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.
-
Thailand extends alcohol sales hours to midnight in select areas
Thailand has revised its alcohol sales regulations, allowing sales from 11am to midnight in certain locations under a new announcement published in the Royal Gazette yesterday, May 28. The updated rules take effect today, May 29, and replace the previous 2025 regulation. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee issued the announcement, titled Announcement on Prohibited Alcohol Sales Hours B.E. 2569 (2026),…
-
Man stabs two store workers, tells police he wanted to die
A Thai man stabbed convenience store employees in Prachin Buri province yesterday, May 28, leaving one woman in a coma. The suspect later told police he wanted to be killed during his arrest. Officers from Prachantakam Police Station were called to a convenience store in Pho Ngam subdistrict at about 3am after reports of a violent attack involving two female…
-
May 29 forecast warns of heavy rain, rough seas in Thailand
Thailand is expected to see increased rainfall over the next 24 hours, with heavy rain forecast in some areas and very heavy rain in parts of the South’s west coast, according to the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today, May 29. The TMD said a moderately strong southwest monsoon covering the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand, combined with…
-
CAAT issues rules for tighter Ebola airport screening
Thailand is directing arrivals from DR Congo and Uganda through Suvarnabhumi Airport only under stricter Ebola surveillance measures, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced today, May 28. CAAT said that the Ministry of Public Health raised surveillance and disease prevention measures after Ebola outbreaks were reported in some areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.…
-
Workers flee after mortar round drops from concrete mixer in Amnat Charoen
Construction workers found a mortar round at a water retention weir construction site in Amnat Charoen today, May 28, after it fell from a concrete mixer truck while ready-mix concrete was being poured. Police in Mueang Amnat Charoen were alerted after workers found an object resembling a mortar round at the site in Kai Kham subdistrict, Mueang district. Officers then…
-
12 officials in Lampang hospitalised after eating insects
Several officials at Ban Huad Subdistrict Office in Lampang province developed stomach pain, diarrhoea and dizziness after eating scale insects collected from a tree outside the office, prompting a public warning from rescue workers yesterday, May 27. A rescuer posted the warning on social media after several officials reportedly became ill and required hospital treatment following the consumption. The rescuer…
-
NACC denies official in Nonthaburi crash was deputy spokesperson
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) clarified that the official involved in a fatal drunk-driving crash in Nonthaburi was not serving as the agency’s deputy spokesperson, following reports circulating online. In a statement issued today, May 28, the NACC confirmed that Jarong is the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Special Affairs. However, the agency said he was not acting…
-
Thai delivery riders protest social security inclusion plan
More than 100 Thai delivery riders gathered outside the Ministry of Labour yesterday to oppose proposals to place platform workers under the social security system, citing concerns over reduced work flexibility and lower income. The protest followed a meeting last week between members of the Platform Workers Federation and Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat regarding labour rights and protections for delivery…
-
Woman arrested after Chanel, Louis Vuitton bag theft in Bangkok
A woman accused of stealing Chanel and Louis Vuitton handbags worth 228,000 baht (around US$6,979) from a shop in Lat Phrao mall was arrested at a condominium in Bangkok yesterday, May 27. Police recovered a black 8-inch Chanel Boy Chevron Caviar bag worth 179,000 baht and a black Louis Vuitton bag worth 49,000 baht from the suspect, identified as 41…
-
Thai taxi driver, new father, shot dead in Koh Samui ‘mafia’ attack
A taxi driver was shot dead during an attack by a “taxi mafia group” on Koh Samui in Surat Thani on Sunday, May 24, with one suspect arrested and several others still being sought by police. The victim was his family’s primary source of income, having welcomed a child just last month. The victim, identified as 31 year old former…
-
Delivery rider killed by drunk driver claiming NACC ties
A deputy spokesperson of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was caught in a fatal drunk driving crash in Nonthaburi that killed a food delivery rider last night, May 27. Officers from Bang Sri Mueang Police Station were called to the scene on the Bangrak Noi Overpass on Ratchapruek Road at about 11pm. The body of the victim, identified as 43…
-
Ex-wife charged after former Thai League footballer shot in Ratchaburi
A woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting her former husband, a municipal officer and a former Thai League footballer, twice in Ratchaburi on May 26. The shooting happened in the car park of Pho Hak Subdistrict Municipality office, Bang Phae district. The injured man, 42 year old Pornchai Atchinda, was shot in the right palm and…
-
Korat cannabis factory fire causes millions in damage
A fire broke out at a cannabis drying factory in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) yesterday, May 27, after flames spread from a drying machine, with damages estimated at several million baht. The fire ignited at about 2am at a factory in Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima district. Police and fire crews were called to the scene after workers reported the blaze. Firefighters from…
-
Stronger monsoon brings heavy rain to Thailand in May 28 forecast
A stronger southwest monsoon is set to bring more rain to Thailand over the next 24 hours, with heavy downpours forecast in parts of the North, East and South, according to the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). The TMD said the moderate southwest monsoon covering the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand has strengthened. Residents were advised to prepare…
-
5 workers found alive after week inside flooded Laos cave
Rescue teams yesterday, May 27, located five Laotian workers trapped inside a flooded cave in Longchaeng district, Xaisomboun province, after more than a week. Two other workers remain missing. The seven workers became trapped after entering the cave on May 19 to search for gold before heavy rain flooded the area and blocked the exit routes. According to Thai PBS,…
-
Police chief tells commanders to rein in officers moonlighting as influencers
Thailand’s national police chief has issued an urgent directive ordering senior commanders nationwide to tighten supervision of Thai police officers who appear on social media in uniform, days after personally cutting a fellow officer’s hair during a station inspection to demonstrate grooming standards. Police General Kittharath Punpetch signed a memo yesterday, May 26, addressed to commanders at all levels. The…
-
Thailand train-bus crash compensation paid, motorists charged
Six of the eight families of those killed in the Thailand train bus collision on May 16 have received compensation, with charges filed against the train driver and motorists found blocking the tracks, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkaskulkiat announced yesterday, May 26. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have jointly paid out 2.9…
-
Thailand’s 12-Year Shame. Taylor Swift cancelled concert because of a Military coup
Thai fans buying a ticket months in advance. Knowing every word of every song. Counting down the days. Then waking up to news that has nothing to do with music and everything to do with why the show won’t happen. That’s exactly where Thai Taylor Swift fans found themselves in May 2014. And twelve years later, they’re still waiting. The…
-
Turkish tourist found dead in Phuket residence
A 30 year old Turkish national was found dead in a residence in Kamala, Phuket, on May 26, with police reporting no signs of assault or foul play. Cannabis and drug paraphernalia were discovered in the room where the body was found. Kamala Police Station received reports from rescue workers at around 3.30pm, and officers travelled to a three-storey house…
-
Chaiyaphum teen arrested over alleged sexual assault on mother
A teenager has been arrested in Chaiyaphum after allegedly sexually assaulting his mother while under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine. The alleged incident took place on May 25 in Kaset Sombun district and was reported to local police the following morning. The mother told investigators her son entered her room, struck her and carried out the assault. She said she did…
-
Israel, Thailand mark 72 years with farm upgrade instead of party
Israel has redirected funds from its national day celebrations to community development projects in Thailand as the two countries mark 72 years of diplomatic relations. The Israeli embassy in Bangkok said it chose to support local initiatives rather than hold a reception, citing the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Alona Fisher-Kamm explained the decision at…
-
Safety failures, not misfortune, caused crane collapse that killed 31
A construction crane collapse, causing a train crash in Thailand that killed 31, has been ruled the result of procedural violations and safety failures rather than an unavoidable accident, according to findings released by a government fact-finding committee on May 26. Thirty-one people died when equipment from a high-speed rail construction site fell onto Express Train No. 21, operating between…
-
Mika Salo says he felt nothing, lost nothing, Bangkok trip stays on
Former Formula One driver Mika Salo has told police and media he does not believe he was deliberately attacked after sustaining a leg wound requiring 28 stitches near Nana intersection in Bangkok on May 19, describing the incident as likely accidental. The 59 year old Finnish driver gave a statement to investigators at Lumpini Police Station on May 26 after…
-
May 27: Southwest monsoon intensifies as Thailand braces for heavier rain
Thailand’s Meteorological Department has issued a weather forecast for today, May 27, warning of thundershowers and isolated heavy rain across most regions as the southwest monsoon continues to strengthen over the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and the country as a whole. Waves in the upper Andaman Sea are expected to reach around two metres, rising above two metres…
-
Macron hosts Anutin as Thailand courts French investment
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for a dinner meeting at the Élysée Palace in Paris yesterday, May 25, where both sides discussed trade, cybersecurity, and regional security issues. The meeting took place at 8.30pm local time in France. Both leaders agreed to strengthen trade and investment between the two countries, particularly in high-value industries including…
-
Chinese woman reunited with lost cash with help from Thai locals
A Thai rescuer and several locals in Chachoengsao helped a Chinese woman recover 20,000 baht in cash after she accidentally dropped her bag while riding a motorcycle on Bangna-Trat Road on Sunday, May 24. The rescuer, Mongkon Khiaosa-ad, said he was driving home at about 7.30pm when he noticed a woman sitting beside a black Honda SuperCub motorcycle registered in…
-
Gunmen dressed as Muslim women open fire on officer’s car in Pattani
A shooting in Pattani left a police officer injured and his wife dead yesterday, May 25, after four suspected insurgents opened fire on their sedan near a school in Phong Sata, Yarang, Pattani. Police were alerted at 3.30pm to the shooting, which left one person injured and one dead. Officers found the sedan with multiple bullet marks on the windscreen…
-
Thai man arrested for bag snatching in Pattaya that leaves Belgian victim injured
Police arrested a Thai man on May 15 after he snatched a bag from a Belgian woman in Pattaya, leaving the victim wth injuries requiring medical treatment. The Pattaya bag snatching took place in Soi Na Kluea 12 in the evening of May 15. The victim, identified as 59 year old Belgian national Evens Micheline Joseph, was reportedly approached by…
-
Singha heir expands allegations against family, regarding forced drug use
Thai environmental activist Siranudh “Psi” Scott revealed additional allegations against the Singha family yesterday, May 25, claiming he was forced to use drugs in addition to being sexually assaulted. He also announced a surname change to signal his departure from the family. The dispute involving members of the Bhirombhakdi family, owners of Boon Rawd Brewery, became public after Psi released…
-
Mika Salo found at Bangkok hotel after stabbing reports
Police have located former Formula One driver Mika Salo at a hotel after reports emerged that he suffered a leg injury while crossing a pedestrian crossing near a hotel in Bangkok on May 19. At 12.20pm today, May 26, Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Siam Boonsom assigned officers from the investigation division and Lumpini Police Station to examine the case and…
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.