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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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Thailand’s Covid hotline inundated with calls over Songkran holiday period
The National Health Security Office says the Covid-19 1330 hotline received around 10,000 calls a day over the Songkran holiday period. According to NHSO secretary-general, Dr Jadet Thammathat-aree, many of the calls were requests for medication for Covid patients who were isolating at home. Other callers wanted to find out about treatment available under the universal healthcare scheme. The Bangkok…
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Will Milli’s mango stunt help Thailand’s farmers?
After budding Thai rap star “Milli” ate a bowl of sticky rice and mango onstage in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands at California’s Coachella festival, Thailand’s mango farmers might rake in some dough. Despite being the largest exporter of mangoes in the world, Thailand has had problems with mango shipment due to Covid-19. Sayan Bunying, president of…
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Investigation launched into Don Mueang passenger building collapse
The Ministry of Transport has begun an investigation into the partial collapse of a new passenger building at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, the home of most of the international discount airlines and some of the domestic budget carriers. According to the initial damage assessments, a heavy storm on Sunday evening led to a build-up of rainfall that the building’s guttering…
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Democrat party leader apologies, ‘accepts responsibility’ for Prinn’s sex scandal
Thailand’s Democrat party leader has publicly apologised and accepted responsibly for the high-profile sex scandal of Prinn Panitchpakdi, who stepped down last week as the party’s deputy leader, as a wave of sexual abuse and rape allegations mount against him. Speaking at a press conference at party headquarters in Bangkok on Monday, commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit apologised on the party’s…
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Billionaire asks PM Prayut to scrap Thailand Pass and Test & Go
An American-born Thai billionaire has written another open letter to Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha calling for an ease in entry restrictions to help the country’s tourism industry recover. William ‘Bill’ Heinecke, founder of the huge Minor Group, says scrapping Thailand Pass and Test & Go will attract international tourists back into the kingdom. The letter, written yesterday, presents quite the…
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Arrest warrant issued for former Thailand PM Yingluck after she skips court date
Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was issued an arrest warrant by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on Tuesday, after she failed to appear at the court’s hearing for charges in a case filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC. Hardly a surprise, the former elected PM of Thailand fled the country in 2017 and…
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Northern Thai man reveals secret to 44 baht electricity bill
In Thailand, the price of your electricity bill almost completely depends on your use, or non use, of air conditioning, especially if you decided to sleep with it on. But one man in Phitsanulok, central Thailand, found a way to get his bill down from 4000 baht to just 44 baht, yet keep his air conditioner on all day and…
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Officers insist total traffic accidents, deaths during ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ is “not so bad”
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM, has announced that the total traffic accidents and injuries during last week’s “Seven Dangerous Days” had actually reduced, compared to the average for the past three years, even though the number of deaths this year had increased. According to a summary of the data, from April 11 to 17, there were…
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Ghost demands 20K baht from Thai man who destroyed spirit house
A Thai man from Chon Buri province claims a vengeful spirit possessed his body and forced him to attempt suicide on two occasions. A Buddhist monk reportedly communicated with the spirit in the early hours of this morning and, apparently, the ghost wants the man to rectify a crime he committed 19 years ago… by repaying 20,000 baht and ordaining…
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Armed man robs gold shop in Pattani, southern Thailand – VIDEO
An armed man has robbed a gold shop in a Big C supermarket in Pattani province, southern Thailand. Police say the thief stole a total of nine necklaces worth 15 baht weight in gold (a ‘baht’ in gold is about 15 grams). According to CTV footage, the robber walked by the Yang Hub Teng gold and jewellery shop in the…
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Thailand DSI seizes counterfeit luxury goods in Phuket valued at more than 50 million baht
Officers from Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation raided warehouses in Phuket on Monday, where they seized more than 100,000 counterfeit items valued at more than 50 million baht. The director of the Intellectual Property Department under the DSI investigated 5 warehouses that were reported to have stockpiled counterfeit goods. Authorities found fake luxury brand goods stored in 5 warehouses, including…
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Former leader Suu Kyi breaks silence, urges Burmese to ‘be united’
In rare comments, the former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has called on the Burmese people to be united. According to a Reuters report, the comments were confirmed by a source close to Suu Kyi’s legal proceedings. Suu Kyi, along with the democratically elected government, was ousted by a military coup on February 1 last year. The former…
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Rebel group PULO won’t engage in peace talks if independence is off the table
The leader of a rebel group in Thailand’s Deep South said the rebels will not engage in peace talks with the Thai government if the possibility of independence in Thailand’s southern border region is off the table. Under the framework of Thailand’s current constitution, the kingdom remains indivisible. The group’s leader Kasturi Makhota made the announcement days after his rebel…
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Police raid illegal ‘casino’ on Koh Samui located near police station
Officers from Bor Put police station in Koh Samui raided an illegal “casino” located in the middle of the island yesterday evening. They were joined by the island’s mayor, Chayapon Intarasupa. Those running the operation allegedly allowed people to gamble in different games to win money, according to reports. Thai media reported that the illegal gambling centre was a one-story…
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Thai virologist says Covid-19 does not affect the immune system like HIV does
A prominent Thai virologist has taken to Facebook to reassure people that Covid-19 does not destroy the immune system in the way the human immunodeficiency virus does. According to Dr Anan Jongkaewwattana, the Covid-19 virus affects T-cells in a similar manner to HIV, but the outcomes of both scenarios are completely different. The virologist from the National Centre for Genetic…
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US mask mandate on public transport lifted following court ruling
A federal judge in Florida has ruled that a mask mandate on public transport in the US is unlawful, eliminating the disease prevention measure. According to a Reuters report, the mandate was extended last week until May 3, requiring passengers on trains, planes, in taxis, and at transit hubs to wear face masks. The lifting of the mandate comes as…
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Health ministry sticking to plan to declare Covid-19 endemic by July
The Public Health Ministry says it’s on track to declare Covid-19 endemic in Thailand by July 1, despite a prediction of increased deaths, particularly among the elderly. The Bangkok Post reports that Dr Chakkarat Pitayowonganon from the Department of Disease Control says it will take between 2 and 4 weeks to determine if case numbers will reach over 100,000 a…
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Health ministry stockpiles medication in anticipation of Covid-19 surge
Thailand’s health ministry has stocked up on Covid-19 treatment, in anticipation of a surge in infections following the Songkran holiday. Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul says hospitals are also standing by to treat at-risk patients, while those who are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms can be treated at home. The Bangkok Post reports that around 110 million favipiravir pills have…
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Service Hall at Don Mueang Airport collapses in storm
A thunderstorm hit Bangkok yesterday, causing the Service Hall at Don Mueang International airport to collapse. The hall was built just one year ago but hasn’t yet been used due to low levels of international travel throughout the pandemic. No injuries or deaths were reported. Luckily there was no one in there at the time. The walls of the Service…
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Rescue worker shot dead after rival volunteer groups brawl in Bangkok
A volunteer rescue worker has died, after reportedly receiving a lethal gunshot wound to the chest during a street brawl that broke out between two rival volunteer foundations on Sunday in Bangkok. Officers from Thonglor Police Station investigated Kasam Rat Road in front of Lotus’s Rama 4 branch in Bangkok yesterday, after receiving a report of a fight between two…
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100 year old banyan tree falls down, kills 10 year old boy
A 10 year old boy was crushed to death by a 100 year old banyan tree which fell down this morning at a temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. The boy was sitting near the tree studying online when the incident happened. The boy sadly died instantly when the tree fell on him, crushing him underneath. The boy’s…
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Khon Kaen beauty queen says she was sexually assaulted by Grab driver
A Thai beauty contest winner has posted on Facebook claiming that she had been sexually assaulted by a Grab motorcycle taxi driver last Saturday in Khon Kaen, northeast Thailand. The beauty queen posted a screenshot of the Grab driver’s details online warning others against using his motorcycle taxi services. She has filed a police report at Khon Kaen City police…
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Thai man and 78 year old foreign stepfather arrested over child sex abuse in Phuket
A Thai man and his foreign stepfather have been arrested for allegedly engaging in child sex crimes and sexual abuse in Phuket. Police say the Thai man pretended to be a swimming coach and lured male children less than 15 years old into swimming at his stepfather’s house for potential sexual exploits. More than 15 children were reportedly involved in…
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Hotel and bar staff protest on Phuket’s Bangla Road after viral video prompts crackdown
The disgruntled staff of a Phuket hotel that was being used for late night parties have staged a protest on Phuket’s Bangla Road Walking Street, after their hotel was ‘outed’ for violating Thailand’s alcohol sales laws under current Covid-19 restrictions. The hotel had been operating as a defacto nightlife venue, assumedly away from the hustle bustle and attention of Bangla…
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Bomb disposal officers need blood donations after explosion in southern Thailand
A double bomb attack in Pattani province in southern Thailand on Friday killed a fisherman and injured 3 explosive ordnance disposal officers, leaving 2 of them severely injured and in desperate need of blood donations. By the way, Songklanagarind Hospital invites the public to urgently donate blood of any type at the hospital (details below). Lt. Col. Thanongsak Jesa, an…
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Monday Covid Update: 16,994 new cases; provincial totals
124 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,006 with 5,308 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 16,994 new Covid-19 cases and 25,910 recoveries. There are now 205,514 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Teenagers in Thailand will be eligible to receive Pfizer booster jabs from May
Starting in May, teenagers in Thailand aged 12-17 will be allowed to get a Pfizer booster shot for Covid-19, provided they’ve received their second dose of a Covid vaccine within the past 6 months. The move is to boost students’ immunity to the virus ahead of new school year, which is set to begin next month, according to Dr. Opart…
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Australia welcomes the return of cruise ships as 2-year Covid ban lifted
Cruise ships are returning to Australia, following the lifting of a 2-year Covid ban, according to an AFP report. The ban was implemented in March 2020 in a bid to prevent the importation of Covid-19. It ended this morning with the arrival of the Pacific Explorer into Sydney Harbour. At the base of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, crowds gathered to…
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Myanmar grants amnesty to 1,600 prisoners, no political detainees released
Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to over 1,600 prisoners, including 42 foreigners, during the country’s New Year’s holiday from April 13-16. The figure is small compared to the 23,000 prisoners released during the holiday last year. Despite Myanmar’s ruling general’s promise to restore peace in the country this year, no political detainees were released. “As part of the celebration of…
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