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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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9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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DLT increases fines for motorists who fail to stop at zebra crossings
The Department of Land Transport (DLT) increased the fine for motorists failing to stop at a zebra crossing from 1,000 baht to 4,000 baht. The DLT will also deduct one point from an offender’s driving license. A survey conducted last year by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and the Thai Roads Foundation, revealed that almost 90% of vehicles in Bangkok…
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Giant license plates are illegal, warns Thailand’s DLT
Thais love to modify their vehicles, but attaching a comically big license plate to your car is illegal, warns Thailand‘s Department of Land Transport (DLT). The warning follows a viral TikTok clip of a pickup truck on the road featuring a regular license plate as well as a Phitsanulok province license plate so big it could probably be seen all the…
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Officials work to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach
Phuket officials are working to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach. Officials from the Phuket Protection Center for the Destitute said they inspected Patong Beach and the surrounding area from Monday, January 16 to Friday, January 20, along with Patong Police and Patong Law Enforcement officers. The team found eight homeless people including four men, three women, and a young girl. The…
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EU ready to conclude free-trade agreement with Thailand
The European Union is ready to open free-trade agreement (FTA) talks with Thailand again after an eight-year political impasse. Thailand’s Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit, will head to Brussels tomorrow for a two-day business trip to accelerate talks on an FTA with the EU. Jurin states that a Thai-EU FTA is a highly sought-after deal by the private sector, but it remains…
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Law to prevent violent reoffenders with ankle monitor
A new law aimed at preventing recidivism among those convicted of sexual and violent crimes comes into effect in Thailand today. The law increases surveillance measures for offenders already out of prison, possibly even requiring them to wear electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelets for up to 10 years. However, the entire plan may be ineffective at best as the Corrections…
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Thai woman savagely bitten by boyfriend after refusing to go boozing with him
A Thai woman filed a complaint at Pan Thong Police Station in Chon Buri after her boyfriend savagely bit her face after she refused to go boozing with him. She said she was worried that the case would be ignored because her boyfriend had a close connection with a senior police officer. The woman, identified as Bee, told the media…
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Suicidal woman fished out of river alive after floating for 10 hours
A woman attempted suicide by jumping into the Mae Klong River in the central province of Samut Songkram. She reportedly attempted to drown herself but floated for 10 hours before being fished out by a rescue team. Baan Koh Restaurant owner Wichai Tiamcharoen contacted a rescue team after the 45 year old saw the body of a woman floating near…
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Man sleeps in tent with deadly cobra all night in eastern Thailand
A Thai man is lucky to be alive after sleeping in a tent all night with a venomous cobra in Rayong province, eastern Thailand. Dacha, from the northern province of Phitsanulok province, posted photos on Facebook yesterday of a snake slithering out of the tent he dissembled moments earlier at the Dok Krai reservoir in Rayong province. He wrote the…
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Russia to join navy exercises with China and South African next month
Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency revealed today that a Russian warship equipped with hypersonic cruise missiles will join in exercises with the navies of China and South Africa next month. This marks the first official confirmation of the involvement of the Russian frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov. The frigate is armed with Zircon missiles, capable of…
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Pakistani man caught smuggling 80,000 pills into Thailand
A Pakistani man was arrested at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday after he attempted to smuggle a suitcase brimming with drugs from Pakistan into the Kingdom of Thailand. Airport security flagged down a suspicious suitcase from Karachi, Pakistan, found to contain a plethora of Type 2 and Type 4 psychotropic substances. In total, police at the airport seized 79,200 pills…
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Australian man killed after row with teenage bikers
A Thai woman blames teenage bikers in Chon Buri for causing the death of her Australian husband. She believes the gang attacked her husband and made him crash his motorcycle into an electric pole. Graeme Foster crashed his motorcycle into an electric pole on the Tung Klom-Tarn Man Road in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri at 11.30pm on…
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Vinyl records sales boom in Singapore, worldwide
People in Singapore may be eyeing a new record. No, like, actually looking at an actual record. According to a report by Luminate Data, a provider of data for the music industry, vinyl record sales have steadily grown for over a decade. This growth can be seen in the increasing number of record shops popping up in areas such as Kampung…
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Malaysian PM condemns Swedish politician burning Quran
The Prime Minister of Malaysia condemned the recent act of Islamophobia committed by a Swedish-Danish politician who burned a copy of the Quran. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim released a statement criticising the burning of Islam’s holy book in Stockholm, Sweden by far-right politician Rasmus Paludan. “Malaysia urges the Swedish government to take urgent measures against the perpetrators of this vile act,…
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Jealous Thai wife accepts job at brothel after tracking cheating husband to the den of iniquity
A jealous Thai wife who suspected her husband was cheating tracked him down to a brothel in Chiang Mai and was promptly offered a job. She accepted. The unnamed wife told a reporter that she had been suspicious of her husband’s adulterous affairs for a while and curiosity got the better of her so she checked his wallet, reported Bangkok…
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Musk’s Twitter cuts keep Thai pedo clips online
A number of video clips showing alleged sexual abuse by a Thai art teacher and his underage victims have been circulating on Twitter for many days now. The videos first appeared on January 17. Prachatai English found the videos circulating the same day the suspect was arrested by police in Nakhon Ratchasima. The teacher, identified by local media as “Kanthapit,”…
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Comparing the regulations and laws governing casinos in the US and Thailand
Casinos are a popular form of entertainment and a significant source of revenue for many countries. However, the regulations and laws governing casinos can vary greatly from country to country. This article will compare the regulations and laws governing casinos in the United States and Thailand. Regulations in the United States The regulations and laws governing casinos are determined at…
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Man to join monkhood after surviving mini bus accident that claimed 11 victims
A 20 year old man who survived a mini bus accident on the Friendship Highway in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima is planning to join the monkhood to pray for the 11 victims who were killed in the accident. The white mini bus, which was travelling from Amnart Charoen to Bangkok, overturned and caught fire at 9.30pm last Saturday,…
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Belgian man turns to garbage collecting to be with Thai boyfriend
A Belgian man spotted collecting garbage on the roadside in Sara Buri province in central Thailand told reporters he is trying to make money so he can stay with and support his Thai boyfriend. Yesterday, reporters happened to come across a 61 year old man, of Belgian nationality, collecting bottles and leaves on the side of the Asian Highway, reports…
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Gunman kills 10 in shooting at California dance studio
A gunman killed 10 people in a shooting at a California dance studio on Saturday night. The gunman, 72 year old Huu Can Tran, also injured another 10 people after opening fire in the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, located in Los Angeles County. LA County Sherrif Robert Luna did not have the victims’ exact ages, but said…
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Pad Thai in top 5 most requested meals by US foodies
A recent survey revealed that the popular Thailand dish pad Thai is the fourth most-requested meal by US foodies. US food delivery platform Grubhub announced the result of its top food ordering trends in its report “2022 Delivered: A Year of Takeout Wrapped in Layers of Comfort,” and pad Thai ranked the fourth most–delivered dish to the doorsteps of hungry…
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Motorcyclist aided after accident by Anutin
Government officials are supposed to be in office to help the citizens of their country. And the Minister of Public Health holds a special duty to protect the health and safety of the people of Thailand. But one Thai resident found injured on Sathupradit Soi 19 got extra-personal one-on-one care from the Minister of Public Health after a crash. Last night…
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Freerunning Frenchmen warned by police after thrillseeking exploits in Thailand
Police warned five thrill-seeking Frenchmen that they face fines and time in prison if they are caught freerunning on residential buildings in Thailand. Trang Provincial Police received complaints from locals yesterday of the Frenchmen, aged between 25 and 30, filming their freerunning (also known as parkour) exploits over eight residential buildings in the southern province of Trang. Residents told police…
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Illegal poachers shoot and kill Chon Buri forest ranger
Illegal poachers shot and killed a Chon Buri forest ranger in the Sri Racha district on Thursday night. A group of 14 rangers came across the poachers while on a routine patrol in the Khao Khiao-Khao Chomphu Wildlife Sanctuary. The rangers attempted to arrest the poachers, and the poachers then started shooting at them, leading to a gunfight. One of…
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British diver dies in mysterious circumstances on Thailand’s Koh Tao
A British man was found dead on Thailand‘s notorious Koh Tao – also known as Death Island – on Wednesday. The circumstances around his death are a mystery. The body of 48 year old diving instructor Neil Giblin, from Birmingham, UK, was found dead in his rented bungalow on the island after he failed to turn up to a diving…
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Tourist collapses and dies on Pattaya’s major party road
A tourist tragically collapsed and died on Pattaya’s major party road, Walking Street, in the early hours of yesterday morning. Dozens of witnesses watched as the man suddenly collapsed in front of a strip of beer bars. The man collapsed without making any noise and hit his head hard on the pavement. Rescuers tried to provide CPR, but the man…
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Bangkok barber botches pawnshop job
Bangkok barber Phuttarak “Chang Tong” Nakaew was minding his own business in his shop last week when a police officer came calling, pretending to be a customer. The officer arrested Chang Tong in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district after he’d finished cutting his hair. Sharp-eyed officers immediately seized a plastic revolver which the 40 year old used in an attempted…
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Malware, not charging cable, to blame for phone hack
A man’s Facebook post sparked controversy on social media after he reported that 101,560 baht (about US$3,300) had disappeared from his bank account while he was charging his phone at a public charging station. Many began to suspect that the charging cable had been tampered with to steal data from his device, leading to widespread concerns and panic. People vowed…
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German tourist jumped suddenly from Krabi cliff
A German tourist visiting the Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in southern Thailand was found dead after jumping from a cliff on a nature trail. The man, identified as Loo Kevin Andre, was reported to be suffering from depressive disorder and was being accompanied by park officials at the time of the incident. According to the…
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Narrow escape for Nauru’s Chinese passport forgers
When police nabbed two Chinese passport forgers operating out of an official Nauru Embassy residence late last year it seemed like another small victory in the fight against Chinese organised crime in the kingdom. Today, as it becomes clear that 15 officials have been charged in connection with the escape of the two Chinese passport forgers, a small victory has…
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Sex Workers Bill will protect Thailand’s most-exploited
Many thousands of Thais – mostly women – work their whole lives in the sex industry without legal protection. With nothing to shield them, they are exploited both directly and indirectly. The Sex Workers Bill sets out to remedy some of that. Operators use harsh methods to control their workers and ensure the money keeps rolling in. Owners of venues must…
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