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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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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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Corrupt police chief’s 137 million baht fortune nabbed
A former deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8 found guilty of fraudulent activity has had his 137 million baht fortune confiscated by Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption. Pol Lt Gen Somchai Nitayabowornkul was found guilty by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NAAC) on August 10 for having assets worth more than he could ever afford in relation to his rank…
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Police lieutenant in NE Thailand reportedly kills motorcyclist in crash
Last night, a police lieutenant in northeast Thailand reportedly crashed into five motorcycles and killed one motorcyclist. CCTV footage caught the lieutenant ramming his truck into the motorcycles waiting for a traffic light at a traffic island in Buriram province. The motorcyclist killed was a 25 year old waiting to make a U-turn. After the crash, the lieutenant’s pickup truck…
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Weakening baht is in focus as meeting called to discuss its impact
The Bank of Thailand is scrambling to find the sources behind the weakening baht as a meeting is called to discuss its impact. Finance Minister, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, says the depreciating currency is adding to the inflationary pressures and is vowing to determine whether the decline is linked to the country’s economic fundaments. The Finance Ministry is set to hold talks…
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Paragliding accident in Rawai puts 78 year old man in hospital
At the Khao Dang View Point in the Phuket district of Rawai, a paragliding accident left a 78 year old man seriously injured. The incident took place near Naiharn Beach at a spot also called Windmill Viewpoint late in the afternoon on Monday. Officials have not released many details about the victim, only saying it was a 78 year old…
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Thailand schedules general election for May 7, 2023
The Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) tentatively scheduled the day of the general election next year for May 7. Registration for all candidates will be open from April 3 to April 7, 2023. The general election plan was announced by the EC today as the government’s four-year term of office is expected to end on March 23,…
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Drug cartel in southern Thailand allegedly kidnaps Malaysian woman over drug feud
Thai police are assisting Malaysian police in their search for a cosmetics agent who was abducted from her home in Tumpat in Kelantan state in Malaysia last week. Thai police believe she was smuggled across the border into southern Thailand where she is being held captive, according to a spokesperson. The New Straits Times reports that four men in a…
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Security guard stabs woman who spurned his advances
A security guard was stabbed to death by her colleague today after she spurned his advances at Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep in the Sathon district of Bangkok. The pair’s work colleagues revealed that the alleged murderer fell in love with the victim but she rejected him. The rescue team tried to save the 30 year old Anitta Yoosothana, who…
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TAT expects Phuket Vegetarian Festival to make over 3 billion baht
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says it expects Phuket’s upcoming annual vegetarian festival to rake in more than 3 billion baht of visitor money this year. The festival will be held from September 26 to October 4. Some 81,429 travellers on 506 international flights are due to visit Phuket during the festival. Meanwhile, 110,165 domestic travellers are due to…
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Tangmo: ‘Speedboat gang’ to pay 2 million baht plus salary to Tangmo’s mother
Seven months after famous actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong fell from a speedboat and drowned in the Chaophraya River, the court has ordered all six defendants in the case to pay damages to Tangmo’s mother. Today, Nonthaburi Provincial Court ordered all six defendants – the “speedboat gang” – to pay a collective upfront sum of 2 million baht in damages to…
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Russian man killed in Phuket motorbike crash
A Russian man has been killed after crashing his motorbike into a minivan in Phuket’s resort town of Karon yesterday. Rescuers arrived at the scene on the Karon–Patong Road to find the unconscious man lying on the road and heavily bleeding from his head. The rescuers rushed him to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. They have not…
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VIDEO: Taxi drivers fistfight in front of customers at Phuket shop
Several minivan taxi drivers got into a fistfight over customers outside Khun Mae Ju, a popular souvenir shop in Phuket. One man struck another in the head with an axe, and it was all caught on video. The video clip went viral on social media after people inside the shops filmed the taxi drivers exchanging punches and kicks through the…
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Thailand’s drugs operation with Korea hailed a success
Thailand hailed the success of a joint operation with Korea to stamp out drug trafficking between the two nations after their counterparts revealed they had collected a large supply of narcotics. This is the first time the Thai nation has sent agents to foreign shores to take part in such a joint operation. The Korea Customs Service (KSC) sent a team…
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Roadside bomb blast kills police officer and injures four more in southern Thailand
A roadside bomb blast killed one police officer and injured four more officers in Pattani province in southern Thailand yesterday. The officers were patrolling Mai Kaen district in a pickup truck when suspected insurgents hiding nearby detonated a roadside bomb in front of Mai Kaen Hospital at around 7.40pm. In the blast, the pickup truck was launched into a power…
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SE Asia’s traffickers targeting the young and tech savvy
Southeast Asia’s traffickers are targeting young and tech-savvy people to lure them into their devastating scams. The traffickers make adverts promising easy work and cushy benefits, drawing in thousands of young, educated victims. When the victims arrive at their destinations they are held captive and forced to work in online scam centres known as “fraud factories.” These include love scams,…
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2 Vietnamese pickpockets arrested in Bangkok
Two Vietnamese pickpockets were arrested after stealing money and credit cards from a Singaporean tourist at the Erawan Shrine near CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok. They deny the allegations. The Commissioner-general of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Samran Nuanma, gave an update on the development of the pickpocket case at a press conference yesterday. Samran made public that three Vietnamese pickpockets…
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Foreigner’s ad looking for highly paid Thai girlfriend attracts hundreds of applicants
A Thai woman posted a job advertisement online last week on behalf of her two Chinese friends who are looking to hire Thai girlfriends. The positions come with a 100,000 baht salary per month with a chance to earn even more if the girlfriends do a good job. Facebook user ‘Ok Mai Mai’ posted the following message last week… “Looking…
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Cambodian officials consider new border pass scheme for Thais to Siem Reap
Cambodian officials are looking to boost tourism, and are mulling over a potential new scheme for Thais who live in provinces bordering Cambodia. The idea for the potential new scheme was brought up at a meeting on Monday. The scheme would allow Thais who have an official residence in any of the seven bordering provinces to travel by land to…
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212 million baht budget for foreign films shot in Thailand
The Thai Cabinet approved a budget of 212 million baht to support the foreign film industry in Thailand. The Cabinet revealed that six movie crews, four from the United States, one from France, and one from Singapore, will benefit from the 2023 budget. Prime Minister Office spokesperson Trisuree Trisanakun announced to the Thai press yesterday that the Cabinet approved the…
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Customer masturbates in front of delivery driver in central Thailand
Yesterday, a delivery driver filed a police complaint after he was sexually harassed by a customer in Nonthaburi province in central Thailand last week. The young driver waited more than one week to submit his evidence to police because he was scared he would be arrested for violating Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), a law introduced in June which…
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Patient info found on pancake wrapping in Chon Buri
A Thai woman on Monday said she feared that the nation’s data might get into the scrupulous hands of the kingdom’s criminal underworld after finding the pancake she bought from a shop in Chon Buri province wrapped in paper which revealed a hospital patient’s personal information. The woman approached the press to spread the story because she feared that the…
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At least 11 children killed after Burmese junta shoots at school, UNICEF says
It has been reported that helicopters belonging to the Burmese junta fired shots at a school in the central Sagain Region on September 16. UNICEF says that at least 11 children were killed and 17 were injured at the scene. UNICEF said that at least 15 other children from the school were missing. A junta spokesperson said the army had entered…
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Alleged Ukrainian torture victims come forward to testify
After Ukraine’s military advance north of Kharkiv this month, evidence of torture has been allegedly uncovered. Ukrainian police and prosecutors have reportedly taken over the border town of Kozacha Lopan, forcing Russian troops back across the border. Now, an investigation has been launched over alleged war crimes. The small town was previously occupied by a pro-Russia militia, with alleged torture victims…
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Agoda: Thailand leading Asia bookings post-pandemic
Popular booking website Agoda says Thailand is one of the first Asian countries to see tourism rebound after the Covid-19 pandemic. Omri Morgenshtern, Agoda’s chief executive says even though the inbound search rate for Thailand on the website was 39% lower than in the same period in 2019, it has begun to rise since the beginning of 2022. “Thailand is…
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Delivery rider snatches 3.4 million baht from woman in Chon Buri
An alleged armed mugger in a Grab delivery uniform yesterday snatched about 3.5 million baht from a woman outside a bank in Chon Buri province before fleeing the scene. The 29 year old victim, Prapaporn Boonmesanom, had just withdrawn the money from the Siam Commercial Bank in Soi Rat Uthit in the Baan Bueng district of Chon Buri when she…
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Pattaya burglar snatches over 50,000 baht from Chinese expat
A burglar managed to snatch more than 50,000 baht from a Chinese woman in East Pattaya on Sunday. The crook smashed the victim’s window and rummaged through the closet of 40 year old Ming Liang Xu. The burglar stole 50,000 baht from the pocket of a pair of her trousers and another 1,000 baht left on a nightstand. The thief…
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THAI expects bankruptcy court to approve revised rehabilitation plan
Thai Airways International (THAI) is expecting its revised rehabilitation plan to be approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The submitted revision comes after the ailing carrier bounced back better than expected after its Covid-19-induced downfall. But, its rehab plan hasn’t come without pushback from some creditors. Chai Eamsiri, the airline’s acting chief financial officer and senior chief, says once the…
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Top 5 reasons why servicing aircon is important (Thailand 2022)
SPONSORED It is humid most time of the year in Thailand and therefore having a functioning aircon is important. Cleaning and maintaining the air conditioning system are part of the air conditioning servicing process. Now, many of you who live in Thailand might believe that aircon maintenance is not required. However, it is important to keep in mind that servicing…
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US tourist tips Thai woman 100 dollars to thank for her kindness
A Californian traveller and blogger tipped a Thai woman 100 dollars, or nearly 4,000 baht, after she crafted him a handmade poncho for free on a rainy day. On August 22, the man from California, Chris Rodriguez, posted a video of a Thai woman whom he met near Bangkok Chinatown on his TikTok account with a caption that said… “Thai…
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Woman falls down hole while walking on a pavement near Bangkok
Walking on pavements in Thailand is a hazardous affair at the best of times. Pedestrians have a number of dangers to look out for such as speeding motorcyclists, scooters, cars backing up or even street vendors with their carts. One woman fell down a hole after the paving gave way while walking in the central province of Nonthaburi in Bangkok.…
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Thai police undergo training drill in preparation for APEC meeting
Bangkok Police officers took part in a five-day training drill in preparation for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting between November 18 and 19 this year. The five-day programme started on Friday, September 16 at the office of the Special Operation Division in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok. The objective of the drill was to prepare officers for any emergencies…
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