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.
-
Thailand Pass – The Full Guide
All you need to know about the Thailand Pass. Here’s the website for the Thailand Pass. tp.consular.go.th ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you need assistance with your Thailand Pass application you can enlist the services of AQ.in.th Team by using their Full Service Thailand Pass service (average approval time 12-48 hours).
-
Deputy minister in Vietnam prosecuted in fake medicine scandal
A deputy health minister in Vietnam is being prosecuted, accused by security officials of looking the other way for a ring that was busted trading fake medication. 59 year old Truong Quoc Cuong is the current head of drug and cosmetics management in Vietnam after becoming a deputy minister in 2016. The Ministry of Public Security in Vietnam is run…
-
Thai woman found dead in bathroom of Koh Larn resort
A Thai woman on holiday on the resort island of Koh Larn near Pattaya was found dead in her bathroom, according to the Pattaya Police. The 26 year old woman was staying at a resort, the name of which has not been released pending further investigation, near Sangwan Beach on the tropical island. The woman was staying with 2 friends…
-
Police say there’s enough evidence to convict “Joe Ferrari” on all 4 charges
The Royal Thai Police say they have gathered enough evidence to convict the former police superintendent “Joe Ferrari” on all four charges he faces, including killing by torture, which carries a maximum penalty of death. The officer, Thitisan Uthanapol, is accused of suffocating a suspect to death while demanding a 2 million baht bribe. The police handed over a 2,000+…
-
Friday Covid Update: 8,148 new cases; provincial totals
80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,542 with 19,448 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,148 new Covid-19 cases and 8,238 recoveries. There are now 97,480 people in Thailand being…
-
American woman convicted of mother’s murder deported from Indonesia to USA to face charges
An American woman who was convicted of murdering her mother in Indonesia, has been deported to the US to face charges in her home country. Heather Mack, from Chicago, Illionois, was convicted back in 2015, for killing her mother in Bali. Her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, was also charged. Police say the couple stuffed her mother, Sheila von Wiese Mack’s dead…
-
Covid-19 subsiding in Philippines drops capital region to Alert Level 2
As Covid-19 infections start to slow in the Philippines, Metro Manila and the capital region will reduce their restriction rating to Alert Level 2 out of 5. The easing will be in effect until November 21 as vaccination rates are increasing and daily infections are subsiding. The country is still reporting close to 2,000 infections per day, though yesterday say…
-
Police to crack down on politically motivated crimes during local elections
Local elections are serious in Thailand… So serious that police plan to deploy tens of thousands of officers during the November 28 sub district polls to crack down on politically motivated crimes and violations of local election law as well as to prevent clashes between candidates. In the past, crimes and violations driven by local politics have ranged from destroying…
-
Why great coffee is an office must-have
Press Release Why do we need coffee at the office? This is not a rhetorical question. Do we need to socialize with team members and customers? Do we need it because it boosts our energy which helps us be more productive? Do we need it because it’s our craving? Do we need it because it’s the icebreaker in meetings? Or,…
-
UPDATED: 40 Covid-19 infections prompt closure of Mukdahan school
UPDATE: After earlier reports of an outbreak of 40 Covid-19 infections at Khamsoipitthayasan School in Mukdahan, the Communicable Disease Committee in the province quarantined and tested all 1,202 students and 72 staff and teachers. They took RT-PCR tests at 7 am and all 1,274 tests came back negative, with no confirmed Covid-19 infections. The whole school had been quarantined at Wat Phu…
-
Want to come to Thailand? Here’s the process and required documents – VIDEO
Thailand has officially reopened to vaccinated travellers from overseas. Those travelling from countries considered by the Thai government to be at a low risk of Covid-19 are eligible for quarantine exemption, with just a minimal isolation period for visitors at their hotel as they wait for Covid-19 test results. Those from other countries can enter under a Sandbox programme or…
-
Thai woman’s bedtime routine rudely interrupted by giant King Cobra
A 3-metre long King Cobra recently slithered into a 55 year old Thai woman’s bed in southeastern Thailand, giving her a not-so-fun surprise. The woman, Janhom Bamrungchai, says she was in the bathroom, when the snake made its move to enter her home and hide in her bed. She was shocked upon finding it and called emergency services to remove…
-
Despite errors, over 65,000 have applied for Thailand Pass
Despite a rash of technical issues, in just 4 days since launching the Thailand Pass, over 65,000 people have applied for it in order to reenter Thailand. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the figures yesterday and stated that 13,000 people have already been approved in the new scheme. From November 1 until yesterday morning, 65,338 applications for the Thailand…
-
Pop megastars ABBA release first album in 40 years
Some said it would never happen. In fact, they themselves frequently said it would never happen. But pop fans around the world are rejoicing over the return of Swedish supergroup, ABBA. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid have reunited for the release of Voyage, their first album in 40 years. It will be followed by an “avatar” concert planned for March…
-
4 new holidays in Thailand hoped to stimulate domestic travel
Apparently in an effort to boost tourism revenue in Thailand, the Thai Cabinet has approved the creation of 4 new holidays in the middle of next year that allows for extra-long weekends. The government hopes that the creation of these long holiday weekends will encourage domestic travellers to take short getaway holidays around Thailand and stimulate the economy. The move…
-
Friday Covid Update: 8,148 new cases and 80 deaths
8,148 new Covid-19 cases and 80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA reported 8,238 recoveries. There are now 97,480 people in Thailand receiving treatment for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a…
-
Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a soft re-opening for the holiday destinations of Hua Hin and Cha-am during the last quarter of 2021. In total, deputy TAT governor Nithee Seeprae says both resort cities are only expected to receive 5% of 2019’s foreign tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says foreign tourists cannot stay in either…
-
Fighting internet censorship with fashion
Introducing DW’s new Uncensored Collection, designed to draw attention to freedom of information. SOURCE: DW News
-
EU-funded hijab campaign sparks outrage
Young European Muslims say a decision to cancel a newly launched EU online campaign to promote acceptance of hijab is “an attack on human rights.” “Attacks on this vital campaign take place in a wider environment of a shrinking of civic space, where government actors routinely censor and limit the freedom of speech when it doesn’t fit their political agenda”…
-
Opinion: Ethiopia at risk of Balkanization
Jeffrey Feltman’s visit to Ethiopia on Thursday is the West’s last desperate attempt to rescue the tottering country. The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa will try topersuade Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to agree to a ceasefire and peace talks. The hope is to bring an end to the war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray…
-
COVID: How India is vaccinating isolated tribes in insurgency-hit areas
Minpa village, an isolated settlement in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh state, has just over 650 residents. Located nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the state capital Raipur, the village has no electricity, no potable drinking water supply and no road connectivity. One has to embark on an arduous journey to reach the place as it is located in the dense…
-
TAT revises goal to 700,000 international travellers to Thailand in 2021
Perhaps revising their previous goal of 1 million international tourists in the next 2 months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is hoping to hit a total of 700,000 international travellers in 2021. Thailand has launched a number of schemes to bring in foreigners during the Covid-19 pandemic to various levels of success so far. The Phuket Sandbox has been the…
-
Britain the first to approve Covid-19 antiviral pill Molnupiravir
Molnupiravir, the antiviral pill that fights Covid-19, has just been approved for use in Britain, the first country in the world to do so. The pill was developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms in patients infected with Covid-19. The drug is recommended to be used as soon as possible after a…
-
Burmese junta adds third charge for American journalist Fenster
The managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, American journalist Danny Fenster, has been held for months by the Burmese junta and has now been charged with a third criminal offence. He had originally been arrested in May when attempting to leave the country. After being held for nearly 6 months, Fenster is still on trial, accused of promoting dissent against the…
-
Thai health experts report three deaths linked to the Covid-19 vaccine
A committee under Thailand’s Public Health Ministry investigating fatalities following Covid-19 vaccination has found that the vaccine is linked to three deaths. So far, the committee investigated 842 of the 1,296 deaths following inoculation that have been reported as of October 24, according to an official from the Department of Disease Control. Out of the three people whose cause of…
-
Police raid Pattaya beach bar and arrest 30 customers
Police raided a beach bar in Pattaya at around 10pm last night and arrested 30 people for gathering and drinking alcohol, violating Chon Buri disease control measures which orders bars to remain closed and bans alcohol at restaurants. Officers on patrol last night heard loud music coming from Lisa on the Beach and found customers inside dancing and drinking alcohol…
-
Nonthaburi man arrested with stolen women’s underwear
In the Bangkok suburb of Nonthaburi, a local man has been apprehended by police for stealing women’s underwear, telling police that the 39 pairs that he had stolen he would wear himself. The 37-year old man was arrested on a warrant for burglary. The man admitted to a string of thefts at night in a housing estate in Nonthaburi called…
-
COP26: Saudi Arabia’s climate strategy: Greenwashing or genuine transformation?
It was a regular hot and sunny day in late October in Riyadh, when Dalia Samra-Rohte, delegate of the German Industry for Saudi Arabia, and Germany’s ambassador to the kingdom, Dieter Lamle, were busy planting a crown-of-thorns sapling in Bödeker Park. It won’t be growing tall alone — earlier this year, the Saudi kingdom revealed plans to plant 7.5 million…
-
Fake goods valued at 40 million baht seized in police busts
Pro-tip: If a shop is selling Louis Vuitton pillows next to Doraemon pillows, they are fake. In a series of raids, police impounded 40 million baht worth of counterfeit goods – mostly bedding products – from storage facilities in Pathum Thani and Rayong. The Department of Special Investigation announced the haul yesterday. The bust was made with the help of…
-
Police bust counterfeiters selling fake US $100 bills on Facebook
A police raid led to uncovering an alleged counterfeiting ring that is suspected of producing 50,000 fake American banknotes in the Bangkok suburb of Nakhon Pathom. The criminal masterminds were discovered by police as they attempted the move the counterfeit bills in a not so sneaky way: advertising them for sale on Facebook. Police opened an investigation on the operation…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.