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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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Phuket man confesses to spying on female hotel guest, still ‘temporarily released’
A Phuket hotel employee has confessed this morning to spying on a hotel guest last night while she was showering. Phuket police have already released the man, Noppadon, even though he admitted his crime and had been charged by police. The guest, Tong, posted on Facebook last night about the man, saying she spotted him staring at her through the…
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Crane arm breaks at Bangkok construction site, 1 man killed, another injured
Yesterday afternoon, a crane arm broke and dropped at a construction site on Ratchadamri Road in the Lumphini area of Bangkok’s Pathumwan district, killing one and injuring another. Part of the 20 metre tall crane broke off and landed on the ground. Two workers were seriously injured, both of them from Myanmar. They were rushed to a local hospital, where…
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Thailand ups electric vehicle incentives, after 30% spike in foreign direct investment
Thailand Board of Investment has approved revised conditions and incentives for investing in electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them, specifically charging stations. Today’s BOI announcement comes as Thailand increases its incentives for people to buy and invest in electric vehicles, in an effort to maintain its grip on Southeast Asia’s car manufacturing market, which is transitioning to…
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Boeing 757-200 crash lands and splits in two at Costa Rica airport
Boeing’s series of bad media, whether directly at fault or not, continues after a DHL Boeing 757-200 cargo aircraft crash landed and split into two, losing its tail end at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria international airport yesterday. The crew managed to escape the yellow DHL cargo plane and came out of the incident unharmed. The aircraft was bound for Guatemala…
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Asia News Today | New North Korean test on the way & META blocks Filipino election account
Human Rights Watch has accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s military government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the Burmese military chief and Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors.HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung says the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief accountable for human rights…
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US arrests 3 Thais, yakuza chief for planning to supply missiles to Burmese rebels
US authorities revealed yesterday that they have arrested three Thai men and a Japanese yakuza organised crime leader in New York City on April 4 – 5. The men are accused of trafficking heroin and methamphetamine, as well as attempting to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Takeshi Ebizawa, Sompak Raksaranee, Somphop Sigsiri and Suksan…
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Ousted Thai MP vows to continue political career, posts ‘see you again’
After a former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath Party was permanently banned from Thai politics yesterday, she now vows to continue her political activities anyway. The woman, Pareena Kraikupt, was banned from politics by Thailand’s Supreme Court because she used forest reserve land in Ratchaburi for her private poultry farm. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders found…
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Phuket hospital and resort launch ‘Prestige Wellness’ tourism campaign
A Phuket hospital and a local resort are teaming up to launch a new campaign called “Prestige Wellness” — offering tourists ‘reboot’ wellness programs, in addition to Phuket’s natural beauty, local cuisine and cultural activities. Now tourists won’t even have to leave the comfort of their hotel to benefit from some of the wellness programmes available under the government’s plan for…
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Friday Covid Update: 25,140 new cases; provincial totals
89 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,877 with 4,179 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,140 new Covid-19 cases and 24,854 recoveries. There are now 248,254 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Malaysian Airlines 737 plunges mid-air, passengers ‘float’ in their seats
Malaysia Airlines has responded to questions over an ‘incident’ with one of their Boeing 737 aircraft last Sunday, commenting that “the plane performed an air turn back due to technical issues with the aircraft, compounded by bad weather en route”. Those “issues” caused MH2664, flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Sabah on the eastern island of Borneo, to plunge…
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Why are Thai Airways leasing 3 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft?
Thai Airways is expanding its fleet by three this month despite going through an ongoing debt restructuring process. The airline is in the process of selling 45 unused jets, yet they are leasing three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft this month. Two 777-300ERs, adorned with Thai Airways paint jobs, landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on April 5 and another is expected to…
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King of Saudi Arabia donates 7 tonnes of dates to Thailand Muslims
The King of Saudi Arabia has bestowed 7 tonnes of dates and gift boxes to Thai Muslims who are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan from April 2 – May 1. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s gift of 3,000 boxes of dates will be distributed to Muslim communities in Thailand to eat at iftar, which is the meal…
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Chon Buri man allegedly threatens to attack wife while high on meth
Yet another case of domestic violence and drug abuse in Chon Buri province, as a local man allegedly threatened to attack his wife while high on meth yesterday in Panat Nikhom district. The man’s mother said that in the past, her son had hit his brother. Sompean Saminyae told The Pattaya News about her son’s violent outburst, saying, “He destroyed…
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Kerry Express delivers FREE Covid care boxes to patients self-isolating at home
Thailand’s popular parcel deliver company Kerry Express is distributing their free “Kerry Care Box” to asymptomatic Covid patients who are self-isolating at home from now until after the Songkran festival. Face masks, paracetamol pills, cough syrup, alcohol, Fa Talai Jon herbal capsules and a thermometer are among the supplies included in the bundle for those who require at-home treatment during…
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Human Rights Watch rebukes Australia for meeting with Myanmar junta chief
Yesterday, Human Rights Watch accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s junta government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the junta’s chief Min Aung Hlaing and of Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors. HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung said the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief…
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ATK solution can cause blindness, Thailand’s fact checking centre confirms
ATK testing solution should NOT be used as eyedrops. That’s the takeaway from a warning Thai netizens are passing around, claiming that a harmful chemical compound called sodium azide found in ATK test kits could make people’s eyes go blind. The Anti-Fake News Centre of Thailand, together with the Department of Medical Science, has investigated the claim and confirmed it…
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Prayut advises Bangkok governor hopefuls on drainage system, population density
Following a record registration of 31 candidates for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, PM Prayut advises the future governor, whoever that will be, to continue solving the city’s problems. Prayut offered a few pointers on several pressing issues, including Bangkok’s drainage system and population density, saying, “May I offer moral support to all Bangkok governor candidates”. Prayut said in order to fix Bangkok…
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Call centre scammers make deepfake video of Chon Buri police officer to lure in victims
Scam call centres are now using ‘deepfake’ videos to make their scams look more realistic. In a ‘deepfake’ clip circling online, a policeman from Chon Buri appears to be talking, but his strange mouth movements give away that the video is not real. A netizen posted the clip online to warn others not to fall for the scam. The clip…
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Thailand can welcome Russian travellers back this Saturday, really?@!
The Russian PM, Mikhail Mishustin, has revealed that Russia would open its sky to 52 “friendly” countries from April 9 onwards after being closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. And that other matter. On the list is Thailand who says they’re ready to welcome the Russian travellers back. Given the current situation with the ongoing war between Russia and…
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One of four missing divers found safe off Malaysia
One of four divers that went missing on Wednesday off southeastern Malaysia was found safe yesterday. The woman, Kristine Grodem, is a diving instructor, and says she lost sight of the other divers after the group drifted far from their boat due to strong underwater currents, according to a Malaysian maritime director. The director said Grodem was airlifted to safety…
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Police arrest Thai OnlyFans star making ฿100K per month
Police arrested a trans woman known as ‘Dreamy Dao’ for producing and disseminating pornographic content in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen on Tuesday. Dreamy Dao was making 100,000 baht every month by posting explicit content on the OnlyFans website. Khon Kaen police raided 20 year old Dreamy Dao’s room to find a large number of pornographic videos and 17…
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International travellers trickle back into Bangkok, but hoteliers say it’s not enough
Suvarnabhumi International Airport has seen a significant increase in international travellers since Thailand scrapped its pre-travel PCR test requirement last Friday. Well that’s the general narrative that’s been published in some media, although the published numbers don’t stand up to close scrutiny. Bangkok’s aviation hub saw an average of more than 11,600 daily arrivals from abroad touch down in the…
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Thai MP permanently banned from politics for using forest reserve land for farm
A former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath is now permanently banned from Thai politics for using forest reserve land in Ratchaburi province for her farm. The issues around the MP, Pareena Kraikupt, using land began to surface in 2019. The Royal Forest Department then investigated the land, and concluded that Pareena’s poultry farm encroached on it. The department asked the…
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AQ.in.th simplifies and speeds up the process of entering Thailand for tourists
Press Release Entering Thailand has never been easier since the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the Test & Go and sandbox programs have been revamped, the country is more than ready to reopen and welcome tourists from around the world. As a result, this website (AQ.in.th) was launched to help anxious travellers out. It acts as a one-stop-shop for them to…
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What do Thais of different ages think of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Thais of different ages appear to have a wide range of opinions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Young Thais are more likely to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion than older generations, according to some academics. A professor of international relations at Thammasat University, Kitti Prasirtsuk, told the Guardian that the way young Thais think of their own government has impacted their…
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Asia News Today | A Malaysian Boeing 737 ‘dives’ in a terrifying mid-air incident
Another mid-air incident in Asia after a Malaysia Airlines flight from KL to Sabah on Borneo dipped its nose and dropped suddenly, allegedly flying erratically before turning back to Sabah. The incident happened on Sunday but has only come to light after passengers posted their stories on social media. The airline says that Flight MH2664 from KLIA turned back due…
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Both sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire
The Thai government and the most influential rebel group in Southern Thailand have agreed to stop violence for 40 days, from April 3 – May 14, for the holy month of Ramadan and the Songkran holidays. For the first time in the decades-long conflict, unarmed rebels will be allowed to visit their families during Ramadan. The agreement was made at…
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Thailand promotes tourism packages to attract 1 million Southeast Asian tourists
As countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region ease their pandemic-era travel restrictions and reopen their borders, Thailand aims to take advantage of the resumed international flights. By the end of the year, Thailand hopes to attract some 1.75 million international tourists via short-haul flights, with more than a million coming from Southeast Asian counties alone. To reach their international tourism target,…
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Another Boeing 737-800 experiences sudden dive, lands safely in KL, Malaysia
A mid-air incident in Asia is turning heads in the airline industry, after a Malaysia Airlines flight from capital KL to Borneo dipped its nose and dropped suddenly, allegedly flying erratically before turning back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The incident happened last Sunday, but has only now come to light after passengers posted their stories on social media, prompting…
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Man in Southern Thailand believed to have drowned after fishing in flooded rice field
The body of a man in Southern Thailand was found yesterday. His mother believes he drowned while fishing in a flooded rice field. The man’s mother said the rice fields near her house were under about 70 centimetres of water after several days of continuous rain. She says her son went to catch fish in the fields. When she noticed…
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