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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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Immigration police track down officer involved in re-entry stamp scam
PHOTO: Bangkok Post An immigration officer has been suspended without pay for allegedly permitting foreign travellers to do a re-entry without them having to actually leave the country. Immigration chief Surachate Hakparn says his department has identified the officer and have named him in Thai media. “The officer confessed to have provided entry stamps in return for 5,000 baht from…
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Suspects are denying involvement in Tuesday’s Songkhla bomb attack
PHOTOS: The Nation Three suspects, arrested in connection with Tuesday’s murder and car-bomb attack in Songkhla, have denied any involvement in the incidents. Eight border patrol police members, including five women, were injured when a bomb, placed in a pickup truck, exploded at about 5.50am on a rural road near a knockdown structure used by border patrol police. The pickup used…
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Saudi woman refuses to meet her father
PHOTO: Immigration chief Surachate Hakparn and other senior immigration police officers meet Saudi Arabia’s charge d’affaires in Bangkok. The 18 year old Saudi young woman who fled her family in Saudi Arabia has refused to meet her father. The father, who flew in today and is taking the evening flight back to Riyadh, met with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) officials…
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Truck pulls down electric poll, damaging cars in Bangkok
A truck carrying an excavator accidentally pulled down an electricity pole in Bangkok this morning (Wednesday). The Nation reports that the truck , with an excavator loaded on its tray, got tangled on above-ground wires causing them to fall on top of the truck as well as two parked cars nearby. The accident, where no one was injured, disrupted electricity…
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Australian minister says Saudi teen will get “very serious consideration”: Thaiger Bite
The Australian Government has given its strongest hint yet that the 18 year old Saudi woman in Bangkok would be granted humanitarian asylum. This is despite efforts by Riyadh and her family to force her return home. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun has documented her bid to flee her allegedly abusive family with minute-by-minute Twitter updates, intensifying the global spotlight on Saudi…
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Trump’s appointed Ambassador to Cambodia misses shutdown deadline: Thaiger Bite
by The Phnom Penh Post The US Senate has returned the nomination of Patrick Murphy as Ambassador to Cambodia to US President Donald Trump as the American government shutdown enters its third week. The US Senate website announcement said it returned Murphy’s nomination as ambassador as his appointment was not approved by the close of the 115th US Congress period…
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French woman found floating off Koh Samui beach
Samui police report that the body the body of 42 year old Maud Isabeile Bailley was found floating at sea off Ao Thongket beach around 2.30 pm yesterday (Tuesday). The body was first seen floating by hotel staff who called police and rescue workers. Responders then brought the body back to shore. A friend of the deceased has identified the…
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Himalayan griffon vulture found in a Krabi rubber plantation after storm
PHOTOS: DNP A large but weak Himalayan griffon vulture has been found in a Krabi rubber plantation after poor weather on Monday. It’s believed to have come from Tibet. The head of Phang Nga Breeding Centre, Teetat Damudom says, “The Himalayan griffon vulture was brought to us on Monday. The vulture was been found by locals at a rubber plantation…
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UPDATE: Saudi embassy in Bangkok distances itself from al-Qunun story
“Al-Qunun says she doesn’t want to meet with her father or brother.” The Thai immigration police chief yesterday met with Saudi Embassy officials in Bangkok as Saudi Arabia tried to distance itself from accusations that it tried to block a young woman trying to flee her family and seek asylum in Australia. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport from…
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Krabi taxi driver fined after not using taxi meter
PHOTOS: The Krabi PR Office A taxi driver has been charged after he was found not using his taxi meter at Krabi International Airport yesterday (Tuesday). The Chief of the Krabi Land Transport Office was notified by officers at the Krabi International Airport that a the taxi driver was found not to start his taxi meter and had the meter…
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Jobless rate rises – December figures in South Korea *Thaiger Bite
PHOTO: Yonhap South Korea’s jobless rate rose slightly in December from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, as the finance minister vowed to create 150,000 jobs this year. The unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent last month, up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of employed people reached…
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Chinese tourist drowns at Koh Racha
A 31 year old Chinese man has drowned at Koh Racha yesterday. The Phuket Tourist Police were notified of the incident at 3.30pm yesterday (Tuesday). The man was later identified by tourist police as Zhu Kai from Tianjin, China. Mr Zhu was travelling alone. He bought a one day trip to Racha Yai Island. A tour guide told police that after…
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Insurgents murder teacher and use his vehicle as a car bomb
by Somchai Samart & Supitcha Rattana A car bomb explosion in Songkhla’s Thepa district yesterday has shocked locals after insurgents are suspected of killing a 62 year old school teacher and stealing his pickup to be used in the the attack. Security officials collecting evidence at the scene of the explosion checked the totally destroyed vehicle and found that it…
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Man shot dead by colleague in front of daughter
PHOTO: Amarin TV A man has been killed by his colleague in front his young daughter after he refused to conspire with him to cheat their boss out of money in Kanchanaburi, in western Thailand. Amarin TV reports that on Sunday 25 year old salesman Pongsin Pinkate, was shot dead by 35 year old colleague Pakkapon Kaewprink. Pongsin was killed…
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Man shoots self at Bangkok bus stop. Sends message to friend and daughter.
PHOTO: The Nation The Min Buri police station was alerted to an apparent suicide at 3am today at a bus stop in Bangkok’s Bang Chan district. A man had shot himself at the Bangkok bus stop after sending Line messages to his friend and daughter. Police say 50 year old Pramote Iam-aram, a local factory worker, died inside the bus…
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UPDATE: Father and brother traveling to Thailand to speak to Saudi 18 year old
The father and brother of a the Saudi 18 year old, whose plea for asylum is making international headlines, are travelling to Thailand later today to give their accounts to the UN refugee agency, the Thai Immigration police chief said on Tuesday. But Immigration Chief, Surachet Hakparn says, if they wished to speak to Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who ran away…
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100% occupancy in Sin City over new year
PHOTO: บริษัท โสภณ เคเบิ้ล ที.วี.และสื่อสาร พัทยา จำกัด Sophon Cable has quoted a leading business and tourism official who said that Pattaya was booming and only good times are ahead for the resort. They trumpeted that New Year was a fantastic success with all the shows and giveaways, and the upcoming events meant that “family friendly” Pattaya was “all systems go” and…
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More sea turtle eggs found on Phang Nga Beach
PHOTO: DMCR In another really positive sign for the future of the leatherback sea turtle population in the region, 112 sea turtle eggs were found at Kuek Kak Beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga this morning. 64 of the eggs have now been carefully moved to a safe area at the same beach whilst 48 eggs had already broken. 64…
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VIDEO: Thai firefighters and rescuers cross border to help Cambodian firefighters
PHOTO: The Mirror A fire which broke out in an building in Poipet, Cambodia on Monday night, saw Thai fire trucks and rescue workers from the bordering town of Aranyaprathet, cross the border to help put out the fire. Poipet is a Cambodian town well known for its various casinos, which caters to Chinese and Thai gamblers. Poipet is located…
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Malaysian rulers to choose new monarch by the end of the month
PHOTO: The Straits Times Malaysia’s Conference of Rulers will meet in about two weeks’ time to elect the country’s new constitutional monarch, as well as a deputy after the ruling monarch, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped down on Sunday in an unprecedented move. The 16th King, or Supreme Ruler, and a deputy will be sworn in at the end of the…
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Police chasing people taking pot shots at road signs in Rawai
Rawai’s Mayor is considering further legal action after many road signs around Rawai have been damaged by gunfire. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos headed to an area near Naiharn lake in Rawai, about 500 metres from Promthep Cape, after being informed that road signs had been damaged by gunshots. “About 10 road signs have been damaged by bullets. Photos have been…
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Saudi woman remains under UN care in Thailand
From VOA News reporters Thai authorities say a young Saudi woman, stopped in Thailand as she tried to flee to Australia to seek asylum, has now left the Suvarnabhumi Airport and is under the care of the local UN refugee agency. “She is under the care of the UNHCR now but we also sent Thai security to help take care…
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Superheroes and mega malls – The Thailand Tourism Forum 2019
Record attendance at Thailand’s largest annual hospitality event discovering how the tourism and transport sector is getting a massive makeover. The Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) returns for its eighth edition on January 21, 2019, with an agenda focusing on the mega-projects that are currently transforming the tourism landscape in Bangkok and beyond. Running under the theme “Managing Tourism – Ensuring…
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UPDATE: Leopard Cat recovering after car accident with Soi Dog Foundation vets
PHOTO: ‘Happy Tiger’ – Recovering at Soi Dog Foundation, Mai Khao The condition of the Leopard Cat remains much the same – there has been no real improvement. The leopard cat is still under the care of Soi Dog Foundation vets. The vets have reported that his left eye doesn’t respond to light or anything and is probably blind. The…
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Bottlenose dolphin found dead on Nakhon Si Thammarat beach
PHOTO: DMCR Following Sunday’s discovery of a dead porpoise on Sunday, a bottlenose dolphin has been found dead on a beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat as well following last Friday’s storm. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) reports that they were informed yesterday by Vachirapong Sakunrat who found the dead dolphin at Nadan Beach in Khanom, Nakhon Si…
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Civil Partnership Bill open for comment before heading to NLA
Members of the public are now being invited to comment on the Civil Partnership Bill on the Council of State’s website until January 23. The comments will be reviewed for consideration before the Council submits the bill to the National Legislative Assembly. If passed by the legislators, the law will make Thailand the first country in Asia to recognise same-sex…
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Allegedly negligent bus driver fined 5,000 baht, six dead get 30K compensation
Daily news has reported on the aftermath of a tour bus that crashed in Pathum Thani over the weekend. Pathum Thani is the province neighboring Bangkok to the west. As relatives of the six dead came to collect the bodies of their loved ones at Thammasat Chalermprakiat Hospital news arrived that the Department of Land Transport was likely to fine…
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Pabuk: PM visits Nakhon Si Thammarat to survey damage
Between January 3-6, Pabuk was responsible for the death of four people and has affected the lives of more than 720,000 in 23 southern provinces. The death toll from the storm has now risen to four while three southern provinces are still reeling from its impact yesterday. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department director-general Chayapol Thitisak said that his department…
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UPDATE: Standoff at Suvarnabhumi – Thai Immigration reverse decision
Speaking at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport where Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun is refusing to board a flight back to her family that she fled in Saudi Arabi, Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn says now that Thailand has reversed it’s thinking on the matter and will not deport her against her will. “If deporting would result in her death we definitely won’t do…
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Southern rail services back to normal
Rail services suspended in the South following after recent flooding in Nakhon Si Thammarat are back in full service again. The good news from the State Railway of Thailand acting governor Worwaut Mala. The rail line to the South was partially flooded and damaged after storm Pabuk unleashed heavy rains in the area last Friday afternoon and evening. Workers had…
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