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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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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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Queen Mother, HM Queen Sirikit, recovering in Chulalongkorn Hospital Bangkok
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, has been admitted to the Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok after developing a fever and persistent cough. The Bureau of the Royal Household made the announcement yesterday about her admission on Sunday night. Medical checks and tests showed an infection of the respiratory tract and she was advised by doctors to remain in the…
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International credit rating agency gives Thailand a BBB+ economic report card
Fitch Ratings has revised its outlook on Thailand’s Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating to “positive” from “stable” and upgraded the rating to BBB+. The revision reflects increasing international economic confidence that lingering political risks are unlikely to derail “sound macroeconomic management”, according to the international credit rating agency, Fitch. “This is demonstrated by the sustained strength of external and…
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Pattaya tourist slump – visitors leaking to Vietnam
The new Minister of tourism and sports says tourism in Thailand is up nearly 1% (0.89% to be precise) in June year compared to last year. But as ministers bicker over the numbers – up or down – other business leaders says that tourism on the ground in Pattaya is much worse than the figures suggest. According to ThaiVisa, the “outlook…
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A proposal for Greater Bangkok’s fourth airport
PHOTO: Thailand Construction A new airport in Bangkok’s Nakhon Pathom province, just to the west of the capital, will be greater-Bangkok’s fourth air travel hub. The announcement was made on Saturday. Jarun Meesomboon, deputy director-general of the Airport Department, says the new 3,500 rai airport was a priority for the new Transport Ministry. He optimistically claimed it would cost only…
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Economists predict Thai exports could fall 3.1% this year
Economists are forecasting that Thailand’s exports will drop by up to 3.1% for 2019 after June figures fell when compared to the same period last year. After the Commerce Ministry reported a 2.1% fall in June, the SCB Economic Intelligence Centre projected the country’s exports will drop this year by between 1.6-3.1%. “Although the US-China trade meeting after the G20…
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Airbnb welcomes new Thai Tourism Minister support of ‘short term’ accommodation
Airbnb welcomes the new Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan’s and his commitment to grow tourism and support short-term accommodation in Thailand. Speaking to local media on his first day in office, Minister Ratchakitprakan identified short-term accommodation reform and growing tourism in secondary cities as a priority area for the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy for…
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Hua Hin Hospital sued for overcharging foreigners
PHOTO: Kapook, Channel 3 A Dutch man is suing the Hua Hin Hospital for overcharging foreigners and tourists. In a novel suit, the litigant says Thai citizen are charged 50 baht for an appointment with the doctor, but foreigners are being charged 300 baht. 50 year old Erwin Robert Bucher claims this is a form of “corruption”. Channel 3 ran…
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Bangkok’s ‘Backpacker Central’ gets a makeover
Khao San Road in Bangkok, which has become famous (and slightly infamous) over the years without much interference, is about to get fully-fledged make-over with the help of the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority. Thai PBS reports that works are scheduled to begin in March next year with a budget of 48 millon baht set aside for the work. Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Sakonthee…
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North-central Thailand’s Yom River in Phichit runs low
Stories keep emerging about river systems, the lifeblood of agriculture in northern and north-eastern Thailand, drying out or dropping dramatically in level. A section of the Yom River that runs through the Sam Ngam in district in Pichit, north-central Thailand, has almost run dry following months without rain. The river was already reported as unseasonally low during April this year.…
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TMB – strong baht hits foreign investment funds
TMB Bank are reporting that the strong baht has cut the value of the foreign investment fund under fund management, falling by 27 billion baht from 1.2 trillion baht at the start of the year. TMB said the drop reduced the fund’s return by 0.47%. The least impacted funds are those covering oil investment, gold, and property funds, at 0.53%,…
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Repair budget for decaying bridge on Koh Larn postponed to next year
Plans to fix up the Koh Larn Tien Beach bridge have been put back to next year. In recent months news stories have reported that the bridge is in urgent need of repair. Locals are claiming the structure is “close to collapse”. The bridge and walkway link Tawaen Beach and Tonglang Beach. Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor says that a 4.5 million…
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Body of second missing Filipino found off Phuket
PHOTO: ejan.co The body of the second Filipino who went missing late last Wednesday afternoon at Freedom Beach in Phuket has now been found and recovered. The body was found between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi by a local fisherman around 12pm yesterday. His body was brought back to Phuket and arrived at Chalong pier yesterday afternoon. The body has…
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Spanish tourist remains missing in Koh Samui mountain trek
PHOTO: Thai PBS A Spanish tourist remains missing after being lost on Na Muang Mountain 2 on Koh Samui. Police and rescue workers spent over three hours searching for 57 year old Louise Cavelo Ortega yesterday afternoon but the search was suspended as night fell. Heavy rain and the dark made it almost impossible for police to proceed. The search resumed this…
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X2 Vibe brand adds third hotel in Phuket
PHOTO: Existing X2 Vibe Patong hotel Cross Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with PT Three Land for its third Phuket property, the X2 Vibe Phuket Patong Centre. Poised to open middle of 2021, it is a 50 minute drive from Phuket International Airport and a 10 minute walk to Patong Beach and the bustling Bangla Road walking street.…
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Government unveils 12 policies – BKK street food return and a higher minimum wage
One of the new parliament’s first debates, when it sits on July 25 and 26, is over a formal policy listing 12 living standard priorities. The list laid out in a briefing paper lists surprisingly progressive policies for the new coalition. The government says it wants to reduce obstacles blocking people from earning a decent living and would utilise digital…
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KL’s Petronas Tower architect Cesar Pelli dies at 92
“It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our founder, mentor, and great friend, César.” – business partner Fred W. Clarke. From Malaysia to the US, famed architect Cesar Pelli, known for his innovative skyscrapers and use of coloured glass, has died at the age of 92. “He was a gifted architect and teacher, two callings he…
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Mekong River drops to lowest level in a century around Thai, Lao, Myanmar border
Water levels in the Mekong River are now at the lowest point in a century as of July 19, lower than a record set in April 1973. South East Asia’s Stimson Centre claims that, based on recent satellite images, the drastic lowering of the water level in the river has exposed many islets and sandbars adding. The Centre’s report refers…
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Pattaya man in custody for killing horses and selling horse meat
A man being held by police for questioning after being accused of killing horses and selling their meat in Chon Buri province, east of Bangkok. Chon Buri police arrested 33 year old Nirun Kamlon at his house in Banglamung district near Pattaya yesterday on the orders of the provincial governor. Watchdog Thailand Foundation lodged a complaint with the governor that…
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Missing Filipino’s body found in Phuket, identified by family
PHOTO: AsiaOne A body, found washed up on Freedom beach in Phuket on Friday, has now been identified by family to be one of the two missing Filipinos. The family of Noah Ibay arrived at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to identify the body and meet the Phuket Governor, Pakkapong Tawipat. Mr. Val Simon Roque from The Philippines’ Embassy in Bangkok also…
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Pope scheduled to visit Thailand this November
Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Thailand and Japan this November, according to reports in Catholic websites in Rome. sanook.com reported the news yesterday. His visit will coincide with the 350th year anniversary of the presence of the Roman Catholic Church in Thailand. As of 2018, there are 379,975 Catholics in Thailand, a figure that represents 0.46% of the total…
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“That’s one small step for man” – Armstrong steps on the moon 50 years ago
Where were you when Neil Armstrong fist stepped on the moon? The momentous, and enormously complex project, proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, came to fruition on July 21, 1969 when Neil Armstrong, then Buzz Aldrin, stepped onto the lunar surface. It was an expensive endeavour with five other missions to follow that would also walk men on…
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One small step for man – 50 years ago today
On this day, a mere 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the powdery surface of the moon. It was the first time humans had stepped anywhere other than the ‘pale blue dot’ of Earth. Everyone alive at the time can recall ‘where they were’ at this historic moment. It was a triumph of American ambition and engineering. Some 300,000…
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Ministers visit Thai southern provinces for economic brainstorming session
PHOTO: Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, centre, arrives for a meeting in Yala yesterday – The Nation The new Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit (and leader of the Democrats), along with the Deputy Transport Minister Thavorn Senniam and Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee, held a multi-party discussion yesterday at the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre in Yala province. The meeting aimed…
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Mystery 90 kilogram load was added to cargo flight list on MH370
French investigators looking into the disappearance of the Malaysian Boeing 777, flight MH370, say they have discovered a previously undeclared 89 kilogram load that was only added to the cargo list after takeoff. The sun.co.uk reports that French engineer Ghyslain Wattrelos, who lost his wife and two of his three children in the crash, detailed the claims to judges investigating…
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Phuket’s water shortage solution – pump it from the mainland
For the Thai island surrounded by water, Phuket now faces acute water shortage problems and local officials are scurrying for solutions. This week a 3.5 billion baht plan was announced to pipe potable water across the channel from Phang Nga to Phuket as a remedy for the looming water crisis on the island. At this stage there’s no approval for…
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Egyptian tourist stabbed in the neck at a roti street store in Phuket
PHOTO: Daily News A roti roadside vendor has been arrested after attacking a tourist by stabbing a man in the neck outside a Family Mart store. 30 year old Mahmoud Abbas is now recovering in hospital following surgery. He was admitted with a 7 centimetre gash on his neck. According to reports in Daily News, the roti seller stabbed the…
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Constitutional Court accepts petition over Prayut’s fitness to be PM
The Constitutional Court yesterday accepted a petition from opposition MPs questioning PM Prayut’s “qualifications” to hold the post of Thai prime minister. The Court announced its decision on its website, commenting that the petition had been signed by a total of 110 MPs from various opposition parties but declaring that Prayut was free to continue carrying out his duties as…
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Man stabbed by street vendor in Chalong
PHOTO: Facebook A foreigner, known as ‘Mahmoud’, was stabbed in Soi Ta-iad in Chalong, southern Phuket last night outside a Family Mart. The man was taken to Bangkok Phuket Hospital and is now reported to be in a stable condition following surgery. Doctors have told friends he will have to remain in hospital for observation for at least two days.…
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Zambian arrested on overstay and animal cruelty charges in Samut Prakhan
PHOTO: khaosod.co.th Thai immigration police have arrested a Zambian man for an alleged overstay and committing acts of cruelty following a Facebook post that sought help for the dog. The Nation reports that 27 year old Wachisa Sikwese has been arrested by Immigration police. They reported that Sikwese was arrested shortly after Watchdog Thailand spotted a Facebook post that sought help…
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Wild animals and wild flowers – tulip season at the Khon Kaen Zoo
PHOTO: Khon Kaen Zoo Blooming fields of colourful Siam tulips are now competing fort attention with white lions, tigers, orangutan, camels, white rhinoceros and exotic animals at the Khon Kaen Zoo. Th zoo, in Khao Suan Kwang district, has a new seasonal attraction to its collection of wild animals. The combination of wildlife and wild flowers makes for an unbeatable…
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