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 New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
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North Korea forces citizens to change names for a more idealistic sound
North Korea’s government is reportedly forcing its citizens to change their names to sound more ideological. Such names that mean “super beauty” or “loved one” are being swapped for those that mean “loyalty” or “bomb.” One resident of the country says names have evolved since the early 2000s as people learned more about the outside world. In the past, residents…
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Thailand’s southern islands are reeling in tourists
South Thailand’s holiday hotspot islands are reeling in tourists once again. The islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan have seen 2.3 million tourists arrive on their shores in the past 10 months, according to the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s office for the islands. This has generated over 40 billion baht in revenue.…
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Ukraine’s hotline for surrendering Russian soldiers sees 100 enquiries a day
Ukraine’s hotline for surrendering Russian soldiers is getting 100 enquiries a day as the war between the two countries rages on. The hotline is part of the “I Want To Live” project that was started in September by Ukraine. It allows Russian soldiers to call or enter details through a messenger app, such as Telegram, so they can peacefully surrender…
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Missing Australian teacher in Koh Samui found
A missing teacher on Koh Samui island has been found alive, but her current condition is unknown. The Australian woman, Jessica Desai, 38, is of Indian descent and was reported missing since November 25. Desai is a teacher at Oonrak International School in Koh Samui. Her information was posted to numerous Koh Samui Facebook groups with hopes of finding her.…
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Tuhao’s Chinese gang buys 50 homes in Bangkok luxury village with cash
Tuhao the alleged Chinese drug tycoon and his gang of “businessmen” bought 50 houses in a luxury village in Bangkok – with cash, police say. The gangs’ constant partying drove all 16 remaining Thai households out of the village. Bangkok South Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant to search an entire village in Bangkok’s Soi Laselle area after finding evidence…
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Bus flipped in Tak injuring 44 Burmese workers, killing 3
A bus full of Burmese workers overturned in the Tak provinces, killing three and injuring 44 more. The bus was transporting Burmese migrant workers from the northern province across the country to work in the southern province of Songkhla. The accident took place yesterday evening in the Mueang district of Tak. Mae Toh Police were notified about the bus that…
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3 men were arrested for stealing Thai Internet connection & World Cup betting in Cambodia
Two Thai men and a Cambodian man were arrested in Cambodia after using Thailand’s Internet connection to broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar and operating a football betting syndicate. Under a Royal Thai Police (RTP)exercise to prevent the operation of football betting during the World Cup, officers across the country stumbled on criminals using an illegal link to watch…
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Intoxicated Pattaya woman left uninjured after overturning car
An intoxicated Pattaya woman escaped injury after overturning her car in the early hours of this morning. The woman, Nantakan Surinthorn, remarkably walked away from the vehicle with little more than a few minor scrapes and bruises after she crashed her car into a parked truck, before overturning it. The 26 year old bar owner admitted to Pattaya police that…
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Bangkok BTS Skytrain fares to increase next year
Global inflation is rising and so is the cost of a ticket on Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain. The BTS Skytrain will get a little bit pricier on January 1, 2023, according to an announcement made by the Bangkok Transit System Corporation (BTSC) today. Fares on the Sukhumvit (Mo Chit – On Nut) and Silom (National Stadium – Saphan Taksin) lines will…
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Police put brakes on car rental thief in Bangkok
A car rental thief was arrested in Bangkok today after twocking more than 100 motors from car rental shops throughout several provinces of southern Thailand. Members of the Haad Yai Airport Car Rental Business Association in the southern province of Songkhla, and car rental shops in Pattalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phuket, Yala, and Narathiwat filed complaints with police that…
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New drug marks major milestone in slowing Alzhemier’s
A new drug is marking a major milestone in slowing the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, Lecanemab, reduces memory decline in Alzheimer’s patients, as shown in its recent trial. Lecanemab is given to patients every two weeks. The drug clears a protein called amyloid, that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Amyloid is believed to be…
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Driver furious with Bangkok shopping mall after foreigner accidently causes damage to her car
A foreign man accidentally damaged a car after he tripped on the pavement in front of a Bangkok shopping mall, pulling a large, heavy advertising board onto the vehicle. The car owner thanked the foreign man for paying for the damage to the car but she condemned the shopping mall because she believed they should cough up. Premvadee Bunchatherawate shared…
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Japan is the No.1 tourist destination among Thais
A new study reveals that the top five tourist destinations among Thai tourists include Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The study by Visa surveyed 2,000 Thai people about their most desirable holiday destinations. The top three deciding factors when choosing where to go include travel expenses (65%), weather (49%), and desire to visit new places (48%).…
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10,000 Angkor Wat residents facing mass eviction
The UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world, is facing a humanitarian crisis. About 10,000 people who live in and around the site have been told that they must move before the new year. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen describes it as “voluntary relocations,” but residents being pushed out of their homes and…
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Parents seek justice after 4 year old child dies after mysterious fall at school
The parents of a four year old kindergarten student are seeking justice following the death of their child who died in a mysterious accident at a private school in Bangkok. The teacher said the child fell in the classroom but the mother believes her child might have been abused by the teacher. Well-known Thai lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet posted on Facebook yesterday,…
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Popcorn promotion: people capitalise on all you can eat
A Bangkok cinema might have underestimated the Thai people’s veracity for a bargain. On Monday, the cinema located in a mall in central Bangkok held an “all you can eat” popcorn promotion and dozens of locals took full advantage. The theatre offered all-you-can-eat popcorn for 199 baht and did not make any restrictions on containers, for example, requiring the popcorn…
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Chiang Mai farmers ordered not to move pigs to prevent African Swine Fever spread
Livestock officials ordered farmers in a district of Chiang Mai to not move their pigs off farms. This measure in the Doi Saket district is meant to prevent the possible spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). The order comes after a pig in the district died on November 21. Livestock officials visited the farm to test another pig that was…
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Truck overturns carrying 2,560 crates of beer in central Thailand
A beer delivery truck overturned on the Rangsit – Pathum Thani Road in central Thailand last night, strewing 30 tonnes of booze across the busy road. A forklift was needed to clear up the mounds of bottles and broken glass. Around 61,440 small bottles of a leopard-themed beer, which shall not be named due to Thailand’s archaic and strictly enforced…
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Bangkok’s most famous gruesome museum
Bangkok’s most famous gruesome museum is one attraction tourists may not have considered. The Siriraj Medical Museum features every kind of ominous display one can imagine. So, if you like to view deformed humans, deaths from accidents, and skeletons, this may be one place you will want to stop by on your visit to the Big Mango. As Siriraj is…
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Driver surrenders to police after hit-and-run in Pattaya
The reckless pickup driver who knocked down a British man on a pedestrian crossing in a hit-and-run incident surrendered to police and visited the victim to apologise. The driver, 61 year old Maethanat Leeliang, gave himself up to the police after the hit-and-run incident in Pattaya. Maethanat told police he was unaware he had hit the foreigner and only found…
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Qatar officials insist camel beauty contestants are cosmetic surgery free
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar is not the only prestigious competition taking place in the Arab state. Camels from several Gulf states are strutting their stuff on the catwalk at the Qatar Camel Mzayen Club beauty contest in Ash-Shahaniyah. But tournament officials in Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar, are on the alert over alleged cheating after a similar competition in Saudi Arabia last…
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Iranian Kurdish footballer released from jail
UPDATE The Iranian Kurdish footballer jailed last week has been released on bail, along with another former member of the country’s national team. Iranian authorities announced the release of Voria Ghafouri and Parviz Boroumand yesterday. The Iranian Kurdish player, Voria Ghafouri, was arrested on November 24 for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported.…
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Stock market share trades to be taxed in Thailand after being exempt for past 30 years
After being exempt for the past 30 years, the Thai cabinet has decided to make stock market share trades taxable. According to Thai PBS World, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says that now all stocks that are traded on the market, whether at a profit or loss, will be subject to a financial transaction tax of .1%. He furthered that the…
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CBD nutraceuticals market emerging in Thailand and globally
Press Release Thailand’s legalization of cannabis makes it the region’s leader and a pioneer for cannabis liberalization. According to the latest figures from Prohibition Partners’ recently released Asian Cannabis Report: 2nd Edition, medical and non-medical cannabis sales in Asia could skyrocket to more than 10 times their current size by 2026 to an estimated $140 million. Thailand is well-poised to strengthen its cannabis…
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Singapore decriminalises sex between men while halting legalisation of same-sex marriage
Singapore has decriminalised sex between men while simultaneously halting the legislation of same-sex marriage. The country’s parliament gave homosexual men a legal way to mingle in what seems to be a step forward for the country. But, the LGBTQ+ community was dealt a shocking blow as the country also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that could lead to…
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Unhinged gunman fires 18 shots into school because kids were too noisy
Another unhinged madman with a gun was arrested by police and charged with attempted murder after he fired shots into a Thai primary school because the kids were too noisy. The 44 year old gunman, Wuttipong Chaloemwuttanon, was arrested last night after he fired 18 shots into Ming Sin School in the southern province of Ranong on Sunday, November 27.…
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Iran threatens footballers’ families with prison and torture, security source says
There’s been a new development in the situation of Iran’s national football team and the recent events at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Iranian authorities have threatened the families of its national football players with imprisonment and torture, according to a source involved in the security of the games. This news comes after the players refused to sing their…
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Angry Thai man condemns foreigner for not wearing a mask on BTS
An angry Thai man, claiming to be a police officer, gave a foreign man a mouthful of abuse for not wearing a mask on the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok. The irate man blamed the unflustered foreigner for bringing Covid-19 into the country. The angry exchange was recorded and uploaded to the Twitter account @kinnifers. The video was recorded by a…
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Pattaya loan sharks allegedly abduct and assault young woman
Loan sharks in Pattaya allegedly abducted and physically assaulted a young woman. The woman, 21 year old Tasneeporn Youngram, reported the incident to Pattaya Police yesterday. Tasneeporn said that four loan sharks forced her to get in a car after she failed to repay 35,000 baht that she borrowed from them. She said this happened on Soi Paniad Chang in Bang…
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Phuket sees over 50,000 Russian tourists in past month
Russian tourists seem to be arriving in Phuket in droves with over 50,000 of them landing on its shores in November. This month, 55,097 Russians made their way to the island province, making up its largest tourist group. The second largest tourist group in Phuket this month came from India, with 26,525 travellers, according to Phuket Immigration. The third largest…
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