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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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Thai leg of the high speed rail to Laos and China will be completed by 2028
The government has stated that by 2028, it will have finished its part of a long-delayed high-speed rail system connecting Thailand with China and Laos. The 434 billion baht project’s first of two phases will be completed by 2026, according to officials. According to the director-general of the Department of Rail Transport, Pichet Kunadhamraks, 12% of the first stage is…
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UPDATE: Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as UK prime minister
UPDATE: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there will be “a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end” as and when Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader. But the SNP leader questions the sustainability of Johnson staying on until the autumn, and says he was always “manifestly unfit…
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Survey shows over 80% want legal casino complex in Thailand
A survey released by the Casino Committee of Thailand has revealed overwhelming evidence that the Thai nation wants a legal casino and entertainment complex in the country. Almost 81% of 3,296 participants said they would welcome a legal casino and entertainment complex in Thailand. MP from the Pheu Thai Party, and Casino Committee of Thailand spokesperson, Jakkapon Tangsuttitham, yesterday revealed…
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British man beaten up and robbed in Pattaya, Thailand
A British tourist who woke up in his underwear on the floor on a Pattaya path says he got beaten up and robbed by 4 Thai men after a night of heavy drinking. Police found 29 year old Farnie (surname reserved) of British nationality covered in bruises on the floor of North Pattaya Road yesterday at noon. Farnie was missing…
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2 Brits honoured for heroic efforts in Thai cave rescue
The University of Bristol has awarded 2 British cave divers with honourary degrees after recognising their heroic efforts in rescuing 12 boys and a man from a flooded cave in Thailand. Linda Wilson, Vice-President of the University of Bristol’s Spelaeological Society, nominated John Volanthen, from Bristol, and Rick Stanton, from Coventry, for their honorary degrees. Wilson hailed the 2 British…
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Grandmother stabbed more than 20 times in brutal murder in central Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation after a man stabbed a 75 year old woman to death at her home in Phetchaburi province, central Thailand, on Tuesday. The woman’s daughter, 39 year old Yok, said she had been unwell and had been taking sleeping pills. Yok woke up at noon to find her mother – 75 year old Suthasinee Phansawat…
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Ferries to Koh Pha Ngan is costing 40% more (and the other islands too)
Business owners on Koh Pha Ngan are demanding cheaper ferry charges after they increased by more than 40% since the start of July, impacting businesses and living expenses. For the average car, the ferry service from Don Sak dock to Pha Ngan with the Raja Ferry increased from 620 baht to 900 baht as of July 1. The Raja Ferry…
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Thai MP and brother get 2 years jail for election fraud
Former Democrat Party MP Theptai Seanpong and his younger brother, Manoch Seanpong, were sentenced to a prison term of 2 years and political disqualification for 10 years after being found guilty of election fraud during the provincial administrative organization election in 2013 in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Seanpong family is well-known among residents of Nakhon Si…
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Thaksin predicts the opposition parties will win election in a landslide
Talking on a social media chat program this week, fugitive and former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra says the opposition parties, or as he described them, the “pro-democracy” parties, will win. And win with an absolute majority. The interview was conducted on ‘Care Talk’ on the Clubhouse app on Tuesday this week. Thaksin was speaking online from his house in Dubai.…
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Thai officer caught on camera riding carelessly won’t be fined
A Thai police officer caught on camera riding a motorcycle as if he was drunk in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum, won’t be prosecuted. The Chaiyaphum News Hunter Facebook page, คนล่าข่าวชัยภูมิ, posted a video of the police with a caption saying, “Locals sent this to me. Is it too dangerous, boss? This happened on the Bypass Road Mueng Chaiyaphum at…
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Shooter in Pattaya turns himself in after shooting at man in car
After shooting up a car where a man was waiting for his girlfriend in Pattaya, the shooter has now turned himself in at the Bang Lamung Police Station. The 38 year old man told police that the hail of bullets that he showered the car with was in response to a personal dispute and initially confessed to the crime. The…
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Bangkok authorities remove transformers belonging to lot that caused fire
Bangkok’s Metropolitan Electrical Authority yesterday removed 2 network transformers belonging to the same lot that caused a fire in Chinatown last month. The fire in the historic Sampeng market killed 2 people. The blaze was caused by a transformer exploding at a 3 storey shophouse, according to a preliminary inspection. Now, MEA officials plan to inspect the transformers to make…
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Suspected insurgent shot dead by police in southern Thailand
Thai police shot dead a suspected insurgent at a house in Pattani province, southern Thailand, yesterday at 4:30am. The suspect tried to escape the house by climbing out of the window and allegedly fired shots at police who shot back in self-defence. The deceased allegedly had a role in the 2019 Bangkok bombings. Police received information that a wanted, suspected…
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Phuket will have a tsunami drill on July 20 following multiple small tremors offshore
There will be a tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket’s Thalang district on July 20 after a number of underwater earthquakes off the Nicobar Islands, some 500 kilometres away, increased residents’ fears of a possible tsunami. Phuket tsunami 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were continuously hit by 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude underwater earthquakes for three…
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Songkhla officials investigate migrant smuggling network
Officials and police in southern Thailand’s Songkhla province are investigating an illegal migrant smuggling network. On Monday, officials and immigration police set up an ambush in a forest in the Hat Yai district. Illegal Burmese migrants had been staying there. After the authorities waited through the night and into the next day, 2 pickup trucks showed up, and the migrants…
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Thailand to receive new LAAB Covid vaccine by end of the month
Thailand today signed an agreement to receive its first batch of Long-Acting Antibody doses at the end of this month. The Thai Deputy PM, and Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, signed an agreement with AstraZeneca Country President, James Teague, to receive 257,500 doses of LAAB for people who suffer from immunodeficiency, to reduce of risk of becoming gravely ill if infected…
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Pattaya’s prisoners clean the city’s sewers to prevent flooding
Monsoon season brings floods to every region of Thailand year in and year out. This year, Pattaya’s prisoners are taking action to mitigate the flood risk. On Monday, inmates from Pattaya Remand Prison began the mammoth task of cleaning out the city’s clogged up sewers for the first time since before the pandemic began. Well-behaved inmates, alongside city hall sanitation…
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Mayor delivers election promise to rid Pattaya of its ugly cables
The Pattaya Mayor yesterday took a big step in delivering one of his election promises “to make the city more beautiful to tourists from all over the world” by ridding the resort of its ugly communication cables. Tons of dead communication wires, on the road along Jom Tien Beach in Pattaya that had been left dormant for years, were removed…
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Migrant workers – even undocumented – can stay until 2025
Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam got a reprieve for the next few years as the Thai Cabinet extended their ability to stay in the country until early 2025. The extension of stay will be permitted for both documented and undocumented migrant workers and will lengthen the time they are allowed to stay until February 13, 2025. The…
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Army helps repair houses of elderly and disabled in Phuket
The Royal Thai Army has helped repair and renovate the homes of elderly and disabled people in Phuket’s Thalang district. Many elderly and disabled residents in the Mai Khao subdistrict have been hit hard after 2 years of Covid-19 restrictions, and can’t afford to renovate their houses. The subdistrict had received about 20,000 baht per house to support repairs for…
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Thailand agrees to build economic community with China
The doom and gloom of the nation’s economy were put to one side momentarily as Thailand and China agreed to build an “economic community with a shared future”, providing a much-needed boost to the kingdom’s prosperity. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met at Government House yesterday to discuss greater trade, economic cooperation, investment, and connectivity…
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Burmese migrants reportedly stab Chon Buri man in revenge for deportation
A group of Burmese migrants has reportedly stabbed a man in Chon Buri province who they believed helped get them deported in the past. Yesterday the 3 attackers crashed into the victim on 2 motorbikes, knocking him to the ground, and then stabbed him multiple times, according to the victim’s son, Phuwadol. Phuwadol says the attackers then dashed away on…
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Government panel now fears negative effect of cannabis on tourism
The decriminalisation of cannabis could actually severely damage tourism in Thailand, according to a House committee discussing the 2023 fiscal year budget bill. The committee spokesperson said that a meeting yesterday was discussing money allocation for the Ministry of Public Health when the debate topic turned to the effect of legalised cannabis on the budget. Members of the committee fear…
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Thailand or Cambodia? Comparing 10 year visa programmes
Cambodia has launched a “My 2nd Home” programme to encourage foreign investment in the country. The programme features a 10 year long “Golden Visa” with unlimited entry and exit and other benefits. But how does it compare with Thailand’s 10 year Long Term Resident visa? Applicants for the “My 2nd Home” Golden Visa must be a foreign investor with an…
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UPDATE: High-profile officer not corrupt says Bangkok residents
Thirty community leaders from the Lat Krabang district met with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittupunt yesterday to demand justice for a high-profile district officer. The community leaders, led by a former Bangkok Metropolitan Council candidate, Ronnachai Sangkamitkun, visited Chadchart’s office at BMA City Hall near the Giant Swing, and asked him to provide more information about the city’s corruption investigation into…
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Major floods hit Australia
Heavy rains have caused major floods in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Authorities have warned that the crisis could last until early next week. Already over 85,000 people in New South Wales, most in Sydney’s western suburbs, have been asked to either evacuate or warned they might receive evacuation orders. Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese announced today that flood victims will…
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Real estate investment opportunity in Phuket- Solar-powered pool villas for sale in Thailand
Press Release Demand for rental properties has been on the rise in Thailand since things began to ease up and businesses started to reopen in 2022. One of the main reasons is that many of the first-time buyers who were going to invest in properties have had to take a detour for their securities in these uncertain times. However, this…
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Series of earthquakes strike 500km away from Thailand’s Andaman coast
A series of continuous 4.0 – 4.9 magnitude earthquakes struck the Andaman and Nicobar islands for a period of 3 days, 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast. More than 40 tremors occurred, beginning July 4 at 6:00am and continuing until this morning, July 6. The epicentre of the tremors was only 10 kilometres deep, making the chance of a…
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Thai health authorities insist latest Covid-19 wave is controllable
The Thai Department of Disease Control under the Ministry of Public Health insists that the latest Covid-19 wave in Thailand will be “small and controllable”, and should be called a “mini wave” not a new wave. The Rural Doctor Society Facebook page shared an urgent and secret document about a new wave of Covid to the public on Monday. The…
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Thai man escapes with life after love triangle shootout
A Thai man escaped with his life after an argument with his girlfriend turned into a scene from a gangster movie. Teerapan Mulma got into a row with his girlfriend at a party on Sunday, July 3 at Pattaya Waterworks Authority in Pattaya, which spiraled into a shootout. The 34 year old was enjoying drinks with his girlfriend and a…
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