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Thai Cabinet officially ends 60-day visa-free scheme
Thailand’s Cabinet officially approved the cancellation of the 60-day visa-free scheme following a proposal from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, with revised visa categories for each country expected to be announced later. The visa-free programme previously allowed travellers from more than 90 countries to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days without a visa. The policy expanded an…
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EU visa change opens path to longer Schengen visas for Thais
Thai nationals residing in Thailand may now qualify for Schengen visas valid for up to five years under new European Union (EU) rules announced yesterday, May 18, aimed at making repeat travel to Europe easier. The change is part of a new “visa cascade” system adopted by the EU, giving eligible repeat travellers progressively longer multiple-entry visas. It applies to…
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Ministry of Transport to cancel trains to inner Bangkok to improve road safety
Thailand’s Ministry of Transport plans to cancel trains heading to inner Bangkok and tighten safety measures within three months following the fatal bus and train collision on May 16. Officials from several government agencies are continuing investigations into the cause of the crash while also reviewing long-term safety improvements aimed at preventing similar incidents. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on…
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Foreign tourist among new Mpox cases reported in Thailand
Thailand has reported 1,074 cumulative Mpox cases and 16 deaths, with health officials warning people in higher-risk groups to monitor symptoms after new Clade Ib cases and infections linked to tourist areas. Dr Montien Kanasawat, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said today, May 19, that surveillance data from the Division of Epidemiology showed two new confirmed Clade…
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Chon Buri woman reports drugging and raping by bar worker
A Thai woman is seeking justice after a bar worker in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri allegedly drugged her with a ketamine-laced e-cigarette, known locally as Pod K, before raping her. The 20 year old victim, Chidapa, shared details of the alleged incident with several Thai media outlets after reporting the case to police yesterday, May 18. She said…
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Bangkok delivery rider struck by train near recent fatal collision scene
A food delivery rider suffered serious injuries after being struck by a train while urinating next to the railway track along Kampaengphet 7 Road, near the site of the recent fatal collision between a train and a bus. Rescue workers were called to the railway track near the Mercure Bangkok Makkasan hotel at about 11am. The injured man, whose identity…
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Thailand News | British drug couriers targeted by Thailand-Based gangs, Bangkok chosen for Eurovision song contest Asia grand final
Today we’ll be giving you some updates on the train crash situation, including bail being granted for the train driver and railway crossing signalman, plus a new documentary is exposing how Thailand-based gangs are exploiting unsuspecting brits for drug mule purposes, in a bizarre incident a rocket crashes into a woman’s home and causes her serious injury, and a…
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Thailand rethinks spending 1.7 billion baht on World Cup broadcast rights
Thailand is reconsidering whether to spend more than 1.7 billion baht (roughly US$52 million) on broadcast rights for the World Cup 2026 tournament, with officials questioning whether the cost would deliver long-term value for Thai football. At 4.05pm yesterday, May 18, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Paradorn Prissananantakul addressed reports that the government may step back from buying the rights to…
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Iran agrees to help Thai cargo ships pass Strait of Hormuz
Two Thai cargo ships waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz are expected to receive assistance from Iran after a meeting at Government House yesterday, May 18. Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, chief adviser to the prime minister, met Mehdi Zare, cultural counsellor at the Embassy of Iran in Thailand, to discuss bilateral ties and the regional situation. After the…
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Thai teen finds American man’s body hanging over Pattaya condo balcony
Police are investigating the death of an American man whose body was found hanging over the balcony of a condominium in Pattaya yesterday, May 18. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were called to the seven-storey condominium on Jomtien Sai Song Road after a Thai teenager reported seeing a body hanging from a balcony on the sixth floor. At the…
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Railway officials temporarily released after deadly collision in Bangkok
The Criminal Court temporarily released the train driver and station manager charged in connection with the deadly train-bus collision in Bangkok. The collision between a container train and a public bus occurred at Asok Railway Station on Saturday, May 16. The crash killed eight people, injured more than 30 others, and also damaged several vehicles. Investigators are continuing efforts to…
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Watch out for fake Suvarnabhumi Fast Track services, officials say
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau posted a video on May 17, warning travellers not to trust claims that a paid Fast Track immigration service is available at Suvarnabhumi Airport, allegedly offered through Trip.com. The warning followed a post by a Chinese-Taiwanese tourist who claimed the service could be bought for 650 yuan. The post reportedly included an image from the app stating that…
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Bangkok selected for final stage of Eurovision Song Contest Asia
The Eurovision Song Contest will expand into Asia for the first time this year, with Bangkok selected to host the grand final of Eurovision Song Contest Asia on November 14. The official Eurovision Instagram account, @eurovision, announced the launch of Eurovision Song Contest Asia in March. Aside from being the first expansion of Asia, the event also marks the 70th…
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Thai woman suffers broken leg after rocket crashes into home
A woman in Nakhon Ratchasima is seeking compensation after a bang fai rocket, part of a rocket festival in Northeastern Thailand, crashed through her home and injured her daughter-in-law, resulting in a broken leg. The incident occurred on May 6 in Bua Lai district when a rocket reportedly fell through the roof of a shared family home. The 34 year old…
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Search underway for Dutch man missing off Railay Beach in Krabi
A Dutch tourist remains missing after a kayak overturned in rough seas off Railay Beach in Krabi on Saturday, May 16, while his daughter was rescued safely. Rangers from Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park were alerted to the incident in Railay Bay involving a Dutch man, believed to be about 60 years old, and his daughter. According…
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Phuket locals demand action after foreign teens damage property
Police arrested four foreign teenagers yesterday, May 17, after they stole and damaged a lamp shade outside a resident’s home in Phuket. The incident was reported by the Phuket Times Facebook page, which also shared CCTV footage of the theft. The incident took place on Phang Nga Road in the Phuket Old Town area. In the video, one of the…
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Families search for missing members after train-bus collision in Bangkok
Families of those involved in the deadly collision between a train and a public bus in the Asok area of Bangkok are awaiting autopsy results to confirm the identities of the victims, while several relatives continue hoping their loved ones survived the incident. Eight people were confirmed dead after a container train collided with public bus route 206 beneath Airport…
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PM Anutin considers tunnel after fatal collision on railway track
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government plans to reduce the number of train crossing points in Bangkok following the fatal collision between a container train and a public bus in Asok on Saturday, May 16. The crash occurred at the intersection where Asok-Din Daeng Road crosses a railway track beneath Airport Rail Link Makkasan Station. The area is known…
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Train driver found positive for drug and driving without licence
Police confirmed the train driver tested positive for drugs and was operating without a licence after the collision between a container train and a public bus on Saturday, May 16. The collision occurred on Saturday afternoon at the Asok Railway Station, where Asok-Din Daeng Road crosses the railway track beneath Airport Rail Link Makkasan Station. A container train struck a…
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Three arrested after 10-kilometre drug chase in Chumphon
Highway police arrested three suspects and seized more than 20,000 methamphetamine pills and crystal meth following a 10-kilometre car chase in Chumphon today, May 17. The suspects were identified as 33 year old Teerapong, 25 year old Suwapat, and 25 year old Pongsakorn. Police seized 20,200 methamphetamine pills and 52.13 grammes of crystal meth during the operation in Hat Phan…
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13 Cambodian migrants arrested at Chanthaburi border
Thai marines and local police in Chanthaburi province arrested 13 Cambodian migrants on May 16, after intensifying surveillance along the border. The first group of nine Cambodians, five men and four women, were detained at 5.30pm while crossing forested terrain near boundary marker 53 in Thep Nimit subdistrict, Pong Nam Ron district. Investigations found the group had travelled from Banteay…
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Body believed to be missing police officer found on Phuket Beach
A body believed to be a missing police officer was found washed ashore at Nai Thon Beach in Sakhu subdistrict, Thalang district, Phuket, this morning, May 17, two days after he was swept into the sea by strong waves. The man went swimming at Nai Thon Beach on May 15, during strong winds and waves more than two metres high.…
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Illegal cat medicine operation busted in Samut Prakan
Officials announced the results of a raid yesterday, May 16, on an illegal cat medication production and sales operation in Samut Prakan, where unregistered veterinary drugs were allegedly mixed to increase volume and sold online. The operation was carried out by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The case…
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EC files complaints over ballot barcode photos
The Election Commission (EC) has defended filing complaints against six individuals who photographed barcodes and QR codes on ballots from the February 8 general election, saying the move was necessary to protect the integrity of the vote. EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said the step was essential to ensure the election’s credibility and fairness. The six individuals captured images of the…
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Missing Kanchanaburi woman found dead in staged suicide case
A woman who had been missing for four days was found dead on May 15 behind a sugar factory in Ban Kao subdistrict, Mueang district, Kanchanaburi, after her neighbour confessed to killing her and staging a suicide. The woman, identified as 44 year old Kesa, was last heard from at around 6am on May 10, when she called her former…
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SRT warns of delays after freight train hits bus near Asok
Eight people were killed and 32 others injured after a freight train crashed into a public bus near Bangkok’s Asok-Din Daeng intersection yesterday afternoon, sparking a fire that engulfed the vehicle. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) confirmed that freight train No. 2126, running from Laem Chabang Port to Bang Sue, struck an air-conditioned route 23 bus at a level…
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PM orders care, compensation after Makkasan rail crossing crash
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspected the Bangkok train bus crash site near Makkasan Airport Rail Link station on Asok-Din Daeng Road, Bangkok, at 10pm yesterday, May 16, after a rail crossing collision. Anutin visited the scene shortly after the serious accident and monitored the response by rescue workers, emergency doctors, police, and related agencies. Officials were still helping injured passengers,…
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Distressed woman on Pattaya road taken to safety
Police and rescue workers in Pattaya carried out a rescue operation after a disoriented and distressed woman was found on South Pattaya Road in Pattaya at 11.36pm yesterday, May 16. Pattaya City Police Station received a report that the woman was behaving erratically on the roadside. Police then coordinated with Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan rescue volunteers to inspect the scene. The…
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Train-bus collision Bangkok’s Makkasan was not an accident. It was a system designed to fail
[OPINION] Bangkok’s Makkasan train-bus collision was not an accident. It was a system designed to fail A freight train rumbles across a major commercial intersection at street level, while buses and cars sit waiting at a red light straddling the tracks. It sounds absurd. In most global cities, it would be. In Bangkok, on the afternoon of Saturday 16 May…
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At least 8 people killed in Bangkok rail crossing collision
At least eight people were killed, and more than 10 were injured after a train collided with a public bus near Makkasan Airport Rail Link Station in Bangkok today, May 16. The crash occurred at around 3.40pm on Asok-Din Daeng Road beneath the Makkasan Airport Rail Link Station in the Asok area. Firefighters from Phaya Thai district and rescue workers…
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