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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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Tour bus operators in Phuket call for government help after a year of no work
Tour bus operators on the southern island of Phuket are calling for government assistance as they face ongoing legal action over missed lease payments on their equipment. Some operators say the threat of bankruptcy looms over them after a year of unemployment. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with tourism on Phuket, but tour bus operators say they have never…
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Illegal gambling den owner in Pattaya arrested again in murder for hire scheme
An illegal casino operator in Pattaya is under arrest again after police are accusing him of murdering the man who snitched on him back in February. 56 year old Somchai Jutikitdecha, or Longjoo Somchai, was detained at his residence on Rat Bamrung Road in Tambon Noen Phra of Pattaya’s Muang district early this morning and is being charged with ordering…
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Protesters call for PM’s resignation, release of activists, abolition of lèse majesté law
Protesters gathered at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok last night, calling for the release of fellow activists and the resignation of the Thai PM. The anti-government activists assembled yesterday from around 5pm and listened to speakers blasting the PM and Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. The protesters are calling for the law to be abolished, for those charged under the…
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Lazada, Shopee go head to head in attracting more online shoppers
The Internet shopping websites of Lazada and Shopee are going head to head as they are competing for more online shoppers. The economic downturn has prompted more efforts to attract new shoppers just as the festive sales season is right around the bend. Thanida Suiwatana, chief business officer of Lazada Thailand, says the Covid-19 pandemic has spurred a new trend…
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Monk kicks Thai teenager in face after he refuses to buy him food
A monk in northern Thailand’s Lampang Province has allegedly taken matters into his own hands by kicking a Thai teenager in the face after he refused to travel 5 kilometres to buy food for the monk. According to the 16 year old boy’s mother, her son was visiting a young monk at the local temple and was playing games with…
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800,000 doses of Chinese vaccine to go to 22 provinces next month
The Thai government will send 800,000 doses of China’s Covid-19 vaccine to 22 selected provinces from next month. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Sinovac vaccine will be distributed to provinces that fall into 3 groups. The first group consists of 6 provinces that have experienced a resurgence of the virus or where clusters of infections have been reported.…
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North expansion project at Suvarnabhumi will go ahead – Transport Minister
The Transport Minister says expansion plans at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport will go ahead and will include the contentious North expansion project. Saksayam Chidchob’s announcement appears to disregard a recommendation from the National Anti-Corruption Commission, who have previously stated that any expansion should be in line with a proposal from the National Economic and Social Development Council. That proposal suggested the…
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Bombs found in stolen truck behind police station in Yala
Police in Yala, one of Thailand’s 3 southern border provinces, are investigating after diffusing a bomb they found in a stolen delivery truck behind a police station. They say the truck was stolen by holding the driver, Baihakee Longluwa, of Kerry Express, at gunpoint. The armed men allegedly pushed Baihakee inside of a house, tied up his hands, and left…
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Thailand drafting new regulations for cannabis and hemp seeds
A new regulations for cannabis and hemp seeds imports is in the works by Thailand’s Agriculture Department. With certain parts of the cannabis plant now off the narcotics list, many are tapping into the market for CBD, or cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive component in hemp and cannabis. With the rising demand for hemp and cannabis, the department is revising regulations to…
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Phuket approves quarantine-free stays for foreign travellers from July 1
Foreign travellers to Phuket can enjoy their stays free from quarantine restrictions starting July 1. Today, the infectious disease committee approved the plan to allow foreign tourists to skip quarantines on the premises that local Phuket residents will be inoculated before then, as part of plans to achieve a herd immunity. The plan was supposed to be originally submitted this…
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Suez Canal blocked by large container ship blown off course
Cargo ships on one of the busiest trade routes in the world, the Suez Canal, came to a stop after a large container vessel got stuck sideways and blocked marine traffic. More than 100 ships were reportedly blocked from transit along the canal, which stretches across Egypt from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean connecting Asia to Europe. Apparently, a…
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Myanmar’s military releases 600 detainees after today’s silent protest by anti-coup demonstrators
The Myanmar military has freed more than 600 detainees after today’s silent protest by those opposing the recent coup. One of those released included 32 year old Thein Zaw, an Associated Press photographer who was arrested while covering the rallies. He was charged with spreading fake news, along with 5 other journalists. The release of the detainees comes after a…
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Ratsadon protester to stay in jail after court denies bail
A member of the pro-democracy Ratsadon group is staying in jail as his requests to be released on bail are being denied by Thailand’s Criminal Court. 30 year old Chukiat “Justin” Saengwong, was charged with lese majeste, inciting unrest, and breaking the Emergency Decree while taking part in protests. Police are accusing Chukiat of placing a paper with offensive words…
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CCSA Update: 69 new Covid-19 cases, most in Bangkok
69 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 1,381 active Covid-19 cases. Since the start of the pandemic, the CCSA has reported a total of 28,346 coronavirus infections and 92 deaths. Most of the cases were found in Bangkok, according to the deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foriegn…
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Bangkok sets rules for a dry Songkran, large events must submit a plan
It’s going to be another dry Songkran in Bangkok. No water gun flights. No buckets of water poured on passersby. City officials say strict measures will be in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the holiday, which was extended and now stretches from April 10 to 15. While water splashing is banned, Songkran’s traditional activities, like religious ceremonies and…
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“We Travel Together” plan to boost domestic tourism expanded
Thai lawmakers are giving the third phase of the government’s “We Travel Together” scheme a green light to continue boosting domestic tourism. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha along with other lawmakers approved the scheme, titled “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” in Thai, which is a programme that subsidises hotel bookings. The scheme’s third phase is set to cover an additional 2 million people…
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Professor blasts university officials for removal of “trash” art installations
An art professor at Chiang Mai University has slammed university executives for the removal of student art they say they thought was, “trash”. Video of the professor’s rant went viral on social media, after university officials began to remove some pieces from a student art installation. The removal of the pieces, which seemed to depict the aftermath of political protests,…
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Burmese anti-coup demonstrators plan silent protest after 7 year old girl killed
Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters are planning a silent strike today, after violence took the life of a 7 year old girl. The girl was killed in her home when security forces allegedly opened fire during a crackdown in Mandalay, further corroborating the claims by the UN that women and children were among those being killed. The soldiers allegedly were aiming at…
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Another pro-democracy protest confirmed for Bangkok today
The pro-democracy Ratsadon group has announced another anti-government protest to be held in Bangkok today. News of the rally was posted on the Facebook page of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group, with organisers pledging to ensure the safety of participants. “March 24, 2021 bring your bags and tie your shoelaces. There will be a rally stage this…
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Airlines in Thailand push for July reopening and quicker roll out of vaccinations for employees
Airline operators in Thailand are seeking a July reopening date and are pushing to get workers vaccinated against Covid-19 within the next 2 months, along the same timeline as many in the travel sector prepare for July’s anticipated launch of the “sandbox” scheme in Phuket. Under the sandbox model, vaccinated travellers will be able to travel to the island province…
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Krabi officials hunting motocross drivers who rode bikes in historic cave – VIDEO
Officials in the southern province of Krabi are on the hunt for a group of motocross riders who rode their bikes through an historic cave considered a significant ancient site. It’s believed the bikers were participating in some sort of race, and officials are now attempting to track down the race organisers as well as the bikers. According to a…
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Committee tasked with resolving Karen land row to hold first meeting tomorrow
A panel tasked with resolving the ongoing land dispute between Karen tribespeople and national park officials will hold its first meeting tomorrow. According to Thamanat Prompow from the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, the committee hopes to find a solution to the disagreement between forest protection officials and Karen villagers who wish to reside in Kaeng Krachan National Park, in the…
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Sorry, not sorry: Myanmar’s military says it’s sad about killings, but won’t stop crackdown
Myanmar’s military says it’s sad about those killed during the anti-coup protests, but is not stopping its crackdown. The military says it will continue to stamp out, what it says, is anarchy, despite international condemnation and sanctions. Over 260 people have been killed since the February 1 coup, with the UN saying that number includes women and children. But, junta…
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Thailand News Today | Samui and Phuket request 1 million vaccines, Covid update | March 23
401 new Covid-19 cases and 1 new death have been reported today. Most of the cases were at an immigration detention centre in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district. Thailand currently has 1,419 active Covid-19 infections. A total of 92 deaths have now been recorded as a result of the coronavirus. A 75 year old Thai man in Bangkok died after…
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Thailand’s PM speeds up stimulus measures to boost domestic spending
Thailand’s PM is speeding up economic stimulus measures to continue the effort to boost domestic spending throughout the year. In a meeting yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha told the Finance Ministry to push forward the rollout of the 3rd phase’ co-payment scheme, financial relief scheme and the Section 33 We Love Each Other programme. Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow, noted that the…
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Activists try to call off auction for cats confiscated in drug trafficking raid
With pedigree cats worth tens of thousands of baht up for auction by the Narcotics Control Board after being seized in a suspected drug network raid, animal rights activists in Thailand are calling on officials to suspend the auction. The cats, 5 Scottish Folds and a Bengal, were seized last week along with 35 million baht in assets suspected of…
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Supporters raise 17 million baht to open Vipassana Mindfulness Centre in Nakhon Pathom
More than 150 students and supporters of world renowned Buddhist teacher and author Ajarn Supawan Green gathered for the inauguration of an international mindfulness centre in Puttamonthon, Nakhon Pathom, to the west of Bangkok, on Sunday, March 21, 2021. Construction of the ‘Bring your Mental Self Back Home Centre’ was made possible with financial and technical support from patrons of…
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More on the “sandbox” plan to reopen Phuket to foreign tourists, idea to be pitched to CCSA
The so-called “sandbox” travel bubble idea, which would allow vaccinated travellers from certain low risk countries to enter Thailand without undergoing quarantine, will be pitched by the tourism officials at Friday’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting. Phuket is set to be the first area to try out the sandbox model once the scheme is approved. If the CCSA moves…
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UNAids staffer who reported sexual assault at a Bangkok hotel loses dismissal case
A former policy advisor for a United Nations programme fighting AIDS, who claims she was sexually assaulted in a Bangkok hotel elevator by a then-senior official for the agency and was later fired after going public with the accusations, lost her appeal against her termination from UNAids. The 41 year old Martina Brostrom from Sweden says she was sexually assaulted…
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Petrol station attendant stabbed to death allegedly by a motorcyclist who refused to pay for gas
A petrol station attendant was stabbed to death yesterday morning allegedly by motorcyclist who refused to pay for gas. Staff members at the Esso gas station in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, say a motorcyclist pulled out a knife, refusing to pay for 40 baht worth of fuel before stabbing the pump attendant, 39 year old Sorawut Nakwichai. Police say…
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