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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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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“Run against Dictatorship” organisers threatened with legal action by “those in power”
PHOTO: The Nation Organisers of the planned Wing Lai Loong event “Run against Dictatorship” are being warned by the Thai Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda that they may face legal action if they go ahead with their politically-inspired event without prior permission from the police. The group’s planned press conference, scheduled to take place at Bangkok’s Royal Rattanakosin Hotel on Monday,…
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What it’s like to live in a resort in Thailand?
From clear crystal waters to dense lush jungles and rolling hills, iconic locations are magnets that attract travellers seeking relaxation and adventure to Thailand. But as more hotels and resorts start offering rooms or private villas, people may wonder what the perks and privileges of a perpetual holiday lifestyle may be. Bedroom views While city life demands us to constantly…
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Sleeping woman seriously injured after car ploughs into her home in Sri Racha
A young woman has sustained serious head and back injuries after an SUV ploughed into her home while she was sleeping in her bedroom in eastern Thailand. It’s understood the incident happened at a house in Sri Racha, north of Pattaya, on Sunday afternoon. Local rescue workers were called to the property near a Caltex petrol station and arrived to…
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Students say “Run Against Dictatorship” media event to go ahead
PHOTO: Apichart Jinakul University students have finally been allowed to hold a press conference on the “Wing Lai Lung” (Run to Oust the Uncle) event at Thammasat University in Bangkok. Earlier requests for two other locations to hold their media gathering were denied. One of them was the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand… The professional committee of the Foreign Correspondents’…
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Police in Khon Kaen hunt Thai “Jack the Ripper”
PHOTOS: Chiang Rai Times Police and Crime Suppression Division officers have launched a manhunt for a convicted serial killer accused of murdering a woman in Khon Kaen on Sunday, just 7 months after his release from prison. The man, 55 year old Somkid Pumpuang, is the prime suspect in the murder of 51 year old Rassami Mulichan at her house last…
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Adviser to opposition leader calls on Thai PM to resign
PHOTO: Thai PBS World An adviser to the leader of the opposition is calling on the PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign, saying he’s let the people down. Thai PBS World reports that Phumtham Wechayachai accuses the current administration of under-performing, while increasing political tensions and causing serious damage to the democratic process. He went on to list examples of how…
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Ten days later, no sign of missing Phuket pair, or their kayak
PHOTO: Phuket People’s Voice Nearly ten days have passed since Polish tourist Mateusz Juszkiewicz and his Thai friend Werakan Siriprakon went missing off the southern coast of Phuket. The hopes of finding them alive are fading fast as vast swathes of the Andaman and coastal areas have been searched by up to 100 Navy, officers, Tourist Police, Rawai police and…
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“They were just being playful” – Bangkok tuk tuk driver
“They were just being playful.” Playful indeed! A couple caught engaging in some spontaneous ‘close-and-personal’ in the back of a Bangkok tuk-tuk has got Thailand’s online community in a fluster. Whilst tourism numbers stagnate and thousands gather in the centre of the city for the biggest political rally in five years, THIS has been the biggest talking point for Thai…
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Students clamber up destroyed stairway to get to school in Phuket
Students this morning had to climb an almost collapsed stairway to get to school. A truck (photo) careered off Thepkasattri Road in Koh Kaew, Phuket on Saturday night, running into the stairway and destroying half of the concrete stairway to the school’s overpass. Undaunted, students tried to climb up the wrecked stairway this morning on their regular trip to school.…
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UK heads towards Brexit and Thailand ponders an FTA with Britain
Thailand is pondering the possibilities of creating a free trade agreement with the UK after British PM Boris Johnson’s historic victory in the UK election last week, which is expected to pave the way for the passage of the ‘Brexit’ separation form the EU soon. The UK will then have to make separate agreements with each individual country. Traditionally these…
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Woman injured in hit-and-run demands driver turn himself in
PHOTO: Suthasinee Chartprachum – The Pattaya News A woman injured in a motorbike accident is demanding that the hit and run driver must take responsibility and turn himself in to police. 26 year old Suthasinee Chartprachum told local media that she and her husband were on a motorbike when they were hit by a pickup truck last Thursday evening near…
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Unidentified naked man in Bangkok death plunge
PHOTO: Forensic police examine the body of the man who fell from a high-rise condominium in the Ratchayothin area in Bangkok on Saturday morning Police say a naked man has fallen to his death from a condominium tower in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district early on Saturday. The unidentified man’s body was found lying face down on the street. The incident happened…
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Bangkok’s new Silom Road walking street a great success
PHOTO: INN News “Walk, Eat, Taste, and Explore”. And thousands descended on Silom Road to welcome the new walking street destination yesterday. Street performers, crowds and live music transformed Silom Road into Bangkok’s newest walking street yesterday with the first of the new walking street-style markets opening up in Bangkok. There was also another one in Yowarat Road in Chinatown. The…
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Thailand still a top destination for Chinese ivory buyers
PHOTO: Thai Embassy A survey by The World Wide Fund for Nature reveals that Thailand remains a top destination for illegal ivory sales. The survey also indicates, perhaps surprisingly, that a majority of Chinese tourists, traditionally the biggest ivory buyers, have no desire to buy ivory. WWF Thailand polled 214 tourists from China at five prime retail locations across Bangkok, in…
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Surat Thani fisherman missing after falling off boat last night
FILE PHOTO: Khaosod English Police and rescue crews are still searching for a fisherman missing since last night. Today’s search off Koh Samui involves ships and aircraft of the 2nd Naval Area. The search was launched as soon as police were alerted about a fishing boat crew member who fell into the sea off the island late last night. At…
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Three men abandon van packed with drugs in Bangkok
PHOTOS: INN News Three men have abandoned a luxury passenger van in the Bang Khun Thian area of Bangkok. It was packed full of methamphetamine pills. Police Officers from the Sam Dum Police Station discovered 100 packs of methamphetamine ‘Yaba’ pills, totalling 200,000, placed inside a large bag. The suspects fled the scene choosing to give up the drugs and…
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Future Forward’s Thanathorn says he’ll “bring people to the streets”
It’s the biggest political rally since the general election in March, probably the largest rally in five years since before the military coup in 2014. Thousands of supporters chanted “Prayut get out” at an anti-military demonstration called by former MP, Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit. Thanathorn told demonstrators that last evening’s rally on the skywalk linking the National Stadium…
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“Phuket’s economy is shrinking” – University report
PHOTO: Rocket Bird Travel Company “Phuket’s economy is shrinking.” A report released by the local Prince of Songkla University reveals some disturbing trends for the once-booming tropical paradise. Chayanon Phucharoen, the university’s associate dean of research and graduate study says that Phuket’s economy is undergoing a transformation. He blames the strong Thai baht and says digital disruption is funnelling tourist services…
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Justice minister says he’ll speed up kratom decriminalisation
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin says he will speed up the decriminalisation of kratom, after researchers registered patents for kratom-based medicines in Japan and the US. Kratom is a local plant, related to coffee, whose leaves are still classified as a narcotic in Thailand. Somsak said his ministry has formed a committee to consider legalising kratom-based medicines. Kratom leaves are a mild…
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14 year old arrested as gunman in Yala murder
PHOTO: Facebook/Krpoliceyala A 14 year old boy is accused of shooting a forestry official in the southern Thai province of Yala, according to police who arrested three suspects on Saturday, including the alleged mastermind. Authorities say the killing was planned by 34 year old Arseesa Kamae, an accountant who worked for the victim. She allegedly hired 33 year old Treenaphat…
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“This is just the beginning” – Thanathorn warns the government
PHOTOS: Thousands gathered in the first large anti-government rally in over five years – Khaosod English He tried to do it legitimately by running for office in the March election. His party performed above expectations, garnering the third highest number of votes after less than 12 months of existence. And Thanathorn was just votes away from being elected Thailand’s Prime Minister.…
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Baby dumped on the steps of a bank in Rawai, Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket Newshawk/Phuket Hotnews On December 13, at about 4pm, Chalong police received a report about a baby found abandoned in front of Siam Commercial Bank, in Rawai. At the scene, police found a baby boy with fair skin and appeared like a mix caucasian/Asian. The infant was crying but the witnesses who called police were trying to hold, comfort…
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Video of couple having sex in Bangkok tuk-tuk goes viral – VIDEO
Social media users in Thailand have had plenty to say about a video that appears to show a couple having sex in the back of a tuk-tuk speeding through Bangkok. Some would say using this particular mode of Bangkok transport is exhilarating enough without adding anything else into the mix, but the Chiang Rai Times reports that one couple decided…
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Grateful woman tries to find foreigner who saved the life of her boyfriend’s father
A Thai woman has taken to social media in an attempt to track down the foreign man who saved her boyfriend’s father after he had chest pains and an apparent heart attack in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park. The Bangkok Post reports that a foreign man performed CPR on the man after he fell unconscious and his heart stopped beating. Now the family…
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Phuket’s economy is entering a period of recession – PSU report
PHOTO: kapumail Phuket’s Prince of Songkla University Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism has completed a lengthy report about the health of the island’s tourism, saying that tourism and Phuket’s economy are in poor condition. Part of the report says that, despite a 4% rise in visitor numbers in 2019, revenue from tourism is falling. “The economy of Phuket is entering…
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Social media meltdown over tuk-tuk sex trip in Bangkok
PHOTO: Facebook/Khun-Khachen Thai netizens are in a frenzy over two posted video clips showing a woman sitting on a male passenger’s lap and, it appears, enjoying sex with him in a the back of the tuk-tuk on a Bangkok street early in the morning. The videos have since been taken down (just to save you the effort). There are two…
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Public hearings on Pattaya Tram Project start Monday
Whilst Phuket’s tram project has been shelved temporary, the much-discussed Pattaya tram project starts public hearings on Monday when the city hosts its first public sessions on the feasibility study. First proposed in 2016, the tram would make a circle around Beach Road and Second Road and then into Jomtien Beach. Finally however, with more funding now allocated and a…
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Phuket road closures and areas to avoid Sunday morning
Sunday, December 15, Phuket locals and officials will gather to celebrate the arrival of the holy Buddha’s relic alongside other highly respected monks’ religious relics. There will be parades and road closures in and around the Phuket Town area.The Phuket Municipality will close down the road from the the Phuket Post Office intersection all the way to Thalang Road –…
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Apple’s Tim Cook drops into Bangkok during Asia tour
PHOTO: Apple’s Tim Cook Visits Bangkok to meet with photographers, Students and WWDC (Apple Web Developers) scholarship winners Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was in and around Bangkok yesterday. Apple’s boss has been documenting the journey on his Twitter account. Tim kicked things off with a visit to the Wat Arun Buddhist temple on the Thonburi west bank of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya…
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Thai Immigration Chief softens stance on tourist and expat visas
#shutdoorafterhorsehasbolted The head of Thai Immigration has told his department not to be too strict on tourists and scare them away from returning to Thailand. According to PattayaOne, the Chief has asked for his staff to “show some humanity”. Lt-Gen Sompong – also known as Big Oud, after his predecessor was nicknamed Big Joke – was doing a presentation during a…
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