News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Scientists in India say they’ve come up with a vaccine against all Covid variants
Indian scientists say they have come up with a vaccine that is effective against all variants of Covid-19… Yes, ALL variants. With new SARS-COV-2 virus versions causing new outbreaks of the highly contagious disease, scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, and Kazi Nazrul University designed a vaccine, which they say, can defend against any potential coronavirus…
-
One Night in Bangkok: Top 5 hotels to wine and dine your dinner date for Valentine’s Day 2022
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, choosing the perfect place to celebrate with your current or soon-to-be significant other can be quite the challenge. Fortunately, for those living in the Big Mango, there are numerous hotels offering a delectable array of luxurious menus and memorable views — at unforgettable (i.e. exorbitant) prices. So here’s a shortlist of our Top…
-
Government cracks down hard on pork hoarders
After Songkhla authorities accused one food company of hoarding 200 tonnes of pork in January, the government is on a mission to crack down on pork hoarding. Authorities have gotten more strict about storage and receiving procedures, and inspected 24.48 million kilograms of pork. They then seized 1.07 million kilograms of it that was hoarded. Pork prices are finally lowering…
-
Villager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years
A villager in Indonesia was about to free a crocodile of a motorbike tyre that had been stuck around its neck for more five years. Since 2016, conservationists have been trying to capture the crocodile to free him from the tyre, but had not been successful. But this week, a villager from Sulawesi island in the east of Borneo, along…
-
Too much monkey business in Petchaburi, now they’re getting sterilised
In Petchaburi, a central province, monkeys are breeding like rabbits. They might look cute at first, but the booming number of monkeys might threaten tourism since the monkeys often steal peoples’ belongings. Right now there are 1,000-1,500 per district, and this number is rising to 3,000 in Muang district. An adviser to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said…
-
Election campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite
The campaign season in the Philippines leading up to the May presidential election kicked off this week. Channel News Asia says this season is candidates are running a “chaotic” and “colourful charm offensive” which is aimed at attracting the millions of voters who are “typically more interested in personality than policy.” Analysts have already foreseen the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong”…
-
Travellers can register for the Thailand Pass no less than 24 hours before their trip
For those planning a trip to Thailand, travellers will need to register for the required Thailand Pass QR code no less than 24 hours before a trip, but the Thai government is highly recommending that travellers register and plan a trip at least seven days in advance as the processing time before approval can take three to seven days. For…
-
Siam Piwat aims to generate over 500 million baht to revive the economy and tourism industry
Press Release Siam Piwat emphasizes its vision “The Visionary ICON” with the strategy of “Creating Shared Values” by pursuing the mission to stand by Thais’ side in many crises and support Thailand to get through the hardship together. The company aims to boost the tourism industry that has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by generating over 500 million baht…
-
Get a Covid test before sex, Thailand’s DDC recommends ahead of Valentine’s Day
Before getting intimate on Valentine’s Day, get tested for Covid-19. That’s the recommendation from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control. Authorities are advising couples to undergo a rapid antigen Covid-19 test before having sex. The DDC director-general Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai expressed his concerns today that there might be an uptick in Covid-19 cases following Valentine’s Day. While couples are out on dates…
-
Tinder Thailand launches Valentine’s campaign at Bangkok shrine of love
If the god of love is too busy to fulfil love wishes, Tinder might be able to help. The dating application Tinder Thailand is collaborating with CentralWorld in Bangkok to launch the Valentine’s Day campaign LOVE destiNATION right in front of a popular shrine where many go to pray for love. In front of the Trimurti Shrine by the shopping…
-
Wednesday Covid Update: 13,182 new cases; provincial totals
24 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,344 with 646 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 13,182 new Covid-19 cases and 8,571 recoveries. There are now 98,830 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
-
Democrat politician jumps ship to join Move Forward Party
A prominent MP, formerly part of the Democrat Party, has resigned and joined the opposition Move Forward Party. The MP, Tawil Praisont, said he had been considering leaving the Democrat Party for quite some time because it didn’t want to decentralise local administrative organisations, especially after Thailand’s 2019 general elections. Tawil said he started to regularly meet with a Move…
-
Park officials make changes after overcrowding at Naga Cave
Park officials at the popular destination for Thai tourists, Naga Cave, are stepping up to limit the number of visitors after the site was so crowded with visitors that hundreds were stuck on the mountain waiting to get down. Following the incident, Phu Lanka National Park officials set stricter measures and made changes to staffing. Yesterday, the Ministry of Natural…
-
Government will focus daily Covid-19 reports on serious cases, wants to reduce anxiety
After Thailand’s number of Covid-19 infections per day went above 10,000 this weekend, the government plans to change how it does daily Covid-19 reports. In a two-day a week test, the government reports will only focus on deaths and serious cases where people needed to be hospitalised with ventilators, or had pneumonia. The Ministry of Public Health says that even…
-
Thai police track down, arrest suspect in bank robbery case
Police arrested a man suspected of robbing a bank in the central province Saraburi and running off with around 210,000 baht in cash. In an expedited investigation, with local police promising to find the suspect within the week, officers tracked down and arrested 33 year old Weerachai Auttaparp at his house about 10 kilometres from the bank. Videos from the…
-
Nakula Walk and Eat Festival on every weekend this month in Pattaya
The famous Nakula Walk and Eat Festival, which was postponed last month due to an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Chon Buri, is taking place in Pattaya, every Saturday and Sunday until February 27. It is also known as “the Taste of Pattaya Old Town” since visitors can experience the vintage lifestyle of early Pattaya residents while enjoying cultural performances…
-
Truck drivers threaten to camp in front of Energy Ministry because of diesel price
Angry truck drivers say they will protest and camp out in front of if Thailand’s energy ministry if the minister doesn’t lower diesel prices in seven days. The chairman of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand (LTFT) also said the federation would join protests with other groups hurt by Thailand’s rising cost of living, like farmers affected by low crop…
-
Thailand’s famous noodle dish, Pad Thai, included in Oxford online dictionary
Thailand’s iconic noodle dish, Pad Thai, has made it into the Oxford online dictionary, according to a Thai PBS World report. The dictionary defines Pad Thai as, “a dish from Thailand made with a type of noodles made from rice, spices, egg, vegetables and sometimes meat or seafood.” Pad Thai, a stir-fried noodle dish which is usually made with chicken,…
-
Health officials advise public to guard against mosquito bites, dengue fever
Health officials in Thailand are urging the public to take precautions against mosquito bites, with dengue fever likely to become more prevalent this year. Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says the number of dengue infections decreased in the last 2 years, primarily as a result of people staying home during the pandemic. However, the mosquito-borne illness…
-
Minimum daily wage in Thailand looks set to increase to 492 baht
The Labour Ministry is expected to approve a rise in Thailand’s daily minimum wage from 336 baht to a flat rate of 492, according to a Nation Thailand report. The sharp increase comes just 2 years after a previous hike and is expected to mainly favour labourers. It’s understood that 2 agencies representing workers in the Tripartite Wage Committee have…
-
Phuket police have CCTV footage of fatal gangster shooting
Police investigating the murder of an Indian gangster shot dead in Phuket on Friday night say they have security camera footage of the incident. According to a Bangkok Post report, officers are reviewing CCTV footage of the moment 32-year-old Jimi Sandhu was gunned down outside his villa in Rawai, in the south of the island. His body was found in…
-
Malaysia considers full reopening in March to vaccinated travellers
Following moves from other Southeast Asian countries, like Thailand, to gradually reopen borders, Malaysia is considering a full reopening of borders starting March 1, allowing vaccinated travellers to enter without mandatory quarantine requirements. The plan is to speed up the country’s economic recovery, according to its coronavirus recovery council today. The Southeast Asian country that shut down its borders in March…
-
13 killed, dozens injured in Indonesia’s Java island bus crash
At least 13 people were killed in a bus crash on Indonesia’s Java island yesterday. Dozens of passengers, including young children, were injured. Many were factory workers on their way to a beach for a holiday trip. The bus carried 47 people travelling from Sukoharjo in Central Java to Yogyakarta for a family gathering. The driver lost control while driving…
-
Health Minister signs document removing cannabis with low-THC from narcotics list
The Public Health Minister Autin Charnvirakul signed a document to remove cannabis from the ministry’s list of Category 5 narcotics. It will be in effect within 120 days after the announcement from the Royal Gazette. Cannabis with a concentration of the psychoactive component THC exceeding 0.2% is still illegal. The minister says getting high off cannabis is still illegal, with heavy…
-
Second Thai-Laos friendship bridge will house both railway and motorway- Transport Minister
Thailand is planning to build a bridge to Laos across the Mekong River for both railway and motorway. Last month, the Thai cabinet approved the project to build a second Thailand-Laos friendship bridge, connecting Nong Khai in northeast Thailand and the Laos capital Vientiane, as part of the third phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project. The construction is estimated…
-
Cat sits on sports car, owner demands 100,000 baht to pay for scratches
The owner of a luxury sports car has reportedly filed a lawsuit against their neighbour claiming 100,000 baht in damages after a cat climbed and sat on top of their black and yellow Lotus sports car, causing some scratches. The story was widely shared in Thailand and the latest reports say the owner has since apologised, adding that he doesn’t…
-
Police search for bank robber who stole more than 200,000 baht in cash
Police are searching for a man who robbed a bank in the central province of Saraburi and ran off with 210,000 baht in cash. Officers say they want to make an arrest within the next seven days and have offered a 10,000 baht reward to anyone who has information that leads to an arrest. Thai media says the man was…
-
Food delivery driver attacks pedestrian on sidewalk in Bangkok
A food delivery driver riding his motorbike on the sidewalk nearly hit a man walking out of a shop. The pedestrian says he yelled and the driver then got off his bike and attacked the man on the sidewalk, video footage shows. Thai media identified the man as Boonrit, or “Tao Titan Face” for his face tattoos that resemble a…
-
Maharaj Tunnel opens in Bangkok, pedestrian underpass to the Grand Palace
A new pedestrian underpass in Bangkok officially opened yesterday, with a small exhibition along the underground route to the Grand Palace. In addition to easing traffic problems in the heart of the city, the Maharaj Tunnel offers an exhibition showcasing the history of Bangkok as well as Thai architecture. It also provides clean toilets for those walking throughout the city.…
-
Cambodian PM says false claims of Australian’s release in Myanmar was a “mistake”
Cambodian PM Hun Sen says his claims that the Myanmar military junta had released an Australian economist as per his request was an “unintentional mistake.” After authorities in Myanmar said the economic adviser, Sean Turnell, is still the Hun Sen admitted that he had been given the wrong information and had made a mistake. On his official Facebook page, the…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.