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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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Pink lilies pull hundreds of thousands of tourists to northeast Thailand lake
Flowers are still springing up across Thailand, drawing tourists to admire them. The latest flower hotspot in Thailand to have tourists come flocking is Nong Han Kumphawapi, known as Thailand’s ‘Pink Water Lilies Lake.’ The lake is located in the northeast province of Udon Thani. The chairman of the lake’s tourism boat enterprise, Paisit Sukrome, told Thai media the lilies…
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Kindergarten students save up to buy blankets for the needy in northern Thailand
Kindergarten students in Chiang Rai province in northernmost Thailand saved up one baht every day for a year to buy blankets for people suffering in the cold weather this winter, especially those living at high altitudes in the province’s mountainous regions. Teachers at Chiang Rai Kindergarten invited students to join a charitable project entitled “Doing 89 Million Good Deeds for…
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Driver hits wild gaur in northeast Thailand, both injured
A driver hit a wild gaur in Thailand’s northeast province of Nakhon Ratchasima last night, injuring both himself and the gaur. The driver hit the gaur on Highway 3052 in Wang Nam Khiao district. The driver said he saw the gaur cross in front of him, too close for him to stop or avoid hitting it. Rescuers arrived on the…
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Thai police arrest 4 men for making homemade guns and selling them online
In a sting operation, Royal Thai Police officers posed as customers to crack an illegal gun network in Thailand. Police arrested four men for illegally making homemade guns and selling them online. Initially, police seized guns and other weapons from a gang of vocational college students who were arrested for fighting. When police found out the youngsters purchased the weapons…
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Rescued baby elephant dies of injuries
Thanwa, the rescued baby elephant that was being treated at Bueng Chawak Zoo in Suphan Buri, died when her condition deteriorated on Tuesday evening. Residents of Khao Chot, in Kanchanaburi province, found Thanwa injured and separated from her herd following rain and floods. The baby elephant was just one month old when she was injured after losing her herd in…
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Forest ranger and 4 locals arrested for illegal logging in northeast Thailand
Yesterday, police arrested a forest ranger – whose duty is to protect the forest – and four of his friends for illegal logging in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand. The gang cut down protected and valuable species such as Siamese rosewood and Burmese padauk. The police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) recently travelled to Khon Kaen’s Nong Ruea district…
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CBD oil review: best cannabis oils to buy in Thailand in 2022
Press Release CBD oil, also referred to as cannabidiol and sometimes cannabis oil, is widely available in Thailand. You get to enjoy the health benefits of marijuana, minus the high part that some find unpleasant. However, there are so many different cannabidiol oils to consider that it can be difficult to make the right pick that fulfils your requirements. With…
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Yell BKK launched ONETOUCH’s special edition package, ‘Amulet of Protection’
Press Release Thailand ranks 2nd in teen pregnancy among other ASEAN countries, and this doesn’t include STDs. ONETOUCH, a Thai condom brand, wants to take part in minimizing the problems by helping recap how to use condoms correctly in an unforgettable way. Beliefs, amulets, wish-washes, and Thai people are inseparable with no gender or age in between. That’s why there…
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Aussie caught with gun at Thailand’s Samui Airport claims self-defence
An Australian man, who was caught with a firearm and 96 rounds of ammunition at Samui Airport in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, claims he was carrying the weaponry in self-defence. Yesterday, 41 year old Mark Bassett of Australian nationality attempted to smuggle a “gun-like object,” in separate pieces, and plenty of ammunition through security at Samui Airport on Thailand’s…
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Thailand creates new department to tackle climate change
Thailand has created a new department to tackle climate change. The new department, named the Department of Climate Change and Environment, aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. The new department is responsible for proposing and developing strategies, plans, and programmes on climate change and greenhouse gas reduction as agreed at the COP26 meeting. The ministry of Natural Resources…
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Thai police make 12,000 gambling arrests during World Cup 2022
Thailand‘s anti-gambling laws did not deter Thais from placing bets on the FIFA World Cup 2022. In fact, the Royal Thai Police made more than 12,000 gambling arrests between November 19 and December 18, 2022. Nearly all forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand, apart from the government-sponsored lottery, according to the Gambling Act (1935). Anticipating violation of this law…
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UN Security Council adopts long-awaited resolution on Myanmar crisis
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a long-awaited resolution to the crisis in Myanmar. The Council called for Myanmar’s junta to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a famous political prisoner whose democratically-elected party was ousted from power by the military in February 2021. The 15-member council has been divided on the situation in Myanmar for decades and has…
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Today is the shortest day of the year in Thailand
Thailand will see just 11 hours of daylight today as the Winter Solstice graces the world’s northern hemisphere. It is the shortest day – and longest night – of the year. Today, December 22, the Earth’s poles reach their maximum tilt away from the sun. On Wednesday, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) said… “Winter solstice is regarded…
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Indonesia could bring Myanmar junta to justice after taking over ASEAN chair next year
Indonesia could bring Myanmar’s junta leaders to justice after the country takes over as the chair of ASEAN. A group of Indonesian legal experts may have found an impact on the fate of the junta that seized power in Myanmar. The experts made the case to amend a law that was enacted back in 2000 which restricts punishment for human…
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Iranian footballer mimes hanging gesture to protest executions
Another Iranian footballer is courageously sounding the alarm on Iran’s executions of protesters. Rather than celebrating his goal, the football player, Meysam Tohidast, mimed a gesture of hanging himself after scoring at the Tehran Derby, to protest the executions. Iran International English yesterday tweeted video footage of Tohidast putting one hand around his neck, while making a fist above his…
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90% of hotels in Chiang Mai fully booked during New Year
If you’re planning on visiting Chiang Mai in northern Thailand this New Year, then you had better be quick, because 90% of hotel rooms in the province are already booked up, according to the Thai Hotels Association (Northern Region). Hotels in the province are expected to generate one billion baht in revenue during the high season, which runs from November…
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Thailand ranked 4th least corrupt country in Asia
Thailand – a nation run by a semi-elected military government – was ranked 35th in the world and 4th in Asia in the U.S. News‘ “Least Corrupt Countries” list. Yesterday, American media company U.S. News released its annual “Best Countries” ranking, featuring 73 countries all over the world. Data was collected from a worldwide survey with more than 17,000 participants.…
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Zelenskiy’s US visit gives Ukrainian Americans hope
President Zelenskiy’s visit to the US is giving Ukrainian Americans hope that the US will assist Ukraine further against the Russian invasion. Dozens of pro-Ukrainian activists gathered near the White House to support Zelenskiy as he made his first trip abroad since the war started. The group called “US Ukrainian Activists” then met at the US Capitol to hear Zelenskiy’s…
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Authorities bust yet another overstayer on Koh Samui
Surat Thani immigration officers busted yet another overstayer on Thailand’s island paradise of Koh Samui, The Phuket Express reported yesterday. The British man, 74 year old Dennis Robert Desmond, had overstayed his visa by 38 days. Officers arrested Desmond in front of a hotel in Koh Samui’s Bo Phut sub-district, on Choeng Mon-Chaweng Road. The officers brought Desmond to Bo…
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VIDEO: Navy rescues stranded sailor from Thailand’s choppy waters
Yesterday, the Royal Thai Navy posted a video of navy officers rescuing a missing HTMS Sukhothai sailor from the Gulf of Thailand. On Monday at 9:10am, navy officers threw a rope to Chief Petty Officer Natee Timdee and hoisted him up onto the HTMS Kraburi. The sailor floated in the sea all night after the HTMS Sukhothai sank to the…
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Tourism groups in South Korea sign deals with TAT
To boost the tourism link with South Korea, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just inked three new deals. By partnering with Korean Air, the Korea Association of Travel Agents, and SOOBAK, the TAT hope to increase visitors from the nation and strengthen the friendly relations between South Korea and Thailand. TAT News reports that the department’s governor Yuttasak Supasorn…
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7 killed and 2 injured in floods in southern Thailand
Seven people died and two more are injured as a result of floods in the southern provinces of Thailand. The water level has gradually decreased today. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported today that heavy rain and strong winds from December 18 to 21 caused flash floods and landslides in nine provinces including Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat,…
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New artefacts in the Cave of Salome, nurse to Jesus
New light has been shed on just how long a cave in Israel has been held as a religious holy site. The cave is believed to be the burial place of Salome, the apocryphal nurse to the newborn baby Jesus. After a recent excavation, new evidence has reinforced the long-held belief that the biblical figure is in fact buried there. Excavations…
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Patong lifeguards rescue Australian tourist who suddenly fell unconscious
Patong Beach lifeguards rescued an Australian tourist after she suddenly lost consciousness and her pulse yesterday. The lifeguards provided the elderly woman with CPR as they waited for an ambulance from Patong Hospital to arrive. The lifeguards used a cardiac pump to help revive the woman. The woman’s pulse was back after the CPR, although she was still unconscious. The…
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AoT app expanding: flight info, taxis, shopping and more
Airports in Thailand are hard at work souping up their travel app in hopes of making it an essential super-app for the incoming flood of tourists. Their “Sawasdee by AoT” app currently provides flight and airport information for people landing at six AoT-run airports. But they plan to add a host of tourism services, to aid the predicted 90 million…
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Police arrest 7 men for robbery of Chinese man’s house in Pattaya
Police arrested seven Thai men over the robbery of a Chinese man and his Thai wife’s house in Pattaya earlier this month. The suspects said they were hired by three Thai men who believed the Chinese man was keeping 200 to 400 million baht inside the house. The robbery occurred on the night of December 11 at the couple’s house…
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Anti-government protest leader under fire over expensive handbag
Anti-government protest leader Panusaya “Rung” is under fire for her alleged flaunting of a 200,000 baht handbag. Rung was called out by senator Jetn Sirathranont as he asked the National Security Council to look into her finances after a photo of her with the handbag circulated on Facebook and on other social media outlets. According to the Bangkok Post, Jetn…
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Group attacks Russian man near Phuket shopping mall
A group attacked a Russian man in front of a Phuket shopping mall, according to a police report. The attackers beat the man up in front of the Central Phuket shopping mall at the Darasamut Intersection. The victim filed a report to Wichit police on November 26, and the assault was reported in Novosti Phuketa yesterday. The report said the…
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Woman and Thai-Turkish daughter dumped on roadside in Pattaya
A Thai husband dumped his wife and her six year old Thai-Turkish daughter on the roadside in Pattaya in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, on Saturday. Left alone with no money or belongings, the pair waited on the roadside for three days for him to come back, but he never returned. Last night, a 28 year old woman named Sasiporn…
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Thai AirAsia predicts 90% post-pandemic recovery
Thai AirAsia is predicting a great year next year, forecasting passenger load to reach 90% of the levels it was at before the Covid-19 pandemic. The rosy outlook was stated as foreign arrivals have been pouring into Thailand. The popular budget airline also has faith that the mega-demographic of Chinese tourists will be able to rejoin the tourism world next…
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