News

Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.

  • Sponsored

    Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you

    Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...

  • Thai police raid uncovers illegal gambling and ransomware in Chon Buri

    Thai police raid uncovers illegal gambling and ransomware in Chon Buri

    Thai police conducted a major raid on a hotel in Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, uncovering an illegal gambling operation run by Chinese nationals. More than 40 people were apprehended, and evidence of ransomware activities involving Chinese companies was found. Today, June 17, Police Major General Chairit Anurith, commander of Immigration Division 3, directed a coordinated raid led by Police…

  • German drug dealer busted in Pattaya with cocaine and gun

    German drug dealer busted in Pattaya with cocaine and gun

    A major drug dealer has been arrested in Pattaya after a successful sting operation led by local police. The suspect, a 42 year old German man identified as Mike, was caught with over 427 grammes of cocaine and a .380 calibre handgun. His arrest marks the end of a significant operation targeting foreign drug dealers in the area. Police Colonel…

  • Narathiwat ex-village head arrested for major drug network involvement

    Narathiwat ex-village head arrested for major drug network involvement

    The Crime Suppression Division arrested a 34 year old former village head in Narathiwat province, who is believed to be a key figure in a major drug network. His arrest stemmed from evidence collected after he contacted his subordinate while under police custody to inquire about a drug delivery. Today, June 17, Police Major General Wichaya Sriprasertphap, Police Colonel Anusorn…

  • Jealous South Korean assaults Thai girlfriend with gun in Pattaya

    Jealous South Korean assaults Thai girlfriend with gun in Pattaya

    A shocking case of jealousy and violence unfolded in Pattaya when a South Korean man locked his Thai girlfriend in a room for nearly 24 hours, threatened her with a gun, and physically assaulted her after suspecting she was involved with another man. The terrifying ordeal ended when police rescued the woman, leading to a dramatic chase and arrest of…

  • Air India flight returns to Hong Kong after mid-air emergency

    Air India flight returns to Hong Kong after mid-air emergency

    Just days after the devastating crash of Air India flight AI 171, which claimed at least 270 lives en route to London, another Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was forced to turn back mid-air yesterday due to a suspected technical issue. The flight, AI 315, was bound for New Delhi from Hong Kong when the crew made the precautionary decision…

  • False gambling report: Thai police mistakenly raid board game party

    False gambling report: Thai police mistakenly raid board game party

    Bumbling police officers raided a house in the central province of Saraburi in an attempt to arrest gamblers, only to discover that the presumed suspects were merely playing a board game. One of the board game players shared CCTV footage of the incident on her TikTok account, @nnannthc, on Sunday, 15 June, with the caption: “Board game was the cause.…

  • Lampang man dies from flesh-eating bacteria on tour bus

    Lampang man dies from flesh-eating bacteria on tour bus

    A 38 year old man from Lampang province died aboard a bus during a trip from Nakhon Ratchasima to Chiang Mai, with autopsy results now revealing the shocking cause of death—flesh-eating bacteria. The man was found lifeless when the bus arrived at Lampang Bus Terminal yesterday, June 16, his left leg bruised and bleeding. Initial investigations showed no signs of…

  • Pomelo vendor loses 300,000 baht to dating app scammer

    Pomelo vendor loses 300,000 baht to dating app scammer

    A 52 year old pomelo vendor has reported being deceived by a 60 year old man, whom she met on a dating app. Over a month-long interaction, they fell in love, married, and invested in a business, leading to substantial financial losses. Suthasinee, who originally sold pomelos, coconuts, and drinks, encountered the alleged fraudster online. After exchanging contact details, Paramee expressed…

  • Cyber police arrest gambling site admins, seize illegal weapons

    Cyber police arrest gambling site admins, seize illegal weapons

    Cyber police arrested administrators of the FAST24h gambling website and a person managing finances for AUTO.UFABET-PGSLOT, confiscating illegal weapons and ammunition. The suspects, who reportedly earned substantial incomes from these activities, will face legal proceedings. Yesterday, June 16, at the Technology Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Mueang Thong Thani, senior officers, including Police Lieutenant General Trirong Piewpan and Police Major…

  • Foreign couple filmed engaging in sex act on Phuket tuk tuk (video)

    Foreign couple filmed engaging in sex act on Phuket tuk tuk (video)

    A Phuket tuk tuk driver, who had earlier reported inappropriate behaviour by foreign passengers, has once again blown the whistle—this time on a foreign couple caught performing a sex act in the back of his vehicle. The tuk tuk driver shared a video of the incident on his Facebook account, จ้าวนึก เก็ตโฮ่ แล้วแต่มุมมอง, yesterday, June 16, without a caption, as…

  • Transport Ministry to launch contractor oversight system in August

    Transport Ministry to launch contractor oversight system in August

    The Ministry of Transport plans to introduce a “contractor report card” system in August, aimed at enhancing the oversight and accountability of contractors involved in public infrastructure projects. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit announced that the Ministry of Finance’s Comptroller General Department is working on regulations to evaluate contractor performance. These regulations will be reviewed by the…

  • Udon Thani luxury home ransacked and used for drug party

    Udon Thani luxury home ransacked and used for drug party

    A 50 year old lawyer was left devastated after discovering his luxury two-storey home in Udon Thani had been ransacked and used for a drug party, resulting in damages estimated at 1.5 million baht. The incident occurred yesterday, June 16, with Police Lieutenant Suksan Hasuk, Deputy Inspector at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, receiving the report and promptly investigating the…

  • Thailand joins list of safest countries for tourists by US

    Thailand joins list of safest countries for tourists by US

    The government urged residents to celebrate after Thailand was named one of the safest destinations for tourists by the United States Department of State. The Department of State categorises travel safety advisories into four levels: Level 1 – Exercise normal precautions, Level 2 – Exercise increased caution, Level 3 – Reconsider travel, and Level 4 – Do not travel. Countries…

  • Visa villains! Nigerian trio nicked in Phuket overstay drama

    Visa villains! Nigerian trio nicked in Phuket overstay drama

    Phuket Immigration officers busted three Nigerian nationals for overstaying their welcome, one of them by nearly seven months, as part of Thailand’s island-wide crackdown on dodgy foreigners. Acting on high-level orders from national police chiefs, officers from Phuket Immigration rounded up the trio in a targeted sweep aimed at rooting out visa overstayers and criminal elements lurking on the island.…

  • Orchard owner electrocuted by high-voltage wire in Chanthaburi

    Orchard owner electrocuted by high-voltage wire in Chanthaburi

    A tragic incident occurred yesterday when a 28 year old orchard owner was electrocuted by a 22,000-volt high-voltage wire while trimming a durian tree in Chanthaburi province. The recovery of his body from the 6-metre-high tree was challenging for rescue teams. Police Colonel Pramote Kongnantha and rescue officials from the Sawang Katanyu Dhammasathan Association investigated the accident yesterday, June 16,…

  • Laotian man caught smuggling 672kg of kratom in Nong Khai

    Laotian man caught smuggling 672kg of kratom in Nong Khai

    Customs officials in Nong Khai have apprehended a Laotian man attempting to smuggle 12 sacks of kratom leaves weighing over 672 kilogrammes. The leaves were concealed in a van, preparing to be taken out of the country. Yesterday, June 16, at the Nong Khai Customs Office, officials led by Wannapa Phutthao, director of the Nong Khai Customs Office, Pakin Tiebkam,…

  • Thai Airways exits rehabilitation plan after four years of operation

    Thai Airways exits rehabilitation plan after four years of operation

    Thai Airways (THAI) announced yesterday, June 16, that the Central Bankruptcy Court officially approved the end of its rehabilitation process. The airline now plans to seek permission to relist its shares on the stock exchange by August. THAI shared the news via its official Facebook page, stating, “The Central Bankruptcy Court has ordered the termination of business rehabilitation. THAI is…

  • Too fit to commit! Brit beauty queen says blokes can’t handle her

    Too fit to commit! Brit beauty queen says blokes can’t handle her

    A Brit beauty queen says she’s had it with dating because British blokes are too scared to ask her out. Harriotte Lane from Newcastle, has just been crowned Miss Grand United Kingdom and is set to jet off to Bangkok to compete in Miss Grand International in October but says life in the fast lane has left her flying solo.…

  • Explosion at Chong Chom border alarms Thai, Cambodian residents

    Explosion at Chong Chom border alarms Thai, Cambodian residents

    A loud explosion at the Chong Chom border crossing in Surin province yesterday morning sparked panic among both Thai and Cambodian residents. The blast, originating from the Cambodian side of the border, was initially feared to be a result of military conflict but turned out to be an accident involving a Cambodian man operating an excavator. The incident occurred at…

  • EC summons Bhumjaithai over Senate collusion

    EC summons Bhumjaithai over Senate collusion

    Executives of the Bhumjaithai Party have expressed concerns that the Election Commission’s decision to summon them over alleged collusion in the Senate election may be an attempt to dissolve the party. Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed yesterday, June 16, that he is among the key figures called by the Election Commission (EC) to answer allegations of collusion linked to the…

  • Thailand faces surge in call centre complaints and online scams

    Thailand faces surge in call centre complaints and online scams

    Complaints regarding call centres and online scams in Thailand have surged to levels comparable to December last year, after previously reaching a low in February, as reported by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). NBTC commissioner Nathathorn Prousoontorn noted the increase in complaints is partly due to insufficient coordination in arresting fraudsters and scammers in some regions. He also…

  • Drunk police officer kills woman in fatal crash in southern Thailand

    Drunk police officer kills woman in fatal crash in southern Thailand

    A drunk police officer is facing four charges after crashing his vehicle and killing a 62 year old woman in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Sunday, June 15. Officers from Thung Song Police Station were called to arrest the driver of a grey sedan, Police Senior Sergeant Major Wicharn, on Sai Serm Chart Road in the Thung…

  • 100,000 jellyfish stingers swarm Pattaya Beach in freak invasion

    100,000 jellyfish stingers swarm Pattaya Beach in freak invasion

    Holidaymakers got more than they bargained for on Pattaya Beach after a tidal wave of jellyfish, over 100,000 of them, was dumped along the sand in a slimy seaside shocker. Stunned tourists and locals yesterday, June 16, looked on as a 3-kilometre stretch of Pattaya Beach, from north to south, was smothered in jellyfish of all shapes and sizes, some…

  • Warehouse pair caught with 1,200 meth pills in parcel mix-up

    Warehouse pair caught with 1,200 meth pills in parcel mix-up

    A warehouse manager and her partner, an employee at the same delivery company, were apprehended for allegedly inserting methamphetamine into a parcel. The arrest occurred today, June 17, when Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, alongside senior officers, instructed the Min Buri police investigation team to expand a probe into a drug trafficking network using parcels. This led to the capture…

  • Grill rage! Man battered in Bangkok barbecue restaurant blunder

    Grill rage! Man battered in Bangkok barbecue restaurant blunder

    An innocent Thai man is seeking justice after he was attacked by two suspects at a barbecue restaurant in Bangkok on Sunday, June 15, simply for asking his friend, “Why are there not many people today?” The victim’s mother sought help yesterday from the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive, explaining that her son was assaulted without provocation or reasonable cause. According to…

  • Street patrol cracks down on Pattaya Walking Street sleaze

    Street patrol cracks down on Pattaya Walking Street sleaze

    Cops, immigration, and anti-trafficking teams swooped on Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street in a no-nonsense blitz to stamp out sleaze, snare traffickers, and school nightlife bosses on the law. At 9.36pm, yesterday, June 16, a massive joint task force led by Thailand’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD) swept through Walking Street, targeting illegal activity and warning venue owners to clean up their…

  • Thai king supports troops at Thai-Cambodian border with gifts

    Thai king supports troops at Thai-Cambodian border with gifts

    His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua showed his support for the troops guarding the Cambodian frontier, sending royal gifts and a personal message of encouragement in a rare public expression of concern for their welfare. The morale-boosting gesture took place yesterday, June 16, during a formal ceremony at the Ta Muen Thom Temple outpost in the Chong Bok border…

  • Meth-ed up! Panic, pipes and punters in Pattaya drugs den bust

    Meth-ed up! Panic, pipes and punters in Pattaya drugs den bust

    A dodgy den full of drugs, a surprise visit from an eager buyer, and a stashed bag of meth dumped in a panic, Pattaya’s latest narcotics crackdown has left a trail of busted users, fleeing suspects and flustered dealers. Thai police struck hard in two separate raids this week as part of a no-nonsense campaign to clean up Pattaya’s seedy…

  • Bang out of order! Bolt bikers busted for flogging DIY firearms

    Bang out of order! Bolt bikers busted for flogging DIY firearms

    Two broke Bolt bikers swapped fares for firearms, flogging deadly DIY pistols in the heart of Pattaya to make ends meet, until a Facebook sting brought their side hustle to a screeching halt. In a dramatic late-night bust on June 15, Thai police arrested two motorcycle taxi riders in central Pattaya for producing and selling home-modified firearms, as part of…

  • Rampage in Chiang Khan: drunk foreigner arrested with knife and stick

    Rampage in Chiang Khan: drunk foreigner arrested with knife and stick

    Police yesterday, June 15, arrested an intoxicated foreigner for assaulting locals and damaging their vehicles in a popular tourist destination, Chiang Khan, in the Isaan province of Loei. Residents reported the foreigner’s violent behaviour to Chiang Khan Police Station, stating he had been riding a motorcycle and using a wooden stick to strike passersby and hit vehicles. Motorists also took…