Thailand

  • Cannabis NewsThailand to track cannabis users in government database

    Thailand to track cannabis users in government database

    Thai nationals will soon be required to show their ID cards when purchasing cannabis flowers. The ID and sales information will be entered into a government database, according to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM). Registered vendors will be required to insert the buyers’ ID into a “device” linked with the government system and input information regarding…

  • Thailand NewsBentley driver cleared of being drunk at the wheel in three-car smash

    Bentley driver cleared of being drunk at the wheel in three-car smash

    The blood alcohol test of the Bentley driver, who caused a three-car collision last Sunday, reveals he was not drunk at the time of the pile-up. But, the investigating officer from Expressway Police Station 1 has been criticised for not making the driver take a breathalyser test immediately after the incident. Suthat Siwapiromrat crashed his grey Bentley sedan into a…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya dwellers not happy with homeless living in abandoned building

    Pattaya dwellers not happy with homeless living in abandoned building

    Pattaya dwellers aren’t too thrilled about homeless people living in an abandoned building in the city. On Monday, local media reported that a group of homeless people were camping at an abandoned building on South Pattaya Road in the Nongprue sub-district of Bang Lamung district. The building was home to a former convenience store that lost business during the Covid-19…

  • Thailand NewsWoman injured by falling traffic sign on a Pattaya road

    Woman injured by falling traffic sign on a Pattaya road

    A backhoe digger accidentally pulled down some electric wires and a traffic sign, knocking a woman off her motorcycle while she was riding past the spot, on Jomtien Beach Road in Pattaya. The incident happened yesterday, January 10, in front of Soi Jomtien 12 on Jomtien Beach Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. A 46 year old woman…

  • Phuket NewsCops bust thieving couple who sold items to second hand shops in Phuket

    Cops bust thieving couple who sold items to second hand shops in Phuket

    Cops busted a thieving couple in Phuket on Monday, a husband and wife team who stole items and sold them to second hand shops. Police say the husband has been identified as Banjerd, and the wife as Toon Mathurasorn, The Phuket News reported. A Russian man, Oliver Thurman, alerted Wichit Police on January 6 that a towing rig and a…

  • Crime NewsThai police seize 30 kilograms of heroin bound for Hong Kong hidden in puppy pads

    Thai police seize 30 kilograms of heroin bound for Hong Kong hidden in puppy pads

    Thai authorities seized a sizeable 30 kilograms of heroin yesterday in Samut Prakan province, just north of Bangkok, believed to be headed to Hong Kong. Police arrested a Hong Konger and a Thai national during the raid. Officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) raided a house in the Kanchanaphisek 39 area of Samut Prakan to find…

  • Phuket NewsPhang Nga’s turtle nesting season continues with more nests discovered

    Phang Nga’s turtle nesting season continues with more nests discovered

    Phang Nga’s turtle nesting season continues and more nests are being discovered. Two more nests were found, bringing the total number of nests unearthed to eight so far, The Phuket Express reported today. The nests were found on the Baan Thung Darp Beach in the Koh Phra Thong sub-district of Kura Buri district. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources…

  • Thailand NewsThai AirAsia ranked 3rd most on-time low-cost airline in the world

    Thai AirAsia ranked 3rd most on-time low-cost airline in the world

    Thai AirAsia is ranked the third most on-time low-cost airline in the world and the most punctual carrier in Asia-Pacific countries in 2022, according to Cirium, a data analytics company in the aviation and travel industry. The average on-time rate reported by Cirium was 97.47% The Chief Executive Officer of Thai AirAsia, Santisuk Klongchaiya, announced the company’s good news yesterday,…

  • Thailand News2 Thai women attacked by foreign mafia in Koh Samui

    2 Thai women attacked by foreign mafia in Koh Samui

    A Thai woman sought help from the Thai media after she and her mother were attacked by some foreigners who claimed to be part of a mafia gang at a bar in Koh Samui on New Year’s Eve. The woman turned to the media because the police ignored her case. The local Facebook page Samui Fresh News posted a video…

  • Thailand NewsOver 500 drivers in Thailand have traffic points deducted on first day of new system

    Over 500 drivers in Thailand have traffic points deducted on first day of new system

    Thailand’s new driving penalty point system proved to be a challenge for over 500 drivers on the first day of its implementation. The new system came into effect yesterday, and 540 drivers in the country had points deducted. According to the spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police Major General, Archayon Kraithong, the top three offences that got points deducted were:…

  • Crime NewsPolice on the prowl for scam gang after Thai teen commits suicide

    Police on the prowl for scam gang after Thai teen commits suicide

    Police are on the prowl for a scamming gang after a teenage boy committed suicide in Thailand’s central Nonthaburi province. The boy, 15 year old Arthit, hung himself in a wooded area in the Pakkret district on Sunday. Arthit left a note apologising to his mother for stealing up to 15,000 baht from her purse. Investigators later found that criminals…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand informs airlines about removal of Covid-19 vaccine rule

    Thailand informs airlines about removal of Covid-19 vaccine rule

    Unvaccinated travellers heading to Thailand can now feel at ease knowing airlines around the world have been informed that Thailand no longer requires arrivals to prove they are vaccinated against Covid-19. Thailand momentarily reintroduced the two-dose Covid vaccine entry requirement with barely any notice as a measure to mitigate the risk of importing a caseload of coronavirus from China, which…

  • Crime NewsImmigration police arrest two Chinese fraudsters illegally living in Thailand

    Immigration police arrest two Chinese fraudsters illegally living in Thailand

    In two separate but similar cases, Immigration Police arrested two Chinese fraudsters posing as businessmen and illegally living in Thailand. Collectively, the pair scammed victims of over 2 billion baht. Case 1 Police arrested a 44 year old Chinese national named Changguan (pseudonym) who allegedly scammed hundreds of victims of over 1.4 billion baht by persuading them to invest in…

  • Politics NewsSoapy king makes PM Prayut’s inauguration slippy

    Soapy king makes PM Prayut’s inauguration slippy

    Former soapy king turned amateur super-sleuth Chuwit Kamolvisit tried to gatecrash Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s inauguration into United Thai Nation (UTN) Party yesterday. PM Prayut officially joined the UTN Party yesterday where he gave an impassioned speech on how he values the democratisation process, seemingly forgetting that he toppled the democratic process when seizing power in a 2014 army coup.…

  • Crime NewsPolice close unlicensed cannabis stalls in Pattaya

    Police close unlicensed cannabis stalls in Pattaya

    Pattaya Police swooped on unsuspecting cannabis stalls operating without a license in the Bang Lamung District at the weekend and closed them down. Officers closed five unlicensed cannabis shops, and arrested one man, after inspecting hundreds of stalls in Pattaya over the weekend, reported Pattaya Mail. Pattaya Police chief Pol. Col. Kullachart Kullachai and Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, director-general of the…

  • World NewsThai gold necklace thief arrested after fleeing to Myanmar

    Thai gold necklace thief arrested after fleeing to Myanmar

    The Thai thief was arrested by Burmese police officers yesterday after stealing a 150,000 baht gold necklace from a shop in the northern province of Chiang Rai and escaping by swimming to Myanmar. The theft happened at a gold shop named Seri Phan in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai on November 26 last year. The male thief pretended…

  • Thailand NewsTwo 10 year old schoolchildren killed after reckless sedan crashes into school bus

    Two 10 year old schoolchildren killed after reckless sedan crashes into school bus

    Two 10 year old schoolchildren were killed and another 19 were injured after a reckless sedan driver crashed into a school bus. The smash caused a collision between a school bus and a minibus on a road in the northern province of Phichit. The incident happened on the Phichit-Saklek Road in the Mueang district of Phichit at 5.30pm yesterday, January…

  • Thailand NewsViolent monk flees scene after leaving teenage girl for dead

    Violent monk flees scene after leaving teenage girl for dead

    A violent monk is on the run after attacking his 17 year old granddaughter with a hammer and leaving her for dead at a temple in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani last Saturday. Police believe that a letter found at the scene suggests the monk had a crush on the girl and was jealous of a friendship she’d recently…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesMarine department warns boats after trawler sinks in South Thailand

    Marine department warns boats after trawler sinks in South Thailand

    Large waves are continuing to wreak havoc on boats in Thailand’s waters. The country’s Marine Department warned boat operators to be extra cautious after a fishing trawler sank in South Thailand on Saturday night. The trawler sank in the Gulf of Thailand about 18.2 nautical miles off the coast of Pak Phanang district in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Fortunately, marine…

  • Phuket NewsBritish man claims he was tortured by Thai police

    British man claims he was tortured by Thai police

    A British man claims he was tortured by Thai police for seven days straight in Phuket, southern Thailand when his holiday abroad went gravely wrong. British authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged abuse, reports FirstPost. He allegedly sustained broken ribs, bruised limbs, septic infections, swollen wrists, and lost four teeth in the ordeal. The victim, 51 year old Carl…

  • Tourism NewsTourism Authority of Thailand plans first roadshow in China after pandemic

    Tourism Authority of Thailand plans first roadshow in China after pandemic

    Now that China has lifted travel restrictions for its citizens, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is once again tapping into the Chinese tourism market. TAT is planning a roadshow in China during the third week of February. This will be the first roadshow after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to TAT’s Regional Director of East Asia Chuwit Sirivejkul. The roadshow…

  • Tourism NewsThai island holds first Full Moon party of the year, draws 20,000 tourists

    Thai island holds first Full Moon party of the year, draws 20,000 tourists

    Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan welcomed its first Full Moon party of the year on Friday night, drawing 20,000 tourists, according to Surat Thani’s vice governor. The party experienced a bit of rain, but after the rain cleared, tourists were able to have a blast dancing on the beach. Vice Governor Choosak Rooying told The Phuket Express that so…

  • Thailand NewsCharred corpse discovered in sugarcane field in Thailand

    Charred corpse discovered in sugarcane field in Thailand

    A sugarcane harvester found a charred human corpse in the middle of a sugarcane field in Suphan Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. Officers at U Thong Police Station were informed that a dead body was found at a sugarcane plantation in Chorakhe Samphan district and rushed to the scene to investigate with rescue workers. Officers found the body of…

  • Thailand News2 Russian men report money missing from safe in Pattaya hotel

    2 Russian men report money missing from safe in Pattaya hotel

    Two Russian men filed complaints with the police after nearly 140,000 baht disappeared from safety boxes in a hotel in Pattaya. Investigating officers reported there is no traces of the thief because the hotel’s CCTV cameras were all broken. The two Russian men, Natalina Chernova and Oleg Gipke, filed a complaint at Mueng Pattaya Police Station on Saturday, January 7…

  • Northern Thailand NewsMan in NE Thailand allegedly raped his young relatives and lured them into sex trade

    Man in NE Thailand allegedly raped his young relatives and lured them into sex trade

    A man in northeast Thailand allegedly raped and exploited young boys who were his relatives and lured them into the sex trade. The boys are six and 10 years old. Police arrested the suspect, 21 year old Saifa, in the Si Bun Ruang district of Nong Bua Lamphu province today. The officers caught Saifa as he was allegedly taking one…

  • Thailand NewsElephant brutally kills mahout in southern Thailand

    Elephant brutally kills mahout in southern Thailand

    An elephant went into a violent frenzy and killed its mahout (elephant trainer) in Phang Nga province in southern Thailand yesterday. Officials believe that Jojo the elephant turned on its owner because it was fed up with work. Jojo both trampled on his owner and stabbed him with his tusks numerous times, said rescue workers. Officers from Kapong Police Station…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand U-turns on Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement

    Thailand U-turns on Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement

    Just days after Thailand reintroduced the two-dose Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the requirement will be dropped with immediate effect. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has informed airlines globally that unvaccinated tourists must provide either proof of recovery from Covid in the past six months or a doctor’s note explaining why they are…

  • Thailand TravelSouth Korean film crew condemned for spoiling attraction in Krabi

    South Korean film crew condemned for spoiling attraction in Krabi

    Locals in the southern province of Krabi accused a South Korean film crew of sabotaging the natural environment around the Emerald Pool in the Khao Pra-Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary after the team installed a stage in the middle of the pool. A female vendor, 23 year old Kattareeya Meekaew, who has a shop at the entrance of the Emerald Pool,…

  • Pattaya NewsBurglar snatches almost 100,000 baht from Hong Kong tourist’s Pattaya villa

    Burglar snatches almost 100,000 baht from Hong Kong tourist’s Pattaya villa

    Pattaya’s thefts against tourists seem to never end… A burglar snatched almost 100,000 baht from a Hong Kong tourist’s rented Pattaya villa on Friday night, according to the victim. The victim’s villa is located in Jomtien Beach. The victim, Ng Ho Hin, told police the thief also nabbed a Bluetooth speaker. Hin said he had been out all day, and…

  • Thailand News6 victims injured after Bentley crashes into two cars

    6 victims injured after Bentley crashes into two cars

    A millionaire driver crashed his luxury Bentley car into an SUV and a fire rescue pickup on the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway in Bangkok in the early hours of Sunday, which left six victims injured. The driver fled from the scene and refused to take an alcohol test. A 53 year old businessman, Suthat Siwapiromrat, crashed his grey Bentley sedan…