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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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Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Shopee fires 50% of its Thai staff
E-commerce platform Shopee today announced 50% of its Thai staff are being fired alongside employees from Indonesia and Vietnam. The company, under the Singaporean tech group Sea, did not give a reason for the mass redundancies. DealStreetAsia reported that Shopee has informed all staff on the redundancy hit list to pack up their stuff and wait for an official termination…
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Woman gets justice after washing her laundry in public
A woman’s appeal for justice through social media has been successful after she was beaten by a member of the local authority in the La Haan Sai district of the Isaan province of Buriram. Wichuda told the media that she was assaulted by a member of Buriram’s Subdistrict Administrative Organization because she complained about the plumbing. The 27 year old…
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Thai woman drowns while taking diving lessons in Chon Buri
A 35 year old Thai woman drowned yesterday while taking a diving lesson near Koh Juang in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri. The woman, Hathaya Rimpanawet, was diving with other students offshore when a strong current pulled her beneath the water with a 10 kilogram counterweight attached to her wrist. The woman’s diving instructor, Tararat Thianpajeekun, says he, and…
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US Defense Secretary visits PM Prayut in Bangkok
Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in a bid to “reinforce” longstanding military ties between the two nations, which date back to 1818. Austin and PM Prayut, who is also Minister of Defence, “shared perspectives on regional security issues, and discussed opportunities to strengthen the US – Thai alliance,” according to the US Defense…
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Malaysia’s Cabinet agrees to abolish mandatory death penalty
Malaysia’s Cabinet voted in favour of abolishing the mandatory death penalty. According to proposed changes to the law announced on Friday, the death penalty would not be abolished completely, but Malaysian judges would no longer be forced to issue the mandatory death penalty for 11 types of serious crimes, including drug offences, kidnapping, murder and terrorism. Malaysia’s parliament will still…
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Court upholds 8-month suspended jail sentence for ex Thai MP
Former Palang Pracharath MP for Ratchaburi province, Pareena Kraikupt, yesterday says she is undecided whether she will challenge the Appeal Court decision to uphold a lower court sentence of an 8-month jail term, suspended for 2 years, and a 66,666 baht fine for defamation. A defamation case was filed against the 46 year old by former Future Forward MP Pannika…
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PM says police will defend themselves if protestors don’t respect the law
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday asked demonstrators to respect the law, stating that the police are capable of protecting themselves if they are assaulted by anti-government demonstrators. The PM says he is unconcerned about demonstrations as long as the coordinators obtain the necessary permits and follow the law. The 68 year old politician warned teenagers who attended the protest to consider…
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Thai OnlyFans couple who turned holiday resort into a porn shoot wanted by police
Police are looking for a Thai OnlyFans couple who turned the popular holiday resort of Wang Nam Khiao into a porn shoot setting. Three of the couple’s sex tapes were circulated online yesterday in secret group chats in the popular Thai Line application. The videos, which soon went viral, feature the couple having sex in a resort room with a…
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Cryptocurrency crash: what is happening?
The global market of cryptocurrency dipped below US$1 trillion to $962 billion for the first time yesterday since 2020. Bitcoin fell below US$23,000, hitting its lowest point since December 2020. Over the weekend, Ethereum collapsed by 24%, falling to its lowest level in more than 14 months. Meanwhile, crypto lending company Celsius froze withdrawals for its customers yesterday, claiming it…
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British pensioner in Chiang Mai dies in motorbike accident
A Chinese motorist has been threatened with the full force of the law if she is to blame for the death of a British pensioner in a road accident in northern Thailand. Keith William McVeighty died in a motorbike crash involving a car on a motorway in Chiang Mai on Sunday morning. Footage from CCTV reveals a female driver allegedly accelerated…
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Police investigate death of 2 teens and elderly man in Pattaya road accident
Police are investigating the death of 2 teenagers and an elderly man after they died in a road accident in Ban Bueng, Chon Buri, on Sunday. Emergency services were called to the scene of the accident in the Nong Chark sub-district and found the bodies of two 14 year old boys by the side of a damaged motorbike and a…
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The best sea-view villas in Phuket
Sponsored We spend much of our time glued to our screens, and sometimes we just need to step back and relax in an environment ideal for unwinding. Just imagine waking up to the blue sea and the skies in your private villa surrounded by nature. Phuket, home to the stunning turquoise sea and lush greenery, boasts beautiful villas that are…
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Fire jellyfish warning in Krabi, southern Thailand
Red flags were raised to warn tourists not to swim on one beach in Krabi, southern Thailand, after large numbers of “fire jellyfish” washed up on the shore yesterday. Morbakka fenneri, known as the “fire jellyfish,” doesn’t get its name from its pinkish-red colour but from its potent sting. Thousands of small but venomous fire jellyfish washed up on Hong…
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Pattaya locals question new zig-zag lines on roads
New zig-zag lines painted on roads in Pattaya have left locals scratching their heads. So much so that a man posted pictures on social media last week questioning what they were. The man had never come across any zig-zag lines when he was learning to drive. The local man from Pattaya posted pictures of the zig-zag lines in a Facebook…
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Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department
Thailand has worryingly lost connection with two tsunami detection buoys, but the country’s tsunami warning system is still effective, insists the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM. Indian authorities recently recovered one of the buoys in the Indian Ocean after the department lost contact with it on October 22 last year. The department is trying to recover a…
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Man changes surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate cannabis decriminalisation
A Thai man in the Isaan province of Buriram has changed his surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand. He says his pregnant wife had already checked the surname’s meaning and found it had a good essence, and added his newborn baby, expected to born on June 22, will be proud of him. On Friday, one…
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Chaokoh deny any monkey business amid PETA investigation
Thai coconut-milk producer Chaokoh say there is no monkey business going on in the production of their products, in response to a PETA investigation. The US-based animal rights non-profit organisation conducted an investigation in 2019 singling out Chaokoh for the abuse of young monkeys in Thailand. PETA’s report alleged monkeys are “chained, abused, and forced to climb trees to pick…
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Malaysians flood back to Phuket
Daily AirAsia flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket are fully booked as Malaysians flock back to the island paradise in their thousands. The island is a popular beach getaway location for Malaysian families, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT. Alongside AirAsia, Scoot, Indigo, Emirates and Thai Airways also fly into Phuket from various locations in Malaysia. Other…
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Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers
The Thai Royal Gazette has now officially announced the increase of the minimum Thai wage for workers in 16 careers, focusing on workers in construction, service and industrial industries. The wage is increased up to 650 baht per day from the former rate of about 313 – 336 baht per day. The policy was launched on June 10 and would…
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Elderly Thai couple marry after knowing each other for 10 days
An elderly couple from Phetchabun, northern Thailand, got married yesterday after knowing each other for a total of 10 days. The lovebirds met on the ridge of Pak Huay Dam in Khon Kaen and it wasn’t long before they decided to get married and live with each other in their old age. The 72 year old groom Nuan Mala did…
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Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand
Chickens at a farm in Lampang, northern Thailand, are in a “good mood” after the antibiotics in their chicken feed were replaced with cannabis. Not only are the chickens showing higher immunity against disease, but they also have a lower body fat percentage than usual, making for a delicious Khao Man Gai – or chicken rice – according to one…
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Surprise! Additional luggage fees on a budget airline ruin family holiday
Yikes. How much were you charged recently for late checked baggage fees? All but some of the larger legacy or national airlines charge for checked in luggage these days and arriving at the airport check-in, without having paid for your checked luggage, when you booked the cheap seats online, will likely provide an unhappy surprise. So HOW unhappy? Have a…
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Police step up search for minister’s missing father
Police stepped up a search for the missing father of a government minister charged with land encroachment by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission. Soonthorn Vilawan, father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan, is allegedly on the run after failing to turn up in court on Thursday to face charges of forest encroachment. The NACC told media Thursday the anti-graft watchdog had…
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CCSA to consider more suggestions on lifting Covid restrictions
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday will consider more suggestions in regards to lifting Covid restrictions, with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insisting that public safety is still a priority. Adjusting the colour-coded Covid concept and relaxing the rules for nightclubs will be among the recommendations discussed. The CCSA is open to any new ideas and recommendations from different parties…
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Mae Sot district proposed as site of Thailand’s 1st official casino
An Entertainment Complex Committee, set up by the government, has proposed Mae Sot district in the northern province of Tak as an ideal location for Thailand’s first legal entertainment complex, with a casino. The committee has announced that they’ve gathered all information from their survey, both negative and positive, and is ready to submit the findings to the Thai cabinet.…
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Thailand’s Digital Economy Minister ‘clarifies’ about the posting of crime pics or videos online
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, is warning crime witnesses that spreading pictures or videos of the incidents via online channels ‘could’ violate the new Personal Data Protection Act or PDPA. The minister says the safer way to help victims is to hand the evidence to the police officers. Thailand officially operated the PDPA or the Personal Data…
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Two Indian tourists die in motorbike accident on Koh Samui mountain
Two Indian tourists have died in a motorbike incident yesterday evening on the Thai Gulf island of Koh Samui, southern Thailand. The pair were driving down the Khao Pom mountain on a rented motorbike when they crashed into a barrier on a curved road. The men’s bodies were found on the mountainside. At 6:30pm yesterday, Koh Samui Police Station received…
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Governor pledges to make Bangkok better for its most vulnerable
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt called for “cooperation” after he pledged to make the city better after chairing a task force meeting designed to help improve lives of the city’s most vulnerable. The 56 year old city chief met with several associations on how best to promote the rights and interests of those most vulnerable in the metropolis. Attendees included associations…
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Thai nightlife midnight closing time under pressure this week
The current ‘official’ closing time for nightlife venues, in 31 provinces around Thailand (yellow and blue zones), is midnight. That all kicked in at the start of this month. But, hey, it’s Thailand and there’s also been plenty of venues, particularly in the tourist zones, where the midnight close time has been stretched a bit. But some netizens have noticed…
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How can parents keep kids busy during Bangkok summer holidays
Summer holidays for Bangkok international schools are nearly here. For working parents who are trying to balance work, and family, and will be spending at least some of the summer in the city, the question is how to keep their children busy and engaged? One of the best online resources for expat parents looking for activities is BKK Kids. With…
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