanted by Swedish authorities for laundering 248 million baht (68,000,000 Swedish kronor) between January 2016 and April 2018. In November, the accomplice, 38 year old Bo Karl Robin Lundholm was…
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Two injured Chinese tourists head home
The Tourist Police have escorted two Chinese tourists, who sustained injuries from last Saturday’s speedboat accident, back to the airport for their return to China. The speedboat captain has now been charged over a “reckless act causing injury” but continues to deny the charge. Read more about the latest charges and investigation into Saturday’s incident HERE. Last night Col Tongchai Wilaiprom…
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Patong Police warn tourists to be aware of their belongings
FILE PHOTO Patong Police are warning tourists to be aware of their belonging before going to the beach after a suspect stole the belongings of a French tourist near Patong Beach. The Patong Police reported the news about a suspect that snatched the foreigner’s belongings at Patong Beach on Sunday night. The news was popular in local social media. After…
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Hakeem al-Araibi’s release from Thai detention follows a meeting between Thai FM and Bahraini Crown Prince
The decision to drop an extradition request against Australia-based former Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi stems from a visit by the Thai foreign minister to Bahrain. The Bahraini withdrawal of extradition demands, that enabled al-Araibi to walk free on Monday, was made after a meeting in Bahrain earlier that day between the Bahraini Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa and Thai Foreign Minister…
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Air Asia booking system down for 24 hours this weekend
Air Asia will be upgrading it Navitaire New Skies reservation system over the weekend causing a 24 hour blackout for all booking systems across all channels. Flight booking for Air Asia will be unavailable on Saturday, February 16 from 2pm (GMT +8) until Sunday, February 17 at 3pm. This will include AirAsia.com, AirAsia sales counter, AirAsia mobile app, all offices…
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