Thailand News
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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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Songkran 2022: Bangkok allows “traditional water sprinkling”
No foam parties or powder smearing will be allowed in Bangkok during Songkran next month, but when it comes to water splashing on the Thai New Year, known for massive water gun fights, the rules are a bit vague. “Traditional water sprinkling” is allowed, but officials did not go into detail about what exactly that means. The Bangkok Communicable Disease…
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Thai PM Prayut not worried about (un)popularity poll
Thailand’s prime minister ain’t that popular, but he doesn’t seem to mind because “the government is doing a good job”. That’s the gist of his response to a popularity poll indicating his favour among the Thai public is fading. After chairing Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said… “Even though the government has not yet achieved everything it set…
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UPDATE: Iranian tourist’s body found after white water rafting accident
The body of the Iranian tourist who went missing yesterday after a white water rafting accident in Phang Nga province has been found. Police are preparing to investigate everyone involved in the incident. 42 year old Bahzadifar Javad Gholamabbas was white water rafting in Song Phraek with his four friends and two tour operators when their rubber boat hit a…
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Thailand takes number one spot as most searched destination on Agoda
Thailand is the most searched destination in the world for trips in the next six months, according to the travel search engine giant Agoda. Thailand has seen a 500% increase in searches on Agoda from January to March 2022. The top three incoming travellers to Thailand are from Japan (#1), the US (#2) and Singapore (#3). Travelling into Thailand can…
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Taxi driver accused of driving off with tourist’s luggage says he was using the restroom
A taxi driver who was accused of robbing a tourist and leaving him at a petrol station told police that he never left the tourist, saying he was in the restroom the entire time because he needed to poop. The driver taking two people from the Ubon Ratchathani International Airport to the Khemmarat district had stopped at a petrol station…
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Huge fire in Prachinburi Market, Central Thailand, 100 million baht worth of damage
A huge fire destroyed more than 30 shops at the Prachinburi Town Municipality Market yesterday. The fire reportedly destroyed properties worth more than 100 million baht. No injuries and deaths were reported, and volunteers rescued seven bedridden local residents who lived in the area where the fire broke out. Officials were first alerted about the incident at 5pm, and arrived…
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Exorcist in Thailand expels evil spirit from woman’s vagina
A woman who claims she had “black magic in her private parts” for 25 years finally had the evil spirit expelled by exorcists in central Thailand’s Ratchaburi. A somewhat disturbing clip circulating online displays an exorcism for a woman who claimed that her vagina had been possessed by an evil spirit for 25 years. She described the spirit’s presence as…
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Homemade bomb explodes on Rayong road, 8 other bombs being defused
A homemade bomb packed with gunpowder, nails, and steel nuts exploded and eight undetonated bombs were found on a main road in eastern Thailand’s Rayong. The blast caused minor damage to the road and no one was injured. The nine bombs are being defused today by the province’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. One bomb defused today caused a big blast,…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 25,389 new cases; provincial totals
87 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,045 with 3,347 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,389 new Covid-19 cases and 26,084 recoveries. There are now 244,372 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thailand redesigns warning labels on cigarette packs showing extreme effects of smoking
Thailand has redesigned the graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, which show the harmful -and extreme – effects of smoking. Retailers and wholesalers across the country must start selling cigarettes with the new packaging starting April 11. The new labelling will be in line with an official announcement made in 2021 by the Public Health Ministry under the Tobacco Products…
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Taxi leaves passenger at petrol station, drives off with luggage, tourist’s passport
UPDATE: The taxi driver has met with the police and says didn’t leave the tourist, he was just using the restroom. Read more HERE. Original story… A taxi driver allegedly robbed a passenger and left him and his friend at a petrol station in Isaan province Ubon Ratchathani. The tourist from Bangkok says that not only did the driver overcharge…
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Hill tribes in Chiang Mai resist construction of coal mine
Villagers from Omkoi, a district 150 kilometres south west of Chiang Mai, are running a campaign to resist an upcoming mining project which they say will impact their way of life, health, livelihoods and the local environment. The villagers are filing a lawsuit against the International Energy Agency who did not notify or involve local people in the planning of…
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Iranian tourist missing after white water rafting accident in Thailand’s Phang Nga
UPDATE: The tourist’s body has since been found. Read more HERE. An Iranian tourist has gone missing after a white water rafting accident yesterday in Southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province. A group of five foreign tourists alongside two tour operators were white water rafting down a river in Song Phraek village when they crashed into a rock causing their rubber…
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Health Ministry denies claims of short supply of anti-viral medicine for Covid patients
In response to complaints about a shortage of the anti-viral medicine Favipiravir, with hospitals running low on the primary drug in Thailand used to treat Covid-19, the Public Health Ministry has said that the country’s supply is enough to meet the local demand. Hospitals may experience a “temporary” shortage with the uptick in Covid-19 cases, according to Public Health Deputy…
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Cyber police raid Nonthaburi luxury house, 10 gambling suspects
The Thai Police Cyber Taskforce raided a Nonthaburi luxury house yesterday, where they believe 10 suspects helped facilitate gambling activities. The suspects allegedly used the house as a base for four gambling websites, which made 20 million baht. The taskforce found that the house was connected to 16 other locations in Bangkok that police had raided earlier on the same…
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Thailand’s central bank may revise inflation rate, GDP to battle economic downturn
The Bank of Thailand’s rate-setting committee with meet today to discuss a possible revision of key economic figures such as interest rates and GDP, as the country battles an economic climate that has soured high hopes for the year. Various factors include a weakened baht, rising inflation and the impact of the war in Ukraine, which has resulted in spiking…
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Police arrest man who made 75,000 baht a month selling cannabis on Facebook, Line
Police arrested a man in a post office yesterday in the central province of Samut Prakan after being tipped off that he was selling marijuana via Facebook and Line and sending it to customers through the post. The man’s regular customers were granted entry into a special Line group and sent a Buddhist amulet with their brick of marijuana as…
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Muay Thai gym opens som tum shop for income during the pandemic
Headshot kick knock-out som tum. That’s what happens when Muay Thai boxers put away the gloves and get out a mortar and pestle to smash chillis for the spicy papaya salad. With fewer students participating in close-contact sports due to Covid fears, a Muay Thai boxing gym in the central province of Ratchaburi adapted by opening a weekend restaurant selling…
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Murder investigation launched, 2 arrested after dog carries human skull out of forest
Two suspects in a murder investigation have been arrested after a dog found the remains of a police officer’s missing brother in a forest in Thailand’s Isaan region. Officers are still searching for four other suspects. A farmer taking his cows out to feed near an abandoned shoe factory spotted a dog carrying a human skull out of a eucalyptus forest…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 21,678 new cases; provincial totals
78 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,958 with 3,260 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,678 new Covid-19 cases and 27,183 recoveries. There are now 245,154 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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45,000 counterfeit items seized nationwide in one month
Fake Gucci handbags, Nike shoes and Prada sunglasses with low price tags can be found around every corner of almost every market in Thailand and are easily identifiable from their real counterparts. Counterfeit items are popular with locals and tourists alike, but the Department of Intellectual Property wants to make an example that selling fake brand names in Thailand is…
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Flash flood warning for 8 Southern Thailand provinces
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall is expected over the weekend in eight provinces in Southern Thailand. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has announced a flash flood warning from April 2 to 4 in Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. The situation is likely to be severe in some areas and the department…
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Hua Hin motorbike taxi driver shot to death after fight over foreign passenger
A motorcycle taxi driver in Hua Hin allegedly shot and killed another win driver after a fight over a foreign passenger, Thai media reports. The 62 year old win driver was shot to death in Hua Hin’s nightlife area in Soi Ha Yaek in the southern province of Prachuap Kiri Khan. Officers from Hua Hin Police Station found the driver…
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Thai grandma praised as village’s top snake catcher, grabs pythons with her bare hands
A 67 year old grandma in Thailand’s Isaan region, known to catch large snakes with her bare hands, has been praised by Surin residents as the top “community rescuer” after she caught her biggest python so far. When someone in the community finds a snake, they come to grandma Prakuad “Own” Pasomsi to catch it. The grandma has been catching…
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Investigation launched in central Thailand after 2 oil tanker explosions in a month
An investigation is being launched into why there have been 2 oil tankers explosions in Bangkok in the space of a month. The Transport Ministry has instructed the Marine Department to launch a probe into the explosions, the latest of which occurred on Sunday. The Ampar 8 was carrying over 3 million litres of crude oil from the island of…
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Health ministry revises criteria for administration of booster vaccine doses
The Public Health Ministry has revised the formula for the administration of Covid-19 booster vaccine doses, according to a Nation Thailand report. The confirmation follows chatter on social media that the ministry had changed the criteria, prompting Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre to investigate and confirm it was true. According to the Nation Thailand report, the new criteria for getting a…
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Thailand charity helps animals affected by the Ukraine conflict
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. World-renowned animal rescue NGO Soi Dog Foundation, the leading organisation in Southeast Asia helping dogs and cats, has joined in support of Ukraine’s war-affected dogs and cats by teaming up with Poland’s oldest and largest animal welfare nonprofit, TOZ (Towarzystwo Opieki Nad Zwierzetami or Society for the Prevention of…
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Rural Doctors Society calls for government transparency on favipiravir supplies
The Rural Doctors Society has once again taken aim at the Public Health Ministry, demanding it come clean about Thailand’s supply of favipiravir. The antiviral medication is used to treat Covid-19 patients, but needs to be administered in the early stages of the illness. Posting on its Facebook page, the society claims hospitals are running out of the drug and…
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Anutin tells Khao San Road operators to forego Songkran water-splashing events
Business operators on Bangkok’s Khao San Road have been told they should forget about holding water-splashing events this Songkran. So says Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, ahead of a meeting of Bangkok’s communicable disease control committee today. This looks set to be the third Songkran in a row during which water splashing is banned, with the government ever-wary of triggering…
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Cash-strapped Thai Airways sells aircraft seats for 35,000 baht a pair
If you miss that in-flight feeling but don’t want to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or if you are simply a Thai Airways superfan, tomorrow is your chance to buy a pair of limited edition Thai Airways aeroplane seats. The seats, which come in three colours, are only available to buy through Facebook Live tomorrow at 2pm through the…
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