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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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Sponsored Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever
If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
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Heartbroken man exposed as thief and drug addict
The tale of the heartbroken Thai man has taken a shocking turn. He was not the heartbroken man he presented, but allegedly a drug addict and a thief wanted by the police. The misfortune of 44 year old Panuwat Yuebua went viral on Thai social media. Many Thai netizens expressed their sympathy after learning that Panuwat’s employer did not pay…
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14 macaque carcasses found in house raid, wildlife trafficking suspects arrested
A recent raid in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, led to the discovery of 14 deceased macaques and five more in distress, locked up without food or water. The provincial wildlife protection area director, Prawet Sunthornthai, led the wildlife conservation team that searched the rented house in Ban Khao Mainual, tambon Khao Yai, after receiving a tip from a neighbour. The search…
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Queen’s funeral costs taxpayers £162m amid cost-of-living crisis
The UK government has disclosed that the state funeral and related events for Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away last September, cost taxpayers almost £162 million (US$201 million). This is the first public estimate of the expenses associated with the funeral of Britain’s longest-serving monarch. The state funeral, held on September 19, required an extensive security operation to accommodate hundreds…
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Gambling addiction may have motivated Thai cyanide poisonings
The police investigation into the case of “Thai cyanide serial killer, Sararat “Am” on social media, has revealed that severe gambling addiction may have been a driving factor behind her alleged poisoning of 14 individuals. The investigation uncovered that 78 million baht had passed through the suspect’s bank accounts, with some of the money being transferred to proxy accounts set…
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Robbers’ comedic blunder in Vietnam turns empty shop heist into a farce
In something that resembled a Laurel and Hardy slapstick sketch, two robbers in Vietnam made a pig’s ear of stealing from an empty shop when the owner returned to the store. One of the robbers fled the scene leaving his partner in crime waiting on the getaway motorcycle. The store owner then jumped on the getaway motorcycle with robber number…
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School minibus crash injures several students in Prachinburi province
A school van crash leaves students injured and concerned parents rush to the hospital, as the first term of school starts. At 5pm on May 18, a terrible road accident occurred involving a school van carrying several students from Prachin Kallayanee and Prachinratsadorn Amroong schools in Prachin Buri province. The van collided with an electrical pole on the side of…
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Durian purchase escalates into heated couple argument over financial priorities
A debate among netizens has arisen after a quarrel between a Chinese couple was shared on social media. The wife, who works long hours, wanted to enjoy some durian fruit after returning home from work. However, her husband criticised her for spending excessively on the fruit, resulting in a heated argument. The incident occurred on May 6 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang…
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Indonesian shamans scam victims with ‘magic money’ schemes, face murder charges
Shamans posing as spiritual figures in Indonesia have swindled fearful citizens out of their life’s savings, leaving them destitute and shamed. Scammers promising to turn small investments into substantial riches have been widely circulated on social media sites like Facebook, reaching over 1.4 million viewers. This has led to a rise in fraudulent activities involving shamans which, in turn, has…
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6 Indian men arrested for overstaying in southern Thailand
Tourist police arrested six Indian men for overstaying their visas at a rental house in the Tamot district of Pattalung province in the southern part of Thailand. They also worked illegally in the province as ice cream sellers. The arrest took place today, May 19, following a tip-off from residents. The six foreigners had been residing together in a rental…
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World’s largest seed bank races to save threatened plant species
Tucked away beneath the English countryside, a vast collection of 40,000 wild plant species from around the globe is carefully preserved in bomb-proof frozen vaults. The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), the world’s largest seed bank, is located south of London and is racing against time to save these seeds, as two out of five plant species face the threat of…
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Patong local election may impact Bangla Road nightlife
Patong Municipality has announced a local election set to take place on June 11, which will impact the popular nightlife district of Bangla Road and its surrounding areas. The election is being held to elect a new representative for Patong Municipality Constituency 3, covering the heart of the bustling tourism town. The need for a new representative arose following the…
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Breastfeeding mother thwarts thief with swift scream, netizens applaud
A mother’s quick thinking caught the attention of netizens after a video clip of her noticing a thief entering her home while breastfeeding her baby went viral. The incident was initially reported by the Vietnamese website saostar.vn, but has since been shared widely on social media, with users praising the woman’s sharp instincts and presence of mind. The video shows…
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Pattaya officials sign MOU for new welfare system for homeless
Pattaya officials are pushing on in the struggle to deal with the city’s homelessness issues. In their latest move, Pattaya officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Laem Chabang Municipality officials yesterday to develop an effective welfare system for homeless individuals and beggars in the region. According to Pattaya officials, a survey conducted in 2019 revealed that there were…
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Thai pro-democracy coalition faces obstacles amid conservative backlash
Pro-democracy parties in Thailand are facing resistance in their efforts to form a government following their historic win in the recent general election. The Move Forward Party (MFP), led by prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, has expanded its coalition to eight parties with 313 members. However, to form a government without relying on the military-appointed Senate, the bloc needs 376…
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Meta reveals in-house AI chip family for data centre upgrades
Meta Platforms recently unveiled its in-house custom chip “family” aimed at enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) work. The company developed its first-generation chip in 2020 as part of the Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) programme, to improve efficiency for recommendation models used in serving ads and other content in news feeds. The first MTIA chip was designed exclusively for an…
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Woman arrested for selling ghost SIM cards to criminal gangs
Police in the northern province of Tak arrested a Thai woman for offering ghost SIM cards which were registered by using the identification cards of migrant workers. Police revealed they confiscated 4,397 of the registered ghost SIM cards. The arrest was made today, May 19, by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, following the recent arrest of a 59 year old…
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Russian tourist injured in Bangkok snatching incident
A Russian woman sustained minor injuries on Wednesday when a thief on a motorbike snatched her bag and knocked her down in Bangkok, Thailand. Yesterday, Natasia Kotawa of Russian nationality travelled to Thong Lor Police Station in Bangkok to report being a victim of a robbery on Wednesday night. At 11pm, Natasia walked to a convenience store on Sukhumvit Soi…
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Pickup truck veers off road, crashes into wall and flips, injuring two in Chon Buri
A pickup truck driver in Chon Buri lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a wall and a signpost, causing the truck to overturn and injuring two people inside. The incident took place on Soi Chaiyaphon Withi 13, near a flour and starch manufacturing company in Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chon Buri Province. Emergency services promptly responded…
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Australian TikTok star gives Patong fruit vendor 2,000 baht as reward for kindness (video)
An Australian TikTok star with 1.5 million followers gave a Patong fruit vendor 2,000 baht as a reward for his kindness and generosity. TikTok star Luke Erwin this week shared a brief video where he decided to test the generosity of a fruit vendor in Patong. In the video, Erwin approached the vendor, saying that he hadn’t had any food…
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Haunted by spirits and seeking help: Woman’s desperate escape to Thai temple
A young woman from Bueng Kan in northern Thailand claimed she had to leave home because she is possessed by spirits. The 35 year old woman, identified as Kanokrat, revealed she left home in search of a traditional healer to rid herself of the supernatural entities within her. She said that a child spirit accompanied her by taking the form…
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Thailand, Cambodia, Laos soldiers unite in border security sports event
A unique sporting event kicked off between the border security forces of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, aiming to strengthen military ties between the three nations. The mini-games are taking place in Ubon Ratchathani, organised by the Suranaree task force, and feature men’s football, pétanque, volleyball, and golf. A total of 60 athletes from each country are participating in the competition.…
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Indonesian woman exposes husband’s affair with elderly mistress on TikTok
A video clip has gone viral after an Indonesian woman shared her husband’s affair with an older woman on TikTok. The video amassed over 7 million views. The woman, who goes by the username @laylamagnoon, shared the story of her husband of 14 years who had been cheating on her with a senior-aged woman, reported Sanook Layla revealed her suspicions…
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Heavy rain and thunderstorms forecasted across parts of Thailand
The weather forecast for Thailand over the next 24 hours shows that westerly winds will continue to dominate the northern region, leading to reduced rainfall. However, there will still be sporadic thundershowers in some areas. Meanwhile, northwesterly and southwesterly winds will prevail over the Andaman Sea, the southern region, and the Gulf of Thailand, resulting in increased intensity of thundershowers and…
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50 year old man dies racing Harley, crashes into taxi on busy Bangkok street
A 50 year old man tragically died following a high-speed motorcycle accident in which he crashed into a taxi in Bangkok last night. Initial examinations by police and medical personnel revealed that the victim, Chatri, suffered severe head injuries as a result of the crash. The incident occurred near the Tung Song Hong bus stop on the Vibhavadi-Rangsit outbound road…
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Vietnamese durian vendor in Thailand faces 7 years in jail for tipping the scales
A sneaky Vietnamese durian vendor is facing a hefty fine and jail term for using doctored weighing scales to trick customers in Thailand. The faulty scales upped the price of the stinky, valuable fruit by 75 baht per sale. Deputy director-general of the Department of Internal Trade Pol. Lt. Chakra Yodmanee reported that the department sent officials to inspect the…
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Ex-teacher charged over assault in Thai Constitution Association case
Don Mueang District Court ordered an investigation into a retired teacher‘s behaviour after he allegedly assaulted and defamed the secretary of the Thai Constitution Protection Organisation. A judgment is scheduled for 11 July The case involving Thotsaphol Thannonsophonkhun, a 67 year old retired teacher, is set to take a significant step forward. He has been accused by the Tung Song…
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Laotian refugee shot dead in Isaan province of Thailand
The dead body of a Laotian refugee with gunshot wounds was found on a road near the forest behind Sri Muang Mai village in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani. Tragically, he was killed prior to seeking asylum in Australia. The discovery was reported at Sri Mueng Mai Police Station on Wednesday, May 17. Officers and healthcare professionals from a…
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Thai bourse rebounds as Move Forward Party forms coalition government
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) made a positive comeback yesterday, following three days of decline in the aftermath of Sunday’s election. The victorious Move Forward Party (MFP) revealed their plan to form a coalition government with 313 members of parliament. Encouraged by the easing of political concerns and the MFP’s prospects of forming a government, local investors responded positively.…
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China commerce minister to meet US officials amid tense relations
China‘s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is set to visit the United States next week to meet with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, according to Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington. The visit comes as the US aims to engage with Beijing to repair strained relations. Liu announced the plans during an…
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Father seeks missing suicidal daughter after leaving home with distressing note
A concerned father sought police assistance to locate his daughter, who left home with a handwritten note hinting at taking her own life. At 6pm yesterday, May 18, Phadoemchai Keram, a 57 year old father from Klong Si, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani province, approached Pol. Lt. Col. Siroj Naepnian at Klong Luang Police Station to ask for help in tracking down…
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