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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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Sponsored Experience Bangkok from a new perspective with Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel
Bangkok surely knows how to dazzle. Down by the Chao Phraya River, the pace slows as boats drift past temples and heritage buildings. High above the skyline, the city spreads out in a glittering patchwork of lights and towers. The...
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Disaster zone declared in Lampang after 31 mild tremors
It’s been a week of mild shocks and tremors in Lampang province in northern Thailand. Although there has been no lives lost, there has been a lot of minor damage to structures, mainly in the north of the province. The Wang Nua district, the northern-most district in Lampang province, north-east of Chiang Mai, has been now declared a disaster zone…
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Golden Triangle drug labs increase shipments 1000% – Speed and Ice pouring over the border
The number of seizures of high-purity crystal methamphetamine are surging into northern Thailand. The demand rises and the methods of detection and enforcement also improve. It’s a vicious circle. Authorities say the number of drug seizures have risen 1000% in just the past 2 years, a stark indication of the growth in industrial-scale production in neighboring Myanmar. Some 18.4 tonnes…
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Fake Viagra, sex toys seized in raids on Bangkok street markets
Viagra is facing stiff competition from the markets in Bangkok. Police last night arrested eight foreigners and five Thais for allegedly selling fake viagra and sex toys during a search of 17 locations along Bangkok’s Sukhumvit strip. Immigration Bureau chief Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn says the operation took place late last night and into this morning. Crime suppression police and…
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Phuket tourist decides hotel awning more comfortable than his room
PHOTOS: Rawai Rescue workers / Phuket Tourist Police The Phuket Tourist Police have been notified that a tourist had jumped from a building in Rawai and ended up on a steel awning covering the bottom floor today. But that wasn’t, in fact, what had happened. The local Tourist Police say the owner of the building told staff at the Tourist…
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American backpacker refuses to pay for girl he brought back to hostel, punches staff
An American backpacker tourist, visiting Chiang Mai, had to be restrained after getting into a squabble with hostel staff after being asked to leave the premises. The video of the altercation was shared on Reddit by ‘EatPrayFart’. Following a night out, the backpacker brought a girl back to the mixed dorm room that he shared with nine other people. The report…
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19 year old mother slashes three year old son’s throat in Yasothon
WARNING: This story may be shocking to some readers PHOTO: Sanook A 19 year old mother has used a kitchen knife to slash the throat of her three year old son in Yasothon in Thailand’s north-east. Thairath reports that Yasothon Police were notified of the incident at the woman’s lodgings last night at 7 pm. Police and rescue workers arrived…
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Luxury hotel raided in Koh Samui over alleged money laundering
PHOTO: Oriental Lodge Koh Samui A luxury hotel in the south of Koh Samui was raided yesterday in an international money laundering probe. The raid was conduced by the Department of Special Investigation officers and Ministry of the Interior officials. The Komchadluek website reports that investigators allege that 100 million baht has been funneled through illegal activities at the Oriental Lodge…
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Humanitarian aid provided to Chinese man swindled by condo broker
PHOTOS: Tourist Police Bureau The Shirrine Clinic at Chamchuri Square shopping centre in Bangkok this week offered 10,000 baht cash and other necessary items to a Chinese man who was left penniless after a condominium broker in Bangkok had allegedly swindled him out of almost one million baht. A case against the suspect is being handled by Phra Khanong police.…
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Three year old savaged by local dogs in Chon Buri
The overly-dramatic photo montage was compiled by Daily News Daily News is reporting that a 3 year old child remains in a serious condition in the Sri Racha hospital in Chon Buri after being attacked by a pack of ten dogs. It is the second attack reported in two days in Thailand. On Wednesday afternoon a young Finnish boy was…
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Experts warn of northern faultlines as aftershocks rock Lampang
PHOTO: Wat Phra Kerd’s abbot leads officials to inspect the damage to the pagoda’s visibly tilted tiered umbrella top after Lampang’s Wang Nua district on Wednesday suffered a 4.9magnitude quake. The recent tremors around Lampang slightly damaged a few dozen homes in six tambons, including the tiered umbrella of the Wat Phra Kerd pagoda in tambon Thung Hua. The 4.9…
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Patong motorbike racer arrested and fined – VIDEO
PHOTO: Patong Police Patong Police yesterday arrested a motorbike racer after identifying him and his motorbike from video clips that were popular in social media this week. Patong Police are investigating alleged foreign motorbike racing gangs in Patong after video clips went viral in local social media. Read more about the racing around Patong’s streets HERE. Patong Police report that they…
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PM visits Finnish boy attacked by dogs in Krabi
Thailand PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday paid a visit to a five year old Finnish boy who was attacked by stray dogs at Ao Nong beach on Wednesday late afternoon. Read more about the attack HERE. The young Finnish boy, savaged by a pack of dogs living on the beach, continues to recover at the Krabi Nakarin International Hospital. Krabi’s Governor visited…
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Die! Die! Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress assaults husband in video
by The Korea Herald – Asia News Network A video clip showing a woman who appears to be Cho Hyun-ah, formerly Korean Air vice-president, shouting at her husband, and photos showing his injuries has been revealed. In the video, the woman shouts “Die! Die!” at her husband, surnamed Park, who filed for divorce last year citing physical and verbal abuse against…
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500 free helmets handed out to motorbike drivers in Patong
Patong Development Foundation together with Patong Police and Patong Municipality have given 500 helmets to motorbike drivers in Patong today under the campaign ‘Wear your helmet’. Handing out the 500 helmets to motorbike user in Patong was led by Patong Police Chief Col Anothai Jindamanee, Patong Municipality Chalermluck Kebsup and President of Patong Development Foundation Preechawut ‘Prap’ Keesin. Col Anothai…
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Thailand’s sponsorship market grew 19% – 2018
ASN (Asia Sponsorship News) has just released its Sponsorship Market Overview for Thailand 2018. Local agencies have had their say on the performance of the Southeast Asian sponsorship marketplace. 2018 was a robust year for Thailand’s Sponsorship market, growing 19% year-on-year to US$223.4 million (2017’s total investment was US$188.2 million) and making grounds on reaching its previous (outlier) market peak of…
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Chinese tourists spend big during Chinese New Year holiday
Spending by Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year holiday around the world was the highest in Thailand. Alipay, a leading digital payment platform offered by Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba Group has done the sums. The transactions were recorded between February 4-10, and data drawn from the 54 international markets where Alipay is accepted. The number of transactions in…
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Young elephant found dead with plastic in intestines – Chachoengsao
PHOTO: Department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation The body of a young elephant has been found with plastic inside its large intestine in Chachoengsao (north of Chon Buri) yesterday. Officials at the department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation (DNP) were notified from a villager headman that the young elephant has been founded dead in the forest. Veterinarians…
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Students are dropping out along Cambodia’s border with Thailand
by VOA A Cambodian official has reported that about 23% of children in three provinces along the border with Thailand have stopped attending school. The Cambodian Education Minister Hangchuon Naron was speaking about the student dropout rate. He said that the rate in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Oddor Meanchey provinces was much higher than in other areas, where rates are…
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Dog rescued from 10 metre well in Phuket
A dog has been rescued after falling into a 10 metre deep well behind a temple in Thalang. Rescue workers were called about the incident at 4pm yesterday that happened behind Tharua Temple in Thalang. They found a 10 metre deep well and a dog who’s stuck at the bottom of the well. Rescue workers abseiled into the well and…
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No fatalities or injuries reported in Lampang earthquake
PHOTOS: NNT No fatalities or injuries have been reported as a result of yesterday’s earthquake in northern Thailand. The tremors occurred 15 times and registered 4.9 magnitude with a 21 kilometre deep epicentre in the Wang Nua district of Lampang province, but caused no serious effect to villagers, according to a report of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.…
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Fire destroys house in Phuket Town in an alleged arson attack
Fire has destroyed a house that was selling petrol bottles out the front in Phuket Town earlier today. Witness say they saw a woman near the house before the fire started. Phuket City Police were notified of the house fire in Soi Hatchaniwet in Phuket Town t at 1.50am this morning. Fire fighters headed to the scene with five fire…
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Army chief’s intervention in election campaign backfires
by Jitraporn Sennawong and Nattaphat Phromkaew The Thai Army chief’s attempt to scare politicians from discussing the Army’s budget and reform by indirectly calling them “enemies of the state” has backfired. Many Thais have emerged with additional proposals for reforms of the military, and others are protesting the chief’s invocation of the jingoistic military anthem. Political critics and social media…
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Man arrested over 50 million baht scam
A man has been arrested for allegedly defrauding around 100 stock market investors of about 50 million baht. Pol Lt Gen Suchate Hakparn, the Immigration Bureau chief who also heads the economic crime centre, says 52 year old Jittaraphon Nisarat was arrested on Tuesday at his apartment in Bangkok’s Phra Khanong district. Surachate says Jittaraphon was arrested under a warrant…
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Five year old Finnish boy mauled by dogs at Krabi Beach
A five year old Finnish boy has been seriously injured after being attacked and mauled by a pack of dogs at Ao Nang Beach in Krabi. Rescue workers at Ao Nang were notified of the incident at 6.30 last night. Rescue workers arrived to find the Finnish boy in distress and crying out with pain. The boy’s father was already…
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Thai Raksa Chart say Princess was ‘nominated with her consent’
PHOTO: Prasert Thepsri – The Nation The embattled Thai Raksa Chart Party is defending its nomination of Princess Ubolratana as a prime ministerial candidate saying it was done at the wish and consent of the Princess. The party is fighting for its existence as the Charter Court mulls a dissolution of the party after a recommendation from the Election Commission.…
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Thai baht surges against weakening US dollar
The Thai baht is soaring to its highest level against the US dollar in more than half a decade. Analysts are expecting the Thai currency to continue marching past the 31 baht to the US dollar mark. Currency experts believe the baht’s strength could be partly due to the weakness of the US dollar as investors speculate on the current…
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Police investigate motorbike hoons in Patong
PHOTOS: Patong Police Patong Police are investigating alleged foreign motorbike racing gangs in Patong after a viral video clip in local social media. The Patong Police report that the clip of tourists who have been driving their motorbikes at high speed around the streets of Patong has been very popular and provided them with a lot of information about the…
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Thailand will swelter through searing temperatures this summer
Temperatures in Thailand this summer is forecast to be 1-2 degrees Celsius warmer than last year. The announcement comes from the Thai Meteorological Department director-general Phuwiang Prakammin. And it’s predicted to hit 42-43C in seven provinces in northern Thailand. In Thailand summer, as a regional season, is listed as running between February 21 to mid-May. Phuwiang says daytime temperatures in…
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Motorbike driver dies in Phuket collision
A motorbike driver has died after colliding with a car in Phuket Town yesterday. The Phuket City Police were notified of the incident on Takua Pa Road in Phuket Town at 2am yesterday. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged car driven by 28 year old Tanyapat Donkamnerd who was waiting for police at the scene. Nearby they…
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Thief steals rescuer’s wallet on Hua Hin beach
A tourist has drowned whilst swimming at Hua His Beach near Soi 69. Tragic indeed. But a foreigner Good Samaritan who went in to help the man has had his wallet stolen from the beach whilst trying to save the man. A video taken around 1 pm yesterday shows a group of foreigners doing their best to revive the man;…
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