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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 Why long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht
Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...
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Holiday blues: Thailand tourism hits bump in the flight path
Thailand’s golden age of tourism seems a distant memory as the Land of Smiles battles to reclaim its pre-pandemic glory. While neighbours like Vietnam and Malaysia have soared past their 2019 highs, Thailand’s tourist engine has stalled and experts warn it might be years before the country climbs back into the global travel top tier. Thailand welcomed 35.5 million foreign…
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Domestic blitz: Pattaya couple left battered in weekend bust-up
A misunderstanding between a husband and wife at the weekend resulted in both sustaining injuries during a heated argument in Pattaya. The incident took place at 10.30pm, Saturday, July 19, in a residence on Soi Ban Lang 7. The Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation’s rescue team responded to the scene after receiving reports of the altercation. Upon arrival, the rescue team…
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4 Thai airports launch fast track for Chinese children and their families
The Immigration Bureau has introduced a fast track for Chinese children and their family members at four international airports in Thailand, aimed at visitors travelling during the Chinese school holiday. The bureau also plans to extend the service to young travellers from other countries soon. Immigration officials launched a campaign titled 暑假愉快通道 (shǔ jià yú kuài tú jìng), or Happy…
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Student survives fifth-floor fall at Nakhon Ratchasima university
A 19 year old university student survived a fall from the fifth floor of a building at a well-known university in Nakhon Ratchasima. Emergency services promptly arrived at the scene to investigate the incident. The student’s friends shared insights into the moments leading up to the incident. Police Colonel Sutthinan Khongchamdee of Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima Police Station received a report of…
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Thai engineers clear mines after explosion near Cambodia border
Combat engineers initiated mine-clearing efforts in the Chong Bok area, near the Thai-Cambodian border in Ubon Ratchathani province, following a landmine explosion that injured three Thai soldiers on July 16. The Second Army Region, overseeing the northeast, reported that Suranaree Task Force combat engineers started operations yesterday, July 20. This was in response to reports of approximately 100 landmines found…
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No place for predators: Phuket cracks down on child sex tourism
From five-star hotels to beachside bars, tourism bosses in Phuket are being told to open their eyes and shut the door on child sex tourism and human trafficking in a bold new campaign to protect the island’s most vulnerable. Local government officials in Phuket have launched a hard-hitting initiative aimed at stamping out child sexual exploitation in Thailand’s most visited…
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Man under drug influence kills relative in Phrae province
A 35 year old man reportedly under the influence of drugs, fatally attacked his 62 year old relative in Mueang Soong district, Phrae province. The victim, Det, sustained severe injuries from two stab wounds to his back and two to his abdomen, yesterday, July 20, resulting in his intestines being exposed. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later passed away.…
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Severe storm in Nakhon Si Thammarat causes city-wide blackout
A severe storm in Nakhon Si Thammarat caused multiple high-voltage power poles to topple, leading to a city-wide blackout. An 18 year old barista, Sirinapa, was hospitalised after fainting from shock, while another incident involved a motorcyclist narrowly escaping injury when a pole collapsed. The intense rainfall and strong winds hit the Pak Nakhon subdistrict in Mueang district at 3.30pm,…
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Bikini banzai! Japanese man fined for racy roadshow in Thailand
A Japanese man has become the most infamous man in Hat Yai after donning a bikini, hopping on a motorbike and dancing his way into a public indecency charge. The 62 year old pensioner turned heads and ruffled feathers in southern Thailand this week after being fined for performing provocative street dances in a bikini while riding around Hat Yai…
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Chinese woman killed by falling tree on Phuket beach (video)
A Chinese woman lost her life after being struck by a falling tree during a heavy thunderstorm in Phuket yesterday, July 20. Her husband sustained minor injuries in the incident. Officers from Chalong Police Station responded to the fatal tree fall at approximately 5.30pm on Koh Hey Beach in Chalong sub-district, Mueang district, Phuket. Locals who witnessed the incident already…
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Thailand Video News | Cannabis clash: small businesses fear monopoly under new rules, Bangkok crowned top destination for digital nomads in 2025
In 2025, Thailand is making headlines with booming tourism, Bangkok’s rise as the top digital nomad city, and new airport smoking rooms. Meanwhile, local controversies include stricter cannabis laws, scams targeting retirees, and several tourist-related incidents in Pattaya and Bangkok. Thailand’s Tourism Record: 2025 Sees Surging Traveller Numbers Thailand set a new tourism record in early 2025, welcoming about 16 million…
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Royal nut: Rare Coco de Mer haul cracks global record in Pattaya
It’s the world’s biggest, and rarest, seed, shaped like a voluptuous behind and worth a fortune. Now a Pattaya garden has stunned the globe by harvesting a million-baht bounty of the legendary Coco de Mer. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya has made horticultural history after successfully processing nine rare Coco de Mer fruits, yielding ten valuable seeds, including one…
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Dead in the water: Mystery body sparks sea of questions near Pattaya
A fisherman’s shocking midday find sparked a new seaside mystery in Thailand, after a badly decomposed body was pulled from the waters near a remote island off Pattaya. Fishermen off Koh Si Chang raised the alarm on July 17 when they spotted a body drifting face-down in the sea, with its limbs partially detached and no clue to the dead…
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Naked Russian man jumps to his death at Phuket villa
A naked Russian man reportedly climbed onto the roof of a villa on Nai Thon Beach in Phuket before jumping off and dying on Saturday, July 19. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation and officers from Chalong Police Station responded to the incident at a villa on Nai Thon Beach in Phuket’s Rawai subdistrict after being alerted by the…
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Dispute between vendors leads to fatal shooting in Bangkok
A dispute between second-hand jeans vendors resulted in a fatal shooting at Thung Khru Plaza Market in Bangkok. Yesterday, July 20, at 6pm, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jirasak Homnan from Rat Burana Police Station received a report regarding a shooting incident involving firearms, which led to a death. The incident took place in Soi Pracha Uthit 61, Thung Khru district. Officers…
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Holiday from hell: Aussie murder suspect dies on sleazy Thai escape
He dodged justice for more than two decades but the Aussie man long suspected of murdering a young Sydney woman has finally met his end on a murky getaway in Thailand. Kevin Steven Correll, accused serial rapist and prime suspect in the brutal 2001 killing of car saleswoman Rachelle Childs, was found dead at 10.30am, Thursday, July 18, while on…
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Wigged out: Love rat monk caught romping with millionaire mistress
He preached purity from the pulpit, but now this love rat Thai monk’s wig, woman, and wealth have blown his cover in sensational style. A former provincial abbot in Thailand has been outed in a jaw-dropping scandal involving secret love affairs, temple corruption, and a dodgy disguise, all thanks to a furious millionaire mistress who’d had enough. Investigators yesterday, July…
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Thai tour guide killed, 16 foreign tourists rescued after boat capsizes in Surat Thani dam
A boat capsized in the Rajjaprabha Dam, also known as Cheow Lan Dam, in the southern province of Surat Thani, claiming the life of a Thai tour guide. Sixteen foreign tourists were rescued safely. The Kusonsattha Surat Thani Rescue Foundation responded to an alert about the accident at 11.40am yesterday, July 20. The incident involved a longtail tour boat carrying…
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Motorcycle crash with Mercedes-Benz kills two young men in Pathum Thani
Two young men died when their motorcycle was hit by a Mercedes-Benz, causing their bodies to be thrown from the vehicle. The incident occurred yesterday, July 20, at 11.45pm, on the flyover bridge crossing the Thanyaburi-Wang Noi intersection in Rangsit subdistrict, Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani province. Police and rescue volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation arrived at the scene to find…
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Trouserless tragedy: Third mystery death hits Pattaya
A shirtless Thai man with his trousers round his knees has become the third mysterious death in Pattaya in less than a week, sparking fears of a grim trend in Thailand’s seaside province. Police and rescue workers were called to a house on Soi Huay Ku, Bang Lamung, on July 19 after the body of a 58 year old man…
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Woman arrested for trafficking teens at Udon Thani karaoke bar
The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division arrested a 46 year old woman in Udon Thani for using a karaoke venue as a front for prostitution. She allegedly lured three 16 year old girls into the trade, charging 300 baht as a commission. Today, July 20, Police Major General Songklot Gerkkritaya instructed Police Colonel Sarawut Chantawong and Police Lieutenant Colonel Saksit Nilmith to…
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Drunk driver crashes into police car in Nonthaburi, two injured
In Nonthaburi, a car driven by a man under the influence collided with a parked police patrol vehicle outside a convenience store early this morning, resulting in injuries to two people. The driver’s blood alcohol level was recorded at 181 milligrammes percent, which is significantly above the legal limit. The incident occurred at approximately 1.20am in front of a convenience…
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Brazilian duo caught with 6.63kg cocaine at Koh Samui airport
Customs officers and local police on Koh Samui apprehended a Brazilian man and woman after discovering 6.63 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in their luggage at the island’s international airport. The suspects, identified as 35 year old Diego dos Santos Silva and 25 year old Fernanda Gabriele Lorenco de Andrade, were detained late yesterday morning upon their arrival at Samui International…
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Chon Buri bail agent found dead on his birthday in Nong Prue
A 53 year old bail agent, Montree, was found deceased under a tree in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, on his birthday, July 19. Police Lieutenant Sanya Jaichan of Nong Prue Police Station reported the incident at 9.45pm on July 19. The scene was a dark, secluded alley where Montree was found hanging, wearing an orange T-shirt, jeans,…
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Elephant rescued from reservoir in Chumphon’s Phato district
On July 19, a male elephant named Duang Hu Dang was rescued from a water reservoir in a local garden in Phato district, Chumphon province. The elephant, known for its distinctive ear markings, was assisted by local administrative officers and wildlife sanctuary officials before returning safely to the forest. The incident came to light when Phato district chief was informed…
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Monk accused of theft caught on CCTV
A private company representative has filed a legal complaint against a former deputy police chief, alleging theft of a chequebook and important documents while the person was ordained as a monk. The incident was captured on CCTV yesterday, July 19. Reports indicate that Akkarawit (surname withheld), acting on behalf of a private company, approached officers at Bang Rak Police Station…
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Fire engulfs Buriram rubber factory, smoke spans 10 kilometres
A fire engulfed a rubber manufacturing factory in Buriram, with thick black smoke drifting over 10 kilometres. Over 20 fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, yet the blaze persisted for more than five hours. As of the morning of today, July 20, the fire at the North East Rubber Public Company Limited, located in Mueang subdistrict, Prakhon Chai district,…
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Thailand mulls first suspension bridge to link Phuket and Phang Nga
Thailand is considering constructing its first suspension bridge to connect Phuket with Phang Nga province, as part of a significant upgrade to the region’s Highway No. 402. This development, led by the Department of Highways, aims to improve connectivity and boost local tourism. The new bridge, proposed during a seminar held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, would be the…
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Toyota Camry fire on Sirat Expressway swiftly extinguished in Bangkok
Firefighters swiftly responded to a car fire on Sirat Expressway in Bangkok yesterday afternoon when a grey Toyota Camry caught fire. The incident, believed to be caused by an engine malfunction, resulted in no injuries or fatalities. The fire erupted at 5.06pm near the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning in the Phaya Thai district. The 199…
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Raids uncover 7.2 million baht in unsafe electrical goods across Thailand
The premises of three companies involved in selling substandard electrical products online were raided, resulting in the seizure of goods valued at over 7 million baht. Thitiphat Chotidechachainan, the leader of a Ministry of Industry working group, oversaw the inspections after reports indicated the storage of goods lacking certification from the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI). The first location inspected…
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