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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Headless body discovered washed up on beach south of Hua Hin
FILE PHOTO A headless body has been discovered on a remote Prachuap Khiri Khan province beach early today (Tuesday). Police report that a local fisherman found the body of the man just after midnight. The body was found, face down, partially covered in sand, and wearing red underwear. The body was found at Ban Khok Tahome beach, in Moo 9…
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Vietnam and Thailand head toward $20 billion in two-way trade
FILE PHOTO Việtnam and Thailand are poised to reap the benefits of a US$20 billion two-way trade deal by 2020. A meeting of the Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation wrapped up in Thailand yesterday. The two-day meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh together with the Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai. The two sides agreed…
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Air quality for Thailand – January 29
Central Thailand Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number…
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Weather for January 29
Bangkok A mix of clouds and sun. High 33C. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 80%. Chiang Mai Sunny to partly cloudy. High 32C. Winds light and variable. Pattaya Sunny. High 32C. Winds WNW at 10…
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Car torching is ‘under investigation’
SCREENSHOT: Moments after the arsonist sets fire to the car by Teeranai Charuvastra – Khaosod English At this stage, Police are declining to say whether they have identified the man who was filmed torching a prominent activist’s car in Bangkok (video below). Supporters of Ekachai Hongkanwan, who was assaulted a week ago by masked men just, are blaming the latest attack…
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Slapped airport security worker praised for showing restraint
A female airport security officer, who was slapped by a South Korean woman after she asked if the tourist would submit to a routine pat-down at a security post at Suvarnabhumi Airport, has been praised by an airport executive for not retaliating or responding negatively. The incident took place on Saturday night at Suvarnabhumi Airport while the Thai worker was…
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Eight saved after speedboat capsizes off Koh Lanta coast
Six tourists and two boat crew have been saved after a speedboat capsized two kilometers offshore from Koh Lanta in Krabi. Officials at the Krabi Tourist Assistance Centre were notified of the incident at 11am on Saturday. Navy and national park officers headed to the scene to find a speedboat which had capsized. Eight people were floating in the water…
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Chiang Mai sting lands family of smugglers in custody
PHOTOS: The Nation A family that smuggles together, stays together. In jail. A family of six is under arrest in Chiang Mai after allegedly handing over 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 170,000 methamphetamine pills to undercover police in the province. Police arrested all the members of the ethnic Lahu family. All were aged between 32 and 51 years. Police say…
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Chiang Mai temple roasted for charging foreigners to enter
There’s two-tier charging then there’s the next step of allowing Thais in for free and only charging foreigners. That seems to be the case when a Chiang Mai temple has been caught out charging a 50 baht fee, but only for foreigners. A Facebook post from Aronong Silvestra claims he found the box at Wat Suwan in the Muang district…
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Seven year old recovering after attack from wild dogs in Phang Nga
“The dogs have been captured and are no longer a danger to beachgoers.” Daily News is reporting that a seven year old boy is fighting for his life in Vachira Hospital Phuket after being mauled by a pack of dogs at a beach near the Sarasin Bridge, on the Phang Nga side. “D-Max” was just out playing with his friends…
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Troops intercept pickup with 2.85 million meth pills – one smuggler killed
A shootout with Army troops has resulted in the death of a drug suspect while attempting to smuggle 2.8 million methamphetamine pills into Thailand from neighbouring Myanmar. Troops from the Pha Muang Taskforce were patrolling a border road in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Saen district, in the far north of Thailand, when they spotted the pickup truck at about 10.40pm. Ttroops…
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Air quality for Thailand – January 28
Central Thailand Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number…
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Weather for January 28
Bangkok Abundant sunshine. High 32C. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 60%. Chiang Mai Plenty of sunshine. High 31C. Winds light and variable. Pattaya Sunny. High 31C. Winds N at 15 to 25 km/h.…
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Chinese tourists injured in Chalong ATV accident
Two Chinese tourists have sustained injuries after driving an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle – Dune Buggy) off the side of a hillside in Karon. Rescue workers heard about the accident on the Nark Kerd Hills in Karon at 4.20pm yesterday (Sunday). When they arrived they found the two injured female Chinese tourists. The pair were identified as 28 year old…
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BNK48 singer apologizes for wearing shirt emblazoned with a Nazi swastika
Two foreign envoys representing the Israeli Embassy in Thailand have openly expressed dismay after a member of the pop all-girl singing group BNK48 was wearing a T-shirt bearing a Nazi swastika. The sister band of Japan’s AKB48 issued an apology yesterday to match the tearful one delivered earlier by 20 year old singer Pichayapa “Namsai” Natha. “It was a bad…
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Facebook poll reveals expats in Thailand are not optimistic about the future
A simple online poll conducted by Thaivisa on their Facebook page shows that 75% of respondents think expatriate life in Thailand will be ‘worse’ in five years than it is now. According to the poll, only 24% held out hope that life for expats would actually improve by 2024. Facebook users were asked the simple question in the online poll:…
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17 year old UK teenager dies in motorbike accident during holiday in Thailand
A 17 year old teenager from the UK has died after being involved in a motorbike accident while holidaying in Thailand. The article in The Telegraph and Argus, a Yorkshire daily in the UK, doesn’t mention where the young man died. 17 year old Anthony Ryan was visiting Thailand on his first trip abroad and was killed in the accident…
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Sea Turtle found dead on Chumpon beach, choked on plastics
by Prasit Leehukunakorn A large green turtle has been found dead on Chumphon’s Bang Nam Jeud Beach, believed to have died from plastic waste it ingested. “I found a piece of plastic in its throat, so I think it’s the latest victim of sea-borne plastic waste,” said Amnuaykiat Timnakha, deputy chief of the Tambon Bang Nam Jeud Organisation. He was…
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Fire destroys buildings in Phuket Town
A fire has destroyed a building in Phuket Town, damaging nearby buildings before it was brought under control. Fire fighters at the Phuket City Municipality were notified of the incident at a building near Phuket Bus Terminal 1 in Phuket Town on Phang Nga Road at 8.53am. About 10 fire engines arrived to find the three storey building was in…
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NCPO restrict social media and advertising in election campaign
“Following the confirmation that Thailand’s much-postponed election would finally be held on 24 March – the first election since the military seized power in a bloodless coup in 2014 – the election commission released strict guidelines on political campaigning.” The world’s media is starting to report on the shackles put on political parties campaigning for the Thai general election, scheduled…
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Deputy PM says Malaysia can learn from Thailand on caring for neglected children
PHOTO: Thai PBS Malaysia’s Deputy PM Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has been visiting Thailand and says that her government can learn something from the methods implemented in Thailand to tackle the issue of neglected children and babies and those without citizenships. Bernama news agency quotes Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, as saying…
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Grieving Chiang Mai father kills himself in same spot son committed suicide
A grieving father has been found dead in front of his house in Chiang Mai’s Mae Wang district this morning in an apparent suicide. It was the same spot where his son killed himself last year, according to police. Pol Lt Col Natthapol Jaikantha, deputy commander of the Mae Wang police station, said 57 year old Chankaew Sopha killed himself…
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OPINION – One, two, three bad incidents on Patong Hill within 24 hours
The bottom of Patong Hill, on the Patong side, has been the scene of numerous fatalities over the past 20 years. Following a steep decent and some tight windy turns, some vehicles simply come to grief. Residents and shops at the bottom of the hill have built barriers, walls and fencing to try and defend themselves from the parade of…
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Suspect dies in Phuket road incident after killing his wife – VIDEO
The car driver, who died in the crash on Phuket’s Bypass road yesterday, appears to have crashed his car intentionally after killing his wife. The car driver was killed after colliding with a pickup truck at a U-Turn in the road. The dash cam video from the man’s car appears to clearly indicate the driver’s intentions. Read more about the…
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Aussie cave divers given top honours for their role in last year’s Tham Luang rescue
PHOTO: Richard Harris and Craig Challen along with Australian PM Scott Morrison Cave rescue divers Dr. Richard Harris and Craig Challen have been jointly named Australian of the Year for their heroic efforts helping to save 13 young footballers from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai. In July 2018, Adelaide anaesthetist Dr Harris and retired vet Dr Challen, from Perth, made…
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43 foreign Phuket tourists saved after speedboat capsizes on way to Koh Phi Phi – VIDEO
VIDEO: อันดาวารี 43 foreign tourists from Phuket have been saved after water started pouring into a speedboat they were travelling in and capsized on the way to Koh Phi Phi. At 11.40 am yesterday a speedboat named ‘Apitsada 1’ with 43 foreign tourists and two Thai guides, left from Chalong Pier to Koh Mai Thon and Koh Phi Phi. When they…
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New e-Visa for Chinese tourists starts rolling out on February 15
The Department of Consular Affairs is to officially launch the first phase of the new Thai e-Visa in Beijing on February 15. China will be the first country in the world to have the service, which will be extended to other Chinese cities in early March. Chatri Archjananun, director general of the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said…
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Thai cave rescuers announced as the Australians of the Year 2019
Craig Challen and Richard Harris have been awarded as the 2019 Australian of the Year for their contribution the Thailand cave rescue mission. They were part of the international contingent of skilled divers that brought expertise to the team that were able to figure out a way to safely extract the 13 members of the Mu Pa football team in…
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Chinese tourists caught on camera removing sea stars at Coral Island
An Asian tourist has been caught on camera showing a sea star on a beach at Coral Island. Siriwan Kawprasert, a local on the island, has reported to The Thaiger that many Chinese tourists have bringing sea stars from the sea to the beach. Locals have warned them to put them back where they found them. Khun Siriwan told The…
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Car driver killed after colliding with pickup on Bypass Road
PHOTOS: The Phuket City Police A car driver has been killed after colliding with a pickup truck on the Bypass road today. The Phuket City Police were notified of the incident at 11am today on the Bypass Road, northbound, at a U-turn near the Premium Outlet Store. Police report that the driver of a red car, driven by 60 year…
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