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.
-
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...
-
Thai man claims Cambodian accomplice pushed him to kill gay victim
A Thai man who murdered a gay victim in the Isaan province of Surin and stole his gold accessories claimed a Cambodian man encouraged him to commit the crime. The 15 year old Thai boy discovered the body of his transgender neighbour, 63 year old Pratheep Kongthawee, on June 4. Pratheep’s body was hidden under a red blanket near a…
-
Storm alert: Thailand soaked as heavy rain triggers flood fears
The Meteorological Department (TMD) forecasted increased rainfall across Thailand, particularly affecting the eastern, upper northeastern, and southwestern regions, warning locals to be cautious of heavy rain and potential accumulation. In Bangkok, residents can expect rain in the afternoon and evening, with a 60% chance. The intensified southwest monsoon, which covers the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand, combined…
-
Global salad showdown: From papaya power to pickled crunch
Salads started simple with salt-soaked greens—now they’re global, bold, and crafted with serious culinary flair. From Thailand’s fiery Som Tam to Italy’s rustic Panzanella, these iconic dishes offer more than just crunch—they tell stories of culture, history, and flavour in every bite. Som Tam, the ultimate Southeast Asian street food salad, bursts with life in every bite. Shredded green papaya is tossed with…
-
Pink Line plunge: Ridership nosedives 68% after fares kick in
It was all aboard the ghost train on Tuesday, as passenger numbers on Bangkok’s extended Pink Line dropped a staggering 68% overnight — the moment commuters were asked to pay. The Department of Rail Transport revealed the dramatic fall in ridership just one day after the end of the Pink Line’s free test-run period. The extended two-station line to Muang…
-
Thai soldier found dead in suspected suicide at Bangkok army facility
A Thai soldier today reportedly committed suicide using an M16 rifle at a welfare accommodation facility in Bangkok’s Dusit district. The Phra Chulachomklao Fort Disaster Relief Radio Centre announced on its official Facebook page that it received a report of the man’s death at approximately 3.17pm on June 19. His body was discovered at a welfare accommodation building under the…
-
Pattaya panic: Chinese tourists ditch Thailand for Japan
Pattaya’s golden days with Chinese tourists may be fading fast, and local tourism operators are sounding the alarm. Once a firm favourite with Chinese travellers, Pattaya is now seeing a steady drop in visitors from the mainland, with Japan quickly emerging as their top choice instead. The shift is rattling Thailand’s tourism industry, where Chinese tourists have long made up…
-
Paris Air Show: Thailand and Textron join forces on fighter fleet
A high-flying deal was struck at the Paris Air Show this week as Textron Aviation Defence LLC joined forces with Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) to launch a major support programme for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). In a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) signed at the international aviation event, the two companies agreed to jointly sustain and support Thailand’s fleet…
-
Bangkok’s new mega road to Don Mueang set to open this month
Bangkok drivers are in for a traffic breakthrough as a major new link road connecting Vibhavadi Rangsit and Phahon Yothin roads nears completion — and it’s set to open by the end of the month. The Bang Khen District Office confirmed the much-anticipated infrastructure upgrade is in its final inspection phase, with workers putting the finishing touches on what’s expected…
-
Elderly man arrested for illegal excavation in Chiang Mai
An arrest has been made of a 70 year old man, accused of operating an illegal soil excavation site in Chiang Mai’s San Kamphaeng district, which has caused disturbance for over 20 years. Police seized equipment, including two excavators and three dump trucks, at the site located in Buakkang subdistrict. Ayree has been suspected of operating the excavation site without…
-
Thai government pays 750k baht to families of tortured conscripts
The Thai government awarded 750,000 baht per family to the relatives of two conscripts who died from torture. Today, June 19, at 9am, at the Ministry of Justice on Cherng Watthana Road, Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong, the justice minister, presided over the compensation ceremony for the victims’ families under the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act 2022.…
-
Bangkok expands low emission zones to cut truck pollution
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is enforcing penalties on 465 unauthorised trucks violating low emission zones, with plans to extend to 50 districts. More than 50,000 vehicles have already registered under the green category. Today, June 19, at the Environmental Office in Din Daeng district, Pornprom Vikitset, advisor to the Bangkok governor and sustainability executive, revealed measures to tackle PM2.5 pollution.…
-
Playful leopard swipes tourist’s flip flop at Kanchanaburi safari (video)
A cheeky leopard at a Kanchanaburi Safari Park has gone viral after it snatched a tourist’s flip flop and made a game of it — leaving the unlucky visitor both barefoot and baffled. The incident, caught on camera and shared by TikTok user @p.phonpimon2544, unfolded at the Safari Park Open Zoo in Nong Kum subdistrict, Bo Phloi district, Kanchanaburi province.…
-
Bangkok mechanic dodges tyre explosion in viral TikTok shocker (video)
A dramatic moment caught on TikTok has gone viral after a tyre unexpectedly exploded during a routine inspection, with the shop owner narrowly dodging disaster in the nick of time. Posted by user @chonkanyang, the video shows the terrifying near-miss at a tyre shop yesterday, June 18. The CCTV footage captures the calm before the blast as the shop owner…
-
Transwoman throws wig, cries for help after fleeing scam gang in Cambodia
A Thai transwoman caused a commotion after she and her boyfriend were arrested for illegally crossing the border from Cambodia, claiming that she did not join a call centre scam operation but instead the gang deceived her. Immigration officers apprehended the transwoman and her boyfriend at the Khlong Luek Border Checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, at around 4pm…
-
Clip leak scandal: Paetongtarn says ‘This isn’t the time to fight’
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra publicly apologised after an explosive leaked audio clip of her private conversation with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen sparked a diplomatic firestorm. In an urgent press conference, the Thai PM addressed the nation and confirmed she had no idea the conversation was being recorded, let alone that it would be released to the public. “I didn’t…
-
Teen motorcyclist dies in Bang Pakong road collision
A tragic accident occurred yesterday involving a teen motorcyclist who lost control and collided with a barrier, resulting in fatal injuries. The incident, which also involved a car, took place yesterday, June 18, around 10.30pm on Bang Na-Trat Road, outbound to Bangkok, in Bang Samak subdistrict, Bang Pakong district, Chachoengsao province. Police Lieutenant Veerawat Khunsuk, Deputy Inspector of Bang Pakong…
-
Chon Buri man found dead with gunshot wound amid marital issues
A 42 year old man was found dead in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to the temple in Chon Buri’s Mueang district. His mother fainted upon seeing the body, while his wife revealed marital issues that might have contributed to the incident. Yesterday, June 18, at 10.40pm, Police Colonel Suchaiyot Chuaikaew of Don Hua Lo Police Station received a…
-
Thai man with heart disease dies allegedly after clinic refuses him
A clinic in the Pracha Uthit area of Bangkok on Tuesday reportedly refused to treat a Thai man with heart disease, resulting in the patient’s death. The Facebook page, Jmoi V+, reported the incident, which occurred to the 60 year old man with a heart disease named Somchai, at a clinic in Soi Pracha Uthit 33 yesterday, Wednesday, June 18,…
-
Police sergeant dismissed for reckless driving and firearm breach
A police sergeant has been dismissed from duty following an incident involving reckless driving and brandishing a firearm on Rama IV Road in Bangkok. The officer is alleged to have exhibited behaviour that constitutes a severe breach of discipline. Around 2.30pm, Tuesday, June 17, Thong Lo police received a report from the radio centre about a man driving erratically and…
-
Thai political instability threatens economy amid US tariff concerns
Political instability between Thailand’s ruling Pheu Thai Party and its coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, is expected to further weaken investor confidence. This comes amid threats of a 36% US tariff on Thai exports. Poonyawat Sreesing, a senior economist at Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre (SCB EIC), highlighted that the Thai economy has been enduring political uncertainty for some…
-
8,000 tonnes of illegal waste found in Prachin Buri factory raid
A secret industrial dumping ground packed with over 8,000 tonnes of toxic waste has been uncovered in Prachin Buri, exposing a massive illegal recycling racket run by foreign nationals in defiance of Thai law. The shocking discovery was made during a joint raid led by the Industry Ministry and its so-called “Sudsoi Team,” a taskforce spearheaded by Industry Minister Akanat…
-
Thai father arrested for assaulting daughter with bamboo stick
A Thai father in Chachoengsao province has been taken into custody for allegedly assaulting his young daughter with a bamboo stick. The incident occurred after the daughter, a primary school student, was too scared to use the bathroom at night due to a fear of ghosts. The situation came to light when a teacher visited the family’s home and reported…
-
High alert: Phuket to zone out cannabis amid tourist backlash
Phuket officials are cracking down on the island’s cannabis free-for-all, announcing plans to restrict where weed can be sold and smoked after a flood of complaints from locals and tourists. Governor Sophon Suwannarat revealed on Tuesday, June 17, that local officials are pushing to create designated “green zones” for cannabis sales and consumption. The move aims to control the island’s…
-
Man in Prachuap Khiri Khan arrested for drug possession
Following suspicions from neighbours about a man who seemed to own luxury motorcycles without a visible job, police arrested a man known as Ball in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Officers discovered over 700 methamphetamine pills and drug paraphernalia, also seizing three vehicles. Today, June 19, Police Colonel Phaitoon Promkhian, together with Pol. Col. Khranchit Khawattachai, and other local police officials, conducted…
-
15 year old Thai boy shoots father after enduring 8 years of abuse
A 15 year old Thai boy shot his biological father at their shared home in the Isaan province of Buriram, following eight years of physical abuse that the teenager had endured. Officers from Lam Plai Mat Police Station arrested the boy at his home in the Ban Nong Hua Chang Phattana community, located in Buriram’s Lam Plai Mat district, after…
-
Police arrest 33 migrants in Kanchanaburi smuggling bust
Police and administrative officials in Kanchanaburi successfully apprehended a group involved in smuggling migrant workers. The operation yesterday, June 18, resulted in the arrest of 33 undocumented migrants who were found hiding at a meditation centre in Mueang district. During a routine surveillance operation, Kanchanaburi Highway Police identified two suspicious vehicles on Highway 323, heading towards the city. The vehicles,…
-
Ex-Bangkok MP jailed after Supreme Court slams defamation plea
A disgraced ex-Bangkok MP has been marched off to jail after Thailand’s Supreme Court upheld a defamation conviction linked to a fiery hospital confrontation. Sira Jenjaka, once a high-profile figure for the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), was sentenced yesterday, June 18, to six months and 20 days in prison without suspension, following a long-running feud with Mongkutwattana Hospital director Majoe…
-
54 arrested in Bang Yai raid on illegal gambling den
Police and administrative officials conducted a raid on a dragon-tiger gambling den in Bang Yai, arresting 54 gamblers and seizing 218,340 baht. This is the second such raid in the area within a fortnight. Yesterday, June 18, at 3pm, Kiattisak Trongsiri, Governor of Nonthaburi, along with Police Major General Kittithane Thananantawisin, Commander of Nonthaburi Provincial Police, and other officials led…
-
Commander takes no offence over PM’s private phone call
The Commander of the 2nd Army expressed his understanding after being mentioned in a private phone call between Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and Cambodian President Hun Sen. PM Paetongtarn was accused of positioning herself against the Thai armed forces, particularly 2nd Army Commander Boonsin “Big Kung” Padklang, due to remarks made during her conversation with Hun Sen, yesterday, June…
-
Paet’s all, folks! Thai PM’s Instagram post sparks political meltdown
Thailand’s embattled Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing the worst political crisis of her short premiership, after an emotional Instagram post backfired spectacularly and her ruling coalition began to collapse around her. PM Paetongtarn posted a cryptic message to her Instagram story at 8am, today, June 19: “People are not pretending to be sad, but pretending to be okay.” Less…
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.