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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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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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Phuket’s THB4.5 Billion Andamanda Project Set to Open
Thailand’s newest integrated resort, the Andamanda Phuket will soft open next week on 21st May 2022. Styled as a leisure and entertainment offering, a water park debut will be the first phase of a larger development by Thailand’s Proud Group with a total investment of THB4.5 billion (USD134 million). Andamanda will bring a world-class attraction to the resort island featuring…
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Thursday Covid Update: 8,019 new cases; provincial totals
59 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 29,311 with 7,613 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,019 new Covid-19 cases and 8,807 recoveries. There are now 77,427 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded today,…
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Prawit is confident Thailand will rise to Tier 2 in US human trafficking report
Thailand has done a lot to combat human trafficking and deserves to move up to Tier 2 in the US State Department’s next Trafficking In Persons report, says Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Prawit addressed Thailand’s progress in tackling human trafficking in a press conference yesterday. In the latest annual TIP report, published in June 2021, the US demoted Thailand…
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In Chiang Rai, monk novices receive condoms as an offering
Teen novice monks in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province received some rather unholy offerings in their alms bowls, according to another monk at their temple. The monk posted on Facebook last week saying that the novices found condoms in their alms bowls. The monk, Phra Chingchai, believes someone might have snuck the condoms in the bowls because there are many…
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Travellers will still have to wear face masks post-endemic phase in Thailand
As the number of Covid-19 cases in Thailand continues to decrease, the National Communicable Diseases Committee has started talking about post-pandemic measures or lingering preventative measure when the coronavirus is declared endemic in Thailand, including any requirement for travellers to wear face masks, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Speaking to Thai media yesterday, he claimed that, with public collaboration…
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UPDATE: Authorities find Isaan cult also selling food and snacks online
Following the report on the raid of the hidden cult compound in the Isaan province Chaiyaphum last week, authorities visited the make-shift for a second time and found they were also operating a semi-commercial food business to make a living. The ‘cult’ distributes food products like chilli paste, fermented fish and snacks but without registration with the Food and Drug Administration,…
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Chon Buri gold shop robber threatened staff with fake gun
A man who robbed a gold shop in the main city district of Chon Buri province yesterday is now reported to have used a fake gun to threaten the shop’s staff. CCTV footage shows that the suspect, 23 year old Kamjan Ratchsombat, first pretended to be interested in buying something from the store, and he asked staff to show him…
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Man allegedly assaults another man for mocking his girlfriend, Chon Buri
Yet another incident of violence has come to light in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province this week. On Tuesday night, a man allegedly assaulted another man who he said mocked his girlfriend’s looks. A video by an eyewitness reportedly shows the suspect, 23 year old Kittithat Thongtae, and his girlfriend, charging at a motorcycle taxi rider and…
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Man who released cobras at Bangkok intersection slaps political activist in the face
A man who made headlines two months ago for releasing cobras and cutting his wrists at a busy intersection in Bangkok has gained more attention for slapping a political activist in the face at a protest in Bangkok. ‘K Hundred Million’, a real estate businessman, said he slapped the woman because she insulted Thailand’s royal family. The incident happened on…
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Fortune telling tarantula predicts lottery numbers in central Thailand
A man from Ang Thong province in central Thailand believes that a tarantula in the forest can predict the future. So far, the tarantula has made two lottery predictions. The man reportedly waits day and night for the furry fortune teller to come out of its hole to see what it might predict next. When the man wants “Phaya Bung”…
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German tourist missing in Phuket
After a German tourist in Phuket was rescued after getting stuck between rocks last week, another German tourist in the island province is also in a tricky situation. The 76 year old woman, who so far has only been identified as Ms. Barbara, reportedly went missing from a hotel in Thalang district on Monday (May 9). This is reportedly the…
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Man stabbed to death at wedding in southern Thailand
A man stabbed another man to death at a wedding party in Thailand’s southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last night, according to police in Nopphitam district. Witnesses told police that the victim, 58 year old Diam Yangkaew, had been drinking with other guests at a table, when another man showed up on a motorcycle. They say the man walked…
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Popular Italian chef dies in motorbike crash in Pattaya
A well-known Italian chef died in a motorbike accident in the early hours of this morning in Pattaya. He was driving at a very high speed when he crashed into a power pole, according to witnesses. The body of 40 year old Matteo (surname withheld) was discovered lying face down in a pool of blood at around 12:30am this morning.…
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Foreigner gets into car crash with Youtube stars in Chon Buri
A foreigner has been involved in a car crash with 2 famous Thai Youtube stars in the early hours of yesterday morning in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. But these weren’t just any Youtube stars, they’re ex-convicts. The ex-convict-urned-YouTube-star Panuwat Sirichai or ‘Meng Pakdam’ is reported by Thai media to have been the leader of a drug trafficking…
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Man allegedly threatens ex-girlfriend with gun in Chon Buri
A man allegedly pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend’s face in the middle of a street in Chon Buri province earlier this week. The 18 year old woman and her 22 year old sister say that on Monday night, the ex-boyfriend followed them on a motorcycle before he pointed the gun at her face. They say he brought up their…
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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef facing “mass bleaching”
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the most famous natural sites in the world, is suffering a mass bleaching event. Due to bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020, 66% of the reef’s coral was damaged. Bleaching occurs when rising ocean temperatures cause corals heat stress, and drain them of their colours. The UN threatened to lower the reef’s World Heritage…
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Thai kindergarten forces students to wear military uniform, sparks outrage
A Thai kindergarten has been slammed online for forcing students to wear 4 different uniforms, including a “military uniform” on Thursdays. The public school in the western province of Kanchanaburi informed parents they must purchase the new uniforms before the new term begins on May 17. The preschool wants children aged 4 – 6 to wear 4 different uniforms: ‘normal’…
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New wages for Thailand’s skilled workers
Thailand’s cabinet has approved new wages for construction workers, industrial arts workers and service workers. The new wages are expected to come into effect 90 days after the announcement was made on Tuesday. In the construction industry, tilers considered ‘level 1’ will earn 465 baht per day. Those considered level 2 will earn 550 baht a day. Level 3 tilers…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 7,650 new cases; provincial totals
56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 29,252 with 7,554 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,650 new Covid-19 cases and 9,322 recoveries. There are now 78,274 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded…
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Bomb-sniffing dog receives medal for saving lives in Ukraine
A small but mighty dog named Patron has been awarded the Medal for Dedicated Services for his military work in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Patron the dog with the “medal of courage” on Sunday. Patron has sniffed out over 200 undetonated landmines planted by Russian soldiers in Ukraine so far. Patron – which means “ammo”…
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Some Thailand Post services to China suspended due to Covid-19 restrictions
Thailand Post says it’s had to suspend some postal services to China, as a result of the country’s strict Covid-19 measures. The service cites airline restrictions and strict lockdowns in China as the reason for the suspension. For the time being, according to a Nation Thailand report, no letters or parcels can be sent to China via EMS World or…
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3 cannabis medications added to Universal Healthcare Coverage
Three traditional cannabis based medications have been added to Universal Healthcare Coverage, commonly known as the gold card scheme, by the National Health Security Office. The three medications include: paralysis treatment, treatment for sleep problems and food consumption, and treatment for muscular pain and limb numbness. The three were approved by the NHSO board meeting on May 2nd, according to…
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“Get ready for Covid-19 to be declared endemic”
The Thai PM has ordered all provincial administrations to prepare for Covid-19 being declared endemic, by creating operation plans for their own provinces. According to government spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the PM’s order follows the decision to downgrade Thailand’s Covid-19 alert from Level 4 to Level 3, with the prospect of declaring the coronavirus ‘endemic’ sometime soon. Nation Thailand reports that…
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Police expand investigation into 11 bodies found at Isaan temple cult
Police are widening their investigation into a cult at a temple in north-eastern Thailand, where 11 bodies were kept. According to a Bangkok Post report, the bodies were discovered during a raid on the temple in the Khon San district of Chaiyaphum province. A 75-year-old man, named as Tawee Nanra, and allegedly the cult leader, has been arrested. Bail was…
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Phuket targets 1 million foreign tourists for last quarter of 2022
The president of the Phuket Tourist Association says the island hopes to attract a million foreign tourists in the last quarter of the year. Bhummikitti Raktaengam says things are looking up since the cancellation of Test & Go, and he’s hopeful the southern island could receive a total of 3.5 million visitors this year. Since May 1, the number of…
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Thai PM slams controversial and “unacceptable” Lazada advert
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has joined the hysteria surrounding a now-deleted advert from online shopping platform, Lazada. The ad, in the form of a video, features online influencers, Nara Aniwat and Thidaporn “Nurat” Chaokuwiang. Thidaporn is seated in a wheelchair and dressed in traditional Thai costume. In the clip, Nara accuses Thidaporn, who plays the role of her mother…
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Minister of Digital Economy and Society wants 42 websites banned
Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, the Minister of Digital Economy and Society, has asked the court to ban access to 42 websites including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook pages that are spreading the controversial Lazada advert. He was responding to a contracted ad on e-commerse platform Lazada, where 2 influencers, Nara Aniwat and Thidaporn “Nurat” Chaokuwiang wear hi-so clothing, who royalists deemed to be…
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Man steals ฿300,000 from his stepmother and gives it away “to make merit”
A man from the Isaan province of Buriram allegedly stole ฿300,000 from his stepmother because he wanted to “make merit” by giving it away. He gave away ฿109,000 cash at a local market and bought products valued at ฿200,000 which he gave away to locals for free. CCTV footage shows 39 year old Wuttisak sitting on a motorbike and spreading…
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Elderly woman killed by toddy palm fruit in northeast Thailand
The body of an elderly lady was found lying face down beneath a palm tree in a rice paddy in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima this morning. The woman, 78 year old Dee Namchanad, was out cutting down toddy palm fruit to sell at the market when the fruit hit her in the head and killed her. A 6…
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Dog kills its owner’s sister in Phuket
A woman was found dead with bite marks on her neck at her home in Phuket in southern Thailand this morning. She was taking care of her brother’s two Thai ridgeback dogs while he was away on a business trip to Bangkok. One of the dogs had traces of blood on its mouth and fur. Police found 38 year old…
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