Thailand News
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Sponsored Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Health minister blasted over Thaksin hospital scandal meeting
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin is under fire this week for planning to attend a high-stakes Medical Council of Thailand (MCT) meeting, with critics accusing him of overstepping his authority and meddling in a politically sensitive case. At the centre of the storm is the controversial hospitalisation of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was swiftly transferred from prison to…
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Nakhon Ratchasima home accused of 1,700 baht electricity theft
Officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), along with local police, uncovered a modified electricity meter at a single-storey concrete house, yesterday, June 9, in Nakhon Ratchasima, The modification allowed the house, equipped with five air conditioners, to pay a significantly reduced electricity bill of only 1,700 baht (US$50) per month instead of the expected 4,000 to 5,000 baht (US$120…
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Lorry explosion in Chon Buri sends flames 10 metres high (video)
A terrifying explosion sent fireballs nearly 10 metres into the sky after a lorry packed with gas cylinders overturned and ignited on a Chon Buri road yesterday afternoon. The dramatic blaze erupted at around 3pm yesterday, June 9, along Route 344 near the Nong Chak intersection in Ban Bueng district. The vehicle, a pickup truck loaded with liquefied petroleum gas…
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Thai man arrested for drugging and raping men to create porn videos
Police yesterday, June 9, arrested a Thai man in the central province of Nakhon Pathom for drugging and raping multiple men to produce pornographic videos, which he then sold via the X application (formerly Twitter). Thailand’s Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) task force discovered an X account advertising the sale of rape pornography. The advertisement read, “Selling sleeping pills and…
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Cable car to Phu Kradueng set for completion by 2026
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Tienthong confirmed plans to construct a cable car to Phu Kradueng, aiming for completion by late 2026. The route will not overlap with existing walking paths, ensuring minimal disruption to the natural landscape. Yesterday, June 9, Sorawong Tienthong, together with his advisor, Jakrapat Klongpayanabaan, and the minister’s secretary, Krittada Tantuedtit, visited Phu Kradueng National Park…
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Thailand invests 300 million baht in Thai AI language model
The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) has collaborated with Siam AI Corporation to launch a Thai large language model (LLM), aiming to enhance Thailand’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and sovereign AI strategy. Siam AI has committed an investment of 300 million baht to support this initiative. During the memorandum of understanding signing with Siam AI Corporation last Friday,…
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Rap battle: Russian teens brawl on Pattaya Walking Street
Tourists on Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street got more than they bargained for when a booze-fuelled bust-up erupted between a gang of rowdy Russian lads and a crew of Thai rappers, sending holidaymakers diving for cover. The street fight, which kicked off around 12.44am, yesterday, June 9, saw four Russian teenagers, aged between 18 and 19, clash violently with a group…
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Tragic collision on Highway 1086 leaves woman dead, son injured
A collision between a motorcycle and a truck carrying a prefabricated house resulted in a tragic accident that left one woman dead and her son critically injured. The incident occurred yesterday, June 9, on Highway 1086 (Phitsanulok-Wat Bot Road) in front of a noodle shop in Mueang district, Phitsanulok province. Police Lieutenant Colonel Prasong Sanoem-im, deputy inspector of Mueang Phitsanulok…
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Paetongtarn backs clean groundwater in drought-hit Kanchanaburi
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra got her hands dirty, and her lips wet, in Kanchanaburi this week as she toured rural groundwater development projects aimed at solving Thailand’s ongoing water crisis. Yesterday, June 9, the Thai premier made her first stop at the Royal Initiative Project on Groundwater Supply in Ban Pak Chat Nong Bua, located in the Nong Fai subdistrict…
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Track horror! Pattaya biker crash leaves pensioner fighting for leg
A pensioner is in critical condition after a motorcycle ploughed into a van at a railway crossing in Pattaya, just days after another smash rocked the resort town. Chaos unfolded around 8pm, yesterday, June 9, behind Wat Tham Samakkee Alley, when a grey Honda PCX slammed into the side of a white Hyundai van crossing the tracks. Four people were…
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Covid leads Thailand’s disease watchlist with 31 deaths
Covid-19 is making an aggressive comeback in Thailand, with over 111,000 new cases and 31 deaths reported last week alone, and health experts are raising the alarm. Associate Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine revealed on Facebook that Covid has now become the most frequently reported disease under official surveillance. “This surge should not be taken lightly,”…
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Fowl play! Chicken clobbers Russian in Pattaya paedo claim brawl
A Thai man nicknamed “Chicken” has been nicked after a Russian tourist was battered and robbed in Pattaya, though the suspect claims he was provoked by a sickening act involving his toddler daughter. Pattaya police arrested 40 year old Paisal “Chicken” Jetjaroen, who allegedly attacked and robbed 54 year old Russian holidaymaker Viachelave Gurov in the early hours of yesterday, June…
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Thailand goes to war on dengue with free vaccine plan
Thailand is waging war on dengue fever and it’s going all in to wipe out the deadly mosquito-borne disease for good. Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin unveiled a new national strategy yesterday, June 9, during the 2025 ASEAN Dengue Day event, themed ASEAN United: Zero Dengue Death, a Future We Build Together. The goal? Zero dengue-related deaths in 2025. “No…
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Thai man kills wife and leaves body in car with engine running
Police arrested a Thai man in the early hours of this morning for killing his wife and leaving her body in a car parked in Soi Phetchakasem 67 in Bangkok with the engine still running. Officers from Phetchakasem Police Station were alerted to the death of a 36 year old Thai woman, Nanticha, at around 9pm yesterday, June 9. Her…
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Eye in the Thai! Drones set to spy on dodgy tourists in Pattaya
The Pattaya mayor has launched a bold new plan to keep crooks in check, from the sky, by rolling out AI-powered police drones to hunt down overstayers and suspects in real time. Mayor Poramese Ngampichet gave a warm welcome to Police Lieutenant Colonal Torlap Tinamat, chief of Pattaya’s Tourist Police, during a high-level briefing on a cutting-edge crackdown: deploying drones…
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Thailand threatens to cut Internet over Cambodia’s visa snub
Cambodia has reduced the visa duration for Thai visitors to seven days, prompting Thailand to reciprocate and consider cutting electricity and Internet services to Cambodia, according to the Foreign Ministry. Nikorndej Balankura, a spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, announced at a press conference yesterday, June 9, that Cambodia initiated the reduction of visa validity for Thai visitors. Thai passport…
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Pattaya beach vendor man lights up in drug-fuelled meltdown
A former beach vendor left jobless and strung out on drugs sparked chaos in Pattaya when he torched his rented room in a fiery fit of frustration. A meth-addled ex-beach mat renter went up in flames, literally, after losing his livelihood, torching his rented digs in a Soi Buakhao side street during the early hours of today, June 10. Pattaya…
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Thai thief caught on CCTV stealing 4,000 baht from Phuket resort
A Thai employee at a resort in the Patong area of Phuket attempted to track down a thief who stole 4,000 baht in cash from the premises by sharing CCTV footage of the incident on social media. The employee of Seeka Boutique Resort posted the video on her Facebook account, Chanattha Chatchanan In-om, on Thursday, June 5. She wrote in…
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Tranny whammy! Indian tourist rinsed in Pattaya hotel rinse-off
A randy Indian holidaymaker’s steamy night in Pattaya turned ice-cold when two transwomen he brought back to his hotel room cleaned out his wallet and did a runner. An Indian tourist’s saucy seaside stopover in Pattaya ended in daylight robbery after he invited two transgender women back to his hotel – only to be left out of pocket and out…
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Phuket locals plea for help for German man with leg injury
Residents of the Rawai sub-district in Mueang district, Phuket, are seeking assistance for a German man with a leg injury after witnessing him sleeping on the roadside for several days. Concerned locals shared photos of the man, believed to be a German national, with the Phuket Times Facebook page yesterday, June 8. They urged the local news agency to publicise…
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Thai man and son arrested over murder of woman in rubber plantation
Police arrested a Thai man and his son for conspiring in the murder of a woman at a rubber plantation in the southern province of Songkhla today. The 52 year old victim, Prathum, was found dead in the plantation in the Saba Yoi district of Songkhla at approximately 1am yesterday, June 8. She sustained two major cut wounds to the…
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Cambodian troops withdraw from Thai border after talks
Cambodian troops have agreed to withdraw from the Thai border in Ubon Ratchathani province following discussions between the regional forces of both countries. Sources indicate that at 10am yesterday, June 8, the Cambodian military reached out to Thai soldiers at the contested Chong Bok border area in Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani, with a request to engage in talks with…
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Thai regular customer of Chon Buri Internet café dies on desk
Workers at an internet café in Chon Buri were shocked to discover that a regular customer had died at a computer desk yesterday, June 8. Officers from Laem Chabang Police Station and rescuers from the Sawang Pratheep Foundation were called to investigate the death of a 42 year old Thai man, Jirakit, at the internet café in the Si Racha…
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15 year old Thai boy commits suicide following romantic rejection
A 15 year old Thai boy committed suicide in a rented room in the central province of Nakhon Pathom yesterday, June 8, allegedly due to an unsuccessful romantic relationship. A 16 year old boy called officers from Mueang Nakhon Pathom Police Station to assist his friend, referred to as A, at the rented room in the Mueang District of the…
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SOLSOT Thailand: Korean stone pot rice arrives in Bangkok for true rice lovers
If you live for perfectly cooked rice (chewy, fluffy, with a crispy golden bottom), make your way to CentralWorld. SOLSOT, the cult-favourite Korean rice chain, has just opened its first branch in Thailand on the 6th floor of CentralWorld, bringing its signature hot stone pot rice (Sotbap) to local foodies. This is no ordinary rice meal. SOLSOT takes Korean comfort…
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Chaos at Thai Embassies: digital nomads stranded by DTV visa delays
Thailand’s new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), introduced to welcome digital nomads, is off to a rocky start, leaving many applicants stranded across Southeast Asia amid delays, confusion, and inconsistent embassy procedures. Foreigners in Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia, many of whom travelled specifically to apply for the DTV, are facing extended wait times, backlogged appointments, and shifting requirements that have turned…
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Thai NBTC advisor claims ownership of 12 million baht found in rubbish area
A Thai lawyer and advisor to the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) claimed ownership of 12 million baht in cash, which was found abandoned in the rubbish area of a condominium in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok on Thursday, June 5. The cash, totalling 12 million baht, was discovered in the disposal area on the fourth floor of…
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Thai-Cambodian border checkpoint closures risk trade disruption
The Ministry of Commerce has assessed the impact of the closure of Thai-Cambodian border trade checkpoints, effective from yesterday, June 8. The closure has affected small businesses and markets, prompting discussions with the private sector to address the situation. Last year, Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province accounted for 63.4% of trade, valued at 110.718 billion baht (US$3.39 billion). Khlong Yai…
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Danish tourist found dead in Patong rental bathroom
A 66 year old Danish tourist was found deceased in a bathroom at a rental property on Nanai Road in Patong yesterday, June 8. The man had been suffering from diarrhoea and fatigue, according to those at the residence. Patong Police, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Chomphonuch Anantayakun, are investigating the incident alongside forensic officers and emergency responders from the…
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2 foreigners assault 2 Phuket guards after public urination dispute
Two foreigners remain at large after physically assaulting two Thai security guards on Saturday, 7 June, for stopping them from urinating outside a shopping mall in Phuket. One of the victims is now in critical condition. The Phuket Times Facebook page reported that the brutal assault occurred at 6.14am on Saturday outside a shopping mall in the Patong area of…
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