Bangkok News
Bangkok news, politics, business, crime, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s capital. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Bangkok news source.
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6 people found guilty for “pretty” Bangkok model’s death
A man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for the death of Thitima “Lunlabelle” Noraphanpiphat, a 25 year old model who was found dead last year in the lobby of a Bangkok condominium. Rachadech “Nam Oon” Wongthabutr was found guilty of illegally detaining Lunlabelle and leaving her dead body in the condominium. 5 other people were found guilty…
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Police stop protesters as they march towards Government House in Bangkok – PHOTOS
Protesters started their march from the Democracy Monument on Rajdamnoen Avenue toward the Government House around 3pm today. But they were barred from passing an intersection for an hour. They were prevented from passing the Panfah Lilas intersection where police had set up a blockade and had hundreds of police there to enforce the blacking of the intersection. The police…
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Royalists take over the protest route to make way for Royal motorcade
Maybe the headline should be “The Empire Strikes Back, Thai style”. A group of dressed in yellow, many who are military and police officers, took over the pro-democracy protest route to make way for the Royal motorcade. The dates of both the protest, announced back on September 20, and the motorcade for HM The King to travel to oversee a…
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“Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says
Today’s pro-democracy rally in Bangkok poses an “elevated risk of unrest” after 21 protesters were arrested yesterday, according to an email sent to staff of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security. The email advising the staff to avoid protest sites was obtained by local blogger and Samut Prakan school employee Richard Barrow and Samut Prakan school employee and…
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Protest leader Arnon calls impromptu demo to push for release of activists
Anti-government protest leader Arnon Nampa took to social media yesterday to call on fellow activists to assemble at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre for a pre-protest protest. They are demanding the release of 21 arrested protesters who were rounded up by police yesterday whilst setting up for today’s scheduled rally around the Democracy Monument. In a live broadcast on…
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Bangkok office rents drop for the first time in 10 years
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on Thailand, and the region’s, economy, Bangkok office rents and occupancy rates are expected to drop after consistent growth over the past 10 years, according to Colliers International Thailand. It will be the first contraction in that sector since 2010, according to the property consultancy’s associate director of research and communication,…
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Toilets might be a problem at tomorrow’s pro-democracy rally
The pesky issue of student’s Numbers 1s and Number 2s has become a potential problem for protest organisers. Toilets might be hard to find at tomorrow’s pro-democracy rally. Activists say the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is refusing to provide mobile toilets for the rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. (Although in the past, protest organisers have arranged the toilets for their events.)…
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Thammasat students ask for 3 days off class to participate in protest
With the next pro-democracy protest planned for this Wednesday, students are asking Thammasat University officials to cancel classes for 3 days so the students can take part in the rally. The rally is expected to start at 2pm on Wednesday at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, not far from the University’s Tha Prachan Campus, but no end time has been announced. The…
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Protest leader says activists “in it for the long haul”
Human rights lawyer and protest leader, Arnon Nampa, says political activists seeking to oust the current Thai government are “in it for the long haul”. The leader of the People’s Group (formerly the Free People movement) says protesters will gather at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument on Wednesday (October 14), before proceeding to Government House. There, he says they will set up…
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Bangkok residents not satisfied with floodwater management-Nida Poll
Bangkok residents are largely unsatisfied with the floodwater management in the capital, according to a recent poll. The National Institute of Development Administration conducted the poll on October 6-7 with 1,322 respondents from various levels of education and occupations. Almost 60% of people say they are not satisfied with 33% of those saying poor preparation and flood management contributed to…
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Bangkok police warn protesters not to block King’s motorcade in October 14 protest
Bangkok police are warning political demonstrators not to block His Majesty the King’s motorcade in their upcoming protest event on October 14. Thailand’s King is set to preside over the graduation ceremony for Level 6 and 9 Pali scholars at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Thailand’s deputy national police chief, Damrongsak Kittiprapat, says to cope with the demonstration, police…
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Anti-government activists confirm details of October 14 protest
Members of the Free People pro-democracy group have gathered in Bangkok to confirm the details of a protest planned for October 14. Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, one of the key leaders in the current anti-government protest movement, confirmed to those gathered at the Sanam Luang public square in Bangkok that the rally will kick off at 2pm next Wednesday.…
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17 year old student allegedly raped 12 year old multiple times at Bangkok school
A 17 year old student allegedly admitted to police that he raped a 12 year old student multiple times at their school in Bangkok’s Nong Chok district. The teenager is facing charges of sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 15 and taking a minor somewhere against their will. The alleged sexual assault happened in August. The teenager…
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Dive team searches for couple’s bodies in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river
A dive team was sent to Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river early this morning to search for the bodies of 2 people who are believed to have been swept away by the river’s current. The current was so strong, divers had to stop their search until the water was more calm. The couple was seen walking to a pier by the…
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Group of security guards allegedly gang up on 2 police officers
A large group of security guards allegedly had a fight with 2 police officers at a popular seafood restaurant in Bangkok. It started when officers went to the restaurant as customers and started arguing with the table next to them. An officer poured water on a customer at the table and then security guards intervened, telling both men to come…
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Crane rips roof off truck transporting migrant workers in Bangkok, injuring 9
9 migrant workers have been injured after a passing crane tore the roof off their truck on Bangkok’s Wireless Road. The incident occurred near the Japanese Embassy at around 9.30pm last night. Police and rescue workers who arrived at the scene found a 6-wheeler truck with its roof completely ripped off by a crane. Nation Thailand reports that, according to…
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GrabFood motorbike driver dies in traffic incident during Bangkok rush hour
A GrabFood motorbike driver died in a traffic incident during rush hour traffic this morning after he allegedly lost control of his bike and was run over by a bus. Police say 49 year old Santi Robru was found on lying on Phaholyothin Road, or Highway 1. His skull was cracked, they say. His black Honda Click motorbike and his…
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University alumni and students gather to commemorate the Thammasat University Massacre – VIDEO
A small gathering was held yesterday on the grounds of Bangkok’s Thammasat University Tha Prachan Campus commemorating the 44th anniversary of the ‘Thammasat University Massacre’, the violent crackdown on students by right-wing militia and army in the morning of October 6, 1976. Former student leaders, university alumni and opposition politicians came to pay their respects for the fallen and voice…
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54 child abuse cases filed with police against Sarasas schools
Police say there are now 54 cases of alleged child abuse at 10 branches of the Sarasas private schools. Complaints of alleged abuse flooded in after a kindergarten teacher at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi, a suburb north of Bangkok, was caught on classroom surveillance footage allegedly pushing a student to the floor, dragging another across the room…
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Remembering the Thammasat University Massacre – October 6, 1976
The actual events that preceded the incident started a few weeks before when the tortured corpses of 2 electricity workers were found hanging on September 24, 1976, just north of Bangkok. You also need to put the incident into the context of the mid-1970s and the events swirling around South East Asia. Next door the Americans had just lost the…
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3,000 police officers to be deployed at next pro-democracy rally to “keep the peace”
Around 3,000 police officers will be deployed at the October 14 pro-democracy rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. The event marks the anniversary of the 1973 uprising which led to the end of the military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn. Metropolitan Police Bureau Chief Pakkapong Pongpetra says the officers will be there to “keep the peace.” The 1973 incident precipitated a…
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Deals and discounts for expats at Bangkok wellness tourism event
Expats in Thailand will be offered discounts and promotions at a 2 day fair focusing on health and wellness travel, including deals on flights, accommodation and spa packages. Domestic flights start at 490 baht, and if the booking is made on the spot, customers get a free 15 kilogram baggage allowance. There will also be many deals for health and…
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Ex-prisoner stabs 3 people when asked to put on a mask at Bangkok shopping mall
An ex-prisoner is back in custody after stabbing 3 people at a Bangkok shopping mall when he was asked to put on a face mask. A report in Nation Thailand says the 33 year old man has been incarcerated at Chiang Mai prison 3 times for robbery offences. It’s understood that when a security guard at The Mall, in the…
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Bangkok police prep for October 14 pro-democracy rally
Police are getting ready for the next pro-democracy rally planned for October 14 at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, marking the anniversary of the 1973 uprising which ended the military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn. Police are following social media pages associated with the rally, like Democracy Restoration Group, to try and get a head count to determine how many officers should…
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Protest organisers have been silenced for Tuesday’s anniversary of the Thammasat University Massacre
The 44th anniversary of the 1976 Thammasat University massacre on October 6 will be commemorated by the university. But 3 prominent organisers of the latest round of student protests, attracting up to 30,000 people, will be denied an opportunity to speak at the event. Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, and human…
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Where’s Boss? Interpol red notice issued to nab the Red Bull heir
An Interpol red notice has finally been issued and being distributed to all member countries in a new effort to track down and arrest Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, the Red Bull Heir who has been dodging justice since 2012 and been a fugitive since fleeing Thailand in 2017. Boss is the grandson of the co-founder of Red Bull, Chaleo Yoovidhya. Boss…
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‘Bad Student’ group plan protest after alleged abuse at Sarasas school
After reports of a kindergarten teacher allegedly abusing and mistreating students, a group of Bangkok high school students known as “Bad Students” will rally in front of the Ministry of Education office tomorrow, calling on the Education Minister to step up. A teacher at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi, a suburb in Bangkok, was caught on classroom surveillance…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport extension ready by April, capacity to increase by 15 million passengers
A new terminal extension at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is finishing up after construction was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The addition would not only reduce overcrowding, but also increase the amount of passengers at the airport. The Satellite Terminal 1, or SAT-1, extension is 95% done and expected to be open to the public by April 2021, according to…
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Pro-democracy movement raises issues on LGBT and women’s rights
The pro-democracy movement is now shedding light on issues on gender equality and LGBT rights in Thailand. Some people at the September 19 rally in Bangkok were collecting signatures calling on the decriminalisation of abortion and prostitution. Even a booth called “Pussy Gallery” was set up where people could draw colourful vaginas, raising awareness that the colour does not value…
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Around 10 villagers hospitalised after chemical spill in Samut Prakan
Around 10 people were hospitalised after a chemical tank spilled at a village in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok. Those near the spill reported feeling nauseous and some had trouble breathing. Officials do not known what chemical was in the tank. The 1 metre tank had been taken to the woods by 2 employees at a Bangphli Niwet Village…
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