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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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Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Cabinet agrees to let foreigners buy land and houses in Thailand
A major decision was made today by Thailand’s Cabinet which will allow foreigners to buy houses and land in Thailand. The foreigner will be eligible to buy houses and land if they invest at least 40 million baht in Thailand and can maintain the investment over three years, according to Bangkok Biz News. The land purchased cannot be bigger than…
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A rare flowering plant species found in South Thailand
Researchers have found a rare flowering plant species in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province. A team of biology researchers from Chiang Mai University found the plant in an evergreen forest in Janae and Sukhirin districts. The rare flowering plant belongs to the Annonaceae family, with the scientific name Phaenthuspiyae Wiya, Aongyong & Chaowaskul. The organisation Thailand Science Research and Innovation described…
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A naked burglar robs 8 houses & tries to rape a young girl
A naked burglar is on the run after he was spotted on CCTV cameras robbing eight houses and allegedly trying to rape a 12 year old girl in the Isaan province of Sisaket. Aek Danairit, the owner of a house in the Baan Na Nuan community in the Huay Thap Than district of Sisaket, reported to the police that a…
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Pattaya clubs and police deny allegations of bribes
Netizens believe a photo circulating on social media, showing a list of names and numbers, reveals the names and numbers of police officers involved in soliciting bribes from local businesses. The officers and business owners allegedly named deny any wrongdoing. In the fallout of the Club One Pattaya drug raid, both Pattaya Police and venue owners are denying claims of…
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US school shooting kills teacher and student
There’s been another horrific school shooting in the US, this time in the city of St. Louis in Missouri state. The gunman attacked the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School on yesterday morning, killing two people and injuring seven, according to the latest updates. The two people killed were 16 year old student Alexandria Bell, and a health teacher…
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Greenpeace study reveals most plastic cannot be recycled
A new study by Greenpeace reveals most of the plastic generated in the world today cannot be recycled. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released yesterday, says that while paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high percentage rate, plastic fails on a massive scale. The Greenpeace study reported that households in the United States generated about 51…
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Bangkok police give motorists 30 days to fix up noisy, illegally modified vehicles
Bangkok police want to fight noise pollution in the capital by cracking down on loud, illegally modified vehicles. Police said they will give car and motorbike owners 30 days to ensure their cars are no louder than the legal limit before imposing fines. According to Thai law, exhaust pipes cannot produce a sound exceeding 95 decibels. Superintendent of Prachachuen Police…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport calls for more taxis amid surging queues
While most are elated to see tourism returning to Thailand and international flights picking up, there’s one thing virtually everyone can agree they did not miss: taxi queues. As flight arrivals ramp up, there’s a shortage of available taxis for incoming travellers. Officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport are putting out the call for more taxis to register for pick-ups as the…
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Cruise ships return to Phuket post-pandemic
After a long drawn-out pandemic absence, Phuket was thrilled at the sight of the first cruise ship returning to the Thai port. The massive Royal Caribbean ship, christened the Spectrum of the Seas, anchored at around 7am yesterday for a quick one-day stopover on the island. The cruise ship dropped anchor just off Patong Beach for the day before heading…
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PE teacher faces prison for alleged rape of teen student
A school teacher accused of raping a teenage student handed himself in to police today in northeast Thailand. If found guilty, the 45 year old physical education teacher faces up to 20 years in prison. Wachira Phanomkaen, a PE teacher at a school in the Kuchinarai district, is accused of raping a 13 year old girl. The 45 year old…
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AirAsia X expands medium-haul routes from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur
Air Asia X group (AAX) – including Malaysia AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X – announced an expansion of medium-haul services out of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to meet the ever-growing demand. CEO of AAX Tony Fernandes says the airline is “well and truly back.” The low-cost airline has “reactivated” 175 pilots and 285 cabin crew who were furloughed during…
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Thai MP to swim across Chao Phraya River for charity
A Member of Parliament from the Thai Civilized Party, Mongkolkit “Tae” Suksintharanon, will swim across the Chao Phraya River on Loy Kratong Day to raise money for the victims of floods in Thailand. On Saturday, October 22, Thai actor and singer, Pakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak swam across the Mekong River under his project named One Man and the River to raise…
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Thai doctor kidnapped in Africa returns home
A well-known Thai doctor who was kidnapped in Mali last month returns home today after being released by his captors. The 49 year old surgeon, Nopparat “Song” Rattanawaraha, was kidnapped while travelling near the Republic of Mali border in West Africa and held captive for 25 days. His captives let him go yesterday after he raised six million baht (US$156,000)…
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Tourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces
The Thai holiday of Loy Krathong is coming up, and tourism officials are planning events in six provinces. Known as Thailand’s festival of lights, Loy Krathong is one of the biggest celebrations on the Thai calendar. This picturesque festival is a time for people to gather around rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water to release lotus-shaped rafts…
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VIDEO: Krabi resident secretly films gambling den
A resident in Krabi’s main city district secretly filmed a gambling den, Thai media reported on Sunday. The blurry footage shows a crowd of people in a big house around a table. The video recorder said the house belongs to a former politician, although they did not specify who. However, some gamblers insisted that said the house belongs to a…
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Refrigerator saves fisherman’s life in southern Thailand
A refrigerator saved a young fisherman’s life when his boat sank off the coast of Krabi province, southern Thailand, on Sunday. He lay in the fridge and floated for six hours until he was rescued by a passing fishing boat. On Sunday, 33 year old Anat Massoyot from Village 3, Nong Thale subdistrict, Mueang district took his long-tail boat out…
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The Coming War on China
As President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader yesterday The Coming War on China draws ever closer, predicts award-winning journalist John Pilger. In Pilger’s thought-provoking documentary, The Coming War on China, he notes the United States, backed by Western mainstream media (MSM), has been “beating the drums of war and the world has…
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How can Thailand win its war on drugs?
As Thailand begins the latest round of its war on drugs, Thai PBS paints a pretty bleak picture of the prospects for a quick victory. This is no metaphorical war. This is an armed struggle, with well-drilled militaries on every side. According to the news provider, the production of methamphetamine by organised crime syndicates has resulted in a sharp drop…
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Kathu illegal excavation investigated as possible factor in landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Abandoned Phuket hotel to be demolished after landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Patong Hill opened to foot traffic only after landslides
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to an agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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New staff make a splash at Singapore Airlines job fair
New staff made a splash at a recent recruitment drive by Singapore Airlines. Singapore’s flag carrier restarted cabin crew recruitment in Thailand, South Korea, and Taiwan, after a two-year freeze because of Covid-19 and the relaxation of travel restrictions. The airline needs more Asian staff to meet higher demand now that travel restrictions in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan are…
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Missing Russian tourist seen exiting the sea, search continues
New information in the continuing search for the Russian woman who disappeared in Phuket suggests she may not have drowned at sea, as previously thought. Elena Rusradchenko, the 53 year old Russian woman, was reportedly spotted coming out of the waters at Nai Thon Beach around noon on Thursday. Lifeguards had called for all swimmers to get out of the…
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No chance of parole for Bangkok’s imprisoned gorilla
After the latest round of public outcry, authorities claim for the umpteenth time that little can be done about gorilla Bua Noi, 33 years old, confined to a small cell in a Bangkok shopping mall. According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, the owners are free to continue doing as they please with the beast they have kept…
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Pit bulls released from cages kill owner’s father
A man died after being attacked by one of the seven pit bulls that were kept in the family home. The incident took place over the weekend in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Rescue units raced to his house after receiving a call, but it was too late to save him. The 67 year old man was found laying…
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Academics in Thailand welcome President Xi’s third term
Academics in Thailand welcomed news yesterday that Chinese leader President Xi Jinping secured an historic third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi’s third term will be viewed as undemocratic and autocratic by the Western powers but Thailand’s top boffins believe continuation is the key which will benefit the kingdom and ASEAN countries. Thai…
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Govt set up complaints hotline about pricey veggies
Noticed an increase in the price of vegetables? So has the government and that is why a complaints hotline has been set up for consumers to log their gripes. The Commerce Ministry’s Department of Internal Trade (DIT) yesterday made known it will monitor increases in the nation’s vegetable prices and promises to come up with measures to control prices. DIT…
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Local artists revive Bangkok’s historical waterside
Along Klong Bang Luang – once a busy canal in Bangkok – people are often drawn to a pagoda in the middle of an old teak house, its battered surface is covered in moss and creepers, along with some obvious traces of a bygone era. Formerly part of Kamphaeng Bangchak temple, the pagoda has been the centrepiece of “The Artist’s…
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Thailand’s 45-Day Visa Exemption Stamp & 30 days for VoA
https://youtu.be/t37I2Bwf3K8 Thailand brings back the 45-Day Visa Exemption stamp that was briefly in place from mid-2021 and has now been put into place for entries effective October 1, 2022. Thailand’s Visa Starting October 1, 2022, until March 31, 2023, travellers will be allowed to stay for 30 days or 45 days without prior approval of a Thai visa. During this…
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