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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: Huge soapy massage ‘club’ in Bangkok bought within 24 hours of being up for sale
FOR SALE: One Soapy Massage Complex in Bangkok Just what you need to diversify your property portfolio. Your very own gentleman’s club, complete with soap and bubbles. It’s not everyday that a large soapy massage venue gets listed publicly in Thailand. The owner of the 5 storey venue in Bangkok has put his venue and business up for sale for…
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UN agency criticises introduction of travel bans over Omicron variant
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation says travel bans introduced following the emergence of the Omicron variant should be lifted. UNWTO members voiced their concerns about the bans during the organisation’s recent General Assembly. According to a TTR Weekly report, countries from all regions of the world voiced solidarity with African nations that have become the target of travel bans…
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BKFC provide some impressive bare-knuckle fighting action
Press Release Lockdowns have been lifted, Covid has taken a well-earned bare-knuckle fist to the face, and everyone in the Kingdom of Smiles is ready to get out and about and start enjoying life again. And what better way to jump back into the swing of things than to witness some impressive bare-knuckle fighting action with BKFC knockouts, beatdowns and…
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PM and Prawit put on show of unity over lunch, amid rumours of political infighting
Following murmurings of a rift, the Thai PM has had lunch with deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon in what may be an attempt to dispel such rumours. The Bangkok Post reports that the lunch took place yesterday, at the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation. Both men had just attended a meeting at the Army Club with Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda.…
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Bank of Thailand concerned with banks trading in digital assets
The Bank of Thailand said they don’t want commercial banks to directly trade in cryptocurrency and digital assets due to their extreme volatility. Thai lenders have been investing more and more in digital asset exchanges in Thailand with several banks making deals in the digital currency space. Siam Commerical Bank recently purchased a 51% share of Bitkub for 17.85 billion…
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Meet Dago Nivel, an Angolan who took on the system
Dago’s real name is Fancisco Mapanda. He grew up in Jindingo, Luanda. It used to be an agricultural area. Jindingo then became a residential area. Dago had a rough childhood on the streets and at school here. Activism and hip hop changed Dago’s life. He became known as “Dago Nível Intelecto”. In 2016, he and other human rights defenders were…
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World in Progress: The ripple effects of the pandemic
COVID-19 has disrupted children’s education all over the world. Lockdowns and shutdowns have caused much more than kids missing out on school’s curriculums though — it’s taken a toll on their mental health, too. Can drones help in getting medicine and vaccines to remote areas? And how to best tackle COVID misinformation — volunteers in India try to encourage people…
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Transatlantic allies ramp up pressure on Russia over Ukraine
White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki minced no words ahead of the virtual meeting where President Joe Biden conveyed to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, the harsh financial penalties that would accompany any new invasion of Ukraine. “[W]e have a path forward that would impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy,” Psaki said. “You can call that a threat,…
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Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict deepens ethnic rifts
Shortly after nightfall in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, volunteers wearing orange reflective vests and carrying sticks gather for a patrol by a neighborhood militia. “We are watching and securing the peace of the neighborhood,” member Leul Hassen told AP news agency. Vigilante groups like this are accused of stopping people and turning Tigrayans, one of Ethiopia’s more than 80 ethnic…
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“Thailand Tourism with SHA” festival set for December 17 to 19
“Thailand Tourism with SHA” – the blandly titled event the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya City created jointly – is set to run on Pattaya Beach from December 17 to 19. The event is scheduled to include dozens of vendors and attractions in hopes of encouraging tourists to visit Pattaya, a quest that will likely be aided by the…
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President Joko Widodo visted displaced areas in East Java after volcano eruption
More than 34 people were killed, hundreds hospitalised, 22 seriously injured (mostly burned), and nearly 3,000 houses and 38 schools were damaged after a Mount Semeru volcano erupted in the Lumajang district of East Java on Saturday. Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the ravaged areas yesterday to reassure people that communities will be restored quickly and assistance is reaching those…
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Tycoon Premchai sentenced to 3 years, 2 months for poaching
Thailand’s construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in jail without parole by the Supreme Court today for poaching and hunting a black panther in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi in February 2018. The Office of the Attorney General rushed out the announcement earlier so hurriedly that it underreported the sentencing of Premchai…
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Blowing the whistle on traffic offenses in Angola
In Caxito, Angola, young men spend the day monitoring the streets aiming the stop traffic accidents. Recognizable by their trademark whistles, many are taxi conductors, and others volunteer as inspectors. They blow the whistle when they see a traffic violation. Drivers routinely ignore road signs. But they aren’t solely responsible for accidents. Caxito’s roads are poorly maintained. Meanwhile, the police…
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Expat gets hit in the head at Bangkok zoo, apparently for taking his mask off to eat
A Swedish man was hit of the head with a tumbler at a Bangkok’s Safari World, apparently for taking his mask to eat. The man’s wife, who is Thai, made a post on Facebook saying they were looking for a man who hit her husband during a dolphin show at the zoo. She also added that she already filed a…
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Laos to reopen to fully vaccinated international tourists in 2022
Laos’s Tourism Ministry yesterday said the government and private sectors are working together to reopen Laos to fully vaccinated tourists in 2022, with specifics on quarantine upon arrival still being discussed. Following the rules outlined by the Prime Minister’s Office last month, the ministry is also encouraging officials to prepare for the return of international tourists. Further information from the…
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Ministry of Defense makes statement after post claiming soldiers were forced to masturbate
In response to a post on social media claiming 168 soldiers were forced to masturbate before showering, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence made a statement saying that there is no policy where senior officers are encouraged to order that kind of punishment to soldiers, adding that it is “extremely inappropriate.” Reports in Thai media says the ministry will investigate the claims…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 3,618 new cases; provincial totals
38 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,035 with 20,941 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 3,618 new Covid-19 cases and 5,775 recoveries. There are now 64,200 people in Thailand being…
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Motorbike catches fire while driving in Phuket before exploding
Phuket saw an unusual and spectacular accident when a motorbike caught fire while driving down the road. The accident took place last night on the main road in Pa Khlok around 8 pm and ended in a fiery explosion with the motorbike fully immersed in flames. Thalang Police responded to a call around 8:15 in the evening while local patrolling…
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Thai government roasted by opposition bloc, Prayut called out for mismanagement
Corruption. An economic meltdown. Budget mismanagement. Opposition parties are calling out the government’s failures under the leadership of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, and a joint statement outlining failures over the past three years, including mismanagement during the Covid-19 pandemic, was released by Thailand’s six-party opposition bloc. In the recent statement, opposition parties highlighted what they say was mismanagement by the prime…
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Ford factories in Thailand to receive a US $900 million upgrade
In an announcement today, Ford Motor Company committed to investing US $900 million – about 30 billion baht – to upgrade their factories in Thailand. The American car manufacturer vowed to modernise its production plants in Thailand that support the building of the Everest SUV and Ranger pickup truck. The 30 billion baht is the biggest single investment that Ford…
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Koh Samui agent gives honest property review by standing in waist-deep floodwater
For those looking into buying land in Thailand, the potential for flooding is one of the first concerns that comes up. One property agent on Koh Samui is being honest about the rising water levels… So honest that he decided to shoot a video of himself holding up the land title deed while waist-deep murky floodwater. The 45 year old…
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Results for 2 travellers infected with Covid-19 in November come out positive for Omicron
The test results for two travellers who tested positive for Covid-19 last month have now come back positive for the Omicron variant, but health officials say the patients have already recovered. Following the emergence of the Omicron variant, Thai health officials started reviewing the of the Covid-19 cases involving travellers from overseas during the month of November. The two cases…
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Kunming-Bangkok flight third relaunched flight from China Eastern
China Eastern Yunnan Airlines launched its third flight route between China and Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand just put out a welcome announcement. The flight will bring Chinese tourists from the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming to Bangkok. Kunming is the capital of the Yunnan province and the TAT’s local Kunming made the announcement today welcoming the new…
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BBC plans to reproduce Thailand’s hit TV show “Block Out” for British television
Following the successful take of the South Korean show “The Masked Singer,” BBC is eyeing Thailand for its next big television show. The network plans to pilot its own version of the Tetris-style smash “Block Out”, a hit TV show among Thais, cashing in on the rising popularity of Asian TV shows. The original “Block Out” was created by Japanese…
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Bars warned it takes proper accreditation to be a restaurant
The practice of bars and clubs tossing up a sign selling french fries and calling themselves a restaurant in order to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions ban entertainment venues from operating has been commonplace for months in Thailand. Now bars, pubs, and karaoke establishments are being warned in Bangkok that it takes more than a slapdash bite to eat to qualify…
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470 million baht “soapy” massage venue and business up for sale in Bangkok
Properties go up for sale all time, but it’s not everyday that a large venue for sex work gets listed publicly. The owner of a “soapy” massage complex in Bangkok recently put his venue and business up for sale for 470 million baht, and the listing has gone viral. Not only will the buyer get the 5-storey venue, but they’ll…
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Malaysia and China to collaborate in developing Covid-19 vaccine
The Foreign Minister of Malaysia is reporting that the country will collaborate with China in their research to create a Malaysian Covid-19 vaccine. The minister reported the partnership between China and Malaysia as part of the country’s National Vaccine Development Roadmap. The Prime Minister of Malaysia Ismail Sabri Yaakob recently announced the country’s roadmap plans to bolster confidence in vaccines…
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Jetstar Asia to operate vaccinated travel lane between Bangkok and Singapore
Jetstar Asia has confirmed it has received approval to launch 2 additional Vaccinated Travel Lane services from next week. TTR Weekly reports that the carrier will operate flights for fully vaccinated passengers from Bangkok and Phnom Penh to Singapore. The Bangkok to Singapore service launches on December 15 and the following day, VTL flights from Phnom Penh to Singapore join…
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More and more digital nomads choose Phuket for a “workation”
Many digital nomads call Thailand home, and more and more people are choosing Phuket for their so-called “workation,” using coffee shops on the island as an office. The BBC’s Thai reporters spoke to several people on the island who work remotely for companies in other countries. For 34 year old American Andy Lee, he runs his business from a cafe…
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Thai PM says another national lockdown “unlikely” despite Omicron variant
The Thai PM says another lockdown is not on the cards, despite the first case of the Omicron variant being reported in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha was responding to fears from business owners that another lockdown could be imposed during peak season “Hopefully, this coming New Year will be a happy time. We haven’t…
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