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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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UPDATE: Cafe serves drinks in “penis” bags in southern Thailand
UPDATE: After the eye-catching penis-tea-bag went viral on social media, Chadeen cafe in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, have announced that they are discontinuing the bag moving forward… “We have to apologise to all customers. We will not sell the [penis] bag anymore. It involves many sensitive issues. Thank you everyone for all your interest and support.” Chadeen might not be…
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Thailand gives Malaysians one month to collect stranded vehicles free of charge
Thailand is giving Malaysians one month to collect their stranded vehicles free of charge from June 1 – June 30. Hundreds of cars with Malaysian number plates got stranded in Thailand when the border closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, over two years ago. After June 30, Thailand will impose a fee to collect stranded vehicles. Vehicles can be brought…
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Prepare for rain and floods in Thailand (again)
Thailand’s wet season is still alive and well. From tomorrow, May 27, until May 31 (Tuesday), expect heavy to very heavy rains in the country’s northeast, central, east, and southern regions. The current Monsoon in Thailand’s southwest is expected to get stronger. As has been the case in Thailand for the past month, expect strong winds and high waves in…
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French woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand
A young French woman was killed in a road accident in Ayutthaya province in central Thailand yesterday evening. The 26 year old tourist got confused at an intersection when a green and red light shone at the same time, leading her to drive into oncoming traffic. A man driving a sedan through the green light couldn’t break in time, striking…
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Teenage girl, ‘client’ arrested as Police rescue 2 minors in sex trafficking swoop
Undercover police yesterday swooped to arrest a teenage girl and her customer for procurement and engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor at a short-time hotel, in Muang district of Kanchanaburi, western Thailand. Police also rescued a teenage old girl held against her will as part of the investigation, who was allegedly forced to take illicit drugs and engage in…
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Things looking up in Phuket following return of international tourism
Provincial officials on the southern island of Phuket say the return of tourists has raised income levels and created more jobs. According to a Bangkok Post report, the return of international tourists has started to revive the island’s economy and reduced unemployment across Phuket. Data shared by Phuket governor, Narong Wunciew, reveals that since the launch of the Phuket sandbox…
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UPDATE: German tourist who went missing in Phuket is headed home
THE LATEST Barbara Lange, the 76 year old woman who went missing from her Phuket hotel earlier this month, is now headed back home to Germany. Yesterday, a team from the Phuket Tourist Assistance Center helped Barbara and her family at the Phuket International Airport. This news comes after Barbara was released from the hospital earlier this week. Barbara and…
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Government says the WHO will use Thailand as a role model for Covid-19 management
The Thai government is patting itself on the back again, with a spokesperson saying officials have been praised by the World Health Organisation. Traisuree Taisaranakul says the administration has been cited as a “role model” for its management of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was speaking after a meeting between the health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus, and…
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Pattaya officials say Walking Street should be repaired by August
After Pattaya’s famous Walking Street welcomed back visitors last month for the first time since Covid-19 broke out, the city’s officials have put in a big budget to give the street a ‘makeover‘. Pattaya city officials announced yesterday that the city has now spent 13 million baht on road repairs for the street, and these repairs are expected to be…
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Health ministry clarifies lifting of mask mandate in “designated areas only”
Not so fast, says the Public Health Ministry, responding to news that Thailand’s mask mandate could be lifted next month. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit has issued a clarification that this could apply in certain areas only. According to Kiattiphum, Thailand’s Covid-19 situation has improved quicker than expected and officials believe the virus can be downgraded to endemic as planned. At that…
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Thailand raises monkeypox alert level to “requiring close surveillance”
The Public Health Ministry has raised its alert level for the monkeypox virus, classifying it as a communicable disease requiring close surveillance. This is despite no cases of the virus having been reported in the country to date. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon from the Department of Disease Control says the virus is far less…
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American cruise company looking for 1,000 Thai service staff
All aboard! The American cruise company that owns the Princess Cruise, Holland America Line, has visited Thailand’s Department of Employment seeking Thai staff to work onboard. The company says they have more than 1,000 positions available for Thai people saying that the famous Thai smile is perfect for the hospitality industry. The Director-General of the Employment Department, Pirot Choticsathian, welcomed…
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Thai PM Prayut questions Chadchart’s 200+ policies for Bangkok
He’s only been elected for 3 days and the sniping has already started. Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has told Thai media that he is ready to work with the incoming Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt. But the PM says he’s curious how Chadchart will achieve the 200 policies he promoted during the election campaign. The PM said Chadchart would be “more powerful…
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UPDATE:Teenage gunman goes on rampage killing 19 children and 2 adults at a Texas primary school
UPDATE New information has come to light revealing that minutes before the attack at Robb Elementary School, which killed 19 pupils and two teachers, gunman, Salvador Ramos, texted a girl in Frankfurt, Germany, about his plans. Screenshots of messages show the suspect complaining to the German girl about his grandmother complaing about his mobile phone usage. “It’s annoying,” he texted,…
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Official in one Phuket district plans to step up English teaching
Even though Thailand’s English language proficiency ranked 100 out of 112 countries last year, an official in one Phuket district isn’t giving up on teaching the language. The chief of Phuket’s Kathu district, Siwat Wangkun, says he has looked beyond the walls of the district’s schools for teaching English, since some school staff lack proficient English teaching skills. The groups Siwat…
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Tires of Royal Thai Air Force plane burst during landing in northeast Thailand
A Royal Thai Air Force aircraft is stuck on the runway of Ubon Ratchathani International Airport after both rear tires of the plane burst during landing at 11:30am this morning. The normal brake system failed to work so the pilot used the emergency brakes to prevent the plane skidding off the runway, causing the rear tires to burst, making it…
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Where Thai locals go for a happy ending
Thailand has a numerous amount of convenient and simple places to go to if you want a quick lovemaking session. There are literally hundreds of “erotic entertainment venues” in the Land of Smiles that locals like to frequent. It’s not because they dislike areas such as Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza, or Patpong in Bangkok, or the walking streets of Phuket…
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Chon Buri driver allegedly threatens man with gun over road accident
A driver in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri allegedly threatened another driver with a gun, and physically attacked him, over a minor car accident earlier this week. The alleged victim, 40 year old truckdriver Mongkol Kladngam, told Thai media he got into a minor accident while he was delivering goods. Mongkol said he planned to negotiate with the driver…
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Endangered black panther spotted on road in central Thailand
Tourists on their way to Kaeng Krachan National Park in the central province of Phetchaburi spotted an endangered black panther on the road as they neared their campsite yesterday morning. National park officials have advised tourists to drive with caution and stick to the speed limit in case they encounter black panthers or other wild animals on the road. Yesterday,…
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UPDATE: German tourist who went missing in Phuket released from hospital
THE LATEST Barbara Lange, the 76 year old woman who went missing from her Phuket hotel earlier this month, has been released from the hospital on Monday. She was being treated for exhaustion and weakness at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, after rescuers found her during a helicopter search in Sirinat National Park. Lange and her family thanked everyone who helped rescue…
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Former Thai PM issues death penalty warning to coup-makers
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last night fired a warning to the nation’s coup-makers that they could still face the death sentence in the future. Thaksin, who also turned his ire on current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha labelling him “a dictator” and someone “increasingly disconnected from reality,” says he hopes he will receive justice for the wrongs against him and punishment…
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Thailand exempts cryptocurrency transfer VAT until 2023
The Royal Thai Government Gazette has formally announced a VAT exemption for transferring cryptocurrency from now until the end of 2023. The cabinet had approved the exemption of the value added tax, or VAT, for transferring cryptocurrency or digital tokens in March. Yesterday, the decision was passed into Thai law and will be in effect from yesterday until December 31,…
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As fuel prices climb, Thailand’s delivery workers struggle
As Thailand’s fuel prices climb, some delivery drivers are saying the country’s attempts at subsidies aren’t helping them much. One motorcycle taxi driver told Thai PBS World that, even though the government offers a 250 baht discount per month on benzene or gasohol, it’s not worth it when he has to travel a long distance for it. The driver added that…
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Teacher filmed cutting bald patches into 10 students’ hair in northeast Thailand
A secondary school student from Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand, secretly filmed a teacher cutting bald patches into the hair of 10 male students and posted the video on social media. Netizens have criticised the teacher’s actions as inappropriate and a violation of children’s rights. The director of Suranee Wittaya 2 school in Mueang district said the teacher has since…
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Disability rights activist jailed for shaming a motorist parked in a disabled bay
A disability rights activist was jailed after posting a picture of a motorist occupying a parking spot reserved for disabled drivers and now faces up to two years in prison for libeling the man. Manit Intharapim uploaded a picture on his Facebook page of a Toyota Hilux Revo of what he thought was someone illegally occupying a disabled parking space…
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Body found on Chon Buri beach
Tourists spotted a body on a beach in the main city district of Chon Buri province yesterday. Emergency workers said in a report that the body found on Bang Saen Beach belonged to 40 year old Phu Sao, a Burmese boat worker who had gone missing after he fell into the ocean. One emergency responder estimated that Phu had been…
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Former air force officer murders ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in Bangkok
A former Royal Thai Air Force officer murdered his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend at a house in Ratchathewi district in Bangkok yesterday morning. The perpetrator broke into the couple’s home and shot dead 24 year old Fah and 25 year old Korakot before fleeing the house. Fah was shot twice in the head and body and Korakot was shot…
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Large banana plantation near Bangkok goes viral, Thai netizens say owner wants to avoid land tax
One of the biggest exhibition centres and event venues, Impact Arena, in the central province of Nonthaburi, basically just north of Bangkok, is showing off its large banana plantation on their official Facebook page. The page claims the CEO desires to increase green spaces for people, but Thai netizens have figured out it’s just a way the controlling company is…
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Phuket police search for kidnapper and young girl he abducted months ago
Police are still on the hunt for a man who kidnapped a young girl on Rawai Beach in the main city district of Phuket in February. The girl’s mother reported the kidnapping on February 9, saying that a 33 year old man named only as ‘Camp’ abducted her 13-year-old daughter while the girl was selling flowers on Rawai Beach in…
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Thai nurse arrested for conning the public out of millions of baht in flu vaccine scam
A Thai nurse has been arrested, accused of defrauding the public in a flu vaccine scam that netted millions of baht. According to media reports, 38-year-old Thonglim Jitpeng was arrested in the Bang Na district of Bangkok. She has denied the charges against her. According to reports, Thonglim ran a business selling hand sanitiser during the pandemic, which enabled her…
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