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.
-
Cat goes missing in Hat Yai, turns up 1000km away in Bangkok, Thailand
‘Moota’ the stripy cat turned up in Bangkok after going missing more than one month ago, almost 1000 kilometres away near the border of Malaysia in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, southern Thailand. On Wednesday, the Facebook page ‘Traffic on the Si Rat – Outer Ring Road Expressway of Bangkok‘ posted pictures of a beautiful striped cat with a red collar…
-
Phuket hotels team up with HSMAI for digital tourism and travel marketing workshop
Phuket’s tourism industry continues to wait and wonder when Mainland Chinese will be allowed to travel overseas, in the wake of China’s zero-Covid policy. As Thailand’s leading resort island moves towards the high season, hoteliers are looking to bridge the China gap and look to new markets to replace the expected lower volume of travel-challenged Russian tourists. Addressing these challenges is…
-
Croc randomly shows up in Phuket temple pond
A crocodile randomly showed up in the pond of a Phuket temple on Friday. Monks at the temple on the Toh Sae Hill in Phuket’s main city district say they have no idea who released the croc there. The monks were afraid that the croc would hurt people who feed turtles in the pond. Luckily, the Phuket Fisheries Office removed…
-
Machine invented to replace monkeys climbing coconut trees
Monkeys climbing coconut trees have been an icon in Thailand for years, but have also drawn the ire of animal rights groups like People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Now the Agriculture Department has invented a machine that can help farmers climb coconut trees themselves, eliminating the need to train and use monkeys to harvest coconuts. PETA released…
-
Nirvana naked baby album cover subject loses lawsuit
Perhaps the most famous naked baby of the 90s, the iconic photo that graced the cover of the seminal Nirvana album “Nevermind” has been the subject of a lawsuit that was just dismissed. Spencer Elden is not a household name, but most people who were teens or in their early 20s in the early 1990s remember the photo of him…
-
Thai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media
Thai officials are warning the public that several fake news reports, including about financial schemes, are still going viral on social media. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry said today that from August 26 to September 1, it examined 266 social media posts. Of those posts, 141 contained fake news. Even though fake news on Covid-19 has dropped off the…
-
Ice Woman: Interview with the world’s first Thai Wim Hof Method instructor
Kam Waritsara, aka ‘Thai Ice Woman,’ is the first Thai-certified Wim Hof Method (WHM) instructor in the world. Once Kam tried and tested the WHM, it became such an important part of her life that she vowed to make the technique accessible to Thai people. The WHM – discovered by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof – comprises three pillars: breathwork,…
-
Teenage girl’s body found in northeast Thailand forest
The body of a teenage girl has been found on Friday in a forest behind her school in Thailand’s northeast province of Buri Ram. The girl, 17 year old Nichada Salangam, had reportedly skipped her last class of the day with two friends before her body was found. Nichada’s friend Chularat said the three friends had skipped class to eat…
-
Hopefuls assess and prepare to run for prime minister
While the Constitutional Court is mulling over when Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term as prime minister officially ends, with the suspended PM submitting his defence on Thursday, several hopefuls eyeing the premiership have assessed their chances and taken steps in preparation. The Sang Anakhot Thai Party (translating to “Building Thailand’s Future”) intends to nominate former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and has…
-
Maid abuse case shines light on layers of corruption
On the surface, the policewoman who beat her maid is appalling enough, but as details unfold, they uncover multi-layered rotten corruption laying bare countless cases of abuse of power all the way to the top and connected to the acting prime minister. Not only did the maid endure the abuse in exchange for a pass into the Royal Thai Army,…
-
Trying the Wim Hof Method Workshop in Bangkok
Thailand is one of the most popular countries for medical tourism in the world. In fact, Thailand ranks 5th among 195 countries in the global health security index released in 2021. Before the lockdown, about 5 million international travelers entered the kingdom to get medical procedures done. That’s over 600 million USD entering the country from medical tourism alone. And…
-
Australian man kills 2 teens in Songkhla crash, another seriously injured
An Australian man hit and killed two teenage girls on a motorcycle with his car in the southern province of Songkhla, Thai media reported on Friday. Another teenage girl who was also on the motorcycle was seriously injured in the accident. The tragic accident happened on a road in front of a Royal Navy Shooting Range, and officers found the…
-
Sri Lanka’s ex-president leaves Thailand, returns home
The ex-president of Sri Lanka finally left Thailand and returned to his home country. The former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had initially planned to return to Sri Lanka on August 24, but his return date ended up being yesterday, September 2. Gotabaya has been on quite a journey ever since 100,000 angry protesters forced him to flee Sri Lanka on July…
-
Pattaya hotel employee seriously injured after falling down elevator shaft
A South Pattaya hotel employee has been seriously injured after she fell down an elevator shaft last night. The hotel maid, 57 year old Daengtoi Makkhun, had been cleaning on the fourth floor of the Aya Boutique Hotel with another maid. She then tried to get to the first floor via a staff elevator that had manual doors, not automatic…
-
Prayut submits 30-page defence to court to remain PM
In the ongoing battle for Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as prime minister of Thailand, the suspended PM and current Minister of Defence had his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. While the Constitutional Court is still considering whether Prayut can remain as…
-
UPDATE: Prayut calls in army to help with Phuket floods
UPDATE After floods wreaked havoc in Phuket yesterday, General Prayut Chan-o-cha has today called in the Royal Thai Army for some backup to help the island province’s victims, and pump out flood water. Prayut has ordered army officers to pump out water in the area around the Phuket International Airport. He has also ordered to officers to help victims in…
-
Officials bust hundreds of Chiang Rai teens drinking underage
A team of officials has busted hundreds of teenagers in the northern Chiang Rai province drinking under Thailand’s legal age of 20. The officials raided a pub in the main city district early this morning and found 325 people drinking underage, with some as young as 16 years old. Many of the youngsters dashed away on motorcycles when they saw…
-
Should monks be fit? Pics of monks in gym stir online anger
Some buff Buddhist monks doing reps in robes have gone viral as images of them working out in a gym caused an uproar on the Internet. The photos were posted yesterday on the Buddhist News Facebook page by a man who refers to himself as an abbott and claimed he invited residents of his temple to get some exercise. “I…
-
LTR visa: will the benefits lure expats to drive the economy?
The new 10-year long-term resident visa was launched on Thursday to convert visitors into expats by offering benefits and tax breaks to attract foreigners from around the world. Though, they’ve made clear that they’re looking only for the top-tier wealthy travellers to move to Thailand and take advantage of the LTR visa. The new visa is only offered exclusively to…
-
EDM music festival coming up in central Thailand
An electronic dance music festival with a Halloween theme is coming up in Thailand’s central province of Nonthaburi. The festival, called “Oh My Ghost: The Freakiest Music Festival,” will feature both Thai and international EDM DJs, including DJ Marshmello. According to the festival’s website, the festival will be held on Sunday, September 25, from 4pm-11pm at Thunder Dome Stadium in…
-
Elderly monk killed in Chon Buri temple fire
An elderly monk has been tragically killed in a fire that destroyed a temple yesterday in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province. The monk, 92 year old Phra Siang Achito Thongthammachart had been immobile due to his age, and couldn’t escape the unexpected fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the two-story temple engulfed in flames. The…
-
Thai Racing Champions Journey to the Top feat. Sandy Stuvik | Thaiger Podcast Ep.5
https://youtu.be/T_h59UgizSs Sandy Stuvik, one of Thailand’s top auto racers, has a wealth of experience in karts, open-wheel cars up to F2, touring cars, and GT cars, and now he currently drives the Audi R8 for B-quick absolute racing team and is sponsored by big names such as Pizza Company, Thai Airways and many more. In this edition of our…
-
Burmese junta sentences former UK ambassador to 1 year in prison
After the Burmese junta arrested a former UK ambassador to Myanmar, along with her husband, on August 24, the junta yesterday sentenced them to a year in prison. The former ambassador, Vicky Bowman, is the director of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business. She served as the UK’s ambassador to Myanmar from 2002-2006. Her husband, Htein Lin, is a Burmese…
-
How to plan a destination wedding in Phuket 2022 – Step by Step
If you are looking for how to plan a wedding in Phuket, you have come to the perfect place! Going to a foreign land to marry your love can offer you that amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, planning the perfect wedding can sometimes be a daunting task. But don’t worry as we are here to guide you through the steps of…
-
Elephant invades home and steals fermented fish in eastern Thailand
An elephant with no respect for the law smashed its way into a home in Prachin Buri province at 4.40am today and helped itself to some fermented fish and other food items before fleeing into the jungle. The owner of the one-storey house, Pranee Saicharoen, says she was woken up by a loud bang in the middle of the night.…
-
Deputy Mayor says Pattaya’s Walking Street makeover almost finished
Following an inspection this week, Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor Manoch Nongyai has announced that the resurfacing of the city’s famous Walking Street is almost finished. Manoch, along with other authorities, inspected Walking Street on Wednesday. He said the resurfacing is about 95% complete, with only the street art left to complete. He added that advertising signs obstructing the street must be…
-
Virus expert tells Thailand’s masses to top up for pandemic fight
One of Thailand’s top virologists last night insisted that it is vital everyone in the kingdom tops up on their vaccination jabs with a booster shot to defeat Covid-19. Dr Yong Poovorawan likened getting vaccinated to training the body’s immune system to become a frontline soldier in fighting off invading diseases. “The Covid-19 virus does not just invade our body…
-
VIDEO: Phuket Airport and surrounding areas engulfed by floods
Floodwater is being pumped out of Phuket Airport and surrounding areas following heavy rainfall. No flights have been cancelled yet but the airport has requested passengers to arrive three to four hours before their scheduled departure time. “Heavy rain in Phuket province has resulted in flooding at Phuket Airport. Urgent remedial action is being taken in all flooded areas,” said…
-
Thai woman forced into prostitution in Dubai seeks help for 3 imprisoned friends
A 40 year old Thai woman who claims she escaped forced prostitution in Dubai is pleading for help for her three friends, who are still imprisoned in Dubai, UAE, by a gang of Thai brokers. Ms. A (pseudonym), originally from Sri Saket province in northeast Thailand, says she and three other Thai women were tricked by the brokers. The men…
-
Officers face 50 years in jail for soliciting bribes from erotic massage parlour
Four police officers were sentenced to 50 years in prison after they solicited bribes from an erotic massage parlor in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok. Officers from the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) raided Nataree Massage after being notified the establishment was using women under the age of 18 that had been trafficked. The raid took place…
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.