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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Bangkok’s Governor says Chatuchak is safe and repairs underway
PHOTO: TNA MCOT Bangkok’s governor says Chatuchak Weekend Market is safe and that there will be no damage to tourism at the Bangkok icon. Chatuchak, aka ‘JJ Market’, has more than 15,000 stalls and 11,500 vendors, divided up into 27 sections. It is the world’s largest and most diverse weekend market, with over 200,000+ visitors every weekend. A fire on Sunday…
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Goodbye iTunes, hello new dedicated Apps
In January 2001 Apple announced iTunes. It changed everything in the music industry and has gone on to spawn other more modern forms of music purchases and sharing. It was a true ‘disrupter’ for the time. Then, just eight months later would come the iPod which fundamentally changed the way we listen to music as well. Now Apple is introducing…
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One dead, seven injured as car collides with bus in Chon Buri
PHOTOS: Pattaya Message A female driver has died and seven others sustained injuries after a sedan collided with a shuttle bus in Chon Buri last night. A snake was also a victim of the incident. Banglamung Police were notified of the incident on Rong Poa Road in Banglamung, Chon Buri last night. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged…
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Phuket’s new town planning code will radically change island
Thailand’s Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning is finalising sweeping new development regulations for Phuket. The island’s MICE industry is expected to be a big winner from the proposed changes (more below). In April the draft regulations were issued for public comment and it is expected the new set of rules will come into effect over the next…
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Thailand’s Maya Bay settles into an extended period of rest – VIDEO
You can look but you can’t touch. Maya Bay’s beach, closed last year to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, is likely to remain closed to visitors for many years, even up to five. The famous Koh Phi Phi Ley beach and bay, made famous in the 2000 movie The Beach, needs time for its ecology to fully recover years…
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Gunman shoots and kills village head in Narathiwat mosque
PHOTO: Nation Channel A gunman walked into the Ban Arware Mosque and shot dead the village head in Narathiwat’s Ra Ngae district last night, in southern Thailand. Stray bullets also injured a man praying next to the man at the mosque. Police report that 48 year old Pakruding Tohdeng, the village head of Ban Arwar in Tambon Mareubotok, was killed inside…
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Truck collides with power pole in Krabi, driver injured
A truck has collided with a power pole after the driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel in Krabi today. The truck, carrying palm tree trunks, collided with a power pole on Phetkasem Road in Krabi city. The power pole was broken and cables had been pulled down. The truck driver also sustained injuries and was taken to Klongtom Hospital.…
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More educated Thais earn more – SCB study
More education = higher salary. Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Unit has released a report that shows the more education you have, the more salary you will earn. The SCB think tank’s research paper indicates that the relationship between education and salary is clear and simple; education counts when you apply for a job. Also, don’t underestimate the GPA (Grade Point…
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UPDATE: Chatuchak Weekend Market fire, Bangkok
Bangkok’s governo, along with forensic officers, visited the world- famous Chatuchak market this morning to inspect damage caused by last night’s huge blaze that destroyed a total of 120 shops and damaged lots of others (revised up from 30 shops as reported earlier by The Thaiger). Meanwhile witnesses report that an explosion in an electrical transformer could have caused the…
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Thailand Events – June 2019
with The Sponsorship Experts – Paul Poole (South East Asia) There are no shortage of food related events in Bangkok in June but if you’re only going to go to one, the third installation of Taan Bangkok’s Chef Table series will see Khun Kanaporn “Aum” Chancherdsak, the owner of Trang’s renowned restaurant Trang Ko’e, showcase her meticulous cooking on June…
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Runners run into a herd of Thai wild elephants, two injured
Runners in a Chon Buri trail running event over the weekend ran into a herd of wild elephants. One of the runners was injured during yesterday’s encounter. Volunteers revealed that the injured runner was among those participating in the 25 kilometre run along the Ploung Thong Trail in Chon Buri’s Bo Thong district. A volunteer told national park officials that…
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Campaign to clear ‘Ghost Nets’ from Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar
A team of experienced divers from around the world have launched a campaign to clear lost and disused fishing nets, known as ghost nets, from the coral reefs in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago. Ghost nets, or ALDFG (abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear), include fishing nets, lines and traps which are left in the ocean and become entangled in rocks and…
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Bangkok apartment-broker arrested for fraud
PHOTOS: Tourist Police Bureau A female apartment broker has been tracked down and arrested on fraud charges for swindling prospective tenants, both Thais and foreigners, and landlords out of 2.5 million baht. Tourist Police Bureau this weekend reports that 31 year old Pawinee Krainoonsing was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court on April 30.…
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Russian injured after falling from rock taking selfie on Patong beach, Phuket
PHOTOS: Patong Surf Life Saving A female Russian tourist has been injured after falling from a rock on Patong beach while trying to take selfie-photo over the weekend. Patong Surf Life Saving report that they arrived at the scene to find the Russian woman laying on the beach. There were quite a few scratches on her body. Her friends said…
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Body of 24 year old found in Wichit forest, Phuket
The rotting body of a man, believed to have been murdered, has been found in a forest in Wichit, central Phuket, over the weekend. The body was found in the forest off Borrae – Khao Kard Road in Wichit. A rope was found tied around his feet. It is believed that the man died at least two weeks before the…
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HM The Queen celebrates her birthday today
Her Majesty Queen Suthida’s birthday is being celebrated across the country today. The Queen was born on June 3, 1978. She graduated from Assumption University’s School of Communication Arts in 2000, after which she served as a flight attendant on JAL ways and then, from 2003-2008, with Thai Airways International. The Nation reports that in 2010 she was an acting…
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Fire at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market destroys 30 shops
PHOTO: JS 100 radio Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak weekend market caught fire near the Gate 1 area last night. Traffic Police and JS 100 traffic radio stations first reported the blaze around 9.15pm at the sprawling Chatuchak market, north of Bangkok’s main city area. The intense blaze took about an hour to bring under control. Many people reported on their social media…
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Five senior Pattaya police shuffled to desk jobs
PHOTO: “Surprise!” – Brazil Nightclub in South Pattaya Five police officers in Pattaya City have been unceremoniously transferred after two early morning raids on entertainment venues in their area. The pubs had been operating beyond legal hours, tolerated illicit drug use and allowed underage patrons on their premises. Here’s the Pattaya police walk of shame… Muang Pattaya Police Station superintendent…
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Wildlife groups call for reviews on elephant export regulations
“Before elephants are allowed to be exported, he suggested a check is made to find out how many Thai elephants had been exported and how many of them have been smuggled out.” Wildlife conservation groups and an MP Nikorn Chamnong, representing the Chart Thai Pattana party, is opposing the export of Thai elephants and demanding that the Commerce Ministry review…
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Bangkok’s pick-up-smashing angry aunties have their day in court
Bangkok’s famous, or infamous, ‘angry aunties’ (Thai PBS describes them as ‘female car vandals’) have had their day in court and have been handed out a suspended three month prison term by the Phra Khanong provincial court. In February last year the 57 and 61 year old sisters got busy on a pick-up truck that was parked in front of…
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Just how many hazardous chemicals are going through Laem Chabang port?
“The containers were loaded with “dolls and toys” and there are no chemical substances present.” That was the first explanation we heard after the fire that happened last Saturday, May 25, when containers from the KMTC Hongkong burst into flames at Laem Chabang Port, south east of Bangkok. The port area is just to the north of Pattaya on the eastern…
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Two Pattaya pubs raided, 155 arrested over drug use
A total of 155 patrons have tested positive for drugs after raids on two popular Pattaya pubs early this morning. The pubs raided were Brazil Pattaya and 90’s Bar around 4am. Police say searches found a 9mm pistol with 16 rounds of ammunition, a knife, 62 packets of narcotics, including ecstasy, ketamine and crystal methamphetamine and drug-taking paraphernalia scattered over the…
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Songkhla bus crashes, seven injured
PHOTO: Siam Rath News Seven passengers have been injured after a Phuket to Hat Yai bus skidded into a ditch and crashed on its side in Songkhla’s Rattaphum district early today. The accident happened on the Hat Yai-bound Asia highway Tambon Khuan Tai at 3am this morning. The bus was laying on its side with around 20 passengers trapped inside. Seven passengers…
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British man beaten up by Thai thugs in Pai for ‘interfering’ in an argument
PHOTOS: Daily News 37 year old Luke Benjamin Thornton has ended up in hospital in Chiang Mai after trying to break up a fight in Pai, north of Chiang Mai, on May 20. Daily News reports that Luke was trying to stop a fight between locals and tourists and was beaten unconscious with a wooden club and kicks. They reported that…
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Vote for new Thai PM on Wednesday – Democrats and Palang Pracharat still at loggerheads
The countdown is on to next Wednesday’s vote for a new Thai PM. With all odds pointing to a return term for Prayut Chan-o-cha, Palang Pracharat’s prime ministerial candidate, it’s now or never for the various parties to form workable, and sustainable MP blocs in the new parliament. Otherwise the new PM will be the head of a scrambled egg…
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Bus plunges off mountain road in Phrae, Thailand, 17 injured
17 passengers have been injured after a bus crashed off a mountain road in Thailand’s north last night. The bus was travelling between Chiang Mai to Phrae in Thailand. The accident happened in Tambon Bor Leng Long, Phrae. The accident happened at 8.30pm on the Den Chai-Lampang road. Rescuers struggled to rescue the injured passengers from the bus that had fallen…
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Japan’s Nissin Electric moves production to Myanmar from Thailand
Nissin Electrics of Japan are building a new plant in Myanmar, which will shift some of their production from factories in Vietnam and Thailand, in an effort to cut labour costs. Nissin Electrics manufacture gas insulated switchgears, capacitors, transformers, instrument transformers and medium-low voltage metal enclosed equipment. Bangkok Post reports that the company announced it will form a joint venture with Hosoda…
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Thailand’s Phu Kradueng National Park to close until September 30
Chief of Phu Kradueng National Park, Sombat Phimprasit says that the park will be closed from now until September 30. The park is in north-east Thailand, near Loei and just south of the Laos border. The park chief says the annual closure, during Thailand’s rainy season, is because trekking and trailing will be too tough and risky due to the difficult…
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Six vehicles damaged, one person injured, as truck swipes parked cars in Phuket
PHOTOS: เป็นปาก เป็นเสียง Six vehicles parked on Yaowarat Road, Old Phuket Town, have been damaged after a truck has swiped them as it was driving down the road. A pedestrian on the footpath was also injured in the incident. Phuket City Police report that they were notified of the incident at about noon today on Yaowarat Road in the island’s…
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King Power wins duty free and shopping management contract for Suvarnabhumi
In Friday’s biggest surprise (please say in sarcastic tone whilst rolling eyes) King Power Suvarnabhumi has won the bidding to manage the commercial area at Suvarnabhumi International Airport with the highest offer, AOT senior executive vice president Vichai Bunyu said this morning. The winner will be approved on June 12, he said. Earlier this year the AoT (Airports of Thailand)…
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