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.
-
No more testing for fully vaccinated visitors coming on to Phuket
The governor of Phuket, Narong Woonciew, says all Covid-19 screening measures will be dropped for fully vaccinated visitors coming to the southern island. His announcement refers to DOMESTIC travellers. The announcement came on the back of the infection rate dropping to 98 cases a day. In addition, Narong says 70% of the island’s residents have now had a booster dose…
-
Get the best quality dental treatment at Edelweiss Dental House
Press Release Do you dread visiting the dentist? Are you searching for the best quality dental treatment for you and your family? If yes, then Edelweiss Dental House would be exactly what you’ve been looking for. Edelweiss (ay-dal-vise) Dental House is named after the ‘Edelweiss’ flower, which represents purity and cleanliness. Living up to its name, Edelweiss’s utmost value is…
-
Phuket officials announce electric scooters to be used for security operations
Even though Phuket officials banned electric scooters from all public roads in February, they have now approved their use for security operations around Phuket Provincial Hall Complex. Yesterday, officials announced at Provincial Hall they have approved the use of electric scooters as a test phase to determine how safe they are. Representatives from Beam Mobility Team Co Ltd handed two…
-
Thailand Pass might be dropped by June 1
The cancellation of Thailand Pass registration could take place as early as June 1, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. With Thailand Pass gone, tourists would go back to using their TM6 immigration arrival forms for vaccine declaration. Earlier projected dates of July 1 to drop the much-debated Thailand Pass could happen a month earlier if the Centre for…
-
Thailand’s postal rates to go up after nearly 2 decades
For the first time in 18 years, Thailand’s postal rates are going up. The country’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry said that according to data from 2011-2020, Thailand Post has a social service burden of up to 18.4 billion baht, and it’s likely to keep rising. Yesterday, the Cabinet approved a proposal by the ministry to raise rates. Thailand’s profit…
-
Truck drivers rally in Bangkok against spiking diesel price
Now that Thailand has announced the upcoming end of its diesel price cap, Bangkok truckers have rallied today to demand that the price cap continues. Currently, the price for diesel is capped is 30 baht per litre. But On Tuesday, Thailand’s Energy Minister said the retail price is now at 40 baht per litre, so the government have had to…
-
Dog owners prosecuted for bathing dogs at waterfall inside Thai national park
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has prosecuted dog owners who brought dogs and bathed them at a waterfall inside the Khao Luang National Park in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The authorities said pets were banned from entering the national parks in Thailand to prevent the spread of diseases from the urban area. One…
-
UPDATE: Police identify foreigners involved in shooting at Pattaya’s Harley-Davidson shop
Following a report on the shooting at a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop in Pattaya, police expected that influential Thai residents and foreigners were involved. The officers say the group might have had some sort of conflict over the business and personal issues between members of two influential groups. The Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop located on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya was the location…
-
UPDATE: Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand
UPDATE: A man has confessed to the murder of 23 year old Chalermchai Siang, whose body was found floating on the surface of the ocean 500 metres away from the shore in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province on Monday. Three rocks had been attached to Chalermchai’s body in an attempt to weigh it down and his wrists and ankles had been…
-
Travel Guide: A brief history of the sex industry in Thailand
Thailand is known for many things, but there is one thing that is either commonly joked about or remains hush hush locally. It’s the country’s sex workers and red light districts. There is a fair share of travellers who visit Thailand specifically because they want to experience this ‘vibrant’ side of Thai life. But how did it all start? This…
-
Songkhla Muslims against plan for Chinese goddess statue on mountain
In Thailand’s tense Deep South, Muslim communities are speaking out against a plan to build a statue of a Chinese goddess on a mountain in Thepa district. The company planning to build it is TPI Polene Power Plc, a power plant operator. Many in the community around the mountain are Muslims, and an imam, who asked to remain anonymous, said…
-
North Korea prepared to use nuclear weapons at ‘any time’ if provoked
Kim Jong-un has warned the world that North Korea is ready to use nuclear weapons against foreign powers at ‘any time’ if provoked. In a state-televised military parade held in Pyongyang on Monday, the North Korean leader pledged to develop nuclear forces as quickly as possible… “If any forces try to violate the fundamental interests of our state, our nuclear…
-
Thai ex boxer allegedly steals British tourist’s bag in Krabi
Police in Krabi arrested a former boxer at a house in Meuang district today for allegedly stealing a British tourist’s bag. The British man, 23 year old Fraser William, said he left his bag on the beach when he and his friend went swimming on Sunday. The bag had 5,000 baht in cash, along with credit cards and the key…
-
Anutin says Thailand Pass may be scrapped, if Covid-19 continues to improve
The Covid-19 situation in Thailand is beginning to stabilise and if cases continue to decrease, the Ministry of Health will consider completely cancelling the Thailand Pass, according to Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. In an interview today, Anutin said the Covid-19 situation in the kingdom is improving. He said the total number of infections, hospitalisations and deaths are all decreasing, as…
-
As tourists return, Pattaya’s Walking Street set to close to cars again
Pattaya officials say that starting tomorrow (Thursday), the city’s tourist magnet, Walking Street, will close to cars again, as it did in pre-Covid days. This news comes as more former bars have opened as ‘restaurants’, a loop hole in the Thai government’s Covid restrictions that’s been forced on bar owners so they can get their businesses open again. From 7pm…
-
Myanmar’s ex-leader Suu Kyi sentenced to 5 years in prison
Ousted leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Myanmar, according to an anonymous source with access to her trial, which is being tightly controlled by the junta. The charge was the first of 11 corruption charges filed against her, so her prison sentence…
-
Canadian man to be deported from Bali for naked dance on volcano
They say fame comes at a price. It definitely did for one Canadian man in Bali who posted a viral video of himself dancing naked on a volcano believed to be sacred by the Balinese. After his little stunt, he is set to be deported from the Indonesian island. Craigen reportedly posted a video of himself doing a Maori dance…
-
UPDATE: Police charge 6 suspects, close Tangmo investigation
Recklessness. That’s the conclusion police came to about what caused the death of Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, who fell from a boat and drowned in the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, on the night of February 24. Police presented a summary of their monthslong investigation yesterday and announced charges against 6 suspects, including all 5 people…
-
Don’t get sick at Suvarnabhumi Airport! Emergency response can be pricey.
A Thai man has posted the story about his father, saying his father was a taxi driver and became ill while waiting for passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport. He claimed the airport allowed only their ’emergency response team’ to transport his father to a nearby hospital and charged him a hefty 13,000 baht for the pleasure! He added that poor people…
-
Man becomes first person ever to rollerblade across Thailand
A Thai man set a new record on Sunday by becoming the first person in the world to rollerblade from the northernmost to the southernmost tip of Thailand. The man’s journey from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai to Betong district in Yala covered 2,051 kilometres and took 55 days. People have famously run the same route and many Thai’s…
-
Thai virologist calls for young children to be protected as under 5s die of Covid-19
A leading Thai virologist is calling on parents to protect children under the age of 5 from contracting Covid-19, as there is no vaccine to protect them. According to a Thai PBS World report, Dr Yong Poovorawan from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, so far this year, 51 children have died of Covid-19, 39 of whom were under the age…
-
Thailand’s Prayut calls for sympathy on end of diesel price cap
As Thailand’s price cap on diesel comes to a screeching halt next month, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is asking the public to try to understand the government’s limits in controlling prices. On May 1, the government is set to lower the subsidy on diesel. Up until now, the price cap has kept it at 30 baht per litre. On Tuesday, Thailand’s…
-
China warns Thailand to fix durian Covid-19 problem or face export ban
Officials at the Mohan border checkpoint in China have given Thailand 5 days to fix the issue of Covid-19 traces being found on exported durian. According to a Nation Thailand report, Chinese officials have threatened to slap an export ban on Thai durian if the problem is not resolved. Sanchai Puranachaikiri from the Thai Fresh Fruit Traders and Exporters Association…
-
Tourism Authority of Thailand sticking to target of 300,000 visitors a month
With a glass half-full in one hand, and a calculator in the other, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is confident the country will see 300,000 tourists a month – potentially more towards the end of the year. Yuthasak Supasorn says his agency will meet with tourism operators on April 29, to discuss promotional strategies for the international market. He remains…
-
Hotels urge government to reconsider collection of land tax as they fight to survive
The Thai Hotels Association is petitioning the government to reconsider collecting the full rate of land and building tax this year. THA president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi says imposing the levy will have a serious impact on businesses fighting for survival. “The government should carefully look at the context, as hotel revenue remains much lower than the value of properties, especially…
-
Taxi driver robs drunk foreigner, steals gold necklace, cash and passport
A taxi driver robbed a foreigner who was passed out drunk on the floor in front of a convenience store in Thailand. The thief grabbed his gold necklace and a bag containing cash, passport and other important documents before fleeing the scene. The exact location of the crime hasn’t yet been reported. The victim’s Thai girlfriend handed the CCTV footage…
-
Thai government promotes the 5 Fs: Food, films, fashion, fighting and festivals
The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Commerce responded to the policy to promote Thailand’s ‘soft power’ from PM Prayut and has launched Thailand’s “5 Fs soft power,” which aims to promote five major Thai cultures to international eyes… food, films, fashion, fighting and festivals. “Soft power” is indirect or spontaneous promotion of Thai culture by celebrities, sportspeople and…
-
Thai authorities warn of jail time for catching or selling protected geckos
Rumours in Thailand saying geckos can sell for up to 1 million baht, depending on their size, might actually be true. Many Thai people have caught and sold geckos as a full-time job. But now the nation’s gecko hunters and sellers have to be more cautious since the authorities issued a warning, saying some geckos are on the wildlife preservation…
-
Tangmo: Police conclude Thai actress died of ‘recklessness’, 6 suspects charged
Following a monthslong investigation into the death of Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, police have finally charged all 5 of her boating buddies, plus a man who allegedly coached them, with various offences, including recklessness leading to death, lying to police and concealing evidence. At a press conference today at the headquarters of Provincial Police Region 1 in Bangkok, police…
-
Not cleaning your air conditioner can cause pneumonia, says Department of Health
Professional air conditioner cleaning services have been swamped with work this week after Thailand’s Department of Health announced that dirty air conditioning units can cause pneumonia. Moist air conditioner units are breeding grounds for bacteria, viruses and fungi according to the department. High numbers of private residences and businesses have requested professional cleaning of their air conditioner units this week…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.