Bangkok News
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Fire in Bangkok’s Min Buri destroys warehouse and 8 vehicles
A fire broke out in Soi Rom Klao 7, Min Buri district, Bangkok, spreading to a chemical storage warehouse and destroying eight vehicles, including six cars and two motorcycles. The incident occurred at 3.05am today, January 17, when the Rama 199 Radio Centre was alerted to a grass fire in Rom Klao 7, Saen Saep subdistrict, Min Buri district. Upon…
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Thai minister demands Shinawatra family forfeit Alpine Golf land
Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also leads the Bhumjaithai Party, announced yesterday that the Shinawatra family’s ownership of extensive land at Alpine Golf and Sports Club should be rescinded. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is connected to these holdings through familial ties. Anutin stated that Chamnanwit Terat, the Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Interior, must ensure the revocation is completed…
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Bangkok steals top spot for Chinese New Year celebrations
Bangkok has emerged as the top destination for Thai and foreign tourists planning to celebrate Chinese New Year in Thailand, according to data from the digital travel platform Agoda. The vibrant capital outshone other popular spots, with accommodation searches surging ahead of the festivities starting January 29. Agoda revealed yesterday, January 15, that Bangkok topped the list for Thai tourists,…
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Bangkok cracks down on smoky buses amid pollution crisis
To tackle Bangkok’s escalating air pollution, city officials inspected public buses for black smoke emissions at the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority’s (BMTA) Sathuphradit Depot on Tuesday, January 14. The initiative, led by Phonprom Wikitset, Advisor to the Governor of Bangkok, and Prapat Luangsirinapa, Director of the Environmental Office, aimed to address the city’s fine particulate matter (PM2.5) crisis. The inspections…
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Dutch national arrested in Bangkok for US$55,000 gold scam
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau announced on Tuesday, January 14, the arrest of a 43 year old Dutch national for allegedly organising a gold scam in Bangkok. The suspect, named Ndille, is accused of deceiving customers by selling counterfeit gold pellets, claiming they were smuggled tax-free from Africa and offering them at below-market prices. Investigations uncovered that the suspect employed a sophisticated…
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Illegal cuts: South Koreans snipped up in Bangkok salon raid
Police yesterday arrested four South Korean nationals for working illegally at a renowned hair salon in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. Officers from the Immigration Bureau acted on a tip-off and raided the salon, located on the second floor of a building in the Sukhumvit neighbourhood, at around 3.30pm, yesterday, January 15. Upon arrival, officers found both Thai and foreign customers…
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Thai PM faces petition over jailed activist adviser appointment
Activist Sonthiya Sawasdee has lodged a petition against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra concerning the appointment of a former jailed activist as her adviser. Sonthiya requested that the Office of the Attorney-General forward his complaint to the Constitutional Court regarding the appointment of Nattawut Saikuar, a significant figure in the red shirt movement, on October 4 last year. Sonthiya claims that…
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Ex-Yakuza member arrested in Thailand over call centre scam
A Japanese national, allegedly a former Yakuza member, has been detained in relation to a dismantled call centre operation in Thailand, as announced by the Immigration Bureau yesterday, January 15. Identified as 34 year old Yu Hamaji, police suspect him to have been the deputy leader of the Japanese gang that was intercepted in mid-December in Bang Lamung district, Chon…
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AI scam targets Thai PM: Paetongtarn exposes con attempt
Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra issued a stark warning to the public about the dangers of AI-driven scams after narrowly escaping a sophisticated con involving a fake ASEAN leader. Speaking at a policy meeting for the 2026 fiscal budget, the 38 year old PM revealed she was targeted by a call centre gang using artificial intelligence to mimic the voice…
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Charity event raises 4 million baht for Police General Hospital
Thailand’s Police Association donated 4 million baht from its second annual charity walk-run event, Police Run 2024, to the Police General Hospital. This donation, presented yesterday, January 14 at the hospital, will fund medical equipment to support patients and visitors. The event, organised by the Police Association and the Police General Hospital Foundation under Royal Patronage, took place last year…
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Milk can mayhem: Tin can falls from Parliament ceiling
Thailand’s Parliament was rocked, literally, when an empty tin can of pasteurised milk plunged from the ceiling during a joint sitting, narrowly missing a group of MPs. The bizarre incident yesterday, January 14, has left security measures under intense scrutiny and raised serious questions about safety within the legislative chamber. Deputy House Speaker Paradorn Prissanananthakul addressed the issue during today’s…
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Thai woman arrested in Bangkok for stealing luxury items
Police apprehended a 50 year old Thai woman at a clubhouse in Sukhumvit 31, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana district, Bangkok for allegedly stealing luxury items from her uncle, a judge. The stolen items, which include Hermes bags and diamond earrings, are valued at approximately 3.65 million baht. The incident came to light after the judge reported the theft to Mueang…
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Lufthansa and Thai Airways to revolutionise Eurasian travel
In a bold move to redefine travel between Europe and Asia, Lufthansa and Thai Airways International are supercharging their partnership with a codeshare expansion that’s set to shake up the aviation industry. Starting this month, travellers will have unprecedented connectivity to Southeast Asia, as flights from Bangkok to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Manila take on a Lufthansa flight…
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High stakes: Woman nabbed at Norway airport carrying cannabis
A woman was caught red-handed at Norway’s Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, allegedly smuggling a hefty 41.7 kilogrammes of cannabis through customs. Claiming ignorance, the suspect insists the suspicious suitcase was handed over by an unknown stranger in Thailand. Now, she’s in deep water, facing a probe that could unveil ties to a global drug trafficking network. Foreign news agencies disclosed that…
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Interpol joins hunt for Cambodian suspect in Bangkok shooting
Interpol has issued a red notice for the arrest of a 24 year old Cambodian man implicated in the fatal shooting of Lim Kimya, a former Cambodian opposition MP following a request from the Thai police. Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) commissioner, Police Lieutenant General Sayam Boonsom, stated that the warrant will enable Interpol and the Cambodian National Police to locate…
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Cambodian wanted for contract killing of Cambodian-French MP
Thai police issued an arrest warrant for a Cambodian man in connection with the contract killing of a former Cambodian-French opposition Member of Parliament in Bangkok. Police arrested the Thai gunman, Ekkaluck “Em” Parenoi, in Cambodia’s Prey Veng province on January 8 and brought him back to Thailand for questioning. Ekkaluck admitted to being hired to kill the former MP,…
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Thailand to welcome foreign couples for surrogacy under new law
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is amending surrogacy legislation to align with the equal marriage law and to welcome overseas couples for surrogate births in Thailand. Director General of the Department of Health Service Support, Dr Panuwat Panket, shared updates yesterday, January 14, regarding the amendments to the Protection for Children Born through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act. These revisions are being…
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Thai schools to shift lessons online amid severe air pollution threat
Schools in Thailand may transition to online classes if fine dust pollution reaches critical levels, according to the Thai Education Ministry. Teachers are advised to monitor students’ health as PM2.5 haze pollution affects several provinces, including Bangkok. Siripong Angkasakulkiat from the Education Ministry stated yesterday, January 14, that Minister Permpoon Chidchob urged the creation of appropriate plans to organise classes…
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Chinese couple beg for help in Bangkok amid son’s trafficking fears
A distraught Chinese couple has made a desperate plea outside the Chinese embassy in Bangkok, seeking help to find their missing son, suspected to be a victim of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. The couple, 64 year old Sun Maoxing and his wife 60 year old Wang Weiju, travelled from China’s Shandong province to Thailand on their first-ever trip abroad,…
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Bangkok chokes on toxic air as PM2.5 levels hit danger zone
Bangkok’s air quality plummeted to hazardous levels, with PM2.5 dust particles soaring to the orange health-threatening category across all 50 districts, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported today. The average PM2.5 concentration in the city reached 47.6 µg/m³ this morning, significantly exceeding the safe limit of 37.5 µg/m³. The five worst-affected districts are Nong Khaem (56.7 µg/m³), Khlong Sam Wa…
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Rolling the dice: Thailand to legalise online gambling
In a landmark move, the Thai Cabinet approved amendments to ministerial regulations aimed at legalising online gambling, with changes expected to be completed within a month. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DES) Prasert Chantararuangthong revealed the decision today, following discussions at the Cabinet meeting yesterday, January 13. The amendments, spearheaded by the Ministry of Digital…
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Over 200,000 mule accounts targeted in scam gangs crackdown
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) launched an all-out crackdown on scam networks using over 200,000 mule bank accounts to siphon off approximately 100 billion baht from Thai citizens since 2022. The scale of the financial crimes has prompted an urgent collaboration between the RTP, the Bank of Thailand (BoT), and other agencies. At a high-level meeting yesterday, January 13, Police General…
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Bucket list gone wrong: Swansea gran’s naked Bangkok escapade
A 61 year old grandmother from Swansea found herself stark naked and wandering her hotel, allegedly after downing a tainted bucket of booze in bustling Bangkok. Janet West’s unnerving adventure adds a chilling chapter to the ongoing saga of suspected deadly drinks across Southeast Asia. West’s bizarre evening unfolded amid the wild festivities of the new year on Bangkok’s buzzing…
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Police raid reveals sim box scam in Bangkok apartment
Police in Region 1 raided an apartment in the Lat Phrao area, uncovering eight sim box devices used for scam calls to defraud victims out of millions. The apartment was rented by a foreign national. Efforts are underway to expand the investigation and make arrests. Police Major General Worachat Saenkham, commander of the Region 1 Investigation Division, along with other…
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PM Paetongtarn slams 4.4 billion baht asset allegations
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has come out swinging against allegations of falsifying her assets statement, branding the claims as baseless and politically motivated. The accusations stem from a report by the Isra News Agency, suggesting that she misrepresented a staggering 4.4 billion baht debt owed to close family members. “It’s a debt between me and my relatives,” the premier insisted…
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Something’s fishy: Farmers demand answers over blackchin tilapia spread
Approximately 150 farmers from 19 provinces assembled outside the Government House yesterday, January 13, to submit a letter to the government. They demanded the identification of those responsible for the spread of blackchin tilapia fish and requested support for the affected farmers. The letter, delivered by the group’s leader Panya Toktong to Pansak Charoen, a specialist at the Prime Minister’s…
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Foreign man pickpocketed at Bangkok shopping mall entrance (video)
Three thieves, reportedly foreign nationals, pickpocketed a foreign man at the entrance of a shopping mall in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok this afternoon. Several news pages on Facebook shared a video showing the foreign victim searching for his stolen valuables in a black backpack outside the shopping mall, today, January 13. The mall is believed to be EmQuartier, located near…
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Bangkok taxi driver slashes passenger on face in fare dispute (video)
A Thai taxi driver claimed self-defence after slashing a male passenger’s face on the roadside in the Silom neighbourhood of Bangkok on Friday, January 10. A witness shared a video of the incident near Silom Soi 6 in Bangkok at about 1am on Friday on his Up Dol Facebook account. The video showed the witness intervening in the argument between…
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Foreign man found dead after fall from 23-storey Bangkok building
A foreign man was found dead after falling from a 23-storey building in the Phaya Thai area of Bangkok. The incident occurred at 5.30pm yesterday, January 12, with his body discovered inside a school’s perimeter. No identification documents were found on him. Police Lieutenant Weerachai Kaewsanga from Phaya Thai Police Station received a report about the fall near Si Ayutthaya…
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Clearing the air: Bangkok takes a breather with work-from-home push
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt today is rolling out a novel work-from-home initiative alongside a push to expand the clean air shelter project in more schools, all in a bid to tackle the city’s relentless PM2.5 pollution problem. The 58 year old city chief noted a breath of fresh air yesterday, January 12, with improved air quality in Bangkok, as PM2.5 levels…
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