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.
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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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Thailand invests 300 million baht in Thai AI language model
The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) has collaborated with Siam AI Corporation to launch a Thai large language model (LLM), aiming to enhance Thailand’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and sovereign AI strategy. Siam AI has committed an investment of 300 million baht to support this initiative. During the memorandum of understanding signing with Siam AI Corporation last Friday,…
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Rap battle: Russian teens brawl on Pattaya Walking Street
Tourists on Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street got more than they bargained for when a booze-fuelled bust-up erupted between a gang of rowdy Russian lads and a crew of Thai rappers, sending holidaymakers diving for cover. The street fight, which kicked off around 12.44am, yesterday, June 9, saw four Russian teenagers, aged between 18 and 19, clash violently with a group…
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Tragic collision on Highway 1086 leaves woman dead, son injured
A collision between a motorcycle and a truck carrying a prefabricated house resulted in a tragic accident that left one woman dead and her son critically injured. The incident occurred yesterday, June 9, on Highway 1086 (Phitsanulok-Wat Bot Road) in front of a noodle shop in Mueang district, Phitsanulok province. Police Lieutenant Colonel Prasong Sanoem-im, deputy inspector of Mueang Phitsanulok…
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Thai man beats wife to death with pestle and dumps her in pond
A Thai man beat his wife to death with a pestle and dumped her body in a pond in Yasothon province, northeastern Thailand. A local in the Mueang district of Yasothon discovered the body of a woman floating in a pond behind the Bang Nam Pho Fresh Market at approximately 6.30am yesterday, June 9. Officers from Mueang Yasothon Police Station…
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Track horror! Pattaya biker crash leaves pensioner fighting for leg
A pensioner is in critical condition after a motorcycle ploughed into a van at a railway crossing in Pattaya, just days after another smash rocked the resort town. Chaos unfolded around 8pm, yesterday, June 9, behind Wat Tham Samakkee Alley, when a grey Honda PCX slammed into the side of a white Hyundai van crossing the tracks. Four people were…
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Covid leads Thailand’s disease watchlist with 31 deaths
Covid-19 is making an aggressive comeback in Thailand, with over 111,000 new cases and 31 deaths reported last week alone, and health experts are raising the alarm. Associate Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine revealed on Facebook that Covid has now become the most frequently reported disease under official surveillance. “This surge should not be taken lightly,”…
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Fowl play! Chicken clobbers Russian in Pattaya paedo claim brawl
A Thai man nicknamed “Chicken” has been nicked after a Russian tourist was battered and robbed in Pattaya, though the suspect claims he was provoked by a sickening act involving his toddler daughter. Pattaya police arrested 40 year old Paisal “Chicken” Jetjaroen, who allegedly attacked and robbed 54 year old Russian holidaymaker Viachelave Gurov in the early hours of yesterday, June…
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Fire in Bangkok paper warehouse claims two lives, others injured
A fire erupted in a paper warehouse along Khlong Phasi Charoen, resulting in two fatalities and leaving others injured or missing. Emergency services battled the blaze at 3am today, June 10, with efforts led by Police Lieutenant Nikhon Hao-bun of Nong Khaem Police Station. The single-storey warehouse, located in Soi Liab Khlong Phasi Charoen 20/2 in Nong Khaem district, Bangkok,…
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Thai man kills wife and leaves body in car with engine running
Police arrested a Thai man in the early hours of this morning for killing his wife and leaving her body in a car parked in Soi Phetchakasem 67 in Bangkok with the engine still running. Officers from Phetchakasem Police Station were alerted to the death of a 36 year old Thai woman, Nanticha, at around 9pm yesterday, June 9. Her…
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Eye in the Thai! Drones set to spy on dodgy tourists in Pattaya
The Pattaya mayor has launched a bold new plan to keep crooks in check, from the sky, by rolling out AI-powered police drones to hunt down overstayers and suspects in real time. Mayor Poramese Ngampichet gave a warm welcome to Police Lieutenant Colonal Torlap Tinamat, chief of Pattaya’s Tourist Police, during a high-level briefing on a cutting-edge crackdown: deploying drones…
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Thailand threatens to cut Internet over Cambodia’s visa snub
Cambodia has reduced the visa duration for Thai visitors to seven days, prompting Thailand to reciprocate and consider cutting electricity and Internet services to Cambodia, according to the Foreign Ministry. Nikorndej Balankura, a spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, announced at a press conference yesterday, June 9, that Cambodia initiated the reduction of visa validity for Thai visitors. Thai passport…
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Rain pain! Storm warning as 45 provinces brace for a soaking
Brollies up and sandbags out, Thailand’s bracing for a summer soaking as storms threaten to drench nearly half the country, with flash floods and landslides in the mix. Thailand’s weather boffins sounded the alarm, warning that heavy rain and thunderstorms are on the way for 45 provinces, including the capital Bangkok. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) says the east and…
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Thai thief caught on CCTV stealing 4,000 baht from Phuket resort
A Thai employee at a resort in the Patong area of Phuket attempted to track down a thief who stole 4,000 baht in cash from the premises by sharing CCTV footage of the incident on social media. The employee of Seeka Boutique Resort posted the video on her Facebook account, Chanattha Chatchanan In-om, on Thursday, June 5. She wrote in…
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Tranny whammy! Indian tourist rinsed in Pattaya hotel rinse-off
A randy Indian holidaymaker’s steamy night in Pattaya turned ice-cold when two transwomen he brought back to his hotel room cleaned out his wallet and did a runner. An Indian tourist’s saucy seaside stopover in Pattaya ended in daylight robbery after he invited two transgender women back to his hotel – only to be left out of pocket and out…
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Phuket locals plea for help for German man with leg injury
Residents of the Rawai sub-district in Mueang district, Phuket, are seeking assistance for a German man with a leg injury after witnessing him sleeping on the roadside for several days. Concerned locals shared photos of the man, believed to be a German national, with the Phuket Times Facebook page yesterday, June 8. They urged the local news agency to publicise…
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Russian man robbed while urinating in Pattaya roadside forest
A Russian man sustained head injuries during a robbery while urinating in a roadside forest in Pattaya on the evening of yesterday, June 8. The victim, 54 year old Viachelave Gurov, regained consciousness in the wooded area near Park Lane Condominium on Soi Bun Kanchanaram Temple at approximately 4pm with bloody wounds on his face and head.. The foreign man…
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Cambodian troops withdraw from Thai border after talks
Cambodian troops have agreed to withdraw from the Thai border in Ubon Ratchathani province following discussions between the regional forces of both countries. Sources indicate that at 10am yesterday, June 8, the Cambodian military reached out to Thai soldiers at the contested Chong Bok border area in Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani, with a request to engage in talks with…
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Thai regular customer of Chon Buri Internet café dies on desk
Workers at an internet café in Chon Buri were shocked to discover that a regular customer had died at a computer desk yesterday, June 8. Officers from Laem Chabang Police Station and rescuers from the Sawang Pratheep Foundation were called to investigate the death of a 42 year old Thai man, Jirakit, at the internet café in the Si Racha…
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15 year old Thai boy commits suicide following romantic rejection
A 15 year old Thai boy committed suicide in a rented room in the central province of Nakhon Pathom yesterday, June 8, allegedly due to an unsuccessful romantic relationship. A 16 year old boy called officers from Mueang Nakhon Pathom Police Station to assist his friend, referred to as A, at the rented room in the Mueang District of the…
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Tragic death of man in Thai police custody raises questions
A 26 year old man, referred to with a pseudonym A, was found deceased in a holding cell at the Bang Kruai Police Station in Nonthaburi province. The man had been arrested on charges of domestic violence and possession of methamphetamine. The incident came to light yesterday, June 8, when Police Colonel Kittisak Pongthanarak, superintendent of Bang Kruai Police Station,…
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Chaos at Thai Embassies: digital nomads stranded by DTV visa delays
Thailand’s new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), introduced to welcome digital nomads, is off to a rocky start, leaving many applicants stranded across Southeast Asia amid delays, confusion, and inconsistent embassy procedures. Foreigners in Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia, many of whom travelled specifically to apply for the DTV, are facing extended wait times, backlogged appointments, and shifting requirements that have turned…
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Thai NBTC advisor claims ownership of 12 million baht found in rubbish area
A Thai lawyer and advisor to the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) claimed ownership of 12 million baht in cash, which was found abandoned in the rubbish area of a condominium in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok on Thursday, June 5. The cash, totalling 12 million baht, was discovered in the disposal area on the fourth floor of…
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Thai-Cambodian border checkpoint closures risk trade disruption
The Ministry of Commerce has assessed the impact of the closure of Thai-Cambodian border trade checkpoints, effective from yesterday, June 8. The closure has affected small businesses and markets, prompting discussions with the private sector to address the situation. Last year, Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province accounted for 63.4% of trade, valued at 110.718 billion baht (US$3.39 billion). Khlong Yai…
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Couple arrested in Udon Thani for meth trafficking to fund wedding
A couple, expecting their first child, has been apprehended for transporting a substantial quantity of methamphetamine in Udon Thani, lured by the promise of nearly 1 million baht. The pair aimed to fund their wedding and childbirth expenses. They confessed it was their first attempt at drug trafficking. Yesterday, June 8, Police Colonel Korn Chaiseua of the Border Patrol Police…
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2 foreigners assault 2 Phuket guards after public urination dispute
Two foreigners remain at large after physically assaulting two Thai security guards on Saturday, 7 June, for stopping them from urinating outside a shopping mall in Phuket. One of the victims is now in critical condition. The Phuket Times Facebook page reported that the brutal assault occurred at 6.14am on Saturday outside a shopping mall in the Patong area of…
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Thailand Video News | Thailand-Cambodia border closure strands thousands and halts trade, missing British backpacker found dead in Malaysia
Today we’ll be talking about the continuing escalation on the Thai-Cambodian border, a Chinatown tuk tuk crackdown and a Russian rub and run, and a little later the first Vietnamese-American woman in spaaaaaaace. Thai Hostage’s Body Recovered from Gaza During Military Operation Israel has retrieved the body of Thai agricultural worker Nattapong Pinta, kidnapped and killed by militants during the…
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Tragic accident claims lives of mother, daughter in Phetchaburi
A tragic accident occurred at a notorious intersection in Mueang district, Phetchaburi province, involving a pickup truck and a motorcycle. The collision resulted in the deaths of a mother and daughter at the scene. The driver of the truck awaited the police in a state of shock. The incident took place at 3.50pm yesterday, June 8. Police Lieutenant Thanakun Wiriyapong, a…
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Phayao man finds lucky softshell turtle in his home
In Phayao province, a 55 year old resident, Pongsak Thuknuek, experienced an unusual event when a softshell turtle, locally referred to as pla pha, wandered into his home. This incident occurred at his residence on Maetam Sai Nai Road, Mae Tam subdistrict, Mueang Phayao district. Pongsak’s house is notably distant from any water sources and is surrounded by several roads,…
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Thai EV sales rise 46% but face industry challenges
The recent increase in electric vehicle (EV) sales in Thailand, marked by a 46% rise in battery EVs (BEVs) from January to April, does not necessarily indicate a smooth trajectory for the industry. Despite this growth, challenges persist, including heightened competition among manufacturers and a downturn in the automotive sector. The Automotive Industry Club of the Federation of Thai Industries…
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British man goes missing from luxury yacht off Phuket coast
A British man went missing yesterday, June 8, during a private yacht trip with four other family members in Phuket sea. The personal secretary of the missing British, 30 year old Kanokkorn, filed a report with Thalang Police Station yesterday stating that 28 year old British businessman Dane Johnson Endler had disappeared from his family yacht, De Mareft. Endler had planned…
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