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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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UK heads towards Brexit and Thailand ponders an FTA with Britain
Thailand is pondering the possibilities of creating a free trade agreement with the UK after British PM Boris Johnson’s historic victory in the UK election last week, which is expected to pave the way for the passage of the ‘Brexit’ separation form the EU soon. The UK will then have to make separate agreements with each individual country. Traditionally these…
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Woman injured in hit-and-run demands driver turn himself in
PHOTO: Suthasinee Chartprachum – The Pattaya News A woman injured in a motorbike accident is demanding that the hit and run driver must take responsibility and turn himself in to police. 26 year old Suthasinee Chartprachum told local media that she and her husband were on a motorbike when they were hit by a pickup truck last Thursday evening near…
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Unidentified naked man in Bangkok death plunge
PHOTO: Forensic police examine the body of the man who fell from a high-rise condominium in the Ratchayothin area in Bangkok on Saturday morning Police say a naked man has fallen to his death from a condominium tower in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district early on Saturday. The unidentified man’s body was found lying face down on the street. The incident happened…
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Thanathorn calls on Thais to demand Constitutional amendment
Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is calling a Constitutional amendment “necessary,” and encourages supporters to “take a strong stance against dictatorship.” The former MP also says it’s time for people to take a clear stance on the issue. “The country is at a crossroads and it must decide whether to rewrite the current Constitution in blood, or if it…
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Thailand still a top destination for Chinese ivory buyers
PHOTO: Thai Embassy A survey by The World Wide Fund for Nature reveals that Thailand remains a top destination for illegal ivory sales. The survey also indicates, perhaps surprisingly, that a majority of Chinese tourists, traditionally the biggest ivory buyers, have no desire to buy ivory. WWF Thailand polled 214 tourists from China at five prime retail locations across Bangkok, in…
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Surat Thani fisherman missing after falling off boat last night
FILE PHOTO: Khaosod English Police and rescue crews are still searching for a fisherman missing since last night. Today’s search off Koh Samui involves ships and aircraft of the 2nd Naval Area. The search was launched as soon as police were alerted about a fishing boat crew member who fell into the sea off the island late last night. At…
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Three men abandon van packed with drugs in Bangkok
PHOTOS: INN News Three men have abandoned a luxury passenger van in the Bang Khun Thian area of Bangkok. It was packed full of methamphetamine pills. Police Officers from the Sam Dum Police Station discovered 100 packs of methamphetamine ‘Yaba’ pills, totalling 200,000, placed inside a large bag. The suspects fled the scene choosing to give up the drugs and…
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Walking street-led economic recovery
And it starts today at two locations in Bangkok. In its latest campaign to encourage more spending and boost tourism Bangkok’s government is launching a series of walking streets today before the Thai government spreads the walking street ‘boost’ to other provinces. Silom and Yaowarat roads are becoming pedestrian walkways today and other provinces have temporary walking street events starting on…
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“Phuket’s economy is shrinking” – University report
PHOTO: Rocket Bird Travel Company “Phuket’s economy is shrinking.” A report released by the local Prince of Songkla University reveals some disturbing trends for the once-booming tropical paradise. Chayanon Phucharoen, the university’s associate dean of research and graduate study says that Phuket’s economy is undergoing a transformation. He blames the strong Thai baht and says digital disruption is funnelling tourist services…
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Justice minister says he’ll speed up kratom decriminalisation
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin says he will speed up the decriminalisation of kratom, after researchers registered patents for kratom-based medicines in Japan and the US. Kratom is a local plant, related to coffee, whose leaves are still classified as a narcotic in Thailand. Somsak said his ministry has formed a committee to consider legalising kratom-based medicines. Kratom leaves are a mild…
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14 year old arrested as gunman in Yala murder
PHOTO: Facebook/Krpoliceyala A 14 year old boy is accused of shooting a forestry official in the southern Thai province of Yala, according to police who arrested three suspects on Saturday, including the alleged mastermind. Authorities say the killing was planned by 34 year old Arseesa Kamae, an accountant who worked for the victim. She allegedly hired 33 year old Treenaphat…
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Police hunt suspect for stabbing ex-girlfriend at work
Police in Chonburi province are hunting a suspect over the stabbing his ex-girlfriend whilst she was at work. Authorities in the Bowin district of Sri Racha, just north of Pattaya, were notified of the incident at about noon on Friday. The incident happened at at a factory in Hemmarat. 21 year old Sasiwimon Mutaphon survived the attack but was seriously injured…
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Baby dumped on the steps of a bank in Rawai, Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket Newshawk/Phuket Hotnews On December 13, at about 4pm, Chalong police received a report about a baby found abandoned in front of Siam Commercial Bank, in Rawai. At the scene, police found a baby boy with fair skin and appeared like a mix caucasian/Asian. The infant was crying but the witnesses who called police were trying to hold, comfort…
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Video of couple having sex in Bangkok tuk-tuk goes viral – VIDEO
Social media users in Thailand have had plenty to say about a video that appears to show a couple having sex in the back of a tuk-tuk speeding through Bangkok. Some would say using this particular mode of Bangkok transport is exhilarating enough without adding anything else into the mix, but the Chiang Rai Times reports that one couple decided…
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Grateful woman tries to find foreigner who saved the life of her boyfriend’s father
A Thai woman has taken to social media in an attempt to track down the foreign man who saved her boyfriend’s father after he had chest pains and an apparent heart attack in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park. The Bangkok Post reports that a foreign man performed CPR on the man after he fell unconscious and his heart stopped beating. Now the family…
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Chonburi police arrest nine Chinese nationals for alleged amulet scam
Police have arrested nine Chinese nationals in an investigation into alleged amulet fraud in Chonburi, eastern Thailand. The Nation reports that the accused were running a shop at a Chonburi temple, where they sold fake amulets and Buddha images for prices that ranged from 1,000 baht to over 10,000 baht. They are accused of working with tour agents to target…
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Social media meltdown over tuk-tuk sex trip in Bangkok
PHOTO: Facebook/Khun-Khachen Thai netizens are in a frenzy over two posted video clips showing a woman sitting on a male passenger’s lap and, it appears, enjoying sex with him in a the back of the tuk-tuk on a Bangkok street early in the morning. The videos have since been taken down (just to save you the effort). There are two…
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Public hearings on Pattaya Tram Project start Monday
Whilst Phuket’s tram project has been shelved temporary, the much-discussed Pattaya tram project starts public hearings on Monday when the city hosts its first public sessions on the feasibility study. First proposed in 2016, the tram would make a circle around Beach Road and Second Road and then into Jomtien Beach. Finally however, with more funding now allocated and a…
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Phuket road closures and areas to avoid Sunday morning
Sunday, December 15, Phuket locals and officials will gather to celebrate the arrival of the holy Buddha’s relic alongside other highly respected monks’ religious relics. There will be parades and road closures in and around the Phuket Town area.The Phuket Municipality will close down the road from the the Phuket Post Office intersection all the way to Thalang Road –…
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Thanathorn invites supporters to a rally in Bangkok at 5pm
PHOTO: time.com The Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is inviting his supporters to join him at a rally today. In a live video broadcast via his Facebook page, he invited people to a gathering at 5pm this afternoon at the Pathumwan intersection skywalk on Rama I Road. Stripped of his MP title he is now aiming to rally the voice…
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Thai Immigration Chief softens stance on tourist and expat visas
#shutdoorafterhorsehasbolted The head of Thai Immigration has told his department not to be too strict on tourists and scare them away from returning to Thailand. According to PattayaOne, the Chief has asked for his staff to “show some humanity”. Lt-Gen Sompong – also known as Big Oud, after his predecessor was nicknamed Big Joke – was doing a presentation during a…
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Tourist numbers down 40% compared to last year, and last year was bad – Pattaya
PHOTO: pinterest.com “Tourists are down 40% for Pattaya’s high season.” This from the Pattaya Entertainment and Tourism Industrial Association when speaking to Sophon Cable TV today. And last year wasn’t good either. Damrongkiet Pinitkarn, secretary of the association says that this high season before the New Year, the number of tourists at night clubs and bars has significantly decreased compared…
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The fourth Chim Shop Chai stimulus rolls out for New Year
PHOTO: Thai PBS World The state-run Krung Thai Bank is rolling out another economic stimulus program for New Year. It will include an 800,000 baht Toyota sedan and gold necklaces for subscribers to the latest Chip Shop Chai (Eat-Spend-Shop) scheme who Thais spend through their g-wallet accounts. Lawan Saengsanit, the Fiscal Policy Office director and spokesman for the Finance Ministry,…
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Forecasts are in negative territory for south east and wider Asia
PHOTO: asiahouse.org The Asian Development Bank has trimmed its forecasts for economic growth in developing Asia this year and next as growth in the People’s Republic of China and India are weighed down by both external and domestic factors. Closer to home, south east Asia’s growth projections have also been revised down slightly to 4.4% for 2019. Economic woes of…
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Shoppers flee smoke-filled mall after overloaded power strip catches fire in central Thailand
PHOTO: sanook.com Customers in a shopping mall in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok, raced for the exits as smoke coming from a toy store began to fill the building. The incident, which happened in the Bang Phli district, home to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, is believed to have been sparked by a poor-quality power strip that appears to have shorted and…
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Thailand’s health chief issues hydrogen balloon warning
PHOTO: City Pass Guide The chief of the Department of Health says people must exercise caution around hydrogen balloons, warning that they can be dangerous, even fatal. The warning comes from Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn after a balloon exploded in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, earlier this month. “Explosion of balloons are reported frequently, since most of balloons contain hydrogen, which is inflammable,…
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Illegal Thai workers in South Korea get offer of amnesty
PHOTO: tacticalinvestor.com The Office of Thai Labour in Seoul, South Korea, says Thai citizens who are working illegally in the country, can apply for an amnesty scheme launched this week. It will run until June 30, 2020. It is estimated that there are between 120,000 and 140,000 illegal Thai workers in South Korea. The Nation reports that the scheme will…
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Three year old daughter of migrant workers killed at construction site
PHOTO: The Nation A three year old Cambodian girl has died after being crushed by a truck at the construction site where her parents were working. The Nation reports that the incident took place yesterday, at a construction site in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok. It’s understood the nature of the parents’ work patterns meant they were unable to…
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Aung San Suu Kyi shows contempt for case against Myanmar army in international court
PHOTO: LA Times Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has shown contempt for UN judges investigating the genocide case relating to the Myanmar army’s attacks on the Rohingya in 2017. In her speeches she defended the generals she once defied, for their genocide against the muslim minority living in the Rhakine state, west of the country. Her supporters gathered…
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So you want to move to Vietnam?
“Whilst Thailand is often nicknamed the ‘land of a thousand 7-elevens’, with a convenience store on just about every corner, there are very few of these in Vietnam, for now.” With the Thai Baht on a high at the moment, along with stricter enforcement of visa rules, some expats say they’ve had enough and are heading to Vietnam, or some…
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