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.
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Sponsored Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever
If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
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Changing Thailand’s helmet culture
by Patrick Mattimore On a recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I was struck by an interesting phenomenon traveling from the airport to my hotel. I saw perhaps more than a thousand motorcycle riders and passengers, and only one person was not wearing a helmet. Yet, the entire two weeks I spent in that city, I didn’t see…
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Fried chicken worker stabs boss in the head in central Thailand
A fried chicken vendor needed medical treatment after being stabbed in the head by a young man working for him in Chonburi province, central Thailand. Yannawuth Prasomwangsub told police that he and his wife sell fried chicken at the Sattahip flea market and hired 16-year-old Nat to help them just a week ago. While setting up shop, Yannawuth was missing…
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Top 10 things to do in Phuket during the wet season
There’s a bit of rain around. No worries. It’s rainy season and the island looks a lot better when it’s all green and the dams are filling. Try something on our instant list of the ten things you can do when it’s wet and raining in Phuket. So here is our completely random Top 10 things to do whilst it’s…
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Scenes of chaos in Hong Kong as protests continue
PHOTO: Sam Tsang/South China Morning Post Thai PBS World reports scenes of chaos and devastation in Hong Kong, following more violent protests in the territory. Police used tear gas and water cannon in Hong Kong’s financial district last night, as protesters defied a ban and ignored threats from China. This is the 13th weekend of such protests. The protests began…
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Torrential rain in Thailand’s north and north-east from Podul
‘Podul’, the tropical storm that came out of the South China Sea and headed westward through Vietnam into the north of Thailand, has now weakened but inundated parts of the north-east and northern Thailand in its wake. Flooding in and around Khon Kaen has been reported to be as high as three metres with over 1,000 houses inundated. Homes and cars…
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New Central Village luxury outlet opens for business at BKK
Wonder if anyone from Airports of Thailand were invited to this morning’s opening? The Central Pattana president and CEO Preecha Ekkunagul, and directors Suthikiatis Chirathivat and Sudhitham Chirathivat, presided at the official opening ceremony of Central Village next to Suvarnabhumi airport this morning. Central Village has cost more than 5 billion and was five years in the planning. The new…
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‘Podul’ batters Phrae as it weakens across northern Thailand
by Kanyasorn Thintip, Nisanart Kangwanwong – The Nation As former tropical storm “Podul” continued to weaken yesterday as it plodded westward across north -central Thailand, the Sun Men district in the northern province of Phrae was battered yesterday morning, with toppled trees and power poles, and roofs blown off houses. Provincial governor Pongrat Piromrat called an urgent meeting of all district…
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Elderly man killed by train north of Pattaya
An elderly man died after being crushed by a train in Nong Pangpuay, Chon Buri, early yesterday morning at 5.30am. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the elderly man, aged between 85-90 years, killed after he train ran over him. Locals told police that it was the body of an elderly man name ‘Huan’. They said he had lived alone…
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Thai man claims he’s 128 years old, reveals his secrets for living
PHOTOS: khaosod.co.th A Thai man who claims he is 128 year old has revealed the secrets of his longevity to a reporter from khaosod.co.th. His ID card identifies that he was born during the reign of King Rama V on April 9, 1891. Mr. Orn Parnchompoo and his ‘young wife, 70 year old Song Parnchompoo, have 7 children and 11 grandchildren,…
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Happy Birthday PAWS Animal Shelter in Bangkok
PHOTO: Paws Bangkok “Saving lives one paw at a time.” On September 5, one of Bangkok’s much loved animal shelter, PAWS Bangkok, is throwing a celebration for its seventh birthday. It will a major fundraiser for the shelter to continue their great work. The cats and kittens from PAWS Bangkok will also be on site to provide some cuddles and thank…
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International acts coming to Bangkok soon
Here are some of the forthcoming gigs for international acts heading to the Big Mango for concerts in the next three months. Spoiled for choice now as Bangkok becomes a stop-over for most of the world’s big names these days. Jeremy Zucker September 10. Nakarin Space. New Jersey’s Jeremy Zucker will play his first ever Asian tour date September 10 at Bangkok’s Nakarin Space. Jeremy…
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Central Village at airport opens today after AoT told to remove entrance blockade
The AoT have been chastised by the Central Administrative Court after the court issued an injunction yesterday to stop their blockade at the entrance to the new Central Village luxury outlet at Suvarnabhumi. The controversial new shooting precinct, along the southern border of Bangkok’s largest airport, will open today as scheduled. All the obstacles blocking the entrance to the shopping outlet…
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Hua Hin property market stabilises
The condominium market in Hua Hin is returning to a “balanced state” thanks to a slow down in the launch of local developments in the coastal town. This follows the opening of many developments in 2011 and 2012, causing demand to fall behind the supply. Knight Frank Thailand’s director of research Risinee Sarikaputra says that in the middle of 2019, the…
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Pattaya Cricket Club competes in the Koh Chang Beach Cricket Tournament
Nine members of the PCC toured to Koh Chang to compete in the 5th International Beach Cricket Tournament from August 23-26, 2019. Simon Philbrook (Captain) and Dave Samways were already experienced beach cricketers, whilst Clive Rogerson, Bernard Lamprecht, Trevor Moolman, Ian Liddell (Reds), Gavin Perfect, Wesley Masterton and John Harvey were beach cricket virgins. Twelve teams from Koh Chang, Phuket,…
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Phuket’s Patong beach temporarily closed due to poor weather
PHOTO: Thai Meteorological Department The lingering remnants of tropical storm Podul passing through the north of Thailand, and currently making itself felt in Phuket, has lead Patong Chief Lifeguard Somprasong Sangchart to declare Patong beach closed for the day, with red flags posted the length of the beach. Mr Somprasong urges beach-goers to heed the warnings and stay out of…
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Canadian man found dead, with throat cut, in northern Thailand
A 60 year old Canadian man has been found with his throat slashed at a Chiang Mai guesthouse. The man’s body was discovered by the housekeeper, who alerted the police. The man, who has been named as Kevin Thomas, had been staying at the property in Suthep district for several months. It’s not yet known if the cut to his…
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Meeting planned between Central developer and AoT to resolve luxury outlet row
PHOTO: Central Pattana Plc Central Pattana Plc (CPN) and Airports of Thailand (AoT) are being asked to sit down and thrash out their differences in a face to face meeting today. The meeting is being arranged by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, and comes in the wake of AoT expressing safety concerns over the location of the as yet unopened Central…
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Man fakes being a nurse in Thai hospital – for 11 years
PHOTO: Sanook A male nurse who faked his qualifications has managed to get away with working in the emergency department of a hospital in Loei province, Isaan, for 11 years. The Sanook News team reports that the “nurse”, known as Kowit, was employed at the Pak Chom hospital, having used a fake graduation certificate and nursing licence from Khon Kaen…
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Vachira Phuket Hospital doctor calls for microscope donations
Boonlert Sripairotkul, a Neurologist at Vachira Phuket Hospital, has posted a call for donations in order to purchase a new microscope for the hospital as the current machine has been used since 2002 and “produces strange noises”. The 17 year old microscope has been used for brain, spinal cord and blood vessels operations. The doctor told TheBangkokInsight that hospitals in…
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Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong arrested ahead of planned rally
PHOTO: South China Morning Post Activist Joshua Wong from the Demosisto party has been arrested in Hong Kong, along with fellow campaigners. The arrests come ahead of a rally planned for this weekend. A statement on Demosisto’s Twitter account confirmed the arrests, adding that Wong was pushed into a minivan while on his way to an underground train station. “Our…
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Defence team will seek royal pardon for Burmese pair facing death penalty over Koh Tao murders
Yesterday the Thai Supreme Court decided to uphold the death sentences handed down previously to the two young Burmese men for the September 2014 murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao. The defence team says they will now seek a royal pardon for the pair in the next 60 days. The defendants, now 26 year old, were escorted from…
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Thai tourist numbers recover mid-year after a shaky few months in Q2
After a few dips in April and May, tourists to Thailand flocked back, up 4.72% for July compared to a year earlier. Tourist arrivals in June were up a much more modest .89%. 3.33 million tourists visited the country during July and spent 167.3 billion baht (USD5.47 billion), up 3.11% from a year earlier. Visitors from China, where there’s been…
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More trains and more carriages for the Bangkok BTS fleet
Bangkokians will enjoy better services on the BTS Skytrain after the operator added an extra 27 trains into service, bringing the total number to 79. BTS Group Holdings MD Surapong Laoha-anya says they’ve taken delivery of 27 new trains out of a total of 46 it currently has on order, according to Thai PBS. He added that all the new…
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Museflower Life Festival – Holistic wellness weekend in Chiang Rai, October 11-14
Museflower Retreat & Spa Chiang Rai is delighted to announce its fifth annual Museflower Life Festival, celebrating all things healing, holistic, and green with more workshops and classes than before, coming this October 11 – 14, 2019. Internationally known as northern Thailand’s first all-inclusive vegetarian holistic wellness retreat, Museflower Retreat & Spa Chiang Rai is especially known for its affordable, professional…
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Drug courier crashes off the road in Ayutthaya, police find 160,000 meth pills
PHOTOS: ejan.co A drug runner has been arrested and methamphetamine pills and crystal methamphetamine (ice) seized after his pickup careered off a road in the Bang Pahan district in Ayutthaya this morning. The incident happened on the north-bound highway Khwan Muang, Ayutthaya, central Thailand, at 8am today. Emergency responders found a white pickup truck stuck in a roadside ditch. It was…
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Burmese Koh Tao murder ‘guilty’ conviction upheld by Thai Supreme Court
The Thai Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences for two Burmese 26 year old men convicted of murdering two British backpackers on Koh Tao in 2014. After spending two hours reading the 60 page verdict, the Judge upheld the rulings by two lower courts that found Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo guilty of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller…
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Thailand’s Supreme Court upholds ‘guilty’ death sentence of migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo
The Thai Supreme Court has handed down its verdict following an appeal lodged last year by Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo against their death penalty sentence in the Koh Tao murder case. The judge has upheld the ‘guilty’ death sentence and conviction of Koh Tao murder case accused Rakhine migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo. The pair…
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Google moves manufacture of Pixel phone from China to Vietnam
Google is shifting the manufacturer of their Pixel smartphone from China to Vietnam. The move is said to happen before the end of this year, as reported by Nikkei. Google cited increasing Chinese labour costs and added pressure from tariffs in the ongoing China-US trade spat. The US-based internet giant is reported to be moving both the manufacturer of its…
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Central Village developer vows to plough ahead with Suvarnabhumi opening
PHOTO: Bangkok Post The developer of the luxury outlet near Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport is vowing to continue with the opening of Central Village as planned. Airports of Thailand (AoT) is blocking the entrance to the 5-billion-baht development, scheduled to open this Saturday. Central Pattana Plc (CPN) is petitioning the Administrative Court for an injunction against AoT, with CPN President Preecha…
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Four dogs rescued in north of Bangkok after being starved for a month
PHOTO: Thai PBS World Thai PBS World reports that four dogs have been rescued from a house in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, after being found locked in a cage with no access to food or water. It’s understood that the dogs had been there almost a month. An additional 9 dead dogs were also found at the property,…
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