News
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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5 things to check about your social media in 2018
Social media is going though some upheavals, affecting your numbers, especially the big ‘F’. Alex Runhaar, The Thaiger’s social media svengali, explains the things we need to focus on in 2018 as the social media washing machine swirls around us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6T3-XXBGl4&feature=youtu.be
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Changes to visa applications at the Thai Consulate-General in Penang
The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Penang has announced changes to its acceptance and delivery of visas. Penang, Malaysia, has been a popular destination for expats and tourists to head to, particularly from Phuket. There is an entire visa-run industry heading out of the island each day heading for Penang with hotels, restaurants and taxis all ready for the daily hordes…
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Soi Dog Saturday Opening Tours – come and meet your future best friend
Last Saturday, May 5, Soi Dog Foundation welcomed Phuket’s media to visit the Gill Dalley’s Sanctuary located in Mai Khao. The day was held to promote the extended visitor times to allow weekday-work people to experience one of Phuket’s most popular attractions – meet and mingle with small dogs, cats and kittens. The tour starts at 9.30-10.30am and led by…
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Bangkok bus engulfed in flames
Early morning traffic was held up as a Bangkok bus was engulfed in flames on the busy Sukhumvit Road today. No one was injured in the incident. Jor Sor 100 traffic radio station reported that the fire started at 9.31am on Sukhumvit Road in front of the Gateway Ekamai shopping mall. Police closed a section of the inbound Sukhumvit Road,…
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Kata Sea Breeze Resort has been awarded Thailand MICE Venue certification
PHOTO: Kata Sea Breeze Resort represented by Ms.Rutchaneegorn Chalayondeja, Group Director of Business development of AKSARA Collection received the award from Mr.Weerasak Kowsurat Kata Sea Breeze Resort is now a certified Thailand MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) Venue as certified by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau for its Sea Sky Conference Room having met the required standards. This opens up…
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Tour operators called to discuss accident prevention
A meeting has been held at the Phuket Tourism and Sports Office this week led by Tourist Police commander Col Tongchai Wilaiprom together with the Director of the Phuket Provincial Office of Tourism and Sports, Sirawee Waloh. Joining them were local Phuket tour operators. Col Tongchai says “In recent years many tourists have died and been injured in marine and road accidents. These incidents…
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Spa fire in Koh Sirey under investigation
The Phuket City Police are still investigating a fire at a spa in Rassada on Saturday (May 5). When Police arrived at the spa a sauna room on the first floor had already been badly damaged. Investigators found burn marks on electric wired and a circuit breaker. A small section ceiling of the ceiling had been partly destroyed. No injuries…
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Phuket-Norway co-operation to promote local use of Electrical Vehicles (EVs)
A meeting was held yesterday (May 7) at the Phuket Provincial Hall hosted by the Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and the Thai Ambassador to Norway, Prasittiporn Wetprasit. Joining them were Phuket’s Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew along with a representative from Oslo, Sture Portuik and a representative from private sector, Snorre Sletvold. Mr Prasittiporn says, ”The government are supporting Electric Vehicles…
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A mid June summit in Singapore – The Trump/Kim meeting
Mid June. Singapore. That’s the latest betting for the proposed meeting between North Korea’s Dear Leader Kim Jong Un and the US Dear Leader President Donald Trump. Many Asian nations have put up their hands to host the historic summit with Thailand being a favourite a few weeks ago, citing it’s long term relationship with the US, neutrality over the ongoing North…
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Fire destroys wooden house in Rassada
Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) stationed at Rassada Municipality were notified of a fire in Soi Tha Jeen in Rassada, Phuket at 5:40pm yesterday (May 6). Fire fighters with three fire trucks along with the Phuket City Police arrived at the scene to find the wooden house well ablaze. It took about an hour to…
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Rain in most parts of the country forecast this week
All the water pistols and buckets of water over Songkran have done the job. It’s been raining around most of Thailand since the Thai New Year 2018, and there’s more to come. The TMD (Thai Meteorological Department) expects that the capital and several rural provinces will experience more rainfall from today up to the weekend. Bangkok and its vicinity have…
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Phuket’s private sector donates money to help Chalong Hospital
This morning (May 7), 9:30am thank-you certificates were handed out to people who have been donating money to assist in the completion of the Chalong Hospital, currently still under construction (the Accident and Emergency Section is already in operation). Certificates were given out by the Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital Doctor Chalermpong Sukontapon along with Director of Chalong Hospital Doctor…
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Phnom Penh Post sold to Malaysian media investor
The Phnom Penh Post has been sold to Sivakumar Ganapathy, a Malaysian investor and executive at a public relations firm that has previously done work for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government. Sivakumar, who is the executive director of Malaysia-based Asia PR, said in a press release distributed to staff on Saturday that he intends to maintain the newspaper’s editorial independence.…
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Two arrested with drugs and guns
Over the past few days a team of Sakoo Police led by Lt Col Urampohn Kundetsamrit have arrested 17 year old ‘Oat’ and 18 year old Permsak Somsakfrom, both from Phuket. Oat was found with 80 millilitres of liquid kratom inside a pot, one bottle of ‘Datissin’ cough syrup, a can of Pepsi, 50grams of kratom leaf and 400 millilitres of…
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22 year old killed after female driver speeds through red light in Chumpon
PHOTO: Daily News Police were called to the scene of an accident on the Asia Highway in Lang Suan, Chumpon on Saturday night. They found 22 year old Kampanat Pin-Ek dead in the central reservation. Nearby was his Honda Click motorcycle. He had been dragged 50 meters under the front wheel of a Bangkok registered Vigo pick up driven by…
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Activists challenge the Thai PM with three demands
Pro-election activists threatened to march to Government House on the fourth anniversary of the 2014 coup if the ruling junta fails to respond to their call for an election in November. The NCPO seized power on May 22, 2014 in a bloodless coup on the premise that it needed to stop Thai’s protesting violently in the streets of Bangkok. The…
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Phuket Harmony World Puppet Festival 2018 – Sponsorship available now
Puppeteers from around the world are expected to descend on Phuket in early November for the Phuket Harmony World Puppet Festival 2018. Launched in 2013 by the Semathai Marionette Arts for Social Foundation, the Harmony World Puppet Festival is aimed at promoting puppeteering and helping people to express themselves while preserving their culture through marionette art. The five-day festival regularly…
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Malaysian PM in a fight for his political life
Just south of Thailand there is a looming political showdown that is likely to reshape Malaysian politics, no matter what happens at Wednesday’s polls. It’s the country’s 14 election since independence. On one side a politically-stained, long-sitting incumbent trying to cling onto power. On the other side an opposition led my the incumbent’s former mentor – the 92 year old Mahathir…
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Wipawee wins in Krabi – fifth win of the year
Wipawee Pratumsuwan after winning in Krabi Race favourite Wipawee Pratumsuwan racked up yet another title, clocking 1:36.34 hours to win the women’s 21km race at the Bangkok Airways Krabi Half Marathon yesterday (Sunday). The 27 year old assistant teacher, who spends most of her weekends competing, clocked eight minutes faster than runner-up Siriphat Bootjen, who crossed the finish line in…
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Thailand’s drowning in a sea of plastic
By Piyaporn Wongruang In February last year, a patch of plastic trash almost 10 kilometres long was seen floating off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in Chumpon province, prompting a wake-up call about the plastic pollution problem which has become increasingly serious in recent years. Tara Buakamsri, Thailand country director for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, which campaigns against pollution,…
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Two arrested with drugs bought from social media sent via parcel post
The Phuket Provincial Police led by Lt Col Pongpan Siripattaranukul have arrested two suspects this week, buying their drugs through social media. On Friday (May 3) at 8:30pm police arrested 33 year old Jennarong ‘A’ Nareewan at D Condo Kathu condominium. He was found with 50.87grams of crystal meth (ya ice), 15 of methamphatamine (ya bah) and nine bullets. He…
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National parks drawing up plans for clean, cheaper energy
An action plan to develop cheaper and environmentally friendly power supply for national parks nationwide is being drafted in a joint venture involving the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. Officers from all national parks in the southern region attended a three-day workshop in Krabi arranged by the KMUTT and the…
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Phuket Airport’s arrival growth soars
By Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com. Looking at the numbers alone, the new upgrade and expansion of Phuket International Airport has been a roaring success (although the renovations are ongoing and, especially the domestic terminal, are an unfinished mess right now). January through March, 2018 passenger arrivals at Phuket International Airport surged by 19.3% compared to the same period last year, totalling…
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One night in Bangkok – 45 arrested for drugs and 91 for street racing
It’s been a busy night in Bangkok with nearly 140 people detained or arrested over street racing and others testing positive for illicit drugs at just one late night venue. Ninety-one motorcyclists and pillion riders were arrested las night (Friday) in an ongoing crackdown on street racing in the capital. Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal, the deputy commissioner of the Tourist…
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Phuket street art group calls for justice over Premchai black panther case
Graffiti in Thailand has so far been an instrument to denounce social injustice following the murder of the protected black panther, and Phuket is another location where this street art is being expressed. A local Phuket group has painted their thoughts on the walls in the heart of old Phuket Town. On February 4, a black panther was killed in…
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Co-ordinated attacks across the South today
Suspected ethnic Malay insurgents bombed power poles and burned tyres on the roads of five districts of Narathiwat early on Friday, police said. This follows a similar attack this morning in Yala where mobile phone towers were torched along with the same burning of tyres on main roads. The perpetrators also hung cloth banners criticising the Thai government. Police say…
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Cap seals being phased out
PHOTO: Thai Travel News The Pollution Control Department has sought cooperation from 7,000 water bottle manufacturers to stop using plastic cap seals within a year, in order to reduce plastic waste. The department has also sent letters to 19 ministries, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federation of the Thai Industries to seek their cooperation in promoting water bottles…
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Similan National Park to close for five months
The Department of National Parks (DNP) has announced that the Similan Islands in Phang Nga will be temporary closed from May 16 for five months. Today (May 4) there are still many tourists, both Thai and foreigners especially Chinese, at the Similan Islands. Most tourists want to enjoy the beach before the island will be closed in a few weeks.…
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Five people in custody after bomb-making equipment and chemicals discovered
Five people have been handed over to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) this morning (Friday) linked to the discovery of 1800 bars of ‘Powergel’ in Pathum Thani last month. Powergel is routinely used as a mining explosive and comes in the form of bars. Two of the suspects are 46 year old Yutthana Chidchol, a police officer from Sakoo station in Phuket,…
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Phuket Court denies bail in alleged property fraud case
PHOTO: Emerald Development Group Facebook page Bail has been denied at a hearing in the Phuket Provincial Court earlier today in the case of Sawit ‘Mai’ Ketroj who was arrested at Phuket International Airport on May 1 over a case involving alleged fraud related to the Emerald Development Group. Khun Mai’s lawyers say they will appeal the decision of the Court…
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