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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 Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Kanchanaburi temple that served as a rehab closes amidst shocking abuse allegations
A Thai temple in western Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province, “Wat Tha Phu Rat Bamrung” also known as “Wat Tha Phu”, which also serves as drug rehab, has been ordered closed following allegations of ransom, torture, and the abuse of human rights. Due to the startling allegations, the temple is being investigated by the Narcotics Control Board and the Public Health Ministry.…
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Post-Covid condition MIS-C afflicted 30 to 40 children, 1 death
A post-Covid-19 condition called MIS-C has affected 30 to 40 Thai children and may have caused the death of one youth. The condition, multiple-system inflammatory syndrome in children, can affect children and teens who had been affected and then recovered from Covid-19. The president of the Royal College of Paediatricians of Thailand explained that the condition is fairly rare but…
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Manhunt underway for foreigner who allegedly prepared bread using his feet
A manhunt is underway by the Immigration Bureau after a video surfaced of a man, believed to be a foreigner, who allegedly used his feet to prepare bread for packaging. The video was supplied to the IB and they responded that they will search for the suspect. It was not clear what charges the man may face for his foot…
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Burmese man arrested for rape and assault of Thai woman
A Burmese man accused of the assault and rape of a Thai woman he had hired as a maid has been arrested by Phuket City Police. The 42 year old man lives near the fishing port area in Rassada and was taken into custody after the Phuket Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant yesterday. The 47 year old woman from…
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Phuket Covid-19 passes 60 deaths, 100 Sandboxers, 9,000 total cases
Several milestones were passed in Phuket regarding Covid-19 in the past few days as the death toll hit 60 while Sandbox infections passed 100, daily infections were over 250, and the total number of Covid-19 infections since the beginning of the third wave passed 9,000. More than 5,000 people have been released from medical care or supervision though. The past…
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Governor announces restrictions on Phuket Vegetarian Festival
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival will be scaled down and under tight restrictions this year to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The weeklong festival, where some practice self-mutilation to connect with the spirit world, draws tourists from across the country, and the world. The Phuket governor announced that this year’s festival from October 5 to 15 will have restrictions on the…
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Former deputy attorney-general to be investigated over serious wrongdoings in Red Bull hit-and-run case
An investigation is to take place into alleged serious transgressions by a former deputy attorney-general involved in the 2012 hit-and-run case against Vorayuth Yoovidhya. Nate Naksuk is to be investigated over his decision to drop the charges against the Red Bull heir, who is accused of killing a Bangkok policeman in the hit-and-run incident. The Bangkok Post reports that the…
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Melbourne hit by 6.0 magnitude quake, tremors across south-east Australia
The Australian city of Melbourne, capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria, has been struck by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, damaging buildings but with no serious injuries reported. The quake struck on Wednesday morning, with tremors felt as far away as Adelaide and Sydney. It measured higher on the Richter scale than a 5.6 quake that struck Newcastle, New South…
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5 provinces may delay reopening until November, Chiang Mai cautious
Despite some local leaders pushing hard and claiming readiness to reopen on October 1, several or all of the 5 provinces scheduled to reopen may be delayed until November 1, with Chiang Mai especially cautious about reopening. The deputy director for communications and marketing at the Tourism Authority of Thailand pointed out that the reopening plan can only go ahead in provinces…
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Industry body says Thai government must borrow another 1 trillion baht
The chairman of The Federation of Thai Industries is calling on the government to borrow another 1 trillion baht to kick-start the economy in 2022. Supant Mongkolsuthree says the extra funds are desperately needed to boost an economy devastated by the fallout from the pandemic. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says the government’s borrowing of 500 billion baht…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 141 deaths and 11,252 new cases
Today, 11,252 new Covid-19 cases and 141 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April, in the most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, 1,482,494 people have tested positive for Covid-19. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 13,695 recoveries. There are now 129,071 people being treated for Covid-19.…
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FDA passes on using Sinopharm vaccine for children over 3 years old
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration has denied Sinopharm’s request to administer Covid vaccinations to children over 3 years old. The FDA cited a lack of data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Dr Paisan Dankhum, the Deputy Secretary General of the FDA, says the FDA committee and experts across many agencies had discussed the safety and effectiveness of…
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Communicable disease law may be amended to replace emergency decree
Thailand’s Communicable Disease law is likely to replace the emergency decree from the end of September, after Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the 2015 Act. The emergency decree was enacted in March 2020 and granted the government sweeping powers to control the spread of Covid-19 through the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The decree is due to expire at…
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Travel data to Thailand for 106 million people unprotected online
106 million visitors to Thailand over the last 10 years were discovered to have had their personal information unsecured online. Comparitech, a cyber security firm that discovered the database, revealed that the data has been unprotected online without any password protection possibly for the last decade. The unprotected data included people’s full names, passport numbers, gender, residency status, date they…
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Mexico finds a Latin American ally in Venezuela’s Maduro
The recent summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Mexico was the first big meeting of its kind since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Participants ranged from Cuban head of state Miguel Diaz-Canel to Ecuador’s laissez-faire conservative president, Guillermo Lasso. Even Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro made a last-minute appearance — though he is wanted…
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Namibia debates German genocide deal
Namibia’s parliament on Tuesday resumed debate around the signing of a joint declaration with Germany regarding the former colonial power’s recognition that it perpetrated genocide in the early 1900s. Parliamentary debates in June had been suspended as Namibia battled a devastating wave of COVID-19 infections, which delayed the National Assembly in agreeing to Berlin’s May offer of a formal apology…
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Opinion: How real is the threat of Taliban infighting?
In recent days, reports have abounded of disputes within the Taliban, purportedly fueled by the formation of a hard-line, noninclusive interim government disdained by the group’s moderate factions because of its lack of non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities. Several accounts have provided striking details of a physical altercation earlier this month between lead representatives of the moderate and hard-line camps…
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Soldier allegedly assaults neighbours following horn honking
A soldier in Nonthaburi, a central Thai province, allegedly assaulted his neighbours at their home because one of the victims had honked his motorbike’s horn to let his wife know he was home. The victims, 39 year old Piamsuk Bunruang and 42 year old Alisa Choksinsombun filed a police report yesterday following the attack. Thai Residents says the soldier punched…
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Border agencies instructed to look out for gun smuggling along Myanmar border
Thai border agencies have been instructed to be even more vigilant along the border with Myanmar to ensure weapons aren’t smuggled out of the Land of Smiles. Defence spokesman Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanich says the order was handed down from Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon amid recent reports that arms dealers were smuggling military-grade weapons into Myanmar where fighting between the…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 10,919 new cases; provincial totals
143 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, 15,612 people infected with Covid-19 have died with 15,518 of those fatalities during the country’s latest wave of the virus, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 10,919 new…
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OnlyFans content creators arrested by Thai police on pornography charges
Two OnlyFans content creators have been arrested by Thai police on pornography charges. The Thai government is warning people who live in Thailand and post sexually explicit content on OnlyFans, they are breaking Thai law and they could face hefty fines, even jail time. OnlyFans is an online subscription service where content creators can make money off of those who…
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Scientists study bats in Cambodia to find clues about Covid
Scientists are collecting samples from bats in Cambodia to better understand the Covid pandemic. The researchers chose the region as a similar virus was found there in bats years ago. 2 samples were taken from horseshoe bats back in 2010 in the Stung Treng province, which is close to Laos. The samples were placed in freezers at the Institut Pasteur…
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Iran enriches uranium as the West watches on
Iran may now be capable of producing enough weapons-grade uranium for a single nuclear warhead within just a month. That’s according to US experts who were quoted in The New York Times last Wednesday after reviewing classified new data from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The experts weren’t permitted to speak in an official capacity, but told the newspaper…
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Update: government official that allegedly stole from fund meant for the disabled spent all the money on gambling
In an update to yesterday’s story, Pisal Sukjaitham, the government official who was arrested for allegedly embezzling 13 million baht from a fund meant for the disabled, allegedly confessed, after being interrogated, that he spent all the money he stole on gambling. In another development in the story, INN says that officials are now saying 45 million baht was stolen…
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Government warns that posting pornographic material is illegal following OnlyFans creator being questioned by police
Fans of posting videos and pictures of themselves naked or having intercourse be wary: The Thai government is warning people who post content on OnlyFans that if they reside in Thailand and release content that could be deemed “obscene” or pornography by Thai law, they could face harsh fines and maybe even spend years in jail if they are found…
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Bali to re-open for international yachts with fully vaccinated crew, passengers
The director of a Bali yachting firm says Indonesia is preparing to ease entry restrictions for yachts and fully vaccinated crew and passengers. Thomas Taatjes from Asia Pacific Superyachts says foreign nationals will be required to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination when applying for a visa. “Foreigners who apply for the visa must have a certificate showing they are fully…
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British Airways tests first ever net-zero carbon emissions flight
British Airways has tested the first passenger flight operating on sustainable aviation fuel, while off-setting the remainder of emissions. TTR Weekly reports that BA1476 flew from London Heathrow to Glasgow last week, after the airline pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. BA says it will achieve its goal through a series of short, medium, and long-term measures. The…
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Strapped for cash, Thai Airways puts 3 more aircraft up for sale
The beleaguered national carrier, Thai Airways International, is to sell 3 more aircraft in a bid to raise some much-needed funds. Also up for grabs is a flight simulator, as the airline continues with its rehabilitation plan and attempts to modernise its fleet. The Bangkok Post reports that the airline is selling 3 of its Airbus A330-300s, all of which…
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Phang Nga asks for tourists to be allowed travel directly from Phuket airport
Phang Nga’s tourism operators are urging the government to allow foreign tourists to travel directly to the province from Phuket airport, skipping the 7+7 extension scheme. Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn from the Tourism Council of Phang Nga says tourists are being put off by the bureaucracy involved in the certificate of entry application process and the 7+7 scheme which mandates that tourists…
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Party at luxury villa in Phuket raided, homeowner allegedly assaults police officer
Over the weekend, a party at a luxury villa in Phuket was raided and 19 people were arrested. One officer was allegedly assaulted in the course of the raid. The house was raided in the early morning hours in the Rawai sub-district. Police arrived at the villa around 1am after being tipped off that an illegal gathering was taking place.…
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