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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 Why traders in Thailand are choosing EC Markets for gold and forex trading
Gold and forex trading have long been favourites among investors in Thailand, but why are so many traders now turning to EC Markets? The answer lies in a combination of tight spreads, ultra-fast execution, Thai baht (THB) deposit support, and...
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Smuggled sketches show horrific conditions inside notorious Insein Prison in Myanmar
Radio Free Asia have released a series of sketches penned by inmates of a Burmese prison in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and smuggled out of the prison by brave, released detainees. Thousands of mostly political prisoners have been sent there since last year’s coup. The following from Radio Free Asia… “Sketches smuggled out of Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison…
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Phuket Soi Dog volunteer to brave Himalayas to raise money for foundation
A volunteer from Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket plans to brave a trek through the rugged Himalayan mountains to raise money for the foundation. The volunteer, 51 year old Yanisa, wants to reach the summit of the 6,419-metre Mount Chulu West with her husband in 21 days. Yanisa and her husband, 65 year old Rohun, will start from Kathmandu in…
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Chon Buri locals find baby crocodile in their kitchen
A croc in the kitchen! Locals in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province were horrified to find a crocodile roaming through their kitchen this week. The house owners, who requested not to be named, say they have no idea where the crocodile came from, and that they’ve never heard of crocodiles dwelling in the local area. The owners called…
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Thailand tourism authorities target India to offset lack of Chinese tourists
A deputy governor of marketing from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says Indian tourists are important for offsetting the loss of Chinese tourists in Thailand, as the TAT aims to attract 500,000 Indian tourists this year. The marketing governor said ever since an air travel bubble started with India last month, Thailand has already seen around 600 Indian arrivals per…
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Thai woman gives birth in pickup truck, after Chon Buri hospital turned her away
A Thai woman gave birth inside a pickup truck near the Ban Ang Wien intersection in eastern Thailand’s Chon Buri province yesterday. The woman’s husband had driven her to the hospital in the morning, but the doctor told her to go home as her cervix had not yet dilated enough. In the afternoon, the woman experienced more pain and decided…
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Phuket man confesses to spying on female hotel guest, still ‘temporarily released’
A Phuket hotel employee has confessed this morning to spying on a hotel guest last night while she was showering. Phuket police have already released the man, Noppadon, even though he admitted his crime and had been charged by police. The guest, Tong, posted on Facebook last night about the man, saying she spotted him staring at her through the…
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Crane arm breaks at Bangkok construction site, 1 man killed, another injured
Yesterday afternoon, a crane arm broke and dropped at a construction site on Ratchadamri Road in the Lumphini area of Bangkok’s Pathumwan district, killing one and injuring another. Part of the 20 metre tall crane broke off and landed on the ground. Two workers were seriously injured, both of them from Myanmar. They were rushed to a local hospital, where…
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Thailand ups electric vehicle incentives, after 30% spike in foreign direct investment
Thailand Board of Investment has approved revised conditions and incentives for investing in electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them, specifically charging stations. Today’s BOI announcement comes as Thailand increases its incentives for people to buy and invest in electric vehicles, in an effort to maintain its grip on Southeast Asia’s car manufacturing market, which is transitioning to…
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Songkran: Academics predict 10 year low in festival spending this year
Thailand academics predict the public’s spending during next week’s Songkran holiday will be the lowest in 10 years. An associate professor at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said he expects people to spend around 106 billion baht altogether across Thailand this year. This will be 5.4% less than last year, when public spending was recorded at about…
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Asia News Today | New North Korean test on the way & META blocks Filipino election account
Human Rights Watch has accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s military government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the Burmese military chief and Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors.HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung says the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief accountable for human rights…
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US arrests 3 Thais, yakuza chief for planning to supply missiles to Burmese rebels
US authorities revealed yesterday that they have arrested three Thai men and a Japanese yakuza organised crime leader in New York City on April 4 – 5. The men are accused of trafficking heroin and methamphetamine, as well as attempting to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Takeshi Ebizawa, Sompak Raksaranee, Somphop Sigsiri and Suksan…
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Ousted Thai MP vows to continue political career, posts ‘see you again’
After a former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath Party was permanently banned from Thai politics yesterday, she now vows to continue her political activities anyway. The woman, Pareena Kraikupt, was banned from politics by Thailand’s Supreme Court because she used forest reserve land in Ratchaburi for her private poultry farm. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders found…
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CCSA delays easing entry restrictions to Thailand… until after Songkran festival
The CCSA has announced today that they will hold off on adjusting the current entry restrictions for foreign travellers to Thailand until after next week’s Songkran festival, as they continue monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in the country. After today’s meeting, CCSA officials said they plan to adjust their measures in May, depending on the Covid situation after Thai New…
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Friday Covid Update: 25,140 new cases; provincial totals
89 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,877 with 4,179 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,140 new Covid-19 cases and 24,854 recoveries. There are now 248,254 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Malaysian Airlines 737 plunges mid-air, passengers ‘float’ in their seats
Malaysia Airlines has responded to questions over an ‘incident’ with one of their Boeing 737 aircraft last Sunday, commenting that “the plane performed an air turn back due to technical issues with the aircraft, compounded by bad weather en route”. Those “issues” caused MH2664, flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Sabah on the eastern island of Borneo, to plunge…
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Why are Thai Airways leasing 3 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft?
Thai Airways is expanding its fleet by three this month despite going through an ongoing debt restructuring process. The airline is in the process of selling 45 unused jets, yet they are leasing three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft this month. Two 777-300ERs, adorned with Thai Airways paint jobs, landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on April 5 and another is expected to…
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BMC candidate reveals transparent ads to reduce car accidents, netizens disagree
One inventive candidate for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council has come up with a new design for campaign ads, saying his transparent banners would reduce car accidents. The candidate said such banners would not block the visibility of drivers, as they can see through the clear plastic material, unlike traditional banners. However, Thai netizens, who have been keen on clearing the…
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Chon Buri man allegedly threatens to attack wife while high on meth
Yet another case of domestic violence and drug abuse in Chon Buri province, as a local man allegedly threatened to attack his wife while high on meth yesterday in Panat Nikhom district. The man’s mother said that in the past, her son had hit his brother. Sompean Saminyae told The Pattaya News about her son’s violent outburst, saying, “He destroyed…
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Kerry Express delivers FREE Covid care boxes to patients self-isolating at home
Thailand’s popular parcel deliver company Kerry Express is distributing their free “Kerry Care Box” to asymptomatic Covid patients who are self-isolating at home from now until after the Songkran festival. Face masks, paracetamol pills, cough syrup, alcohol, Fa Talai Jon herbal capsules and a thermometer are among the supplies included in the bundle for those who require at-home treatment during…
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Human Rights Watch rebukes Australia for meeting with Myanmar junta chief
Yesterday, Human Rights Watch accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s junta government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the junta’s chief Min Aung Hlaing and of Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors. HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung said the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief…
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CCSA to discuss Songkran, scrapping on-arrival PCR tests for travellers TODAY
Thailand’s government will meet again today to discuss how to contain the spread of Covid-19 during next week’s Songkran festival, its vaccination rollout for the elderly and whether or not to scrap the on-arrival PCR tests for foreign travelers. Thailand hoteliers and others travel industry professionals have been lobbying for a full removal of PCR testing to attract more tourists,…
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Prayut advises Bangkok governor hopefuls on drainage system, population density
Following a record registration of 31 candidates for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, PM Prayut advises the future governor, whoever that will be, to continue solving the city’s problems. Prayut offered a few pointers on several pressing issues, including Bangkok’s drainage system and population density, saying, “May I offer moral support to all Bangkok governor candidates”. Prayut said in order to fix Bangkok…
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Call centre scammers make deepfake video of Chon Buri police officer to lure in victims
Scam call centres are now using ‘deepfake’ videos to make their scams look more realistic. In a ‘deepfake’ clip circling online, a policeman from Chon Buri appears to be talking, but his strange mouth movements give away that the video is not real. A netizen posted the clip online to warn others not to fall for the scam. The clip…
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Thailand can welcome Russian travellers back this Saturday, really?@!
The Russian PM, Mikhail Mishustin, has revealed that Russia would open its sky to 52 “friendly” countries from April 9 onwards after being closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. And that other matter. On the list is Thailand who says they’re ready to welcome the Russian travellers back. Given the current situation with the ongoing war between Russia and…
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Townhouse fire kills 3 family members in Samut Prakan
In the early hours of Thursday morning, three family members died in a house fire that spread to four homes in a row of houses in Samut Prakan province south of Bangkok. A 34 year old mother and her 4 year old son were found burnt to death on the second floor bedroom of their home. They died hugging each…
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Police arrest Thai OnlyFans star making ฿100K per month
Police arrested a trans woman known as ‘Dreamy Dao’ for producing and disseminating pornographic content in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen on Tuesday. Dreamy Dao was making 100,000 baht every month by posting explicit content on the OnlyFans website. Khon Kaen police raided 20 year old Dreamy Dao’s room to find a large number of pornographic videos and 17…
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International travellers trickle back into Bangkok, but hoteliers say it’s not enough
Suvarnabhumi International Airport has seen a significant increase in international travellers since Thailand scrapped its pre-travel PCR test requirement last Friday. Well that’s the general narrative that’s been published in some media, although the published numbers don’t stand up to close scrutiny. Bangkok’s aviation hub saw an average of more than 11,600 daily arrivals from abroad touch down in the…
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Thai MP permanently banned from politics for using forest reserve land for farm
A former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath is now permanently banned from Thai politics for using forest reserve land in Ratchaburi province for her farm. The issues around the MP, Pareena Kraikupt, using land began to surface in 2019. The Royal Forest Department then investigated the land, and concluded that Pareena’s poultry farm encroached on it. The department asked the…
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Highest ever number of gubernatorial candidates register in Bangkok
The highest ever number of candidates, 31, have registered for Bangkok’s upcoming gubernatorial election on May 22. This will be the 11th gubernatorial election in Bangkok, and the first held in nine years. The chairman of Bangkok’s election commission said all candidates will be invited to the government complex on Chaeng Wattana tomorrow to be briefed on the election guidelines. Right…
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What do Thais of different ages think of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Thais of different ages appear to have a wide range of opinions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Young Thais are more likely to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion than older generations, according to some academics. A professor of international relations at Thammasat University, Kitti Prasirtsuk, told the Guardian that the way young Thais think of their own government has impacted their…
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