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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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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House agrees to Constitutional amendment
Apparently acquiescing to the demands of anti-government protesters who have held demonstrations across the nation for 2 weeks, a parliamentary committee formed to study problems with Thailand’s Constitution has resolved to change Section 256 of the charter, to clear the way for broader amendments. The protesters, mainly university students, have demanded a rewritten Constitution, a new general election and an…
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Duterte tells Filipinos to clean masks with petrol
Stressing that his advice is not a joke, bombastic Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday told his people to use petrol as a disinfectant for protective facemasks. The outspoken leader made a similar remark last week which his spokesman said was a joke, reminding the public that Duterte often says things in jest. But in a televised address yesterday, Duterte declared:…
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Jet ski explodes in Chon Buri – VIDEO
A jet ski exploded yesterday at Chon Buri’s Bang Saen beach, near Bangkok. Rescue workers and firefighters arrived to find a blue/black jet ski on fire. They were able to put out the fire but vehicle was completely destroyed. Fortunately, 46 year owner Suthep Jarworrak suffered only minor injuries and some skin burns. The rescue team administered first aid before…
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Sa Kaeo couple in murder/suicide
Police in the eastern Sa Kaeo province, along the Cambodian border, say a 61 year old man and his 44 year old wife are dead after what they’re calling a murder/suicide. The incident in the Ban Mai Nong Sai subdistrict was reported at around 6am yesterday. Authorities arrived at the scene to find 44 year old Nuengthai Klomkraok dead in…
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South Korean cult leader arrested for hiding Covid-19 data, embezzlement
Authorities in South Korea this morning arrested the founder of a secretive Christian sect at the centre of the country’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 infections for allegedly concealing crucial data from contact-tracers, and other offences. Police nabbed Lee Man-hee, the powerful head of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is linked to more than 5,200 coronavirus infections, or about 36%…
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Vietnam records first Covid-19 deaths
Vietnam announced today that 2 people have now died of Covid-19 complications, just a day after it recorded its first-ever coronavirus death, as it struggles with a renewed outbreak after 99 days without a locally transmitted case. Both patients died in hospital in Da Nang, a hotspot with more than 100 cases in the past week, more than half of…
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Thai delivery app merger gets 3.5 billion baht boost
Homegrown Thai delivery app Line Man is merging with its longtime partner, online restaurant review platform Wongnai Media. Line Man has secured fresh capital investment worth US$110 million (3.5 billion baht) from BRV Capital Management to bolster the new entity. The merger marks the first time any member of the Japan-based Line Group has secured a financial investment of this…
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Protesters attempt to “wash away” government double standards
Continuing the wave of anti-government demonstrations which has swept the country for nearly 2 weeks, protesters calling themselves “Democracy June 24” gathered outside Government House in Bangkok yesterday and symbolically washed dishes carrying various political messages. The last dish, carrying a photo of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was dramatically smashed when protesters were “unable” to scrub it clean. (October 24 is…
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Gold shop heist foiled as owner locks thief inside
Police in Bangkok’s Klong Sam Wa district yesterday arrested a woman after she showed up at a local gold shop, dressed in pink Muslim garb and armed with a pistol, evidently intending to rob the place. Unfortunately for her, the caper was foiled when the owner of the “Yaowarat Gold Department Store” locked her in, called police and waited outside…
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Covid-19 update: 6 new imported cases, deaths still at 58 (July 31)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 6 new cases of Covid-19 among returnees from Egypt and the Netherlands, lifting the national total to 3,310 since the outbreak began in January. Spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin announced the new figure at this morning’s daily press briefing. Taweesilp said 5 of the new patients recently returned from Egypt; 4 are male students,…
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Khon Kaen police raid drug warehouse
A drug warehouse has been raided in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. The warehouse is in Khon Kaen City’s main business district, and several types of drugs, which police valued at tens of millions of baht, were seized. The provincial governor, police chief and other authorities reported the arrest of 35 year old “Jetsadaporn” and 34 year old “Jurairat”, …
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Pattaya police say insults led to fatal shooting
2 suspects, arrested early yesterday and accused of the fatal shooting in broad daylight of a motorbike taxi driver in Pattaya, have been charged with murder. Police traced and arrested the 2 prime suspects, named as 39 year old Manat Imamu and 45 year old Niphon Panthong, in Chon Buri’s Bangsaen district, as they attempted to withdraw money from an…
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Nok Air will survive despite bankruptcy: CEO
Thai budget carrier Nok Air is insisting that its business will be able to return to solvency despite filing a business rehabilitation request with the Central Bankruptcy Court, shortly after national flag carrier Thai Airways did the same. Nok Air CEO Wutthiphum Jurangkool said yesterday that the impact of Covid-19 is preventing the airline from flying its 18 international routes,…
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Europe bans US travellers for 2nd time in a month
The EU extended its travel ban on Americans yesterday for the second time in a month, as Covid-19 continues to ravage the US. The EU began lifting its travel restrictions on July 1, welcoming visitors from 14 countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The US was left off of that list, and the EU extended its ban on travellers…
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Police say “Boss” tested positive for cocaine due to dentistry
Police are claiming that illicit drugs, including cocaine, found in the blood samples of Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya in the infamous fatal 2012 hit-and-run case were for his dental treatment. A parliamentary committee invited officials yesterday for questioning regarding case. A spokesman for the committee told a press briefing that the panel questioned officers who handled the case…
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Facebook post from Bangkok restaurateur shows the power of social media
A Bangkok restaurateur has been left surprised by the power of social media, after his online complaint led to workers rushing back to fill a gaping hole they’d left outside his premises 3 months ago. Donald Woo, a Hong Kong expat who runs a noodle shop in the capital, took to Facebook to voice his frustration after workers abandoned a…
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Tycoon’s prison term for attempted bribery upheld
The 1 year prison sentence for construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for attempted bribery has been upheld by Thailand’s appeals court. Premchai’s case captured national attention in February when the high profile CEO and 3 associates were found surrounded by animal carcasses and guns in a protected wildlife sanctuary. Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development Corp, was later released by the court…
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What’s behind Hong Kong’s third wave of Covid-19 infections?
Hong Kong has had its ups and downs throughout the early phases of the coronavirus pandemic but its reaction was considered a text book response as it contained the virus quickly. But then there was a smaller 2nd wave, and now a 3rd. Despite being a part of China and sharing a border with the mainland to the north, Hong…
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Facebook faux pas – auto translate goes rogue on message for King’s birthday
Anyone using their computers to translate Thai into English, or English to Thai, will know that the results are mixed, usually confusing, and sometimes hilarious. But Facebook has ended up scrambling to tone down the reaction to an auto-translate from posts about celebrations for His Majesty’s on the occasion of his birthday last Monday. The American social media tech company…
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Heart damage in Covid-19 patients found months after recovery – Study
New medical reports are showing that Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is having lasting impact on the heart of some patients. The report confirms the fears of cardiologists who have been concerned about potential long-term heart injury from the coronavirus. Two German studies, published this week in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Cardiology, indicated heart “abnormalities” in Covid-19 patients months after they had…
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Still no word on abducted activist as UN deadline passes
Despite a UN deadline, the family of abducted activist Wanchalerm “Ta” Satsaksit says that authorities have yet to offer any explanation of his fate. He is believed to have been kidnapped in front of his Phnom Penh apartment on June 4. His sister, Sitanan Satsaksit says she has yet to hear any word from either the Cambodian or Thai governments…
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Thai Vietjet passengers treated to surprise “concert in the sky”
Thai Vietjet Air today launched its maiden flight VZ210, from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. To celebrate the inauguration, the airline delivered a surprise “concert in the sky” with famous Thai singer Ying Lee, featuring a full team of dancers and cabin crew, along with souvenirs for all passengers. The carrier will operate 2…
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Mayor says half of Pattaya’s security cameras aren’t working
Pattaya’s mayor claims about half of the city’s security cameras aren’t working. In an interview with associated Thai press, Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem told reporters “There are slightly over 2,000 CCTV cameras in Pattaya in total at this time. We also have a dedicated CCTV control centre that’s manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” “However, some of them…
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Drug dealer shoots policeman, escapes in Korat
Police are hunting for a drug dealer who shot an undercover agent yesterday and fled after realising he was caught in a sting operation in Khong district of the lower northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province, aka Korat. The officer was seriously wounded and rushed to hospital. 38 year old Phadungsil Lohakart allegedly shot the agent, who was posing as a buyer…
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Ukrainian man in fatal fall from abandoned Surat Thani hotel
A Ukranian fell to his death from the roof of an empty hotel in the central business district of the southern province of Surat Thani this morning. The 36 year old man, identified by Matichon as Tomak Mykola, was found lying face up on the ground in front of the abandoned Southern Star Hotel on Chon Kasem Road. Police were…
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Student flash mob in Chiang Mai as anti-government protests keep popping up
By Will Langston For the second time in less than a week, activists took over Chiang Mai’s famous landmark Tha Pae Gate last night around 5pm. Their message was clear in banners and in slogans showed by the group: Freedom. Police watched closely as hundreds of people gathered, dressed in cosplay attire, wearing masks and holding signs expressing their individual…
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Pattaya murder suspects arrested
2 men have been arrested for the shocking daylight shooting murder of a motorbike taxi driver in Pattaya on Tuesday. The Pattaya News reports the suspects were nabbed in Chon Buri province’s Bang Saen district early this morning. Police found a blue Honda PCX motorbike, which they believe was used in the shooting, in front of an apartment building in…
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Pro-monarchy students plan Bangkok rally
A group of pro-royalist vocational students and their supporters are planning a rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument today, possibly provoking a confrontation with pro-democracy students. The student group, calling itself “Vocational Students to Protect the Nation” said on their Facebook page that they will be demonstrating at Democracy monument and voice their opinions on the current surge of pro-democratic student…
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“We Travel Together” campaign may be extended through 2020
The “We Travel Together” government stimulus campaign may be extended to increase domestic tourism through to the end of the year, while travel bubbles for tourists will hopefully be launched by October, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. He says the slow start of the scheme, launched July 15, can be partly attributed to hesitation among tourists as…
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PHIST – Asia’s largest online tourism event, returns this September
PHIST, the Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism, is set to break down boundaries again with a “virtual” version of Asia’s largest sustainable travel and hospitality event on September 7. Over 1,200 of the industry’s leading figures are expected to attend this socially-distant online gathering. The online event will include keynote addresses, interactive sessions, educational workshops and a green exhibition.…
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