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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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Isuzu dominates Thai pickup sales 2022
Pickups are an integral part of the landscape in Thailand, with a long history and a big impact on the economy and culture. These versatile and durable vehicles dominate Thailand’s auto industry. In 2022, pickups accounted for 46% of all vehicles sold in Thailand. Some 390,000 pickup trucks were sold in Thailand in 2022. Two models regularly outsell the rest…
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Covid meds running out in Bangkok
Pain and fever relief medications in Bangkok are running out at some pharmacies, particularly in areas where there is a high concentration of tourists from China, according to a survey by Thai PBS reporters. Nawat Chevapruek, a pharmacist at a drug store in Huai Khwang district, said that the tourists are buying so much pain relief balm, plasters and other…
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No, you can’t get a driver’s license via LINE
Despite what you may have read on the Internet, you absolutely cannot get a legal driver’s license by messaging someone via the LINE app and having them take the test for you. The Department of Land Transport Phuket Office issued a warning about a scam involving illegal and online driving licenses. The scam has been circulating on social media, including…
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Groups push for 3,000-baht pension for all seniors
Activists and academics are calling for the government to provide a universal pension of 3,000 baht per month for senior citizens. Four Regions Slum Network said that the current allowance often less than one-third of that amount per month is simply not enough for seniors to live on, even with supplementary income. At present, the elderly in Thailand receive a…
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US arrested man for stock fraud in Phuket
A man wanted by the United States for his involvement in stock manipulation and fraud has been arrested in Phuket. Peter Coker Jr, a citizen of the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, was apprehended on Wednesday in a hotel room located near Surin Beach. The arrest was made by a team consisting of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) and…
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Bangkok’s electric tuk tuks to triple this year
MuvMi, Bangkok’s electric tuktuk operator, will nearly triple the number of Bangkok’s electric tuk tuks this year, from 350 to 1,000. Krisada Kritayakirana, CEO of Urban Mobility Tech, said Friday that demand for rides in Bangkok’s electric tuktuks is growing. Krisada said… “Our initial goal is to provide environmentally friendly vehicles for city dwellers who struggle to find public transportation…
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‘Run Culture’ – China’s great leap outward
Real estate agents and visa experts in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are swamped with inquiries from Chinese nationals trying to flee the motherland. They want to buy condos and they want to stay. Running away to Southeast Asia is a tantalising prospect after three years locked up or down, depending on your point of view. Many Chinese people are preparing…
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3 fraudsters to be extradited from Thailand to South Korea
Three South Korean citizens have been arrested on suspicion of committing fraud resulting in losses of 159 million baht (approximately US$4.84 million) in Korea before fleeing to Thailand. They will be extradited to South Korea to face charges. The suspects, identified as Kim, 54, Yang, 60, and Ye Jun, 51, were charged with fraud in South Korea for alleged stock…
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Drug traffickers killed in N Thailand gun battle
Five suspected drug traffickers were shot and almost 500,000 methamphetamine pills were seized after a skirmish in Chiang Rai province Thursday. A military patrol came across the suspected smugglers carrying backpacks in the early hours of Thursday in the area where the forested borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, long a lucrative hub for the illegal drug trade. Refusing…
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Thailand Tourism needs longer visas and more flights
To facilitate increased tourism, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a few goals. They aim to help add flights into Thailand during the High Season and petition to continue longer visa-on-arrival periods to enable tourists to stay in the kingdom longer. As international tourism to Thailand increases steadily, semantics has stymied faster growth. In China, for example, tour…
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Top Chef Thailand Season 1 Winner ft. Tam Chudaree Debhakam | Thaiger Podcast Ep.20
Click the link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/2sbQTKbfD_U Chef Tam Chudaree Debhakam, owner of the famous 1 Michelin star restaurant, Baan Tepa, and the youngest contestant and winner of Top Chef Thailand Season 1. Chef Tam has made a name for herself traveling the world to showcase modern Thai cuisine. She is an advocate of food waste reduction after being…
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Patong-Chalong road construction nears completion
The construction of a new road connecting Chalong to Patong in Phuket is expected to open to the public soon, according to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO). The announcement came after the PPAO President and Deputy President conducted in-person inspections along the construction site yesterday and the day before. The PPAO Deputy President has closely monitored progress, frequenting the…
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Bentley driver’s blood test reveals methamphetamine use
Police today revealed that the Bentley driver who caused a three-car crash was not only under the influence of alcohol but drugs were also found in his system. Police confirmed to the media that a drug test discovered methamphetamine and another unidentified narcotic in his blood system. More updates are expected to be announced this evening. The Bentley driver, Suthat…
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Big-hearted garbage worker gives away reconditioned bicycles to needy kids on Children’s Day
A big-hearted garbage worker intends to celebrate Children’s Day by giving away reconditioned bicycles to underprivileged kids. The refuse collector, Saksan “Bird” Maksorntong, revealed he has rebuilt a number of broken and abandoned bicycles he found on his rounds and plans to give them to underprivileged kids as a gift on Children’s Day. Every second Saturday of January is Thailand’s…
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Kids in Thailand can go to six zoos for free on Children’s Day
Khao Kheow Open Zoo, photo by Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Lucky kids in Thailand can gain access to six zoos for free on Children’s Day tomorrow. Free entrance is limited to children whose height does not exceed 135 centimetres, according to the Zoological Park Organisation The six zoos are: Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo, Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, Songkhla…
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Community craft centre exploiting indigenous Karen weavers
Members of the Bang Kloi Karen community employed as weavers in a community craft centre have accused the centre of exploiting indigenous workers. The Karen workers claim they suffer poor working conditions and are paid less than the minimum wage. Activist Anchalee Ismanyee said weavers are paid much less than the official minimum wage in Phetchaburi province of 335 baht…
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Pattaya rescuer hospitalised after being startled by a Python
Photo by The Pattaya News. A python scared a Pattaya rescuer out of his truck early on Wednesday morning, resulting in a head injury for the poor rescuer. A team from the Pattaya Emergency Responder Unit had gone to the Pattaya Park Hotel hotel on Soi 12 to collect the 4 metre long snake from a tree. The team successfully…
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DSI accused of soliciting 50 million baht bribe from gambling king
Help Crime Victim Club President Autchariya Ruengrattanapong accused the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of soliciting bribes of 50 million baht from a gambling kingpin named Somchai Jutikitdaecha. Somchai, also known as Long Joo, is a well-known personality in the eastern provinces of Thailand, especially in Rayong. He is well-liked in the community and perceived as kind because he helps…
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Phuket prisoners to dredge drains in new project to fight flooding
Phuket prisoners will dredge drains and sewers in a new project to fight the island province’s horrendous flooding problems. Officials held a meeting about the upcoming endeavor at Phuket’s Provincial Hall on Wednesday. Officials said the project aims to prevent a repeat last year’s damage from havoc wreaking floods. Inmates from Phuket Provincial Prison will contribute to society by clearing…
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Twitch bans Thai-French streamer for ‘sexual content’ after showing feet
Livestreaming platform Twitch has banned half-Thai half-French streamer JustKeth for ‘sexual content’ after she held up her bare feet to the camera during a livestream. Keth can’t seem to catch a break, making headlines last week when an angry farang chased her around a pool at a hotel in Pattaya after she rejected his sexual advances. Keth captured the terrifying…
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Half-naked corpse of woman found near railway in Isaan
A railway maintenance worker notified the police after finding a half-naked corpse of a woman near a railway in the Wattana Nakhon district in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo yesterday. The officers from the Watthana Nakhon Police Station and a rescue team rushed to the scene after receiving the notification. They found the corpse of a woman aged about…
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Lisa Marie Presley dies of suspected heart attack, aged 54
Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of rock and roll legend Elvis, died of a suspected heart attack in the early hours of this morning. She was 54 years old. Paramedics were sent to a Calabasas home at 10.37am (6.37am Thai time) after receiving a report of a woman in cardiac arrest, according to Craig Little, a spokesperson for the…
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Google’s best beaches almost unknown in Thailand
Last year, both Thai and foreign tourists took to the virtual highways and byways – and often the real ones – searching for Thailand’s best beaches. As the pandemic receded, the vigilant eye of Google Maps was goggling at you, benignly recording your every move, or so the corporation claims. Google’s best beaches in Thailand are those with the most…
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Foreign mafia who attacked 2 Thai women in Koh Samui found in Phuket
National Police Deputy Commissioner Surachate Hakparn, aka Big Joke, ordered police in Koh Samui to speed up the search for the foreign mafia gang that attacked two Thai women at a bar on New Year’s Eve. Officers from Bor Phut Police Station in Koh Samui reported that they know the identities of two of the group members and stated that…
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Thai NGO reports highest number of missing children in 4 years
A Thai NGO reports that the country’s number of missing children last year was the highest it had been in four years. The Mirror Foundation, which works to help families find missing children, reports some disturbing numbers. Last year, 252 children went missing from home in Thailand. This was a 25% increase from 202 children in 2021, the foundation said. …
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Russian man attacked in Pattaya bar after refusing to pay 60 baht bill
A Russian man was assaulted by a female bar owner in Pattaya after he refused to pay a 60-baht bill. The owner claimed she acted in self-defence as the man was drunk, refused to pay the bill, and slapped her in the face first. A rescue team was notified that a Russian man, later identified as Michael, was injured in…
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Jeep plunges down mountainside in Thailand, driver dies, 5 Israeli tourists survive
A jeep tumbled 30 metres down a mountainside and into a river yesterday in Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand. The Thai driver died in the accident and five Israeli tourists survived with injuries. At 2pm yesterday, officers at Mueang Chiang Rai Police Station were informed that a fatal car crash occurred near the entrance of an Akha Pang Klang…
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Corruption investigation leaves some Thai immigration officials in hot water over helping Chinese businessmen
A corruption investigation has left some Thai immigration officials in hot water over their alleged involvement in helping Chinese businessmen. Senior Immigration Bureau investigators say they found clear evidence that some officers are helping foreign criminals by serving as owners of foundations that provided visas to Chinese nationals. According to Bangkok Post, one of the ‘foundations’ had its headquarters in…
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Cops swoop on 360 million baht gambling den in Pattaya
Cops swooped on a gambling den in Pattaya on Wednesday that had accounts with about 360 million baht in its circulation. Officers from the Police Cyber Taskforce raided a luxury condominium in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district and arrested four suspects, one man and three women. The police confiscated two laptops, four screens, three smartphones, and other appliances worth 100,000…
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Thai police bust nine YouTube scammers that allegedly contributed to middle schooler’s suicide
Thai police busted nine YouTube scammers that allegedly contributed to a Nonthaburi middle schooler’s suicide. Police say they arrested two suspects yesterday, 38 year old Ratchanon Saijind, and 34 year old Chaiyawat Virasorn, after they were suspected of purchasing cryptocurrency using a now deceased middle schooler’s money. After police interrogated the two suspects, they said they learned the identities of…
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