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 Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Major floods hit hundreds of houses in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district
Hundreds of houses and buildings were flooded last night in the Sri Racha district of the eastern Chon Buri province. Water levels reportedly reached almost 30 centimetres in some areas, causing traffic problems, particularly for small vehicles. In one village, the water level reached 50-60 centimetres, since the area was located near a canal. On top of the heavy rain,…
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New draft act to make one joint ticket for all Bangkok transport
Travelling around Bangkok may get a little bit easier if the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning has its way. The OTP is planning to propose a joint ticket that would be created to be valid on all public transport in Bangkok to make commuting around the city using public transportation much more streamlined. Bringing all the different transport…
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With Maya Bay closed to tourists, a group of dolphins shows up
Krabi’s iconic Maya Bay has been closed for the past few months to help its wildlife recover, and it appears to be working. On Friday, a group of about 10 bottlenose dolphins were spotted in the south of the Maya Bay by Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park staff. Maya Bay has been closed since August…
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Rice farmer accuses Bangkok authorities of flooding his field
A rice farmer accused the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) of releasing water into his field. The farmer, Dacha Nutalai, is the vice president of the Bangkok Agriculturalist Association. Dacha made a video of his rice field in Nong Chok district on Friday, showing viewers that the water in the field was up to his waist. The angry farmer said that…
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Thai irrigation official transferred following Rangsit floods
An irrigation official in Thailand’s central province of Pathum Thani has been transferred from his regular work after floods wreaked havoc on the Rangsit district this week. The official, Bowdaeng Takaew, is the director of the Southern Rangsit Operation and Maintenance Project. The reason for Bowdaeng’s transfer hasn’t yet been specified, but it is believed that the transfer is due…
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POLL: People unsatisfied with Prawit, want a special election
A new poll revealed that people are not impressed with caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan as acting PM, but do not want him to take major action either, aside from calling a new election to find his replacement. The majority of people do not want a Cabinet reshuffle, but most people want a special election called to elect a new…
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NE Thai man kills fiancé & himself after discussing engagement ceremony
A man in northeast Thailand yesterday shot and killed his fiance and himself after the couple had reportedly met to talk about their engagement ceremony. The bodies of the man, 62 year old Thongsai, and his girlfriend, 39 year old Kritsana, were found on a cassava plantation. Kritsana’s sister told police that Kritsana had gotten home from work when Thongsai…
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Man stabbed on Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach reportedly over noise dispute
A man stabbed another man on Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach in the early hours of yesterday morning. Witnesses said the man stabbed the victim, 34 year old Narintorn, over a dispute about Narintorn talking too loudly. The witnesses said that Narintorn had been drinking on the beach when a man who had been sleeping in a tent walked out of the…
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Coffin floats through the flooded streets of Bangkok
Flood waters can be deadly, but locals in Saphan Mai, located in the northern part of Bangkok, were shocked by the sight of a coffin floating by in the floodwaters that swept through the streets. The floating coffin was captured on videos and posted on social media where it quickly went viral. People may have feared and questioned: Is it…
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Koh Samui hotel thieves may have been led by the ex-lessee
In the curious case of a hotel owner claiming her hotel was dismantled by thieves who took literally everything, three more suspects were arrested in Koh Samui. Police executed a search warrant on Thursday for a warehouse on Samui that they say contained items they believe to be stolen from the remains of the Chaweng Blue Lagoon Teak Wing. Though…
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Mentally ill man in Chon Buri sets himself on fire
Mental illness is devastating for many people, and it certainly was for one Chon Buri man in a harrowing incident yesterday morning. The man, 32 year old ‘Eak,’ set himself on fire in front of his home in the main city district after soaking himself in oil. Eak’s older brother said that Eak suffered from mental illness because he used…
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UPDATE: 100 stranded elephants returned to park in northeast Thailand
UPDATE Over 100 wild elephants have been returned to a national park after about 40 of them were found devouring farmers’ crops this week in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province. The gentle giants had been spotted looking for food in the Khao Pradu community, feasting on rice, sugarcane, and corn. The farmers said they had munched 60 rai of crops…
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UPDATE: Phuket Police order investigation into allegedly abusive school director
UPDATE Phuket Provincial Police have ordered an investigation into reports that a school director physically assaulted an eight year old boy. A relative of the boy had said that the school director on Thursday, September 8 pushed the boy’s head into a wall. He also allegedly used his hands to forcefully open her nephew’s mouth. The boy’s mother, 30 year…
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Golf tour operator donates to Pattaya Orphanage
The golf tour operator Golfasian pitched in to help Pattaya children in need. Golfers in Thailand this week for Gulfasian’s Pattaya Men’s Open and other competitions have now donated 18,200 baht to the Pattaya Orphanage. The orphanage wrote on a news update on their website on September 7… “Representatives of Golfasian Co., Ltd., Bangkok, for supporting children at the Pattaya…
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Dead baby girl in a plastic bag found in Phuket temple
A dead newborn baby girl was left in a black plastic bag at a temple in Kathu in Phuket and police are searching for answers. The bag with the baby’s remains was found yesterday at Wat Anuphat Kritsadaram in Thung Thong in Kathu, with police receiving a call at around 5pm to report it. Three monks walking through the area…
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Phuket woman says school director injured her nephew
A grandmother says that a director of a private school in Phuket’s main city district has assaulted and injured her eight year old nephew. The woman says that on Thursday, September 8, the director held her nephew’s head against the wall before knocking him into the wall. He also allegedly used his hands to forcefully open her nephew’s mouth. The…
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Koh Samui seeks special approval to sell alcohol after hours
The President of Koh Samui Tourism Promotion urged the government to introduce a special rule to allow the island to sell alcohol after hours. In Thailand, alcoholic beverages, both in restaurants and shops, are only allowed to be sold from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 12am. The President of Koh Samui Tourism Promotion, Ratchaporn Poonsawat, believes this is…
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Suspected gun producer in Phang Nga on the loose
A suspected gun producer in Thailand’s southern Phang Nga province is on the loose. Phang Nga Police raided a house in Tai Mueang district this week, where they found several handmade handguns, bullets, and gun parts. But the suspect, 27 year old Kittiphon Patnark, was nowhere to be found. Police Commander Major General Thammanoon Prayuenyong told associated Thai media that…
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Upset Japanese man climbs up abandoned house in Pattaya
A distressed Japanese man in Pattaya climbed onto the roof of an abandoned house on Thappraya Road after drinking heavily on Wednesday night. The man refused to talk to police at first, saying he only wanted to talk to the Japanese embassy. Pattaya Police spent an hour convincing the man to come down, as he sat there despite heavy rain.…
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Woman gives birth in pickup truck as floods block hospital entrance in eastern Thailand
A Laotian woman gave birth in the back of a Toyota pickup truck on Sukhumvit Road in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, this morning. She gave birth right outside the hospital, but couldn’t get in because the entrance was completely flooded. Rayong has been hit particularly hard by the heavy rainfall and flash flooding experienced in Thailand this week. Today at…
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Herd of 40 wild elephants devour 60 rai of crops in northeast Thailand
Drone images reveal a herd of more than 40 elephants roaming in a forest just four kilometres away from a farming community in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand. Farmers say the hungry herd have devoured 60 rai of crops in one week, feasting on rice, sugarcane, and corn. The elephants came out of the forest at Thap Lan National Park,…
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Another jerk steals donation money in Pattaya
Another massive jerk stole donation money in Pattaya after a similar incident happened just last month. The latest thief broke into a woman’s room through her front window. The burglar stole 1,000 baht that the woman had planned to donate to a local temple. The victim said he also stole two amulets. The incident happened on Soi Krom Tan Man…
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Russian minister appreciates Thailand’s neutrality over Ukraine
The Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Affairs Minister of Thailand, Don Pramudwinai, visited Russia this week to celebrate the 125th anniversary of friendship between the two nations and invited President Vladimir Putin to attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Thailand in November. Don traveled to Moscow on Wednesday to meet the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov. After the…
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Thailand joins the world in honouring Queen Elizabeth II
Thailand is joining the world in honouring the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away yesterday. The Thai government has now ordered all departments to lower their flags to half mast for three days in her honour, starting on September 11. The Queen had had warm relations with Thailand’s late King, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej. In the past, she had…
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Koh Chang locals urged to evacuate as more rain predicted
Koh Chang residents in the lowlands and foothills of the island have urged people to evacuate the area after learning more heavy rain is predicted to hit the area following a two-days’ deluge that brought floods and landslides. Heavy rain hit Koh Chang island in Trat province in the eastern part of Thailand on Wednesday and continued for two days.…
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VIDEO: Pro-wakeskater surfs Bangkok floods
Flooded Bangkok became a playground for world-renowned pro-wakeskater and wakeboarder Daniel Grant, who showed off his skills on the submerged streets outside Bangkok University last night. Gnarly! The Bangkok-born, 24 year old half-Thai watersports champion made flying through the floods on his wakeskate board look easy and he even landed kickflips in the ankle-deep water. Wakeskating is like wakeboarding, except…
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2 baby elephants born at garden in Pattaya
A botanical garden in Pattaya welcomed two adorable new members to its community on September 3. Two baby elephants were born at the Nongnooch Garden Pattaya, which currently cares for 57 elephants. The latest additions to Nongnooch’s elephant family are named Phang Wara Pim, and Phang Manoch. They are the first two calves of 2022. A monk blessed the little…
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Thailand’s MICE industry continues to flourish
Thailand’s resurgence in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism industry continues to flourish with over 100,000 gatherings recorded this year. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) reported the nation catalogued about 69,000 arrivals of groups coming from abroad between April to June 2022. The TCEB estimate over 4,000 MICE arrivals this month and predict about 31,000 more…
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Are face masks still required on domestic flights in Thailand?
The world is moving on from the Covid-19 pandemic, but face masks are still popular in Thailand. You might see people on domestic flights in Thailand wearing masks, but are they mandatory? The Thai government made face masks “voluntary” back in June but still recommends wearing them in crowded spaces. The news was published in the Royal Gazette and said……
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Yell signs a collaboration agreement with BACON Singapore and SOUNDS Shanghai
Press Release Yell, an independent agency, has partnered with Singapore’s Bacon Creative and China’s Shanghai Soundsplan Marketing & Planning to expand the organisation’s global reach through partnership creation. This enhances Yell’s ability to serve Asia-Pacific customers and transform into the first Thai agency with an international network. Dissara Udomdej, Yell’s founder and CEO, said, “Yell has developed a more entity…
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