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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Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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New four-lane highway to boost eastern Thailand connectivity
The Songkran holiday season might be chaotic with traffic jams, but a major four-lane highway upgrade in eastern Thailand promises to ease congestion in the future. Highways 3486 and 348 are set to undergo a significant transformation with the construction of a 48-kilometre, 4-lane highway, designed to improve traffic flow and protect local wildlife. The Department of Highways (DOH) has…
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Locals slam Phuket cops for freeing thug after savage attack on foreign woman
Phuket residents criticised the police for releasing a man just two days after his arrest for an unprovoked, vicious assault on an unnamed foreign woman. The Phuket Times shared a video of the assault on April 4. The incident occurred at around 1pm on Thep Kasattri Road in the Thalang area of Phuket. The video showed the foreign victim standing…
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Thailand and Japan unite for Songkran Warm Water Onsen event
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is collaborating with Japan to celebrate the Songkran Warm Water Onsen event, aiming to link the Songkran festival with international tourism promotion. This initiative is expected to boost foreign visits to Thailand. Thapanee Kiatpaiboon, Governor of TAT, announced that this month, TAT will actively promote Thailand’s Songkran festival. For example, from April 5 to…
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Quake leaves 55 Bangkok buildings unusable, inspections continue
The Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning announced the results of building inspections following a recent earthquake. Some 55 buildings have been deemed severely damaged and are prohibited from use. Meanwhile, 6,487 buildings remain operational, and 361 have moderate damage. Yesterday, April 7, the Building Damage Inspection Centre, in collaboration with various engineering bodies including the Council…
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Woman dies in Kathu crash after car crosses median
A tragic accident occurred in Kathu in the early hours of yesterday morning, resulting in the death of a woman after her car crossed a road median and crashed into an oncoming pickup truck. Police were notified of the accident at 1.46am, yesterday, April 7, with Police Lieutenant Colonel Somchai Nubun from Kathu Police Station responding alongside rescue personnel from…
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Big Joke sends 300 southerners home for Songkran
Former police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn has made Songkran celebrations even sweeter for over 300 southerners by sending them back home with free flights and VIP bus rides, easing the financial burden during tough economic times. At Don Mueang International Airport, Big Joke, President of the Southern Association under Royal Patronage, personally waved off 320 people headed back to…
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Teen arrested for fatal stabbing at Ayutthaya traffic light
A 17 year old from Ayutthaya was arrested for fatally stabbing a 19 year old during an altercation at a traffic light. It was later revealed that the deceased was a relative. The incident occurred yesterday, April 7, at 1am, on Rojana Road in Ayutthaya. The suspect, referred to as A, was apprehended by Police Colonel Adirek Bothipan and his…
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Pattaya technician blasted off pole in fiery high-voltage horror
A Pattaya technician was left fighting for his life after being blasted by a high-voltage electric shock and falling from a utility pole in a fiery workplace disaster. The shocking incident occurred at 7.36pm yesterday, April 7, along Phra Tamnak Road near Soi 2 in Pattaya City. The Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Unit’s radio centre received an urgent distress call,…
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Family feud over inheritance sparks public dispute
A 48 year old woman reached out to the media to present her side of a family dispute after her stepson, appeared on a popular television show. The woman’s stepson, 24 year old Phuwat, known as Joe, accused his step mother, Phattharaporn, step-siblings and the police, of conspiring to frame him with drugs to seize inheritance assets worth over a…
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4 more bodies found in Bangkok building collapse takes toll to 20
Four more bodies have been discovered beneath the debris of the collapsed Zone C of the new State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak, Bangkok, taking the death toll to 20 with 77 reported missing. These bodies, found crushed by the structure yet intact, were uncovered at approximately 7.45am today, April 8, opposite the collapsed building site. Anuwat Pho-ampai, a…
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Motorways open free for Songkran travel from April 11 to April 17
During the upcoming Songkran festival, the Department of Highways (DoH) is preparing to facilitate travel by opening two motorway routes free of charge. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, stated that a significant number of people are expected to travel to their hometowns or on vacation during this period. To ensure smooth and safe travel from April…
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Bangkok quake collapse sparks probe into 2.1bn baht project
A 2.1-billion-baht government headquarters crumbled like a house of cards during Bangkok’s recent earthquake and now, investigators are chasing down the company behind it. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has launched a high-profile probe into the collapse of the new State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak, which gave way during the 4.1-magnitude quake on March 28. The incident…
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Stream fright: Chiang Mai tot gets unwelcome leech up her nose
A hospital in Chiang Mai issued a warning to the public to exercise caution when using water from natural sources after a three year old girl was found to have a leech in her nose because she washed her face in a stream. The case was shared by a doctor from Nakhonping Hospital in Mueang District, Chiang Mai, via the…
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Two boys drown in Loei River tragedy in Wang Saphung
A tragic incident unfolded in Wang Saphung district, Loei province when two 13 year old boys drowned in the Loei River. The distressing event occurred around 3.30pm, yesterday, April 7, near the Siri Songkhram Shrine in Wang Saphung municipality. Police Lieutenant Colonel Nattakamon Thaoklang from Wang Saphung Police Station received the report and coordinated with the municipality’s disaster prevention and…
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Thailand video news | Russians now hold 1 in 4 foreign work permits in Phuket, Vietnam warns of economic hit from sudden 46% US tariff
In today’s Thailand video news, Alex and Jay deliver key headlines from Thailand and Southeast Asia. In Phuket, Russians now hold one in four foreign work permits, signalling a shift from tourism to long-term residency. Meanwhile in Bangkok, a fraud scandal leads to a dramatic police station jump. Over in Ayutthaya, a bus crash injures more than 20 factory workers.…
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Bangkok news crew threatened at mall shooting scene
A Bangkok news crew found themselves at the centre of a chilling showdown when alleged bodyguards threatened and detained them while covering a fatal shooting at a mall in the Lat Phrao area. The News Broadcasting Council of Thailand and the Broadcasting Journalists Association of Thailand urged the national police commissioner general to launch an urgent investigation and pursue legal…
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New dad and pal busted in Pattaya drug sting
Two drug runners in Pattaya found themselves slammed, quite literally, by police during a sting operation that ended with a rear-end collision, a massive drug bust, and one new father behind bars. At 6pm yesterday, April 7, Bang Lamung police teamed up with local officials to take down two key players in a major drug network operating across Pattaya and…
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Phuket locals demand action after foreigners brawl on Bangla Road
Phuket locals yesterday demanded action from police officers after three foreign men engaged in a physical altercation on Bangla Road. A Thai man, Somnuck Chanagune, shared a video of the chaos on Bangla Road on his Facebook account, yesterday, April 7, with a caption that read, “Enjoy boxing in the early hours.” Three foreigners were seen engaging in an altercation,…
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Wife seeks justice for husband’s Bangkok train death
A tragic incident occurred at Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok last week, resulting in the death of a 43 year old Thai man after he fell from a train. His 40 year old wife is seeking justice amidst concerns of negligence. On April 3, at about 7am, Kawin Karaket, accompanied by his 17 year old daughter Kawinthita, travelled from Prachantakham…
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Pattaya host bar raided for operating beyond permitted hours
In the early hours of today, law enforcement officials, led by Police Colonel Anek Srathongyu, raided a host bar in Pattaya operating beyond permitted hours. The operation resulted in the detention of the establishment’s manager for further investigation. The raid, conducted at 2.36am, today, April 8, was a collaborative effort involving the Pattaya City Police, special operations police, and district officers,…
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Tragic Pathum Thani accident claims young woman’s life
A 23 year old woman yesterday lost her life in an accident involving a motorcycle and a truck in Pathum Thani province. Her passenger, a friend, escaped unharmed. The incident took place around 5pm, yesterday, April 7, at kilometre marker 16 on the road leading to Pathum Thani 2 Bridge in Ban Mai subdistrict, Mueang district. Police Lieutenant Phongsathorn Laelert…
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Songkhla couple extorted of 8.2m baht for son’s jail release
A couple has engaged a lawyer to report a gang for allegedly extorting 8.2 million baht by claiming connections with ministers, MPs, and senators to secure their son’s release from prison. The accused also falsely claimed a position as an advisor to a parliamentary committee. Yesterday, April 7, lawyer Chatchawan Bamrungwong accompanied 64 year old Sunaiya, a Songkhla resident, to…
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Van-detta in Phuket: Foreign tourist sued for road rage ruck (video)
A Thai van driver filed a lawsuit against a foreign man for allegedly assaulting him and another motorist during a traffic dispute on the Bypass Road in Phuket on Sunday, April 6. Newshawk Phuket Facebook page shared a video of the physical altercation yesterday, April 7. The incident was detailed in the caption which read, “#Phuket #ForeignerPunchesThais This incident took…
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Census kicks off as Thailand tackles falling births, ageing locals, migrants
Thailand has launched its first national census in over a decade in a bold bid to tackle a wave of pressing population problems: from declining birth rates and labour shortages to an ageing society and rising migration. The census, which began on April 1 and runs until June 19, aims to collect fresh demographic data to help the government craft…
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Thai man kills wife on Buriram roadside before suicide attempt
A Thai man consumed by jealousy abandoned his daughter mid-journey and later killed his wife at the roadside in the Isaan province of Buriram before attempting to commit suicide. Officers from Pakham Police Station were alerted to the discovery of a woman’s body yesterday, April 7, on the roadside in Ban Maidaeng, Hua Krasang, in the Pakham district of Buriram,…
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Man found dead in hammock in Phayao, murder suspected
A man was found dead in a hammock at a garden home, with police investigating the death as a murder. The incident occurred on Sunday, April 6, at a cottage in Don Kham Tai subdistrict, Phayao province. The police are pursuing two potential motives: a personal dispute or drug-related issues. Yesterday, police officers, including Police Lieutenant Colonel Chaiyasit Khadphab, Deputy…
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Tragic death of Burmese boy in Bangkok after choking on food
A five year old boy from Myanmar, weighing over 50 kilogrammes, tragically died after choking on food at his home in the Rat Burana district of Bangkok. The incident occurred around 12.10am, today, April 8, with police and medical personnel from Siriraj Hospital responding to the scene. The boy was discovered on the ground floor of a three-storey commercial building,…
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Foreign motorcyclist seriously injured after race in Chiang Mai
A foreign motorcyclist sustained serious injuries after allegedly racing with his friend and crashing into a police booth in Chiang Mai in the early hours of yesterday, April 7. CCTV footage of the accident, shared on Channel 8, showed the foreigner’s motorcycle overturning near the footpath at Sanpakoi Intersection in the Mueang district of Chiang Mai. Another motorcyclist, who was reported…
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Thai fugitive extradited from China for Dr Boon network fraud
Thai police have arrested a broker linked to the Doctor Boon Vanasin network at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. She was extradited from China yesterday to face charges of fraud and deception totalling over 14 billion baht. Thitiporn Chalermrattanaprateep was apprehended in China while fleeing these charges. She was returned to Thailand via China Southern Airlines flight CZ361, which landed at Suvarnabhumi…
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Thundering news: Wet ‘n’ wild weather to storm Thailand towns
Weather woes are set to strike as the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issues a dramatic alert for thunderstorms set to drench 48 provinces, including bustling Bangkok. With heavy downpours predicted to soak 40% of the area, residents are warned of wild winds and the possibility of hail in some spots. The culprit? A pesky moderate high-pressure system hanging over the…
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