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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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Massive water monitor lizard disturbs Southern Thailand home
Possibly one of the heaviest Asian water monitor lizards ever reported was found at a home in Southern Thailand. The massive lizard weighing around 100 kilograms was safely relocated by a rescue team yesterday after lying in front of the door at a house in Nakhon Si Thammarat. 29 year old Teerasuk Pudee returned from work to find what he…
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Amidst shortage, cooking oil ‘mafias’ form in Indonesia
As the global price on crude palm oil surges, Indonesia faces a shortage of cooking oil. The Russia-Ukraine crisis has impacted the supply of vegetable oil in Indonesia, making palm oil more expensive. In November last year, the global CPO price was about US$1,300 per tonne. Now, it’s US$1,600 per tonne. Indonesian authorities tried to enforce one price, 14,000 rupiah…
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Officers find suspected hideout of alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list
The alleged hitman who evaded arrest after shot an M16 rifle, killing an officer during a highspeed chase, has reportedly fled from police again. The man, who is on Thailand’s most wanted list for multiple charges involving murder, is believed to be hiding out in a forest on Khao Cao Mountain in southern province Songkhla. A team of more than…
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Siriraj Hospital announces Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant
Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant, where one of the intestines is replaced along with other abdominal organs, was completed by Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital. The surgery is a simultaneous transplant of multiple organs, including the liver, small intestines and sometimes the stomach. For the patient in Thailand, surgeons transplanted the intestine, liver, pancreas, and stomach. The…
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Thailand’s elephant crisis: 22 elephants die during pandemic at Chiang Mai camp
Another elephant from Maesa elephant camp in Chiang Mai died on Friday, making it the 22nd elephant to die at the camp in the past two years. Without almost no income from tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic, many camps and sanctuaries have been struggling to provide care and food for the animals. A 50 year old male elephant named Krung…
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Vietnamese man tries to paddle from Phuket to India on inflatable boat to see his wife
A devoted Vietnamese husband attempted to row through the Bay of Bengal from Phuket to India on an inflatable boat to see his wife who he hadn’t seen in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thai marines found 37 year old Ho Huang Hung yesterday around 80 kilometres away from the Andaman coast after he had been at sea…
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Spotlight shines on more shady street lamp projects by local Thailand governments
In another street light corruption case involving local governments in Thailand purchasing fancy lamp posts at exorbitant prices, photos of the decorative lamps lining a dirt road in an Isaan province is raising questions from Thais about why the government is spending its funds on what’s considered to be lavish purchases instead of improving infrastructure. The lamp posts adorned with…
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Director of Betong Airport transferred to inactive post
Oh dear, it all looked so promising… Following on from Nok Air’s declaration that it was suspending services to the newly-opened Betong Airport due to low uptake, the airport’s acting director has now been sacked. According to a Nation Thailand report, Duangporn Suwanmanee was removed from her position just 4 days after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the airport’s…
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‘Deltacron’ in Thailand? Pft! We got this – Public Health Minister
Don’t fear new virus variants — we can handle it. That’s the main message from Thailand’s public health ministry, which says the country is well equipped to handle any new Covid-19 strains, including the so-called “Deltacron” variant, a possible combination of Delta and Omicron. Speaking at the Thailand International Health EXPO 2022 on Thursday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said…
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Tangmo: Boating buddies should take polygraph tests, again — says senator
The five boating buddies of the Thai actress Nida “Tango” Patcharavirapong should take lie detector tests — again. That’s the recommendation of Senator Somchai Sawangkarn, head of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, Rights, Liberties and Consumer Protection. Somachai made the statement to the media after a meeting on Monday, during which he heard reports from the police and…
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Thailand’s tourism minister wants all border checkpoints in South opened by May
Thailand’s tourism minister says he expects all border checkpoints with Malaysia to be open by May 1, adding that the move will benefit both countries. According to a Nation Thailand report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says his ministry will coordinate with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to agree the re-opening with the Malaysian authorities, including deciding Covid-19 prevention measures to be implemented at…
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Bangkok instant noodle shop draws thousands of teens
A Bangkok instant noodle shop that opened in October last year has drawn thousands of teenagers since its opening. The shop, called Good Noodle, is stocked with noodles from Indonesia, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Good Noodle doesn’t just sell noodles, though. It also allows customers to to prepare their meals and eat there, even though the noodles…
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UPDATE: Russia claims it destroyed Ukraine ‘weapons depot’ with hypersonic missile
UPDATE: In their daily fact-checking segment, France 24 has debunked Russia’s false claim that it struck an underground weapons depot with a hypersonic missile. Their journalist explains that, while the Russian military might have indeed used a hypersonic missile, they actually struck a farm, NOT a military target… “The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that they launched hypersonic missiles against…
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Motorcycle event organisers apologise for allowing father to carry baby during big bike test drive
Organisers from a recent motorcycle event are apologising for allowing a man to test drive a big bike while his baby was still in a carrier strapped to his back. An official from the event said people were allowed to test drive the big bikes on the track, but no one noticed the man was carrying a baby. The official…
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No Songkran water fights in Pattaya, mayor confirms
The mayor of Pattaya has approved the Songkran celebration but has changed the spotlight to traditional and religious activities instead. With fears and concerns about Covid-19, water and foam events, as well as alcohol consumption and celebrations will be prohibited for another year. Masks must be worn at all times, including outdoors. To meet with the “Covid Free Setting” guideline,…
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Family in Prachinburi find poisonous centipede in tin of fish
A family in Prachinburi, east of Bangkok, were put off their dinner on Sunday after opening a tin of fish to find a 2-centimetre long, poisonous centipede. The family never expected that such a creature would be found in the tinned fish, produced by a famous brand. The family, from Si Maha Phot district, ordered two tins of fish from…
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“Thai Riviera” coastal road planned for province along the Andaman Sea
CORRECTION: An earlier report incorrectly stated the cost of the road. The proposed budget for the design is 80 million baht and the total cost for construction has not been determined. A “Thai Riviera” road is being planned to be built along the coast six of Thailand’s Andaman provinces, if the Office of Transport’s request for 80 million baht for…
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Blackpink’s Lisa heads back home, Buriram meatball vendors prepare to serve star’s favourite snack
Sales at meatball stalls in the Isaan province Buriram have shot up over the several months after the Thai star from the K-pop band Blackpink said it was her favourite place in her hometown. The meatball vendors in Buriram say they will offer free food to fans of Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal if the singer returns home to celebrate her 25th…
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Black box flight recorder found in China Eastern wreckage
One of the black box flight recorders, a key for determining the cause of the China Eastern Airlines crash, was found today by aviation investigators searching the wreckage. The Boeing 737-800, known as the workhorse in commercial aviation and one of the safest aircraft, suddenly declined into a nosedive during a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou carrying 132 people, crashing…
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Upcoming seafood festival at Nai Yang Beach this Friday and Saturday, Phuket
Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival will be hosted at Nai Yang Beach this coming weekend on Friday and Saturday. The festival will start at 4pm on Friday, and end at 11pm on Saturday, March 25-26. The festival will host over 100 food stands, live ‘Luk Thung’ Thai folk music, and cooking competitions with chili paste and grilled seafood. The…
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Asia News Today | Tourists found dead in Philippines & China-Laos railway
The crash of the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane in China’s southwest ignited a fire big enough to be seen from space. Rescuers continue today to cold through the wreckage on the rugged, remote mountainside, just outside the city of Wuzhou. Investigators admit that just two days following the crash, there appears more questions than answers. Rescue workers have resorted to…
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Chon Buri farmer catches huge python in his chicken coop
PHOTO: Top News Thailand A farmer in Ban Beung district of Chon Buri province says he walked in on a huge python in his chicken coop yesterday. The farmer called rescue workers to get the snake out of the coop, and they took five minutes to force the snake into a sack. The farmer said one of his chickens had…
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Buriram battle: 50 youths shoot guns, throw explosives and glass bottles
A 50 man fight broke out in the middle of the street at 1am this morning after the annual Red Cross music festival held in the northeastern province of Buriram. Two groups of young men, approximately 50 in total, started out by arguing and chasing each other on motorcycles and then began throwing glass bottles, homemade grenades and shooting guns…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 25,164 new cases; provincial totals
80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,497 with 2,799 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,164 new Covid-19 cases and 24,770 recoveries. There are now 237,128 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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70 year old grandma in Isaan Thailand arrested for growing one cannabis plant
A 70 year old woman from Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand spent Saturday night in a jail cell after she and her relative were arrested for growing one cannabis plant each. After 24 hours without freedom, they were granted bail of 10,000 baht each. The grandma told police she boils the leaves to make medicine to treat her illnesses. However,…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Zelensky warns Italy of Putin’s end game; Russia could use nuclear weapons under ‘existential threat’
As Russia’s invasion of a sovereign European nation under false pretexts marks one month, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine…. • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Italian parliament via video call on Tuesday. He warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goal is to take Europe. He said that Putin’s aim is “to have influence and…
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Phuket governor presents campaign to create 10,000 new minimum-wage jobs
As Phuket struggles to pick up its disheveled tourism economy, provincial Governor Narong has a plan for recovery. In a meeting with local government agencies yesterday, Narong presented his plans on a whiteboard. He said the provincial government will work with local government organisations to create 10,000 vacancies. The vacancies, he said, would pay the minimum wage of 336 baht…
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Delivery staff finds 3-metre king cobra inside parcel box in Isaan Thailand
A 3-metre long king cobra – alive and likely agitated – was found in a package at a delivery company in Thailand’s Isaan region. Staff saw a cardboard box moving and could hear a hissing sound. They called a rescue team, who then opened the parcel and unzipped the black bag inside, releasing the long, venomous snake. The delivery company…
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Cabinet approves 500-million-baht budget for Paxlovid antiviral treatment
The Thai government has approved a budget of 500 million baht to purchase supplies of Pfizer’s antiviral treatment, Paxlovid. It’s understood the fund is part of the government’s 8.4-billion-baht pandemic budget. Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul has confirmed budgetary approval for the procurement of Paxlovid. The Bangkok Post reports that most of the government’s 8.4-billion-baht Covid-19 budget – 7.7 billion…
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Not so fast: Thai epidemiologist questions plans to declare Covid-19 endemic by July
A leading epidemiologist has questioned Thailand’s rush to declare Covid-19 endemic as infections and deaths surge and the country remains under Level 4 alert. Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology, is suggesting officials slow down a bit, as he cast doubt on the wisdom of trying to declare the virus endemic by July 1. Despite placing the…
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