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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 New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
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Two men arrested for illegal fishing, possession of baby sharks in Phuket
Two men have been arrested for illegal fishing in protected waters off Cape Panwa, in front of the Phuket Marine Resources Research Centre. One of the individuals was discovered in possession of four baby black-tip reef sharks, the Phuket News reported. Officers from the centre apprehended 22 year old Kasidit Saeju in the early hours of Tuesday. He was found…
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Reckless tenant sparks outrage in Nanjing after throwing fridge from 23rd Floor
A tenant in Nanjing, China, sparked public outrage after he threw a refrigerator from the 23rd floor of his apartment building because his landlord increased his rent. The dangerous act did not result in any injuries, but it left local residents shocked and furious. The incident occurred on Friday, April 28 when the man engaged in a confrontation with his…
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Pressures of marriage: Viral photo captures heart-wrenching moment of weeping husband with wife outside Hubei hospital
A weeping husband shaking his wife outside a hospital in Hubei province after the pressures of marriage become too much. The photo went viral on Chinese social media. His wife, who was pregnant, fainted as he was seen shaking her and shouting… “What kind of marriage is this? Isn’t it better to be single? Are you stupid?” It is unclear…
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Erling Haaland breaks EPL record as Manchester City defeat West Ham
Manchester City triumphed over West Ham with a 3-0 win last night with record-breaking Erling Haaland on the scoresheet as they returned to the top of the English Premier League (EPL) table while Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory against Fulham. City’s Haaland set a new EPL record, scoring his 35th goal in a single Premier League season and notching his…
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MFP’s popularity rising as election looms, new poll reveals
The Move Forward Party (MFP) is gaining momentum as Thailand’s General Election approaches, according to a recent pre-election poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). While the Pheu Thai Party continues to lead in terms of constituency and party-list Members of Parliament (MPs), the MFP is rapidly gaining popularity. NIDA’s third pre-election poll was released on Wednesday,…
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Phuket marine office warns boat operators ahead of four-day weekend
Ahead of the four-day weekend, Phuket Marine Office Chief Natchaphong Pranit today released a series of safety notices urging boat operators to adhere to safety regulations. These notices come in the wake of an expected influx of tourists visiting Phuket from May 4-7. Phuket is anticipated to draw significant numbers of visitors due to the Coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn,…
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Lao human rights activist killed in Vientiane by unidentified gunman
A 24 year old Lao human rights activist, Anousa “Jack” Luangsuphom, was shot and killed in Vientiane by an unidentified gunman, as reported by Radio Free Asia. Luangsuphom was the administrator of the Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard (Driven By Keyboard) Facebook group, which exposed and condemned human rights abuses in Laos while advocating for an end to one-party rule. The…
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NHSO seeks funds for additional flu vaccine doses amid rising Covid-19 cases
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) plans to purchase an additional 860,000 influenza vaccine doses, increasing the stockpile to 5.26 million doses to protect vulnerable groups. To expand people’s access to the vaccine, the NHSO is requesting a budget of 105.2 million baht for the supplementary 860,000 doses, according to Secretary-General Jadet Thammathat-aree. Referring to individuals over 60 years old…
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Spirit or doll’s house? Foreign woman goes viral for Barbie doll photoshoot in northern Thailand
Thai netizens were amused by a viral clip of a foreign woman snapping a pic of her Barbie doll inside a spirit house outside the White Temple in Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand on Monday. Spirit houses – which look like miniature temples – are found in abundance all over the kingdom and are intended to appease ghosts by…
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Russian trains hit by explosives near Ukraine
An unidentified explosive device has derailed a Russian freight train near the border with Ukraine, marking the second such incident in two consecutive days. This comes amid a series of attacks in Russia and Crimea, including a drone strike on an oil depot and power lines being blown up near Saint Petersburg. The explosions and strikes come as Russia prepares…
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Taiwanese model’s embarrassing airport experience: Items that vibrate in the night
Renowned Taiwanese model Xin Yu Li, known for being a top-tier talent in the industry, recently shared her embarrassing yet amusing experience at an airport after returning from an international work assignment. While preparing to return, Yu Li encountered a situation that left her red-faced and others nearby witnessing the ordeal. In her recount, Yu Li mentioned that she had…
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Islamic Jihad announces truce around Gaza after death of hunger striker in Israeli custody
A truce has been announced by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in Gaza following conflict with Israel, which had escalated after the death of a hunger striker from its ranks while in Israeli custody. Sources from both Islamic Jihad and fellow militant group Hamas have revealed that mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations intervened to broker a…
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Gas cylinder explosion wreaks havoc, damages 8 houses, a car and injures teenage boy
A gas cylinder explosion damaged eight houses and a car in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok while a 15 year old boy living in the incident house suffered serious burn wounds all over his body. The incident occurred yesterday in a three-storey townhouse owned by a 39 year old man named Weeraphat Chuensomsong. He was not home during the explosion. Unfortunately,…
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Former Yala governor sentenced to 8 years for malfeasance in GT200 bomb detector case
Former Yala governor, Teera Mintrasak, aged 59, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for malfeasance in connection with the purchase of fraudulent GT200 bomb detectors from 2007-2009. The sentence was delivered by the Region 9 Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases. Teera was among 12 defendants involved in the case, with the other 11, all of whom…
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Israeli military air strikes and Gaza militants clash after Palestinian prisoner dies in custody
In response to the death of a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody, tensions have escalated as the Israeli military conducted air strikes, and both Israel and Gaza militants traded fire. 45-year-old prisoner Khader Adnan died after being detained in the occupied West Bank for nearly three months due to his links with the Islamic Jihad militant group. Palestinian Prime Minister…
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King of Thailand strips Premchai of insignia over outcome of ‘black panther’ case
The King of Thailand has called back Premchai Karnasuta’s royal decorations and insignia due to the final verdict of the famous ‘black panther’ poaching case which resulted in the former construction tycoon’s imprisonment. In December 2021, the Supreme Court sentenced Premchai – the former president of the construction conglomerate Italian-Thai – to more than three years in jail after finding…
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Thai youth vote for reform despite political hurdles
Three years ago, 24 year old Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul was at the forefront of a democracy movement in Thailand as thousands of young protesters clashed with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets on the streets of Bangkok. The movement shook the kingdom with its calls for reform and unprecedented demands to curb the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn but gradually…
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Press freedom under attack globally, warns UN officials and media outlets
Press freedom is facing challenges in various parts of the world, with harassment, imprisonment, and killings of journalists on the rise, according to warnings issued by United Nations (UN) officials and media organisations. The concerns were raised ahead of World Press Freedom Day, which aims to uphold the importance of a free press in sustaining democracy and human rights. UN…
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Myanmar junta pardons over 2,000 prisoners jailed under dissent crackdown law
Myanmar’s military government announced today that over 2,000 prisoners detained under a law frequently employed in its crackdown on dissent have been pardoned. This move comes two years after the junta seized power, leading the country into a state of chaos. Since the coup in February 2021, thousands of activists and protesters have been arrested by the military. Pardons were…
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Woman commits suicide in car with 11 pet dogs
A Thai woman in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok allegedly committed suicide in her car by using a charcoal stove to kill herself with her 11 Poodle dogs. A rescue team, Ruamkatanyu Volunteer Association, was alerted to the death of the Thai woman and her 11 pet dogs and reported the news on its official Facebook page today. According to…
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India struggles with urban sewage treatment as population surges
According to the United Nations, India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country, housing almost 1.43 billion people. The urban population is set to increase by 270 million people by 2040. However, of the 72 billion litres of daily sewage currently created in the country’s urban centres, a massive 45 billion litres which is enough to…
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Bizarre wedding prank goes wrong as groom left in torn clothes
Most weddings in the West are generally sedate, uneventful affairs, with toasts to the bride and groom while there are others which push the boundaries of tradition like one ceremony in China which resulted in torn trousers for the groom and revealing underwear that shocked guests outraged by tradition. In rural parts of China, certain long-standing wedding traditions continue to…
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China increasingly barring people from leaving the country amid claims of openness
China is increasingly preventing individuals, including foreign executives, from leaving the country, sending a conflicting message as authorities claim the nation is open for business following three years of stringent COVID-19 restrictions. According to a recent report by the rights group Safeguard Defenders, numerous Chinese and foreigners have been caught up in exit bans, while Reuters analysis indicates a significant…
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No foreigners receive yellow or red cards in April, reports Phuket Immigration
Foreigners were on their best behaviour in Phuket, southern Thailand, last month with 0 foreign tourists receiving yellow or red cards, reports Phuket Immigration. Phuket Immigration launched the yellow and red card scheme in March to combat the problem of wayward foreigners on the island. The system sees law-breaking foreign tourists deported from the kingdom after two offences. Any tourist…
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Police ex-husband charged for supporting cyanide serial killer’s reign of terror
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) confirmed that the cyanide serial killer’s police officer ex-husband aided and abetted his former wife during her psychotic reign of terror. Although the specifics of his involvement have not been disclosed, he is currently facing three criminal charges. The cyanide serial killer, Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn, is facing charges for the murder of 10 victims in…
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Krabi tour bus crash injures driver, 42 passengers survive
A tour bus crash in Thailand’s Krabi province left the bus driver with moderate injuries, however, the bus’s 42 passengers fortunately survived. The bus crashed into a power pole on Petch Kasem Road in the South Klong Tom district on Monday. Witnesses said that a pickup truck cut in front of the bus, and the driver avoided the collision before…
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Phuket government promotes solar energy with low-interest loans
In an effort to encourage more renewable energy use and lessen environmental impact, the Government Savings Bank of Thailand has unveiled the GSB Go Green loan. By providing financing for the installation and purchase of solar panels and other energy-efficient equipment, the bank aims to ease household energy costs in the country while helping to reduce global warming. Withai Rattanakorn,…
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Biodiesel and used cooking oil set to fuel sustainable aviation industry
Biodiesel, which is a combination of diesel and palm oil-derived methyl ester, as well as previously discarded used cooking oil, is now competing to revolutionise the aviation industry. These two oils can be processed to create sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), an eco-friendly biofuel for aircraft. Many companies are keen to produce SAF as airlines become increasingly aware of its potential…
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Young woman attacked with razors over 250 baht in southern Thailand
A loan shark chased a debtor for 750 baht debt yesterday in Phattalung province, southern Thailand. When the debtor coughed up only 500 baht, she was attacked by around 20 people over the remaining 250 baht. The gang slashed her with razors all over her body causing serious injury. At 2am today, officers at Mueang Phatthalung Police Station were called to…
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Thai gems and jewellery exports set to grow 10% despite global challenges
Exports of gems and jewellery (excluding gold) from Thailand are forecasted to grow by 10% this year, despite concerns of economic slowdown and ongoing geopolitical conflicts. This optimistic projection comes from increased demand for high-end luxury jewellery, particularly gemstone jewellery, according to Sumed Prasongphongchai, director of the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand. In the first quarter of this year,…
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