News
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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New direct flight from Oman makes its way to Phuket
A new direct flight from Oman made its way to Phuket International Airport on Monday. The Oman Air flight arrived in Phuket from Muscat, Oman’s capital. The flight carried a total of 162 passengers, who received HKT souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. Phuket has seen a number of new direct flights arrive recently. The flagship airline of Russia…
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Search continues for French tourist missing in Thailand
The search for the missing French tourist believed to be lost in the jungle in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand continues today after it was temporarily called off last night due to heavy rains. He was last seen six days ago. Three witnesses provided useful testimony which has helped police to narrow down their search. Frenchman Gollino Cyrit Tizzlano…
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The spiritual significance of lotus flowers in Thailand
If you live in Thailand, you’ve probably noticed the country’s scenic lotus flowers blooming in ponds across the kingdom. These flowers add a great deal of beauty to Thailand’s scenery. But did you know that lotuses also hold significance in Thai Buddhism? Lotuses grow from mud, and are therefore believed to symbolise growing toward light and warmth, and rising above…
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Anti-APEC protesters warned not to pop a squat at Bangkok’s City Hall
Anti-APEC protesters are being warned to not pop a squat at Bangkok’s City Hall after the “Citizens Stop Apec 2022” leader said they intended to remain there. Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon, the group’s leader, says many protesters had travelled from other provinces and had no way of finding accommodation, so they planned on sleeping overnight at City Hall. According to Bangkok Post,…
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US actor Kevin Spacey faces new sexual assault charges in UK
US actor Kevin Spacey faces new sexual assault charges in the UK after being cleared of wrongdoing in a US trial of similar charges. Spacey did an about-face in the US trial when he at first apologised to an actor who accused him of assault. He then took back his apology after saying he should not have apologised for something…
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Two petrol stations bombed in southern Thailand
Two petrol stations in Pattani province in southern Thailand were bombed yesterday evening. No one was killed or seriously injured. Police believe the attacks were carried out by insurgents and possibly in retaliation to an incident on November 7 when the police killed an insurgent who bombed a petrol station in Pattani. There were seven warrants out for his arrest…
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4 teenagers arrested from a sadistic gang of 17
Police arrested four teenagers from a sadistic gang of 17 members who kidnapped, tortured, and forced three teenage victims to perform oral sex for one of the gang members. One of the gang members is reported to be an actor in a Thai Netflix series while a perverse woman in the group is reported to be famous on Thai TikTok.…
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Unhinged cop shoots bar owner after being refused free food & drinks
An unhinged cop allegedly killed the owner of a karaoke bar in the southern province of Songkhla last Sunday, November 13, because he refused to offer free food and drinks. The senior sergeant major of police, Santiparp Rit-it-thiphat, was temporarily removed from his position after he shot dead the karaoke owner, 55 year old Pranate Chuea-la-ong. The victim’s wife, 55 year…
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Hotel maids busted for stealing from Pattaya tourist’s room years ago
Two hotel maids were busted yesterday for stealing items including gold jewellery and cash from a tourist’s room in Pattaya years ago. Police arrested one suspect, 44 year old Aranya, at a rental room in the central Ayutthaya province. They arrested the other suspect, 36 year old Pratchalee, in Samut Prakan. Aranya was arrested under a warrant issued by the…
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Fisherman reels in dead body from Chao Phraya River
A Thai man went fishing last night at Nonthaburi Pier on the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok and unexpectedly hooked the dead body of an unidentified man. The 37 year old fisherman, Pitsanu Phukird, told police that he was fishing on the pier at about 1am when he caught what he believed was a big fish. Pitsanu’s…
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Thai airline oversells tickets on domestic flight causing passengers to miss wedding
Four passengers looking forward to a wedding sadly didn’t make it in time after a Thai airline allegedly oversold tickets on a domestic flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Udon Thani in northeast Thailand this morning. At 8am, Phaiboon Sawanprai – a subdistrict chief from Rayong province – told reporters that he had bought four valid plane tickets via…
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Unruly passengers disrupt two flights in Singapore
Since the Covid-19 pandemic air rage has been a disturbing growing trend. And this past week, Singapore had two incidents of flights being disrupted by unruly passengers. A flight on Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost carrier, was delayed when passengers refused to fasten their seatbelts for landing. And last week, a passenger was banned from Singapore Airlines after lashing out and…
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Police chief suspended as Pattaya pool villa suspects fess up
The chief of Chon Buri police has been suspended pending an investigation into his connections with fake suspects organised to confess to an assault and shooting case at a Pattaya pool villa in central Pattaya last month. National police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas transferred Pol Maj Gen Kittanate Thanananthavisin to an inactive post at the Royal Thai Police Department…
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Thai elephant given to Sri Lanka lives unhealthy life & works hard
Animal rights protection organisation RARE Sri Lanka urges Thailand to reclaim the Thai elephant they gave them 20 years ago because the animal is suffering at the hands of its owners. RARE Sri Lanka told Thairath that the Thai elephant, Sak Surin or Mathu Raja, was given to Sri Lanka as a gift in 2001. The Thai elephant was requested…
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Gambling den security guard says no shoot out occurred
A security guard robbed during a shoot-out last week at a Samut Prakan gambling den has reported to the police. Wutthipong Khotsaen was wanted for unlawful possession of a weapon and discharging it illegally in a public place. The 28 year old Wutthipong reported to Muang police station, on Monday. The shoot-out came to light when the community Facebook page…
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NEON Countdown EDM Festival comes to Bangkok
Making plans for New Year’s Eve? Love dance music? Read on. This year, Bangkok will celebrate New Year’s Eve with the NEON Countdown, a three-day EDM festival. The event is gathering big names in electronic music from around the world. They just announced their first lineup. World-famous DJs like Afrojack, Alan Walker, Axwell, Da Tweekaz, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike,…
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Firefighters fear building collapse after footwear factory fire in central Thailand
A fire raged through Summit Footwear Factory in Samut Prakan province in central Thailand for five hours last night. Firefighters closed the road in fear the building could collapse, causing ongoing congestion along the Bang Na – Trat Highway. Hundreds of employees escaped through fire exits when the blaze started around 5.30pm at the factory, which produces Aerosoft Footwear, in Bang…
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Donki drops ads on premium Thai rice after making Thais angry
Japanese supermarket Don Don Donki dropped an advertisement for premium Thai rice at one of its Bangkok branches after some Thai people got offended by the messages in the ads. A Thai man posted a picture of the price tag and an advertisement banner of some jasmine rice at the Don Don Donki Supermarket in Bangkok on Facebook on Monday,…
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Frenchman missing after hiking in Khao Sok National Park
The search is on for a French tourist that has been missing for five days since going on a hike around Khao Sok National Park. The man said on Saturday morning that he was going for a walk in the jungle and has not been seen since. The man was officially reported as missing yesterday. The 30 year old Gollio…
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After heavy floods, Patong Hill road reopens to some traffic
While officials now believe it will take months to fully repair the storm-damaged motorway over Patong Hill, the road has been partially reopened to limited traffic this morning. The reopening comes after a night of heavy rain caused flash flooding all around the island. Kathu and Phuket Town were particularly hard-hit by the torrential downpours. Amid the heavy rains in…
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Thailand pushes digital payments, rejects US dollar in move towards cashless society
The Bank of Thailand and central banks in four more southeast Asian countries are creating a cross-border payment zone using QR codes so that southeast Asians can make international payments digitally without having to convert and reconvert to US dollars. The bank hopes to bolster the use of digital payments to halve the amount of cash in circulation in Thailand…
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Asia at the FIFA World Cup, Part 2 – The Best
As Thai football fans scratch around for a team to follow at the FIFA World Cup and the government scratches around for a billion baht to pay for it, what makes one country so good at the beautiful game, and the country next door bad? South Korea are the best at football in East Asia, with Japan not so far…
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THAI Airways makes resurgence with addition of nine more aeroplanes next year
THAI Airways International Plc (THAI), is making a resurgence after it says 60% of its pre-pandemic fleet has resumed service. The company says nine more aeroplanes will be in service next year as the country’s flag carrier says an increase in travel has helped the ailing carrier. Thai Smile Airways, a subsidiary of THAI has also made a resurgence as…
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Free concert with renowned Russian Jazz artist coming to Phuket
Jazz lovers in Phuket will soon have an opportunity to attend a free concert with a renowned Russian jazz artist, Igor Butman. Butman is known as a virtuoso saxophonist. The concert, titled “Igor Butman and Friends,” will be held at Karon Beach on Friday, December 13, at 6.45pm. The concert is being held as part of the 125th anniversary of…
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Thailand to issue one-year visas for medical tourists
Thailand is trying to attract more rich tourists by promoting itself as a destination for medical treatment, with hospital operators such as Bangkok Dusit Medical Services and Bumrungrad Hospital among the companies expected to profit the most from the new visa. The latest attempt to lure so-called high-quality visitors comes with just as many unfathomable restrictions as previous attempts to…
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Pattaya man says friends attacked him with a knife
A young Pattaya man says his friends attacked him with a knife. The man, 27 year old Comephee Thungkhun, said the group came to his house in Nong Prue on Sunday night. Comephee said the attackers bludgeoned him with a stick and slit his forehead with a knife. Comephee’s mother told police her son was yelling for help before he…
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Russian missile allegedly kills two in Poland, sparks possible NATO involvement
Fears mount over NATO involvement after a Russian missile allegedly landed in a Poland village, killing two citizens. According to CNN, it is unclear why the missile fell in Poland, and where the missile was fired from. It landed outside the rural Polish village of Przewodow, at around the same time Russia launched its biggest wave of missile attacks on…
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British sex offender extradited from Thailand imprisoned in Scotland
UPDATE The British man who fled to Thailand after being convicted of possessing over 60,000 indecent images of children in 2014 has been imprisoned in Scotland. On Monday, Hamilton Sheriff Court jailed 46 year old William Dempster, from Tayside, for 18 months and placed him on the sex offenders’ register. Dempster was found guilty in 2014 but absconded to Thailand…
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Residents furious 20 million baht rest area on Thailand Riviera Road abandoned
Residents are up in arms about a motorway services station and rest area that has been abandoned on the Thailand Riviera Road in the southern province of Chumphon. The Riviera Road was part of a government project in 2009 which tried to level up the coast of the southern provinces of Thailand and make it a must-visit destination for tourists…
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PHUKET TASTIVAL festival coming up
Another one of Phuket’s food festivals is coming up this week. The festival, titled PHUKET TASTIVAL Seafood & Gastronomy: Dive Thru Seafood, will be held from November 17-21. The festival will be held at Patong Beach at the Dolphin Public Park (Loma Park) from 11am to 8pm each day. Locals and tourists alike can taste fresh seafood, and there will…
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