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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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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3 Thais caught stealing a taxi in Cambodia
Three Thai nationals, 2 men and a woman, were caught by Cambodian police and have been charged with stealing a taxi while the driver went to use the bathroom. The suspects were detained in the province of Takeo and are being questioned by police officers. According to the taxi driver, Preung Vuth, he was taking the 3 Thais from Kandal…
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Pattaya Police add more patrols to stop theft against Indian tourists
Pattaya Police are working toward promises to end gold theft against tourists, particularly Indian tourists. Between last night and this morning, Pattaya Police and tourist police walked up and down Beach Road. Tourist Police Lieutenant Thanaphat Klebe-Udom said officers were interviewing “suspiciously” loitering individuals at random. But Thanaphat said police are especially interviewing loiterers who are transgender. He said officers…
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China key to Thailand’s tourism industry recovery
The Tourism Council of Thailand yesterday confessed that building up tourism to pre-Covid-19 levels is going to be a challenge to the kingdom despite encouraging signs of recovery this year. And without Chinese tourists, the task remains even harder. The last of Thailand’s Covid-related restrictions were lifted today. Tourists no longer need a Thailand Pass or insurance, and you don’t…
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The ultimate holiday destination at Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort
Press Release Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort invites all travellers to Phuket. Whether travellers are visiting for work or fun, the hotel is sure to cater to the needs of today’s everyday traveller with its approachable design, stylish comfort and all of the brand’s popular extras. Nestled in a crescent-shaped bay of white sand, overlooking the azure…
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Covid hospitalisations rising in Thailand but CCSA says “no new preventative measures”
Last week the Thai public health department declared that Thailand would move into a “post pandemic phase” from July 1. But a leading heart disease specialist, Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, at the Vichaiyut Hospital in Phayathai is calling on the Public Health department to postpone the declaration, saying that the current rise in cases proves that Thailand “is not ready”. Last…
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CAAT insists air travellers still need to mask up on Thai flights
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand today recommended that all travellers still need to wear face masks on flights because an airplane cabin is a confined area. The Royal Gazette last week announced that face mask wearing is a voluntary practice in an outdoor and airy place, but recommended that people wear masks in crowded areas and venues where social…
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On top of fire this week, Bangkok’s Chinatown deals with house collapse
Bangkok’s Chinatown has had a rough week. After a fire killed 2 people in the Samphanthawong district on June 26, a house collapsed this morning in the same district. The district is located beside the Chao Phraya River. The house’s owner said the 2 storey house was built 260 years ago and was the first Chinese-style building to be built…
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Police close joints on Khao San Road for selling cannabis without a licence
Police have closed all shops selling cannabis on Khao San Road in Bangkok for operating without a license on a public road. The police told the businesses that selling cannabis wasn’t wrong, but it is illegal without permission to do so. Since cannabis was decriminalised on June 9 and removed from the Public Health Ministry’s narcotics category, cannabis shops have…
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Malaysian arrested in Bangkok for wildlife trafficking, claims he came for cannabis
A Malaysian national arrested in Bangkok yesterday for alleged wildlife trafficking claimed he came to the kingdom for cannabis oil business. The man, 58 year old Boon Ching Teo, is allegedly a key trafficker in a global network. He was reportedly dubbed ‘the godfather’ of wildlife trading by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is wanted by US authorities.…
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Gold snatcher on the loose in central Thailand
Police are on the hunt for a gold armed robber in central Thailand. The man held up a gold shop in the province of Pathum Thani this morning, stealing 6 necklaces. Altogether, the necklaces were worth about 450,000 baht. The thief snatched the pricey necklaces from a shop in a Tesco Lotus mall in the Thayaburi district. A shop employee,…
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PayPal Thailand back this year for those with Thai ID Cards
PayPal announced its service will be up and operational in Thailand this year under its registered company name PayPal Thailand. To use the service, current users would be required to verify their identities via the Thai National Digital ID platform, and this process requires a Thai national ID card. Obviously this is a problem for foreigners. PayPal made some changes…
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Chon Buri police stop former military sergeant from jumping off school roof
A police negotiation specialist managed to talk a man out of jumping from a school roof in Chon Buri province yesterday. According to Thai media, the man was a first-class sergeant major in the military, but his mother took him home after he appeared to have some psychotic symptoms. The man had demanded to speak with his commander and his…
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Norwegian man stabs himself in Pattaya hotel
A Norwegian man allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach last night while alone in his hotel bedroom in Pattaya. Frank Gjesvold was rushed to hospital with a gaping wound to the abdomen after staff heard screams for help at 11.30pm from room 409 at a hotel in the South Pattaya area, Nong Prue subdistrict, in Chon Buri province. Staff banged…
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19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel
A 19 year old Australian, Joshua Connell, died when he fell from the 6th floor of a hotel rooftop in Phuket’s Patong Beach. He landed on the roof of a restaurant kitchen next door and was only wearing shorts.s CCTV video shows that he was balancing on the brick walling and steel railing of the rooftop area before losing his…
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Chiang Mai protestors send Prayut a message, despite thousands of police
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha received a message after visiting the northern province of Chiang Mai yesterday. A group of protestors known as Kiat Lampang ‘greeted’ Prayut outside the airport. The group had announced on its Facebook page… “Come and welcome and chase out Prayut! At the international airport, Chiang Mai, today will definitely follow and chase him all day.” Prayut later…
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Bangkok open-air film festival is free to moviegoers next month
Bangkok’s open-air film festival, Krung Thep Klang Plang, which means Bangkok open-air theatres, rolls out the red carpet for the whole month of July. The open-air theaters will be held at a number of different locations throughout the city, and the first event kicks off on July 7 at Laan Kon Mueng space in front of the Bangkok City Hall,…
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Suspected pork smuggling scandal in central Thailand
There’s been a suspected pork smuggling scandal in central Thailand’s Nakhon Pathom province yesterday. The country’s Livestock Development Department found 59 tonnes of pork in a cold storage facility. The department found 1,510 boxes of pork legs from Poland. It found 1,433 boxes of pork labeled with the Brazilian brand Seara. It found 500 boxes of pork under the German…
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Thai Police ordered to pay 3.4 million baht for torturing teenager
South Bangkok Civil Court yesterday ordered The Royal Thai Police to pay about 3.4 million baht in compensation for the false imprisonment and brutal torture of a teenager in 2009. Rittirong Chuenchit was arrested by Prachin Buri Police’s criminal investigation team on January 28, 2009, for suspected theft. During the investigation, police tried to extract a confession from the victim,…
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Thai PM promises to accelerate Thailand’s electric vehicle future
The Thai PM wants to cement Thailand’s reputation as the biggest SE Asian hub for car manufacturing, and electric cars too. Currently Thailand is the world’s 10th largest manufacturer of vehicles (OICA 2021). Some of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers – Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Volvo and BMW – have manufacturing plants in Thailand. Last…
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Indonesian villager catches massive crocodile using only a rope
An Indonesian villager has caught a massive crocodile using only a rope on the island of Sulawesi. A video shows the villager, 53 year old Usman, pulling the rope on each side of the crocodile’s mouth. Later, the giant croc is seen with its mouth and claws completely tied up. The beast was discovered to be 4.3 metres long. But…
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Singapore and South Korea warn Thais not to enter their countries with cannabis products
Following the June 9 announcement about Thailand’s decriminalisation of cannabis products, other Asian countries have warned Thais and foreigners not to bring Thai weed into their countries. Japan and Indonesia have already made direct announcements to their respective Royal Thai embassies. Now Thai embassies in South Korea and Singapore have joined the list to warn travellers from Thailand not to…
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Thai health chief received special drug due to obesity, not privilege
A Thai doctor and netizens have questioned the Covid-19 treatment plan in Thailand after the Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul received a Molnupiravir shot even though he only had mild symptoms. The Department of Medical Services insisted that no special privileges were involved and the politician received the vaccine because he is considered to be in a…
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Pattaya police make more promises to stop gold theft against Indian tourists
Police are making more promises to end Pattaya’s problem with gold theft against Indian tourists. This news follows a string of incidents where thieves have snatched gold necklaces from Indian travellers in recent months. Suspects often flirt with the tourists and touch them, asking them to come to their hotel with them. Victims often realise they have been robbed after…
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400 new drinking fountains to be restored to Bangkok streets
Four hundred new pedestal drinking fountains will be reinstalled on Bangkok’s pavements. In December last year, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration assigned the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority to demolish 400 public drinking fountains from the city’s paths, that were first introduced in 1999, because they were old, creaky, and lacked maintenance. Metropolitan pedestrians complained to the authorities that they were unable to use…
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Thai Airways has sold 11 of its old aircraft, 26 to go
Thai Airways has managed to sell the first 11 aircraft out of a total of 37 it has put up for sale as part of its bankruptcy recovery program. The airline’s acting president, Chansin Treenuchagron, ay Thailand’s transport minister has permitted Thai Airways to sell 1 older Boeing 737-400 plane and 10 Boeing 747-400 ‘Jumbo’ jets. Thai Airways had found…
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Officials to build new sky walk and glass terrace in Phuket
Officials in Phuket plan to build 2 new structures in different parts of the island province. A skywalk is planned for Phuket’s southern village of Rawai, and a glass terrace is planned for Surin Beach in the northern Thalang district. The President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation, Rewat Areerob, said that Phuket is trying to build more landmarks to…
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Thai state bank offers loans to LGBTQ+ couples for first time
Thailand’s state-run Government Housing Bank has taken a progressive step forward by offering mortgage loans to couples in the LGBTQ+ community. The move by the Bangkok-based financial institution could lead the way forward for more change, such as same-sex marriage in Thailand, after the bank’s pioneering move made it easier for the Thai Pride community to own their own home.…
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More fighting between Karen and Burmese army, villagers injured
Another round of violence has broken out between Karen forces and the Burmese army. Now, 2 injured Burmese villagers are being treated at a Thai hospital in the border province of Tak. The men, 30 and 33 years old, have shrapnel wounds to their heads and legs. Sources said Karen soldiers had taken a base from Burmese troops, and a…
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Philippines’ SEC orders news publisher Rappler to shut down
Maria Ressa, apart from anything else, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, CEO, and owner of the news organisation Rappler in the Philippines announced that the government has ordered her to shut the company down. “The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission had upheld its earlier ruling to revoke the news site’s operating license. The former TIME Person of the Year, Maria…
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UPDATE: Former Special Branch Officer names police involved in illegal casino operation
UPDATE An ex-Special Branch Bureau officer has revealed the names of police involved in the operation of an illegal casino in Bangkok that was raided last Friday and denies he had any part of it. Former Pol Lt Col Santana Prayoonrat was discharged from the police service 20 years ago after obstructing officers from making arrests in regards to an…
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