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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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Thai YouTuber complains about Test & Go: ‘Foreigners won’t come back if facing this…’
After reportedly seeing crowds of tourists left waiting for hotels at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, a Thai YouTuber has voiced his discontent about Thailand’s unpopular Test & Go entry scheme. He said the system was a mess, with hotel staff having to shout to finding their guests, while tourists searched for the logos of their hotels, “as if they were playing…
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Thailand’s daily Covid death toll exceeds 100 twice in 24 hours as Songkran begins
As people throughout the country begin their Songkran celebrations, Thailand’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark twice in the past 24 hours — with 108 deaths and 105 deaths reported for yesterday and today, respectively. Sunday marked the first time the nation recorded a hundred daily deaths from the virus this year. The Public Health Ministry…
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Songkran a litmus test for Thailand’s economic recovery, tourism industry revival
As Thailand’s annual Songkran festival begins this week, all eyes are on the government to see how its strict Covid-prevention measures will affect tourism spending and mitigate new infections, which are expected to spike after the holiday. As the war in Ukraine continues to hike up global oil and food prices, pundits say how Thailand fares during and after the…
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6 Reasons Why Expats in Thailand Need a VPN
White-sand beaches, warm sunshine, and delicious food. Living in an exotic country like Thailand can help you achieve the lifestyle you always wanted. Nevertheless, as an expat (a person who lives and works in a foreign country), you have to be aware of the cyber threats you may face. Phishing emails, data breaches, compromised passwords – there are only a…
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Russian tourism staff claims interest in Thailand travel has spiked for Russians
More Russians are reportedly interested in venturing down to Thailand. After Russia announced earlier this week it would lift Covid-19 restrictions on flights to 52 countries, starting April 9, some Russian tourism staff claim there was a massive increase in Thailand search inquiries by Russians. Searches for tickets to Thailand reportedly went up by 20%, according to one popular vacation…
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Diver found off Malaysia says his teenage son died while they were adrift
One of the four missing divers who has now been found off Malaysia yesterday told the Malaysian coastguard his son, a 14 year old boy, died while they were adrift. The man, 46 year old Adrian Chesters, said his teenage son Nathen Chesters had become too weak to survive. A statement by the coastguard cited Adrian… “…as a result of…
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Independent candidate leads Bangkok’s race for a new Governor
An independent candidate is leading the record pack of 31 running in the forthcoming election for Bangkok’s Governor. In Bangkok’s first Governor election in 9 years, Chadchart Sittipunt, a former Pheu Thai heavyweight, is favoured by 38.8% of 1,362 eligible voters polled in the Bangkok area. The poll was conducted from April 5-7. The runner up at the moment is…
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South Korea is the most expensive country to raise kids
South Korea is the most expensive country in the world to raise children from birth to age 18, according to research from Jefferies Financial Group. On the list of 14 countries Jefferies researched, South Korea is followed by China, then Italy. Jefferies’s analysts reported some differences between Asian and Western cultures that might be a factor in South Korea and…
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Post-Omicron, Asian economies accelerate into recovery mode
Across most of South East and Eastern Asia, Covid is now on a sharp retreat, some 2 – 3 months after similar surges and drops in the US, UK and Europe. Except for 3 countries, Japan, China and Thailand, where the daily numbers, fuelled by Omicron variants, are still climbing. These same 3 countries have been among the most risk-averse…
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Man shoots and kills hospital patient in Thailand’s Northeast
A man shot and killed a hospital patient in Pak Khat district of Bueng Kan province in Thailand’s Northeast yesterday. Police arrested the 21 year old shooter, and he remains in custody during the investigation. A video posted on social media shows an armed man in a blue T-shirt, entering the hospital’s emergency room. The man is then seen shooting…
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Phuket’s Vanderbilt Estate opens for local charity
The financial impact of Covid has been felt all around the world, with charities hit the hardest. Phuket Has Been Good To Us, who teach English for free to disadvantaged Thai children, is no exception. Desperately in need of funds, they were hugely thankful when friends of the Foundation Mohan Murjani and Sukanya Panyalert (Khun Yui) offered to open the…
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Thailand’s Ministry of Interior urges tight Covid enforcement during Songkran
The Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Interior is calling on provincial governors to “rigidly enforce Covid-19 restrictions” during the looming Songkran annual break. The Permanent Secretary, Suthipong Julcharoe, also suggested 10 “Universal Prevention” methods. These include frequent handwashing and not touching your face, as well as vulnerable groups staying at home. Suthipong also suggested “double masking” (wearing 2 face…
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Airlines launching direct flights from Phuket to northeast Thailand, and Singapore
Slowly, gradually, but palpably, airlines are starting to increase their frequency and routes again. Not Air is launching direct flights to Phuket from Northeastern Thailand (and visa versa), and Air Asia is adding flight from Phuket to Singapore, starting next Tuesday. Yesterday morning, a Nok Air flight landed in Phuket, marking the new plan for one direct flight per week…
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Songkran, and traffic, are in the air as Bangkok dwellers head ‘upcountry’
The spirit of Songkran is in Thailand’s air, as is heavy traffic, as Bangkok residents make road trips ‘upcountry’ to the Northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima and beyond. Motorway 6, or M6, in Pak Chong district, is not yet open to public travel. It will be open to drivers for two periods: April 11 to 14, and after Songkran from…
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Missile attack on train station kills 52 Ukrainians, Russia denies involvement
Six weeks after Russia first invaded Ukraine, a missile struck a train station in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk yesterday, killing 52 people. Russia denies being behind the attack, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the bombing had been reported in Russia before the missiles had even landed. Zelensky said the attack showed “evil with no limits”. Zelensky called for…
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Drunk drivers in Thailand could be jailed without suspension during Songkran
Authorities in Thailand are vowing to get serious about drunk driving during Songkran. Drunk drivers caught between Monday and Sunday next week, during the time of the holiday, are more likely be jailed without suspension if convicted. A police major general said yesterday that police recently discussed measures to discourage drunk driving with officials. The major general said police and…
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Smuggled sketches show horrific conditions inside notorious Insein Prison in Myanmar
Radio Free Asia have released a series of sketches penned by inmates of a Burmese prison in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and smuggled out of the prison by brave, released detainees. Thousands of mostly political prisoners have been sent there since last year’s coup. The following from Radio Free Asia… “Sketches smuggled out of Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison…
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Phuket Soi Dog volunteer to brave Himalayas to raise money for foundation
A volunteer from Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket plans to brave a trek through the rugged Himalayan mountains to raise money for the foundation. The volunteer, 51 year old Yanisa, wants to reach the summit of the 6,419-metre Mount Chulu West with her husband in 21 days. Yanisa and her husband, 65 year old Rohun, will start from Kathmandu in…
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Chon Buri locals find baby crocodile in their kitchen
A croc in the kitchen! Locals in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province were horrified to find a crocodile roaming through their kitchen this week. The house owners, who requested not to be named, say they have no idea where the crocodile came from, and that they’ve never heard of crocodiles dwelling in the local area. The owners called…
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Thailand tourism authorities target India to offset lack of Chinese tourists
A deputy governor of marketing from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says Indian tourists are important for offsetting the loss of Chinese tourists in Thailand, as the TAT aims to attract 500,000 Indian tourists this year. The marketing governor said ever since an air travel bubble started with India last month, Thailand has already seen around 600 Indian arrivals per…
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Thai woman gives birth in pickup truck, after Chon Buri hospital turned her away
A Thai woman gave birth inside a pickup truck near the Ban Ang Wien intersection in eastern Thailand’s Chon Buri province yesterday. The woman’s husband had driven her to the hospital in the morning, but the doctor told her to go home as her cervix had not yet dilated enough. In the afternoon, the woman experienced more pain and decided…
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Phuket man confesses to spying on female hotel guest, still ‘temporarily released’
A Phuket hotel employee has confessed this morning to spying on a hotel guest last night while she was showering. Phuket police have already released the man, Noppadon, even though he admitted his crime and had been charged by police. The guest, Tong, posted on Facebook last night about the man, saying she spotted him staring at her through the…
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Crane arm breaks at Bangkok construction site, 1 man killed, another injured
Yesterday afternoon, a crane arm broke and dropped at a construction site on Ratchadamri Road in the Lumphini area of Bangkok’s Pathumwan district, killing one and injuring another. Part of the 20 metre tall crane broke off and landed on the ground. Two workers were seriously injured, both of them from Myanmar. They were rushed to a local hospital, where…
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Thailand ups electric vehicle incentives, after 30% spike in foreign direct investment
Thailand Board of Investment has approved revised conditions and incentives for investing in electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them, specifically charging stations. Today’s BOI announcement comes as Thailand increases its incentives for people to buy and invest in electric vehicles, in an effort to maintain its grip on Southeast Asia’s car manufacturing market, which is transitioning to…
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Songkran: Academics predict 10 year low in festival spending this year
Thailand academics predict the public’s spending during next week’s Songkran holiday will be the lowest in 10 years. An associate professor at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said he expects people to spend around 106 billion baht altogether across Thailand this year. This will be 5.4% less than last year, when public spending was recorded at about…
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Asia News Today | New North Korean test on the way & META blocks Filipino election account
Human Rights Watch has accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s military government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the Burmese military chief and Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors.HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung says the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief accountable for human rights…
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US arrests 3 Thais, yakuza chief for planning to supply missiles to Burmese rebels
US authorities revealed yesterday that they have arrested three Thai men and a Japanese yakuza organised crime leader in New York City on April 4 – 5. The men are accused of trafficking heroin and methamphetamine, as well as attempting to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Takeshi Ebizawa, Sompak Raksaranee, Somphop Sigsiri and Suksan…
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Ousted Thai MP vows to continue political career, posts ‘see you again’
After a former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath Party was permanently banned from Thai politics yesterday, she now vows to continue her political activities anyway. The woman, Pareena Kraikupt, was banned from politics by Thailand’s Supreme Court because she used forest reserve land in Ratchaburi for her private poultry farm. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders found…
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CCSA delays easing entry restrictions to Thailand… until after Songkran festival
The CCSA has announced today that they will hold off on adjusting the current entry restrictions for foreign travellers to Thailand until after next week’s Songkran festival, as they continue monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in the country. After today’s meeting, CCSA officials said they plan to adjust their measures in May, depending on the Covid situation after Thai New…
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Friday Covid Update: 25,140 new cases; provincial totals
89 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,877 with 4,179 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,140 new Covid-19 cases and 24,854 recoveries. There are now 248,254 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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