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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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Smoking and selling cannabis in public is illegal, warns Bangkok deputy governor
Bangkok’s deputy governor would like to remind the public that smoking and selling cannabis in public places is illegal. The reminder follows a meeting in which vendors called for the infamous Khao San Road to become a “Ganja Hub.” The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said: no. Bangkok Deputy Governor Chakkhaphan Phewngam chaired a meeting at Din Daeng City Hall today to…
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Insurance companies in uproar over Covid scam by clients
In a bizarre twist of fate, insurance companies are crying wolf after being scammed out of 500 million baht from a Covid-19 insurance scheme. Evidence has emerged that thousands of people who bought the “Found, Paid, Done” Covid-19 insurance scheme submitted fake documents for compensation totalling an estimated 500 million baht. The president of the Thai General Insurance Association, Anon…
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Thai netizens go into meltdown over farmer using bathroom cleaner as fertilizer
Pictures of a Thai farmer using bathroom cleaner as a fertilizer in his rice fields have sent netizens into meltdown. Scientist, Parkpoom Dethhussadin, known as Mor Lap Panda, posted a screenshot of a Facebook post from an unidentified farmer spraying his crops with bathroom cleaner. The unidentified farmer captioned the post with, “It’s effective and cost-saving. I tried it with…
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Thai police arrest ‘Mr. Underpants:’ The serial thief in the white briefs
Today, the Royal Thai Police finally arrested a serial mobile phone thief known as “Mr. Underpants.” Mr. Underpants broke into 9 BANANA mobile phone shops in locations all over Thailand, stealing thousands of mobile phones in total. Every time, he wore only his pants. Mr. Underpants broke into BANANA branches in Yala, Hat Yai, Patthalung, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Si Thammarat,…
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Thai teacher forced to withdraw from beauty pageant
Kanokwan “Jubjang” Chusuk has had to abandon her dream of becoming a beauty queen after discovering female teachers are banned from taking part in beauty contests in Thailand. The 25 year old is a teacher at an elementary school, Choom Chon Wat Haad Pankrai School, in Chumporn, in the southern province of Thailand. She applied to take part in one…
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Why would Hong Kong chief break electoral law?
The office of Hong Kong’s new chief executive, John Lee, failed to respond to revelations yesterday that he received about US$1.4 million in donations during his election campaign, and broke electoral law. The revelation he received donations is bizarre, to say the least, because he was the only candidate. He ran for the city’s top job against no one! Furthermore,…
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Popular Thai lottery ticket app to get 2 million more tickets
With the high demand for the government’s legal lottery tickets sold online, the Government Lottery Office will likely add 2 million more tickets to its digital distribution system, Pao Tang, for the draw on August 1. The director-general of the Revenue Department, Lawaron Saengsanit, says that people are buying more tickets. “The latest sales were faster than expected and reflect…
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“Khao San Road should be a cannabis hotspot to boost tourism” – local businessman
“The chance for the government to use cannabis to boost tourism shouldn’t be turned down.” The words of a local Khao San Road businessman who sees an opportunity in the government’s recent announcement to decriminalise cannabis products. President of the Khao San Road Businesses Association, Sanga Ruengwattanakul says that foreign visitors passing through the infamous party strip “could be encouraged…
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Ukrainian woman caught smuggling 116 live tortoises from Tanzania into Thailand
Police arrested a Ukrainian woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday after airport security found 116 live tortoises in her luggage. The woman smuggled the protected wildlife on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Bangkok, transiting in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia along the way. Yesterday at 2:40pm, Chief of the Wildlife Checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport Sathon…
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Chadchart points finger at Bangkok’s corrupt high-profile officers
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt informed Thai media yesterday that there are a number of high-profile district officers in the city involved in corruption. The identities of those officers have not been revealed, but leaked media reports allege most of them worked under a former Bangkok governor. According to reports, leading district officers from Latkrabang, Bang Khum Tien, Prawet, Taling Chan,…
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Suspect caught in mass shooting at American Independence Day celebration
Yesterday was the 4th of July, American Independence Day, but in Chicago’s Highland Park suburb, celebrations were marred by an all-too-familiar American phenomenon: a mass shooting. Police have now taken a suspect into custody for an attack on a 4th of July parade where a man opened fire with a high-powered rifle, killing 6 people and injuring at least 36…
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Brazilian student arrested in Bali for smuggling cannabis from Thailand
A Brazilian man who was arrested for smuggling 9.1 grams of cannabis from Thailand into Bali last week says he “didn’t know” that the plant is illegal in Indonesia. His arrest came just days after the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta warned the people of Thailand against taking cannabis into Indonesia, where they could face harsh penalties – or even…
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PM Prayut accelerates progress at Bangkok’s Benjaketti Forest Park
Before Her Majesty, the Queen Mother Sirikit’s birthday on August 12, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered agencies to speed up the progress of Benjakitti Forest Park. The development of Benjakitti Park is part of the government’s efforts to raise the number of public green spaces in Bangkok to a level that is acceptable on a global scale. “Once the development…
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Andaman Sea tremors draw attention to the lack of tsunami warning buoys
A series of minor tremors in the regions off Thailand’s Andaman coastline is drawing attention to the lack of operational tsunami buoys in the Andaman Sea. There’s been a number of small earthquakes and tremors near the Nicobar Islands, about 540 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. A series of three underwater tremors, between magnitude 4.6 and 5.0…
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Battle of the Beetles: Man gets rich selling rhinoceros beetles in southern Thailand
Beetle fighting season is almost upon us, and one man from southern Thailand says his rhinoceros beetles are heading straight to the top of the beetle battle championships. Every rainy season in Thailand, male rhinoceros beetles go head to head on a wooden pole. A female beetle is placed underneath, whose scent stimulates the males to fight until one backs…
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Thai public health ministry warns medical workers of new Covid-19 wave in a secret document
The Permanent Secretary of the Thai Public Health Ministry, Kiattiphum Wongarajit, has launched an urgent report to warn the provincial public health officers of the “new wave” of Covid-19 in Thailand. The official Facebook page of the Rural Doctor Society reported on their “urgent and secret document” to the public yesterday. The page said… “The warning sign to get ready…
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PETA awards animal-themed vegan donuts to BKK customs staff
PETA Asia, the regional arm of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has delivered dozens of wildlife-themed vegan doughnuts to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport’s wildlife checkpoint and customs staff. Last week the BKK airport staff seized 109 live animals, including 2 white porcupines, 2 armadillos, 20 snakes, 35 turtles, and 50 chameleons. All the animals were hidden inside the suitcases of 2…
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Thai energy chief suggests senators shed suits to save energy
The Deputy PM and Energy Minister, Supattanapong Punmeechaow, has urged the nation’s senators to be energy-saving role models for Thailand. The 62 year old MP has suggested every senator should avoid wearing suits to reduce the use of air-conditioning in Parliament. During today’s senate meeting at the Parliament House senators, Sakon Satjayanit and Suradet Jirathiticharoen raised questions about solutions to…
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Student’s body ripped in half in freak motorbike accident in central Thailand
A 20 year old engineering student died in a motorbike accident at around 8am this morning in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand. Police found the man’s body completely ripped into two pieces after he crashed into a power pole. Witnesses said they saw the man waiting at a red light on the Rangsit – Nakhon Nayok road outside Nattawan village.…
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Renowned economist says Covid-19 was born in US bio-lab
A prominent American economist further fanned the flames of who is to blame for the Covid-19 outbreak by pointing the finger at US scientists, saying it came “out of a US lab biotechnology.” There have been a number of conspiracy theories about where the coronavirus outbreak originated and who should shoulder responsibility for the pandemic outbreak and this isn’t an…
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77 year old Australian separated from 20 others during hike on Koh Larn
After being lost and stranded while hiking on Koh Larn, just off the coast of Pattaya, an unnamed 77 year old Australian was eventually found and rescued. It is still unclear how he became separated from the group. There were 20 people in the hiking group. After completing the trail, the group failed to do a head count once they…
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Drinking alcohol increases risk of threadworms, says Thai university
Regular alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing threadworm infections, according to new research conducted by the Parasitic Disease Research Centre at Suranaree University of Technology in Bangkok. The university recommends alcohol drinkers test themselves for threadworms at least once or twice a year to prevent severe infections. Threadworms – Strongyloides stercoralis – are tiny parasitic worms that infect the…
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Man killed and 2 injured in Bangkok canal tragedy
The captain of a canal boat was killed yesterday afternoon after his vessel collided with another boat on a canal in the Bang Bo district near Bangkok. The 32 year old man, Prasit Nadam, was navigating his long-tail boat when it collided with another similar vessel at 4.30pm in Khlong Kalaya canal at Moo 2 village in tambon Bang Bo.…
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Teen killed and 2 year old in critical condition after motorcycle tragedy
A teenage boy has died and a 2 year old child is in critical condition after an accident yesterday at a motorcycle racing charity event near Krapang Surin Public Park in the southern province of Trang. A motorcycle racer lost control and crashed into the watching crowd alongside the racing track causing 1 death and injuries to 7 people. Sixteen-year-old…
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Hang on! BTS booty post draws viral attention to train etiquette
“Does it have to be that tight?” a user asked after a post by the Bangkok Mass Transit System went viral. The comment was one of over 500 at the time of this writing in response to an eye-catching post on BTS’s Facebook page asking people not to lean on the handrail poles on trains and featuring a shocking image…
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AirAsia Thailand resumes Bangkok – Hong Kong flights, pilots new China route
In August, Thai AirAsia will resume direct flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong. The airline will also pilot a special flight to Guangzhou in China this month, on July 13. Thai AirAsia is a joint venture between Thailand’s Asia Aviation and budget Malaysian airline AirAsia. The airline will operate weekly flights between Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport and Hong Kong…
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Thai Vietjet celebrates July’s double day with ‘7.7 Awesome!’
Press Release Celebrating July’s double day with a great promotion, Thai Vietjet today launches ‘7.7 Awesome’, offering special fares starting from THB 477 (inclusive of taxes and fees) for travel on the airline’s entire domestic flight network. The special fares are available for booking from July 4 – 9, 2022, with the travel period from August 1 – December 31…
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No Thais were killed by Burmese bombs says army
There were conflicting reports yesterday of Thai residents being killed as a result of the bombs dropped on Karen village in Myanmar near the Prop Phra district in Tak province in northern Thailand. The media reported there were Thai casualties as a result of the bombing at the border on Friday but the Thai army denied this was the case.…
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Pickup truck explosion kills 2 in Bangkok
On Saturday morning, a pickup truck crashed into the barrier in the middle of a 4 lane road in Bangkok and exploded. Witnesses saw 2 men escape the vehicle, but both men got caught in the flames and died at the scene. At 6:30am on Saturday, fire engines from Thanon Chan Fire Station were called to put out a fire…
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OIC commends treatment of Muslims and quality of life in Thailand
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation hailed Thailand as a shining example of how well a multicultural society can coexist during a visit to the Deep South provinces. Delegates from the OIC visited 3 of the southernmost provinces in Thailand on June 29 and 30 after the Thai government invited them to come and see local religious activities, education programs, and…
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