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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’s cannabis cottage industry set to fly high
Yesterday, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul once again defended his decision to decriminalize cannabis. Calls to reverse or suspend the legislation, by physicians, doctors, universities, and religious groups, fell on deaf ears and hundreds of new cannabis-related businesses in the kingdom breathed a sigh of relief. The decriminalization of the drug on June 6 has led to something of…
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Blaze breaks out at Pattaya hotel
A fire broke out on the seventh floor of a Pattaya hotel earlier this week. The blaze ripped through a storage room with electrical boxes at the LK Royal Suite Hotel on July 25. The hotel is located in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Luckily, no injuries were reported, and the fire was put out by the time firefighters arrived…
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8 common problems for Thai consumers addressed
Scam calls and texts, being cheated, pricy expenses… everything isn’t always rosy in the Land of Smiles. Now, the Thailand Consumers Council has drawn up a list of eight typical real-life issues that are decreasing the quality of life for consumers in the country. During a meeting with the Senate Committee on Human Rights, Rights and Liberty, and Consumers Protection…
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Dead man walking – after being ‘dead’ for 25 years, Thai man receives new ID card
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” Mark Twain And so it is with a 63 year old Thai man from Nakhon Sawan in central Thailand. He’s lucky to get to 65 because, according to the local district office, he apparently died in 1997. But his ‘resurrection’ has caused a number of issues for him as his Thai ID…
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Flood warning to Bangkok & 10 provinces along Chao Phraya River
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation last night warned that Bangkok and the other 10 provinces along the Chao Phraya River need to prepare for the possibility of floods because of rising sea levels predicted from tomorrow until August 1. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported at 10pm that the water level of the Chao Phraya River was…
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Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach planning temporary vendor zone
Pattaya officials have plans for a temporary solution to the drama over Jomtien Beach’s vendors. Earlier this year, a new stretch of the beach was created for tourists to enjoy. But merchants, local businesses, and hawkers quickly moved onto the area setting up stalls, tables, chairs, etc., denying access to people wanting to use the sandy area. Since then, the…
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A debt-ridden Thai woman seeks help after spiky durian assault
A Thai woman in the northern province of Lamphun has asked for media help after she was assaulted with some durian fruit because of a loan shark debt. The woman, Duangduen, revealed she borrowed about 20,000 baht from a money lender to open a shop with a friend last year. But things spiraled out of control and the interest repayment…
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Was the Nigerian man the real first monkeypox case in Thailand?
The head of the Centre for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital has addressed what many have questioned in the wild case of the Nigerian man who was diagnosed in Phuket with monkeypox and then fled to Cambodia. This first confirmed case of monkeypox in Thailand was likely contracted inside of the country, suggesting earlier, unidentified cases. The Nigerian man arrived…
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Bangkok governor vows to root out government corruption
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he is to introduce five new policies in an attempt to wipe out corruption in the capital. The 56 year old City Hall leader announced the scheme at a press conference sitting alongside members of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT). Chadchart acknowledged that Bangkok citizens do not fully trust City Hall in issues…
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Emergency Decree extended by cabinet until end of September
The Thai cabinet met yesterday to officially extend the State of Emergency in Thailand, announced earlier this month, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the 19th extension it will prolong the Emergency Decree that was set to expire on July 31, going into effect on August 1 and continuing until September 30. The decree, which was first invoked by…
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No more monkey business! Phuket monkeys lose tourists from monkeypox scare
Phuket’s monkeys are missing out on their usual feedings from tourists at Koh Siray island’s monkey viewpoint. At the viewpoint, tourists usually buy fruit from vendors to feed to the roughly 200 monkeys there. But following Phuket’s recent monkeypox scare, after a Nigerian man was found to have the virus, fewer tourists are coming to feed their furry friends. Local…
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Magnitude 7+ earthquakes hit northern Philippine islands – VIDEO
The island of Luzon in the Philippines has been hit by a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake sending strong tremors felt in many areas nearby, including the capital Manila. The earthquake was measured at around 10 – 40 kilometres deep. There have been other similar magnitude earthquakes being reported this morning (below). At this stage there are no immediate reports of…
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Pheu Thai Party leader’s car kills woman crossing road
A 77 year old woman in Amnat Charoen died this morning after being hit by a car carrying the Pheu Thai party leader Khathathep Tejadejruangkul. Khathathep was on his way to Ubon Ratchathani Airport to catch a flight to Bangkok where he was scheduled to attend a House meeting. But his driver, 32 year old Sergeant Wirayut Phariwong, hit Pua…
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Samui Summer Jazz Festivals raises THB100K for island charity Sisters on Samui (SOS)
Press Release The recent Samui Summer Jazz Festival 2022 held in June and organised by SKÅL International Koh Samui, has donated Thai Baht 100,000 to its charity partner, the Sisters on Samui Foundation (SOS). Funds raised through ticket sales, venues, generous sponsors and the musicians themselves contributed to this donation. The Samui Summer Jazz Festival 2022 ran from June 7-12…
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Thai couple killed in drink driving incident in Bangkok
A Thai couple selling food on a footpath along Rama 3 Road in Bangkok were killed yesterday in a drink driving incident. The drunk driver was caught by residents while trying to flee the scene. The two deaths happened in front of a food court named I SEE SEE on Rama 3 Road at about 5pm yesterday. The couple who…
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Thai university researchers test wastewater for monkeypox at Bangkok airport
Sewage at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is being tested for the monkeypox virus by researchers from Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok. The tests can detect traces of the virus in wastewater immediately – even before the infected person begins to show symptoms – and could be used as a “budget surveillance measure” to catch and control local outbreaks…
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Mor Prom to transition from Covid to a full healthcare app
Developed and evolved during the pandemic to be an all-purpose Covid-19 centre, the Mor Prom mobile app will now be transitioned into a new life as Thailand’s online health platform. The app was created as a Covid infection tracker, but quickly evolved into a source of coronavirus information, vaccine appointment scheduling and confirming, and a communication tool for the government…
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Samut observation tower to finally open after 10 years
Construction work in Bangkok is historically slow, whether it is burying cables underground, opening new roads, or, in this case, the reopening of Samut Prakarn Observation Tower. Thirteen years after plans were drawn up and 10 years after construction work began the building will finally open to the public on August 22. Last month, a Facebook page, Must Share, ต้องแฉ…
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Australian passengers queuing up outside airport terminals as unions threaten more delays
The world’s travel woes have made their way to Australia. Long queues and equally long delays at Australian airports are set to get worse as baggage handlers across the east coast initiate industrial action at a lunchtime meeting today. The strike threatens to impact baggage handling for up to 20 airlines including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Etihad, and Air Canada. With cancellations…
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Airbnb’s travel revolution plans for Thailand
Airbnb plans to be at the forefront of a travel revolution in Thailand now the kingdom has eased all of its entry restrictions. The US, California-based vacation rental company revealed that there was an increase of more than 180% in international travel searches in the first quarter of this year for stays in Thailand. Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and…
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Royal birthday holiday upcoming July 28-31, and again August 12
We are entering royal birthday season, as this weekend marks July’s second long holiday weekend in celebration of the king’s birthday, followed just two weeks later by the Queen Mother’s birthday. His Royal Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will celebrate his 70th birthday on Thursday, July 28, prompting a holiday to be extended on Friday to create a four-day holiday…
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Chinese kingpin of transnational call centre gang arrested at Bangkok airport
A Chinese man wanted for trafficking Chinese people across borders to work in call centre gangs in Laos and Cambodia was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Saturday. Chief of Police Suwat Chaengyordsook received a call on Friday, July 22, warning him that a Chinese fugitive wanted on an Interpol ‘Red Notice’ would be travelling to Suvarnabhumi Airport in…
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Pathum Thani Police nab 17 teen gang members after explosions
Gang violence in the Greater Bangkok province of Pathum Thani has escalated with 17 teenagers being arrested by police after throwing small bombs at each other. Thai news media reported that in the province to the north of Bangkok, on Soi Thammasuthee 23, Moo 5, in Muang district, explosions were heard three separate times related to gang wars. The first…
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Armed robber makes off with 160,000 baht from Phuket Tesco
Bank robberies are generally violent affairs, with lots of drama, some shots fired, and an injury or death. But this wasn’t the case when a stick-up occurred yesterday afternoon at a Tesco Lotus department store in Phuket. The cheeky armed robber wandered into the store in the Rawai area of Muang district shortly before 1pm and casually made off with…
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Govt wants Thailand to be No.1 in Asian business market by 2027
The Deputy PM and Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanavisit, has set an ambitious target for Thai brands and businesses to be top of the Asian market by 2027. The Deputy Spokesperson of the PM Office, Ratchada Thanadirek, yesterday reported that Commerce Minister Jurin was working on a project called “Promoting Thai Brands to the World” to develop Thai brands and businesses…
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Thai astronomer involved in bringing amazing James Webb Space Telescope images to us
All those amazing pictures we’ve seen from the new James Webb Space Telescope do have a small Thai connection. One Thai astronomer, Dr Nicha Leethochawalit of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, was among the first astronomers to use the new space telescope to discover the oldest and farthest galaxy ever detected. She was part of the Grism Lens-Amplified…
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Chinese man allegedly murders Thai wife for 70 million baht business
A Chinese man was arrested last week in the central province of Pathum Thani for allegedly murdering his Thai wife and covering it up. The man, Guang Chan, was arrested for the alleged murder and conspiracy to cover up her death on July 18. The 48 year old took his wife, Parawee, to a hospital last month and told staff…
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Thailand says 40 year old smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox
Thailand has a stockpile of smallpox vaccines in cold storage which were produced more than 40 years ago in 1979 and 1980. Not only are the vaccines still effective against smallpox, but they are 85% effective against monkeypox too, according to Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences (DMS). The vaccines could be used in the instance that the global monkeypox outbreak…
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Three killed during graduation ceremony in the Philippines
A former city mayor from the restive southern Filipino province of Basilan, along with her executive assistant and a university security guard, were killed in a shooting in the Philippine capital Manila. The incident occurred at the Ateneo de Manila University before a graduation ceremony that was to be presided over by the Philippines Supreme Court chief justice. Rose Furigay…
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US leads international outcry over execution of 4 Burmese anti-government activists
The US State Department has reacted to the murder of four democracy activists in a state-sanctioned execution, promising that there would be “further measures” to punish the military junta. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price called on countries to refuse to recognise the junta as Myanmar’s rightful government refuses to sell sales of military equipment to the military-controlled nation. “All…
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