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.
-
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...
-
Paypal shuts out foreigners in Thailand
Foreigners in Thailand will no longer be able to use personal Paypal accounts from December 15 to send and receive money and pay for goods online. Thais may continue using their personal accounts if they verify their identity through the National Digital ID (NDID) platform before November 30. Paypal is making big changes to comply with Thailand’s crackdown on money…
-
Angry Pattaya teens allegedly assault Walking Street nightclub guards
There’s been another report of late-night violence on Pattaya’s iconic Walking Street. Around 30 angry Pattaya teens allegedly assaulted the guards of one nightclub on the street. The youths reportedly attacked the Jannaat club guards for not allowing them to enter the club at 4am on Tuesday, well past the legal closing time of 2am. After being denied entry to…
-
10 Interesting Things to Do in Thailand
If you’re looking for an amazing and exotic travel destination, look no further than Thailand! This country is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes and interesting cultures in the world. There are endless things to see and do in Thailand, but we’ve compiled a list of our 10 favorites. From exploring ancient temples to swimming with dolphins, these…
-
VIDEO: Train splits 18-wheel trailer clean in half in northern Thailand
A train hit an 18-wheel trailer, splitting it cleanly in half, in Lamphun province in northern Thailand yesterday morning. No deaths or injuries were reported. Train No. 51 from Bangkok to Chiang Mai crashed into the articulated vehicle carrying 30 tonnes of rice husk at the Tha Chak – Tasop Sao railway crossing. At 11.30am, Mae Tha Police Station officers…
-
Man takes 4 Ya Ba pills and rides motorbike with no hands in Thailand
Police arrested a man in Nakhon Phanom, northeast Thailand, yesterday after a video of him riding his motorbike and swerving all over the road went viral on social media. He admitted that he was high on four pills of Ya Ba (“crazy drug”) – a type of methamphetamine – when the clip was taken. Officers from Nakhon Phanom Provincial Police…
-
2 Thai hikers fall from cliff, 1 seriously injured
Two stranded Thai hikers are waiting for help from a rescue team after they fell about 60 metres from a cliff at Haew Krathin Waterfall in the central province of Nakhon Nayok. One of the hikers is seriously injured. Fifty-year-old Pirom Chansuwan alerted Nakhon Nayok Provincial Administration at 10am today to ask for help after he and his friend, 37…
-
Subsidised Toyota bZ4X finally on sale in Thailand
The long-awaited new electric Toyota bZ4X went on sale in Thailand Wednesday, taking advantage of new government subsidies. In February, the Thai government introduced subsidies of up to 150,000 baht (US$4,000) per electric vehicle (EV). The new Toyota is the first Japanese car to qualify. The tax break for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) covers passenger cars with no more than 10…
-
Luxury casino in Pattaya raided before grand opening
Police raided an under-construction building in Pattaya after being tipped off it is to become a luxury casino. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, ordered police officers to raid the gambling house at the Chalerm Phra Kiat 6 on the Pattaya Sai Sam Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. Police met a…
-
A fish tale: thousands of fish jump onto bridge on Krabi island
A fish tale has come to light on an island in Thailand’s iconic southern province of Krabi. On the island of Koh Lanta, thousands of fish jumped onto a bridge. A Krabi resident came across the massive pile of small jumping fish while docking his boat at the pier. The breed of fish is known as “Ta Maew,” or cat-eye…
-
Two children drown during Loy Krathong festival in northern Thailand
Two brothers, studying in Grades 4 and 5, fell into the Ping River and drowned during the Loy Krathong festival in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand on Tuesday. A family of four went to the banks of the Ping river, near the bridge in the Tha Kham subdistrict, sometime after sunset to float their krathongs (decorative baskets). Mr A and…
-
10 year old girl saves 4,000 baht to buy mother gold ring
Staff at a gold shop in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham praised a 10 year old girl after she bought a 4,000-baht gold ring as a birthday gift for her mother. The girl said… “Mom always throws birthday parties for others, but not for herself. I wanted to give her a gift because she always gives me gifts.” Staff…
-
A cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t bank on it anytime soon
Looking for a cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t count on it just yet says airline industry executives. The world’s industry chiefs made known, as if we didn’t already know, that airfares are expensive and they expect to remain that way for the time being. Flights are pricey for a number of reasons, ranging from surging fuel costs, labour shortages, and…
-
Hospital sends wrong corpse to funeral in central Thailand
The wrong corpse turned up at a funeral in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. Both the hospital and the deceased’s brother have taken responsibility for the mishap. Yesterday, relatives waited at Wat Sawang Arom temple in Kabin Buri district to receive the body of 58 year old Somnuk Kongto who sadly died in an accident. Somnuk’s brother picked…
-
Pattaya tourists enjoy the beauty of Loy Krathong and eclipse on beach
Pattaya tourists got to enjoy the beauty of the Loy Krathong festival, combined with the lunar eclipse, on Tuesday night at Pattaya Beach. The crowd of thousands gathered on the beach to float their krathongs in the sea. A video shows students from nearby schools wearing traditional Thai clothing, and assembling their krathongs for contests. At the beach, there were…
-
Some electric wires in Bangkok urgently buried for APEC meeting
Ugly electric cables in front of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok have been pulled down and buried to provide a more aesthetic scene for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting from November 16 to 19. The action evoked much mirth and merriment from the nation’s netizens. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) of Thailand’s Facebook page yesterday…
-
VIDEO: Man throws eggs at British royals in explosive incident
In an explosive incident, a man has thrown eggs at British King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. The 23 year old egg thrower hurled the eggs at the royal couple during their visit to the northern city of York yesterday. A video of the incident shows eggs landing close to King Charles as he shook hands with city leaders…
-
Beagles sniff out bats in luggage from China at Bangkok airport
No bats or any other animal carcasses can get past the sharp noses of two hard-working beagles who fight crime at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. On Tuesday at 12pm, the sniffer dogs uncovered “smoked bats” and processed pork hidden inside the luggage that flew in from Kunming in China. The main duty of the beagles from the Quarantine and Inspection…
-
Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks
The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…
-
Thai man drowns after falling into canal on Loy Krathong night
A man tragically drowned in Thailand’s central province of Ayutthaya on Loy Krathong night on Tuesday, after he and his wife fell into a canal linked to the Rama VI Dam. The couple, a 44 year old wife and 51 year old husband had been invited to a Loy Krathong event after work. They decided to go and float their…
-
Police arrest bat-eating YouTuber in northeast Thailand
UPDATE Yesterday, the Thai woman who ate bat soup on YouTube was arrested in Sakhon Nakhon province in northeast Thailand. Officers from Phon Kaew Police Station arrested the YouTuber – who is also a teacher – under suspicion of “possession of protected wildlife carcasses,” violating Section 17 of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (2019). Police also charged the YouTuber…
-
Failed 14 million baht temple lighting system may quash UNESCO nomination
A failed 14 million baht lighting system isn’t helping southern Thailand’s temple of Phra Mahathat Woramahavihan’s bid to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The lighting system was installed around the main stupa of Phra Borommathat Chedi in 2014, but those responsible for the project have largely left it in disarray. The lighting is now in need of repairs due…
-
6.6 magnitude earthquake rocks Nepal leaving at least six dead
Nepal is reeling after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake has left at least six dead. The quake has killed four children and two adults so far, with five others seriously injured. Several houses also collapsed, according to the western district of Doti’s superintendent of police. Most of the damage occurred in Doti, which is about 430 kilometres west of Kathmandu. According…
-
Singapore shuts down harmful online content with new law
Singapore is shutting down harmful online content with a new law to protect vulnerable Internet users. Social media sites will now be required to block access to harmful content within hours. Parliament passed the law yesterday, with the Infocomm Media Development Authority gaining authority to issue Internet access service providers directions to block access by users in the country. According…
-
101 Isaan locals suffer hearing loss fever after eating raw pork
The Department of Disease Control warned people to avoid eating raw pork meat after 101 locals in the Isaan provinces got infected with streptococcus suis, known among Thai people as hearing loss fever. The Deputy Director of the 9th Disease Control Office, Benjamas Aunarat, revealed streptococcus suis infection has risen this year in the northeastern or Isaan provinces of Thailand.…
-
MOPH to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk after drinking it
The Ministry of Public Health yesterday revealed it intends to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk again after drinking it. The holy water is prepared by putting a miracle rock in water that was found in the area. Locals believe the rock has magical qualities. A shaman then conducts a ceremony to conjure a spirit…
-
1 thousand people celebrate start of Buddhist festival at Pattaya temple
About 1,000 people celebrated the start of a Buddhist festival at a temple in Pattaya on Sunday. The Nong Or Temple had a kick-off event for the Thod Kathin Festival with about 1,000 people in attendance. Photos show a happy crowd of attendees smiling and clapping, as well as attendees presenting offerings to a monk. The Thod Kathin Festival begins…
-
Thailand is 1 billion baht short for World Cup 2022 broadcasting license
Thailand’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBTC) approved a 600 million baht budget today to purchase broadcasting rights so that Thais can watch the Fifa World Cup 2022 on TV. However, broadcasting rights cost 1.6 billion baht leaving Thailand one billion baht ($US27.2 million) short with just 11 days to go to kick-off. The NBTC committee sat down at 9.30am today and…
-
Show me the way to Bangkok’s best whisky bars
Like almost every Asian capital, Bangkok has no shortage of whisky bars. And like the others, they are far from cheap. But if you like hobnobbing with the uber-corrupt, or have clients who do, maybe a smokey table in the private room at the back is the place for you. Be ready to drop a lot of baht and emerge…
-
Kush House: Bangkok’s most unique cannabis dispensary
You are invited to the grand opening of Kush House cannabis dispensary, in the heart of Bangkok, tonight at 9pm. Two things set Kush House apart from other cannabis stores in Thailand: Thai Traditional Medicine and art. The visually striking atmosphere at Kush House – conveniently located at the entrance of Sukhumvit 22 – has been carefully crafted to give…
-
Mass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed
After police removed removed illegal structures from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district, they now plan to recover the beach’s nature. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay announced at a meeting on Monday that a mass tree-planting would start at Layan Beach on Tuesday, November 15. The tree-planting event will begin at 9am, and will include a beach cleanup, he said. Amnuay…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.