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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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Thailand becomes more cannabis-friendly after leaves removed from narcotics list
With cannabis leaves now off Thailand’s narcotics list, the once taboo and criminalised plant is making its way into daily life in Thailand. Since the government decision in December to remove certain parts of the cannabis plant from the narcotics list, Thailand’s first cannabis cafe “Taste of Ganja” opened in Prachin Buri and another called “420 Cannabis Bar” just opened…
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Health Minister says first vaccine doses will be here on February 24
Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says the first doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in the Kingdom on February 24. Nation Thailand reports that the first batch of 200,000 doses will leave China on February 20. Anutin’s statement comes after weeks of uncertainty, with the government coming in for criticism over the slow pace of the vaccine…
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Thai government says tourism-dependent locations will get high priority in vaccination drive
The government’s Covid-19 task force says places like Phuket and Pattaya, which are heavily reliant on international tourism, will be considered “high priority” for vaccination. The Pattaya News reports that Apisamai Srirangsan, assistant spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, made the announcement at a press conference yesterday. The southern island of Phuket – along with a number of…
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Leading real estate consultancy says 2021 not looking good for Phuket hotels
An independent real estate consultancy is predicting a bleak year for those involved in the hotel industry on the southern island of Phuket. According to a Nation Thailand report, Carlos Martinez from Knight Frank Thailand says foreign arrivals in Phuket have plummeted by 80%, from over 5.3 million in 2019 to just 1 million in 2020. Hotel occupancy rates on…
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Court of Appeal refuses bail request for 4 pro-democracy activists
4 detained protest leaders, from the pro-democracy Ratsadon group, have had their bail request rejected by the Court of Appeal. Parit Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Patipan Luecha, and Somyot Phrueksakasemsuk have all been declared a flight risk, with the court also citing their violation of the lèse majesté law as a further reason to keep them in custody. They previously had…
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Navy starts “Thai Submarines” Facebook page following last year’s controversy
After much criticism last year over plans to purchase submarines, the Royal Thai Navy launched the new Facebook page “Thai Submarines” which a spokesperson says is intended to provide accurate information about Navy submarines. Posts on the page outline the history of Navy submarines, including a photo of Thailand’s first submarine which was in service from 1938 to 1951. The…
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Thai woman arrested for allegedly running labour trafficking operation linked to Samut Sakhon market
Police arrested a 45 year old Thai woman for allegedly running the country’s largest illegal labour trafficking operation and bringing undocumented Burmese migrants into Thailand to work at the Central Shrimp Market in Samut Sakhon, the epicentre of the new wave of Covid-19 infections. Ratree “Jay Phet” Vechsuwan was arrested on Friday. Police say she trafficked migrant workers for more…
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Thailand News Today | Thai police clash with weekend protesters | February 15
The hashtag #policebeatingmedic continues to trend on local Twitter media as the Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner defends his officer’s actions. Thais are universally condemning the heavy-handed police action at the protest on Saturday after officers, dressed in riot gear, beat a medical volunteer outside the Supreme Court near Sanam Luang. The man has been confirmed as a nurse/medical volunteer in…
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Surge of violence over the weekend in Thailand’s deep south
Multiple shootings and attacks on rangers and police officers were reported over the weekend in Narathiwat, a province in Thailand’s deep south bordering Malaysia that has been plagued with violence for years due to the religious separatist insurgency. In one recent report, the Bangkok Post said the attacks are part of a “fresh wave of southern violence.” Last night, a…
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Thais pray at Bangkok’s shrine of love during Valentine’s weekend
While couples went out on dates and romantic outings for Valentine’s Day, some single Thais prayed to the God of Love. Kneeling on red hearts taped to the ground by the Trimurti Shrine, people placed their hands together in the “wai” position and held their offerings of red roses and incense between their palms. Hundreds of Thais seeking love crowded the…
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CCSA Update: 143 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths
143 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand’s coronavirus death toll is now at 82. Since the start of the pandemic last year, Thailand has reported a total of 24,714 Covid-19 infections. There are 1,749 active Covid-19 cases. A 62 year old Thai man from Ubon Ratchathani died…
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Police search for “ninja thief” in Nonthaburi neighbourhood
Police are searching for a suspect who many are calling a “ninja thief” after a series of robberies in a neighbourhood in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok, where a robber entered the homes through top floor windows. Residents have put up posters in the neighbourhood with an image of a ninja, warning others about the robberies. So far, 10 robberies were…
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Thais speak out against police violence after riot officers beat volunteer medic
Many Thais are condemning police after officers in riot gear beat a medical volunteer at Saturday’s protest outside the Supreme Court near Sanam Luang in Bangkok. Photos circulated on Twitter of the man on the ground surrounded by police in riot gear. The man was wearing a bright yellow medic vest (confirmed). Many used a hashtag which translates to #policebeatingmedic.…
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Ancient artefacts smuggled to the US in the 1960s will be sent back to Thailand
Ancient artefacts that were smuggled out of Thailand decades ago and ended up on display at a museum in the United States will be shipped back to Thailand. The 2 hand carved lintels, each weighing more than 680 kilograms, were stolen from temples in Buri Ram and Sa Kaeo, according to a complaint filed with the Attorney’s Office of the…
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Thailand News Today | Week In Review | February 14
Thailand News Today covers five days of the news week, except this week which was the Chinese New Year on Friday. Now we have a weekend edition which goes over the biggest, or best stories, from the past week. Out every Saturday afternoon, catch up with Jett and Tim’s major Thai news stories from Thailand News Today. Welcome to the…
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Police raid Bangkok bar, 13 people arrested for allegedly violating Emergency Decree
Police in Bangkok arrested 13 people at a rooftop bar in the Phra Khanong area. The bar staff allegedly served alcohol to customers, violating the city’s ban on booze sales at restaurants which was put in place to limit gatherings and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Under the emergency regulations in Bangkok, bars and nightclubs are ordered to close…
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Economy expert says Phuket’s income per capita could soon fall below poverty line
A Phuket tourism economy expert says Phuket’s income per capita could soon fall below the provincial poverty line if something isn’t done to increase revenue. Assistant Professor Chayanon Phucharoen, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, Prince of Songkla University Phuket campus, says the news is based off a report by the university. In it, the…
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Scientists say Thailand bats could spread similar coronaviruses
Scientists say bats in Thailand could spread other coronaviruses related to Sars-CoV-2, or Covid-19, joining what is thought to be many other bats doing the same thing across Asia. The revelation comes after scientists found bats at a wildlife sanctuary in eastern Thailand to feature a virus that closely matches that of the virus that causes Covid-19. The team that…
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Phuket says snakes caught in homes will be taken off island
Phuket authorities are saying that large snakes found in homes will now be taken off the island after residents voiced fears of the snakes re-entering their living quarters. Pongchart Chouehorm, Director of the Khao Phra Thaew Natural and Wildlife Education Centre in Thalang says that the large snakes, including king cobras, will be handed over to a wildlife reserve in…
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Thai and Chinese officials come together for Chinese New Year
Thai and Chinese officials are coming together to celebrate the Chinese New Year by marking 46 years of diplomatic relations with each other. The ceremony in Bangkok was led by Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports and China’s Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand. The ceremony also included other high-ranking government officials who…
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QAnon, plandemics and sheeple – making sense of the Covid conspiracy-speak
OPINION Whilst many of us have been finding ways to cope with lockdowns and restrictions related to Covid-19, or trying to hang on to jobs and keep our family safe, others have used their spare time to indulge in an elaborate alternate universe of plandemics, sheeple and evil 5G. Bill Gates is apparently the devil in human form and ‘Q’…
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Chulalongkorn University in lockdown following discovery of Covid cluster
Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University has closed until the end of February in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, following the discovery of 16 cases on campus. The university is urging all staff and students to remain in their accommodation and not to go out or meet others between now and February 28. 16 university employees have tested positive for…
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12 year old Chon Buri girl finds king cobra in her home
A 12 year old girl is safe after finding a king cobra in her home in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The unnamed girl told rescue workers that she was doing laundry at the back of her house in the Ban Bueang district. When she entered another room in the house, she discovered the king cobra and notified her…
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Domestic air passenger numbers double those of January
Passenger numbers on domestic flights within Thailand have doubled within a month, rising from 4,000 in January to over 10,000 this month. Having nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel plummeted once more when Covid-19 resurfaced late last year. Apirat Chaiwongnoi from the Department of Airports says 15 of Thailand’s 29 airports are now operating domestic flights, with more expected…
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Samui tourism operators push for faster vaccination programme
Tourism operators on the island of Samui are calling for the national vaccine rollout to be accelerated, in a bid to re-start international tourism by the third quarter of 2021. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says domestic tourism alone cannot support the sector and it won’t recover without a vaccination programme. He adds that despite the…
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Chinese New Year celebrations stark reminder of Covid’s impact on Phuket
The hope of Phuket reviving tourism for the Chinese New Year is dimming with each passing hour today as streets remain quiet with only locals visiting the area’s Chinese shrines in a stark reminder of the Covid pandemic having lasting effects on Thailand. Even decorations seem to be less vibrant than previous years as Thai-Chinese placed minimal decor outside their…
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175 new cases of Covid-19, 167 local- Covid Update
Thailand is reporting 175 new cases of Covid-19 today with 167 of those cases being locally-transmitted. Of those local infections, 120 were found via pro-active testing and 47 were found through tests at medical facilities. The pro-active testing cases were mostly found in Samut Sakhon (95 cases) where the 2nd wave of the virus initially broke out. Such cases were…
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Thai government steps into the matchmaking game
Looking for a hot date? Don’t worry, the Thai government is stepping in the matchmaking game in case you haven’t found your soulmate. The Bureau of Reproductive Health is launching a campaign this week with the hopes of boosting Thailand’s birth rate. The bureau is hosting a singles’ meetup on May 14 with registration for the event opening up today.…
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Bangkok police threaten to use full riot-control equipment at future rallies
Following confirmation that several officers were injured at a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Bureau says it may resort to using full riot-control equipment in future. This would imply a return to the water cannon and tear gas deployed by police late last year. Pakapong Pongpetra from the MPB says 7 police officers were injured by…
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Head of army band shot dead at military base in north-east Thailand – VIDEO
An army band leader has been shot dead at a military camp in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Phanom, with police launching a murder investigation. 34 year old Rungchalerm Pansawasdi was shot 3 times in the head and neck, at the Phra Yod Muang Kwang army base on Wednesday evening. He had just returned from having dinner with his wife,…
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