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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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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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22 new cases of Covid-19 detected in Thailand
The Thai government’s CCSA has reported another 22 new cases of Covid-19 this morning, raising the country’s total of infections to 3,545. The vast majority of these have recovered – 3,369. The death toll is unchanged at 59 people. The new cases have come from imported cases, returnees and visitors, and became apparent whilst they were in quarantine during routine tests. The…
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1,202 gambling websites to be blocked in Thailand
Thailand is cracking down on online gambling websites. Internet providers will have 15 days to block 1,202 gambling websites before charges are pressed for violating Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. Although gambling is technically illegal in Thailand, underground and online gambling thrives in pockets of the country. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry was ordered by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to crack…
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Thai medic cautions against reducing quarantine period for foreign tourists
On one side there is a push to re-open Thailand’s borders to re-start the beleaguered tourist industry. On the other hand Thai officials are try to keep Covid-19 contained and fear the re-opening of the borders. Even the suggestion to reduce the quarantine time from 14 to 7 days is not gaining support from health officials. Now, a doctor from…
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Van passengers hospitalised after gas leak on the way to Roi Et
Passengers in a van leaving from Bangkok ended up in the hospital after a gas leak went unnoticed. Many passengers began to feel dizzy and nauseous. Some had difficultly breathing before falling unconscious. Some passengers were even found foaming at the mouth. The 34 year old driver, identified as Jakpong, was hired to drive the passengers from Bangkok to the…
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Nonthaburi teacher allegedly beat students, witnesses may face charges -VIDEO
After a private school teacher in Nonthaburi was caught on camera allegedly beating kindergarten students, education officials are looking to press charges on every teacher that witnessed the alleged abuse and did not step in to stop her. A surveillance camera footage at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School shows the teacher pushing the 3 year old student down to the…
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Domestic tourism stimulus campaign set to be extended
Officials are discussing an extension to the domestic tourism stimulus package, following the approval of additional public holidays between now and the end of the year. The extra holidays will take place between November 19 and 22, and again from December 10 to 13, as the government continues its efforts to boost domestic tourism. Thailand’s tourism industry has been left…
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Thai Vietjet introduce new “Deluxe” product for domestic routes in Thailand
Thai Vietjet, which currently operates 13 domestic routes within Thailand, is launching a new “Deluxe” product, starting from 999 baht. The “Deluxe” tickets will include 7 kilos of carry-on and 20 kilos of checked luggage (currently an additional charge), as well as seat selection and priority check-in. Date, route and flight changes are also permitted 1 time, free of charge.…
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Little has changed: 9 years after devastating floods, Bangkok remains defenceless
Parts of Bangkok remain at risk of catastrophic floods, as happened in 2011, when thousands of people were displaced and homes partially or totally destroyed. Now, 9 years later, a report in the Bangkok Post says city officials have made little progress in shoring up the capital’s flood defences, and the upper-eastern area remains as exposed as ever. Back in…
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IATA proposes Covid testing before travelling to replace quarantine on arrival
The International Air Transport Association is proposing travellers to take a Covid test prior to departure to replace worldwide mandatory quarantines on arrival. The push comes after it announces that international travel is down by 92% this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As many countries are imposing mandatory quarantines that can be not only expensive but up to 14…
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News of American sued over bad Koh Chang hotel review has everyone talking
After news hit of an American being arrested and sued for defamation over leaving a bad review about a Koh Chang hotel on TripAdvisor, many are taking to the internet to voice their opinions on the issue. The Sea View Resort owners say it tried in vain to negotiated with Wesley Barnes after he posted the reviews, but he continued…
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Pattaya City council pushes for action against abandoned Waterfront condo project
The Pattaya City Council is pushing for action, any action, against the abandoned 53 story Waterfront Suites and Residence luxury condo after it has been left as an eyesore for many years overlooking the Bali Hai Pier. The Waterfront Suites and Residence is a half-finished condo project that was stalled in 2014 after safety inspectors discovered that the building’s fire escapes…
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Bride and groom shot in Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding
Four people have been killed during a Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding reception in the Tham Phannara district. One other person was seriously injured in the hail of bullets. Local police report that the incident occurred around 11pm on the road outside the house where the reception was being held in the Dusit tambon village. Two of the dead people were…
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Helmet credited for saving student’s life after being ran over by a truck
A helmet has been credited by rescue workers as saving a young student motorbiker’s life after being run over by a truck following a collision with another vehicle. The accident, which happened in the Panat Nikhom District, of Thailand’s eastern Chon Buri province, happened after a vehicle stopped suddenly, causing the student to crash into it. The student reportedly fell…
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Majority in survey say now is the time to share ideas to solve conflicts
A majority of those surveyed in a recent Suan Dusit Rajabhat University poll say now is the time to work together to solve the conflicts that are plaguing the country. The poll, known as the Suan Dusit Poll, was conducted online from September 23-25, asked for opinions on the long-standing conflicts in Thailand. 1,263 online netizens responded with a large…
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Police arrest 13 illegal Cambodian migrants in Sa Kaeo border province
Police have arrested 13 illegal Cambodian migrants in the Sa Kaeo border province after a patrol team spotted some of them at 2am in the morning. The Burapha Task Force spotted 5 of the migrants in Ban Nong Phai village of Ta Phraya sub district after stopping a grey Toyota Fortuner that was registered in Bangkok. According to police, the…
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Phuket airport ready for tourists after finishing Covid screening labs
Phuket Airport is officially ready for tourists as authorities say they have finished installing Covid screening labs in an effort to welcome international travellers. The 5T Model for Covid-19 is being used at the airport with the goal of screening large groups of people in a quick and efficient manner. The Phuket health chief says the 5T’s stand for Target,…
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Koh Chang resort sues American over bad review
A Koh Chang resort is fighting back and, reportedly, suing an American citizen after posting a nasty online review on TripAdvisor. After recently visiting the Sea View Resort on Trat province island in the Gulf of Thailand, American Wesley Barnes wrote an unflattering, almost bitchy, account of his stay prompting the owner to file an official complaint over the ‘unfair’…
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Vietnam’s booming manufacturing sector reduced to a trickle as world pandemic kills demand
Vietnamese finance officials are downgrading expectations for a recovery of the south east Asian nation’s economy in 2021. The normally fast-growing gross domestic product in 2020 has stalled due to a huge drop in local and global demand, and the absence of international tourism. The booming economy, growing at an average of 6% per year since 2012, will struggle to reach…
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Government to stir economy with 100 billion baht stimulus starting in October
The Thai Government is expected to stimulate the economy with 100 billion baht boost starting in October until the end of the year. The injection will reportedly come from both the people’s and the government’s spending under three stimulus measures according to the Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. The first measure will reportedly give 14 million welfare cardholders an extra 500…
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“Bad Student” movement by high-schoolers continues fight against authorities
A movement, dubbed by some of Thailand’s high-schoolers as ‘Bad Student’, is advancing the fight against education authorities as students are trying to break up the country’s strict, or as they claim, archaic, education system. The movement’s name takes after a university student activitst’s book about his experiences in a government high school. The recent rebellion of students coincides with…
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Elderly Dutch man’s body found floating near Pattaya Beach
An elderly Dutch man’s body has been found floating near a Pattaya beach in South Pattaya after telling his wife he was going to go swimming. The 74 year old man’s wife Ms. Sukjai Bungutum, a 41 year old Thai woman, was found by rescue workers crying near his body. “My husband told me he was going to go swimming.…
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Phuket’s Sri Panwa Resort’s land title deed to be investigated for legality by DSI
Back in the news again. Phuket’s Sri Panwa Resort’s land title deed is now to be investigated by the Department of Special Investigation after a petition was filed to determine whether the deed was procured legally. Veera Somkwamkid, the secretary-general of the People’s Network Against Corruption, filed the petition along with 167 pages of documents pertaining to his accusations that…
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Mother abandons 3 young children in their locked Bangkok room for 3 days
3 young Bangkok children were abandoned in a small room for 3 days after the mother allegedly visited her new boyfriend. A neighbour was taking care of the youngest of the 4 children, a 4 month old baby, but the mother never contacted anyone about her other 3 kids. The mother hadn’t returned to pick up her baby from the…
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Thai Red Cross says “stay vigilant” as Covid can be asymptomatic yet contagious
The Thai Red Cross Society has published a new infographic warning us to stay vigilant as Covid-19 can be asymptomatic but still able to spread to others. The novel coronavirus has been spreading despite carriers having little or no symptoms. The Thai Government PR Facebook page today reports 3 new confirmed cases from people on repatriation flights and in state…
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Thai Chamber of Commerce urges visa amnesty to be extended after today’s deadline
The Thai Chamber of Commerce is urging the government to extend the visa amnesty for the country’s 400,000 tourists after today’s deadline but has so far been turned down. The move comes as such provinces like Chiang Mai’s immigration office sends messages giving tourists until Monday to sort out their visas (which is under the law as Saturday, the final…
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Sex worker support group pressures Thai government to decriminalise prostitution
A sex worker support group called The Empower Foundation is hoping to persuade the Thai government to decriminalise prostitution by seeking a 10,000 signature petition. The group, based in Chiang Mai, wants penalties for selling sex removed as it says the 1960 law harbors exploitation and corruption. Such a removal would require Thailand to withdraw the Anti-Prostitution Act which saw…
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Flights to nowhere. The latest ‘cunning plan’ by Thai Airways
Sort of counter-intuitive, but you get on a plane, take off, and land at the same airport. Not usually the way it’s meant to work, but that’s the latest brain child of the Thai Airways management, via their budget Thai Smile brand, who are already back in the air. The idea is to offer people who have missed the experience…
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PM to tackle Northern Thailand’s seasonal haze… again
The Thai prime minister says he’s working on a plan to tackle Northern Thailand’s seasonal haze problem by cutting back manmade bushfires known to largely contribute to the air pollution. The issue has been broadly covered in Thai and foreign media for years, and been followed up with ministerial visits, promises, and little else. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke with governors…
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Deputy PM says 2 years until Thailand’s economy is back to normal
It’s going to be another 2 years until Thailand’s economy is back on track, according to Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. At least that’s the amount of time he expects it will take to get the economy back to “normal levels” from before the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus crisis crippled economies across the globe. The Covid-19 pandemic is already the worst…
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Thailand’s first cancer medicine factory expected to cut drug costs in half
The government just sealed the deal to build Thailand’s first factory to produce cancer-treating medicine and chemicals, a move that is expected to cut treatment drug costs in half. Buying imported cancer-treating drugs is expensive. Thailand spends about 21 billion baht per year on imported cancer medicine, according to Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The local factory is intended…
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