Thailand

  • World NewsMan arrested for smuggling durian trees valued at 1 million baht to Laos

    Man arrested for smuggling durian trees valued at 1 million baht to Laos

    A Thai man has been arrested at the Customs Department’s border checkpoint in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani. He was caught trying to deliver durian trees, valued at around one million baht, to a customer in Laos. The Head of Chongmek Customs House at the border of Thailand and Laos, Wanlop Suiraksa, told Thai media that they received leaked…

  • Ask an AgentCan Non-Thai nationals get financing to buy property in Thailand?

    Can Non-Thai nationals get financing to buy property in Thailand?

    There are a few ways foreigners can use finance to purchase property in Thailand. If you’re an expatriate who owns a business in Thailand or you are currently working on a job that pays well, there is a possibility that you can borrow money against your company in the form of a mortgage to buy a home. However, since each…

  • Road deathsPrayut says government wants to cut Thailand’s road deaths by 2 thirds

    Prayut says government wants to cut Thailand’s road deaths by 2 thirds

    Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday announced another major goal in reducing Thailand’s infamous problem with road deaths. At a Bangkok forum titled “New Decade, New Normal, Safe Driving Is Priority”, Prayut said the government aims to cut the number of road deaths by almost 2 thirds by 2027. Thailand has the ninth highest road death rate in the world, with…

  • Politics NewsThai Parliament app launched to remind forgetful MPs

    Thai Parliament app launched to remind forgetful MPs

    To cope with meetings failing because of absence and lack of quorums, the Secretariat of The House of Representatives has developed the ‘TH Parliament’ mobile app to notify the MPs of upcoming meetings. The ‘innovation’ presumes that MPs have failed to turn up because they simply forgot… that’s usually not the case. Yesterday, Nattakarn Chochana, announced that the Information Technology…

  • World NewsThailand gives Malaysians one month to collect stranded vehicles free of charge

    Thailand gives Malaysians one month to collect stranded vehicles free of charge

    Thailand is giving Malaysians one month to collect their stranded vehicles free of charge from June 1 – June 30. Hundreds of cars with Malaysian number plates got stranded in Thailand when the border closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, over two years ago. After June 30, Thailand will impose a fee to collect stranded vehicles. Vehicles can be brought…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesPrepare for rain and floods in Thailand (again)

    Prepare for rain and floods in Thailand (again)

    Thailand’s wet season is still alive and well. From tomorrow, May 27, until May 31 (Tuesday), expect heavy to very heavy rains in the country’s northeast, central, east, and southern regions. The current Monsoon in Thailand’s southwest is expected to get stronger. As has been the case in Thailand for the past month, expect strong winds and high waves in…

  • Road deathsFrench woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand

    French woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand

    A young French woman was killed in a road accident in Ayutthaya province in central Thailand yesterday evening. The 26 year old tourist got confused at an intersection when a green and red light shone at the same time, leading her to drive into oncoming traffic. A man driving a sedan through the green light couldn’t break in time, striking…

  • Phuket NewsThai officials say out-of-order tsunami buoys will be fixed soon

    Thai officials say out-of-order tsunami buoys will be fixed soon

    Thailand’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has admitted that 2 tsunami detection buoys are out of order, but insists they will be repaired soon. The department was forced to issue a statement following widely-shared news on social media that the buoys were out of order. According to the reports, both buoys had stopped submitting information to the National Data Buoy…

  • Covid-19 NewsGovernment says the WHO will use Thailand as a role model for Covid-19 management

    Government says the WHO will use Thailand as a role model for Covid-19 management

    The Thai government is patting itself on the back again, with a spokesperson saying officials have been praised by the World Health Organisation. Traisuree Taisaranakul says the administration has been cited as a “role model” for its management of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was speaking after a meeting between the health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus, and…

  • Thailand video newsLifting of the mask mandate in Thailand next month? | GMT

    Lifting of the mask mandate in Thailand next month? | GMT

    Face mask-wearing mandate to be lifted ‘only in certain areas’, Disability rights activist jailed for shaming a motorist parked in a disabled bay, Govt ups monkeypox alert level, Cafe serves drinks in “penis” bags in southern Thailand, and Thailand raises monkeypox alert level to “requiring close surveillance”. All this and more on today’s Good Morning Thailand.

  • South Thailand NewsFamily moves out after 14 cobras invade house in southern Thailand

    Family moves out after 14 cobras invade house in southern Thailand

    A family in Songkhla province in southern Thailand moved out of their house on Monday after they discovered 14 cobras living inside with them. The family kept discovering more and more cobras over a period of four days until they had enough, and decided to leave for good. The 43 year old renter of the house, Erawan, said he found…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya officials say Walking Street should be repaired by August

    Pattaya officials say Walking Street should be repaired by August

    After Pattaya’s famous Walking Street welcomed back visitors last month for the first time since Covid-19 broke out, the city’s officials have put in a big budget to give the street a ‘makeover‘. Pattaya city officials announced yesterday that the city has now spent 13 million baht on road repairs for the street, and these repairs are expected to be…

  • Thailand NewsThailand raises monkeypox alert level to “requiring close surveillance”

    Thailand raises monkeypox alert level to “requiring close surveillance”

    The Public Health Ministry has raised its alert level for the monkeypox virus, classifying it as a communicable disease requiring close surveillance. This is despite no cases of the virus having been reported in the country to date. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon from the Department of Disease Control says the virus is far less…

  • Thailand NewsAmerican cruise company looking for 1,000 Thai service staff

    American cruise company looking for 1,000 Thai service staff

    All aboard! The American cruise company that owns the Princess Cruise, Holland America Line, has visited Thailand’s Department of Employment seeking Thai staff to work onboard. The company says they have more than 1,000 positions available for Thai people saying that the famous Thai smile is perfect for the hospitality industry. The Director-General of the Employment Department, Pirot Choticsathian, welcomed…

  • Thailand NewsStudent slams monkey to the ground after it bit him at school in central Thailand

    Student slams monkey to the ground after it bit him at school in central Thailand

    A monkey bit a 15 year old student at a school in the central province of Phetchaburi, so he picked it up by the tail and slammed it to the ground. It might not seem nice, but it was an act of self-defence. In the video, numerous monkeys can be seen freely roaming around Prommanusorn School in Mueang district. Perhaps…

  • Bangkok NewsThai PM Prayut questions Chadchart’s 200+ policies for Bangkok

    Thai PM Prayut questions Chadchart’s 200+ policies for Bangkok

    He’s only been elected for 3 days and the sniping has already started. Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has told Thai media that he is ready to work with the incoming Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt. But the PM says he’s curious how Chadchart will achieve the 200 policies he promoted during the election campaign. The PM said Chadchart would be “more powerful…

  • Phuket NewsOfficial in one Phuket district plans to step up English teaching

    Official in one Phuket district plans to step up English teaching

    Even though Thailand’s English language proficiency ranked 100 out of 112 countries last year, an official in one Phuket district isn’t giving up on teaching the language. The chief of Phuket’s Kathu district, Siwat Wangkun, says he has looked beyond the walls of the district’s schools for teaching English, since some school staff lack proficient English teaching skills. The groups Siwat…

  • TravelHow to get into Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi International Airport

    How to get into Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi International Airport

    Suvarnabhumi International Airport is one of two airports in Bangkok, the other being Don Muang Airport. Suvarnabhumi is located in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok and it’s around 30 kilometers from the heart of Bangkok. There are three ways you can get into the city centre: train, bus or taxi. The best, and easiest way to get into Bangkok…

  • Travel GuidesWhere Thai locals go for a happy ending

    Where Thai locals go for a happy ending

    Thailand has a numerous amount of convenient and simple places to go to if you want a quick lovemaking session. There are literally hundreds of “erotic entertainment venues” in the Land of Smiles that locals like to frequent. It’s not because they dislike areas such as Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza, or Patpong in Bangkok, or the walking streets of Phuket…

  • Pattaya NewsChon Buri driver allegedly threatens man with gun over road accident

    Chon Buri driver allegedly threatens man with gun over road accident

    A driver in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri allegedly threatened another driver with a gun, and physically attacked him, over a minor car accident earlier this week. The alleged victim, 40 year old truckdriver Mongkol Kladngam, told Thai media he got into a minor accident while he was delivering goods. Mongkol said he planned to negotiate with the driver…

  • South Thailand NewsCafe serves drinks in “penis” bags in southern Thailand

    Cafe serves drinks in “penis” bags in southern Thailand

    A cafe in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, has come up with a bizarre idea to attract customers… and it seems to be working. Everything about the cafe is completely normal, aside from the fact that they serve drinks in bags that look like penises. Thirsty anyone? Chadeen cafe serves Thai milk tea, green tea, coffee and fruity sodas. With a…

  • Thailand NewsThailand exempts cryptocurrency transfer VAT until 2023

    Thailand exempts cryptocurrency transfer VAT until 2023

    The Royal Thai Government Gazette has formally announced a VAT exemption for transferring cryptocurrency from now until the end of 2023. The cabinet had approved the exemption of the value added tax, or VAT, for transferring cryptocurrency or digital tokens in March. Yesterday, the decision was passed into Thai law and will be in effect from yesterday until December 31,…

  • Economy NewsAs fuel prices climb, Thailand’s delivery workers struggle

    As fuel prices climb, Thailand’s delivery workers struggle

    As Thailand’s fuel prices climb, some delivery drivers are saying the country’s attempts at subsidies aren’t helping them much. One motorcycle taxi driver told Thai PBS World that, even though the government offers a 250 baht discount per month on benzene or gasohol, it’s not worth it when he has to travel a long distance for it. The driver added that…

  • South Thailand NewsNotorious hitman arrested in southern Thailand

    Notorious hitman arrested in southern Thailand

    Yesterday, police and military forces in Thailand’s southern province of Ranong arrested a notorious hitman. The hitman, 41 year old Nirut Krajang, had fled to Myanmar when a Chumphon court issued an arrest warrant for murder. There, he worked for 4 months in forestry before his eye was injured and he returned to Thailand for treatment. But coming back home…

  • Crime NewsFormer air force officer murders ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in Bangkok

    Former air force officer murders ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in Bangkok

    A former Royal Thai Air Force officer murdered his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend at a house in Ratchathewi district in Bangkok yesterday morning. The perpetrator broke into the couple’s home and shot dead 24 year old Fah and 25 year old Korakot before fleeing the house. Fah was shot twice in the head and body and Korakot was shot…

  • Thailand video newsGoodbye masks & Monkeypox reality check | GMT

    Goodbye masks & Monkeypox reality check | GMT

    Tim goes solo this morning with Jay and Natty on assignment. Monkey Pox is in the news, a lot of it unnecessary headlines. We want your thoughts on the matter as we go through a few Monkeypox facts. Masks in Thailand may be on the way out after the public health department even put a date on a possible reversal…

  • Economy NewsLarge banana plantation near Bangkok goes viral, Thai netizens say owner wants to avoid land tax

    Large banana plantation near Bangkok goes viral, Thai netizens say owner wants to avoid land tax

    One of the biggest exhibition centres and event venues, Impact Arena, in the central province of Nonthaburi, basically just north of Bangkok, is showing off its large banana plantation on their official Facebook page. The page claims the CEO desires to increase green spaces for people, but Thai netizens have figured out it’s just a way the controlling company is…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket police search for kidnapper and young girl he abducted months ago

    Phuket police search for kidnapper and young girl he abducted months ago

    Police are still on the hunt for a man who kidnapped a young girl on Rawai Beach in the main city district of Phuket in February. The girl’s mother reported the kidnapping on February 9, saying that a 33 year old man named only as ‘Camp’ abducted her 13-year-old daughter while the girl was selling flowers on Rawai Beach in…

  • Politics NewsGovernment says PM listening to concerns over draft law on public gatherings, NGO funding

    Government says PM listening to concerns over draft law on public gatherings, NGO funding

    The Thai PM is paying attention to, and welcomes, the opinions of those opposed to a draft law on NGO funding and public gatherings. So says deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, according to a report in the Bangkok Post today. Wissanu says Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to compile a list of objections to the…

  • Pattaya NewsAlleged drug dealer from Estonia arrested in Chon Buri after hiding for 4 years

    Alleged drug dealer from Estonia arrested in Chon Buri after hiding for 4 years

    An alleged drug dealer who managed to hide from police for 4 years has now been arrested in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province last week. Police arrested him for having a visa that expired in 2018. The alleged dealer, 39 year old Estonian national Janno Ojaste, was sentenced to three years in prison and a 4,000 baht fine…